Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Today's date, tomorrow the author will do something bad...
As soon as Jiang Ci finished speaking, only the lingering sound of the fireworks remained in the night, gradually fading into silence.
Ji Yang stared at her in a daze, as if he couldn't believe that what he saw was real.
His heart was beating too fast, and it felt as if some long-suppressed emotion in his chest suddenly ignited, burning his body. He stood there, not responding immediately, his knuckles slightly curled, his lips pressed tightly together, but his eyes could no longer conceal the surging emotions in them.
After a long pause, he spoke softly, his voice trembling slightly, "You just said... you like me."
Jiang Ci looked up at him with a calm gaze and nodded slightly.
His eyelashes trembled slightly, and as if he had finally made up his mind, he slowly took a step towards her.
"I..." He murmured, his voice low and revealing with a touch of unprecedented frankness, "I will never let you down."
After he said this, he reached out and held her hand, pressing hard with his palm, as if he wanted to use the warmth to confirm that this was not a dream.
Jiang Ci looked at him with a smile in his eyes and let him hold her hand.
Ji Yang lowered his eyes and looked at her, his gaze was calm, but hiding a tenderness he had never had before. He slowly took her into his arms, and the action was more solemn than any other time.
His chin rested on the top of her head, and his voice was low and gentle: "I will love and protect you for the rest of my life, Jiang Ci."
Jiang Ci leaned in his arms, listening to his steady heartbeat, and felt that there was no more wind and coldness in the world.
After a long time, Ji Yang let go of her slightly, looked down at her, and a very faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
It was late at night, and the afterglow of the fireworks had not yet dissipated. Only a few remaining lights remained in the sky, sinking into the thick night.
The courtyard fell silent. Jiang Ci, wearing Ji Yang's cloak, walked slowly along the corridor side by side with him. The wind blew across the red railings, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the shadows of the two people on the ground were stretched out long by the moonlight.
When they reached the fork in the road where they lived, Jiang Ci paused, turned around, looked at him, and said softly, "Commander-in-Chief, I'm going to rest."
Ji Yang also stopped, his eyes fell on her eyebrows, and after a moment he nodded slightly: "Rest, it's a cold night."
Jiang Ci smiled lightly, nodded in agreement, and turned back to his room.
Ji Yang watched her figure disappear behind the door before he slowly withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards his own room. However, his steps were not as sonorous and steady as usual, but instead revealed a sense of ease and tranquility that was hard to conceal.
But at this moment, a figure leaned against the corner of the corridor in the night.
Chu Yao had just returned from the back door, holding a paper medicine bag in her hand. She stood in the shadows, quietly watching the scene in the corridor.
Her eyes were cold, and a hint of a smile appeared on her lips. She looked at the backs of the two people walking in opposite directions, her eyes full of disdain.
"Pretending." She murmured in a low voice with an extremely contemptuous tone, then returned to the room, changed her clothes with an unconvinced look on her face, and lay down without closing her eyes.
On the second day, the sky was bright in the morning, the mist in the courtyard began to dissipate, and the breeze carried a hint of the sweet fragrance of osmanthus.
As Yin Shuang lifted the curtain and entered the room, she called out in a low voice, "Miss, get up quickly. The governor is waiting for you in the stable."
Jiang Ci had just finished washing up and was slightly startled when he heard this: "What is he doing in the stable?"
"He said he wanted you to go over and take a look." Yin Shuang smiled mysteriously, with a hint of mischief in his eyes.
Jiang Ci straightened his dress and followed her out the door. The morning breeze blew across the eaves, and the sky was already clear and bright. She followed the path and turned around the corridor, and from a distance she saw Ji Yang standing in front of the stables.
He was tall and slender, dressed in a black robe, and beside him was a tall, snow-white horse with a dense mane. The horse stood obediently, and when it saw Jiang Ci approaching, it shook its head slightly, as if to say hello.
When Ji Yang saw her coming, his eyes flickered, and he raised his hand to pat the horse's neck: "I picked this horse from the army a few days ago. It has a gentle temperament, steady steps and is bold, suitable for beginners."
He handed the reins to Jiang Ci as he spoke: "It hasn't been named yet, you go give it one."
Jiang Ci was stunned. She took the reins, but when her fingers touched the leather, she was a little afraid to move. The white horse leaned forward slightly, and its warm breath brushed her wrist.
She whispered, "If I don't come up with a good name, will it disown me?"
Ji Yang chuckled: "It's a horse, not an immortal in the temple. Giving it a name is like recognizing its master."
Jiang Ci pursed his lips, thought seriously for a moment, and then whispered, "Then let's call it Silver Snow, as white as the first snow."
