Chapter 75 Laziness often made her blush.

“Mirror Lake,” Zhang Jing repeated, “Mirror Lake in Lianzhou.”

"Otherwise what?" Jiang Geyun asked. "...You've lost your memory?"

Zhang Jing glanced at Jiang Geyun and shook his head, saying, "No."

She took a few steps back.

Jiang Geyun kept holding onto her and followed her for a few steps. Together, they left the edge of the cliff, a place that wasn't particularly dangerous for either of them.

After stopping, Jiang Geyun showed no intention of letting go.

Zhang Jing remained silent for a moment.

She glanced at Jiang Geyun holding her hand, then exchanged a look with him, and said expressionlessly, "Lord Jiang, it's a coincidence. This humble official is accompanying you down the mountain?"

Jiang Geyun asked, "So why were you at Mirror Lake?"

Clearly, Zhang Jing's attempt to change the subject failed.

Hearing Jiang Geyun's questioning, Zhang Jing showed no unusual reaction and remained calm. She said, "This humble official returned... to visit relatives in my hometown, but unexpectedly encountered you, sir."

"I see," Jiang Geyun nodded in agreement, then smiled and said, "Why didn't you come out to see me? What were you doing hiding to the side?"

Zhang Jing fell silent again.

Jiang Geyun asked, "Thinking?"

Zhang Jing said, "...No, no. It's because I didn't want to see my superior during my rest time. I originally wanted to wait until you left before I left, but I didn't expect this to happen. I'm afraid it wouldn't be appropriate to tell you this reason."

That reason is actually... quite reasonable.

Most people wouldn't want to run into unfamiliar classmates, colleagues, or superiors during their breaks. If they do encounter them outside of work or study, they'll secretly pray that their eyes don't meet, and even if they do, they'll try their best to pretend nothing happened. This reason is perfectly reasonable.

If Zhang Jingruo says he came up the mountain on business or received some assignment, Jiang Geyun could easily find a way to answer if she followed up with a few questions.

However, when the conversation turned to personal matters like returning home to visit relatives and the idea that she simply didn't want to see them, Jiang Geyun didn't press the matter further.

Jiang Geyun could only ask suspiciously, "Why did you keep mentioning Mirror Lake just now?"

Zhang Jing said, "It's nothing, I just thought that most of the mountains around Mirror Lake aren't this high, right, sir?"

Jiang Geyun was holding Zhang Jing's arm and pulling him down the mountain when she heard this, she paused.

Indeed, Lianzhou has mountains and rivers, but the overall terrain is flat with few high mountains. The establishment of Lianzhou Prefecture also took the terrain into consideration, taking control of the highest mountain in Lianzhou, where Bailong Temple is located, so as to have a commanding view and govern Lianzhou.

As for Mirror Lake, it probably doesn't have such high mountains.

The one we're looking at right now is rather strange.

Why didn't I think it was strange that it existed before?

So, what's so strange about it?

This time, it was Jiang Geyun's turn to remain silent.

She pulled Zhang Jing along for a while in the direction of going down the mountain before murmuring a reply, "That's how it is."

“My lord,” Zhang Jing suddenly asked, “if I have no choice but to conceal some things from you, will you blame me for it?”

Jiang Geyun asked, "What kind of things are you referring to? If you're just asking why you're going back to your hometown to visit relatives, you don't need to report to me."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Jing said, "More or less."

Jiang Geyun said, "No, I like you quite a bit."

Zhang Jing couldn't suppress his surprise and showed his first expression of the day.

Jiang Geyun continued, "—But our relationship hasn't reached that point yet. I don't have such high expectations of you, and I won't let you be so pure in front of me. I haven't given you my complete trust, and correspondingly, I won't ask you to do the same. Otherwise, wouldn't that be very unfair?"

“I see,” Zhang Jing nodded in agreement, then hesitated for a moment before adding, “If it’s someone the master trusts very much…”

Jiang Geyun casually picked up the conversation: "Of course, that's another matter."

