Chapter 34

Chapter 34: No Calm Before the Next Storm

Gu Nan Xi straightened, her tone turning heavy. “This will be hard. The Imperial Academy’s process doesn’t show a single flaw.”

The Su family uncle dropped onto the ground and started wailing like a child, rolling in place. “I don’t care! You caused this mess—you have to fix it!”

“Get up first.” Gu Nan Xi kept her voice steady. “This isn’t something one doctor can decide. It may involve the director.”

The moment “director” left her mouth, the uncle’s wailing died like a candle snuffed out. He sat there with a face full of misery, as if he’d fallen into a vat of bitter brine.

Gu Nan Xi sighed inwardly.

She had finally shoved the household chaos onto the children, and yet trouble still refused to leave her alone. The tree longed for rest, but the wind wouldn’t stop.

Fine. Nine times out of ten, this had something to do with her. She would settle it—without dragging innocent people into it.

“Go home first,” she said. “I’ll think of a way.”

The uncle had come to Marquis Manor in desperation, treating a dead horse like a living one. Now that he’d gotten Gu Nan Xi’s promise, he latched onto it like a lifeline, scrambled up, and left.

Su Xuan Ming lingered, brow furrowed. “It’s just a small matter. How did it blow up this big? Does Headmaster Wu really have that much power? Enough to make the director cooperate?”

It wasn’t done without a trace. Anyone with political instincts could tell the Su family’s main-branch child had been caught in the crossfire.

But for the director to do this—what did he gain?

To outsiders, it looked petty, unworthy of a scholar’s backbone.

“Because someone wants to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys,” Gu Nan Xi said.

She lifted her gaze. A flock of geese flew south in a neat V across the pale sky.

“We’re the chicken.”

Su Xuan Ming opened his mouth, clearly about to ask what exactly she meant—when a servant came running, face drained of color.

“Eldest Son! Eldest Son! Bad news—Jing Niang is gone!”

Su Xuan Ming bolted as if someone had stabbed him.

“We should follow,” Gu Nan Xi said at once, already moving.

Su Yun Yan was thinking the same thing. She barked orders as she ran. “Search by the well and the lake! See if there’s any trace of Jing Niang!”

Cold sweat beaded along Su Yun Yan’s forehead. She muttered under her breath, “Jing Niang is a troublemaker, but her crime doesn’t deserve death. Shu Yao once told me missing concubine maids are usually found by the lake or in wells. Mother… do you think…”

Gu Nan Xi’s heart climbed higher with every step. Jing Niang was only fifteen or sixteen. If she truly died because of this, Gu Nan Xi’s conscience would never rest.

“Don’t panic,” Gu Nan Xi said, forcing calm. “We’ll look first.”

They rushed into the courtyard—and found Su Xuan Ming clutching a letter, crying so hard it sounded like his lungs would tear.

Gu Nan Xi’s heart jumped into her throat. Her voice came out hoarse. “Eldest Son—what happened to Jing Niang?”

Su Xuan Ming’s eyes swam with tears. He threw his arms around Gu Nan Xi’s waist and wailed, “Mother, she… she…”

Gu Nan Xi’s vision dimmed.

Then he sobbed out, “She wants to break up with me! She said she’s going to wander the world, and told me not to look for her!”

Gu Nan Xi’s legs went weak. If Su Yun Yan hadn’t grabbed her, she would have crumpled on the spot.

“Eldest Son,” Gu Nan Xi rasped, “don’t leave people hanging like that. As long as Jing Niang is alive and safe, that’s a good thing. Marquis Manor is already shaky enough. Why drag an innocent young miss into it?”

In the original story, Su Xuan Ming’s love rival wanted Marquis Manor dead.

Su Yun Ting’s crooked master had stirred up disaster big enough to wipe out Marquis Manor’s whole clan.

And Su Yun Yan had offended Noble Consort Tong to the bone—another thread that would strangle them all.

Three buffs stacked together. Marquis Manor was doomed.

Whether Jing Niang was good or bad, there was no need to pull her down with them.

Su Xuan Ming sobbed with snot and tears, voice tragic enough to split stone. “Mother, I know. But I’m heartbroken. I can’t control it.”

“Then cry,” Gu Nan Xi said with dead-eyed patience. “Just don’t wipe your snot on Mother’s skirt. This new skirt was expensive.”

“Oh.”

Su Xuan Ming fumbled a white silk cloth from his collar, blew his nose, and then hugged Gu Nan Xi again and kept crying like his heart had been torn out.

The sun drifted from overhead toward the west, slow and indifferent. A beautiful wash of crimson light stained the sky. Below it, thin mist blurred the ground into something bleak and distant—just like everyone’s mood.

“Mother,” Su Yun Yan asked softly, feeding Gu Nan Xi a bite of pastry, “Brother has been crying all afternoon. Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m not tired,” Gu Nan Xi said without hope. “But my legs are numb.”

Su Xuan Ming immediately let go, eyes swollen and red, and dragged over a small round stool. “Mother, please sit.”

Gu Nan Xi lowered herself down shakily, thinking, Finally. He’s done.

The next moment, Su Xuan Ming wrapped his arms around her legs instead.

Su Yun Yan stared in heartfelt admiration. “They say daughters are made of water and men are made of mud. I say Brother is made of water. Even daughters don’t have this many tears.”

“Brother!” Li Ming De burst in, panting. The sight made him freeze. “There are plenty of flowers in the world. Why cling to one branch? Tell me what kind you want—I’ll find her for you!”

Su Yun Yan leaned in and whispered, “Third Brother, why are you here?”

Li Ming De covered his mouth with his hand and lowered his voice. “Yun Ting sent someone to tell us. The brothers are searching all over the capital for Jing Niang’s trail. A living person can’t vanish without a trace. I’m worried about Brother, so I came to check.”

Su Xuan Ming’s voice was hoarse and mournful. “Thank you for caring, Third Brother. But though I’ve met countless people, none are as good as her.”

Su Yun Ting—slumped against the doorway with his arms crossed—rolled his eyes. “You’ve only ever met one woman, Jing Niang. Stop bragging.”

“Yun Ting,” Su Xuan Ming whimpered, “Brother is sad…”

Su Yun Ting’s mouth twitched. He looked away, defeated. “Cry, then. I won’t say anything.”

Not long after, Jiang Guang Hai tiptoed in and whispered to Su Yun Ting, “Brother’s still crying?”

Su Yun Ting yawned so hard his jaw cracked. “Yep. He hasn’t gotten quieter once.”

Jiang Guang Hai clicked his tongue in awe. “If he cried like this back when he got beaten, we definitely wouldn’t have dared to gang up on him again.”

Li Ming De’s expression sharpened. “How is it?”

Jiang Guang Hai lowered his voice. “We found out Jing Niang left Marquis Manor through the back gate and got into a carriage. On the way, she switched two or three times and headed toward the outskirts of the capital. Yi Xuan and the others are tracking it. I came back first to update you.”

Li Ming De finally let out a breath. “As long as she’s still in the capital. Best to settle this tonight—or I’m afraid Brother will cry for a whole day and night.”

Another stretch of time crawled by. The sun sank fully behind the mountains, and the moon rose in a slow, pale climb.

Then excited voices came rushing in from the main gate, carrying all the way to the small courtyard.

“Brother! Brother! We found Jing Niang’s trail!”

“Brother, do you want to go find Jing Niang right now?”

Su Xuan Ming whipped his head around, disbelieving. “Yi Xuan—are you serious? You really found Jing Niang?!”