Chapter 77 No matter what the Third Prince Su of the Fallen Sea is like, he can't compare to my family...

Zhang Jing stopped in front of the door, without making a move.

Jiang Geyun didn't move, just stood there smiling at her, adding a light, questioning tone: "Why isn't Lord Zhang following us? Is there anything more important than a brighter future? Or does Lord Zhang not trust me?"

Death or one of two choices.

Zhang Jing's indifferent expression remained unchanged. He slowly approached Jiang Geyun with small steps. When he reached Jiang Geyun, he suddenly grabbed her and pulled her away.

The inn where Zhang Jing stayed wasn't luxurious, and there weren't many people. You could say she originally liked the place because of its remoteness. Unexpectedly, this remoteness ensured that no one noticed she was taken away, and she didn't even encounter a single person who knew her to come to her rescue.

As for those lurking in the shadows...

Those people won't help her when she's in trouble...

Unlike her, those people operated in the shadows. She was able to survive because of her identity and usefulness, but they wouldn't have the same leeway if they were exposed.

Zhang Jing glanced at Jiang Geyun's retreating figure, sighed softly unnoticed by Jiang Geyun, and then asked with renewed interest, "I wonder what Lord Jiang plans to do today?"

Jiang Geyun didn't even turn her head, and casually said, "Going to the grave."

"Oh, so that's what it was...?"

...

Jiang Geyun has no relatives in Mirror Lake. If there is anyone whose grave she should visit, it is only Su Guang.

However, there are other ways for her to see Su Guang, without having to communicate through a distance that cannot be reached.

She originally planned to resolve the matter with the county magistrate before contacting Su Guang to share the good news, and also to prepare some measures to nurture the soul, acting accordingly...

Although Xuan Dujian would not easily agree to forcibly keep the deceased, she had never considered his opinion in this matter.

In short, the occasion for Jiang Geyun's reunion with Su Guang was definitely not like this. The death of the magistrate of Jinghu County had left her unable to sort out her feelings, so she was naturally not going to see Su Guang today.

...

Zhang Jing followed Jiang Geyun to a cemetery without saying a word.

The family that owned the cemetery was quite wealthy. To get to the cemetery, one had to pass through several checkpoints. Zhang Jing followed behind Jiang Geyun and had no trouble getting through.

Looking into the distance, nestled among the pines and cypresses, small groups of people had gathered somewhere in the cemetery. It was unclear what they had burned earlier, but sparse smoke drifted around, slightly choking. A green felt mat was laid out in front of the tomb.

Various white flowers were placed in front of the monument, along with exquisite food boxes filled with food and wine, all lined up in order. Several young people, under the supervision of their elders, were adding the last few handfuls of soil to the new cypress tree next to it.

The process of visiting the grave seems to have been almost completed.

Are they really here to pay respects at the grave?

Zhang Jing glanced at Jiang Geyun.

The cemetery owners saw the two and immediately came to greet them.

The middle-aged man at the head of the group was dressed in white mourning clothes, and his expression was more relaxed than worried or sad.

He saw Zhang Jing behind Jiang Geyun, paused for a few seconds as if he wanted to say something, but Zhang Jing shook his head at him. The man stopped and instead bowed to Jiang Geyun.

The exchange lasted less than a second. The two moved very discreetly, but Jiang Geyun still noticed.

She didn't ask anything, but gently helped the middle-aged man in front of her up and politely asked with a smile, "How are you? Is there anything else wrong?"

The middle-aged man visibly breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "Thank you, Lord Jiang. All the strange occurrences in the manor have now disappeared!"

Jiang Geyun said, "It's just my duty, no need for such formality. It's good that the matter is resolved. By the way, you haven't met Lord Zhang yet, have you?"

The middle-aged man's gaze shifted from Jiang Geyun to Zhang Jing, and then back again.

He bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Zhang."

Zhang Jing nodded slightly, and the two had now met.

“I met Lord Zhang in Lianzhou Prefecture, and he is very reliable,” Jiang Geyun added. “I met him again yesterday, so I asked him to come and help me.”

The middle-aged man's eyes widened in confusion for a moment before he asked, "Can Lord Zhang handle this matter as well?"

