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:Â The Way of Favors Chapter 17\n
: The Way of Favors Chapter 19\n
âWhy do I think that Qi Ce had purposely thrown the herbal sachet on the ground?â Behind the flowers and trees, Liang Yingfang whispered to Fu Rong as she went to her side. âCould it be that Qi Ce likes Bai Zhi?â\n
Fu Rong nodded, amused, âHe really is elegant.â\n
The two had just finished soaking in the spring and were walking back to see Qi Ce standing motionless at the intersection. Fu Rong vaguely guessed something, and quickly pulled Liang Yingfang to hide, peeping while holding her breath. Because they were hiding at the side, Qi Ce and Bai Zhiâs motions could all be seen at a glance. Qi Ceâs herbal sachet had fallen down after Bai Zhi had fallen to the ground.\n
Fu Rong thought, Qi Ce is so smart, so he wouldnât provoke Bai Zhi before he married her older sister. His intention this time was probably to conquer Bai Zhi, then to use Bai Zhi to find opportunities to approach her older sister.\n
This was only for her older sisterâs reputation. She wouldnât even tell Liang Yingfang the truth.\n
Feeling awkward and angry, Fu Rong glared at the back of Bai Zhiâs figure fiercely, gritting her teeth, âLook at her red face and ears. Sheâs clearly set her eyes on Qi Ce. Itâs fine if she likes him secretly, but she even dares to steal and hide a manâs belongings. If sheâs discovered, outsiders will only say that my older sister doesnât discipline well. SheâŠand my sister trusts her so much!â\n
Liang Yingfang gently patted her hand, thought for a moment, then said, âDonât rush, maybe Bai Zhi just picked it up first. She might not want to keep it secretly. How about weâŠif she still refuses to hand it over, then weâll tell Older Sister Wan.â\n
The two met by accident, but Fu Rong was surprised, and she looked at Liang Yingfang with admiration, âLook at you, so carefree but never lacking ideas.â\n
Liang Yingfang replied jokingly, âNot everyone is dumb like you. Some people hide knives in their smile and you wonât be able to realize it.â\n
Fu Rong knew that she was talking about Qi Zhu, but she really couldnât remember a time when Qi Zhu had betrayed her. She could only let it pass. Anyway, she didnât think of Qi Zhu as her best friend. It was fine as long as they were friendly to each other on the outside.\n
Fu Rong still needed to go swimming in the afternoon, and she dragged Fu Wan with her this time. Since Qi Ce had a solution to avoid Older Brother Liang Tong and do things on his own, Fu Rong was afraid that he would do even more unreasonable things.\n
Perhaps it was because she truly wanted to learn because Fu Rong learned to swim in only a day and a half. Using Liang Yingfangâs way of speaking, as long as the location where she falls into the water isnât too far away from the shore, Fu Rong would have no problem getting to the shore. If she wanted to master swimming, it would take more than a day.\n
Fu Rong happily went to find Fu Chen to show off, and also asked Fu Chen what they did in the daytime. Chatting excessively, she pestered him until dinner time before returning to the backyard with Liang Yingfang.\n
Fu Wan was already in the room waiting for them, âGo wash your hands, weâre having dinner soon.â\n
Bai Zhi was standing behind her, smiling slightly, looking no different from normal days.\n
Fu Rong and Liang Yingfang locked their eyes briefly. They first went to wash their hands, and Fu Rong suddenly remembered after they came back. She asked Lan Xiang, âYoung master was strolling in the daytime and dropped a blue silk herbal sachet, did you see it when you went to the courtyard?â\n
Lan Xiang smiled and said, âMy lady, you forgot. I have been mending the skirt you tore yesterday in the room, and have not gone out.â\n
Suddenly, Fu Rong blinked at Fu Wan, âOlder sister is right, I shouldnât always soak in the spring. Look at me, Iâve become dumber from all the soaking.â\n
Fu Wan tapped her face that was as soft as tofu, asking Bai Zhi casually, âDid you see it when you went out?â\n
Bai Zhi shook her head calm, âNo, I did not. I walked on the same path the girls did to Clear Spring Pavilion. We all did not see it, so perhaps young master dropped it elsewhere?â\n
But she knew inside that it was probably that Qi Ce had dropped the herbal sachet and young master was afraid that it wouldnât sound good if one of the girls or maids had found it and picked it up, so he lied that it was his. No matter what, she couldnât admit it. She hadnât gone out after she returned at noon. If she admitted it now, how could explain the fact that she had picked it out for almost half a day and didnât hand it in?\n
Fu Rong had already guessed earlier that she would say this and lowered her head to drink her soup.\n
Liang Yingfang ordered her own maid, âGo ask the nannies and maids in the back courtyard and see if one of them has picked it up. The one who finds it will have a reward.â\n
The maid immediately went and came back fruitless when the sky was almost dark.\n
