Miss Truth
Chapter 332 - 208: Unable to Restrain Feelings (2)

Chapter 332: Chapter 208: Unable to Restrain Feelings (2)

Xiao Song had known from the beginning that Ran Yan was not someone who changed her mind easily, so when she suggested she should take her leave, he merely watched her quietly for a moment before saying, "I’ll walk you out; it’s a good opportunity to leave the city through Yanxing Gate."

"Aren’t you going to have lunch?" Ran Yan asked.

Xiao Song smiled and said, "I usually eat at the Government Office."

Ran Yan gave him a probing look, nodded slightly, but she felt somewhat defeated inside. She had come to express her gratitude, but it seemed she was only causing more trouble. Moreover, the modest "gift" she had prepared had not yet been given.

She was usually decisive in her actions, but she wondered why she was hesitating so much in this matter; perhaps because it was the first time she was giving a gift to a man? After thinking it over, Ran Yan gritted her teeth, pulled out the handkerchief, and abruptly stretched her hand out toward Xiao Song.

Xiao Song was about to stand up when he was startled by Ran Yan’s sudden movement.

Wan Lu stood behind, sweating at her temples—was this how one presented a gift?

"This is for you," Ran Yan said, feeling somewhat flustered inside, yet she forced herself to look up at Xiao Song, pretending to be calm.

Xiao Song looked amused and pleased as he reached out and took it.

Unfastening the light purple silk ribbon, a corner of white folded cloth peeked out. As it unfolded in the palm of his hand, a square handkerchief, neatly folded into a square, revealed an embroidered purple orchid on one corner as if it could exude a delicate fragrance.

Ran Yan watched as he joyfully tucked both the silk and the handkerchief into his breast pocket, and she uncomfortably cleared her throat twice, saying, "I didn’t embroider it specifically for you."

Wan Lu, hearing this, sweated even more. It was already a rather humble gift, and this comment made it seem even less valuable. However... Wan Lu sneaked a glance at Xiao Song, and seeing that he still wore a smile, she felt somewhat relieved.

"I usually like to use white folded cloth, but Shu Niang was born in turbulent times and never learned needlework; I’ve never used such a beautiful handkerchief before," Xiao Song chuckled.

He then stood up and instructed someone to bring the carriage to the Inner Gate, and he walked there with Ran Yan.

The outside snowstorm had intensified. Xiao Song had been searching for a corpse these past two days, but the fierce snowstorm had covered the suburbs in thick snow, leaving him in a gloomy mood. However, today he felt invigorated as if even skipping lunch to search for bones in the snowstorm seemed worthwhile.

The carriage stopped inside the Inner Gate, and with the assistance of Wan Lu, Ran Yan got into the carriage first. Leaning out, she said, "Xiao Langjun, it’s snowy and windy outside. Why don’t you come inside, too?"

Xiao Song did not hurry to mount the carriage, as he was waiting for this invitation; he didn’t bother with formalities and quickly climbed inside.

The stove inside the carriage was still burning and it was as warm as spring. The snowflakes on Xiao Song’s body quickly melted into droplets. His frame was rather imposing; upon entering the carriage, he brought in a gust of wind and rain, significantly reducing the temperature inside.

Wan Lu and Ge Lan tactfully threw on their cloaks and sat down beside the coachman.

"Is the corpse related to the case you are handling?" Before Ran Yan spoke, Xiao Song occasionally glanced at her with a smile, so she uneasily initiated the conversation.

"Yes, in mid-February, there was an ambush in the suburbs. A low-ranking Maid was killed and one person was critically injured, while four others and some valuables went missing. On the surface, it seems like a robbery, but the truth is far more complicated," Xiao Song, seeing her interest, smiled and continued, "The injured person is called Chai Xuanyi."

Ran Yan felt a slight stir in her heart and quietly asked, "Could it be Duke Chai Shao of the Chai Family?"

Xiao Song nodded, "This Chai Xuanyi is a cousin of Duke Chai Shao, married to the Princess of Wenxi."

Seeing that Ran Yan was puzzled, Xiao Song leaned closer and whispered, "Princess Li Wanshu of Wenxi is the only surviving daughter of the former Crown Prince Li Jiancheng. After the Crown Prince’s death, she was raised in the palace with the status of a commoner. In the first year of Zhenguan, the Crown Prince was posthumously granted the title of Duke of Xi, and Li Wanshu was only titled a princess at seventeen and was then ordered to marry a minor seventh-rank Assistant, Liu Yingdao. Barely two years later, Liu Yingdao died from illness, and Li Wanshu remarried Chai Xuanyi..."

The two were so close that Xiao Song could clearly smell the faint scent of peilan on Ran Yan, mixed with a slight medicinal aroma and her warm body scent, which easily stirred his heartstrings.

Ran Family listened as he spoke and eventually fell silent, then she lifted her head and asked, "Isn’t Chai Xuanyi a nephew of Chai Shao? Would the Emperor allow..."

Their faces were almost touching, with barely an inch between their noses; their breaths were audible. Subconsciously, Ran Yan moved back slightly, leaning her whole back against the carriage wall.