The Gusu Mistake - Chapter 7

That night, after dinner, Jiang Yilan sat alone in her room. A pot of wine sat on the low table next to her, its fragrant aroma a tempting invitation.

“Clatter!” A sudden noise came from outside. The corners of Jiang Yilan’s lips curved up slightly—she knew the person she was waiting for had finally arrived.

“Hoo!” Taking a light breath, Jiang Yilan picked up the wine pot and went to the door. She opened it to find Han Yi crouched there. She couldn’t help but chuckle, “What are you doing here, Second Uncle?”

“You’re calling me ‘Second Uncle’?” Han Yi clearly didn’t like the title. “You and my elder brother never even met!”

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that!” Jiang Yilan feigned a wronged expression. “I was brought here!”

“You… you…” Han Yi hesitated, then suddenly lunged to grab Jiang Yilan’s hand. But she was quick to dodge, leaving his hand empty.

“What are you doing, Second Uncle?”

“I like you!” Han Yi licked his lips, confessing his feelings. “I didn’t know you were so beautiful before. Now that I’ve seen you, I’m completely smitten. My brother is dead anyway, so why don’t you just be with me?”

“Be with you?” A flicker of disgust crossed Jiang Yilan’s eyes, but she remembered her task for the night and didn’t react. “Don’t you know I already have the title of your sister-in-law?”

“That’s all fake!” Han Yi argued. “My brother was already gone before Yan’er brought you back. You have no connection to him!”

Jiang Yilan suddenly looked intently at Han Yi. “How exactly did your brother die?”

“He…” Han Yi swallowed the words that were about to come out. “He was killed!”

Jiang Yilan pressed on, “By whom?”

“By…” Han Yi’s eyes darted away, a clear sign he knew something. “I don’t know!”

Jiang Yilan suddenly leaned closer to Han Yi. “Did you kill him?”

“No, it wasn’t me!” Han Yi hastily denied it. “How could I hurt him? He was my own flesh and blood!”

“Haha!” Jiang Yilan laughed. “Look how nervous you are. I was only joking with you.”

“Heh!” Han Yi forced a dry laugh in return. “So… will you say yes?”

“That’s a bit too fast!” Jiang Yilan pretended to be tempted, yet also troubled. “No matter how you look at it, your brother just passed away. Even if we were to… we should wait a little while.”

“I can wait!” Han Yi was overjoyed, thinking he had succeeded. He tried to grab Jiang Yilan’s hand again, but she handed him the wine pot instead. “This wine is good, want some?”

Han Yi stared at the wine pot in his hand for a moment before saying, “Okay… okay!”

Jiang Yilan, of course, wouldn’t let Han Yi into her room. She brought some wine cups and led him to sit on the porch, where they began to drink together. “I heard you were once certain that my Jiang family was the murderer of your brother?”

Han Yi’s hand, which was pouring wine, trembled and nearly spilled it. “I… I thought at the time…”

Jiang Yilan pressed him, “Thought what?”

“Ah, whatever!” Han Yi changed the subject with a laugh. “It was all a misunderstanding. If my brother’s death really had something to do with you and the Jiang family, why would you still agree to marry into the Han family?”

“Heh!” Jiang Yilan didn’t comment on Han Yi’s words. She held up her wine cup, clinking it against his. “Tomorrow, Yuan ruo and I are going to the Land of the Fallen Bodhi. Do you have anything to say?”

“The Land of the Fallen Bodhi?” Han Yi was silent for a moment. “I heard that place is full of dangerous swamps!”

“Danger is nothing to fear, there’s always a way!” Jiang Yilan downed her wine in one gulp. “I’m only afraid of being harmed by a malicious person on the road, someone who doesn’t want us to find the truth!”

“Actually…” Han Yi hesitated. “My brother is gone, and Father can’t spare the time to fully investigate. With just you and Yan’er, two women, perhaps it’s better not to go.”