Liang Yingfang didnât look very happy, and apologized to Older Sister Wan with red circles around her eyes, âItâs all because I havenât disciplined them well. Herbal sachets donât fly, it has definitely been picked up by someone. I donât know which person with such bad insight would even hide an herbal sachet. The person even caused me to humiliate himself in front of Older Sister Wan.â As she talked, she angrily sat down on a chair, using a handkerchief to wipe her tears.\n
Fu Wan was getting anxious. She would be embarrassed to have such a servant in her family, so she understood Liang Yingfangâs shame and hurriedly said comfortingly, âDonât think too much. My older brother is very careless. He could have dropped his object in some random corner. Perhaps no one has seen it, is this worth crying about? Come on, donât imitate Nong Nong, crying when something small happens.\n
All the bad things were put on her own head. Fu Rong couldnât let it go and went forward to scratch Fu Wanâs armpit while Liang Yingfang burst into laughter.\n
At night, the three of them slept together again. They woke early the second morning to prepare to go down the mountain and return to their own houses in the city.\n
On the way home, Fu Rong explained what had happened the previous day clearly. Finally, holding her older sisterâs hand, whispered, âI was afraid that older sister would feel awkward seeing Yingfang, so I purposely waited for her to leave before saying this. If older sister doesnât believe me, you will know when you ask Bai Zhi. I will only say one more sentence. Older sister, Yingfang, and I are very clear about this matter. This is all Bai Zhiâs fault, do not blame yourself.â\n
Fu Wanâs face was a little white. She didnât want to believe that someone close to her would do such a thing, but she had to believe it. Her younger sister had no reason to frame a maid that had no hatred between them. If there really was hatred between them, there was no need for her younger sister to give such a long explanation, as she could have just told her to get rid of Bai Zhi. A maid doesnât matter. However sensible she could be, she couldnât be as good as her own younger sister.\n
After getting off the carriage, Fu Wan had to change her clothes first, so she bid farewell softly to her mother and younger sister who came out to pick them up, and led Bai Zhi to her room.\n
âMy lady, you should rest first. Iâll go put the baggage down.â Bai Zhi said, smiling. She had also brought two sets of clothing over.\n
âWait.â Fu Wan stopped her and used her gaze to motion for the two other maids to leave, only leaving her other lead maid Bai Ting by her side. Then she sat on the couch, stared at Bai Zhi, and said, âYesterday, Third Lady saw you and the eldest master of the Qi family together, is this true?â\n
Bai Zhiâs face paled.\n
To be able to be a lead maid, one would have to be somewhat scheming. If her lady had asked her this yesterday, she wouldnât be so surprised, but Third Lady had seen it clearly and had purposely said that the herbal sachet was young masterâs. She obviously was suspicious of her.\n
How much did Third Lady exactly see and how did she tell her lady?\n
Bai Zhi didnât dare look at Fu Wan, trying to figure out the best words to admit her mistake with a lowered head. Fu Wan could clearly see her guilty conscience, and her eighty percent of belief turned into one hundred percent. She no longer showed any mercy and ordered Bai Ting to search in Bai Zhiâs baggage. If she couldnât find anything in the baggage, then she would search Bai Zhiâs body.\n
âMy lady, itâs all my fault!â Seeing that she couldnât hide it anymore, Bai Zhi thumped down on her knees, kowtowing her head to admit her mistake. âI was obsessed by evil and when I saw that the sachet of the eldest young master of the Qi family had authentic Shu embroidery, I thought that it was worth at least a few silver ingots, so I became greedy. My lady, please punish me. I know that Iâm wrong!â\n
Fu Wan smiled coldly, âOnly for some money?â\n
Now, sheâs still making up these evil words. Did she think of her as a three-year-old kid? Yesterday, when Liang Yingfang was crying, she hadnât handed it over. She could have also secretly put it back, which showed how reluctant she was to give up the item.\n
She had seen Qi Ce before. He was handsome and talented and was secretly admired by numerous girls. Fu Wan wasnât stupid. From Old Madam Qi and Madam Qiâs attitudes, she had faintly guessed something, but she just wasnât sure, so she pretended to didnât know anything about it. She didnât expect that a maid at her side would be moved first and didnât expect even more that Qi Ce, who looked like a gentleman, was such a bastard and would bump into people on purpose. Yesterday, if her younger sister didnât happen to see the scene, the two would have been paired together. When the secret affair is exposed in the future, she, as the master, wouldnât be clean either.\n
