Chapter 19 Splash Calm and decisive!

Chapter 19: A Splash! Composed and Resolute!

Just moments ago, he had said that once a secret is known by a third person, it ceases to be a secret. Yet in the very next moment, he entrusted her with a secret that could cost her life. Zhong Yao felt that Xie Chi was really awful.

But you should never speak too soon.

As she wept, burdened by the heavy secret forced upon her, Xie Chi said with regret, "What a pity."

Was he pitying her for dying young due to an unbearable burden?

"Such a waste of tears," Xie Chi said, then his tone shifted, "But it's alright. You've got plenty to spare."

Just then, a guard arrived with something as he had instructed. Xie Chi took it, grabbed Zhong Yao's hand that was wiping her tears—

When his broad palm covered the back of her hand, the unfamiliar sensation and warmth made Zhong Yao jump. Her hand instinctively recoiled, but he held it fast.

Zhong Yao jerked her head up. Her vision was blurred by the tears in her eyes, so she blinked hard.

Xie Chi watched as a glistening teardrop rolled from her eye. Those misty eyes instantly became clear and bright, like rare, black pearls, exceptionally beautiful.

Beautiful, and also reflecting the image of himself forcibly holding her hand, along with a hint of panic belonging to the owner of those eyes.

Xie Chi paused, pressing his lips together slightly. "What are you afraid of?"

His blunt question embarrassed her.

She curled her fingers slightly, feeling Xie Chi's thumb pressed against her palm—warm and a little rough.

She pursed her lips, forced herself to relax, and allowed Xie Chi to hold her hand open, pressing a piece of paper into her palm.

"If you have no tears, there's no need to sprinkle water to fake it."

After saying this, Xie Chi let go of her hand without lingering.

As soon as he released it, the paper threatened to drift away. Zhong Yao instinctively grabbed it, but once she held it, her palm felt oddly empty.

She still felt a bit embarrassed...

The last man to hold her hand was her second brother, and that was to fight over something with her...

"Now that you have it, use the real thing to make up for it."

Xie Chi's voice snapped Zhong Yao out of her thoughts. She looked down and discovered that what she was holding was actually the letter she had written to Xie Chi last time. The paper was somewhat wrinkled from when she had sprinkled water on it to pretend they were tears.

So he had seen through it.

Zhong Yao glanced up stealthily at Xie Chi and was caught.

Xie Chi raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me? Cry."

Zhong Yao hesitated, then covered her face and went back to crying, "Boo hoo."

After crying for a while, the hands covering her face were suddenly pulled away. She looked at Xie Chi's displeased expression and giggled.

She had been caught fake crying.

Still laughing, Zhong Yao whispered sheepishly, "You broke my concentration. I need to get back into the mood to cry..."

Xie Chi was also left speechless. He pointed outside and asked, "So, are you going to find your brother or what?"

Of course she was!

Reminded by this, Zhong Yao remembered that if not for protecting Xie Chi's secret, she should have been talking to Second Miss Chen by now. She hurriedly prepared to leave.

Just as she was about to step away, she stopped, turned back to look at Xie Chi, lightly brushed her finger under her eye, and whispered, "Can you tell I've been crying?"

Xie Chi's gaze swept over her damp, long eyelashes and eyes, lingered on her cheeks for a moment, then turned away as he called out, "Someone, call Shu Feng over."

Shu Feng was the maid who had taken care of Zhong Yao at the suburban estate before. She arrived quickly, sat Zhong Yao down on a chair, and began to primp her.

After a series of ministrations, when Zhong Yao looked up again, the traces of her tears were covered with rouge, and she was once again that vibrant and charming girl.

Xie Chi glanced at her twice, then looked away, saying indifferently, "I have things to do and won't be staying in the capital for long. Wrap up your brother's business quickly—Shu Feng, from today, you stay by Xue Fang's side and keep an eye on both of them."

His tone noticeably emphasized the last few words.

Shu Feng acknowledged the order, called in Xue Fang who was waiting at the door, adjusted his gown for him, and then led the two of them out.

The front courtyard was still bustling. As soon as Xue Fang appeared, he immediately became the center of attention. Zhong Yao, the "wicked girl" with an extremely poor reputation, was elbowed aside. Coincidentally, she spotted her mother, waved from afar to Shu Feng, and turned to find Madam Zhong.

After a brief exchange between mother and daughter, Zhong Yao asked about the results of Madam Zhong's questioning.

"It's the same as before," Madam Zhong said suspiciously. "Is he really just resting a leg injury?"

Of course not.

Zhong Yao knew that not only had her mother failed to find out anything, but she had also nearly been deceived by Second Miss Chen.

She could only rely on herself now.

Second Miss Chen was right beside Old Madam Xie. Xue Fang had also been called over. Zhong Yao tried to catch their eye from a distance. Xue Fang maintained his "cold beauty" demeanor and ignored her, but Shu Feng gave a slight nod.

However, it was too busy over there, so it would take a while to get away.

Having nothing better to do, Zhong Yao leaned close to Madam Zhong and asked about the emperor's personal expedition.

"Why ask about this suddenly?"

Zhong Yao felt guilty. "It's Fangfang. She said... she mentioned that she'll be going to the palace to pay respects in a few days, so she talked to me about this."

