Taboo
Inside the study of the Yang family mansion, a fine piece of porcelain was slammed hard onto the bluestone bricks. With a loud "clang," shards of white porcelain exploded like raindrops, scattering all over the floor.
The heavy boots stomped on the broken porcelain, making a soft, creaking sound that sent chills down one's spine.
Yang Hui whirled around, veins bulging on his forehead from rage, and slammed his clenched fist on the mahogany table. "Quickly find a way to get rid of this troublemaker, Song Baiyu!"
First they checked his accounts, then they forced him to release grain. He really is an impeccable figure, appearing upright in public and in private!
For a moment, the study fell silent.
After a long pause, an official who had been standing with his head bowed in the study slowly raised his eyes, made a faint swirl on the side of his neck, and spoke in a low, chilling voice, "Sir, since that's the case, why not leave him here forever to prevent future troubles?"
Yang Hui's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously took half a step back, his tone hesitant as he said, "But he is, after all, the person sent by the master to supervise. If he really dies here, how will we explain it to the master?"
"Your Excellency is overthinking this." The man chuckled softly, with a hint of ruthless cruelty in his voice. "Lord Song is a civil official, with no strength to even kill a chicken. Moreover, the heavy snow in Yangqu blinded him. What does it have to do with you that Lord Song accidentally slipped and fell off a cliff while inspecting the military camp?"
He paused, then continued, "Even if Master doesn't believe me, Lord Song is just Lord Song. Is it worth Master turning against you? You should know that Master's plan is about to be implemented..."
These words were like a reassuring pill. The hesitation in Yang Hui's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a fierce look. He called out to the servant waiting outside the door, "Go to the bamboo garden and tell him that I invite Lord Song to the military camp at Chenshi the day after tomorrow to discuss important matters."
...
Meanwhile, at the other end of the Yang residence, in the bamboo garden, a few sparks suddenly erupted from the charcoal brazier, only to be quickly extinguished in the air.
Jie Xiangsi gripped the hand warmer tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force, her voice tinged with urgency, "You mean, Yang Hui is planning to make a move against you?"
Zhou Yanzhi nodded, his tone somewhat helpless, "Although he is somewhat wary of my current identity as Song Baiyu, since my existence is now threatening his interests, he will inevitably choose to eliminate me no matter what."
“Then we can’t stay in Yangqu any longer.” Xie Xiangsi immediately got up to pack her luggage, but then stopped, her brows furrowed. “But if we leave, Yang Hui will definitely drive those disaster victims out of the city again. Those people have been starving for so long, they can’t possibly last more than a few days…”
"Don't worry, I've already made arrangements." Feeling that the room was a bit stuffy, Zhou Yanzhi stood up and walked to the window, opening it a crack. He continued, "Just now, I sent Ji Feng with my token to Jizhou to fetch reinforcements. If nothing unexpected happens, they will arrive within three days. Once the people from Jizhou arrive, even if Yang Hui is bold, he won't dare to act recklessly in public."
Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
How could she forget that Jizhou was the fiefdom of Zhou Yanzhi's father, Prince An? Although Prince An is gone now, Zhou Yanzhi is still Prince An's son. How could she dare to disobey the Crown Prince's order?
Thinking of something, Xie Xiangsi stared intently at his retreating figure and pressed on, "So what do you think he'll do?"
“It’s nothing more than faking my accidental death.” Zhou Yanzhi tapped lightly on the window frame with his fingertips, his tone somewhat nonchalant. “However, if I don’t leave the city, he can’t do anything to me. After all… Song Baiyu is ostensibly a person sent by the Emperor. It would be difficult to explain if he died in Yangqu City.”
"What if he forces you to leave the city?"
"That depends on how tempting the place he wants me to go is, so that I'd jump into it even if I know it's a trap."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yanzhi turned around, raised an eyebrow at Xie Xiangsi, and pointed to the gradually clearer figure outside the courtyard gate, saying with a smile, "Look, here they come."
There was a light knock on the wooden door. Zhou Yanzhi said "Come in," and the servant sent by Yang Hui bowed and walked in, his hands folded in front of him, his posture excessively respectful.
"My lord, my master has invited you to join him on an inspection tour of Xiya Mountain the day after tomorrow. I wonder if you would be available?"
Upon hearing this, the two people inside the room were both taken aback.
Xiya Mountain.
The high ground between those two rivers was a hiding place for private soldiers.
This is quite a tempting offer; it seems this trip is inevitable.
But Zhou Yanzhi didn't respond immediately; he just stared intently at the servant.
The servant was already feeling guilty, and now, under his gaze, his back stiffened, his body trembled slightly, and beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. The wind blowing in from the window made him feel even colder.
After a moment, just as the servant was about to collapse, Zhou Yanzhi spoke calmly: "Of course I have time. Go back and tell your master that he has gone to great lengths."
"Yes, yes!" The servant was overjoyed and left as fast as he could.
After everyone had gone, Zhou Yanzhi turned around and met Xie Xiangsi's worried gaze, jokingly saying, "They probably arranged for me to die by falling off a cliff."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi immediately frowned, feeling that he was still joking at a time like this, showing absolutely no concern. She muttered under her breath, "Then why don't you think about how to break this deadlock..."
