Chapter 2 Plucking the Twin Lotus

Chapter 2 Plucking the Twin Lotus

Gao Wenyan grabbed Bixi's hand and pulled her onto the small boat beside the pavilion.

"Quick!"

Ignoring Lady Gao's calls from the shore, she focused solely on rowing faster, determined to reach their destination before the clouds moved over.

Though Bixi looked worried, she obediently followed Gao Wenyan's lead, never stopping her actions.

Together, they managed to stop steadily in front of the twin lotus just as the sunlight touched the ground again.

Gao Wenyan reached out and plucked the twin lotus. To her surprise, it required no effort; with just a gentle pull, the lotus came up easily.

This was clearly a temporary placement!

She suppressed her shock, turned, and waved with a smile towards the shore.

The water still shimmered with golden light. In her haste, she had only glimpsed something golden placed at the bottom.

Unable to investigate further under everyone's watchful eyes, Gao Wenyan pretended that the oar had gotten stuck in the mud, using the opportunity to push the object deep into the muck.

She then flicked some mud over it to cover it up, only resuming the journey back once the golden glow had disappeared from the water.

"What were you doing!?"

Despite being prepared, Gao Wenyan still shuddered.

The three siblings were genuinely afraid of Lady Gao's anger, especially her.

Her elder brother rarely made mistakes, while her second brother, used to getting beaten since childhood, had thick skin, making Lady Gao's punishments feel like mere scratches. Only General Gao could truly discipline him.

For Gao Wenyan, however, every mistake meant punishment.

General Gao hesitated to punish her, so Lady Gao took matters into her own hands, and she was strict—never sparing even one strike if ten were warranted.

Thus, all the hardships Gao Wenyan had endured since birth came from Lady Gao's rod.

Seizing the moment, Gao Wenyan presented the twin lotus, offering it politely to Lady Song.

She smiled and said, "Mother, please don't be angry. I saw this flower perfectly matching Aunt Song's attire, so I wanted to pick it for her."

Lady Song was clearly taken aback, looking between Lady Gao and Gao Wenyan before finally smiling to defuse the tension.

"Yan'er hasn't seen Aunt Song in a long time and got carried away. Still, picking flowers isn't right; you mustn't do it again."

"But as the saying goes, 'If the flower is in bloom, pluck it now; don't wait until there are none left.' This flower looks a hundred times better with Aunt Song than in the pond."

"Oh, our Yan'er sure knows how to sweet-talk."

With Lady Song's intervention, Lady Gao couldn't argue further. She gave Gao Wenyan a stern look but visibly softened.

She glanced at Lady Song and smiled. "This flower truly complements you. We recently had a skilled painter visit our residence. Why not have him paint a portrait of you?"

Aunt Song felt embarrassed.

"How can I accept such an offer?"

Gao Wenyan glanced at the water, which had returned to calmness, but she feared more might happen. It wasn't safe to linger here.

She quickly agreed.

"Let's go, Aunt Song. The painter is excellent."

Once they reached the painting room, Gao Wenyan found an excuse to leave and secretly returned to the pond.

"Has anyone come by?"

She had instructed Bixi to keep watch here, fearing someone bold enough to retrieve the object during daylight.

"Miss, I've been watching here, and no one has come."

She nodded, guessing the person would likely act at night.

Instructing Bixi to continue watching, Gao Wenyan returned to her room and meticulously reviewed the timeline from her past life.

The twin lotus had already been given to Lady Song, and any further schemes involving it would now implicate the marquessate along with them.

In her previous life, the Song family, to protect themselves, became witnesses to the twin lotus incident. While they didn't add fuel to the fire, they also didn't speak up in defense.

Without the nursery rhyme, would the Gao family be temporarily safe?

No!

Gao Wenyan suddenly put down her pen and paper.

The absence of the nursery rhyme incident meant that the Gao family would face more "twin lotus" incidents.

In her past life, after the twin lotus incident, the Gao family experienced three months of relative peace.

With the enemy in the shadows and her in the open, changing this event brought uncertainty.

But if they remained passive, waiting until the nursery rhyme spread without catching Lin Qian's mastermind, what then?

This move was too risky.

And to uncover the mastermind, she couldn't kill Lin Qian yet.

Recalling her past life, Gao Wenyan knew that her father was convicted of treason based on two key pieces of evidence and one crucial witness.

And now it is clear that this witness is still trying to win her favor and will come to propose in a month.

Although Lin Qian is hateful, he is not difficult to guard against. Gao Wenyan only needs to reject him and then cause a rift between Lin Qian and her second brother.

In this way, the relationship between Lin Qian and the Gao family would become subtle from being close, and no one would believe his accusations anymore.

Gao Wenyan guessed that Lin Qian is a man driven by profit. Since he tried to curry favor with her two months ago, it means he still wants to climb up the Gao family's ladder.

Therefore, it should be after the defeat of the General's Mansion that Lin Qian found another patron and helped others plot against the Gao family, ensuring both his own safety and advancement.

But who exactly is the person behind him? Gao Wenyan still has no clue.

Apart from Lin Qian, there are two other pieces of evidence she can target.

One is a mechanical box containing evidence of treason, which will be bestowed by the Emperor in two months.

The other is a fragment of a letter left after the fire at the military camp a month later.

What she needs to do now is first find out the mastermind behind the twin lotus plot. As for the fire, Gao Wenyan has some suspicions but still needs more evidence.

In the meantime, Gao Wenyan decided to go talk to Lin Qian first. Her second brother and Lin Qian are good friends, so finding her second brother would lead her to Lin Qian.

When she asked about Gao Wenting's whereabouts, she learned he had gone to the Blossom House again.

The Blossom House is a famous restaurant in the Capital, frequented not only by scholars and poets but also by the sons of nobles.

Gao Wenting often hangs out there, and over time, those young masters have all come to know Gao Wenyan.

It was at the Blossom House that Gao Wenting met Lin Qian. Lin Qian came from a humble background and was introduced to the imperial examinations by one of them. Later, he entered into an engagement with the Gao family, and his career soared.

After the Gao family fell, he not only distanced himself but even climbed higher by stepping on them.

Clearly, Lin Qian always finds a good step to advance himself.

Who was it that introduced him in the beginning?

Lin Qian had told her, but she wasn't paying attention and thus had no recollection.

The Blossom House is not far from the General's Mansion, and she didn't bother sending for a carriage.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out of the house, she saw a carriage parked nearby, partially hidden by a few trees.

If Gao Wenyan hadn't seen it by chance, she might have overlooked it.

She looked closely and realized it wasn't the style of the Song family's carriage.

Seeing Gao Wenyan's confusion, a quick-witted servant rushed over to explain.

"Miss, that is the government residence's carriage. The Chancellor passed by here and seemed unwell, so he stopped to rest."

"How long has it been?"

"It's been an hour."

She frowned: "An hour? Why wasn't I informed?"

The person sitting inside is the notoriously petty Chancellor; neglecting him could be disastrous.

The servant panicked and explained: "Miss, the Chancellor's side instructed us not to make a fuss."

"He said... he didn't want to disturb anyone."

Gao Wenyan glared at him and scolded: "Fool! If you can't tell who your master is, get lost!"

Usually mild-mannered, the servant was terrified by her anger and fell to his knees, saying: "I'm foolish, I'm foolish! I'll punish myself right away!"

Gao Wenyan felt annoyed and dismissed him.

She strode towards the carriage.

Chancellor Chu.

In her previous life, she did not leave home today, so this is a new event she hasn't encountered before.