Chapter 27
Ayao hit and bit, as if she had used all her strength, her eyes bloodshot.
She hurriedly went forward to pull Ayao.
"Ah Yao, Ah Yao!"
Her voice seemed to bring Ayao back to her senses. She slowly turned her head to look at her, her eyes empty yet seemingly full of defensiveness.
Like a wolf cub tearing at its enemy.
After seeing her clearly, Ayao pouted and burst into tears of grievance.
"mother……!"
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here, it's alright, it's alright."
Ayao threw herself into her arms, tears streaming down her face.
She gently patted A Yao's back, comforting her softly. She looked up at Ling Jingchu, but her anger subsided when she saw the wound on his neck.
Fortunately, Ayao fell asleep after crying for a short while. She asked Ling Jingchu in a low voice.
"Are you alright?"
Ling Jingchu's expression didn't change. He raised his hand and tightened the collar of his clothes, then shook his head without saying anything.
But the scratches and bloodstains on Ling Jingchu's neck still looked terrible, and she could hardly bear to look at them.
Ling Jingchu was very fair-skinned with a long and beautiful neck, but at this moment, A Yao had scratched him so badly that his skin was torn and there were even bite marks from her small teeth.
As Ling Jingchu moved, the teeth marks were gently rubbed against his clothes, and it looked painful.
She looked up and glanced at Ling Jingchu's expression again. He seemed to feel no pain, only looking at A Yao in her arms.
Her lips were pressed tightly together, and her long eyelashes drooped slightly.
She patted Ayao's back and whispered, "It's okay, Ayao was just a little traumatized, now..."
I'm asleep now anyway.
"You...you should ask Dr. Li to come and take a look."
Ling Jingchu nodded slightly, and without saying anything more, she carried Ayao back to Shuhua Garden.
Once inside the house, after placing A-Yao on the couch, Qing Shuang finally spoke.
"Miss, please don't blame Young Master Ling. He only wanted to come and visit today. Ayao was fine then, but after she went to Tingyu Pavilion..."
She sighed. This kidnapping had really terrified Ayao. How old was she? And those people even tried to poison her. How could Ayao not be scared?
This kind of thing can't be resolved overnight.
The image of Ling Jingchu's fair neck and the lines under the dim light flashed before her eyes. She shook her head, realizing she was truly out of her mind.
"The Second Prince is in the front hall. Master wants you to come over, Miss."
A maidservant hurried over. She was taken aback, not expecting that the Second Prince would arrive before Mo Yanzhou.
When she arrived, Baili Chuan and Ling Jingchu were already inside the house.
The second prince's gaze swept over Baili Chuan for a moment, then fell on her father.
"Master Jiang is truly a man of great wisdom and righteousness. I will certainly inform my father when I return to the capital."
After bowing, she stood in the back row and listened quietly.
Suddenly, she felt a gaze fall on her. She quietly raised her eyes and unexpectedly met the Second Prince's gaze.
Mo Tingyu's expression held a meaningful mockery and amusement, but it lasted only a moment before he quickly looked away.
She could sense that Mo Tingyu had no romantic feelings for her; it was more like he was watching a spectacle with amusement.
Just as she was wondering, Ling Jingchu and Baili Chuan, who were sitting opposite her, both turned their gazes toward her.
Baili Chuan's gaze was full of inquiry, while Ling Jingchu's face was cold and he seemed lost in thought, his eyes deep.
But she didn't have time to think about it, because her mother was also looking at her as if she were facing a formidable enemy. After staring at her for a while, she slowly looked away and stared coldly at the Second Prince.
"I heard that Nanhua County has been submerged, and the county government office has also been..."
Mo Tingyu paused, then looked at her father.
"Kyoto is thousands of miles away, I wonder if Master Jiang..."
Before she could finish speaking, she already knew why Mo Tingyu had come, and she found it rather strange.
He seems quite different from the foolish second prince of his previous life.
Mo Yanzhou's ability to break through the encirclement was inseparable from the Second Prince's debauchery. What impressed her most was that the Second Prince took a fancy to the Emperor's newly acquired young concubine at a palace banquet, and that very night they were caught trying to have an affair.
This was the reason why the second prince was deposed for the second time.
Such a person...
She glanced at him and saw that the Second Prince had bright eyes and white teeth, and a faint look of compassion between his brows. He looked quite respectable.
Turning her gaze unexpectedly, she saw Ling Jingchu's expression gradually darkening and his absent-mindedness. Her heart sank. Could it be that something had happened to the Third Prince?
She still needs to make the Second Prince believe in the Jiang family as soon as possible.
Just as she was thinking this, her father donated half of the grain, rice, oil, and salt.
Mo Tingyu looked quite satisfied.
