In the laundry yard, a maid was beating gongs and pounding clothes by the well, making a loud sound. Jiang Rao lowered her head for a while, then stood up unsteadily. It was as if spilled water could not be taken back. She glanced at Ming Shao and the others again. Not surprisingly, they still kept their heads down.
Jiang Rao: “…”
She glanced at the old clothes in the wooden basin. Just one glance and the increasingly dark bloodstains in the water made her quickly look away. She left the old clothes to Huai Qing to deal with and went back to her room in the inn with Ming Shao.
She comforted herself that Huai Qing Wuque and the others were not the kind of people who talked nonsense, let alone Ming Shao. From childhood to adulthood, she had helped her hide countless things.
Today's incident only caused them to misunderstand and could not be explained clearly, so that's fine.
Jiang Rao looked back and saw Ming Shao's expression had returned to normal. She was no longer surprised. She calmed down a little and regarded the matter as a thing of the past. She heard Ming Shao muttering behind her, "No wonder I saw His Highness the Ninth Prince coming out of the young lady's room this morning." She quickly turned around and covered Ming Shao's mouth, "Don't mention this again."
Ming Shao had a history of secretly telling her father about her affairs, so Jiang Rao warned her, "Don't tell my parents."
Ming Shao shook her head hurriedly, and when Jiang Rao let go of her hand, she chased after him and said, "I was just wondering if we should find a doctor to check the girl's pulse. Otherwise, we should go back to Jinling first and find a doctor in the mansion to check it directly. We don't have to worry about what the doctor says outside."
The more Jiang Rao listened, the more she felt something was wrong. She frowned and asked, "What are you worried about?"
"I'm worried... I'm worried that the girl is pregnant." Ming Shao said with some self-blame, "I should have asked a nanny who knows all this to follow me. This servant really doesn't know anything about this."
Jiang Rao: “…”
If she said now that she didn't know the truth about this matter, would Ming Shaohuan believe her?
As expected, rumors must be explained as soon as they start.
Otherwise it will just be like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger.
In the end, even the most eloquent person couldn't explain it clearly.
She rubbed her forehead and said to Ming Shao with a headache: "I told you to forget about it, just forget it, don't worry about it anymore, I know what to do."
Ming Shao nodded and really put the matter behind her, but Jiang Rao herself could not forget it. When she saw Rong Ting again, just seeing him standing there, the back of her ears turned red unconsciously. She pulled the two buns on both sides of her head to hide the redness on the tips of her ears.
night
After the court was over, Rong Ting didn't need to go there again and stayed in the inn. Jiang Rao was beside him, feeling like she couldn't breathe, all of her mind was occupied by Ming Shao's nonsense.
She had always been very well behaved. Even though she felt a little uneasy when she was with Rong Ting, she still followed him obediently when he waved and called her back to her room in the inn.
But she did not close the door when she went in, intending to let Ming Shao see that her relationship with Rong Ting was innocent and that she was not as shameful as she thought!
Ming Shao looked at Jiang Rao's back and sighed. She walked quickly forward and closed the door for Jiang Rao, thinking that she was careless.
Jiang Rao heard the sound of the door closing and her ears felt numb.
Rong Ting glanced at the door, a smile forming in his eyes. He had already known from Huai Qing and Wu Que that Jiang Rao almost washed his clothes, and naturally he also knew what Jiang Rao said at that time. He wanted to hear her say those words in front of him. He blinked lazily twice and asked in a coaxing tone, "When I met Huai Qing on the road just now, he didn't dare to look me in the eye. Maybe he was hiding something from me?"
There was a hook in the lazy voice, urging Jiang Rao to say something.
Jiang Rao avoided his half-smiling gaze and clenched her fingers slightly. She would not tell him what happened during the day even if she had more nerve. It was too embarrassing.
She pursed her lips and shook her head, pretending not to know. She was afraid that he would blame Huai Qing wrongly, so she clenched her fingers and said, "Maybe you saw it wrongly... Huai Qing is just timid and has always been serious about his work, so he can't make any mistakes..."
Rong Ting lowered his eyes and looked at her little movements that were trying to hide something. When he heard her praising others, he rarely did not get angry, but laughed instead.
Jiang Rao walked to the table, picked up the yellowed parchment map on the table, changed the subject, and asked what she wanted to ask most, "Now that you know who is behind this, how long do you plan to stay here?"
She said, "I want to know when I can return to Jinling."
Rong Ting heard something that she didn't say, "How long will you stay as long as I stay?"
Jiang Rao nodded.
She hadn't thought of any other option except this.
Rong Ting looked at her.
