Chapter 152: The Appointment

Su Baizhi felt extremely unsettled. Wringing her hands, she paced back and forth across the room, the hair ornaments on her head swaying with her tense movements. Biting her lip and clenching her fists, she gave the order, "Send more people to search. I want to see them alive... or their corpses if they are dead."

Su Baizhi certainly did not hope for the latter outcome, but the current situation left her with no other choice. She could only pray that those men had merely lost the trail.

An hour later, Su Baizhi listened to the maid's report with a face drained of all color, and trembling, she asked, "Are they really all dead?"

"Imperial Concubine, the bodies have been found in the grove. All of them died from a single slash." At the thought of that gruesome scene, the maid turned somewhat pale, terrified to her core.

Su Baizhi muttered softly under her breath, "Did she kill them? Was it Su Liluo who did this?" Though she whispered the words to herself, in her heart she was already certain that Su Liluo was the one responsible. How could someone as ruthless as Su Liluo ever let her off easily?

"Jinling, she is going to come and kill me. I cannot sit here and wait for death. I must strike first while she is still weak," Su Baizhi declared, her eyes flashing with a cold chill. She saw her current reality with absolute clarity: either Su Liluo died, or she did.

"My lady, but..." Jinling looked at her as she grew increasingly ruthless day by day, no longer bearing the gentle demeanor of a sheltered young maiden from her boudoir, and asked in a daze.

"Say no more. If I wait any longer, she will never spare my life," Su Baizhi said in a cold voice, a flicker of viciousness passing through her eyes. She was reluctant to do this, but she had to do whatever it took to save her own skin.

The room fell abruptly silent. After a moment, Su Baizhi sighed softly, "Jinling, have someone bury them properly. Also, give their families a sum of silver. I do not wish to hear anyone speak of this matter ever again." Annoyance laced Su Baizhi's eyes; those trusted aides she had cultivated with such great difficulty had all perished at Su Liluo's hands.

"This maid understands, My Lady. I will ensure it is handled properly. I shall take my leave now." Clutching the silver Su Baizhi handed her, Jinling immediately stepped out of the room.

After resting briefly with her maids, Su Liluo suddenly remembered her scheduled meeting with Jiang Nan and tapped her forehead with a cry of surprise, "Oh dear, I completely forgot about him! Qingyi, Qingyao, let us return to the estate first."

"My lady, perhaps this maid should send a message to Boss Jiang," Qingyi said, evidently recalling the purpose of their outing. Seeing Su Liluo's anxiety upon mentioning Jiang Nan, she wanted to share her burden.

"Very well, go quickly and pass a message to Boss Jiang, telling him that I invite him to meet me tomorrow at the Prince of Anyin's Manor." Sitting quietly, Su Liluo weighed her options. Now that she had stepped into Yun Yanyan's apothecary, those men in black most likely knew of it, which was why they hadn't pursued her inside. Even so, there was no guarantee they weren't tailing her; if Jiang Nan were discovered by them, his life would be in grave peril.

The calm and resolute glint in Su Liluo's eyes steadied Qingyi's heart. "My lady, this maid understands. I will not bungle your affairs." Qingyi had changed into a new set of clothes that Su Liluo had commissioned someone to purchase from a garment shop; her previous outfit had several tears and it would have been unseemly to walk out in it. With a cold expression, she strode out the door.

"All right, go and return quickly. Once you've delivered the message, head straight back to the Prime Minister's Estate. Qingyao and I will return immediately." After sending Qingyi off, Su Liluo had Qingyao change into a fresh outfit as well. Having sustained only minor injuries that were already properly bandaged, she stepped outside, turned back to flash Qingyao a reassuring smile, and urged, "Hurry along now, and don't lag behind Qingyi on the way back to the estate."

Qingyao immediately hurried to catch up. Slipping out through the back door of the apothecary, the two scanned their surroundings with bated breath, and seeing no suspicious figures, they rushed off swiftly toward the familiar manor.

Only upon returning to the Prime Minister's Estate did Su Liluo finally feel her heart settle. When Qingyi returned, she was at last able to lie down peacefully on her bed to rest for a moment. "Liuzhu, wake me in half an hour."

"Understood, My Lady. Rest in peace, this maid will certainly not miss the time."

