A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er had just finished her meal when Miss Ji and the three Miss Zhangs came over in an orderly manner.

Miss Ji said with a smile on her face: "Sister, you went out to worship for a whole day. You must be exhausted, right?"

Guier always felt that there was something else behind her words. Logically, the people in the small courtyard should not know what happened today.

But she noticed that the expressions of the three Miss Zhangs were not right. They looked worried, speculative, and even a little bit fearful.

Gui'er smiled and said, "Yes, I'm not used to those vegetarian meals, so I'm hungry. It's rare for you sisters to come visit me, so please take a seat. Dingxiang, bring some tea, and get some fruit and snacks for you sisters."

Miss Zhang Er smiled and said, "I'm glad that my sister is okay. We sisters have been worried about her all day." As she spoke, she looked Gui'er up and down, as if trying to find some clues.

Miss Zhang San and Miss Zhang Si smiled, but there was a hint of panic on their faces.

Gui'er thought that they must have heard some rumors and came to inquire about the news, so she smiled and talked to them about the scenery of Guanyin Temple, the gods enshrined there, and so on.

A few people sat there and chatted for about half an hour. Miss Ji smiled and said, "Sister, you've been busy all day and you must be tired. Let's go home."

The three Miss Zhangs seemed to be hesitant to speak, but finally stood up and said goodbye.

Sha Yanxiao didn't come back until Gui'er went to bed.

The next day, as soon as Gui'er went to school, Tong Yujun said to her, "Yesterday, the Marshal's Mansion went to Guanyin Temple to pay homage. What a grand ceremony! But I never expected the old abbot of Guanyin Temple would pass away on this day. Now people outside are saying that the old abbot is the reincarnation of Guanyin. Do you think it's true?"

Gui'er was very surprised. She couldn't figure out whether the abbot's death was related to what happened yesterday, but she was sure it was close. However, she didn't dare to say anything before she figured it out. Moreover, it seemed that the Eighth Concubine did not tell her what happened in her parents' home yesterday.

She just smiled and said, "Who knows?"

The more Gui'er thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. She took advantage of the break in get out of class to run to the teacher's office and told the teacher that she felt a little uncomfortable in her stomach and asked her family to take her to the doctor. She borrowed the office phone and actually called Song Xichen.

When Song Xichen heard Gui'er say that she had a stomachache, he hung up the phone and ran directly to the school gate to pick Gui'er up.

After leaving the school, Song Xichen asked with concern: "Guier, are you feeling better now? I'll take you to the hospital right away."

Gui'er said, "No, I lied to you. I heard from my classmates that the abbot of Guanyin Temple had died. Is that true? Was he involved in that incident?"

Song Xichen breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Gui'er helplessly and said, "Let's go to my office."

When they arrived at the office, Song Xichen poured a glass of milk for Gui'er and said, "Are you really not feeling unwell?"

Gui'er shook her head and said, "I find it very strange. When I returned home yesterday, Brother Yanxiao's fiancée and concubine all came to me, looking as if they were trying to gather information. Then today, my classmate said that the abbot of Guanyin Temple had died. Brother Xichen, you also participated in the investigation yesterday, so you should know something."

Song Xichen sat down next to her, crossed his legs, and said, "Yesterday, I suddenly received a call from the Young Marshal, saying that his family had been attacked and you had been kidnapped. He asked me for assistance, mainly to help find you. He could have directly asked my superiors to order me to assist, but he came directly to me. So, the people I brought with me yesterday were all my trusted confidants, whom you know."

Gui'er thought about it and realized that every policeman from yesterday looked familiar to her. They were the ones who usually worked with Song Xichen.

Song Xichen said, "I immediately took my men to investigate the scene after receiving the order. We used our usual methods to investigate, and soon my men found your necklace pendant. Sha Yanxiao confirmed that it was a gift from him. Later, while we were on the road, we found some necklaces, pearls, and pieces of clothing. We didn't know who the pearls belonged to, but Sha Yanxiao recognized the clothing fragments as fabric from one of your clothes. He followed us all the way to the courtyard where we found you yesterday."

"At the time, we couldn't be sure which house you were being held in, so we had to send people in plain clothes to knock on doors everywhere. We eventually locked onto a few of the most suspicious ones, and just as we were about to storm them, gunshots were heard from one of them. We immediately identified that house. Xiao Guier, you're amazing."

Gui Er said embarrassedly, "I was scared too. What happened to the abbot?"

Song Xichen thought for a moment and said, "When we arrived at the temple, we found the body of a maid on the steps. Her death was quite tragic, her throat slit. Another maid was also considered to be dying, probably from an overdose of drugs. But the abbot was still alive when I left the temple."

He touched Gui'er's head and said, "I think this incident is targeting the Marshal or the Marshal's Mansion. However, the people they found aren't particularly well-equipped. They only have a pistol. They look a bit like hooligans who gathered together on the spur of the moment. They may also be afraid of being tracked down by the Marshal's Mansion. This is why the Young Marshal asked me to keep it secret. Maybe Sha Yanxiao will investigate it himself next, and they should have a better clue."

At this point, Song Xichen walked up to Gui'er, half-knelt down, and said solemnly: "Guier, although the Marshal's Mansion is powerful and wealthy, it also has many enemies. You must be extra careful here. If anything goes wrong, you must come to me immediately, understand?"

Gui'er was very touched and nodded, saying, "I understand. Thank you, Brother Xichen."

Song Xichen patted her head and said, "Okay, I'll take you home."

Gui'er suddenly felt reluctant to leave. Since coming to this world, many things have completely overturned her cognition. In her original world, she often felt that life was dull and she had to increase her fun by traveling and other means.

Here, a peaceful life seems to have become a luxury. Originally, when I entered the Marshal's Mansion, I thought I had won the jackpot and could grow up carefree in the future. However, I found that I had to face life and death more often. Sometimes even Sha Yanxiao could not help himself. Only Song Xichen would always appear when I was in danger and consider every possibility for me.

But she also knew that if she returned to Song Xichen now, it would only cause him trouble.

Gui'er took a deep breath, smiled sweetly and said to Song Xichen, "Okay, let's go."

After school that day, Sha Yanxiao came to pick up Gui'er personally. After they got in the car, Sha Yanxiao asked Gui'er, "The school said you were not feeling well. Are you feeling better now?"

As soon as Gui'er heard this, she knew that she was exposed. It must be the school that called the Shuai Mansion to follow up on her situation, so Sha Yanxiao knew that she had left the school without permission.

At this moment, she had no choice but to tell the truth. Gui'er told Tong Yujun what she had heard about the abbot that morning, saying, "I wanted to ask you in person, but it's not convenient to talk about such things at school. Since Director Song was also involved in the operation yesterday, I found an excuse to ask him."

Sha Yanxiao frowned, his face changing from gloomy to bright. He said, "This matter has come to an end. You don't have to worry about it anymore."

Gui'er said, "How could I not care? I almost died like everyone else. No matter what, I have to know the whole story, otherwise I will encounter such a thing next time. And yesterday, Miss Ji and Miss Zhang came to the courtyard and kept asking for information."

Upon hearing this, Sha Yanxiao frowned and said, "They came over? Did they say anything? What did you tell them?"

Gui'er said, "I know I can't tell anyone about this, so I can only turn a blind eye and pretend nothing happened."