Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Just a guest.
"My dear, I've never seen so many people before. I want to take a closer look."
As Zhang Jingxian spoke, she quietly backed away, avoiding his fingers. Ever since that intense, breathtaking kiss, she had been studiously minimizing physical contact with him, especially in front of Xie, Gong Chengyue, and the others.
Although there were only two of them in the carriage, she remained vigilant.
She would just be a guest he invited.
The temperature of her fingertips turned cold in an instant. Xie Yun looked at her expressionlessly without saying a word.
"Wuling County City is indeed much larger than Wuyang County. The roads are wide, the city walls are high, and the big characters above the city gate are also very impressive. When I return to the village, I must explain it to Chun'er and Xia'er." Zhang Jingxian pretended to be calm and turned her head back to the car window again, uttering a narrow-minded admiration.
In reality, the Wuling County City before her couldn't compare to Changling County City, let alone Jiankang City. In her previous life, she had spent time in both of those prosperous places.
Zhang Jingxian said this on purpose. She knew very well that although her words seemed simple, they sounded laughable and unpresentable to a noble family like Xie Yun.
If it were someone who valued status, they would most likely dislike her vulgarity and then dislike her.
In her previous life, a maid in Xie Yun's mansion once told her an interesting story.
The young master of the Wang family, who was acquainted with Envoy Xie, had a concubine whom he doted on very much. However, because she came from a poor family, she could not distinguish between Shu brocade and Xia brocade at a banquet and was ridiculed by others. Since then, she fell out of favor and was soon given to someone else by the young master of the Wang family.
"She only has a beautiful appearance but is vulgar on the inside. Without any foundation to support her, how can her favor last? She has brought shame to the Wang family!" After the maid said this with emotion, Zhang Jingxian's expression also changed silently.
Not only could she not tell the difference between Shujin and Xiajin, she had even heard of the names of Shujin and Xiajin for the first time. She was far inferior to the girl that the young master of the Wang family had favored.
Now, Zhang Jingxian only hated herself for not thinking of this earlier.
She grew up in a remote mountain village and had only been to Wuyang County a few times. Isn't it normal for her to be ignorant and behave rudely?
Even though Xie Yun didn't react as quickly as his old friend, Mr. Wang, he must have felt a little uncomfortable seeing her behave like this.
With the intention of provoking his disgust, the girl's lips opened and closed, almost without stopping for a moment, and she kept sighing and praising.
The sky is blue, the clouds are white, and even the air is sweet.
If there was a third person present who heard it, they would definitely roll their eyes at her and show her contempt. Not only was she ignorant, but she even said it out loud without blushing.
a shame!
However, Zhang Jingxian was talking until her mouth was dry, and she didn't hear a single mocking laugh. She glanced sideways and saw Xie Yun holding up a porcelain cup and drinking water slowly.
Noticing that her voice had stopped, he raised his eyelids and asked her why she didn't continue.
"Ah Xian is quite interesting like this. It proves that your decision to leave that cage in Xishan Village was the right one." Xie Yun lowered his voice, his eyes full of meaning, telling her that she should be grateful to him.
Zhang Jingxian was speechless for a moment, and after a while she replied in a gentle voice, "My dear, you are right. I will definitely do my best to be your guest and repay you."
Many times, she emphasized her guest status in front of him.
Xie Yun sneered, lowered his brows and stared at someone intently. The aura around him was cold and chilling, and the atmosphere in the carriage suddenly changed.
The gate of Wuling County City was getting closer and closer to them. Zhang Jingxian stopped talking and just kept her eyes on the city she had never seen before.
His eyes were still full of admiration.
Wuling County City was indeed a place that easily attracted her favor. There were many people coming and going, and there were many carriages and horses. It seemed that they did not check the rumors of the common people. It was easy to enter the city, and leaving the city should not be difficult either.
If she seized the opportunity to blend into the crowd and swim away like a small fish, Xie Yun might not be able to catch her.
"Retreat! The county magistrate's carriage is coming, everyone should retreat immediately!" Suddenly, a sharp and loud roar accompanied by the sound of galloping horses interrupted her reverie.
Zhang Jingxian gripped the short bow on her body, her brows became defensive and serious. She intended to stand guard outside the carriage, but was grabbed by the wrist by the man.
"I told you, you don't have to worry about this."
Xie Yun asked her to sit still. The big hand holding her wrist seemed to be very strong and hard. Zhang Jingxian struggled hard, but for a long time she couldn't even pry open a finger.
"My dear, there are many carriages and horses outside. If they are enemies... As your guest, I must go outside to protect you..."
She explained patiently, but halfway through her words, the car suddenly became quiet, and a deep male voice was heard.
"Thank you for your visit, sir. I apologize for not coming to greet you."
The prefect of Wuling, Chen, dismounted from his horse, hurried to the front of the carriage, and bowed to it.
"Envoy, the county magistrate received our message and came to meet you at the city gate. The manor has been tidied up and is waiting for you to stay." Another voice came from Gong Chengyue, who was calm and smiling.
Zhang Jingxian withdrew her fingers from the short bow and looked obedient again. It turned out that the prefect of Wuling County came in person to welcome Xie Shijun, so there would naturally be no enemy here as she mentioned.
"Yes, County Magistrate Chen is thoughtful." Xie Yun responded in a light tone.
But the unopened car door showed his arrogance. In response, County Governor Chen lowered his attitude even more. He smiled and said that the manor had prepared a welcoming banquet for Envoy Xie.
