“This humble servant greets the Princess Consort,” said the servant.
“Is the Prince here?” Jiang Si asked, walking past the servant towards the interior.
The servant hurriedly replied, “In response to the Princess Consort, the Prince is not in the study.”
“Oh,” Jiang Si said, reaching out to push open the door.
The servant was bewildered.
He had just said the Prince wasn’t there, so why did the Princess Consort still want to enter? The study was considered a restricted area. The Prince used to sleep there and occasionally held discussions with others. It wasn’t appropriate for the Princess Consort to enter without the Prince’s permission. If the Prince found out, not only would the Princess Consort face trouble, but he, as the doorkeeper, would surely be punished.
The servant quickly stepped in front of Jiang Si, mustering his courage to say, “Princess Consort, the Prince is not here.”
Jiang Si paused briefly, saying coolly, “I heard you.”
“Then, then please return,” the servant said.
Before Jiang Si could respond, A Man put one hand on her hip and pointed at the servant’s nose with the other, scolding, “How dare you! How insolent!”
The servant was even more confused, stepping back to avoid the little maid’s attack.
A Man glared at him, reprimanding, “Our Princess Consort is in charge of this entire princely mansion. What’s wrong with her wanting to look into the study? You impudent servant, daring to block her way. Have you eaten a bear’s heart and a leopard’s gall?”
The corner of the servant’s mouth twitched violently.
He was an impudent servant?
This yellow-haired girl was the impudent one. He had never seen such a fierce maid!
The servant also became angry, rolling up his sleeves as he said, “The Prince has long ordered that the study is a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter!”
A Man spat, “Unauthorized personnel? You impudent servant, do you even know how to speak…”
While the two were arguing, Jiang Si had already pushed open the door and entered, closing it behind her.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, the servant finally came to his senses and pushed at the door, calling out, “Princess Consort, you can’t go in…”
A Man, standing to the side, rolled her eyes. “She’s already gone in, what are you shouting about? If others find out you didn’t guard the study well, they’ll surely report you for neglecting your duty. You impudent servant are really stupid…”
The servant clutched his chest, almost furious.
Impudent servant, impudent servant. If it weren’t for this dead girl calling him an impudent servant over and over, would he have been so careless?
The servant wiped his face, saying angrily, “If I’ve neglected my duty, it’s because you caused it.”
A Man pouted, “An impudent servant just knows how to make excuses.”
The servant: “…” He wondered what would happen if he angrily killed the Princess Consort’s maid.
Yu Jin’s study was much larger than ordinary studies.
It consisted of three large connected rooms. The room entered from the door was arranged like a reception hall. To the east, a row of screens separated it from the living quarters. To the west, there were no screens or other obstructions; entering led directly to rows of bookshelves and a desk, complete with brush holders, inkstone, and other writing implements—a place for reading and writing.
This was Jiang Si’s destination.
She scanned the room, her gaze settling on a spot based on her memory.
There was a hidden compartment there, which held that painting.
Of course, this was the situation in her previous life. She wasn’t certain about this life.
Jiang Si walked over, her hand reaching out then stopping, her heart suddenly rising.
She had told herself not to care, to let it go, and even convinced herself to believe that Ah Jin’s heart belonged to her in both past and present lives.
But at this moment, she still couldn’t help but feel nervous.
No matter how much she tried to deceive herself, this painting remained her deepest knot.
Because she couldn’t understand.
If Ah Jin had never liked the Holy Maiden in her previous life, why would the person in the painting be Ah Sang?
The girl in that painting looked only about ten years old, and couldn’t possibly be her no matter what.
But even if she was nervous, even if she wanted to bury her head in the sand like an ostrich, should she let that knot continue to exist?
Before she saw the painting, she couldn’t find a reason to bring up the Wu Miao Holy Maiden to Yu Seven. If she found it now, could she openly ask about it?
What was there to fear? Wouldn’t everything become clear if she just asked? At least now she believed that Yu Seven’s heart belonged to her.
Jiang Si steeled herself and opened the hidden compartment, but closed her eyes.
After a while, she slowly opened her eyes. As her gaze fell on the object in the compartment, her eyes suddenly contracted.
The painting was there!
She reached out to take the scroll, the blue veins on her fair hand visible, still involuntarily tense.
It was very quiet around, with no wind or sound.
The study was stuffy with the summer heat.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, running down her cheeks. One drop fell on the yellowed painting paper, instantly blurring it.
Jiang Si took a deep breath and slowly unrolled the scroll. A young girl in her early teens appeared before her eyes.
Jiang Si felt as if her mind had gone blank, unable to react for a good while.