During the half day he stayed in the yamen, he had to interrogate the yamen runners who were in collusion with the innkeeper. Those people all had ulterior motives and their own little plans in mind. They tried to shift the blame to others and told lies in order to protect themselves.
The hostility that had accumulated like mud during the interrogation of the prisoner dissipated peacefully the moment he saw her.
Sometimes he wanted to trap her in his hands, and sometimes he felt
Well... just take a look like this, and then he lowered his voice, "If you want to go back to Jinling, you can do so in three days."
We have checked almost everything we need to check, and it's time to go back to Jinling.
Jiang Rao's eyes lit up when she saw that he had been looking at her with his eyes as deep as lakes and a tender gaze.
She frowned.
Did he want her to go back to Jinling alone?
She put away the smile on her face, and with a serious face, she discussed with him, "Can you please stop feeding me that medicine?"
After taking the medicine, she would sleep for several days, as if a day and a night had been taken away for nothing. In addition, he would knock her out without saying hello every time... If he continued like this, she would not be annoyed the first two times, but she would really be angry if he did it again.
Rong Ting lowered his eyes and looked like he was admitting his mistake. He said in a low, hoarse voice, "I won't do that again."
Jiang Rao asked again: "Then you said you would go back in three days, maybe you can come with me?"
Rong Ting was silent for a while and did not answer.
Jiang Rao knew in her heart that in the eyes of others, he was a dead man. It would not be easy to conceal his identity and ask him to go back to Jinling with her.
She reached out her hand and held his, "If you can't go back, I will stay here for a few more days."
If he didn't plan to go back to Jinling with her, and just asked her to go back first, she wouldn't plan to go back first, and it would be fine to stay here for a few more days.
Afraid of being rejected, Jiang Rao did not hesitate to throw dirty water on herself, "I am not careful with my mouth. If you let me go back alone, I might reveal your whereabouts."
Rong Ting's eyebrows curved and he smiled faintly. He spread his fingers and slipped into the gap between Jiang Rao's fingers, then held Jiang Rao's hand. "I will go back with you in three days."
Jiang Rao was surprised, "Really?"
"I'm afraid you won't keep your mouth shut, so I'll have to stay by your side, not leaving your side for a single step." Rong Ting said with a faint smile, "But I have to change my identity."
When he smiled, his eyes were filled with a gentleness that seemed to devour people, making the people who looked into his eyes almost drown. "Niannian, can I serve you?"
…
After finishing the discussion with Rong Ting and coming out of the inn room, Jiang Rao felt a little dazed.
Ming Shao was lying on the railing waiting for Jiang Rao. When she heard the sound of the door opening, she turned around, saw Jiang Rao coming out, and called out "Girl".
Jiang Rao was brought back to her senses by Ming Shao's call of "girl". She remembered the sound of the door closing when she entered just now, and felt angry and amused.
She walked over, gently pressed Ming Shao's forehead with her finger, and said, "You are quite perceptive."
Ming Shao didn't hear the hidden meaning in Jiang Rao's words. She just thought it was a compliment for her good work in closing the door and smiled foolishly.
Jiang Rao glanced at her, but didn't point it out. He said, "Come with me to count the money we brought."
Ming Shao chased after Jiang Rao, "Miss, what do you mean...?"
"It's time to go back to Jinling. I've discussed this with His Highness the Ninth Prince." Jiang Rao walked forward, paused, and looked back at Ming Shao. "After you go back, don't tell anyone that you saw him here."
Last time she warned Ming Shao, it was more out of caution. This time, she had discussed it with Rong Ting. Jiang Rao's tone was much more serious than last time. "If anyone has seen him and knows who he is, they should keep their mouths shut. Just pretend that we didn't meet him in Qiliu Town this time. If someone asks us why we went back after we return to Jinling, we can say that we returned to Jinling because the inn caught fire and we were scared and timid."
Ming Shao frowned, "Could this be His Highness the Ninth Prince's idea?"
Having said that, I'm afraid those who know that Jiang Rao went south will laugh at her for giving up halfway.
Jiang Rao shook her head. "It was my own idea."
It was just an act, she didn't mind at all carrying the reputation of being a coward.
Ming Shao breathed a sigh of relief. "It's better to change it this way, otherwise I would really feel wronged for the young lady."
Jiang Rao knew what she was worried about and laughed, "I won't make a mistake."
Ming Shao pursed her lips, "I don't want to let the young lady suffer any loss."
"Then His Highness the Ninth Prince will stay here?" Ming Shao asked.
"No." Jiang Rao shook her head. Rong Ting had just told her in the room that he would pretend to be her follower and follow her back to Jinling.
