Второстепенная женская героиня невинна

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I watched with a mixture of anger and reproach as this man reverted to his usual carefree and jovial self, yet a deep sense of unease lingered in my heart. Though I might scold and beat him, I knew I would never truly be angry with him. In his repeated calls of "little girl," and in his occasional embraces, I suddenly felt a sweetness and peace I had never experienced before… Which side of this Shang Shaochang is truly his?

Lost in thought, Shang Shaochang's flute music began to play softly.

A slow smile crept across my tightly closed lips. I remembered our first encounter in the courtyard on the night of the Double Ninth Festival; he appeared in my dream dressed in blue, playing a bamboo flute… The flute's melody was as captivating as ever. For some reason, I suddenly thought of the woman in that portrait, Shang Shaochang's mother. Did her meeting with that assassin also involve a poignant and lingering longing? Otherwise, even though she and he were fugitives, enduring hardship and deprivation, she still wrote that short poem:

I have long silk threads, as smooth as the waves of Dongting Lake.

Your intentions are endless, like the flowing waters of the Yangtze River.

The waves of Dongting Lake never cease, and the river flows on without end.

This water will never run dry, this intention will never be regretted...

(This chapter is complete)

Personally, I really like this chapter and the ending. This little poem was written on a whim; it's simple, but I love it. The love story of Xiao Lü's parents was fraught with hardship, but I don't consider it a tragedy. Although Xiao Lü's mother endured many difficulties, as the poem says, "This water will never run dry, this intention will never regret!" What could be happier than being with the one you love?

Chapter Twenty: The Trap in White

Little Green sat on the table, swinging her legs back and forth, and asked curiously, "Sister Bai, how did you know that Xia Yanliang is me?"

I rested one hand on my forehead, casually picked up a cup of tea from the table, took a sip, and laughed, “What’s so difficult about that? Back at Guiyun Manor, I always smelled a fragrance of orange blossom mixed with herbs on you, didn’t I? I later learned that people who deal with herbs often have this kind of fragrance.”

Little Green nodded seriously and asked, "Anything else?"

"And..." I tilted my head to think for a moment, and continued, "And also, when you were at Guiyun Manor, you would often place your hand on my wrist to check my pulse, and you were very accurate in diagnosing it. If you weren't highly skilled in medicine, how could you have such an ability? Moreover, the massage and medicine you gave me at Guiyun Manor also helped my cough a lot. Doesn't that leave a lot of evidence?"

Little Green lightly jumped off the table and ran to my side, grabbing my sleeve and swinging it from side to side: "Sister Bai, what else, what else?"

I reached out and gently pinched Xiao Lü's nose, and laughed, "And another thing... when I saw the painting on the wall, the woman in the light green dress, her eyebrows and eyes looked just like yours. Especially your last question, which confirmed my guess even more. You must be someone I know, and the woman I know, isn't that you?"

Little Green's innocent smile slowly faded, and her eyes revealed a sadness and helplessness I had never seen before. She murmured, "Sister...you're right...the woman in that painting is my mother...she passed away when I was less than two years old...because she missed my deceased father so much...Sister...you said...Mother was an unparalleled healer, yet she couldn't cure her own heart ailment...I heard from my elder brother that Mother grew more and more haggard each day, softly chanting that song in Yanliang Valley every day...'This water will never run dry, this intention will never regret!...Why did Mother leave me so soon! I was so young, if it weren't for that portrait of Father and Mother, I wouldn't remember what Mother looked like...Are we two children not as much as she missed Father?..." As Little Green spoke, tears dripped from her clear eyes and slid down her cheeks.

I sighed softly, opened my arms, and gently pulled the quietly sobbing Xiao Lü into my embrace. I stroked her hair, watching her delicate shoulders tremble slightly in my arms, and whispered, "Xiao Lü, don't cry... Sister Bai is here with you... Be good and don't cry..." Xiao Lü's tears flowed more and more, and soon my clothes were soaked. Watching her cry in my arms, I suddenly felt a pang of pain in my heart... This happy and innocent girl, how many days in her more than ten years of life have she truly been happy? How did she learn such amazing medical skills? How much suffering must she have endured to achieve such success...? I touched the thin calluses on Xiao Lü's hands and couldn't help but hug the girl tightly.

