Chapter 44
Upon learning that Zhu Yun was not Luo Yan's brother, and that neither of them even shared the surname Jia, Liu Changsheng slapped his thigh and said, "I knew it."
He had seen Old Master Jia when he was young. He was of average appearance and did not seem like someone who could have two golden children as his descendants.
As they were reminiscing, a thin plume of smoke, pale gold in color, burst open outside the pavilion. The group standing around the small square table paid no attention and continued their hushed discussion.
Only Luo Yan craned her neck curiously: "What is this?"
“Someone has broken into the formation,” Liu Changsheng explained. “Only if it’s a crimson signal smoke do we need to deal with it.”
He dared not continue talking to Luo Yan based on their friendship, lest someone become jealous. Seeing that it was getting late, he made an excuse to leave.
After Changsheng left, Luo Yan felt bored and simply propped her face up to look at Zhu Yun.
So embarrassing...so embarrassing...
Luo Yan lowered her head, not daring to look Qin Sizhao in the eye, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Qin Sizhao remained calm and greeted Zhu Yun politely.
Although he was refined, courteous, and impeccable in every way, Zhu Yun inexplicably felt awkward and took a step forward, blocking Luo Yan's path.
"I...I feel a little thirsty, I'm going to buy a cup of sugarcane tea..."
Luo Yan made up an excuse and quickly fled the scene.
Being seen by Qin Sizhao traveling with Zhu Yun made her extremely ashamed, and she had no face to see him again...
If she had a clear conscience, that would be fine, but she did have a guilty conscience.
Seeing Luo Yan hurriedly running away, Qin Sizhao merely curled the corners of his lips into a slight smile.
"I heard that Your Highness was looking for a husband for your sworn sister. Has anyone been chosen yet?"
Zhu Yun felt a sudden alarm bell ring in his heart, and said coldly:
"Zan Yun will not find her a husband."
Qin Sizhao simply smiled politely and said:
"It's a pity that I had a distant cousin who was never married."
He already knew in his heart that this matter was not so simple, and he could not act rashly, otherwise Luo Yan would be implicated and harmed.
Luo Yan's life is still in Zhu Yun's hands. He cannot act rashly and recklessly because of his own selfish desires, putting her in a dangerous situation without Zhu Yun's help.
He observed that Zhu Yun visibly relaxed. Qin Sizhao was afraid that Zhu Yun would suspect that Luo Yan had some kind of collusion with him, and thus become suspicious and harm Luo Yan.
He exchanged a few more pleasantries with Zhu Yun before taking his leave.
Seeing that Zhu Yun's expression was off, Qin Sizhao put her hand on her chin, pondering whether he had truly intended for Luo Yan to marry.
With her thoughts in a tangled mess, Qin Sizhao calmly pondered. If Zhu Yun truly wanted Luo Yan to marry, that would be ideal, but she had to be fully prepared to handle even the worst-case scenario.
He suddenly had an idea. Public opinion can be powerful, so why not spread the good reputation of the prince for being kind-hearted and selflessly taking in the orphan girl first?
In any case, it's always good to first establish Zhu Yun's reputation for virtue and innocence, and ideally, all the civil and military officials should think that Zhu Yun and Luo Yan are completely innocent.
He is currently at a crucial juncture in the transition of power, so naturally he will cherish his reputation and honor, and should not tarnish his imperial prestige for the sake of a woman.
There's no need to consider whether Zhu Yun genuinely wanted Luo Yan to marry him. Once Zhu Yun has a good reputation, he and Luo Yan can get married openly and fade out of Zhu Yun's sight unscathed.
He would resign from his official post and take Luo Yan back to his hometown to continue opening a clinic. Zhu Yun could give up Luo Yan in exchange for power and fame, which would be a win-win situation. Although Zhu Yun would suffer a loss, he would have no reason to cause him any more trouble.
"Luo Yan, is the sugarcane juice delicious?"