Zhang Jing said, "Although I am not the Night Watcher, I can still be at the beck and call of my superiors. What can't I handle when my superiors give me instructions?"

The middle-aged man nodded in agreement.

After a few words, the middle-aged man waved to the servant beside him and said, "The affairs of the manor were all resolved thanks to Lord Jiang. Please do not refuse this small gift, Lord Jiang!"

The servants, carrying boxes, stood in a line in front of Jiang Geyun.

Jiang Geyun shook her head and declined, saying, "That would make it seem like I came here today to give a gift. What should I do?"

The middle-aged man said anxiously, "How could that be? Even if Lord Jiang hadn't come today, I would have ordered someone to deliver these..."

"Cough cough."

Zhang Jing coughed for a while, his face expressionless.

All eyes immediately turned to her.

She met everyone's gaze, maintaining a blank expression, and said, "The smoke was too thick, I choked, I'm sorry."

Jiang Geyun remained noncommittal, withdrew her gaze, and said to the middle-aged man, "How about this, I don't want the gift, but could I have one of these remaining flowers?"

She pointed to the pile of white flowers to the side.

These flowers were the leftovers. Compared to those placed in front of the grave, each one seemed imperfect in its own way. They were temporarily set aside and piled up in a slightly messy manner. They would all be removed after the ceremony. As for what awaited them afterward, no one knew.

However, Jiang Geyun didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Their fate afterward was the same as the flowers in front of the grave, and as with all the flowers in the world: to bloom well and then wither.

"This..." The middle-aged man looked very conflicted. "It's not that I'm unwilling, but these flowers are a bit..."

Jiang Geyun said, "What I want is only valuable to me. I think that one flower is far more valuable than these gifts. Are you unwilling to part with it?"

This teasing remark made the middle-aged man repeatedly say "I dare not." Then, a waiter stepped forward, took the white camellia that Jiang Geyun had pointed to, placed it on a tray, and respectfully presented it with both hands.

Jiang Geyun accepted it.

Just then, the middle-aged man said with emotion, "It is thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince that the Great Zhou Dynasty enjoys peace and tranquility today. I must also express my gratitude to His Highness for resolving this matter."

This wasn't the first time Jiang Geyun had encountered this situation, so she didn't react much and simply replied calmly, "Yes, thank you."

Jiang Geyun suppressed the absurdity in her heart, watched as everyone present thanked those who were not there, asked the middle-aged man some questions, and after confirming that everything was alright, she left with Zhang Jing.

On the way out, Zhang Jing glanced at the white camellia in her hand and asked, "Does Your Excellency like camellias?"

Jiang Geyun twirled a flower branch and suddenly recalled some memories related to it.

She had seen it in the mountain villa, on an umbrella, and later in the bathhouse; it was quite a coincidence.

She then smiled and said, "I've been really enjoying the aroma of Wangyushan tea lately, so I'll take some."

Zhang Jing said, "It is a fortunate thing to have your wish fulfilled. Congratulations, sir."

This person is really good at talking. Jiang Geyun glanced at Zhang Jing and said with a light smile, "Indeed, the master of this house did not let the person being buried get what he wanted, which is why strange things happened in the mansion today."

Zhang Jing understood and replied, "I suppose it's something similar to yesterday? Your Excellency works so hard for the people, it must be very tiring."

“Not entirely similar,” Jiang Geyun said. “Yesterday was a misunderstanding; there were no ghosts there. Today, however, there are.”

A cold wind blew through the pines and cypresses, making the place feel gloomy even though it was a summer morning.

Zhang Jing paused for a moment, then said, "In any case, it's good that it's resolved. Thank you so much, sir."

Jiang Geyun said, "It would be good if it were resolved, but I don't know if it has been resolved. How would I know what that person likes? I just randomly ordered a few things and had them buried together. If it's fake... Lord Zhang, you must be careful when you go back, and don't get involved with anything unclean."

For a long time, Zhang Jing remained silent.

This was just a small act of revenge by Jiang Geyun.

Of the matters she has been dealing with over the past few days, some can be completed in a day, while others naturally require continued follow-up.

She didn't know what the deceased liked, which is why the burial took so long. Only after confirming that there were no abnormalities in the house and that no evil spirits would arise did she feel at ease and allow the family to complete the final procedures.