Ji Yang nodded, and seeing her serious expression, the smile in his eyes deepened: "It sounds nice, but it seems like you found a girl for Yin Shuang."
Jiang Ci smiled and said, "So it's a mares. My father said horses understand human nature, so it wouldn't be bad for them to be sisters with Yin Shuang."
He walked behind Jiang Ci and patiently taught her how to reach out and touch the horse's neck, and how to soothe it by placing the palm of her hand against its mane.
Jiang Ci did as she was told carefully. Her fingertips were a little nervous at first, but the horse was very cooperative and gently rubbed her palm.
She looked up at Ji Yang, her eyes gleaming slightly: "Did it recognize me?"
"I recognize you."
Ji Yang took the reins from her and led the horse outside: "I promised you before that I would take you riding. The weather is good today, and the grassland is just turning yellow, just right for autumn."
Jiang Ci blinked, took a step forward to catch up, with an uncontrollable smile on his lips.
After leaving the mansion, I slowly walked all the way to the outskirts of Fengdu City. Suddenly, the view opened up. The open grassland swayed gently in the autumn breeze, and a few sparrows occasionally flew across the sky. The distant mountains were dark blue, and the sky was clear and turquoise.
Ji Yang first helped Jiang Ci onto the horse, then held her waist with his palms to hold her steady before slowly letting go.
Jiang Ci sat on the horse's back with a stiff posture, as if he dared not breathe.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Ji Yang said soothingly, took Yin Xue's reins, and walked slowly along the grass.
Jiang Ci gradually found his balance and relaxed a little. The horse cooperated very well, taking small steps and occasionally raising its head to look at its owner beside it.
As he led the horse, Ji Yang said, "When riding a horse, you must learn to listen to its breathing and see where its ears are moving. If it's afraid, you can soothe it softly; if it's restless, you can tighten the reins."
Jiang Ci looked down at him and couldn't help but chuckle: "You even talk about training a horse as if it were a human being."
"If you are willing to learn, I will teach you every day."
As soon as he finished speaking, he led his black horse and mounted it. Seeing him galloping forward, Yin Xue also trotted a few steps, causing Jiang Ci to bounce a little.
She exclaimed, "It's almost there!"
"Don't panic, just go with the flow and relax."
Jiang Ci smiled sweetly, as if she was feeling happy again after a long time. The wind blew past her ears, the horse's hooves were brisk, and the sunlight fell on her eyelashes, refracting a gentle light.
After riding for a long time, seeing that the front was open, Jiang Ci felt itchy and turned his head to smile at Ji Yang, saying, "I want it to run faster." There was some unconscious eagerness in his tone.
Ji Yang raised his eyebrows and looked at her, his tone still calm: "How long have you been learning? Don't try to be so arrogant."
Jiang Ci ignored the advice and shook the reins like he had just done, whispering to the horse, "Yinxue, hurry up." The horse was encouraged and indeed walked faster.
The wind blew past my ears, and I could still control it at first. But the horse suddenly became energetic, the sound of its hooves became faster, and it gradually sped up and ran forward.
"Yinxue! Yinxue—don't run so fast!" Jiang Ci pulled the reins hurriedly, his tone already panicked, but the horse didn't listen and ran faster and faster.
Behind him, Ji Yang's face darkened. He let out a low growl, squeezed his legs together, and urged his horse to catch up.
He chased her, shouting, "Don't pull on the reins! Relax! Lean forward!"
But Jiang Ci was already panicking and couldn't listen at all. He just felt like his feet were floating in the air and his heart was pounding.
"Jiang Ci, don't be afraid!"
Ji Yang chased to her side, and seeing that her body was swaying slightly, he suddenly pulled up the reins, jumped up from the horse, and landed steadily behind her.
"Don't move."
He quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, grabbed the reins with one hand, and forcibly stopped the horse. Yin Xue was forced to stop, neighed, and raised her front hooves high, almost taking off.
Jiang Ci was held in his arms, his entire body tightly wrapped in his breath, his heart beating so fast it almost jumped out of his chest.
The horse finally calmed down, its four hooves touched the ground, and it stopped panting.
She leaned against his chest, speechless for a long time.
Ji Yang looked down at her, his tone slowed down: "Are you scared?"
Jiang Ci's cheeks flushed, and he nodded slightly, then shook his head, but didn't dare to look up at him.
"Don't speed up without permission next time." Although his tone was light, the end of his words was light, like a reproach, but also like concern after restraint.
"Hmm..." Jiang Ci murmured in response, still leaning motionlessly in his arms, as if his heart was still hanging in the air.
Ji Yang looked at her, and with his fingers he gathered a strand of hair from behind her ear, saying softly, "It's okay."
