Night Talk
The candlelight flickered.
Her figure was graceful and slender.
Sensing the unusual meaning in his words, Jie Xiangsi turned her head slightly: "What is it?" For some reason, she had a feeling that it wasn't anything good.
Sure enough, her intuition told her she was right; it really wasn't a good thing.
"His Majesty has given me the deadline to find out who is behind this on the day of the Flower Goddess Banquet. I will not be returning to my residence for the time being."
After saying that, Zhou Yanzhi couldn't help but tighten his arms around her waist again, his voice sounding somewhat apologetic, "You can play with Qing Shu and the others in the manor. I will leave Ji Feng with you. If you want to go out, he will follow you in the shadows to ensure your safety."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi frowned, her tone carrying a hint of nervousness that she herself was unaware of: "Your head is injured like this, why does His Majesty still send you to handle cases? Also, if Ji Feng comes with me, what will you do? Who will protect you?"
She mentally counted the days, and then a surge of anger welled up inside her for no reason.
With less than half a month until the Flower Goddess Banquet, not to mention how difficult it would be to find out who was behind it before the banquet, it's questionable whether Zhou Yanzhi could even use his brain during this time.
Has Emperor Zhaowen never experienced the hardships of officials? Why is he always picking on Zhou Yanzhi?!
Unable to resist, she pinched the back of his hand hard, pried open the arms that were restraining her, turned around, and looked up at him with exasperation, saying, "Zhou Ce'an, are you an idiot?"
She works so hard without a care in her health.
She didn't say the last sentence because the person in front of her was smiling so gently.
He stared at her as she continued to chatter on, his eyes like pools of spring water, the calm surface reflecting only her image, rendering her unable to utter any more reproachful words.
She pursed her lips and punched Zhou Yanzhi in the chest, though she held back.
With a muffled sound, Jie Xiangsi said in a low voice, "Then... you need to take care of yourself. Also, Ji Feng will still stay with you. I don't need his protection."
Suddenly, a warm, large hand covered the clenched fist, gently enveloping it in its palm, with a soft, gentle sensation.
Zhou Yanzhi, the instigator, smiled slightly at her, raised an eyebrow, and said with a lazy, roguish tone, "So worried about me?"
Jie Xiangsi: "..."
"Yes, I was so worried. I was afraid something might happen to you, and that no one would go to Xiangguo Temple with me." Xie Xiangsi clenched her fists twice in annoyance, but couldn't get them moving.
"Pfft—"
Zhou Yanzhi couldn't help but chuckle softly.
He thought she would call him a "lecher" again, but he didn't expect her to be so blunt. That's just like Xiao Yan's personality.
It's straightforward, sarcastic, and unique.
After laughing for a while, he slightly curled his lips and said, word by word, "Don't worry, I won't let you go to Xiangguo Temple alone."
"Ho—"
She smiled silently, trying to ease her longing.
After a long pause, she said, "Then take Ji Feng back."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi still shook his head.
Seeing his expression, Xie Xiangsi felt a surge of anger rising within her. Why couldn't she understand him?! But Zhou Yanzhi's next words silenced her anger.
"Song Baiyu has returned to the capital."
Meeting Jie Xiangsi's wide-eyed gaze, Zhou Yanzhi explained, "This person is quite cunning. He failed to frame me this time, and I'm afraid he'll target you next. Having Ji Feng with you will give me more peace of mind when handling cases."
After a moment's hesitation, Xie Xiangsi understood Zhou Yanzhi's implied meaning. Thinking of Song Baiyu's smiling face that concealed a knife, she nodded hesitantly: "Okay."
Song Baiyu is an eccentric and unpredictable person. Knowing about her relationship with Zhou Yanzhi, it's hard to guarantee that he won't capture her to blackmail Zhou Yanzhi.
Thinking of this, her heart sank suddenly, and in an instant, she felt a chill run from her heels to the top of her head.
After a long silence, Jie Xiangsi looked up and added, "Then you must be extremely careful."
"Yes." Zhou Yanzhi nodded with a smile. "Don't worry."
Jie Xiangsi silently pursed her lips.
When this person is handling cases, not a single word he says is credible. How can anyone feel at ease with him?
...
Thin clouds rolled and slowly obscured the last sliver of moonlight.
The distant stars were still twinkling, but they were getting farther and farther away... farther and farther away...
Having finished explaining everything, Zhou Yanzhi had no reason to stay at Chaoxi Pavilion late at night. But for some reason, he didn't want to leave and wanted to stay with Xie Xiangsi a little longer.
Jie Xiangsi had the same thought; for some reason, she always wanted to look at him more.
Even though their idea was illogical, it had already trampled the etiquette he had learned in the past under the mud called "love".
For a moment, the room was incredibly quiet and warm.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, and the sound of pages turning broke the atmosphere between the two.
As if waking from a dream, their rationality returned, and the two quickly looked away, their faces blushing slightly.
Hearing the sound, Zhou Yanzhi naturally saw the book being turned by the wind. He turned his head and coughed twice, trying to cover up his misunderstanding.