Seeing Luo Yan sitting earnestly on a stool at a small stall, drinking sugarcane juice from a cheap, tattered porcelain bowl, Qin Sizhao couldn't help but laugh.
He thought she was just making an excuse, but he didn't expect her to actually come and drink this cheap sugarcane juice.
She seemed startled and almost spilled the sugarcane juice on her clothes.
"Young Master Qin, what are you doing here?"
She lowered her head nervously.
"I'll figure something out, don't worry, just wait for me. As long as everything on your end is normal, don't rush."
He left with those words, and Luo Yan blinked, feeling that the sugarcane juice tasted a little sweeter.
Qin Sizhao's words were so reassuring and reliable. A sense of security welled up from the bottom of Luo Yan's heart, and she couldn't help but indulge herself in looking forward to the future.
Qin Sizhao said he would have a way, and he told her not to worry...
Luo Yan looked down at her stomach. Since he was so brave, she couldn't fall behind. She had to solve this problem herself.
She wouldn't hide it from him, but she would never leave the decision to him, as that would be tantamount to forcing him to accept a child who wasn't his own flesh and blood.
Since Qin Sizhao has made efforts for her, Luo Yan must also make efforts. She has made up her mind to solve this problem on her own.
She had to muster the courage to shed all her burdens in order to be worthy of his good intentions.
But now, she has to go back to Zhu Yun's side and continue to feign politeness and fawn over him.
Luo Yan gritted her teeth and pursed her lips.
She stood up, dragged her legs, and walked back to Zhu Yun's side step by step.
She was wearing a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and reached out to touch the knot tied with a ribbon at her chest, which Zhu Yun had tied for her that morning.
Once certain bottom lines are crossed, there's nothing left but to grit your teeth and regret it; there's no way you can ever go back to the original distance.
One wrong step leads to another... she had no chance to make amends.
Seeing that Zhu Yun's expression was normal, Luo Yan dared not guess what he and Qin Sizhao had talked about, nor did she dare to ask.
"Luo Yan, why do you look so strange?"
Luo Yan remembered Qin Sizhao's instructions to her: "Everything as usual," so she forced a smile.
"It's nothing... That young master must be some kind of official... I was just worried that someone might gossip about you in court, that's why I was nervous."
Luo Yan believed that the top scholar was smarter than she was. Since he had given her those instructions, he must have his reasons. She just needed to choose to trust him unconditionally.
Zhu Yun's expression relaxed a bit; she realized she had been overthinking things again.
After relaxing, Zhu Yun felt somewhat irritated. His intuition kept pairing two completely unrelated people together, even though Qin Sizhao hadn't even glanced at Luo Yan.
He didn't want Luo Yan out of his sight at all; just thinking about that subtle possibility made him feel uncomfortable all over.
"It doesn't matter, things have come to this, so let them say what they want..."
Luo Yan lowered her head and said:
"They're just gossiping and spreading rumors."
"It's not a rumor."
Zhu Yun looked down at Luo Yan and spoke slowly and deliberately. His gaze was like an impenetrable net, making her feel as if she were drowning and unable to breathe under his gaze.
Luo Yan opened her mouth, but said nothing, only avoiding Zhu Yun's gaze.
Everything was as usual... She silently repeated Qin Sizhao's instructions to her.
But Zhu Yun acted strangely... She didn't want to speculate on his motives; she just wanted to think of a solution.
"Luo Yan, you know those aren't rumors. Some polite words are fine to say, but don't deceive yourself."
Luo Yan smiled, the corners of her mouth curving upwards.
"Live one day at a time, whatever."
She pursed her lips. Was he trying to pin all the blame on her again?
Is Zhu Yun going to accuse her again of shamelessly seducing him in order to climb the social ladder by marrying into the Prince's mansion, leading a gentleman astray...?
Or was Zhu Yun trying to remind her to be more aware of her place and stop acting like a proper young lady from an official family?
