CHAPTER 100: CHAPTER 100: CHAOS (5)

The mother was furious about this and thoroughly disciplined the servants in the courtyard!

Thinking of this, she looked at Xiqiu with guilt, her eyes slightly reddened.

Although her eldest sister was her biological sibling, when her eldest sister got married, she was very young and had no memory. Among the several sisters in the mansion, only Sixth Sister was truly kind to her. Tong Xiyan’s eyes were full of gratitude. She realized the seriousness of the situation. The thought that someone not only knew about her and Young Master Jiang but also impersonated them to arrange a meeting was clearly a trap. Someone was holding the other end of the rope, ready to tighten it as soon as they entered, firmly restraining them inside!

Her back was drenched in cold sweat. When the wind blew, she couldn’t help but shiver. Terrified, she thought, if Sixth Sister hadn’t come and didn’t know about the side door key, they would have been trapped in the passage like a turtle in a jar.

She wanted to pour out her heart to Xiqiu, but Tong Xiyan choked up and couldn’t say a word.

"It’s okay!" Xiqiu stopped to look at her, smilingly said, "Didn’t you meet Young Master Jiang? Why are you crying again? Could it be that I interrupted you and made you angry with me?"

With a chuckle, Tong Xiyan burst into laughter, wiped her tears, and playfully scolded, "You still have the mood to joke." She paused and watched as Xiqiu took out a key from somewhere, opened a room, brought her inside, and closed the door again. Tong Xiyan surveyed the room. The furnishings were simple but very clean. She asked, "Where is this place? How do we get back? Madam Wang will surely send someone to search here. If they find us hiding here, who knows what kind of rumors will spread!"

And this was in Madam Xia’s courtyard. Tong Xiyan didn’t want to implicate Xiqiu and Madam Xia because of herself.

Xiqiu furrowed her brow, revealing a hesitant expression. After thinking for a moment, she pulled Tong Xiyan to a screen in the corner of the room, where Tong Xiyan was surprised to notice a small door on the wall. "There’s another door? Where does it lead?" she pointed and asked.

Xiqiu didn’t answer, pushed the door open, and led Tong Xiyan out.

After stepping out, they walked a few steps and were surrounded by a sea of green. Curious, she asked, "Sixth Sister, if I remember correctly, isn’t this father’s study courtyard? I still remember this holly tree; I planted it when I was little." Saying this, she looked up to find it. Sure enough, as she looked up, she saw the First Master’s study, with pure white Xuan paper pasted on the windows and shadows moving inside.

Xiqiu nodded, "Yes!" Back when the First Master favored the concubine, yet didn’t want to upset Lady, he had a small door made in an empty room in the rear wing. Not many people in the mansion knew about it. When the concubine told her, her face was sweet, saying, "Master often takes me to his study. We read and write under the lamp. Sometimes, the master personally makes tea for me..."

In the quiet of the night, with a red sleeve adding fragrance...

After being confined for a year, she realized that the First Master and the concubine had once been in love!

Xiqiu didn’t want to explain all this to Tong Xiyan. These were the concubine’s memories. If not forced today, she would never take this path.

In the courtyard, there was also the sound of a man’s laughter, with the First Master talking to a guest.

Servants were coming in and out.

Tong Xiyan nervously asked, "How do we get out?" Though they avoided Madam Wang in the outer courtyard, their problem remained unsolved!

Xiqiu shook her head. At this point, they could only rely on luck. They would wait for the First Master to send the guest away, then seize the chance to leave. However, if Xu Tianqing or Tong Shen Zhi appeared, it would be even better. With their help, returning would be much easier!

"Let’s wait here and see if we can wait for the big brother to come out!" They leaned against a lush holly tree, separated from the path by several more trees, making their position very hidden and unlikely to be noticed unless someone looked closely.

Tong Xiyan exhaled and leaned against the wall with a slight smile on her face. She looked at Xiqiu and said, "I’m very happy today... He told me a lot. It turns out he thinks of me every day, just like I think of him!"

Xiqiu smiled tightly, thinking, so this is what they call being in love!

She suddenly felt that compared to Tong Xiyan, she, who had received a modern education, was actually more timid and cowardly!

Tong Xiyan’s face was full of sweetness, her eyes fixed on the study door, as if Young Master Jiang might walk out at any moment, and she could see him once more!

However, someone did walk out of the study door. He was tall, wearing a sky-blue straight robe, gentle as jade with a smile, and instructed a servant nearby, "Go to the inner courtyard and tell Lady that Father is in a good mood today; perhaps he should rest here overnight before returning."

"Yes!" The servant responded, and Xiao Yanyi called him back, "See if Fourth Master has returned, and try to find Third Master Ren."

The servant looked troubled, "Second Young Master, Fourth Master went out to handle something and will return shortly. As for Third Master Ren, I think I saw him head west, and there are women guarding the entrances of the inner yard, so he’s probably still in the outer courtyard!"

Xiao Yanyi looked worried, his handsome face tinged with distress, "This Third Master Ren is so unpredictable, and since he was brought by the Fourth, we have to be cautious!"

The servant’s expression tightened, and he lowered his head, "I’ll go look for him right away!"

Xiao Yanyi nodded, standing alone under the veranda, a streak of golden sunlight filtering through the tiles to cover his jade-like face in a light golden glow, calm and serene...

Xiqiu couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows while watching. Before she could express her admiration, she suddenly thought, perhaps this gentle brother-in-law could help them!

At this moment, aside from Xiao Yanyi, there was no one else in the courtyard. Although there were guests present, the servants wouldn’t be away for long, and at any moment, other women might come in.

This is an opportunity not to be missed!

Xiqiu then tugged Tong Xiyan and said, "Sixth Sister, there’s no one in the courtyard now. Rush over and get Brother-in-law to come, and let him take us out." Being discovered by Xiao Yanyi was indeed better than falling into Madam Wang’s hands.

In the outer yard, Tong Xiyan was no longer afraid. As long as no one caught her with Young Master Jiang, sneaking into the outer yard would likely just result in a scolding from Lady, which didn’t matter in comparison. Tong Xiyan nodded without hesitation and dashed out.

"Brother-in-law!" Tong Xiyan rushed over, but she tripped over a branch because she ran too fast, tumbling directly in front of Xiao Yanyi.

Xiao Yanyi was startled, stretched out his hand to catch Tong Xiyan, and exclaimed, "Fourth Sister?" He immediately glanced around, realizing the consequences of Fourth Miss appearing in a courtyard full of men, and instantly pulled Tong Xiyan into the thicket across the path, slipping into the wing at the edge of the courtyard!

This all happened in an instant, and Xiqiu merely blinked twice before Xiao Yanyi had pulled Tong Xiyan away.