Chapter 124: Jiu Ge

Su Wan immediately opened the door. Standing at the entrance was Mo Yuan, covered in dust from travel.

“Come in and talk.”

Su Wan entered the room first.

Mo Yuan didn’t come in; instead, he stepped aside.

Su Wan looked over and saw a small, frail girl standing timidly at the door. Her clothes were tattered, and she was covered in dirt, almost blending into the night due to the dim light.

Su Wan recognized her at a glance—it was the same girl she had saved on the road earlier.

“Who is this?” Su Wan looked at Mo Yuan with confusion. The little girl was wary of her and didn’t seem willing to go with her.

Seeing her suddenly appear here, Su Wan couldn’t help but be surprised.

Jiu Ge was very nervous, and her fingers were tightly clutching her sleeves. The speech she had rehearsed on the way was completely forgotten the moment she faced Su Wan.

She had cleverly threatened Mo Yuan to bring her to see Su Wan, only then agreeing to hand over the bracelet.

Mo Yuan, possibly because Su Wan had saved her before, hesitated for just a moment before bringing her to find Su Wan.

Jiu Ge feared that Mo Yuan might reveal how she had used the bracelet to threaten him, leading Su Wan to dislike her and refuse to tell her where her brother was.

“Mrs. Gu, she found the bracelet.” Mo Yuan noticed Jiu Ge nervously picking at her thumb with her index finger, her misty eyes shimmering with tears that seemed ready to fall at any moment. Then, in a low voice, he said, “She wants to hand it to you personally.”

Jiu Ge turned her head in surprise to look at Mo Yuan, finding it hard to believe that he would speak up for her.

From Jiu Ge’s reaction, Su Wan could tell that Mo Yuan wasn’t telling the truth.

“Come in, both of you.” Su Wan poured water for them and asked Jiu Ge, “The bracelet is with you? It’s very important to me. If you give it to me, I will reward you handsomely.”

Jiu Ge’s grip on the teacup tightened as she shook her head vigorously, and said anxiously, “I don’t want a reward. Big sister, can you tell me who gave you the bracelet?”

Su Wan’s brow twitched as she fixed a sharp gaze on Jiu Ge’s face. Despite traveling with Mo Yuan these past few days, Jiu Ge still hadn’t cleaned her face properly. It was smudged with soot, obscuring her features.

A strong premonition suddenly welled up within Su Wan. She asked calmly, “Do you know the owner of the bracelet?”

Jiu Ge bit her lip, feeling a sense of trust toward Su Wan, knowing that her brother had entrusted the bracelet to her.

She took out two identical bracelets from her sleeve and handed them to Su Wan. “I have a bracelet just like it. My brother and I each have one. Big sister, I got separated from my brother. The one you have belongs to my brother. Do you know where my brother is?”

Su Wan was stunned—it was as if someone had handed her a pillow just when she needed it.

Jiu Yu had just given her the bracelet, and she had been worrying about how to find his sister.

She never expected that the person she had casually saved on the road would turn out to be Jiu Yu’s sister, who had now come to find her in person.

“I know,” Su Wan said, and took the bracelet. The beads were made of precious gemstones, intricately carved, and had a unique design that didn’t match the aesthetic of people from the Great Zhou Kingdom—it was full of exotic flair.

The two bracelets were identical. One was engraved with ‘Jiu Yu,’ the other with ‘Jiu Ge,’ confirming that they were a pair: “Your name is Jiu Ge? Jiu Yu is in the capital at Taoist Temple. What do you plan to do?”

“I want to find my brother.” Jiu Ge’s clear, pure eyes welled up with tears of joy. “I thought my brother was gone, but to know he’s still alive—it’s wonderful.”

She suddenly knelt on the ground and bowed to Su Wan. “Big sister, thank you for helping me find my brother.”