After a long while, Xiao Lü slowly stood up from me, wiped her red, tear-stained eyes, and said blankly, "Sister Bai... I've noticed... you really look like my mother... You have a very nice scent, I wonder if my mother had that scent too... You also look a lot like my mother..."

I gently patted her tearful cheeks, a tender smile slowly spreading across my face, and said, "Sister Bai is so happy. Your mother must be a very gentle and beautiful woman to have your father love her so much... How can Sister Bai compare to your mother? But from now on, Sister Bai will treat you like family, loving you and taking good care of you... Sister Bai is all alone, and I am truly happy to have a smart and capable little sister like you!"

"Really?! Sister Bai is willing to be Little Green's sister?" Little Green's red, tear-filled eyes broke into a happy smile as she rushed over and hugged me tightly! She exclaimed, "Little Green can't believe this is true! Sister Bai is so smart, so beautiful, and so—will she be Little Green's sister?"

I smiled slightly and said, "What's not true? Sister Bai isn't as good as you say! I've never thought of myself as particularly smart or beautiful."

Little Green pondered for a long time in my arms, then slowly said, "My father was an unparalleled assassin, yet he couldn't escape the machinations of his enemies, and couldn't even protect the woman he loved... My mother was a peerless healer, but she watched helplessly as my father passed away in her arms, and even the best medicines couldn't save him!... My elder brother, Shaozhang, became an assassin to take care of me when I was not yet two years old... Why was my mother so foolish? And why was my father... so foolish too?... "

I stroked her hair and said slowly, "Silly girl... How could you think they're silly? Have you forgotten the poem your mother left behind? 'This water will never run dry, this feeling will never be regretted!' Your mother never regretted it until the very end... 'Two hearts bound together, every smile and frown; fortunate to have met her beloved, to play the zither and flute together.' You should think your parents are happy..." I raised my head slightly and sighed softly, "In this world, what could be more blissful than mutual love?"

Little Green stuck out her tongue in my arms and suddenly laughed, "But if Sister Bai becomes my sister-in-law, Little Green will feel even happier!"

"You're talking nonsense, little girl!" I quickly said, "I've already decided that I'll never get married in this lifetime!"

"Why?" Little Green looked at me with an innocent expression: "Brother Shaozhang is a very, very good person!"

Very good? He's more like a pervert!

Little Green stared at me for a while, then suddenly chuckled softly, rubbing her face with her hand as she laughed: "I know... Sister must still be jealous that I keep bothering Brother Shaochang!"

If my face was only slightly flushed a moment ago, now my cheeks are completely red. I deliberately put on a stern face and scolded, "Little girl, what nonsense are you talking about! I would never be...jealous for him!"

"I'm not talking nonsense!" Little Green made a face at me, but the smile immediately disappeared from her face. She pouted and said resentfully, "I'm not trying to make Sister Bai angry... I just want to make that Xiao Yunzi angry! That damned Xiao Yunzi! That stinky Xiao Yunzi! That bastard Xiao Yunzi!... I just want him to pay attention to me! I just don't want him to leave Yanliang Valley! I..." Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

My eyes widened as I watched the little green head slowly lower, and it took me a long time to realize what was happening—

It turns out that this mischievous little devil has actually fallen for Yun Yiyang!

As I watched Xiao Lü's cheeks flush red with shyness for the first time, a few thoughts suddenly raced through my mind, and a mischievous glint flashed in my usually calm eyes for the first time—

I cleared my throat and said with a grin, "It's not that difficult to get that little Yunzi to stay."

"Really?" Xiao Lü rushed over and grabbed my clothes, saying repeatedly, "Really? How can I get Xiao Yunzi to stay and play with me?"

"Well—come closer..." I suppressed a laugh and whispered a few words in the ear of the curious little green boy.

"A traitor?"

"That's right! A traitor!" Yun Yiyang said decisively, his thick eyebrows furrowed.

