An Xin said, "Hmm, it's alright." When she stopped thinking about it, the food in front of her seemed to taste delicious again, but when she thought of An Wan, she lost her appetite. Besides, what a heinous crime it was that An Wan had committed to incite the people at the West Gate last time! If the Emperor found out, this younger sister would probably lose half her life, if not die.
“An Wan is ignorant and has implicated you, as well as many people in the capital. I will ask her to apologize to you.”
Jinglan gently turned the jade ring on her finger and said with a faint smile, "There's no need to bring up the past. I appreciate Miss An's apology."
An Xin stood up and said, "It's getting late, I'll go back to rest first. You should rest early too, sir." Knowing that she had come to the Right Prime Minister's residence, Yan Zhen's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but thinking of his delicate fiancée, An Xin felt that her visit to the Right Prime Minister's residence was no big deal. Besides, he was mainly here to inquire about Feng Yi's situation. Before leaving the hot spring pavilion, she searched the entire garden but couldn't find any trace of Feng Yi. However, she found a clue in the place where she and Feng Yi had hidden. She found three shallow footprints, one of hers, one of Feng Yi's, and the other must have been that person's. However, that person's strength must have been extremely good. Although they were also standing on light gray, that person's footprints were so light that they were almost invisible. Presumably, even that person didn't know that even a shallow footprint could lead to countless possibilities! For example, she could successfully deduce a person's height from the distance between two footprints, and she could understand the depth of a person's skill from the distance of the footprints. Even a small footprint could reveal countless messages to a discerning person! But that footprint was only half-finished, which made it impossible for her to calculate the person's exact height.
Jinglan nodded and smiled, which was taken as her agreement.
An Xin forced a smile, then turned and left.
As Jing Lan watched An Xin's retreating figure, the smile on her lips gradually became ambiguous.
****
The next day, a sudden downpour began. An Xin grabbed an umbrella and prepared to go to Xicheng Hutong to take another look. Beijing was already sparsely populated, and now that it was raining, it was even more deserted. However, no matter how heavy the rain was, there wouldn't be any major hidden dangers. In fact, the dry summer was much more refreshing with a downpour.
A carriage passed by, and An Xin paused. The curtain was lifted, revealing a gaunt face—it was Zhou Xiruo.
"Miss An, it's raining so hard, where are you going?"
An Xin said casually, "Let's go for a walk." When did she become so familiar with Zhou Xiruo?
“The rain is getting heavier, Miss An, why don’t you get on? I can give you a ride; your shoes are all wet,” Zhou Xiruo said, her expression full of sincerity.
An Xin glanced at the carriage. It was Yan Zhen's carriage, but the people riding in it had changed.
An Xin said calmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Zhou, but I prefer walking in the rain." This reason was rather pretentious, but sometimes being pretentious can be quite useful in certain situations.
Zhou Xiruo pursed her lips and said, "Miss An, your sister...she's injured."
An Xin suddenly stopped and looked at Zhou Xiruo.
Zhou Xiruo hurriedly said, "It's like this, your sister was ambushed last night. If Yan Zhen hadn't arrived in time, she definitely wouldn't have survived. The dart was poisoned."
An Xin's gaze suddenly darkened, and she said calmly, "I will go back to the manor with you."
The Left Prime Minister's Residence.
Although An Wan's face was pale, there was clear joy in her eyes. Yan Zhen said calmly, "Drink the medicine."
An Wan nodded obediently, as if to reach out and take the medicine bowl, but her hand suddenly went limp as she touched it, and the bowl rolled to the ground with a "crack" and shattered into pieces.
An Wan's expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly said, "I'm sorry!"
Yan Zhen glanced at Mingyue to the side and said, "Go and bring another bowl."
Mingyue quickly brought over another bowl, and Yanzhen casually picked up a spoon and scooped some out to feed Anwan. Anwan was flattered and her heart trembled, but she was also shy. Just as she was about to take a sip, she heard the door being pushed open with a "bang".
As soon as Zhou Xiruo entered the room, she saw this scene before her. She couldn't help but bite her lower lip gently and said softly, "Yan Zhen, Miss An has arrived."
Yan Zhen raised the corners of her lips and glanced at the door. An Xin walked in expressionlessly and then walked to the bed without any expression. Zhou Xiruo kept staring at An Xin's expression, but An Xin's expression did not change at all. Based on a woman's intuition, she felt that An Xin and Yan Zhen's relationship was not ordinary, but why did she not show any expression when she saw this scene?