He asked, "Are you reading a book?"
Jie Xiangsi looked over and nodded, "Mm."
What book?
"A book about spices." Xie Xiangsi answered as she walked to the table, picked up the book, and handed it to Zhou Yanzhi behind her. "It's quite interesting. Would you like to take a look, cousin?"
Zhou Yanzhi took the book, flipped through a couple of pages, and looked at the dense list of names for spices. His already aching head throbbed even more, so he returned the book.
"No, no, I'm not interested in these things. They give me a headache. My cousin should keep them for herself."
Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi couldn't help but chuckle.
I never expected that Zhou Yanzhi would have books he didn't like to read. I thought he was a dabbler in everything.
but……
The smile in Jie Xiangsi's eyes gradually faded.
He had no choice but to delve into this this time; she didn't give him the book just so he could pass the time.
So, avoiding the book Zhou Yanzhi handed her, and under his stunned gaze, Jie Xiangsi explained gently, "I'm not interested in these things either. I'm reading this book because I accidentally discovered some things worth pondering."
"Oh? What is it?"
Zhou Yanzhi opened the book again and glanced at it, finding it covered in dense notes, which surprised him.
"Is it related to the case?"
“That’s right.” Xie Xiangsi nodded, her eyes gradually becoming serious: “The day Xiao Ying kidnapped me and took me to the Danzhou Prefectural Governor’s Mansion, I smelled a faint fragrance on Zhang Xu. I initially thought he had used incense, but today…”
She paused, looked up and met Zhou Yanzhi's serious gaze, her tone unconsciously becoming serious: "But I smelled the same fragrance on the Fifth Princess and in the bowl of water that Young Master Qi used to identify poison. I think this is too much of a coincidence."
"Cousin, what do you think?"
Zhou Yanzhi frowned: "It's really too much of a coincidence."
When coincidences reach a certain point, they become inexplicably absurd, or even bizarre.
“What I don’t understand is why the Fifth Princess also has that fragrance?” Xie Xiangsi approached and slowly said, “After all, as far as I know, apart from the time she was exiled to Xiangguo Temple by His Majesty before the New Year and stayed there for a while, she has been staying in the capital.”
She paused, then raised her eyes, a barely perceptible glint of light flashing in them: "If that's the case, I do have a few ideas. I wonder if my cousin would be willing to hear them?"
Zhou Yanzhi said seriously, "Go ahead and say it."
The chirping of insects outside suddenly became noisy, so Jie Xiangsi reached out and closed the half-open carved window. With a creak of the window frame, the chirping of insects outside immediately subsided.
Just as Jie Xiangsi was about to say something, suddenly, several soft calls came from afar—
"Young lady, are you calling for someone?"
Upon hearing the sound, the two turned around abruptly to look at each other.
It's Qing Shu!
The candle flame flickered a few times in the wind, causing the two shadows reflected on the latticed window to sway as well.
The next moment, with the cry of a night bird, the two shadows reflected on the stained-glass window completely disappeared into the night.
"Tap—tap—"
There was a soft knock on the door. Perhaps unsure whether the person inside was awake or not, the sound was very soft, but it was enough to frighten the two people inside, who had something to hide, into not daring to make a sound.
After a while, Qing Shu's still sleepy voice came from outside the door: "I must be so sleepy, I'm even hallucinating."
When asked about relieving his longing, Zhou Yanzhi was speechless.
"Pat-pat..."
The footsteps outside the door gradually faded into the distance.
After a long while, until she could no longer hear any sound, Jie Xiangsi finally breathed a sigh of relief, patted her chest, and calmed her violently beating heart.
The two were very close, and in the darkness, their breathing was incredibly clear. From rapid to steady, it was perfectly audible.
After a long silence, just as Zhou Yanzhi was about to ask a question, Xie Xiangsi, who was comforting his heart, finally spoke up.
"cousin."
"Um?"
"Let's continue."
"……good."
Fearing that she would attract Qing Shu's attention again, Jie Xiangsi spoke very softly, her voice hoarse and cautious.
"My first thought was that the Fifth Princess was also poisoned, but this idea is not very likely because I did not smell the same scent on myself."
Zhou Yanzhi nodded, lowering his voice to match, "And the second one?"
"Secondly, the Fifth Princess, like Zhang Xu, must have lived in a place containing a large amount of 'Moon Gazing Powder,' and spending a long time with it would inevitably have picked up some of its scent." She paused, almost breathlessly adding, "For example, the Xiangguo Temple where the Fifth Princess stayed for several months, and now..."
"The Imperial Palace," Zhou Yanzhi said.
“That’s right.” Xie Xiangsi nodded, and following Qi Minghua’s example, subconsciously patted Zhou Yanzhi’s shoulder, and said with a serious face, “So, I think you can not only start with the brothels in the capital, but also with the Fifth Princess.”
Suppressing a laugh, Zhou Yanzhi nodded along with her: "Okay, thank you for the tip, cousin."
"Cousin, you're too kind. You're welcome."
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