The next day, they had breakfast together as usual, but Wang Hui was not there.
Everyone assumed Wang Hui was sad and not eating because she had lost her mother.
After the meal, Wang Yuanzhi was noticeably more energetic than in the previous days, even a bit distracted, his gaze occasionally darting towards the sun outside.
He was eager for time to pass quickly.
By noon, Wang Yuanzhi could barely sit still. Fortunately, he had Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi with him, which allowed him to converse for a while.
Conversely, Wang Hui had not appeared. After looking for a while and still not seeing her, Zhao Jiaqi made an excuse and got up to leave.
She went to Wang Hui's courtyard. She called out twice from outside but heard no response from Wang Hui.
Zhao Jiaqi was puzzled: "This child usually loves doing business. Why is she hiding now, when an important person is about to arrive?"
As she spoke, she pushed Wang Hui's room door. It turned out the door was not bolted. Zhao Jiaqi saw the door ajar and, for some reason, her heart skipped a beat.
"Wang Hui, sister is coming in!"
Zhao Jiaqi poked her head in, cautiously scanning the room and the beams overhead. Finding no one, she entered the room.
The side hall was empty, the table bare, and even the teapots were placed neatly. She went into the bedroom; the dressing table and bed were still tidy.
This was Zhao Jiaqi's first time in Wang Hui's room. The room was spotless, suggesting she was a very clean person.
Her eyes were drawn to a letter on the bed, addressed "For Sister."
Was this... was this running away from home? Or was it a suicide note left for her?
Unsure of which possibility was true, she opened the letter. It read: "Sister, I overheard your conversation with the young master last night. I am heartbroken. I finally understand why you wanted me to do other business. I appreciate your intentions.
I did not tell my father what you said, but I can roughly guess who you are. Since that divine cream is harmful, I will not touch it. Sister, my father has harmed so many people. I will not resent you no matter how you punish him; it is his fault.
My father forced my mother to death. Although I did not kill him to avenge my mother, I also did not inform him to flee. As a daughter, I am unfilial. As a citizen of Yun Country, I am disloyal. So, I thought about it all night. I am still young, I do not have the courage to face death, nor do I like being monitored. Therefore, I took my belongings and my silver notes and ran away.
Sister, I will miss you. I will also learn from you and become a strong woman."
Reading Wang Hui's letter, Zhao Jiaqi's whole body trembled uncontrollably. It was fortunate that she had come to find her; if it were someone else, their affairs would have been completely exposed.
She put the letter away and then checked the drawers on the dressing table. The jewelry was indeed all gone.
With lingering fear, she walked out of the room, casually closing the door behind her, making it look as if it were bolted from the outside.
She returned to the main hall, her mind elsewhere, speaking with a heavy heart. Zhao Jiaqi was now uncertain whether Wang Hui had left without the poppy seeds.
Would she go to another place to get the seeds, following in her father's footsteps, and leaving her a letter merely to lull her into a false sense of security?
It wasn't that she was being overly suspicious; she had to think this way.
Fan Zehao noticed his wife's unusual state but couldn't say anything openly. He yawned and said to Wang Yuanzhi, "I was so excited for this day that I couldn't sleep well last night. I see there's still some time. Let's go back and rest for a bit, and then head to town in an hour. What do you say?"
Wang Yuanzhi saw that his feigned tiredness didn't seem genuine, and looking outside, it was a bit early to go to town. So, he also decided to rest.
"Then let's all rest. That way, we'll have more energy for business matters."
Fan Zehao smiled and nodded, indirectly agreeing. He helped Zhao Jiaqi out of the main hall.
On the way back, Fan Zehao wanted to ask several times, but the words caught in his throat. Once they reached their room, Zhao Jiaqi finally took out the letter and handed it to him.
"They say walls have ears, and there are no secrets in this world. You read it."
Hearing his wife's words, he frowned. They had spoken very carefully. How could their conversation have involved eavesdropping?
He lowered his head and saw the letter, and was greatly shocked. How could this be? She had heard their conversation last night.
Fan Zehao's eyes widened like bronze bells, and his mouth hung open. It was fortunate that Wang Hui had a righteous disposition. If she had harbored any malicious intentions, they would have had a fight, even if they hadn't died, last night.
At that point, whether his wife would have been injured was a different matter. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Seeing her husband's reaction, Zhao Jiaqi knew he was chilled to the bone. She asked with suspicion, "Why did she leave me a letter? Why was it left in her room? If she truly wanted to leave it for me, wouldn't it have been safer to leave it in my room?"
Fan Zehao pondered for a moment, "Perhaps Wang Hui was also testing something."
Testing?
Zhao Jiaqi truly didn't understand this word.
Fan Zehao explained, "This letter is a lifeline for us, but similarly, it is also a lifeline for her father."
He pointed to a line in the letter and said, "Look, I can roughly guess your identities..."
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the letter. Those words were indeed there, but the sentence seemed harmless.
"Think carefully about what we said last night. Twenty thousand soldiers... who has the authority to mobilize the soldiers in the inner city..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jiaqi immediately understood.
She continued with a gasp, "You mean, Wang Hui was testing whether I or her father cared more about her!"
Fan Zehao nodded. "Yes. During breakfast this morning, Wang Hui was already gone. At this point, if her father cared about her, he would naturally look for her, and this letter would have fallen into Wang Yuanzhi's hands."
"But look, her father didn't even ask, let alone look for her. Instead, you, who care about her, went looking and discovered this letter."
According to Fan Zehao's explanation, Zhao Jiaqi felt it made some sense. However, the letter itself already stated her viewpoint.
Zhao Jiaqi pointed to the latter half of the letter, "Then how do you explain this? I felt every word in the letter was sincere."
Fan Zehao's lips curved into a smile. "Yes, she wrote this letter from the bottom of her heart. She was actually very conflicted, leaving her fate to heaven. Whoever discovered her absence first would receive this lifeline."
"It seems Wang Hui truly hoped you would come," Fan Zehao said, and then he burned the letter.
The couple watched the letter turn to ashes, a complicated mixture of emotions churning within them.