Xu Jiang asked curiously, "Then why did you help him publish the collection when you knew the pros and cons?"
"Their plan was very thorough. When Feng Miao came to persuade me to publish the collection on his behalf, he said he had connections to hire someone to sell it and that he wouldn't involve me. Furthermore, out of our old friendship, he couldn't bear to see Jiang Gu suffer any more, so he wanted to help him. Who would have thought that there was such a plot behind it?"
He had good intentions, but his kindness did not bring good results. Not only did he fail to help Jiang Gu, he also got himself involved.
Hearing this, Xu Jiang felt both sad and puzzled. "You're telling me this, aren't you afraid that I'll tell others?"
"'Others' have already found out about me, so why should I hide it?" This 'others' naturally refers to Lou Yunchun.
Staring at the fish swimming leisurely in the water, Mu Cong's eyes flashed with envy. "I'm just a civil servant, a powerless and idle person, but I can't escape this court turmoil."
Xu Jiang followed his gaze and suggested, "Since the Jisheng Book Bureau is already struggling, why don't you try to get the books back and destroy them? Perhaps you can escape."
Mu Cong also shook his head, "It's too late." Besides, it's easy to get on the boat but difficult to get off. Since they have gone to so much trouble to control the court officials, how could they give up easily?
Xu Jiang was about to say something else when Mu Cong saw someone coming down the stone steps and immediately raised his hand to stop her.
"You go back first."
"Okay." Seeing his cold expression, Xu Jiang guessed that the person coming was a spy to monitor him, so he turned around and returned to the waterside pavilion.
After taking two steps, she turned back and asked, "Master Mu, what exactly is Zhao Xiu's purpose?"
Mu Cong was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you. Once this matter is leaked, the Mu Mansion will be in danger."
Xu Jiang's heart trembled, he stood there for a moment, then turned and left.
Mu Cong did not return to the water pavilion, but left with the person who came to look for him, probably because he did not want that person to know that Xu Jiang was here.
Zhong Lu returned from his conversation and saw Xu Jiang gazing at the floating leaves in her teacup, meditating. He waved his hand in front of her face and asked, "What are you staring at? Are you tired?"
Xu Jiang came back to her senses and smiled at him, "A little bit."
Zhong Lu glanced at the sky and saw that the rain clouds were gathering for a long time. He said, "It looks like there's still rain. We'd better leave early to avoid being trapped in the mountains by the rain."
After finishing her conversation with Mu Cong, Xu Jiang's mind wandered, and she had no intention of enjoying the music anymore, so she said, "That's exactly what I meant."
Zhong Lu took Xu Jiang to say goodbye to Wu Qingye and several other musicians. Although Wu Qingye regretted that Xu Jiang could not stay longer, he did not try to keep her.
When Xie Hongxing learned that Xu Jiang was leaving, she came to see her off. Xu Jiang gave her Jiang Gu's collection.
"It's both out of place and appropriate here. After much thought, I think I should give it to you."
She ultimately never got to take the book out, just as the capital wasn't suitable for Jiang Gu, and neither was this place suitable for the collection. Fortunately, with Xie Hongxing, it finally found a home.
Xie Hongxing's eyes were slightly red. "I really don't know how to thank you."
Xu Jiang smiled and said, "Then play a song for me."
Accompanied by Xie Hongxing's pipa music, Xu Jiang and Zhong Lu set out on their journey home.
Zhong Lu couldn't help but sigh as he listened to Xie Hongxing's vastly different state of mind. People are like music, and music is like people. Different circumstances naturally lead to different states of mind, and different states of mind naturally lead to different states of tune. This Lady Xie's music, after undergoing a period of refinement, has reached another level.
"After Madam Xie entered the music school, I think she would have a different world."
"After suffering for half my life, I finally got a taste of sweetness. It wasn't easy."
Thinking of Xu Jiang's blow, Zhong Lu laughed and said, "Usually I thought you were a kind person, but why are you so angry today?"
Hearing him mention her impolite behavior, Xu Jiang apologized, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble today. You were kind enough to bring me to the banquet, but I almost ruined it."
"Although it was rash to attack him, he was the one who was rude first. It's reasonable for you to speak up for your friend."
"Thank you for not blaming me, sir. I have a bad temper and sometimes I can't control myself when I get impatient. If I do anything inappropriate in the future, I hope you can point it out to me."
"Okay, if you want to do it next time, find a place where there's no one around."
Hearing this, Xu Jiang couldn't help laughing.
After the two of them finished laughing, Zhong Lu asked again, "I didn't expect you and Mu Cong actually knew each other. You seem to have a wide circle of friends."
Talking about Mu Cong, Xu Jiang's expression was slightly indifferent. "I was watching the lanterns during the Lantern Festival. His daughter went missing, and I helped her find her. That's how we met, but we weren't familiar with each other."
Zhong Lu said, "It's better if we're not familiar with each other."
"Why do you say that, sir?"
"He's been interacting with the Zhou family quite frequently lately, and you've been having issues with them. To avoid getting into trouble, it's best to stay away from them."
"The Zhou family is currently..."
Zhong Lu interrupted her, his tone unusually serious. "No matter what the Zhou family is like, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Besides, the situation here is complicated. You're a small merchant, and a weak woman at that. Don't get involved with them. They can afford some of the costs, but you can't. It's best to stay away from them."
This is what he really wants to point out.
Xu Jiang nodded, "That's enough for you."
The two of them had nothing else to say.
It's not because of anything else, but because the stone steps are too steep and the ground is slippery. I can't concentrate and I'm afraid that if I accidentally slip and fall, I'll suffer.
Especially Zhong Lu, who fell down and was carried down the mountain while "looking for the immortal" on Qingming Festival, and lost a lot of people. Since then, he has been very careful when traveling.
It is easy to go down the mountain, but difficult to go up the mountain.
The two climbed for a long time before they reached the end of the stone steps panting. They both breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that they could finally ride horses and donkeys.
But when they arrived at the place where the donkey and horse were tied, they were both dumbfounded.
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