Shao Wanru and Gu Xishu went back to the reception room. What had happened just now scared Gu Xishu. So she no longer dared to be domineering in front of Shao Wanru and even did not want to stay close to her. She sat beside Shao Cailing and talked with the latter intimately.
It could be said that they two grew up together, but Shao Cailing often played with Shao Caihuan when they were young. While Gu Xishu had a closer friendship with Shao Yanru, Shao Jie’er, and Wen Xiyan, the Miss of the Mansion of Prime Minister. Later, something bad happened to Wen Xiyan, so the two families became distant. As everyone became older, the side door linking the two mansions was shut to maintain the girls’ reputation.
Anyway, there was no other friend around at the moment, so Shao Cailing was her best choice to have a chat. The two of them were talking about some interesting things in their childhood. Shao Wanru sat next to them calmly. She seemed to be listening to their talk with great interest, but actually, she had been absent-minded for a long time.
What did Wen Xichi mean by painting her? Did he also remember what had happened in her last life?
When she met him last time, obviously he looked like remembering nothing. Would he suddenly recall it later than that? But even so, he shouldn’t create such a painting. If it was seen by other people, they would misunderstand that she might have an affair with him all the time, especially Chu Liuchen. Even Shao Wanru was uncertain what Chu Liuchen would think of her if he saw the painting!
In Shao Wanru’s memory, the Chu Liuchen in her last life was a completely dark figure. Though he was of high status, he looked gloomy, desperate and vicious. She particularly remembered the last scene, where the imperial palace was dyed red with the blood from the dead bodies of the beauties deserted on the road.
What was he doing? Why did he do that?
According to Chu Liuchen’s temperament, he would only do that when he had gone insane. But what had driven him so crazy that he even killed those weak and harmless beautiful girls and made their blood dye the sky red? Why was he so desperate, so bloody and violent?
“Did anything bad happen? What on earth did I forget?” She clenched the handkerchief in her hand unconsciously, as if that little soft handkerchief would give her answers. Under her thick trembling eyelashes, her eyes became cold. She did not dare to think further or make any speculations.
“Could it be… could it be…”
“Fifth Sister… Fifth Sister…” Zhao Xiran’s voice seemed to come from the sky and pulled her back to the reality from her deep thought.
“Sister Zhao!” Shao Wanru raised her head and answered softly.
“Fifth Sister, are you not feeling well? Why are you so pale?” Zhao Xiran asked in a low voice with concern.
Shao Wanru’s face had always been ruddy and healthy, which made her look delicate and beautiful. But now her face was as pale as snow and seemed to be suffused with frost, as if she would not be able to hold on the next moment.
Gu Xishu poked her head out to glance at Shao Wanru with doubts in her eyes.
Shao Wanru touched her head and said weakly, “I don’t know whether it is because I didn’t sleep well last night. I feel a little uncomfortable now.”
“Let me take you to have a rest,” Zhao Xiran suggested.
There were usually resting rooms arranged for female guests in such a banquet.
“No, Thanks. I may be better to sit for a while!” Shao Wanru shook her head and refused Zhao Xiran’s kindness.
“No, you can’t get sick now… You’d better have a rest first. If you don’t feel better later, I’ll go back home with you,” Zhao Xiran said.
Shao Wanru was going to get married soon, and she was going to marry Prince Chen. It was close to the wedding day. At this time, there couldn’t be any more accidents.
“Fifth Miss Shao, why not let me take you to have a rest?” Seeing Shao Wanru’s abnormal face, Gu Xishu stood up and said.
Old Madam and Madam Wen were talking with several older madams, and there were too many people around, so none of them had noticed them.
“Sorry to trouble you, Miss Gu!” Before Shao Wanru spoke, Zhao Xiran had answered.
“It’s not troublesome. We have already arranged a place for resting!” Gu Xishu said with a smile.
“I’ll go with you, Fifth Sister!” As there was nothing for Shao Cailing to do here, she also stood up.
At this point, if Shao Wanru insisted to refuse, it would sound a little pretentious. So she stood up and all of the girls followed Gu Xishu to leave the flower hall.
The resting room was a little far from the flower hall, but it was quieter. Now no other female guests came, which made it much quieter.
They accompanied Shao Wanru into a room on the side. The servant girls of the Mansion of the Prime Minister, who were waiting there, hurried up to serve Shao Wanru with tea and then left politely.
“Sister Zhao, Fourth Sister, you can go back. Miss Gu, please go back too. I will get better after lying down for a while. I assure you that I am just fine,” Shao Wanru said politely.
“I don’t have anything to do there, so I’ll stay and take care of you, Fifth Sister. Fourth Sister, please tell Grandmother when you are back that I’m here to be Fifth Sister’s company, I’m worried about her being here alone!” Zhao Xiran said with the demeanor of a sister-in-law.
Shao Cailing nodded. They didn’t tell Old Madam just now. So she should inform Grandma after she went back.
