White piece

basement.

It was dark all around. I rubbed the wall based on my memory and finally found a tinder that could light the fire.

The heated wood ignited flickering flames, and the long tunnel wound into darkness. Everyone's faces were blurred in the flickering firelight.

The basement here has not been ventilated all year round and is rarely used. The road leading down is quite old, and the old stone steps are mottled with black stains.

Several spies were escorted by secret guards to the cell door. A thick layer of dust accumulated on the long iron door. Xinfeng lowered his head, found the key and opened the door.

The door had not moved for a long time, and when it was shaken, the dust on it flew up and covered Xinfeng's face with dust, choking him and making him cough for a while.

The spies showed no obvious emotional fluctuations due to the changes in the surrounding scene. Matsukuni selected one of them who was still conscious, and the rest were thrown into various cells by the secret guards for temporary custody.

Xinfeng had little experience in interrogation. Seeing that there was no one needed him at the moment, he turned around and left the interrogation room to Songchui.

Xi Zhen, who was standing outside the interrogation room without going in, was staring at one of the spies with his arms folded. His profile was sunken in the shadows, and his beautiful features added an indescribable weirdness.

Noticing his gaze directed towards the cell, Xinfeng curiously moved forward and followed his gaze.

The people placed in a row of cells all looked very ordinary, and the person Xizhen was looking at was no different from everyone else.

Xinfeng looked around the spy several times, but couldn't figure out what was going on, so he turned around and asked in confusion.

“Is there anyone here who is different from the others?”

The sharp fragrance could pierce the throat and nose like a knife. Xizhen turned his head, and a few strands of his long dark hair tucked behind his ears fell down. The smile on his face was not very clear in the leisurely candlelight.

"What aspect do you want to ask?"

His pronunciation is as beautiful as orchid.

"If you go by appearance, there's no difference."

"But if we go by identity..."

Xizhen narrowed her eyes, a beautiful smile on her lips, and a hint of gloom in her eyes.

"That's definitely different."

—

Yunxiu, who had been stationed in Cang County and handed over the task to Xuan Gui, returned to the mansion from the capital with a letter from Mo Qing.

As night fell, he reported in a low voice.

"The Donglan ambush troops have changed their movements, and the Second Prince's whereabouts are unknown recently."

"Some time ago, I received some rumors about the Second Prince in Cang County, but at the same time, here is a letter from the Second Prince to the master."

"And a message has been sent from a team sent to block the route of Donglan."

Yunxiu spoke of the information without taking a breath, paused for a moment, glanced secretly at the content, and continued calmly:

"The guards along the key routes were all replaced by spies. The few remaining survivors were taken to the basement closest to the border for interrogation."

In the translucent bottle, a few unswallowed pills were stuck together with saliva. The paper with the effects of the pills written on it was placed on the table in the study together with the bottle.

Xiao Yingzhu glanced at the pills in the bottle and turned her gaze to the paper, her eyes drooping and then paused.

What Matsukuni wrote was as little as what he could say.

Purple Water

There is no such thing in Huan Dynasty that can turn a person into a pool of blood, and this kind of rare and strange medicinal effect only appears in Donglan.

After Yunxiu finished explaining the information, he glanced at the small bottle on the table and thought of several things he had seen in Cang County.

Seeing that Xiao Yingzhu had no intention of interrupting him, Yunxiu continued speaking.

"I've seen pills like this before when I was on a mission."

“The effects are roughly the same, but the root causes may be different.”

"What I saw was the incense pill that the new courtesan of Cang County will give to those who catch their eye."

"Anyone who obtains this fragrant pill can use it to eliminate their enemies."

"After taking it, they all developed similar appearances. When they were about to die, flowers bloomed beneath their skin. When they died, they smiled, and blood splattered beneath their bodies like petals."

"By candlelight or sunlight, the dried bloodstains can mimic the beauty of flowers in full bloom."

