Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Grave Mistake (Part 3)
Tong Xiyan looked expressionlessly at Nanny Duan, raised her hand to take the tea bowl and drank it all in one gulp. Without even lifting her eyes, she lowered them back to the book and said in a flat tone, "You can leave now, I’d like to be alone for a while." Nanny Duan hesitated as she looked at her, feeling uneasy in her heart as her eyelids had been twitching for the past two days. She felt something was off, yet other than talking less and being more silent than usual, she didn’t notice anything wrong with the Fourth Miss.
Worrying in her heart, she stood hesitantly in the room, not leaving immediately. Suddenly, Tong Xiyan lifted her head and rebuked, "If Nanny doesn’t leave, are you waiting for me to go out and make you?"
Nanny Duan was startled, for the Fourth Miss had never spoken to her like that before. Her eyes immediately turned red, and she walked out with the bowl, but she was still worried about Tong Xiyan, so she sent Xinzhu in to attend to her.
With her head lowered, Tong Xiyan pretended to read, but the pages never turned for a long time. Her mind was filled only with the image of Jiang Shilin lying on the bed, barely alive. Then Xinzhu pushed the door open and entered. Without thinking, she threw the book in her hand out and glared at Xinzhu, "Do you still regard me as your master? My words have become useless."
Xinzhu was scared to tears by Tong Xiyan’s appearance and knelt on the wet, cold ground, kowtowing as she said, "This servant was wrong. Please calm your anger, Miss!" Tong Xiyan let out a cold laugh, "Then don’t appear in front of me again."
"Yes!" Terrified, Xinzhu closed the door again and silently kept watch outside. A short moment later, the door suddenly opened, and Tong Xiyan came out wearing heavy clothes. Without looking at Xinzhu standing by the door, Xinmei said, "I’m going for a walk alone, you all don’t need to follow!" After saying that, she stepped out of the courtyard.
Xinzhu and Xinmei didn’t dare go after her but were full of worry, so they ran to find Nanny Duan.
After leaving, Tong Xiyan quickly took the path around, passing through the small garden straight to the East Cross Courtyard. The auntie guarding the entrance of the East Cross Courtyard saw Tong Xiyan and squatted with a smile to greet her. Tong Xiyan didn’t even look at them and quickly ran to Madam Wang’s empty courtyard. Taking advantage of no one being around, she slipped into the passageway where she last met Jiang Shilin, quickly took off the jiaao wrapped outside, revealing the clothes of Xinzhu underneath, pulled out the red hairpin from her head, let her hair down, and tied it into a maid’s bun. Trembling, she groped for the brick where Xiqiu had mentioned leaving the key. Though the wind through the passageway pierced her face like needles, her forehead was full of sweat...
After groping for a long time, she finally found the movable brick, took out the key, and opened the corner door. With the First Master not at home, only two young houseboys were left in the study room, and due to the cold weather, they had long disappeared to slack off somewhere. She swiftly exited the study’s door, turned, and reached the side corridor, seeing the shadow wall in front of the mansion’s gate. She went around the shadow wall and saw the side door to the outer courtyard, where two young houseboys stood guard.
The houseboys hadn’t entered the inner courtyard and certainly hadn’t seen the noble Miss of Tong Mansion. Seeing Tong Xiyan dressed as a second-tier maid, they smiled as they approached her, "Hello, Sister. Sister, where are you headed?"
Tong Xiyan was so nervous that her legs were trembling. She tried her best to calm her emotions, showing an arrogant attitude, and said, "The Fourth Miss wants the Osmanthus Cake from the Hongyan Building; she sent me to go buy it!" Then she glared at the houseboys, "Watch your door well; is the business of the inner courtyard for you to inquire about?"
The houseboys were immediately afraid to ask more when rebuked by her. They smiled and said, "In that case, please trouble Sister to show us the token." For any servants leaving the mansion, a token from Nanny Fang is required; without it, no one can be let out.
Without hurrying, Tong Xiyan took out the token from her waist and waved it before the houseboys, "Did you see it clearly?"
With such a brief wave, how could the houseboys see it clearly? But facing Tong Xiyan’s fierce demeanor, they dared not request a closer look. One lowered his head respectfully and said he saw it clearly, while the other went to open the door.
Seeing the door open, Tong Xiyan was almost moved to tears with excitement.
She lifted her skirt and hurried up the steps. Suddenly, a houseboy shouted to her from behind. Her heart leapt into her throat as she asked in a trembling voice, without daring to look back, "What is it?"
The houseboy smiled as he approached, offering, "The roads are slippery in the snow; Sister, why not wait at the door a while, and let me run the errand for you!"
Tong Xiyan heaved a sigh of relief and replied with a cold laugh, "The Miss’s food, how could you bear to handle it." The houseboy still grinning said, "Or, maybe I could rent a carriage for you?"
"No need." Tong Xiyan dared not say more, and as those words were uttered, she quickly left the courtyard without looking back.
The houseboy, following behind, pursed his lips disdainfully, "Such stinginess from a maid close to the Miss!"
Tong Xiyan ran all the way. She had already found out from Xu Tianqing about Jiang Shilin’s location, learning it was far from the Tong Mansion. She didn’t know how far exactly, only that it would take half an hour even by carriage. She had no idea where to rent a carriage nor dared to speak to anyone, so she hitched her skirt up and ran in the direction Xu Tianqing mentioned, flying down the main road. In solitary spots, she felt somewhat at ease, but when she reached the crowded street, anxiety began to gnaw at her heart. She stopped an elderly man with silver hair to ask how to get to the Ten-mile Shop in the east of the city; however, the old man took her hand and asked, "Miss, do you need a guesthouse?"
Tong Xiyan recoiled in fright and ran away. She dared not ask anyone again, navigating northward purely on instinct...
Xiqiu was restless, tossing and turning in bed until she finally sat up to ask Sixing, "What hour is it?" Sixing replied, "Si hour."
"Help me up." She got out of bed and, with Sixing’s assistance, dressed herself, sitting cross-legged on the heated platform bed. The more she thought, the more uneasy she felt. Suddenly, she jumped off and said, "Bring me my cloak; we’re going to see Fourth Miss."
Sixing draped the cloak on her, then with Chunyan’s assistance, the three braved the wind and snow to Tong Xiyan’s courtyard.
The courtyard door was tightly shut. With hesitation visible on Sixing’s face, Xiqiu nodded at her, prompting Sixing to raise a hand to knock. Just as her hand landed on the door, someone opened it, revealing Xinzhu’s happy face, "Fourth Miss, you..." Before she could finish, her face immediately showed disappointment.
Xiqiu frowned and asked, "Isn’t Fourth Sister in the courtyard?"
Xinzhu nodded, her face pale, "She said she was going for a walk alone and wouldn’t let us follow, but it’s been an hour, and she’s not back yet. Xinmei went to look in the outer courtyard, and there was no sign of her at Fourth Young Master’s or First Young Master’s place either."
Just going for a walk, and not letting anyone follow, Xiqiu’s unease grew stronger. She asked Xinzhu, "Did you check the other young ladies’ places?"
Xinzhu sagged, nodding, "We checked everywhere, she’s not there!" Xiqiu got angry, narrowing her eyes at Xinzhu, "Then why are you standing here? Go look for her!"
"Sixth Miss..." Xinzhu covered her face and began to cry softly, "I’m scared!"