Lady Kelpi Translations

Content warning for this chapter. The last section of this chapter deals with animal abuse, where a horse is put down. If you’ve seen the drama, you know. The 。。。before that part is bolded, so it looks like 。。。. It’s also the last couple of paragraphs before the end of the chapter.

Chapter Fifteen:
Zhou Yinzhi

Remember, no one came to look for me today. It was my horse that got sick.

Calm down.

Just calm down.

Jiang Xuening forced herself not to think too much about it for now. Her gaze, which was still her initial, was just the sprout and beginning of everything.

It was easy to distinguish if a man liked a woman just by how he looked at her.

Because, outside of love, there was always more or less desire mixed in.

There was no mixed desire when a woman looked at a woman she liked. The relationship was not much different from her looking at a very close and particularly fond friend.

She must have left a deep shadow in her previous life; she kept seeing a bow reflected in her cup like a snake.
[This idiom means she’s overly suspicious or being so jittery/anxious/scared that she’s seeing things.]

Jiang Xuening became much calmer after telling herself that.

She felt a surge in her heart, but it wasn’t visible on her face.

Although Shen Zhiyi stood close to her, she didn’t know how many strange and absurd thoughts had bypassed her heart in countless twists and turns. She only asked the palace attendants around them to take a palm-sized diamond-shaped mirror they carried with them to take a look. When she saw the cherry blossom design, her eyes flickered with a hint of emotion.

When she first met Jiang Xuening just now, her appearance really surprised her. She thought that Yan Lin only liked her because of her good looks. But with just a few words, this Second Miss Jiang made her see a completely different side that was not like an ordinary young lady.

Which young lady in the capital could say such a thing?

She had played with Yan Lin from childhood to adulthood. She knew Yan Lin had never been a lustful person. There was indeed something about Second Miss Jiang that was appealing to him.

Shen Zhiyi took two more steps towards her and smiled, taking Jiang Xuening’s hand. “You are exceptionally charming. No wonder Yan Lin likes you. Even I can’t help but fall for you,” she said.

When she said those words, Jiang Xuening almost collapsed with weak knees.

She tightly held the string in her head that was about to break and also resisted the urge to pull her hand away from Shen Zhiyi. She completely restrained her previously free-spirited temper and appeared sincere and fearful. “I spoke without restraint,” she said. “I’m used to talking nonsense. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Shen Zhiyi saw her suddenly look like that, small and losing the charm and grace she had when she pulled her over to paint her face. She frowned and was about to speak up.

“Your Highness,” a voice suddenly interjected from beside her, “you’re scaring her.”

Shen Zhiyi turned her head to look.

The speaker was a well-dressed woman standing next to Shen Zhiyi all along. Her overall aura was only slightly less than Shen Zhiyi’s. Her clothes were all made of top-quality Sichuan brocade; even the pearl inlaid on her forehead was valuable, not to mention the white jade bracelet on her wrist, which almost had no impurities.

Far mountain eyebrows, red phoenix eyes.
[To have red phoenix eyes means the outer corners of your eyes incline upwards.]

Her black silk-like hair was like a waterfall, and her cheeks were like snow.

Although she may not have a gorgeous appearance at first glance, she stood out as bright and beautiful in this flower hall, not to mention the natural aura of nobility that radiated from her eyebrows and eyes. Although smiling, she gave people a sense of calm and self-reliance.

At first glance, she was a formidable person.

This was Xiao Shu, the young mistress of Duke Chengguo’s mansion. Jiang Xuening recognized her.

Or, to put it more clearly——

She was the eldest young mistress of Duke Chengguo’s mansion, whom Xie Wei nearly slaughtered in her previous life.

She only watched from the side before stepping up to speak.

Shen Zhiyi was somewhat dissatisfied after hearing those words.

Xiao Shu laughed and spread the fragrant fan in her hand, looking at Jiang Xuening. She leaned over and whispered a few words into Shen Zhiyi’s ear.

Shen Zhiyi’s eyes flickered with a hint of brilliance. The previously unattractive scar under her left eye was also spotted in the shape of a cherry blossom. The combination of the two made her entire face light up.

“That’s a good idea,” she said, smiling and clapping her hands.

She then turned to Jiang Xuening. “It’s inconvenient to have so many people around today. I’ll find you another day, and we can play.”

