Chapter 18: Evading Disaster

Furong followed her gaze. From this side room, one could only see the courtyard’s interior, not the gate or beyond.

At the moment, the maids in Qinghe Courtyard were all attending to their duties, with nothing unusual in sight.

The maid previously sent to find Lady Shen, Jiang Jin’s mother, had not yet returned. What exactly was Cheng Wan waiting for?

Furong remained cautious. After stepping out, she did not close the side room door completely, leaving a gap just wide enough for Cheng Wan to observe the courtyard.

Once outside, she found a capable young maid and instructed her to keep a discreet watch.

Returning to the room, Furong discussed the matter again with Jiang Jin.

Jiang Jin listened, her brow slightly furrowed. “Did she choose that side room herself, or did you take her there?”

Furong nodded. “This servant took her there.”

“Then it’s fine.”

Jiang Jin thought that if Cheng Wan had chosen the room herself, her intentions would be impure—she must have been plotting something.

But since Furong had made the decision, it was more likely that Cheng Wan was simply worried.

“Has the maid sent to find Mother returned?” Jiang Jin asked again.

Speaking of this, Furong also found it strange. She shook her head. “Not yet. Logically, if she successfully found Lady Shen at Xuesong Studio, she should have reached the gate by now.”

“This servant will go outside to check again.”

Furong left quickly and returned just as swiftly.

Seeing Jiang Jin, she shook her head once more.

“Miss, no one is in sight.”

Jiang Jin understood—Mother was not at Xuesong Studio.

But according to Mother’s habits, she usually handled household affairs in her own courtyard.

With matters in the inner courtyard today, Mother should not have gone out.

“By the way, has the person sent to inquire at the back gate returned?”

“Not yet either.” As soon as Furong finished speaking, a sound came from the doorway.

She stepped out, and a maid approached to whisper a message in her ear.

Upon hearing it, Furong’s expression changed abruptly.

She hurried back into the room and reported to Jiang Jin, “Someone from Tingfeng Pavilion slipped out early this morning!”

“At the time, the household’s supervision was lax, and word leaked back. Now, as they were about to leave again, Lady Shen caught them!”

Hearing this, Jiang Jin understood.

No wonder Cheng Wan had come to find her—she must have been guided by Second Brother.

Second Brother had his weaknesses, and Mother had hers.

That was why Cheng Wan had used the word “also” earlier.

She must have gone to Fifth Younger Sister’s courtyard first!

As Jiang Jin pondered this, she voiced her thoughts.

Furong recalled the events and nodded in agreement. “This servant thinks so too.”

“Did the person who returned say anything else?”

Furong shook her head. “No, only this was found out.”

“Good. Tell her to investigate further. If Second Brother returns, report back immediately.”

Jiang Jin thought that, given Second Brother’s favoritism toward Cheng Wan, if she were truly caught by Mother with some serious evidence, Second Brother would never stand by and watch.

Not only would he return home, but he would also find a reasonable excuse to do so.

Perhaps… he would even force Mother to let Cheng Wan off!

————

Not long after, the weather suddenly changed.

Listening to the howling wind outside the window, Jiang Jin felt a vague unease.

For some reason, Mother still had not come.

Whether she was held up or dealing with more urgent matters was unclear.

On Cheng Wan’s side, she kept urging to see Jiang Jin.

Jiang Jin picked up her teacup, her mind restless.

After an indeterminate amount of time, she set it down again.

Back and forth, she did not take a single sip.

Just as Jiang Jin was about to lose her patience, Furong entered.

“Miss!” Furong’s face was deathly pale, and the panic in her eyes was unmistakable as she approached Jiang Jin.

Jiang Jin furrowed her brows and asked gently, “What happened? Have you found out everything clearly?”

Furong swallowed hard and replied with difficulty, “I have.”

Her voice trembled, and hearing it, the unease in Jiang Jin’s heart grew stronger.

She stood up, took Furong’s hand, and patted it soothingly. “Don’t rush. Calm down and tell me slowly.”

Furong pursed her lips, taking a long moment to collect herself.

“Miss, two skeletons were buried in the flower bed at Tingfeng Pavilion!”

Jiang Jin widened her eyes, her expression one of disbelief.

Furong took a deep breath. “I didn’t believe it either at first, but I saw it with my own eyes!”

“I heard that while we were in the palace, the parents of two maids came to the estate, begging Madam to take charge. They said their daughters hadn’t returned home for half a year, and now there was no trace of them at all.”

“And those two maids were working at Tingfeng Pavilion!”

“To verify the matter, Madam sent someone to Tingfeng Pavilion to inquire, but the people there were tight-lipped, all claiming they didn’t know their whereabouts.”

“It was Cuiyu who stepped forward in time, saying she had seen two bags of clothes and a few plain hairpins in an empty room, which should have belonged to those two maids.”

“If their belongings were still there, they couldn’t have left.”

“But after searching the entire Tingfeng Pavilion, there was no sign of the two maids.”

“Cuiyu said that ever since Second Young Master transferred her from the embroidery workshop to Tingfeng Pavilion, she had never seen those two maids either.”

“With two people disappearing from the estate without reason, Madam naturally had to keep Miss Cheng under watch. However, Old Madam has always interfered in matters concerning Tingfeng Pavilion, so Madam only confined Miss Cheng to Tingfeng Pavilion before going to see Old Madam.”

Listening to this, Jiang Jin quickly understood. “So Cheng Wan—she escaped on her own!”

“She has lived in Tingfeng Pavilion for many years, so she naturally knows its layout well. Escaping wouldn’t have been difficult for her.”

“But…”

Jiang Jin was still somewhat puzzled. Although Cheng Wan could escape Tingfeng Pavilion, how did she manage to come to her courtyard?

Her Mother managed the household strictly and would never tolerate Cheng Wan wandering around the estate.

Once Cheng Wan’s escape was discovered, she would surely have sent people to catch her and bring her back!

And based on Furong’s earlier observations, Cheng Wan’s urgency far outweighed her fear.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to call out twice outside her room!

“Did Grandmother stop Mother?”

Furong nodded. “After Madam went to see Old Madam, she stayed in Old Madam’s courtyard for a long time. No one knows what they discussed, but when Madam came out, she ordered everyone present to keep their mouths shut and not speak carelessly.”

“Later, Madam sent someone to deal with the families of the two maids.”

Jiang Jin sneered. “It seems Grandmother is determined to protect Tingfeng Pavilion!”

Not just Second Elder Brother, but also… Cheng Wan!

Otherwise, given Mother’s temperament, if she didn’t want to offend Grandmother, she could have just handed Cheng Wan over to settle the matter.

But…

“How were the two skeletons discovered?”

Without evidence of the disappearances, Mother might have been able to handle it somehow.

But if skeletons were dug up from the estate, that would be solid proof of a crime!

It seems the deaths of those two maids were not simple, or perhaps their families had evidence that could threaten Second Elder Brother or Cheng Wan!

Otherwise, this matter would not have escalated to its current state, and Cheng Wan could have found an excuse to remain comfortably on the sidelines.