When she thought of the tone in which he had spoken of this matter just now, she felt a little embarrassed. He had directly said that he just wanted to pretend to be her follower, but he had to say that he was... serving her. His eyes were as soft as a small animal, which actually made her want to keep him in captivity.
Lust is the key, and it is a knife.
Jiang Rao read it again, and went with Ming Shao to count the money they brought.
The last time the inn caught fire, she didn't lose too much. Jiang Rao sorted out some jewelry and planned to give it to the magistrate's wife before leaving.
That afternoon when Rong Ting was away, she asked her maid to go out and inquire about the situation. She found out that County Magistrate Zuo had a very good reputation among the people and was honest and upright. Jiang Rao has always had a good impression of such officials who are popular among the people. As a result, she loved Madam Zuo to begin with, and now she liked her even more. She also put in some of her favorite jewelry, intending to give it to Madam Zuo.
If County Magistrate Zuo could be promoted to Jinling in the future, perhaps she could meet their family. Although there was no dream to reveal it, Jiang Rao still had an inexplicable intuition in her heart.
When she thought about the chance to see that little babe Zuo Jixuan, Jiang Rao couldn't help but curl up the corners of her lips. The next day, she went to the magistrate's residence with gifts for Mrs. Zuo.
The weather was much better than yesterday and it cleared up early.
When Madam Zuo heard that Jiang Rao was going to leave in a few days, she insisted on keeping Jiang Rao in her house for a few days.
Jiang Rao originally felt it was inconvenient, but when she saw the little girl hugging her calves and whimpering and begging her to stay, she lost all her resistance and settled down in Zuo Mansion.
…
Inside the county government office.
County Magistrate Zuo accompanied Rong Ting out of prison. He looked completely different before entering the cell and after leaving the cell.
He looked normal when he went in, but his face was as pale as frost when he came out.
After arriving at the study, he asked the servant to go down and make tea. He said to Rong Ting, "This official... did not regard the fire in the inn as a big deal."
Jiang Rao is beautiful, and even though she acts low-key, she looks much wealthier than ordinary people. Regardless of whether the innkeeper is after money or sex, he can always give an explanation.
Even if Rong Ting suddenly showed up and said he wanted to investigate the matter thoroughly, he just thought that this young man was just hot-blooded and wanted to seek justice for his fiancée. Because of the battle in Huaizhou, he respected Rong Ting a little more and was willing to help Rong Ting and investigate this simple case.
He never thought that this simple case almost implicated him.
Although the innkeeper was doing it for money, he was bribed by someone. The person who bribed him was sent by the governor. The governor and the prefect had a good personal relationship, so even if the governor wanted to investigate, the prefect could stop him. The yamen runners, prefects, and provincial governors all protected each other. He couldn't find any reason, so in the end he had no choice but to resign.
Magistrate Zuo smiled bitterly, shook his head and said, "It was my negligence."
Such an incident happened in Qiliu Town. If he was not careful in handling it, his official hat would be taken off. If it was really his fault, he would admit that he had his hat taken off. But this matter had nothing to do with him. Just because they wanted to find a scapegoat, they found one on his head?
He was no longer just feeling palpitations and fear; he was even a little angry.
He has been a county magistrate for more than ten years and has always been suppressed. Now that something like this has happened, he wants to be the scapegoat?
He worked diligently as an official, but in the end he became a victim. No one could bear such a thing.
Rong Ting saw the changes in the county magistrate's expression, and saw that he was still frightened and had anger and resentment in his eyes. He said calmly, as if throwing out bait, "Your Excellency, don't worry too much. We have already investigated the matter and there is nothing to be afraid of."
Magistrate Zuo looked at Rong Ting and sighed deeply, "If His Majesty the Ninth Prince had not been here, this humble official would have been wronged."
He looked at Rong Ting and asked in a low voice, "We have all the evidence, is His Highness going back to Jinling?"
Before Rong Ting could answer, there was a knock on the study door. Someone came in and whispered something to the magistrate. The magistrate raised his eyebrows and asked Rong Ting with a smile, "Miss Jiang wants to stay at your house. Your Highness the Ninth Prince, why don't you stay tonight as well? This way, I can entertain you for the last few times as a token of my hospitality."
Rong Ting raised his eyes slightly.
The magistrate explained, "Just now my wife told me that Xuan'er was pestering Miss Jiang and insisted that she stay."
Magistrate Zuo could imagine his son's clinging appearance and smiled guiltily, "Thank goodness for the girl's soft heart."
Rong Ting frowned slightly, lowered his eyes, and smiled softly, "She has always been like this."
