CH 9.3

Ming Huashang widened her eyes and responded overjoyed, “Okay!”

She was not afraid of the dead but was actually more afraid of the living. After all, the real culprit who killed Chi Lan had not been found yet; who knew if the other party will continue to commit more crimes? She was just worrying about how she’ll fall asleep at night, and she didn’t expect Ming Huazhang wanted to move over. With Ming Huazhang right next door her safety will undoubtedly greatly improve.

But they weren’t in the Zhen Duke manor and she and Ren Yao were sharing a courtyard. Will Ren Yao mind if a man entered? Ming Huashang looked at Ren Yao, “Sister Ren, what do you think…”

Ren Yao put on a firm and tough look, as if she didn’t care about it at all, and said, “Okay, since you are afraid, I’ll let you guys arrange it.”

Ming Huashang glanced at Ren Yao but didn’t expose her. Since Ren Yao agreed, it couldn’t be better. Ming Huashang said with a smile, “Then I will trouble Sister Ren by taking me in tonight. Brother, my room has already been tidied, you can move into my room, and I will stay with Sister Ren tonight.”

Xie Jichuan heard them from not far away, raised his eyebrows, and said with a smile, “Jing Zhan’s worry is justified, so tonight, I will also move over to help be on the lookout for my younger sister.”

“You can’t.” Ming Huazhang coldly refused, and glared at him unkindly, “A woman’s boudoir, how can you moving over be proper?”

“But I’m scared.” Xie Jichuan countered, “When you’re gone, I’ll be alone in the courtyard. I’ll be too afraid to sleep.”

The whole capital knew that Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan had a very good relationship, so when arranging the guest rooms this time, naturally Taiping Gongzhu arranged for the two of them to share a courtyard. Ming Huazhang was dumbfounded for a moment, speechless for a while, then looked at Xie Jichuan with extreme disdain.

Ming Huashang whispered, “Brother Xie is just being considerate, so there is no need to stick to these formalities. Besides, it is not my boudoir, but Taiping Gongzhu’s guest room. I will go back and prepare it. Brother Xie, you can stay there.”

Ming Huashang was eager for there to be more people in the courtyard. Compared with safety, how did the separation of men and women matter? Although Xie Jichuan looked gentle and weak, he was a man after all, so his stay was extra protection.

“Look, even younger sister agreed!” Xie Jichuan contended on strong grounds. Ming Huazhang didn’t actually want Xie Jichuan to get what he wanted, but when he turned around, he found Ming Huashang and even Ren Yao looking at him expectantly. Ming Huazhang paused and said helplessly, “Alright. But you stay in the outside room, watch where you look, and do not act disrespectfully.”

“Also, she’s not your younger sister. Don’t speak nonsense.”

Xie Jichuan sighed a breath of relief, and waved his hands impatiently, “I know, I know, my Xie family hasn’t fallen to the point of being unaware of social etiquette.”

Ming Huashang suddenly had three additional bodyguards; she could walk even more confidently now. She and Ren Yao went back to pack up their belongings first and Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan came shortly after. 

Ming Huashang led Ren Yao out of the palace hall and was currently pushing through the boundless wind and snow. Ming Huashang raised her head, looked at the chaos whirling above, and murmured, “The wind is blowing.”

It was windy and it was snowing. Feihong Garden happened to be built at the peak of the mountain, so the way down the mountain was even more difficult.

Ming Huashang inexplicably felt that they were all trapped on the mountain.

Seeing Ming Huashang staring at the night sky without moving, Ren Yao also raised her head and asked, “What’s the matter, is there something up there?”

Ming Huashang shook her head and said, “It’s nothing, I’m just having wild thoughts. Let’s go and get back quickly.”

Ming Huashang thought it should just be her unfounded worries. There were so many dignitaries with them, including Wei Wang and Taiping Gongzhu, how could they be trapped? Ming Huashang didn’t want to attend any kind of banquet anymore. She planned to wait until tomorrow to end her time at the banquet, giving Taiping Gongzhu face. Then she wanted to go down the mountain in the afternoon.

She didn’t want to know why Chi Lan died, why the murderer killed her so cruelly, nor the meaning of that strange phrase scrawled on the ground, ‘Those who see me, die’.

She only needed to endure it for another half a day and then she will be able to return to her daily life.

Ming Huashang planned well, but unexpectedly, the accident occurred before she could execute her plan.

At the fourth watch1, Ming Huashang was in a deep sleep when she suddenly heard a muffled rumbling. Beside her, Ren Yao muttered impatiently. Ming Huashang never needed to wake up this early, so she turned over and continued to sleep without burden.

There was a creaking sound from next door, and someone came out. There seemed to be sounds of whispers coming from outside the window, and then several doors opened and closed. Not long after, there was a knock on their door.

“Second Miss?”

Ming Huashang opened one eye with difficulty, “Huh?”

“Quickly wake up, there was an avalanche just now and it blocked the mountain road.”

Ming Huashang blinked blankly. Her body was awake, but her mind wasn’t. She couldn’t understand the meaning of what she just heard. The person outside the window sighed and said, “We may not be able to go down the mountain.”