Jiang Xuening hadn’t heard what Xiao Shu had said to her, but a hint of unease rose in her heart. She and Xiao Shu were compatible in her previous life and were the same age. She married Shen Jie when he was still the Prince of Linzi and was granted the title of Empress after he ascended the throne. Later, Xiao Shu entered the palace and, due to the honor of her maiden family’s mansion and being a cousin to Shen Jie, quickly received the title of Imperial Consort and was granted permission to assist with the Six Palaces.
[Imperial Consort (皇贵妃 | Huang Gui Fei) is the highest position in the imperial palace under the empress. The Six Palaces is where the empress, imperial consort, and royal concubines live. Being able to help handle matters in the Six Palaces, a job primarily given to the Empress unless she is indisposed, is a massive slap in the face.]

Although she came from the Xiao family, she didn’t have a good fate in the end.

At present, Xiao Shu still made Jiang Xuening feel a bit wary.

She respectfully responded to Shen Zhiyi and only gave a faint nod to Xiao Shu.

She had no connection with the Xiao family.

In the future, Xie Wei won’t blink an eye when killing people.

Xiao Shu grew up in a prestigious family’s mansion from a young age, and what she saw and learned was far beyond comparison to the average girl. It was only from Jiang Xuening’s small act that she easily felt the other party’s indifference towards her.

That was interesting.

Xiao Shu didn’t show any outward signs, only giving Jiang Xuening a meaningful glance before she pulled Shen Zhiyi away.

As the banquet at Count Qingyuan’s mansion was ending, the eldest daughter of a state government official and the dynasty princess arrived simultaneously. You Shuang and You Yue knew how to seize the opportunity, so they invited them to judge and pick winners for the poetry and painting competition.

Xiao Shu was excellent in both poetry and painting, so she looked at them one by one.

After discussing with Shen Zhiyi, You Yue’s ‘Thin Chrysanthemum Painting’ was the best painting, and Young Miss Fan’s ‘Sending Thoughts on the Double Ninth Festival’ was the best poem.

Young Miss Fan’s family all received a well-rounded education in poetry and literature, which they passed down through generations.

You Yue’s years of hard work in painting had finally paid off, and Princess Leyang commissioned her. She was so overjoyed at the moment that she nearly burst into tears.

Jiang Xuening could neither draw nor write and watched coldly from the side. Seeing it all come to an end, she was the first to bid farewell and leave when Shen Zhiyi and Xiao Shu left.

。。。

When helping her into the carriage, Tang’er cautiously asked, “Are you going to the Heavenly Tower?”

Jiang Xuening looked at the sky and calculated the time. The flower hall had just dispersed, but the water pavilion was still bustling, and Yan Lin would probably not be able to leave for a while. Her eyes flickered, and she remembered she had another thing that was still important.

“Let’s go to Xiejie Alley first,” she said.

Zhou Yinzhi lived in Xiejie Alley.

The alley was far from the Forbidden City, so many ministers who needed to go to court or frequently enter the palace didn’t choose to build their mansions there. Most of the people who lived in the alley were low-level officials.

Zhou Yinzhi rose to fame late and had to use all of his money to facilitate connections. He naturally had no extra financial resources to buy a mansion.

Therefore, when Jiang Xuening arrived at Xiejie Alley, she saw two small black-painted doors with old copper door rings fastened. A simple ‘Zhou Mansion’ was hung on the plaque above.

It was indeed a little shabby.

She asked Tang’er to knock on the door.

In no time, a female voice came from inside, “Coming.”

There was the sound of someone removing the door bolt.

The door squeaked open, and a delicate face peeked out. She saw Tang’er first and then Jiang Xuening behind her. Although her clothing wasn’t glamorous, it didn’t seem like she had a simple identity. She hesitated for a moment and asked, “You are?”

Jiang Xuening didn’t answer and asked, “Is Master Zhou at home?”

“Master went to the guard early this morning, and I’m not sure when he will be back,” the delicate woman said. “If you have any urgent matters, why don’t you take a seat inside, and I will pass on a message? However, I don’t know how long you will have to wait.”

Jiang Xuening didn’t expect to have to wait.

But now that she was there, what was the point of wasting the trip?

She thought for a moment and then nodded.

The woman opened the door and invited them inside. She then walked to a small courtyard and called out to a little boy brushing a horse in the courtyard. “Nanzhou,” she said, “go to the guard’s office and find Master. Say that there are guests at home, and if he isn’t dealing with an urgent matter, come home.”

The young boy named Nanzhou put down his broom and was about to go out.

Jiang Xuening frowned for a moment and suddenly stopped him. “No need,” she said. “Just tell your master that his beloved horse is extremely sick. Please ask him to come back and take a look.”

Nanzhou couldn’t help but feel lost, and he looked at the maid.

The maid didn’t know Jiang Xuening’s identity, but it didn’t seem like she was here to seek revenge. She was also afraid of her master missing out on business. Although she hesitated, she nodded and said, “Report it like that.”