Madam Zhong didn't suspect anything. She glanced around and said in a low voice, "That was several years ago. It was a brilliant victory. But I heard from your father that His Majesty doesn't seem to like mentioning it much. Probably because the ministers kept nagging him after he returned... Indeed, what emperor would use himself as bait? What if something unexpected happened..."

What if he had been captured? That would be recorded in history books for eternal infamy.

And, using himself as bait?

Yes, that's it—using himself as bait!

Zhong Yao pressed a hand to her chest, reminding herself internally that she absolutely must hold her tongue and guard the secret.

Due to the rumors related to the broken engagement, Zhong Yao and her mother were being given the cold shoulder, and few people paid them any attention. If Zhong Yao hadn't said she also wanted to chat with Second Miss Chen, Madam Zhong would have wanted to find an excuse to return home.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Xue Fang sent a maid to invite Zhong Yao over.

Zhong Yao steeled herself, told her mother, and followed the maid.

Xue Fang had been lectured by Xie Chi. His identity was originally meant to provide convenience for Zhong Yao. Now, with Shu Feng overseeing him, he was much more obedient. He was currently playing the zither and drinking tea with several young ladies in a small pavilion in the middle of the lake.

Zhong Yao's appearance made the young ladies' smiles fade, but Zhong Yao didn't mind. She focused all her energy on Second Miss Chen.

Second Miss Chen, named Chen Luoling, was leaning against the railing feeding fish. When she saw Zhong Yao, her expression stiffened abruptly, her eyes darting away briefly before she quickly regained composure and smiled at her.

Zhong Yao knew she must have prepared a countermeasure.

After all, she had already fobbed off Zhong Yao’s mother.

To extract information about her elder brother, Zhong Yao had to strike decisively, forcing Chen Luoling to reveal a flaw.

Her reputation was already tarnished, and compared to finding her brother’s whereabouts, a little more damage didn’t matter. So, upon reaching the small pavilion, Zhong Yao went straight to Chen Luoling.

“A month ago, my family received a handwritten letter from my elder brother.”

No sooner had Zhong Yao spoken than all color drained from Chen Luoling’s face. She turned deathly pale, clenched her hands tightly, and trembled as if struck by a devastating blow.

Zhong Yao’s words had worked.

Her mother, unaware that Chen Luoling was problematic, would certainly not have shared such critical information with her. But Zhong Yao knew Chen Luoling had secrets, and dropping this bombshell unexpectedly had indeed startled her.

With others still around, Zhong Yao couldn’t lay everything out openly. So, she quickly followed up, saying, “In his letter, he mentioned meeting Young Master Chen, praising the young master’s intelligence and rapid progress in both academics and horseback archery. At the time, I thought my elder brother wasn’t particularly skilled in archery and might not teach him well. In the end, an accident did occur.”

Chen Luoling was clever and quickly adjusted her emotions, forcing an unnatural smile as she replied, “It was my younger brother’s mischief that accidentally injured Censor Zhong.”

Zhong Yao also smiled and said, “I’ve been close to my elder brother since childhood. It’s been a long time since I last saw him, and I miss him dearly. Would Second Miss be willing to share with me some stories about him and the young master in Jiangzhou?”

“Of course.”

Chen Luoling gracefully rose, apologizing to the other young ladies present, and said she would take a stroll with Zhong Yao along the lakeside bridge.

Since Zhong Yao had mentioned wanting to discuss her brother, the other young ladies, even to avoid suspicion, couldn’t very well follow. Thus, no one objected.

Neither brought their maids. Walking side by side away from the pavilion and putting some distance between themselves and the others, Chen Luoling suddenly took the initiative to say, “I caught a cold recently and shouldn’t be in the wind. Would Miss Zhong mind waiting a moment while I fetch a cloak?”

Zhong Yao had seen it clearly—the maid following Chen Luoling earlier had a cloak draped over her arm, and that maid was still in the pavilion.

This short distance was right under her watchful eyes, so nothing could go wrong.

Zhong Yao had been calm and decisive earlier, her single sentence throwing Chen Luoling into disarray. She was immensely satisfied with her performance, feeling this was the most brilliant moment of her seventeen years of life—even Xie Chi would have to be utterly impressed.

She wanted to ponder further on how to make Chen Luoling tell the truth later, so she nodded and said, feigning profundity, “I’ll wait right here. Second Miss, please make it quick.”

Chen Luoling nodded, turned around, and gracefully walked back toward the pavilion.

Zhong Yao stared unblinkingly at her retreating figure, thinking to herself that if she could uncover her brother’s whereabouts today, all the grievances she had suffered at the hands of Old Madam Xie, Xie Chi, and Xue Fang would be worth it.

Just as she was feeling smug, she saw Chen Luoling, who had walked some distance away, suddenly sway and topple toward the clear lake water as if unable to withstand the gentle breeze over the lake.

“Splash—”

Screams instantly erupted across the lake.

Zhong Yao stared in panic at the exclaiming crowd and Xue Fang, who had jumped into the water to rescue her. Her heart pounded wildly with fright, and her eyes stung, tears nearly spilling over.

Out of sheer anger.

This Second Miss Chen… was too cunning!