Chapter 9 - Conspiracy (1/2)

Chapter 9: Conspiracy

Translator: Jacquelin

Night fell and a chill shiver rippled over Ci’s skin.

Liao Yong was dead.

He died such a terrible death that one could hardly bear the sight of it. Blood oozed from his eyes, nose and mouth. His intestines and stomach putrefied and turned into a pool of yellow water.

Ci had sent a letter to Nima who was in the capital. However, he didn’t receive it. The messenger was killed on the way to the capital. The cause of his death was the same as Liao Yong’s.

In a restaurant, Ju Juxian looked coldly at Ci who was eating at the table. Ji Jing taunted and jeered at Ci. But Yang Zhen disregarded their bad attitudes towards Ci and put food in Ci’s bowl.

When they returned to Nima Mansion, Yang Zhen took Ci’s hand and pulled her into the bedroom. After closing the door, Yang Zhen whispered in Ci’s ear, “You can’t stay in Nima mansion anymore. Last night I overheard them discussing how to kill you. Now pack up your things and go to my personal house. You can hide inside it until Master comes back.”

Ci frowned, seemingly skeptical of Yan Zhen’s words. “I have done nothing harmful to them. Why do them regard me as an enemy and want to kill me?”

Yang Zhen helped Ci pack up her things while answering, “Master is obsessed with you. He doesn’t take them seriously at all…”

“Sister, why are you protecting me?” Ci asked.

“Because we are both ill-fated.” Yangzhen gave a bitter smile.

Ci nodded, “I want to change into casual clothes. Sister, can you please go out somewhere for a while?”

Yang Zhen replied, “Okay. I’ll come to you at 10 p.m. tonight and bring you to my house.”

After dinner, Ci went out to take tea in Autumn Wind Teahouse. She hadn’t played the lute for a long time. A lute string had broken and without Nima, no one in Nima Mansion wanted to listen to her play. San served her a cup of scented tea. The tea leaves were newly picked and processed. Ci secretly stuffed some ingots of silver into his hands.

Li Qiufeng asked, “How are you, lady?”

“Not bad. Thank you for your concern.” Ci took a sip of tea and felt refreshed. “I’ve come to ask San to do me a favor.”

Li Qiufeng said, “No problem. Lady, he is at your disposal. My business is bad lately. He has enough time to run errands for you.”

Ci took out a letter and said to San, “Please go to the capital and give this letter to Master Nima. Er, tell him it’s a letter from home. You should be careful on the way.”

San took the letter and immediately prepared to set off to the capital. Li Qiufeng looked carefully at Ci. There was a hint of faint black in the top of her nose bridge connecting the eyebrows. He shook his head and said, “Take care of yourself.”

Ci smiled, “Don’t worry about me. It is my destiny.”

There were several lines on the letter:

“In autumn, I sit at the window with the lute in my arms. The third day after you left, a lute string broke.