"……I see."

Jiang Geyun asked curiously, "You're acting strange today. Is this how you are when you're not on duty?"

Zhang Jing replied blankly, "Yes."

Jiang Geyun hesitated and did not ask further questions.

If she continued, it would sound like she was prying into someone's privacy.

The two walked hand in hand and reached the foot of the mountain before it got completely dark. The residents of the town at the foot of the mountain had not yet rested, and many people were still walking outside.

Jiang Geyun was just looking for her sedan chair and preparing to return home when she happened to run into someone she had seen in the pavilion earlier that day.

The woman, dressed as a woman with a headscarf, was packing up her stall. Noticing Jiang Geyun in the distance, she stopped what she was doing and came up to her, saying, "Sir, you've just come down the mountain? Would you like a bowl of tea to soothe your throat?"

Jiang Geyun looked up at the banners fluttering in the air, but the words on them were not very clear, perhaps because it was getting dark.

She mentally assessed the location of the stall and realized why the woman looked unhappy when the middle-aged man said he wanted to close the road.

Jiang Geyun turned to look at Zhang Jing.

Zhang Jing's stamina was surprisingly good. Despite being pulled along by her all the way down the mountain, he showed no signs of fatigue, only a light sweat.

Upon noticing that Jiang Geyun was looking at him, Zhang Jing calmly met her gaze.

Jiang Geyun turned around and said, "Thank you, shopkeeper, but no need."

Zhang Jing didn't seem thirsty.

Zhang Jing opened his mouth, but did not speak.

The woman did not insist. The tea in her house was prepared for people going up and down the mountain, just to quench their thirst, and they could not taste anything. Since the adult in front of her was unwilling, she did not want to force him to serve it, lest she make things worse and displease him.

However, we are fortunate to have this wise and powerful lord today.

Thinking of this, the woman said gratefully, "Sir, there's no need for thanks. On the contrary, it is I who should thank you for taking action to get rid of the ghost."

Jiang Geyun didn't want to explain, and shook her head with a smile. Just as she was about to say that it wasn't necessary, the woman continued, "Many thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince, for which we have peace today!"

ah?

She was the one who solved this problem, so why did you indirectly thank the main villain?

Seeing this, Zhang Jing whispered, "His Highness the Crown Prince's achievements are outstanding. The people are very grateful to him. What you, sir, have solved is an immediate problem for them, but His Highness is solving a much longer-term issue. Besides, this is..."

As she was speaking, she suddenly stopped.

As Jiang Geyun grew suspicious, she continued as if nothing had happened, "It's the territory of the Great Zhou, not a foreign land, haha."

At the end, she gave a dry laugh.

Jiang Geyun reluctantly accepted this explanation and said nothing more.

She smiled and said goodbye to the shopkeeper, and couldn't help but sigh. These people of the Great Zhou all seemed to be followers of the great villain. No wonder Xie Jiming, despite his protagonist aura, couldn't stand up to him and ended up being sent to this place...

Jiang Geyun stood in front of her sedan chair and finally released Zhang Jing.

Zhang Jing straightened his wrinkled sleeves without showing any emotion, bowed, and said, "This humble official takes his leave."

As soon as Jiang Geyun let go, a faint sense of regret surfaced in her heart, but she couldn't figure out why she regretted it.

Lately, there have been more and more things she can't figure out. She no longer insists on figuring things out as she used to. She is often persuaded by her inner voice and can't bring herself to argue about them.

The same applies now.

She lowered her eyes, waved her hand, and got into the sedan chair.

...

By the time they returned to the Cheng residence, it was already completely dark.

Jiang Geyun had no intention of visiting the Cheng family elders to pay her respects morning and evening. She had never done so, and no one in the household had ever asked her to. The words of refusal she had prepared were ultimately useless, and she was happy to be at ease.