Bai Zhi still wanted to explain, but Fu Wan didnât want to listen anymore and ordered Bai Ting to call for two strong nannies.\n
Bai Zhiâs face immediately showed no traces of redness, and she crawled to Fu Wan on her knees, crying as she kowtowed, knowing she didnât have another chance, âMy lady, please do not sell me. Iâll speak the truth. I wasnât abiding by the rules and wanted to be with the eldest master of the Qi family. My lady, please spare me this one time because of the fact that I have been serving my lady since I was young. My ladyâŠâ\n
She was knocking her head hard, and her forehead quickly turned red.\n
Fu Wan said nothing, and only when Bai Ting and the others came in, was silent for a moment until she asked the two nannies to go outside. She stood up, her back towards Bai Zhi, and said, âYou have served me for so many years, and you have acted despite my reputation, but I donât have the heart to sell you. Since this is your first mistake, go back to pack your things. I will go tell Madam to free you. From now on, you will have no relationship with the Fu family.â\n
She left with a white face, wordless.\n
When Fu Rong heard Lan Xiang say that Fu Wan had driven Bai Zhi away, she was a little unsatisfied, but after a moment of careful thinking, her older sister was still alive, so it didnât matter if Bai Zhi was alive or not. Besides, her older sister had a soft heart, and Bai Zhi hadnât committed a grave mistake. They had been together for such a long time, and it was reasonable that her older sister was not that harsh.\n
Before dusk, Bai Zhi got on the passenger boat going south to her hometown, Huzhou, under the careful eye of a guard of the Fu family. As for whether she, as a woman who was alone, could return home safely, no one cared.\n
At night, when Fu Pinyan returned, Qiao Shi called him into the room, and whispered some words, âWan Wan hasnât been through many things, and only thought that Qi Ce has taken interest in Bai Zhi. But I think that with Bai Zhi, Qi Ce wouldnât take interest in her even if he wanted to.â\n
How could Fu Pinyan have not thought about this?\n
âOne may look calm and talented, but might unexpectedly be smart. Even if he was trying to approach Wanâer and resorted to such tricks, he is not a good match. In the future, when the Qi family sends more invitations, try your best to decline them. If you canât, just bring the two younger ones. Wanâer canât go.â\n
Qiao Shi was thinking the same.\n
Fu Wan sending a maid away did not cause any turmoil in Xindu City. At most, some girls were curious about what Bai Zhi had done, but they would just forget about it after a few days.\n
But for people who had the motive, the meaning was different.\n
Qi Ce was first to know, and after thinking about it, guessed that Bai Zhiâs private possession of a manâs herbal sachet was probably known, but he just didnât know if he was exposed.\n
He secretly analyzed Fu Chenâs reaction when he saw him.\n
Fu Chen treated him just like before, but Qi Ce was still worried. Could it be that what had happened in the back courtyard was deliberately hid from Fu Chen by Qiao Shi and Fu Wan?\n
After the Dragon Boat Festival, he hinted for his younger sister to invite the sisters of the Fu family to come over, but was rejected by Qiao Shi with the excuse of the heat.\n
Qi Ce frowned. Even if Bai Zhi said that the herbal sachet was his, the Fu family wouldnât know that he had purposely dropped it, so why would they avoid him?\n
In the mansion of Prince Su, someone else was also pondering at the window.\n
After reading the news that his subordinates had intercepted Bai Zhi and questioned her, Xu Jin still couldnât figure out why this time, the scene between Bai Zhi and Qi Ce was seen by Fu Rong. Why was this if she didnât see it in the previous life? If she did, then Fu Wan would not die in the previous life.\n
After he was reborn, all the big and small matters in the capital were the same as the ones in his memories. Only in Jizhou, the changes happened one after the other. If he hadnât created the pit for her before, she would have changed her appearance now, a girl without a forehead decoration.\n
âOrder the servants to keep watching.â\n
Xu Jin had originally planned that once Qi Ce proposed, he would have his subordinates âinviteâ Qi Ce to the best theatre in Xindu City, then have Fu Pinyan, who doted on his daughter, refuse the marriage proposal. Therefore, he would be helping his princess consort save her older sister. He had thought of driving Bai Zhi before, but since Qi Ce had betrayed Fu Wan, then they were not a good match, and it would be better to not marry. But now, Bai Zhi had been sent away earlier by Fu Wan, so he wanted to see if he didnât do anything, whether Qi Ce and Fu Wan would still be together. If they didnât, another difference between the two lives would appear.\n
âYour highness, what should we do about that maid?â\n
âDeath.â\n
Only if she died would his secret of investigating the Fu family not be discovered by others.\n