Gu Xishu cast a skeptical look at Shao Wanru who was with a pale face. She wanted to stay and figure it out, but she couldn’t think out an excuse. She could only comfort Shao Wanru with a few words and then left with Shao Cailing.
“Fifth Sister, go into the bedroom and have a rest. I’ll sit outside here!” Zhao Xiran said softly.
Shao Wanru nodded. She did not refuse, because at this moment her mind was in a mess. She needed a place where there was no one around and collected her thoughts.
If Wen Xichi did remember what had happened in her last life, what should she do? And what could she do?
In this life, she didn’t have too many ties with Wen Xichi, except that she once warned him. In her memory, Wen Xichi had treated her quite well as a gentle and generous elder brother did. Even if Wen Xichi had remembered something, he shouldn’t have had drawn the painting.
Shao Wanru, in a half-awake state, was thinking about it on the bed with her outfit off.
The Wen Xichi’s matter came to her so unexpectedly that it made her panic, and she didn’t know how to talk to Chu Liuchen about it.
It was too inconceivable to be told to others. She didn’t know how to explain it. If Shao Wanru had not experienced it herself, she wouldn’t have believed it either.
As she was in a dazed and dizzy state, she slowly fell into a deep sleep, where she was groping around in the darkness. Then, a light suddenly flashed out and some of her memories that had disappeared seemed to be recovering in her mind…
Zhao Xiran and her servant girl were sitting outside the bedroom. When she heard the inside quiet down, she picked up a book of poetry from the dressing table and began to read it.
The book had been prepared here early in case that the women guests would have nothing to do when they were resting here.
There was not only a book but also some other small playthings and a few small silk flowers, which were not finished to be products yet. The women guests resting here could spend time with their servant girls making silk flowers.
Recently, silk flowers had been popular in the capital city. Young Madams’ or Misses’ servant girls more or less knew how to make one. They made some silk flowers while they were chatting with each other. That was exactly the most relaxing way in which Young Madams and Misses entertained themselves. What was more, these flowers had been half made, so it was much easier to finish them.
And they looked novel after being decorated with some small accessories prepared by the Mansion of the Prime Minister.
But Zhao Xiran didn’t like silk flowers. So she chose to read a book. It was very quiet in the room. Only the sound of her flipping the book could be heard. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Zhao Xiran looked up and signaled the servant girl to open it.
A beautiful round-faced girl ran in. When she saw Zhao Xiran, she said in surprise, “Sister, you are here!”
Zhao Xiran’s face was also with joy. But she stretched out her hand and pointed inside, telling her sister that someone was sleeping in the bedroom.
The beautiful girl with a round face immediately nodded and lowered her voice. Even her footsteps became light, but her steps were still very big, which showed that she was surprised and excited.
“Sister, I heard that you came here, so I came to find you!” The girl walked to Zhao Xiran and sat down beside her. She said excitedly, “Sister, how are you doing in Marquis Xing’s Mansion? I heard that people there didn’t like your marriage with Brother-in-law very much. They said that it had degraded Marquis Xing’s Mansion!”
The girl was Zhao Xiran’s younger sister, Zhao Xiqiong. The two sisters had a good relationship. When Zhao Xiran paid the first visit to her parents that day, Zhao Xiqiong didn’t talk to her elder sister in private. She was very worried about her elder sister living in Marquis Xing’s Mansion. Although her elder sister was always smart since she was a child, it didn’t help when such an unlucky thing had happened.
“There is no such thing. They are just rumors from people outside,” Zhao Xiran replied with a soft smile and a very peaceful look.
“Did they really treat you well, Sister?” Zhao Xiqiong asked suspiciously.
“Yes! They’re all very good to me. Tell father and mother not to worry. Don’t talk those jumbled rumors to them. They’ll be worried!” Zhao Xiran continued to comfort Zhao Xiqiong.
Zhao Xiqiong was dubious after hearing her elder sister’s words. She turned her head to look at the bedroom, whose entrance was covered by a hanging curtain, so she couldn’t see anything inside and couldn’t help becoming curious. She lowered her voice and said, “Who is inside? Is it Old Madam of Marquis Xing’s Mansion?”
“No, it’s Fifth Miss Shao,” Zhao Xiran shook his head and said.
“Fifth Miss Shao?” After repeating her words, Zhao Xiqiong suddenly became furious and felt indignant for her sister. “Sister, you said that you are living a good life. But now, look at you! When your younger sister-in-law is resting, you, as her eldest sister-in-law, guard the door for her? Is this the rule of Marquis Xing’s Mansion? No wonder people say that Marquis Xing’s Mansion is a place without rules, though its people look very well-behaved!”
In anger, she couldn’t help speaking loud.
Zhao Xiran rushed to cover her mouth and said in a low voice, “Fifth Sister has been in sleep. You keep your voice down! No one asked me to guard her. It was me who wanted to come here with her because I am free. It’s not what you think!”