"There was also a famous scholar, Mr. Ziji, who was acquainted with Prime Minister Xie, waiting for him at the banquet."
Xu Ziji of Wuling once served as an official in Jiankang City. After resigning from office and returning to his hometown, he was also famous for his elegant conversation. He had contacts with Xie Li, the uncle of Xie Yun. The governor of Chen County really put a lot of thought into inviting him to the banquet.
"Mr. Zi Ji is here too, so let's go." Xie Yun did not show up from beginning to end and ordered the carriage to move forward.
Although he didn't see anyone, County Magistrate Chen was very happy. He ordered people to clear the road, and he rode a horse to accompany the carriage.
He vaguely saw the figure of a woman through the car window, and a knowing smile appeared on his face. It just so happened that he had arranged several beautiful girls for Envoy Xie at the welcoming banquet.
Among them, the daughter of the Cai family was not only beautiful, but also talented.
With a "bang", Xie Yun closed the carriage window, avoiding Chen Junshou's secret speculation.
Zhang Jingxian was actually secretly looking at the county magistrate on horseback. County magistrate Chen looked to be about forty years old, with a square face and a soft beard on his chin. If you ignore his overly flattering attitude, the first impression he gave was not bad, like an elegant scholar.
She couldn't help thinking that every official seemed to give people a completely opposite feeling from Envoy Xie.
Perhaps she looked at her for too long, Xie Yun's long fingers pressed hard on her wrist, leaving a clear mark.
"This time in Wuling County, Ah Xian, you'd better be obedient and don't do anything to anger me. Otherwise, after this incident, your cousin and the villagers won't know when they'll be able to return home."
Xie Yun raised his eyelids, and the coldness from his body invaded him, making him feel very oppressive.
Hearing this, Zhang Jingxian was first startled by his sharp eyes, but then she reacted, ignored the pain in her wrist, and shifted her attention away from County Magistrate Chen outside.
"My dear, what do you mean by this? Can you explain it more clearly?" Her tone was a little anxious. What did she mean by "this time"?
Could it be that if they stayed in Wuling County for a while, their cousin and the villagers would be able to return home safely?
"Ah Xian will understand by then."
Xie Yun used a brief sentence to cut off her plan to escape from Wuling County. On the contrary, not only could she not escape, she had to cooperate with him to put on a good show.
“…Okay, I understand.”
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After the carriage entered Wuling County City, it drove straight in without stopping. After about an hour, it stopped at the gate of a large manor.
"This is a magnificently built manor owned by the Cai family, a wealthy merchant family in Wuling City. Upon hearing that Envoy Xie had arrived, the head of the Cai family personally offered it to him for his permanent residence."
County Magistrate Chen dismounted and explained the origin of the manor to Xie Yun in the carriage. As soon as he finished speaking, the owner of the manor, Cai Hui, came out with his family and Xu Ziji.
After another round of greetings, the carriage door opened, Xie Yun's long legs landed on the ground, and he entered the manor surrounded by people.
Originally, Zhang Jingxian was following him about one step behind. But after several fervent gazes lingered on her, she slowly slowed down her pace and gave up her place.
She first landed in a place similar to Gong Chengyue, and then she walked together with Yi Yu and others.
Fortunately, there were too many people around, and Mr. Zi Ji, an elder who was acquainted with Xie Yun's uncle, was talking to Xie Yun all the time, so her actions were not noticed.
In other words, even if he noticed her, Xie Yun was not worried that she would take the opportunity to escape.
With the news of her peasant girl cousin and the villagers hanging in front of her, would she dare to escape?
"Yu, let's stand together at the welcoming banquet later." Zhang Jingxian stayed behind, looked at the distance between herself and the group of people in front, and started talking to Yi Yu in a low voice.
Anyway, no one can hear it except them.
Xie, also behind, frowned at the sound but remained silent. He was still unsure how the envoy should introduce Madam Zhang. As a guest, it was fine for her to be with Yu and the others. But as the envoy's savior, she must take a seat at the banquet, even if no one recognized her!
Especially, Xu Ziji is here.
The so-called celebrities are the group of people that the Prime Minister hates the most, but at the same time they are also the group of people that he has to interact with. Prime Minister Xie has always liked celebrities who are good at elegant conversation.
"Yu, can you help me look? Are there two people staring at me over there?" Zhang Jingxian was wearing a flowing green dress and walking among a group of sturdy men. She was so conspicuous and eye-catching.
However, she had to pretend to be reserved so as to be in line with the identity of a guest. When she noticed that someone was staring at her for a long time, she could only ask through Yi Yu.
"There are indeed two people staring at Madam Zhang. They seem to be the family members of the owner of this manor, a man and a woman." Yi Yu took a quick look and whispered that they might be the children of the owner of the manor.
The man walked lightly and had dark circles under his eyes, looking like a lecherous playboy.
The woman was pretty and in her prime. She was wearing a long dress and had long hair. She must have been unmarried.
After hearing what he said, Zhang Jingxian had an idea in her mind. She endured the discomfort and smiled at the young man. There was an indescribable charm in her eyes.
When facing the beautiful girl, she showed a clear understanding and respect.
There is no need to spy on her secretly. The relationship between her and Envoy Xie is just that of guest and host.
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The author has something to say: Muah, the red envelope has been sent, there will be a delay~
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