"I've heard there are many evil cults in Donglan, and people of unknown origin often appear in Cang County. I wonder if this courtesan has any connections with people outside the border..."

"Do you need me to arrange an investigation?"

Cicadas are chirping in the trees, a bright moon is shining between the branches, and the windowsill is cool and clear.

Xiao Yingzhu had buried the hook in Cangjun for a long time, waiting for the line to move and hook it.

The timing Yunxiu mentioned was perfect, like a sign that a fish was about to bite the hook.

At this time, what is most needed is patience.

The five secret guards have access to different intelligence, so naturally they don't know the full picture of the military situation, so there is nothing wrong with asking this question.

Xiao Yingzhu held the paper with the effects of the pills written on it over the candle flame and burned it. The bottle that had been moved aside returned to Yunxiu's hands.

A few strands of black hair fell down as its owner lazily supported his head. Xiao Yingzhu was indifferent and dismissed Yunxiu's proposal lightly.

"No need."

"Xuan Gui handed over the Pingzhou affairs to you. Are you familiar with Jiang Nian's experience?"

As the topic turned to Pingzhou, Yunxiu met Xiao Yingzhu's cold and indifferent eyes, and immediately reacted and responded.

"I understand."

The perfume recipe written by Xizhen fell neatly on the paper, and the aromatherapy that he had instructed his subordinates to prepare had already taken shape. It took only half a day for the semi-finished product to be delivered to the study before the light fragrance of mountain spring, green bamboo, orchid and lotus filled the air in a refreshing way.

The misty white liquid is contained in a small bottle, and the bottle cap is made of white jade porcelain. It combines ancient charm and softness, and it feels like holding jade in your hands.

Xiao Yingzhu shifted her gaze from the bottle of semi-finished product, as if to ask Yunxiu to confirm something.

"She has a thing for fragrant flowers?"

Yunxiu almost didn't hear the word "love" from Xiao Yingzhu's mouth. He paused for a moment before replying.

"No, but Mr. Li likes fragrance, so Miss Jiang prepared some."

She had cut off all contact with Master Li, but there were still things related to Master Li stored in her carriage.

Did you not mind, or didn't you notice at all?

Based on what Xiao Yingzhu had learned about Jiang Nian's preferences and personality during her daily conversations with her, she didn't think that she would still keep any connection with someone she had broken off relationships with.

Rather than keeping any ties, she prefers to cut off all ties completely, which is her simple and decisive style.

Jiang Nian did give away everything related to Master Li to people in need.

When she went to the carriage before, she did not show any disgust towards the sachet given by Mr. Li in the carriage, just as she treated it as an ordinary thing.

Would the same person change their previous likes and dislikes in just a few days due to a long sleep? Moreover, this sachet was related to Master Li.

It's more like forgetting than changing.

Xiao Yingzhu's guess was confirmed to some extent. He looked at the bottle of semi-finished product on the table with interest, tapped the table, and asked Yunxiu to leave.

—

When Guizhi returned to Jiang Mansion from Yuejiang Pavilion during the day, she did not notice the change in her itinerary and was still concentrating on revising the packaging design of the health products.

The recipe waiting to be modified was placed in the drawer and had not been touched. Jiang Nian opened the drawer and took a look, then glanced at the courtyard outside the window of the wing room.

The trees beside the pond are lush and green, and the water is as peaceful as usual.

On the way back, Jiang Nianyin was overwhelmed by the news he had heard at Yuejiang Pavilion and the bun shop. Now that he was in a place where he could think quietly, the memory of riding in a carriage with Xiao Yingzhu the night before suddenly flashed through his mind.

Judging from Xiao Yingzhu's reaction at that time, Zhou Jinyu was related to the things behind him.

And could Zhou Jinyu be related to the Yuejiang Pavilion spy who had previously tested him?

Could the sudden increase in the number of people in Pingzhou be related to him?

The miscellaneous thoughts in my mind are like an invisible web, interwoven into a web that is tangible yet detached. They are densely connected and overlapped, then intertwined and disappear without a reason. Some ideas about the outline of things slip away along the edge and can never be grasped.