“Please, get up.” Su Wan helped her to her feet. “I’ll be returning to the capital at the end of August. You can stay here and recover first, and we can go back to the capital together. It’s not very safe for you to travel alone; the journey is long.”

Su Wan pointed to her face. “In your current condition, Jiu Yu would be heartbroken to see you like this.”

Jiu Ge was eager to see her brother, but she knew Su Wan was right. After waiting ten years, she could wait one more month.

Seeing her agree, Su Wan placed the bracelet on Jiu Ge’s wrist. “Are you hungry?”

“Brother Mo bought me some food,” Jiu Ge said, giving Mo Yuan a fawning smile.

Mo Yuan glanced at her expressionlessly before turning to Su Wan and said, “Mrs. Gu, the matter has been settled. I’ll take my leave.”

Jiu Ge softly called after Mo Yuan’s retreating figure, “Brother Mo, thank you.”

She bent over in a deep bow, sincerely apologizing, “I’m sorry.”

Mo Yuan waved his hand dismissively and left without looking back.

“I’ll find you some clothes first. You can take a bath and get some sleep, and we’ll talk about everything else tomorrow,” Su Wan said as she took out a set of unworn clothes and a towel for Jiu Ge. She went to the kitchen, fetched a bucket of hot water, and led her to the bathhouse. “If you need anything, just call for me.”

Jiu Ge nodded obediently. “Thank you, big sister.”

Su Wan closed the bathhouse door for Jiu Ge and headed to the kitchen to cook her a bowl of noodles, only to see Gu Huaizhi standing at the doorway of the study room.

“Not studying tonight?” Su Wan glanced back at the bathhouse and softly said, “Jiu Yu’s sister has arrived. I’ve decided to keep her here, and after you pass the provincial exam, we’ll take her with us to the capital.”

Gu Huaizhi responded with a faint “Hmm.”

Su Wan carefully observed Gu Huaizhi’s expression. The night was dim, making it hard to discern his mood, but she oddly sensed that he was displeased.

“Do you remember the incident when Qinglan entered the palace to file a complaint? At that time, the Emperor was unwell. When I checked his pulse, I discovered he was poisoned.”

Su Wan hesitated for a moment before deciding to quietly share the concern that had been weighing on her mind with Gu Huaizhi, to make sure he understood that her relationship with Jiu Yu was innocent. “After you took me to make a wish, I was wandering around the temple and caught a whiff of the same medicinal scent I had smelled on the Emperor. Out of curiosity, I followed the scent to an apothecary, and just then, Jiu Yu came out of the room. I suspect he might be involved.”

Su Wan couldn’t possibly tell Gu Huaizhi that the reason she was so interested in Jiu Yu’s affairs was that Jiu Yu was a formidable opponent she hoped to draw into their own ranks.

She feared that if Gu Huaizhi heard that, he might think she was out of her mind.

Gu Huaizhi was not surprised; he knew that Jiu Yu was under the command of the Regent.

He lifted his gaze to look at Su Wan. The cool moonlight bathed her, and her clear eyes glimmered with a soft, watery light. In a low voice, he said, “I understand.”

Su Wan smiled brightly, with her eyes curving into crescents. “You should get some rest. The provincial exam is in just over ten days; you need to make me proud.”

Gu Huaizhi chuckled softly. “I’ll do my best.”

“Not just your best—give it your all!” Su Wan playfully rolled her eyes at him before heading into the kitchen to cook the noodles.

Knowing that Jiu Ge’s health wasn’t great and that noodles are a warming food, which could easily cause internal heat if eaten in excess, Su Wan deliberately washed a large radish. Since radish is cooling, cooking it with the noodles would help balance the dish.

Two quarters of an hour later, Su Wan placed a steaming bowl of noodles on the table in the main hall.

Jiu Ge had just finished bathing and came out with a clean face. Her delicate features bore a striking resemblance to Jiu Yu’s, with three or four parts similarity. Her features were more pronounced, giving her an exotic look.