Chapter 242

Chapter 242: Are You Happy Watching Us Argue?

Red Luan followed the instructions.

The bronze coin spun with a clatter, then soon stopped on the table.

Yu Zhi Yi glanced at it and smiled: “Don’t worry, the person will be in place soon.”

Red Luan brightened: “Really?”

Yu Zhi Yi nodded: “Yes, but only after I come back.”

According to the divination, the fated physician was in the southwest.

By chance, Tian’an Commandery was also in the southwest.

The hexagram was cast from Red Luan’s own wish, so if Red Luan went along, it would be even easier to find the person.

But Red Luan had many orders waiting. None of that could be delayed.

Yu Zhi Yi explained all this to Red Luan, then asked for something she wore close to her.

Red Luan gave her favorite hairpin.

With the hairpin as a guide, she should be able to find the physician soon.

Yu Zhi Yi put in a few more days of work and finally finished every case file that needed handling during her one-month leave.

By the Emperor’s wish, she could have taken the files with her to handle on the road. Staff had been assigned to her, and besides freedom to act, she had also been given an extra power of oversight.

That meant, if she wanted, she could call on officials in any commandery she passed to help with her tasks.

But Yu Zhi Yi disliked dragging out debts of work. Case files were serious business. Even though she trusted her own ability, she would not leave the Capital carrying such sensitive materials.

Also, a full month of rest without distractions sounded great. [Why make a vacation hard on purpose by hauling trouble around?]

She was already going to meet her birth family and did not know what problems might come up. If she added case files on top, that would just be more trouble.

Right as Yu Zhi Yi finished everything, the constable who had gone earlier to find the wife of that abusive husband came back.

Just as Yu Zhi Yi expected, by the time the constable arrived, the wife had already died.

She had been on the run for nearly thirty years. She left with black hair and lived until she was bending with age. Because of inner torment, she had never felt joy in all those years.

The abuser was dead, yet he still weighed on her heart like a mountain, never giving her a moment of peace.

The constable said the woman was only fifty now, but she looked like a seventy- or eighty-year-old granny. Clearly, her years had not been kind.

Li Rou sighed: “People say that when you marry a man, you’ll have food and clothes. But if you marry someone like that, you may not even survive, much less eat and stay warm.”

She thought of her mother.

Her mother was beaten by her father all the time.

Yu Zhi Yi pressed her lips together and said calmly: “No matter if you are a man or a woman, you need a way to stand on your own. If you are strong enough inside and have your own footing, then even when the world throws storms at you, you can still live well.”

Ever since she started following Yu Zhi Yi, Li Rou had been influenced by new ideas every day.

For a while she had a vague thought in her heart, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not catch it.

Now it felt like a breeze had blown away the fog. For the first time, she clearly knew what she was waking up to.

Yes, a woman also needs her own footing.

Wasn’t the miss like that?

She had started in a dark place, yet with her own hands she tore through the night. Not only did she step back into the light, she brought the people around her into the sunshine too.

Then Li Rou felt lost again. [But the miss can divine and can do exorcism. What about me? What can I do?]

Seeing Li Rou’s confused eyes, Yu Zhi Yi said mildly: “Don’t rush. Think slowly. Having a footing doesn’t always mean you must master great skills or do earthshaking deeds.”

“It means your heart can be at peace and you have the courage to face hardship.”

Li Rou half understood and nodded.

Although the Prefect’s Manor was ready, Yu Zhi Yi still preferred the house she got from the young lord. It had ready-made scenery. Spring blossoms had not yet arrived, but with a little effort, she could still make petals fall in showers.

She renamed the house with something simple: Peach Garden.

The day before yesterday, she moved into Peach Garden.

From the Ministry of Justice to Peach Garden, walking took about an hour. If the streets were clear, a carriage took a bit more than a quarter hour.

Yu Zhi Yi liked walking more.

It was a kind of cultivation.

Walking also trained the body and was perfect for someone ordinary like Li Rou.

If they walked like this every day, even if Li Rou did not live to ninety-nine, she would still be healthy and full of energy.

Suddenly, Yu Zhi Yi stopped.

Not far ahead, a man and a woman were arguing.

The man said, sounding helpless: “What happened last time was truly an accident. I have nothing to do with Miss Zhang. We only went the same way and ended up traveling together.”

The woman snapped back: “The same way? Do you believe yourself? Even if you took the same road, you’re a man. Isn’t it easy for you to walk faster and pass her?”

The man answered, tired: “When I ran into her, she was almost home. We only spoke a few words before she reached her gate.”

The woman gave a cold laugh: “Aren’t noble ladies the most serious about their reputation? She’s an unmarried young lady. She walked with you, a man outside her family, all the way. Who would believe she doesn’t like you?”

“Bing Yue, watch your words,” the man warned.

The arguing pair were You Bing Yue and Du Zi Heng.

The reason for the fight was very clear.

Yu Zhi Yi had no interest in their business and meant to walk past, but You Bing Yue’s eyes were sharp. She saw Yu Zhi Yi and flushed with shame and anger: “Yu Zhi Yi, are you happy seeing us argue?”

Yu Zhi Yi paused: “?”

She acted like she had not heard and kept walking.

The more she ignored her, the angrier You Bing Yue became: “Why pretend to be so calm and pure? Inside you’re laughing like a weed flower. But do you know why we’re quarrelling? Do you think his heart is with you?”

Yu Zhi Yi hesitated: “…”

She had not wanted to respond, but this woman seemed to have something wrong in her head. If Yu Zhi Yi stayed silent, who knew what nonsense she would spew next.

She turned, a faint smile on her lips, and answered in a way that proved You Bing Yue’s accusation: “Yes, I am happy.”

You Bing Yue’s eyes went round with shock.

She had only been spitting angry words, sure that Yu Zhi Yi valued her pride. Even if Yu Zhi Yi was laughing inside, she would never admit it.

Who knew Yu Zhi Yi would admit it. She admitted it!

You Bing Yue choked, then ground out: “So you really have always…” unable to forget him.

Yu Zhi Yi pointed at Du Zi Heng and spoke evenly: “He managed to marry me while still tangled up with you. Then after marrying me, he stayed tangled with you. Now he is tangled with yet another woman. Is that so hard to understand?”

“When someone is already unfaithful in love, how could you expect him to be true to you alone?”