The easiest thing to break through right now is ore.

Jiang Nian calmed down, put all the distracting thoughts behind him, and calmed down to sort out the prescription again.

The time spent thinking was the easiest to pass. By the time she was completely satisfied, half of the bright moon had appeared outside.

In order to prevent other people from lurking and spying on her like they did last time in Yuejiang Pavilion, she should be more cautious when traveling in the near future.

Recalling that it was Xiao Yingzhu who took the initiative to find her the previous times, this time it was she who took the initiative to find Xiao Yingzhu. She had not left any contact information in the past, so how to contact him now was a problem.

Previously, during the Profit Sharing Festival, he placed two secret guards at the pharmacy. But when he learned the night before that someone was spying on the insect repellent recipe, would he arrange for the two to stay at the Jiang Mansion?

There was no one else around the room at this time. Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment, thinking that he might as well call out to see if anyone was there, so he called out.

Following this soft call, a figure suddenly appeared in black in front of her eyes, just like a ghost. A secret guard responded to her voice and appeared in the room.

“…”

Suddenly, a great metamorphosis took place in the room. Although Jiang Nian had some mental predictions, she had only seen it in novels. Now that it was actually happening in front of her, her heart suddenly shrank. She took a small step back in shock, raised her hand to her lips, and held her breath slightly.

The young man with a clean and handsome face stood quietly in front of her with his head down, waiting for her instructions. When he saw Jiang Nian take a step back, his expression did not change, but he just let his breath become lighter.

His voice was almost inaudible in the quiet room.

After a while, Jiang Nian came back to his senses from his surprise, and the thoughts in his mind became active again.

Seeing the handsome young man in front of her who was only slightly taller than her, Jiang Nian took a step forward and lowered her voice slightly, fearing that a maid passing by the side room might hear it.

"Can you contact your master?"

He responded lightly.

"Um."

A black envelope appeared from nowhere and the boy handed it to her with both hands.

There was still some scent of ink on the smooth envelope, as if it was a brand new piece of letter paper that had just been written on.

The gist of the content is that next time you can use gestures to summon the secret guards in the dark.

She also stated that the two secret guards stationed in Jiang Mansion were still under her command, and their main task was to protect the insect expelling party and her.

Jiang Nian glanced at the contents on the letter, and his expression suddenly became indescribable.

Xiao Yingzhu secretly sent two secret guards to protect her but did not tell her in person. Instead, he wrote it on paper.

...Is he a tsundere?

Why didn't she feel this way before?

The letter paper spread out in front of her also obscured the subtle changes in Jiang Nian's expression. After she covered the letter paper again, the boy's expression in front of her returned to his usual calm and elegant look.

She folded the letter paper in her hand along the line, put it into an envelope, and put it in the drawer to keep it together with the anti-insect prescription.

While pushing the drawer back, she also covered up the heavy wood fragrance emanating from it. Jiang Nian then turned her eyes away and asked the young man standing in front of her waiting for her instructions.

"Could you please ask him when he can spare some time to go to Yuejiang Pavilion for a chat?"

"Um."

The young man nodded and responded, still standing there without moving.

Jiang Nian paused for a moment, looked at him, and suddenly realized that it was another secret guard who had left.

His body, which had been tense due to the sudden fright, suddenly relaxed and he sat back on the wooden chair.

The mineral recipe written on the table flashed before his eyes for a moment, and the corner of the boy's clothes was still in his peripheral vision. Jiang Nian tapped the table unconsciously with his fingertips a few times, remembering that he would need to order the secret guards in the future if something happened, and he couldn't fail to say their names.

She paused her tapping fingers and turned to the boy and asked:

"Do you two have nicknames?"

The young man's face still looked cold and desolate under the candlelight. He looked at Jiang Nian expressionlessly and uttered two words after a moment.

"Sunny, rainy."