The fingers holding the cup tightened slightly.
County Magistrate Zuo frowned unconsciously.
He felt that Rong Ting's expression seemed to have changed from just now.
But he himself couldn't tell what was different.
I just felt that even when he was smiling, he looked a little cold.
Even though he was also a man, he could tell that the young man in front of him was good-looking, with fair skin and red lips. It wasn't the kind of delicate white that looked like snow on a mountain, which made people feel cold and unapproachable at a glance. The county magistrate became a little suspicious. When Rong Ting was invited to his residence the day before, he didn't have the same feeling as now. Was he wrong or didn't notice something...
Rong Ting took a sip of tea, looked up at County Magistrate Zuo, and replied to what he had just said, "I will set off for the capital in three days. I will not cut off my correspondence with you and will give you an explanation."
"I'm going to bother you for a while tonight."
…
Naturally, the troublemakers did not dare to go to the magistrate's doorstep. Jiang Rao stayed in Zuo's mansion, where it was much quieter than in the inn. She accompanied Zuo Jixuan to play behind the rockery.
Zuo Jixuan did whatever she said. His well-behaved and obedient appearance pleased Jiang Rao very much. She held a small wooden stick and taught Zuo Jixuan to write his name.
Jiang Jinxing was invited to the Zuo residence. He was too lazy to care about Zuo Jixuan, who was so young. He had tender skin and a face as rosy as a peach. He was like a girl, so he could not be beaten or scolded. Jiang Jinxing took a closer look and suddenly became curious, "Is this really a boy?"
Jiang Rao nodded, and Jiang Jinxing's eyes changed to
A little suspicious, Jiang Rao said: "It's hard to tell whether a child this old is a boy or a girl. Don't talk nonsense. If Madam Zuo hears it, she will definitely kick you out."
Jiang Jinxing was reprimanded and pouted. He looked down at the crooked Chinese characters "骥" on the ground, his eyes full of disgust, and muttered, "I've said this several times. How stupid."
He didn't say anything, but Jiang Rao knew what the boy was saying just by looking at his lips opening and closing, "When you were the same age as him, you were not as good as him."
Jiang Jinxing snorted, "You were just born a few years earlier than me, and you remember all the embarrassing things I did when I was a kid."
He stood by the wall with his arms folded, and taunted Jiang Rao, "If I was the one born earlier, you would be the one being laughed at right now."
Jiang Rao was too lazy to pay attention to him. She taught Zuo Jixuan to write the word "Zuo" and said to Zuo Jixuan: "Your handwriting is much better than that brother over there."
Zuo Jixuan grinned, and his dark eyes moved to Jiang Jinxing and glanced at Jiang Jinxing. Jiang Jinxing pouted his lips as if he was angry, and regardless of the fact that he was older and should give in to the child, he glared at Zuo Jixuan fiercely.
Zuo Jixuan instead smiled at Jiang Jinxing, which made Jiang Jinxing angry, and he turned around and left behind the rockery.
Jiang Rao pulled Zuo Jixuan's hand and looked at his back, not knowing how to cure his bad temper. She sighed and turned around to ask Zuo Jixuan, "What do you think of that brother just now?"
Zuo Jixuan replied in a childish voice, "It looks good!"
Jiang Rao shook her head. Children are just children after all, and they don’t have good eyesight.
But Jiang Jin left. Zuo Jixuan looked at his heartless back, feeling aggrieved and about to cry.
Jiang Rao quickly held up the child's face and coaxed him, "He is bad."
The child's cheeks are as soft as dough.
Jiang Jinxing hadn't walked far when he heard a crisp sound. He blushed, paused for a moment, became annoyed, and quickened his pace.
Jiang Rao rubbed Zuo Jixuan's little face with great admiration. Suddenly, she paused and looked at the child's fan-like eyelashes. She felt the same confusion as Jiang Jinxing.
The child is so delicate and pretty that he will be prettier than a girl when he grows up.
The voice when speaking seemed a little too soft.
Really a girl?
She suddenly thought of Rong Ting's face, squinted her eyes, and felt that something was wrong. She was just pretty, but she might not be a girl.
She shook her head to get rid of the strange idea. As soon as she stopped shaking her head, she felt a chill on her wrist and someone took her hand away from Zuo Jixuan's face.
Jiang Rao raised her head and saw Rong Ting's face.
He smiled gently, "Will you stay at Zuo's mansion today?"
Jiang Rao nodded.
"I'll go with you." His smile was still gentle. He didn't loosen his grip on Jiang Rao's wrist and glanced at the ground. "Are you teaching him calligraphy?"