Nanzhou quickly left.

The implementation of the courtyard wasn’t significant, and there were only four or five rooms in total. When guests were seen, the staff would escort them to the central hall.

The woman introduced herself as Yaoniang, a maid Zhou Yinzhi bought.

She invited Jiang Xuening to sit down and brew her tea. Perhaps it was her first time seeing such a glamorous figure, so she felt confused and ashamed. She just said, “This is the new tea of this year. It’s not very good. I hope you can forgive me.”

Jiang Xuening had heard of Yaoniang in her previously.

She had been favored among the few concubines around Zhou Yinzhi for a long time.

Some people even said she was his favorite.

So, she had been with him from the beginning and had met him before everything. No wonder that in the future, no matter how many beautiful concubines he had, they couldn’t underestimate such an ordinary-looking concubine.

“It’s okay, I will just sit for a while,” Jiang Xuening said. “If your master isn’t back in a while, I will leave.”

She picked up the tea and took a sip.

Frozen top oolong had a raw and slightly bitter taste in her mouth.

Because she had been nurtured in the palace for such a long time, her tastes became extremely high. Therefore, she didn’t force herself at this moment and only took one sip before setting down her tea.

After waiting for about three-quarters of an hour, hurried footsteps came from the alley.

Yaoniang quickly welcomed him and opened.

Zhou Yinzhi entered wearing his black brocade robe with embroidered cloud patterns. The courtyard was small and unobstructed. As soon as he looked up, he saw Jiang Xuening sitting in the hall, and his eyes flashed.

He walked towards the house.

Yaoniang followed him.

He turned around and said, “You can go back.”

Yaoniang was momentarily stunned and glanced at Jiang Xuening. She only dared to say, “Please call if you need something, Master.”

Zhou Yinzhi walked in without hesitation and bowed to Jiang Xuening. “The last time Second Miss Jiang called, this humble person had to leave without saying goodbye and was impolite. Today, you came personally, and I wasn’t here. I hope you can forgive me.”

The figure was quite tall. Standing in the hall made it look like the house was short.

“You came back quickly,” Jiang Xuening said, looking up at him.

“Nothing was going on in the guard’s office. I was also preparing to come back.”

This was the opposite of what happened. There were always endless amounts of work to do. When Nanzhou came to find him, he had been listening to a disagreement between Zhou Qianhu and Zhang Zhe, a member of the Criminal Investigation Department. As soon as he heard Nanzhou say that his horse was ill, he thought something was wrong.

When he arrived at the guard post that morning, he had just personally fed the horse, and there was nothing wrong with it.

He knew something else was going on.

He immediately expressed his concern and told the officer in the imperial guard’s office before he rushed back.

On the way, when he asked Nanzhou questions, it was indeed Jiang Xuening who had come by.

Zhou Yinzhi was born in vain and with ambition in his heart. He faced Jiang Xuening, a weak and tender woman, and his expression showed no arrogance. Instead, he lowered his posture. “Even if you didn’t come to see this humble person, this humble person would also come to see you.”

Jiang Xuening figured that would be the case, but she still pretended to be surprised. “Oh?”

“Recently, when Zhou Qianhu from the Imperial Embroidered Guard took the thief, they did not seek approval from the Criminal Investigation Department,” Zhou Yinzhi said. “As a result, Zhang Zhe, who was in charge of the matter, impeached him and claimed he should be punished strictly according to the law. Although Zhou Qianhu has some connections in the court, things are difficult to handle. Zhang Zhe still doesn’t know how to handle this, but at least Zhou Qianhu’s career is difficult to secure. This will cause a vacancy in Zhou Qianhu’s position. This humble person speaks lightly and has no financial resources or connections. I audaciously ask for the help of Second Miss.”

It turned out that the vacancy he planned to take had something to do with Zhang Zhe.

She didn’t know much about Zhang Zhe’s early years or how he spent his time.

Jiang Xuening narrowed her eyes.

She had a complete plan to come here but didn’t expect Zhou Yinzhi to be so straightforward and speak first. It was also good; she didn’t have to spend much more time talking.

“Are you asking me to recommend you to Yan Lin?” she asked.

Zhou Yinzhi sat just below her, his hawk eyes flashing faintly. “Marquis Yongyi’s mansion can be compared to the Xiao family’s, and he can speak well in court. Moreover, Young Miss has a good relationship with the young marquis, who is about to reach his coming-of-age ceremony. If I can win his favor, I will also be able to serve you in the future.”