I frowned for a long time before saying, "You're right! The day Meng Qing attempted the assassination happened to be the day when there were the fewest people in Guiyun Manor. Meng Qing also happened to come to Guiyun Manor under the pretense of buying Liaoling silk, but in reality, he was carrying out the assassination. That's the first point of suspicion. And when Shang Shaochang appeared, you were also poisoned by the bone-corroding poison. When we left Guiyun Manor to see Xia Yanliang, the five assassins had already died under Shang Shaochang's blade. There are many twists and turns in this story. If no one knew about it, how would the assassins on the road have known that we were going to see Xia Yanliang to cure the poison? And how could they have intercepted us? That's the second point of suspicion."

Yun Yiyang clapped his hands and said, "Sister Bai is right! These five assassins are dead. How could dead people inform 'Gentle'? How did those gray-clad killers know that we were looking for an antidote? There are many mysteries in the middle. If we don't figure it out, we'll be a ghost who died unjustly! How could there be so many coincidences in the world?"

I laughed and said, "That's right! Of course, there aren't that many coincidences, but if it's deliberate, all the problems will be solved! I also suspect there's a traitor within Guiyun Manor, but what would be their purpose in trying to kill me? Rob me? Although I'm nominally the steward of Guiyun Manor, I'm actually penniless; robbery..." I laughed and shook my head, "There are so many beautiful women in brothels, why would they bother with me!"

Yun Yiyang looked at me and slowly said, "Sister Bai, you rarely leave Guiyun Manor. Do you know how many merchants and wealthy gentry want to recruit you? You revitalized Guiyun Manor in Shanxi within half a year, which has almost become a legend. Even if you leave Guiyun Manor with nothing, how many people would want to take you under their wing? People come and go for profit. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that you are made of gold!" A bitter smile slowly appeared on Yun Yiyang's face. He said, "Although I am nominally the young master of Guiyun Manor, Guiyun Manor's success today is all thanks to Sister Bai's skillful maneuvering... Pavilion Master Ye of Qiuye Pavilion has invited Sister Bai several times, but you have never accepted... I don't know what to say. Meeting you in this life is my greatest fortune! If you just asked, even if you took all the property of Guiyun Manor, I wouldn't hesitate!"

"What are you saying, child!" I smiled slightly and said, "If Guiyun Manor hadn't taken me in, how could I be where I am today! If you were dull-witted, how could I have stayed at Guiyun Manor for so long? You are extremely talented, and you are smart and quick to learn. If I leave you in the future, you will definitely be able to stand on your own!"

"Sister's leaving?!" Yun Yiyang jumped up and grabbed my arm, shouting, "Why is sister leaving?"

I smiled softly, but didn't answer, gently withdrawing my hand. This young man—it was his innocence and simplicity that initially attracted me, which is why I've stayed with him all this time. But if he knew my true identity, would he still be able to talk and laugh with me so freely? Just as he said, I am a woman like the wind, who came from the modern world to ancient times, with no past, and I don't even know if I have a future… I said softly, “Now, sister won't go anywhere… Come, let's continue thinking, if there's a traitor in Guiyun Manor, who could it be?”

Yun Yiyang frowned for a long time before saying, word by word, "The least likely candidate is my mother! My mother could not possibly be such a traitor!"

I laughed and said, "Of course!"

Yun Yiyang continued, "Uncle Yang, Aunt Xu, Su Sanshou... Uncle Yang is our family's old servant, so it's definitely impossible! But Aunt Xu has mastered the art of brocade weaving, and Su Sanshou has been weaving and embroidering for us all along... They..." He frowned and couldn't speak.

“There must be a reason for doing something.” I paced slowly in the room and said slowly, “If there is no benefit, who would do it? Aunt Xu and Mr. Gongsun developed the art of brocade together, and we have been giving them a generous reward every year. We will give them 30% of the profits for each piece of brocade… The Su brothers have always been aloof and only love their craft. Our Guiyun Manor will also do our best to find rare paintings for appreciation… But the most unpredictable thing in the world is the human heart, and we can’t say for sure right now.”

Yun Yiyang suddenly said, "Sister Bai! I know, it must be her! Youhua!"