“How can we find the murderer and avenge your brother if we don’t go?” Jiang Yilan suddenly stared directly at Han Yi. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want your brother’s death to come to light?”

“No, no!” Han Yi quickly explained. “I’m just worried about your safety. How about you wait until I’ve recovered from my injuries? I’ll go and investigate, and you two can stay here.”

Jiang Yilan shook her head. “Rumors are flying that Han Ming’s death is connected to me. I can’t possibly sit still.”

“It’s all my fault!” Han Yi suddenly became remorseful.

Jiang Yilan cocked her head to listen. “What’s your fault?”

“Ah? Oh!” Han Yi forced a smile. “My fault for not investigating properly and mistakenly believing that someone from the Jiang family was the killer.”

“Hehe!” A hint of playful mockery flashed in Jiang Yilan’s eyes. “So now that you think I and the Jiang family aren’t the culprits, who do you think it is?”

“I…” Han Yi was speechless. “I don’t know!”

“Never mind,” Jiang Yilan picked up the empty wine pot. “If you don’t know, you don’t know. The wine is gone anyway, and it’s getting late. Second Uncle should go back and rest.”

“Hey!” Han Yi wanted to say more, but Jiang Yilan had already entered her room and closed the door as quickly as the wind. If it weren’t for the wine pot as evidence, he might have wondered if she had been there at all.

“How was it?” Inside the room, Yuan ruo emerged from the shadows.

Jiang Yilan remained silent, listening to the sounds outside.

“Stop listening, he’s gone!” Yuan ruo came to sit on the edge of the bed. “What did you find out?”

“I think he might know something about your brother’s death,” Jiang Yilan said, tapping her finger on her face. “But he’s not the mastermind.”

“That’s what I suspected too!” Yuan ruo said thoughtfully. “I just don’t know how much he knows.”

Jiang Yilan suggested, “Why don’t you tell your father? Let him question him?”

“No, I can’t!” Yuan ruo shook her head. “If my father knows, my mother will definitely find out too. They’ve already lost one son, and if they learn that his death is connected to my second brother, I’m afraid it will kill them.”

“That’s…” Jiang Yilan sighed. “That’s true.”

“Let’s investigate from the outside first,” Yuan ruo said with a helpless air. “If he really knows something, or is working with the culprit, he won’t be able to resist revealing himself. And if we find out he’s not involved, it’ll save our sibling bond from being hurt.”

“Mmm,” Jiang Yilan also sat on the edge of the bed. “That’s for you to decide.”

“And you!” Yuan ruo suddenly looked at Jiang Yilan. “Are you sure you want to go with me?”

Jiang Yilan chuckled. “What? Are you afraid I’ll hold you back?”

“You know that’s not it!” Yuan ruo replied.

“It’s okay if it is!” Jiang Yilan put her fingers to her lips. She let out a whistle, and not long after, a three-foot-long venomous snake slithered in through the crack of the door.

“You…” Even the composed Yuan ruo was greatly startled. She reached for her sword, but Jiang Yilan stopped her. After another whistle, the snake slithered back out.

“Don’t be afraid,” Jiang Yilan smiled. “I don’t just use (gu-poisoning), I also have the ability to command creatures. I can definitely help you.”

Yuan ruo smiled back. “The Jiang family’s refusal to make you their head is truly their loss!”

Jiang Yilan gave a bitter smile. “What can I do? I’m a woman. It’s unfortunate!”

“Does it really matter if you’re a man or a woman?” Yuan ruo scoffed at the idea. “If someone is born useful, what does being a woman matter? If someone is born useless, what does being a man matter?”

“The world is filled with stubborn fools. Not everyone is as open-minded as you,” Jiang Yilan said, lying back on the bed. She turned her face to Yuan ruo. “So, what’s it going to be? Sleep here or leave?”

Yuan ruo hesitated for a moment. “Leave!”

Support The Gusu Mistake