Zhou Yanzhi, with his keen hearing and sharp eyesight, naturally heard her muttering, but said nothing, only smiling faintly at her.
Jie Xiangsi felt uneasy at his laughter and turned to leave, but her arm was suddenly grabbed. The force was not strong, but she couldn't break free.
The next second, she lost her balance and crashed straight into a warm embrace, a faint scent of pine filling her nostrils.
“Cousin.” Zhou Yanzhi’s voice sounded softly above her head, with a hint of seriousness. “Yang Hui is cunning and suspicious. The trip to Xiya Mountain will definitely be extremely dangerous. I can’t take you with me. I’m sorry.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi's heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she forgot to push Zhou Yanzhi away from behind her. She just mumbled an "oh" and pretended not to care, saying, "I didn't say you had to take me with you."
Zhou Yanzhi chuckled softly and remained silent.
Feeling the vibration of her chest through her clothes from behind, Jie Xiangsi became increasingly uncomfortable, even her breathing became lighter, and she let Zhou Yanzhi hold her in his arms.
Snowflakes drifted into the house with the wind and landed on their heads, feeling a little chilly.
After a long while, Zhou Yanzhi finally let go of her hand, gently turned her around, and looked at her trembling long eyelashes. He said in a gentle voice, "I have already arranged for people outside the city. The day after tomorrow, you will leave the city under the pretext of helping to distribute porridge. Someone will come to pick you up then."
“They will send you to Jizhou. Wait for me…” He paused, gently brushing the snow from her hair, his tone extremely serious, “After I finish dealing with things here, I will definitely come to Jizhou to find you.”
Looking up into his deep eyes, Jie Xiangsi suddenly couldn't find the words to refute him, and simply nodded gently, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
The sparks in the charcoal brazier exploded again.
Thinking of something, Xie Xiangsi suddenly took a few steps back and said to Zhou Yanzhi, "You were already prepared to send me out of the city?"
The reinforcements from Jizhou were not only there to intimidate Yang Hui, but also to rescue him.
He had already decided to stay in Yangqu.
Unexpectedly, she suddenly brought up this matter, and Zhou Yanzhi was speechless. After a while, he nodded and said softly, "Yes, now that we have investigated enough, and Yangqu is so dangerous, we should naturally send you out of the city first."
Although she knew there was some truth to what he said, Jie Xiangsi still felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
How could he presume to plan everything for her?
Why not leave this dangerous place with her?
But... why would she care about this?
Realizing what she was thinking, Jie Xiangsi panicked, turned around abruptly, and quickly pushed open the window leading to the backyard. A cold wind rushed in, and she clenched a handful of snow in her palm.
The icy chill spread rapidly from her palms to every part of her body. Jie Xiangsi closed her eyes briefly, secretly relieved, and then opened them again. Only then did her turbulent thoughts finally subside, and her eyes regained their clarity.
She couldn't forget her true purpose in getting close to Zhou Yanzhi.
"Cousin?" Zhou Yanzhi's voice came from behind, tinged with concern.
Releasing the snow that was almost completely melted from her palm, Jie Xiangsi turned around again with a different expression on her face. She smiled faintly and said, "It's a bit stuffy in the room, and I'm having trouble breathing. Holding the snow makes me feel better."
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
She's just giving me the runaround again!
After a moment of silence, he smiled and said, "The snow is really cold, cousin, you should take care of yourself."
"Thank you for reminding me, young master. I know."
...
It is taboo to travel on the twelfth day of the first lunar month.
Feeling the carriage spinning around on the mountain, Zhou Yanzhi, who was leaning against the carriage seemingly resting with his eyes closed but actually secretly memorizing the route, opened his eyes and sneered silently in his heart.
It seems Yang Hui's resolve to kill him isn't very firm...
With his long fingers slightly lifting the carriage curtain, Zhou Yanzhi looked at the endless white mist covering the mountains before him, raised an eyebrow, and asked indifferently, "Lord Yang, how much longer do we have to travel?"
When these words reached Yang Hui's ears, his heart skipped a beat.
Why did Song Baiyu say that? Did he discover something?
A sense of fear rose in Yang Hui's heart, but it was then suddenly suppressed. At this point, the arrow was already on the bowstring, so there was no reason to take it back.
Forcibly suppressing the panic in his heart, Yang Hui's fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly. After thinking for a moment, he carefully said, "After all, the roads are slippery in the snow. For safety, the carriage is moving a bit slowly. Otherwise... how about Lord Song and I walk up the mountain together?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi remained silent for a moment, and the air in the carriage seemed to freeze.
After a long pause, he slowly replied, "Alright, but this is my first time in this mountain, and I'm quite unfamiliar with the roads. Lord Yang, please don't leave me behind later."
Having his thoughts exposed, Yang Hui could barely maintain his composure and could only manage a dry laugh before saying, "Lord Song is joking. Of course, I wouldn't do that. Please rest assured, Lord Song."
Zhou Yanzhi smiled back, "Then... please."
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