At the end of the meadow, there was a low hill, dotted with a few crooked old trees, and sparse fallen leaves covered the ground. Ji Yang reined in his horse and turned to look at her: "Rest for a while."
Jiang Ci nodded, and stopped beside Yin Xue, his eyes still flushed from the wind when he was galloping just now.
Ji Yang took the cloth bag he had prepared earlier from the horse's back, placed the teapot and small cups out one by one, spread a blanket, and asked her to sit down.
"Why is there tea prepared?" Jiang Ci looked at him with a smile.
"You just recovered two days ago, so you can't be exposed to the wind." Ji Yang replied indifferently and poured her a cup of hot tea. There was still some warmth left at the mouth of the pot, which was obviously prepared by Yue Bai early in the morning.
Jiang Ci lowered his head and took a few sips, a soft touch of color floating on his lips. The aroma of tea mixed with the autumn air, and the warmth flowed from his throat all the way into his heart.
Ji Yang sat beside her, his eyes inadvertently falling on her palm, where the red mark left by the horse reins was still there.
He reached out, lifted her palm, and gently stroked the mark with his fingertips, saying in a low voice: "Does it hurt?"
Jiang Ci was startled by his touch and subconsciously wanted to shrink back, but Ji Yang just looked at her warmly and did not let go.
She whispered, "It doesn't hurt."
"You are so old, why are you still so rebellious? I just told you to slow down and you rushed out." Ji Yang's tone was light, but he lowered his head to take out the ointment for her, rolled up her sleeves, and applied it carefully.
Jiang Ci looked at his profile. The soft light made his features look even calmer. It was a look she had never seen before, a look that was even somewhat... gentle.
"The governor is becoming more and more like a doctor now." She chuckled, with a teasing tone in her voice.
"It's all due to hearsay, Doctor Jiang. This is not even a fraction of what you did in Ningling." Ji Yang answered casually, but paused for a moment after he finished speaking. When he lowered his head to tighten the medicine bottle, his knuckles tightened slightly.
Jiang Ci lowered his eyes to hide the turmoil in his eyes: "This tea... is it brewed with golden osmanthus flowers?"
Ji Yang nodded: "You said you liked this scent."
Jiang Ci paused slightly, looked up at him, but saw that he was staring at him silently, his eyes were very deep, as if he had something to hide but didn't say it.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked away in panic, coughing lightly in her throat: "We... have been sitting here for long enough."
"Yeah." Ji Yang replied calmly, "If you're tired, don't go far. We can ride back slowly."
Jiang Ci nodded, but for some reason he felt reluctant to leave this moment. The only sounds were the wind and falling leaves, the distant mountains were silent, and the world was so gentle that it seemed as if it had been separated from the chaotic world.
Suddenly, a few petals of withered flowers fell from the branches and floated on the edge of the blanket.
She raised her eyes slightly, looked at the petals on Ji Yang's body, and suddenly reached out to help him pick them off.
He was startled for a moment, then looked down at her. She smiled and said, "The flowers have fallen."
"Yeah." He answered neither lightly nor heavily, but never looked away.
The two walked side by side, holding the reins. The setting sun shone on them. Ji Yang took Jiang Ci's hand, and their shadows fell on the bluestone path. The horses neighed softly, the grass rustled, and the autumn air was in full swing.
A peddler on the roadside was packing up his stall. Seeing the two men walking along, leading their horses, he immediately sighed softly, "That's the Governor of Dongyang and his wife. They're a match made in heaven, a talented man and a beautiful woman."
"It's true, it's so nice to see the relationship, it really makes people want to extend the line."
Jiang Ci blushed slightly as he heard the laughter and whispered, "The people of Dongyang are quite welcoming."
Ji Yang hummed a low "hmm" with a calm expression, but his ears couldn't help but feel a little hot.
Back at the Dongyang Marquis's residence, it was already late at night. Jiang Ci yawned, his eyes slightly red, and said softly, "It seems I played too long today."
Ji Yang glanced at her and said in a gentle tone, "I have already made all the arrangements for Yin Shuang. Tomorrow morning, she can report to Du Mengqiu at the Military Governor's Office."
He paused, then turned slightly to the side. "You've been tired all day, so rest early."
Jiang Ci hummed, his eyes twinkling. Suddenly, he stood on tiptoe and pecked his cheek lightly, whispering, "Thank you, Commander, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to accompany me today."
After she finished speaking, without waiting for his reaction, she lifted her skirt and walked away with a smile.
Ji Yang was stunned for a moment, her gentle breath still lingering in his ears. He lowered his eyes slightly, raised his hand to touch his cheek, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
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