While she was chatting casually with her father, Jiang Yunzheng rushed into the front hall in a panic, no longer the carefree young master he usually was.
When she entered the front hall, she only glanced around and didn't even see Mo Tingyu sitting upstairs. She went straight to Ling Jingchu's side.
"Jingchu, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Jinhong shouted sternly, "Yun Zheng, how can you be so rude to the Second Prince!"
Jiang Yunzheng then turned around and knelt down to pay his respects when he saw the Second Prince.
The Second Prince waved his hand dismissively, but Jiang Yunzheng couldn't hide the panic in his eyes.
"It seems there's something going on at Mr. Jiang's home?"
Mo Tingyu glanced at Jiang Yunzheng, smiled, and took a sip of tea: "I have some matters to attend to today, so I will return to my residence first."
Jiang Jinhong wanted to say something, but in the end Mo Tingyu just smiled and walked out of the mansion.
Jiang Yunshu felt a pang of panic when she saw Jiang Yunzheng's expression. She was unsure of what the Second Prince meant, and when she turned to look at Ling Jingchu, a wave of guilt washed over her.
As soon as the Second Prince left, Jiang Yunzheng pulled Ling Jingchu outside.
She followed him out, and Jiang Yunzheng looked at her anxiously: "Yunshu, go back to your room and check on Ayao first. Jingchu and I have something to talk about."
"Go ahead and tell me, I know everything about him."
Jiang Yunzheng was so anxious that he didn't even think it through. He just looked at Ling Jingchu and said hastily, "How could you do such a treasonous thing? If it is found out, it will be a capital offense, do you know that!"
"Ling Jingchu, you should run quickly. The Third Prince has already found out. I can't cover for you. Don't implicate the Jiang family either. I'll give you a silver note. You can change your name and live somewhere else."
"Only I know right now, and it'll be too late for me to save you!"
Jiang Yunshu immediately thought it was impossible. Once the Third Prince found out that Ling Jingchu had escaped, he would definitely hunt him down overnight. How could he possibly let him go?
She shook her head repeatedly: "No, that will only lead to death."
"You..." Jiang Yunzheng's eyes turned red with anger, "Staying here is a dead end, while escaping offers a sliver of hope. Such treasonous words are utter nonsense!"
The two were arguing fiercely, but Ling Jingchu seemed detached from it all, his lips slightly pursed and his eyes appearing calm.
The scene before him gradually blurred into a blur, and the voices of the two people in his ears turned into the faint sound of the wind.
All that remained in his mind was: I know everything about him.
His story...
She knows everything.
The person before me had a face as radiant as a pear blossom, but now her brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes revealed genuine worry.
A soft glow seemed to fall on the tip of her nose, making her face even more beautiful.
Her thin lips moved slightly, revealing a faint sheen of moisture.
Her skin was rosy and radiant, just like her.
Suddenly, the person in front of him drew closer, their eyes magnified before him, shimmering with tears that seemed to hold a thousand emotions.
The person's warm breath seemed to gently pat his face, sending a tingling sensation through him. His arm tightened suddenly for a moment, and he trembled slightly.
“Ling Jingchu, you…”
Did you hear me?
Jiang Yunshu used some force to pinch Ling Jingchu's arm, frowning as she looked at him with puzzled eyes as his cold gaze fell.
Ling Jingchu isn't the kind of person who's easily scared, so why didn't he respond after I called him for so long?
She was filled with doubt, and she and Jiang Yunzheng looked at each other, both of them with puzzled expressions.
Just as Jiang Yunzheng was about to reach out and slap Ling Jingchu, Ling Jingchu suddenly snapped back to his senses, his eyes seemingly casually sweeping over the fair hand that Jiang Yunshu was placing on his arm.
It floated away again.
Jiang Yunshu noticed his gaze falling on her arm, chuckled twice, and let go.
He cleared his throat lightly: "What do you think of my and Brother Yunzheng's suggestion?"
Jiang Yunshu asked seriously, but Ling Jingchu frowned and remained silent. Jiang Yunzheng then hurriedly said, "What do you know? The Third Prince is the one everyone wants. If you want Jingchu to follow the Second Prince, aren't you just sending him to his death?"
"Listen to me, let's run away!"
Jiang Yunzheng sighed deeply, turned his back and said in a deep voice, "This matter should be handled sooner rather than later. I will send you out of the city now, and do not tell us where you are going."
He slammed his folding fan down and turned to look at the two of them: "Only in this way will no one know, and your safety in the future can be guaranteed."
He then took out a money pouch from his person: "Jingchu, after this parting, I don't know when we will meet again. Don't worry too much about us, go in peace."
Jiang Yunshu rolled her eyes inwardly and pushed Jiang Yunzheng away: "Don't say anything yet, let Ling Jingchu say it himself."