Zhang Jing seemed quite calm.

Jiang Geyun withdrew her gaze and began to consider what else she could do today.

...

Throughout the day, Jiang Geyun dragged Zhang Jing to places where strange things had indeed happened. By the end of the day, not only was Zhang Jing exhausted, but she herself was also quite tired.

As it was time to say goodbye, Jiang Geyun said something ambiguous, which Zhang Jing probably had something to think about.

After everything was settled and it was getting dark, Jiang Geyun returned to her residence.

She strode into the room, sat down in front of Cheng Xi, picked up the tea prepared on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.

Cheng Xi put down the folded document in his hand and said gently, "My lady, slow down."

Jiang Geyun remained silent, poured herself another glass, and was about to bring it to her lips when the person in front of her reached out and pressed down on her raised hand. It didn't seem like much force was used, but it steadily stopped her momentum.

He repeated, "Wife, slow down."

Jiang Geyun paused for a moment, nodded to him, and slowly drank the tea in her cup. After the initial bitterness, a sweet and refreshing taste emerged, which was the aroma of Fuguang Xueya tea.

She lowered her eyes, put down her teacup, then rested her chin on her hand and looked up at him.

She said, "My lord, I have encountered another troubling matter today. I don't know if I have told you about it before... What did you do today? What were you looking at?"

"It's just some trouble at the estate, nothing serious, I just need to take a look," Cheng Xi handed the memorial to Jiang Geyun and asked, "What has happened to you, my lady?"

Jiang Geyun shook her head at the memorial, "You can handle this, my lord. I went to deal with the matters of the Fang family elders today, and thankfully there were no problems. The Fang family thanked me for a long time and insisted on giving me gifts."

Cheng Xi took back the memorial and placed it aside, saying knowingly, "My lady does not wish to accept it."

Jiang Geyun said, "Yes, but that's not what's bothering me today. What's bothering me is His Highness the Crown Prince."

There seemed to be a moment of silence, or perhaps not.

"Is that so? Why?"

"Whether it's the Fang family or anyone else I've met before, I'll just thank you all, but I should at least thank His Highness the Crown Prince a little more."

Jiang Geyun shook her head. As she moved, a strand of hair from her temples touched her forehead. After running around all day, she was inevitably a little sweaty. She raised her hand to brush it away as she said, "It's always His Highness the Crown Prince. No matter what the Third Prince Su is like, he can't compare to my husband."

Cheng Xi smiled.

He took a soft handkerchief from his pocket, leaned over, and wiped her face.

Jiang Geyun knew that her words were rather disrespectful. As soon as they left her mouth, she stared intently at Cheng Xi. Seeing that he didn't seem to notice anything amiss, but instead smiled gently and focused on wiping her sweat as if he didn't care at all, her heart sank slightly.

But when she smelled the fragrance on the handkerchief, her heart, which had been at ease, was stirred again.

In the height of summer, cicadas chirp outside, while fruits and vegetables soak in ice water inside. This not only lowers the temperature and brings a perfect coolness to the air, but also fills the room with the refreshing aroma of fruits and vegetables.

Amidst the fragrance of melons and fruits, she caught a whiff of the familiar scent of Wangyu Mountain tea.

She never mentioned her preferences to her servants, only mentioning it briefly to Zhang Jing when she was handling a case.

Is it a coincidence?

The sound of cicadas chirping outside the window suddenly became extremely loud.

Do cicadas know their own lifespan? Or do they desperately try to leave their mark on those few days because they know that the days they can see the light of day are far too few?

The man in front of her put away his handkerchief, and looked at her with incredibly gentle eyes, still the image of her gentle husband.

Seeing her in a daze, he asked, "Wife?"

Jiang Geyun opened her mouth to answer, but a long-lost voice appeared in her mind at that moment: [Hey, can you hear me? The great system has appeared! Host, host, how's the mission going?]

Jiang Geyun suddenly clenched the clothes on her chest.

—Of all times, at a time like this?!

-----------------------

Author's note: I've finally gotten to this part! Yay!

We'll still try our best to have some tomorrow, and strive to maintain an even better drop rate the following day!