After being reborn with Sister Zha, I was stunned!

Mu Beiyan left the key to her before he left. She always carried it with her but had never entered the study.

No one had cleaned the study for more than twenty days. There was a thin layer of dust on the floor and the tables and chairs, and the air in the room was very stuffy.

The study is an important place. On weekdays, only a few servants can come in to clean it. Other people are not allowed to approach the study.

After Shen Qingyin told Fan'er to open the window, he did not call other servants over, but went to wipe the dust on the desk himself.

She wiped the desk carefully and began to organize the books on it.

Mu Beiyan has many kinds of books, including military strategies, astronomy and geography, and even travel notes, calligraphy and paintings.

While tidying up, Shen Qingyin couldn't help but open some books that interested him. He sorted very slowly and before he knew it he had been there from the afternoon until almost dusk.

"Madam, it's getting late. You should go and have dinner with the lady-in-waiting." Fan'er reminded her.

Shen Qingyin had to reluctantly put down the travel journal in his hand: "Okay, then come back tomorrow."

Just as she was trying to put a pile of sorted books into the bookcase behind her, she unexpectedly discovered an exquisite rectangular wooden box placed among the rows of books in the bookcase.

Judging from the shape, it should be a painting.

Shen Qing became curious. There were many paintings in the study, but there was only this one exquisite wooden box. Could it be that it contained some authentic work of a great artist?

She took the box to the desk, opened it, and sure enough, there was a painting inside.

Shen Qingyin carefully unfolded the painting and was suddenly shocked.

This is not an authentic work of a famous artist, but a portrait. The person in the portrait is none other than Shen Qingyin.

"Wow, it turns out that this is the portrait of the general's wife!" Fan'er was happy for her master.

The general truly loves his wife!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have treasured the lady's portrait so much?

However, her expression soon became incredible again. "It's really strange. This portrait is indeed of you, Madam, but this is obviously you two years ago. Look at this apricot cotton coat you are wearing. It was stained with many stains after you wore it two years ago. You haven't worn it since then."

Fan'er's eyes flashed with surprise. She looked up at Shen Qingyin and said, "But the general never saw you two years ago. Why did he draw this picture?"

Shen Qingyin's thoughts had already drifted away.

Fan'er was right. She recognized it the moment she opened the painting.

Although the painting is of her, it was her from the year before last. To be more precise, it was her in the winter of the year before last.

In the winter two years ago, the weather in Yuhu County was very strange, with alternating hot and cold weather. Many people were infected with the epidemic, and people died every day.

The government temporarily gathered the infected people in a Taoist temple in the west of the city. Originally, people were sent to take care of their lives and provide medical treatment. However, there were too many infected people and they could not take care of them all. Many of the infected people starved to death or froze to death before dying of the disease.

The Taoist temple was not too far from the Shen family. At that time, Shen Qingyin often went out every now and then to help take care of the patients and also brought them some food, drinks and herbs.

The apricot-colored cotton coat in the painting was originally made that year, but later it was stained with many stains while taking care of patients. The stains could not be washed off and the coat was never worn again.

The person who could have drawn this picture was obviously someone who had seen her during that period.

"Madam, look, there is something in this box." Fan'er took out a piece of silk cloth from it, and there seemed to be something wrapped in the silk cloth.

Shen Qingyin took it and opened it. Inside was a heart-shaped purse with two little red fish embroidered on it.

She was startled and opened her purse to check, and found a few silver coins inside.

He poured out the silver coins and counted them, totaling one tael, two qian and three hundred wen.

Yes, it was her purse, it was hers! Even the amount of money in it was exactly the same.

The scene from two years ago immediately appeared in her mind.

That day, she secretly took Fan'er out through the side door and bought some food to send to the patients in the Taoist temple.

However, just as she was passing an intersection near the Taoist temple, a horse-drawn carriage suddenly rushed past and was about to hit her.

At the critical moment, a figure appeared like lightning, and strong arms quickly pulled her aside, and she was saved.

Then, she thanked her benefactor and unexpectedly found that the outer robe he was wearing was torn by the carriage when he saved her. She offered to buy him a new one, but he said, "No need."

She didn't care, she just threw her purse to him, told him to buy one, and then led Fan'er into the Taoist temple...

Thinking about it now, the person who saved her that day must have been Mu Beiyan.

Because every time she went to the Taoist temple, she covered her face with a cloth.

Only that day, when he embraced her, the cloth covering her face fell off, revealing her true face...

But that day, Mu Beiyan was wearing a hood, only his eyes were exposed, and she did not see his face...

Shen Qingyin couldn't help but clench the purse in her hand.

It turns out that their fate had already begun...

Shen Qingyin and Fan'er put away the purse and portrait, put them back to their original places, and went to have dinner with the lady.

That night, Shen Qingyin thought a lot.

The next morning, she went to the lady's yard again.

"What, you want to go to Western Xinjiang to find Yan'er?" Madam Mu was shocked after hearing Shen Qingyin's words.

"Yes, I hope grandma will agree. I will disguise myself and go quietly—" She had made up her mind.

Mu Beiyan told her to wait obediently in the mansion.

But how could she wait?

Calculating the time, in a dozen days, something bad will happen to him...

No matter what he said before that he would definitely remember what she said, she couldn't feel at ease.

She would wait in the mansion, but would be unable to sleep all night long, and would be haunted by nightmares once she fell asleep.

"Yin Yin, Grandma knows you are worried about Yan'er, but if you go, I'm afraid he will be even more distracted. Besides, the journey is long and full of difficulties and obstacles. How can Grandma be worried?"

The lady shook her head, deciding that it was unwise to do so.

Shen Qingyin also knew that what the lady said made sense.

But the lady only knew one side of the story and not the other, and she didn’t know that Mu Beiyan was about to encounter a disaster.

But she had to tell the lady.

If she goes, she can only go quietly.

The lady must cover for her in the mansion to prevent the spies from other mansions outside from noticing.

"Grandma, I've had a lot of bad dreams recently. Grandpa is worried. If I don't go, I won't be able to sleep peacefully... I hope you can understand... If you don't agree, I will--"

Shen Qingyin's voice was soft, but his tone was firm.

She didn't say the rest, but Mrs. Mu understood it.

Obviously, if you are not allowed to go, you have to go secretly...

I'm determined to go!

She had never seen Shen Qingyin being so stubborn before.