Upon seeing An Xin, An Wan instinctively shrank back and mumbled, "Sister, what brings you here?!"
An Xin's gaze fell on An Wan's shoulder, where there was no blood left. It seemed that the hidden weapon was aimed at her chest. Perhaps Yan Zhen arrived in time and deflected the weapon, thus saving An Wan's life.
"What kind of poison?" An Xin asked, glancing at Yan Zhen.
“Safflower.” Yan Zhen handed the medicine bowl to Mingyue and casually took out a small black bottle. “Safflower is not a poison extracted from safflower. It is made from seven kinds of poisons. Because the medicine is like safflower juice, it is named safflower. People who are poisoned will have red flower-like spots on their bodies. When the spots cover their whole body, they will die.”
An Xin casually grabbed An Wan's hand and rolled up her sleeve. Her arm was clean and showed no signs of poisoning, so it seemed that the poison from the safflower had been neutralized.
"How did you get the antidote for safflower?" An Xin brought over the bowl of medicine and forced it down An Wan's throat. An Wan coughed violently and shouted angrily, "Sister, who told you to give me medicine?!"
“Mingyue was born in southern Tibet and has some knowledge of poisons, so she can naturally cure this safflower poison.” Yan Zhen glanced at An Xin with a smile. Her personality was truly worlds apart from her sister’s.
"Where were you when she was attacked?" An Xin pressed down on An Wan's shoulder, forcing her to lie down. Although her voice was still indifferent, her gaze on An Wan was as cold as ice.
An Wan wanted to resist, but when she met An Xin's gaze, she immediately stopped talking and obediently lay down.
Zhou Xiruo said softly, "At that time, Yan Zhen was with my mother. My mother had been unwell for the past few days and had been coughing. When my mother's cough got worse, I called Yan Zhen over to visit her."
Mother? An Xin raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Xiruo added, "If Miss An wants to blame someone, then blame me. Please don't blame Yan Zhen."
An Xin glanced at Zhou Xiruo casually. Had she ever said she would blame Yan Zhen? Besides, it was only natural for him to visit his sick mother. Even if it were her, she would abandon An Wan and visit her mother. It was just that, for some reason, the way Zhou Xiruo used the word "mother" felt so strange.
Besides, why blame her? Can she replace Yan Zhen? Oh, right, she's Yan Zhen's fiancée, the one he'll marry into a prestigious family in the future.
"Have you discovered anything?" An Xin looked at Yan Zhen. With Yan Zhen's strength, the fact that the other party was so beautiful right under his nose should have made him notice something.
Yan Zhen seemed to completely ignore Zhou Xiruo's words, and shook his folding fan, saying, "The technique is extremely strange, very similar to the way the crescent dart is thrown in southern Tibet."
An Xin was taken aback: "Crescent Moon Dart? Could those assassins from the Northern Desert be connected to this person?" The Northern Desert and then the Southern Tibet—the range was too vast, giving her the illusion that she was being misled.
Yan Zhen gently brushed the strand of hair stuck to her lips with his finger and said softly, "What I suspect is that the northern desert is not the northern desert, and the southern Tibetan region is not the southern Tibetan region. In the end, it's all just someone else creating a mystery..."
An Xin paused, then slowly narrowed her eyes. In fact, she had long suspected this... but she had to admit that this mysterious person's performance was truly excellent!
Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Wedding
The Prime Minister's residence was luxurious in every way, but this place in front of her was excessively simple. An Xin raised her eyebrows and stopped in her tracks. Zhou Xiruo smiled and said, "Miss An, Mother is probably taking a nap. Please wait here for a moment while I go and call her."
An Xin said calmly, "Since Madam has gone to bed, I'll come another day." She always respected her elders, and besides, this old lady, whom she had never met before, was Yan Zhen's biological mother. The Empress Dowager had said that years ago, someone had boiled Zhou Xiruo and Yan Zhen's mother alive in order to force Yan Zhen. How did the two of them escape? An Xin didn't want to pursue the cause and effect of this, but Zhou Xiruo had asked her to come and visit, and it wouldn't be good to refuse at this time.
"It's alright, Mother is a light sleeper and wakes up easily. However, she's a bit grumpy when she wakes up, so please don't blame her, Miss An." Zhou Xiruo smiled slightly and went inside.