As Jin Rong entered his tent, he smelled a fragrance, the aroma of food. He was quite puzzled. Everyone else was attending to the eldest young master; how could anyone be sending him food?
His gaze fell upon the food box on the table. He opened it to find food inside: a dish of twice-cooked pork, a stir-fry, and a bowl of soup.
Jin Rong looked around. The tent was empty. The food box looked oddly familiar. Suddenly, Jin Rong remembered something. He immediately opened his luggage. Inside lay a food box. It was the one he had retrieved from the stream last night. The two food boxes were identical in style and material.
"Miss Ying Xue!" A name flashed through Jin Rong's mind. "I just don't know which family this Miss Ying Xue belongs to."
Jin Rong ate all the food from the box, washed the utensils, and put them back in place. He thought that the young lady would come to retrieve the food box. If he just stayed in the tent, he could wait for her.
However, by the time the news of their departure for the capital arrived, no one had come to collect the food box. Jin Rong felt a pang of disappointment. In front of outsiders, the Jin family treated him as their young master. In private, however, they treated him like a helpless cripple whom anyone could bully. One day, he would let these people know that he was not a cripple who could be bullied by anyone.
On the road back to the city, Bai Yanran entered Xiao Man's carriage. Seeing Xiao Man reading a book, she leaned closer to take a look. "Chronicles, these are the latest chronicles, aren't they?"
"Yes, Mo Han gave them to me," Xiao Man replied without looking up. "As expected of the top scholar. The chronicles compiled by him have an extraordinary flavor. However, they are not yet complete. Once finished, they will surely be remembered for generations."
"Even though they are not yet complete, Minister Wen brought them for you to see, which shows his true favoritism towards you," Bai Yanran said with a smile. "By the way, have you heard about what happened in the hunting grounds?"
"Princess Ulana's matter?"
"No." Bai Yanran leaned closer to Xiao Man. "I heard my mother say that one of the young ladies present was humiliated."
Xiao Man looked up. "It's best not to spread rumors about things without evidence."
"It's not a rumor. Someone found torn women's clothing in the hunting grounds..." Bai Yanran stopped speaking, her eyes fixed on Xiao Man as she looked at her repeatedly, finally shaking her head vigorously.
"Why are you shaking your head at me?"
"Among those people privately, it's being rumored that someone... was..." Su Dan Novel Network.
"The one who was humiliated was me?" Xiao Man, seeing Bai Yanran hesitate, immediately understood.
Bai Yanran nodded. "But I know it definitely wasn't you. With your skills, who could subdue you? Moreover, you came in second in the hunt; you didn't even have time for that."
"Why would they say it was me?"
"Your cloak was found by the guards, left at the scene."
Xiao Man's heart skipped a beat. She had a vague guess but dared not let Bai Yanran see through her. "My cloak was on the horse. During the hunt, the horse ran off, and the cloak naturally disappeared with it. Perhaps there's no truth to what you're saying, and it's just people's speculation. Don't spread rumors, lest those outside use the military officials as a scapegoat."
Xiao Man persuaded Bai Yanran, but she felt uneasy. Pei Qianyun had not appeared at the hunting grounds that day, and she had not seen Pei Qianyun when she went to visit her. Thinking about it now, something was indeed amiss.
Upon returning to the General's mansion, the affairs of the household were handled by He Qingyi. Xiao Man had always disliked managing household matters. He Qingyi was now teaching the young ladies of the household domestic affairs, arithmetic, ledger keeping, and occasionally basic wound treatment and identification of common medicinal herbs. She got along well with the people in the mansion.
As night fell, Dongfang Wei appeared before Xiao Man silently. "The Duke of Chen's mansion has indeed had an incident."
"Have you found out what happened?"
"Pei Qianyun was humiliated at the hunting grounds. When I arrived, the Duchess of Chen was interrogating Pei Qianyun about the man's identity." Dongfang Wei was quite displeased with Xiao Man for sending him to eavesdrop. He, the young master of the Martial Arts Alliance, had been reduced to eavesdropping!
"Did Miss Pei say anything?"
"No. No matter how the Duchess of Chen pressed her, Pei Qianyun refused to reveal the man's name." Dongfang Wei hesitated, unsure whether to tell Xiao Man his guess.
"Given her status, if something like this happened, all that was needed was for the two families to privately arrange a marriage. Why would she refuse to reveal the man's name?" Xiao Man was puzzled. Pei Qianyun's status was not low; she was the only daughter of the Duke of Chen, who held military power. Logically, even if it were the Crown Prince, Pei Qianyun would not be afraid. What made her keep silent?
Xiao Man thought for a long time but could not figure out the reason. Seeing Dongfang Wei had not left, she asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Pei Qianyun should be protecting that man."
Xiao Man found it amusing upon hearing this. "Dongfang Wei, a woman whose purity has been defiled, why would she protect the person who ruined her?"
"That man is someone she likes, and she doesn't want to cause him trouble, or perhaps this man threatened or enticed her not to speak of this matter."
Xiao Man thought carefully. If that were the case, it would make sense. "Miss Pei's favorite person? Who does she like? Mo Han? Impossible. Mo Han didn't even enter the hunting grounds, and besides, Mo Han is a frail scholar; he's no match for her."
"Think about the people she interacts with more often."
"The people she interacts with more often?" Xiao Man frowned. She didn't know Pei Qianyun well and didn't know who she interacted with most.
"The Crown Prince?"
"No." Dongfang Wei gritted his teeth. "It's Prince Qin."
Xiao Man's mind went blank, her face showing a mixture of bewilderment and confusion. "Who did you say?"
"The person Pei Qianyun likes is Prince Qin." Dongfang Wei saw the momentary panic on Xiao Man's face, and for some reason, a schadenfreude flashed in his heart, but he suppressed it and did not reveal it.
Xiao Man waved her hand, signaling Dongfang Wei to leave. Dongfang Wei departed immediately, but Xiao Man's mood did not calm down with his departure. It was as if a massive boulder had been dropped into the lake of her heart, causing immense waves.
Xiao Man pressed her chest, feeling uncomfortable. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Pei Qianyun liking Prince Qin, and the man who violated her and made her keep silent being Prince Qin? Impossible! Nan Gongyu was not that kind of person! Whatever woman he desired, a mere snap of his fingers would suffice. Why would he need to force anyone?
By the time Xiao Man had completely calmed down, it was the next day. At least, her expression showed no hint of disturbance. He Qingyi was busy managing the affairs of the General's mansion, inside and out. Xiao Man, on the other hand, appeared exceptionally idle. When people are idle, they tend to overthink things. Xiao Man had no choice but to desperately find things to do.