Jiang Rao hummed, and Rong Ting laughed, "I'm afraid these words are too difficult for him."
Jiang Rao watched Rong Ting write two characters on the ground, and Zuo Jixuan read them out in a baby voice, "Madam."
Jiang Rao: “…”
She could never have imagined that the simpler word he said would be "Madam".
"Do you know what this means?"
Zuo Jixuan moved his head, not knowing whether he was shaking his head or nodding.
Rong Ting pointed at Jiang Rao and said, "This is my wife."
He tilted his head and looked at Jiang Rao, then blinked at her.
Jiang Rao was about to speak when her heart was tickled by his seductive eyes.
Rong Ting smiled, looked back at Zuo Jixuan, narrowed his eyes, and said in a dangerous tone, "Got it?"
Zuo Jixuan blinked, looking innocent, "I also have a wife."
Rong Ting also followed his movements, blinked, and said slowly: "Since you have a wife, you must abide by the rules and not hang out with other girls."
Jiang Rao grabbed his sleeve and said, "You..."
She wanted to say that he was teaching the child in a wrong way, but after thinking about his words, she felt that they made sense. She couldn't help but choke and turned to look at Zuo Jixuan, somewhat curious, "Do you really have a wife?"
Zuo Jixuan wrinkled his nose and replied softly, "I will cancel the engagement."
Jiang Rao was a little confused by Zuo Jixuan's words.
The maid behind Zuo Jixuan explained, "When the young master was born, a senior monk told him that he would face a disaster when he was fifteen, and that he had to find a girl with a compatible horoscope to get engaged first in order to avoid it. That's why the young master is engaged, but this marriage cannot be completed in the future. The senior monk said that the engagement will be cancelled after the young master's fifteenth birthday."
Zuo Jixuan felt sleepy and was carried away by the maid. Jiang Rao used a wooden stick to scratch and erase the word "Madam" on the ground, and her ears turned red.
Why didn't she realize before that he was so capable of competing with children?
The way he blinked just now was no less innocent than that of a three-year-old child.
Rong Ting stood against the light, a smile in his eyes, and watched her scribble the two words he had written on the ground with his hands behind his back, without any intention of repentance.
…
On the day of leaving, Zuo Jixuan followed Madam Zuo to the city gate to see Jiang Rao off. He pursed his lips and was about to cry, which broke Jiang Rao's heart and her eyes turned red.
Jiang Jinxing rode his horse behind Jiang Rao's carriage, his face looking extremely grim. He asked the man on the other red-maned horse, "When will you marry my sister?"
On the red-maned horse, Rong Ting was wearing an inconspicuous grey cloth, his hair was combed like an ordinary follower, and he wore a straw hat on his head, pulled down to cover his face. He only talked to Jiang Jinxing for a few words at this moment, and when the convoy started moving, he would blend in with the other followers to avoid being noticed.
He leisurely looked at Zuo Jixuan's tearful face, his eyes were contented, and heard his tone seemed to be somewhat disgusted with Jiang Rao, so he asked back: "What's the matter?"
Jiang Jinxing sighed, "It's really frustrating that you cry all the time."
Rong Ting's eyebrows curved, with a smile in his eyes, "I'll comfort you."
…
On the same day, Jinxiu Palace.
"This is newly imported fabric, made of snow silkworm silk that is hard to find in the world. It takes an embroiderer three years to embroider one piece. It was just tributed to the palace this year, and the emperor ordered the queen to deliver it. The emperor really treats the queen with great care."
Empress Jiahe lowered her head and glanced at the cloth in front of her. She slowly stroked it with her fingertips. The cloth under her fingertips was as smooth as water. She gradually began to smile, feeling somewhat proud.
Empress Jiahe asked the maid beside her, "What about Shuxiang Palace?"
The palace maid laughed, "What can the one in Shuxiang Palace have? There were less than ten pieces of fabric delivered, and the queen herself had three pieces. How can she have a share of the remaining seven pieces?"
"Yes." Queen Jiahe smiled sarcastically.
Over the past year, the emperor's favor towards her has only increased, and he has become more indulgent day by day. If she could find something to hold against Qin Yun at this moment, the emperor would only stand on her side.
Even if there is no evidence, it can be fabricated.
Which matter in this palace is not decided by the emperor? As long as the emperor's heart is with her, he will remove Qin Yun, the thorn in her side that has been jumping in her eyes for more than ten years. It just depends on when she is in the mood to do so.
Thinking of Qin Yun, she soon thought of Jiang Rao. The queen raised her hand from the cloth room and asked her confidant beside her, "Is there any news from Qiliu in Rui County?"
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