He meant she would marry into the Marquis Yongyi mansion in the future.

Zhou Yinzhi made such a request in her previous life because she had first asked him to investigate Shen Jie’s identity personally. She believed Zhou Yinzhi could be useful to her, so she helped him.

However, she already knew Shen Jie’s identity in this life, so she naturally had nothing to ask for.

Just…

Jiang Xuening looked at him and slowly smiled. “My father is a servant of the Ministry of Revenue. Although he doesn’t manage the Ministry of Personnel, he is also among the Six Ministries. If you only want to seek a vacancy for Zhou Qianhu, you could ask my father. Do you still want to join Yan shizi? I have to say I am surprised. Why?”

As Zhou Yinzhi listened to her words, he suddenly felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.

When did Second Miss become so clear in the affairs of the court?

It was worth noting that she used to be a spoiled young lady, constantly playing and causing trouble with Yan shizi.

He didn’t answer for a moment as he looked at Jiang Xuening.

“It’s not impossible for me to recommend you to Yan Lin,” Jiang Xuening said. “But I have a question to ask you first. It’s also the purpose of my visit this time.”

“What do you want to ask?” Zhou Yinzhi remained calm.

“The handling of Zhou Qianhu has not yet come to an end,” Jiang Xuening said. “But you are already in a hurry to ask me to recommend you to Yan Lin. Apart from wanting to secure Qianhu’s position, the Imperial Embroidered Guard might also be investigating the old case of the Southern Prince on the side. They want you to sneak into Marquis Yongyi’s mansion and investigate it thoroughly, right?”

Screech!

A sharp and piercing sound was made by Zhou Yinzhi, whose entire body was covered in sweat, and his hair stood on end. When he suddenly stood up, the chair he sat on screeched back.

He stared at Jiang Xuening, his pupils constricting.

He couldn’t believe his eyes!

He also heard the news about this matter two days ago. Today, the chief of the guard called him in and gave him instructions. Initially, it was confidential, and he took an oath of secrecy.

But how could Jiang Xuening have exposed it?

How did she learn about it?!

Jiang Xuening saw Zhou Yinzhi’s strong reaction. How could she not know she had guessed correctly?

A moment of sadness overcame her.

No wonder Zhou Yinzhi was miserable in her previous life. Marquis Yongyi’s mansion was implicated in Prince Pingnan’s rebellion conspiracy, resulting in the theft of his household and exile, which was closely related to him. No wonder Xie Wei wanted to make him die from ten thousand arrows and cut off his head to hang on the palace gate.

And she actually introduced this venomous snake to Yan Lin.

Jiang Xuening closed her eyes. “Zhou Yinzhi, if you want to live, I’ll teach you a good lesson,” she said. “This case is of great significance, so don’t implicate anyone too deeply. If it’s done, it might be smooth sailing and a moment of glory, but I’m afraid you will end up dead and have no place to bury yourself!”

。。。

Jiang Xuening spoke a little longer with Zhou Yinzhi before she took her leave.

It was getting late. She feared Yan Lin would be waiting for her at the Heavenly Tower.

After she left, Zhou Yinzhi sat in the hall. His face was gloomy, and he didn’t move for a long time.

Yaoniang finally came in to find him. His expression frightened her. “Master, what happened?”

Zhou Yinzhi didn’t answer.

He turned his gaze and looked at the small courtyard.

The stable was in the courtyard’s corner, where a top-quality red horse was burying its head to eat hay.

This was a horse that Zhou Yinzhi bought for himself two years ago when he was first recruited as an Imperial Embroidered Guard. He fed it every day and then took it for a run in the suburbs of the Capital.

After looking for a while, he got up and walked over, touching the beautiful and smooth mane of the horse.

The horse recognized its owner and affectionately rubbed against his palm.

Standing under the eaves, Yaoniang saw Zhou Yinzhi pull a knife from his waist with the other hand. She let out a scream of surprise.

There was a muffled sound as the sharp blade pierced the horse’s neck.

The horse immediately lifted its front hooves and kicked against the stable when it felt pain but was held down by Zhou Yinzhi. A large amount of blood sprayed out, splattering all over Zhou Yinzhi’s body.

The blade was sharp and precise. The horse soon fell.

Zhou Yinzhi felt weak at this moment. He was half kneeling in the terrifying pool of blood, holding the bloody knife in one hand and gently resting his other hand on the horse’s head. He watched it swallow its last breath before slowly saying, “Remember, no one came to look for me today. It was my horse that got sick.”

…

RIP Good Boy Horse. The goodest of good horses. The last part was really rough for me to translate.

Next Chapter: Ambushed