She went straight back to the courtyard where she lived with Cheng Xi, and unsurprisingly saw the lights on. She pushed open the door and went in. The room was brightly lit, with some snacks on the table. The young man in brocade robes looked serene and was reading something with his eyes down.

Hearing the door open, he showed no surprise, naturally closed the book in his hand, and said to her, "My wife is back. Let's fill our stomachs first."

It was no longer dinner time, so these things must have been prepared especially for her.

Jiang Geyun sat down beside him, glanced at the pastries shaped like plum blossoms and lotus flowers, and shook her head.

Cheng Xi said, "That's true. These foods are hard to digest. I'll have someone bring the porridge that's been stewing in the bowl."

Just as Jiang Geyun was about to stop him, Cheng Xi said again, "Judging from your expression, my lady, you must be very tired today. You need to put on some padding before you take a bath."

She stopped trying to stop him. Cheng Xi called over a servant, whispered a few instructions, and the servant obeyed, taking away the snacks from the table, bowing and leaving.

There were only two people left inside for the time being.

Jiang Geyun said, "Today was very tiring, but I encountered a strange thing."

Cheng Xi echoed gently, "I wonder what it is."

After marriage, the couple spent more and more time together. Even though Jiang Geyun sometimes went out and stayed out all day, she would always come back in the evening and tell her about the interesting things that happened. Her husband would always listen to her with a smile. Not only that, but he would also always remember to prepare tea and food for her, showing great patience and consideration.

Jiang Geyun said, "I've actually seen Clerk Zhang again. Does my lord still remember her?"

Cheng Xi did not answer.

Jiang Geyun said, "Ahem... does my husband still remember?"

She hasn't gotten used to changing how she addresses people yet.

When faced with such situations, the person in front of her usually won't say it explicitly, but will gently guide her to say what he wants her to say, whether in terms of address or in bed...

It often made her blush.

Cheng Xi said, "Of course I remember. My wife and I praised this clerk."

Jiang Geyun said, "I ran into her again today. She went back to her hometown to visit relatives, and I happened to be in that area. I hadn't seen her for a while, and I didn't expect to meet her again in this kind of situation."

"What a coincidence."

Jiang Geyun suddenly asked, "Will I be able to see her again?"

Cheng Xi said, "Of course, as long as my wife wants it."

Jiang Geyun laughed and said, "You always say things I like to hear. If I can't see you, I'll have to come back and have a good talk with you."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, presumably from a servant bringing in a small bowl.

Jiang Geyun raised her voice and said, "Come in."

The servants obeyed, opened the door, brought in the perfectly warm milk porridge, and quickly withdrew. Neither of them liked having someone constantly attending to them, and unless specifically instructed otherwise, the servants would leave promptly after completing their tasks.

Once only the two of them were left in the room, Jiang Geyun picked up the milk porridge and continued, "It's about time..."

It's time to solve Su Guang's case.

She is currently in Mirror Lake, and the various matters she has been handling these past few days have not been in vain. She is quite familiar with the local customs and conditions. Her original plan was to wait for the right opportunity—if any new "weaknesses" arise, she could use the new opportunity to bring up old grievances, which would be ideal.

Whether they had guessed Jiang Geyun's thoughts or not, the visiting card she sent to the county magistrate's residence seemed to have disappeared without a trace, and there has been no reply to this day, nor has any new information come from the county magistrate's residence.

Waiting indefinitely was not a good idea, so she decided to stop passively waiting for a reply to the invitation and go directly to the magistrate of Jinghu County to bring the man out for a confrontation.

Cheng Xi asked, "What is it that you wish to say, my lady?"

Jiang Geyun replied truthfully, "Yes, I mean, while we're still at Mirror Lake, we should go and solve Su Guang's case."

A breeze seemed to pass by, and the candlelight flickered for a moment.

She heard someone next to her laugh and ask, "...What?"

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Author's Note: I've been thinking about whether to update now or write something else and combine them...

I've decided to post it first! I'll try my best tomorrow, and if I don't succeed the day after, I definitely will!