Why should I listen to you?
"Firstly, you are mine; secondly, he is cunning and a wolf in sheep's clothing."
An Xin said calmly, "What does this have to do with me?!"
Yan Zhen's smile was enigmatic as she whispered a sentence into An Xin's ear, causing An Xin's expression to change abruptly...
Jing Lan was still at Linshui Pavilion. An Xin thanked him and took her leave, ignoring Yan Zhen and leaving on her own.
Yan Zhen casually pulled over the painting by Jing Lan, smiling, and said, "I've always wanted to paint a picture for Xin'er, but my skills are limited. However, calling you 'Sir' makes it extraordinary. Sir is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Even a single piece of your calligraphy is worth tens of thousands of taels of silver. Seeing it today, I can see that your reputation is well-deserved." After saying this, she calmly put it away, smiling lightly, "I'll send someone to deliver the silver to you later. There's no need to be modest about returning it."
Jing Lan smiled faintly and said, "I don't need the Right Prime Minister to comment on the painting. I'm not selling it."
Yan Zhen opened his folding fan, smiled and said, "Since you're not selling, then you must be giving it to me. No thanks, farewell." Without waiting for Jing Lan's reply, he disappeared from the spot.
Jinglan gazed at the air, then gently tapped her paintbrush, breaking it in two.
****
An Xin stared at the waist belt, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her. She seemed to have caught something in her mind, but her steps were blocked. She paused and looked up.
"Are you An Xin?" The woman had pale skin, light eyebrows, and pale lips, making her appear ordinary.
An Xin asked calmly, "What is it?"
The woman immediately said, "So you must be An Xin. I've come to deliver a message."
An Xin's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. She then saw the woman take out a letter from her sleeve. An Xin took it casually, glanced at it, and was shocked. It was An Youwei's handwriting, saying that Xu Ruolan had suddenly fallen ill and hoped that she would find An Wan and rush there immediately.
An Xin remained expressionless and calmly asked, "Who are you?"
The woman smiled slightly and said, "I was merely passing on a message for you and your wife. My status is lowly and insignificant. However, I have to tell Miss An that you and your wife have been having a very difficult time these days, being bullied openly and secretly. I have seen Madam An; she is emaciated and I fear she will not live much longer."
An Xin remained calm and said indifferently, "Thank you, I understand."
The woman smiled and said, "Since I have conveyed my message, I will take my leave."
An Xin said calmly, "Wait a minute."
The woman stopped in her tracks.
An Xin began, "I have a few questions for you."
The woman said, "Please speak."
"First, how did you know I would take this route?" She was just randomly choosing a path and wandering aimlessly, yet this woman just happened to run into her, and happened to be looking for her. It would be a coincidence to call it a coincidence. So, does that mean she might have been following her all along?
"Secondly, you seem to know me quite well?" Since this woman has met my parents, she must have had contact with them. But I don't know if she is friend or foe. If she is a foe, are my parents in danger? And what is this woman's purpose in approaching them?
"Third, when someone entrusts you with a task, you should be loyal to them. How can you forward a letter for someone else and then peek at its contents? What is the meaning of your actions, young lady?" An Xin asked calmly, throwing out one question after another, which made the woman's face stiffen slightly.
An Xin slowly raised the corners of her lips and said, "Besides, why should I believe you? Just based on your one-sided story? Doesn't the young lady know that the words of strangers cannot be trusted?"
The woman paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "You don't have to believe me. After all, they are your parents, not mine. Their life and death have nothing to do with me, do they?"
An Xin's gaze darkened slightly. This woman was indeed extremely intelligent!
The woman smiled slowly and said, "Everyone says you're as sharp as an eagle, that no flaw can escape your eyes. Unfortunately, I didn't deliberately hide these oversights. First, I've been following you ever since you left the Left Prime Minister's residence, so I naturally know you're on this path. Second, your reputation is known throughout the land, so it's hard not to know you. Third... the letter you're reading was made to me by your mother. She's a dying woman, so why wouldn't I read it? What if it contains a secret code from some bank? I could make a small profit, so why not?"
Upon hearing this, An Xin's face turned completely ugly. She hadn't expected this woman to be so eloquent and to so readily admit to all her questions!
Could it be that my parents are really as they said in the letter?
"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving." The woman rolled her eyes, then turned and walked away.
An Xin's eyes turned slightly cold, and she suddenly made a move. The woman clearly also had some rudimentary martial arts skills, and she fought with An Xin in a respectable manner. However, it must be said that the two were evenly matched.
This fight left An Xin exhausted.
"I'm not fighting anymore! I only fight with experts, what kind of skill is this, this clingy thing you do! It's so annoying!" the woman said, panting and annoyed.
An Xin's lips twitched. With her mediocre skills, she thought she could spar with a master?! She couldn't even beat her, how dare she make such boastful claims!
"How did you get into the city?" An Xin decided to be frank. Now was not the time to hesitate. She had to get out of the city and see her parents no matter what, otherwise she would not be able to rest easy. But since this woman could get in, she could also get out. If she wanted to go to Yan Zhen, she would definitely have to go through a lot of trouble.
"Why should I tell you? Are we that close?" She rubbed her wrist and raised an eyebrow.
An Xin said calmly, "Five hundred taels. If it's a deal, we'll set off immediately; if not, forget it."
The woman's eyes lit up, and she snapped her fingers, saying, "Deal!"
****
Beneath a low city wall, Suya parted the grass to reveal a dog hole.
An Xin's expression darkened as she asked, "Is this the secret passage you're talking about?"
Shen Suya patted the dirt off her hands and said, "Hey, the whole city is under martial law right now. You're lucky if you can find a dog hole to crawl through, and you're still being picky!"
An Xin's face was not good. Nonsense, who would want to crawl through a dog hole? That's just insulting yourself!
"You go first," An Xin said coldly.
Shen Suya pouted and said, "I didn't expect you to have such a spoiled princess temper. What's wrong with crawling through a dog hole? Does crawling through a dog hole mean you're not human?"
An Xin glanced at her.
Shen Suya felt a little uneasy under her gaze, and pouted, saying, "So what if I went in first? You, who went in last, are going to grow a bigger piece of flesh than me?"