Luo Yan bit her lower lip hard, telling herself not to care about his feelings anymore; Zhu Yun was not worthy of her at all.
What he thinks is not important at all. She just needs to do her best to fulfill Qin Sizhao's instructions and not hold him back.
As long as I can keep everything as normal, at least I won't implicate him.
Zhu Yun couldn't help but turn his gaze back to Luo Yan, and he finally realized where the incongruity lay.
Luo Yan was wearing a pomegranate red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) today, with a low-cut neckline that was very vibrant. Many eyes, both openly and secretly, were fixed on her throughout the streets and alleys.
Even though he had become somewhat tired of Luo Yan, he couldn't help but secretly look at her again and again.
Qin Sizhao didn't even glance at her, not even with a curious look. This was very strange, extremely unusual.
He glanced down at Luo Yan. Her temperament was unpredictable and fickle, and he couldn't tell if there was anything wrong with her.
"Luo Yan, did you know Qin Sizhao before?"
Zhu Yun felt that he was being too suspicious, but he just felt a strong sense of unease.
Luo Yan frowned and asked in confusion:
"Qin Sizhao? You mean the young master who bowed to you just now?"
She knew that deliberately avoiding Qin Sizhao would arouse suspicion, and Luo Yan had already devised a plan to deal with this.
"That young master can't be said to be a complete stranger... I heard Yang Ruoyun mention that a noble lady seemed to be interested in him, but he politely declined."
She smiled smugly, convinced that not a single word she uttered was a lie.
Zhu Yun pursed his lips, thinking to himself that he had been overthinking things. Qin Sizhao was the newly appointed top scholar, and even if he wanted to get married, it wouldn't be Luo Yan's turn. He really thought too highly of her.
Qin Sizhao was a man of impeccable manners, and his avoidance of Luo Yan was merely a matter of courtesy.
"Come back to the palace with me, Luo Yan."
"What would I do there? I'd rather go back to the Prince's Palace. I'm more comfortable there."
He was annoyed that Luo Yan wanted to leave his sight, but couldn't find any reason to get angry with her.
"Luo Yan, you need to get used to it gradually."
"I'm not used to it... The people in the palace are all so strange, like wooden blocks."
"That's called following the rules, not being strange."
“I have no identity, so it would be awkward for me to go there. People would look at me with strange eyes.”
"You can have an identity."
In his haste, he blurted out what was on his mind, but he regretted it immediately afterward. He didn't want Luo Yan to think that he needed her more.
"It's not a big deal about your status. I'm just giving you a title out of the blue... There's no obstacle to it."
Luo Yan was slightly annoyed by him.
"Forget it. I know I'm dull-witted and impatient, and I can't stand the slightest grievance. I dare not get involved in your imperial family's affairs, or I might lose my head."
"It's good that you have the self-awareness."
Zhu Yun turned her face away again, not wanting to look at her.
He didn't know what was wrong with him. He would be unhappy if Luo Yan knew his feelings, and he would also be unhappy if Luo Yan was completely unaware of his feelings.
He just wanted to transform his unhappiness into some unspeakable desire and vent it on Luo Yan as soon as possible.
Anyway, she's the one who made him unhappy, so she deserves it.
Day after day.
She pulled her third sister aside, then freed Xuebao, and asked, "Have you noticed that I've grown taller?"
Xuebao consulted the troubleshooting manual and nodded: "It should be restored in less than ten days."
However, all the values were set from the beginning, and it advised Luo Yan not to bother changing them. Besides, as the white moonlight of the arrogant protagonist, she was already close to perfect.
"Oh, right," Xuebao said, getting down to business, "I met the male lead."
Luo Yan initially wanted to say it had nothing to do with her, but thinking of Zhu Yun, the infamous minor villain in the original book, her attitude softened.
It continued: "The male protagonist failed to break through the formation and is now trapped here by your childhood sweetheart. His health is continuously decreasing."
Day after day.
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