Liuzhu and Liuying gently pulled the door shut. Seeing Su Liluo and her companions return to the estate looking pale had filled the two maids with deep worry, but since none of them spoke of what had happened, they could only suppress their burning curiosity.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Liuzhu gently lifted a corner of the bed curtain to let a sliver of light into the room. Seeing that Su Liluo was still asleep with her brow slightly furrowed, she felt a twinge of reluctance, but remembering her mistress's instructions, she called out softly, "My lady, My lady, it is time for you to rise."

Though she was still half-asleep after sleeping for only half an hour, Su Liluo had experienced numerous dreams, leaving her limbs feeling terribly weak. Struggling to open her eyes, she looked at Liuzhu, sighed, and said, "Help me up, and bring a damp towel to wipe my face."

Liuying brought over a basin containing a white hand towel. "My lady, please refresh yourself." Liuzhu wrung the excess water from the towel and handed it to Su Liluo. By the time everything was tidied up, the time it took for a stick of incense to burn had already passed.

Dressed in a somewhat worn crescent-white long dress with her hair loosely coiled into a bun, she sat before the writing desk, holding a wolf-hair brush and writing something upon a piece of red scented paper.

A quarter of an hour later, Su Liluo blew gently on the paper to dry the ink and handed it to Liuying. "Have someone deliver this to the Princess of Anping."

Liuying took it and turned to leave, but was suddenly called back by Su Liluo. "Wait. Tell the Princess that if she hears Jiang Nan requesting an audience tomorrow, she is to let him in."

"This maid understands." Liuying hurried out the door, while Su Liluo took her maids and headed toward Old Madame Su's courtyard.

Outside the courtyard, they ran into Mammy Hua. Su Liluo greeted her affectionately, "Is Grandmother inside?"

"Ah, the eldest miss is here. The Old Madame is indeed in. Does the eldest miss have some business?" Mammy Hua smiled at Su Liluo, who shook her head in response. "It is nothing too serious, I merely wished to ask Grandmother for her guidance on a matter."

Hearing this, Mammy Hua's eyes flashed, but she still ushered her inside. "Please come in, Eldest Miss. This old servant will go and announce your arrival."

Before long, Mammy Hua emerged. Upon entering, Su Liluo bowed and saluted Old Madame Su, "Liluo greets Grandmother."

"Rise. Is there an urgent matter that brings you here at this hour?" Reclining against a daybed with a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, Old Madame Su wore a dark headband that made her complexion appear somewhat paler, and her stern expression caused Su Liluo's heart to tighten.

"Grandmother, Liluo has come today to ask for your permission regarding a matter. Tomorrow, I wish to visit the Prince of Anyin's Manor to see the Princess of Anping." Lowering her head, Su Liluo stated the purpose of her visit.

Old Madame Su frowned upon hearing this. Looking at the composed Su Liluo standing before her, she knew the girl might well become the future Princess Jin; if she were to frequently associate with the Heir of Anyin, unseemly rumors spreading later would be most disadvantageous. A flash of resolute determination crossed her eyes as she shook her head and said, "Liluo, you have only just returned from the summer villa. You should rest and recuperate at home for a couple of days. It will not be too late to invite the Princess of Anping over to play at a later date."

Keeping her gaze fixed coldly on the floor, Su Liluo knew this was a veiled refusal and realized she would have to think of another way. Lowering her eyelids so Old Madame Su could not read her thoughts, she replied, "Grandmother, your granddaughter understands."

Seeing that she was being obedient, Old Madame Su granted her a shred of face and smiled. "Is this the only matter? Or is there something else?"

"There is nothing else. It is Liluo's fault for troubling Grandmother's mind." Su Liluo had originally hoped to secure Old Madame Su's approval to leave the estate openly, but seeing how things stood, she would have to devise another plan—she absolutely could not remain trapped in the Prime Minister's Estate tomorrow.

"Very well, then you may return first." Seeing that the girl was in low spirits, and knowing that rejecting her request had caused her to lose a bit of face, Old Madame Su merely waved her hand, no longer wishing to look at her listless demeanor.

With her head bowed, Su Liluo walked out of Old Madame Su's courtyard. Looking at the beautiful scenery outside, a trace of gloom flashed across her eyes. Noticing her displeasure, Liuzhu immediately tried to console her, "My lady, why don't we go to the Madame's quarters and see if she might agree?"

"How could she ever wish to see me do well? She would rather spend every waking moment going against me," Su Liluo replied with a bitter shake of her head.

Choked by this response, Liuzhu could only sigh and comfort her, "Then does my lady still intend to leave the estate? Perhaps you could speak with the Princess and reschedule for another day?"