Ling Jingchu said in a low voice, "I already have a solution, so Brother Yunzheng need not worry."
She clicked her tongue softly, and Jiang Yunzheng silently took the money bag back.
However, she snatched it away with lightning speed. Jiang Yunzheng looked at her helplessly and shook his head slightly: "Fine, I don't care about you anymore, anyway you won't listen to me."
Jiang Yunzheng looked at him, then at Jiang Yunshu: "I think you've become more and more licentious by following Yunshu's example. You dare to do such things. I wonder how many heads you have to chop off!"
"Don't drag my Jiang family down with you!"
After saying that, Jiang Yunzheng turned and left, fanning himself with his folding fan very quickly.
Seeing Ling Jingchu's calm demeanor, Jiang Yunshu was somewhat puzzled: "What method do you have?"
Jiang Yunshu was still somewhat worried. She knew what kind of person Mo Yanzhou was. Once he suffered a loss, he would seek revenge before he died.
Originally, the Shen family was part of Consort Li's faction. After her divorce, the Third Prince lost the support of the Jiang family and continued to be a bigger blood bag.
But looking at the entire Daxing Kingdom, they are the only Jiang family.
Now that Mo Yanzhou has found the person behind the rumors, he will definitely not let him get away with it.
Ling Jingchu didn't speak, only lowered his eyes and glanced at her.
There was still some worry in Xing's eyes as she looked deeply at him, as if he were the only person in her life at that moment.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly. The two were very close, and her soft, warm breath seemed to be burning his heart.
A faint scent of orange blossom lingered around his nose, a subtle aroma that seemed to stir something within him.
Jiang Yunshu gently raised her eyebrows and leaned closer. He suddenly stiffened, and his breathing stopped for a moment.
His eyes were churning with emotions, his long eyelashes obscuring them as he coldly gazed elsewhere.
Seeing his gloomy face, Jiang Yunshu realized that he probably didn't like being pried into. Just as she was about to say goodbye, Ling Jingchu's low, hoarse voice rang out.
“Jiang Yunshu, last night when you were in my courtyard, I was reading in the pavilion.”
A chill ran down her spine as she was forced to relive the events of last night. Although Ling Jingchu did have a good figure, she simply couldn't accept it.
He chuckled awkwardly, "The wind was so strong last night, you didn't even turn on a lamp while you were reading, I didn't even see you anywhere..."
As she spoke softer and softer, her eyes unconsciously looked away.
But she could still feel Ling Jingchu's gaze fixed on the top of her head, making her restless and wishing she could leave immediately.
"I... Ah Yao is really something, she can't be without me for a moment, I'm going back to my room now!"
Before she could even take a step, Ling Jingchu's deep voice called out to her: "Jiang Yunshu."
Her feet seemed to be filled with lead, and she couldn't move at all.
"I am different from others. Once something happens, it cannot be pretended that it never happened."
Ling Jingchu's voice was low, sounding very somber and aggrieved.
She sighed deeply. Didn't she know what kind of person Ling Jingchu was?
He's been a bookworm since childhood, following the teachings of Confucius. Otherwise, he wouldn't have remained unmarried despite passing the imperial examination and possessing excellent looks.
But on the other hand, she didn't see anything clearly!
So she raised her voice and said, "I didn't see clearly, and besides, it wasn't my fault. Who told you to dress like that and read a book in the pavilion?"
That's my yard.
Ling Jingchu's voice was deep and slow, and her head, which had been held high, was brought down again by those words.
“You can’t leave your yard like this, all disheveled. Look at what happened last night…”
She hesitated before she could finish her sentence, pursing her lips. Ling Jingchu looked down at her, his deep-set brows giving him a cold and aloof air, and his eyes seemed to hold a faint hint of gloom and indifference.
The more indifferent he seemed, the more guilty she felt.
"If you hadn't barged in..."
Ling Jingchu didn't continue speaking. She pursed her lips and pondered for a long time: "How can it be considered an intrusion? It's because Su Ye didn't report it."
She was overjoyed, finally finding his fault: "Look, it's because Su Ye didn't inform me that I was allowed in, so it's not my fault!"
“You really need to have a good talk with Su Ye when you get back. Look at him, and then look at Qing Shuang. If he’s really useless, I’ll have my dad find you someone better.”
She felt better, and her voice became much lighter, but Ling Jingchu still stared at her with a deep gaze.
As she smiled, she felt the curve of her lips stiffen. To prevent Ling Jingchu from saying something she couldn't handle, she slipped away.
Ling Jingchu noticed a hint of panic in her hurried departure.
He slightly curved his lips, his deep, melancholy eyes churning with emotion.
Her hand rested on the belt around her waist, and she lowered her eyes to caress the sachet hanging from her waist.
I wonder if this rough fabric will scratch her fair skin...
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