Hearing that Steward Tan was not well, Xiao Man couldn't help but frown, "Has the doctor been to see him?"
"The estate physician did, but..." Xiang Xue hesitated for a moment before saying, "Steward Tan's internal organs were injured. I'm afraid he won't make it."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Man immediately stood up. "I'll go and see him."
As the steward of the Princess's manor, Steward Tan was always cautious, fearful of making any mistakes. He treated Xiao Man with utmost respect, like a frightened child afraid of being scolded. Yet, fate was unpredictable; no matter how careful he was, he could not escape death.
At this moment, Steward Tan lay on the bed, covered in blood, a crossbow bolt lodged in his chest. Seeing Xiao Man approach, the estate physician quickly rose to bow. "Greetings, Imperial Princess."
"At ease," Xiao Man said, walking to the bedside. She watched Steward Tan struggle to rise and bow, then gestured for him to stay still. "Lie down and don't move."
A rasping sound came from Steward Tan's throat, as if he couldn't breathe. "Imperial Princess... this old servant... this old servant wishes to speak with the Imperial Princess alone."
Xiao Man waved her hand, signaling for everyone else to leave. Ying Xue glanced at Steward Tan hesitantly. Seeing that he was at the end of his strength and posed no threat to Xiao Man, she left.
Steward Tan took a deep breath, but the pain contorted his face, and a wheezing sound like a leaky bellows escaped his throat. He spoke with great difficulty. "Actually... I know... she might still be alive."
Xiao Man understood. Steward Tan was referring to Aunt Tan. After all, she was family. Outsiders might not recognize her, but how could Steward Tan not?
"She is already dead."
Steward Tan gave a bitter laugh. "Back then, I stared at her corpse in the West Market for a long time... confirming it wasn't her. I thought she had escaped and was perhaps by His Majesty's side. Until you returned to the manor and inquired about her whereabouts. At the time, I thought she might truly be dead, but later I felt something was amiss..."
Steward Tan gasped for air. "If she were truly dead, given the Imperial Princess's age, you wouldn't inquire about her whereabouts or know anything about her. It must be that she did something that made the Imperial Princess suspicious."
"She participated in the plot to murder my father."
Shock flickered in Steward Tan's eyes. He then gasped for air, but after a moment, he calmed down. He finally understood why Aunt Tan had died in the Tian Bao Tower, and in such a tragic manner.
"She betrayed His Majesty."
"Perhaps," Xiao Man said indifferently. "However, when a person dies, their deeds are forgotten. I have no intention of pursuing past matters."
Steward Tan looked at Xiao Man with gentle eyes. "Imperial Princess, you are too kind-hearted."
Xiao Man did not deny it. She had always been soft-hearted towards her own people, but rarely so towards her enemies.
"You will be the ruler of Blue Moon in the future. Being too kind-hearted is not a good thing." Steward Tan's throat gurgled. His eyes widened, and he pointed towards the foot of the bed. Xiao Man looked confused.
"Do you need something?"
Steward Tan fumbled with great effort, reaching under the edge of the bed. After a moment, he pressed down. Xiao Man heard a click as a mechanism sprang open. She bent down and saw that a floorboard beneath the bed had popped open. Inside lay a small wooden box. The paint on the box had flaked off, suggesting it was ancient.
"What is this?"
Steward Tan tried his utmost to convey something to Xiao Man, but the pain in his lungs allowed only exhalation, no inhalation. He managed to hold up two fingers towards the sky.
"Two?" Xiao Man asked, puzzled. "Are you referring to a person?"
Steward Tan nodded with difficulty. It was a person, a person of noble status.
"Two..." Xiao Man lowered her gaze, lost in thought. The light in Steward Tan's eyes gradually dimmed. He had held on this long, which was his limit. The hand indicating two also slowly fell, finally landing limply by his side.
Xiao Man looked at the deceased Steward Tan and sighed. She ordered that he be buried with all due respect and took the box obtained from Steward Tan. Upon opening it, she found only a jade tablet. The patterns on the tablet looked familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before, but she couldn't recall where.
Wen Mohan brought in the morning meal. Seeing Xiao Man lost in thought, holding a jade tablet, he spoke, interrupting her reverie. "Let's eat breakfast first. There was an incident in the manor this morning, so I just cooked something simple. Eat a little."
Xiao Man nodded and walked towards the table. Her gaze fell upon Wen Mohan, and her eyes inadvertently swept over the jade pendant he wore at his waist. The round jade pendant glowed with a faint red light, and its intricate patterns were similar to those on the jade tablet in her hand.
Xiao Man strode forward, plucked the jade pendant from Wen Mohan's waist, and compared it with the jade tablet in her hand. Although the patterns were not identical, they were remarkably similar. They must have come from the same place!
Wen Mohan, seeing Xiao Man comparing his jade pendant, looked puzzled and leaned in to see. It was then that he noticed the similarity between the two jade pieces.
"These must be from the same origin," Wen Mohan said slowly. "Where did you get this jade tablet?"
"Steward Tan gave it to me." Xiao Man fiddled with the jade tablet, her eyes distant. What did the two fingers Steward Tan held up before his death mean? Could there be other living members of the Lan family besides Lan Ruoyu?
Wen Mohan took his jade pendant back from Xiao Man and re-hung it at his waist. "Steward Tan giving you this must have had a deep meaning."
Xiao Man put away the jade tablet. "The one you have was left by my mother. This jade tablet should be related to someone from the Lan family."
"Not necessarily," Wen Mohan said softly. "If it were related to the Lan family, why would Steward Tan have kept it hidden?"
Xiao Man suddenly recalled what Cen Yu had said. Cen Yu had said that the person truly connected to the Qin Dynasty was her. If she was connected to the Qin Dynasty, then wasn't her mother also connected to the Qin Dynasty? She just didn't understand the nature of that connection.
"Let's eat breakfast first. This morning has been quite shocking enough. We can discuss anything after breakfast." Wen Mohan led Xiao Man to the table. "I made lean pork congee. I wonder if it suits your taste."
Xiao Man took the bowl and took a sip, smiling. "Your cooking skills are good enough to open a restaurant."
"That would be great. We can open a restaurant together. I'll be the head chef, and you'll be the manager."
"Isn't it better if I'm the proprietress?"
"Alright, you'll be the proprietress," Wen Mohan said as he served Xiao Man. "Here, proprietress, try my cooking. Is it presentable?"
Xiao Man very appreciatively took a large bite and then gave a thumbs-up. "Very good, standard master chef level."
They looked at each other and burst into laughter. Yin Zhu, who had been worried that Xiao Man might be inconvenienced by her injury and had rushed over to serve, saw them laughing happily and showing no signs of distress from the morning's assassination. She breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Ying Xue away with her.