The base color of the purse was Su Yujin’s favorite.

However, he had never heard that Su Yujin was particularly skilled with needlework. He had heard that even many of her intimate apparel was crafted by Ai Cao, so he guessed her craftsmanship wasn’t up to par. The mandarin duck pattern embroidered on this purse was exquisitely crafted, surpassing even the work of ordinary embroiderers, so it definitely wasn’t Su Yujin’s work.

Since the dress was made by Linglong Pavilion, he imagined the purse was also from Linglong Pavilion.

Perhaps Linglong Pavilion gave a purse as a gift because they made so many clothes?

Generally speaking, when giving a purse, the design was crucial. To avoid causing trouble, a more conventional pattern is usually chosen, often featuring common flowers, plants, and birds.

It was fair to say that most people wouldn’t offer a mandarin duck purse unless the customer specifically requested it.

But now, Su Yujin had a mandarin duck purse…

Did she specifically request it from Linglong Pavilion?

He Yanxiu thought for a long time, and finally asked Ai Cao tentatively, “Is this purse often worn by your Miss?”

Ai Cao was a little nervous when she heard He Yanxiu asking about the purse.

After all, it was a mandarin duck purse, and the girl was He Yanxiu’s concubine. If she often wore it out, it would seem ostentatious, so the girl only put it next to her pillow.

And this purse was given by Madam Qu. If it were investigated, wouldn’t it be said that Madam Qu, the wife of a prefect, could not distinguish between the superior and the inferior, and deliberately flattered his concubine?

“Miss didn’t say she wanted to wear it; she just asked me to put it next to her pillow.” After thinking about it, Ai Cao answered truthfully according to Su Yujin’s instructions to reassure He Yanxiu, and did not mention Madam Qu’s matter.

So, because she knew she couldn’t wear a mandarin duck purse, she specially asked for one to put next to her pillow and look at it every night when she went to bed?

Su Yujin had helped him make clothes at Linglong Pavilion…

Could it be that after all this time together, Su Yujin, who had initially avoided him, actually developed feelings for him, but, aware of her status as a concubine, secretly hoped for a harmonious marriage, yet dared not voice it?

He had brought Su Yujin back in the first place simply to clear his name, intending to release her later.

In the days that followed, he realized that Su Yujin didn’t seem to be overly affectionate towards him, her focus was solely on making money, and his heart grew more secure.

So, when he was with Su Yujin, he treated her as just one of his own, without much formality.

But now Su Yujin had other thoughts…

He Yanxiu suddenly felt his thoughts were like a tangled mess of weeds growing wildly in spring, impossible to cut or sort out.

After he heard about the purse, He Yanxiu said nothing, and his expression was uncertain. Ai Cao became more nervous and stammered, “Second… Second Master?”

He Yanxiu came back to his senses, “Since it is your Miss who made the clothes for me, there is no need for your Miss to deliver them.”

“Xing’an, take it back first, so I can try it to see if it fits.”

Otherwise, after dinner, if Su Yujin really delivered the clothes and said something unexpected, he really wouldn’t know what to do.

After all, it was clothes for He Yanxiu, so it didn’t matter whether he took them away or her Miss delivered them.

Ai Cao thought so and hurriedly wrapped the clothes and handed them to Xing’an.

Xing’an took the clothes and followed He Yanxiu back to the house.

“Second Master, this material feels delicate and soft. Although it’s not as good as the fabrics at home, it’s still pretty good.” Xing’an spread out the clothes, examined them carefully, and asked He Yanxiu, “Second Master, would you like to try them on now?”

He Yanxiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

He didn’t bring many clothes this time, so he decided to try them on.

He Yanxiu took off his coat and put on the one in Xing’an’s hand.

Xing’an pushed over a copper dressing mirror, about the height of a person, polished to a bright finish, so that He Yanxiu could take a look at it.

The material was good, the workmanship was exquisite, and overall, it was good.

He Yanxiu looked it over and thought it was pretty good, so he took it off and prepared to try on another one.

Xing’an hurriedly took the coat that He Yanxiu had taken off.

As soon as he got it in his hands, he exclaimed, “Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“It seems to have embroidered patterns on it.” Xing’an picked it up and looked at it carefully. “It doesn’t seem to be patterns, but embroidered words.”

Embroidered words?

He Yanxiu took it and looked at it. Sure enough, there were two lines of words embroidered on the inside of the back waist of the coat.

The coat was double-layered, and the thickness was suitable for wearing in spring. The words were embroidered on the inside of the inner layer and could not be seen from the outside. The words were embroidered with silk thread of the same color as the fabric, so if you didn’t look closely, it would be difficult to detect.

He Yanxiu got closer to see what the words were.

Zidong, my husband: Love between two people is long-lasting, not just in the morning and evening.

Xing’an, standing by, also took in the moment and gasped.

There was a story here.

Who is this Zidong?

The last two sentences didn’t seem like the kind of words you’d typically use to describe a relationship between a man and a woman; they sounded more like sweet, affectionate words.

Speaking of which, this dress was made by Miss Su at Linglong Pavilion. Could it be for Miss Su’s lover?¹

But that doesn’t make sense. Wasn’t this dress given to Second Master by Miss Su? And isn’t Second Master Miss Su’s lover? Why has Zidong popped up again…

Could this Zidong be Miss Su’s lover?

But Miss Su has always been a well-behaved woman, not someone who’s fickle. And ever since Second Master heard that Miss Su was nearly kidnapped late at night, he had sent two female guards to secretly follow her. Neither of them has ever said anything about Miss Su having an ambiguous relationship with anyone else.

In that case, Linglong Pavilion must have sent the wrong dress.

But that didn’t make sense. Miss Su ordered the material herself, so she wouldn’t have missed it. The dress fitted the Second Master well, so the size was obviously correct. It was not the wrong clothing that was sent.

Speaking of which, the embroidery of the two lines of words was much worse than the embroidery of the other patterns on the dress. It didn’t look like the craftsmanship of an embroiderer from Linglong Pavilion, and it was probably not that the embroiderer embroidered the wrong pattern…

What on earth was going on?

Xing’an thought his head was about to explode.

He Yanxiu stared at the two lines of words for a long time, and his originally furrowed brows suddenly relaxed. “Just now, Ai Cao said that this dress was from Linglong Pavilion?”

“Yes.” Xing’an nodded.

“I remember that Magistrate Qu has been very troubled by a case these past two days.” He Yanxiu put down the clothes in his hand.

“It seems to be a case involving the discovery of an unidentified male corpse in a well,” Xing’an replied. “The body had been submerged in the well for a long time and had been assaulted in the face before death, making it impossible to identify. The government spent a long time investigating, but still couldn’t find the true identity. Finally, they discovered the six toes on the body’s left foot and were able to identify it among the missing persons reported in nearby Jiangnian County. It seems the man is a scholar named Wei Youshan.”

(End of chapter)

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Footnote

1. Both master and servant have the most vivid imagination. They can make up 1000 word story from just two lines!!!