It was already past midnight when Xiao Nan fled back to the villa.
The other generals who lived in the villa had already gone to bed, and the night was quiet and silent.
The lights were on in the courtyard. Xiao Nanhui's frivolous steps paused, and suddenly some hope arose in his heart. He hurriedly took a few steps forward.
But the courtyard was empty and Xiao Zhun was not waiting for her.
At this moment, the person she most wanted to see and was most afraid to see was Xiao Zhun.
She wanted to see him and tell him about her confusion and hesitation.
But she was also afraid to see him, afraid that he would find out.
The hand that touched her heart, the obscure but passionate words, and the fire that fell on her lips all seemed to take root in her mind. The more she wanted to forget, the more she couldn't.
A strange and uncomfortable feeling took over her body, a bit of panic, a bit of shame, and a bit of... betrayal.
Why did she feel betrayed? Xiao Nan couldn't understand what had happened. She just wanted to use Xiao Zhun's voice and appearance to wash away the memory of that man in her body. If it were tonight, she might have mustered the courage to confess all the thoughts she had been thinking for so many years. If it were tonight...
But tonight, Xiao Zhun didn't come back.
An oil lamp remained on the stone table in the courtyard, perhaps left there by a patrolling soldier. Xiao Nanhui lit the lamp and sat down at the table again.
She didn't want to go back to her room, didn't want to climb into bed, didn't want to fall asleep. She was afraid that after she fell asleep, the man would come into her dreams again and play with her, tossing her around.
Even though she was still conscious at this moment, God would not fulfill her wish, and kept replaying that shameful yet tender scene in her mind like a play.
Time passed by little by little, Xiao Nanhui stared at the oil lamp eagerly, praying in his heart that Xiao Jun would come back soon.
The trip to Jiaosong County only took a few days, including the round trip. She and Xiao Zhun both had military duties to attend to, so it was impossible for them to take care of many things. Therefore, they did not bring Dujuan and Shrike with them.
She didn't let Dujuan come with her because she sympathized with her fatigue from the journey and thought it wasn't worth the trouble. She didn't let Shrike come with her because she disliked her causing trouble for others and was afraid she might cause trouble.
But at this moment, she suddenly felt a little regretful.
Only when her body was exhausted could her thoughts stop. If the Shrike were there, she could provoke him and fight him until dawn.
After sitting there for a while, Xiao Nanhui took out a crumpled piece of talisman paper from his lapel.
This was the drawing made by the fortune teller during the day. Ding Weixiang thought it was too rough, so he asked someone to redraw it and distribute it. The original draft remained in her hands.
The chaotic voices in his head couldn't stop, so Xiao Nanhui simply began to ponder the portrait of Zou Sifang under the dim oil lamp.
After an unknown amount of time, the sky gradually brightened. The attendant of the villa came in with a team of ceremonial officers who came to distribute the procedure posts. When he looked up, he was startled by the person sitting in the courtyard.
The attendant stood there for a while, then walked closer and took a closer look, only to find that the figure seemed to be the female general of Guangyao Camp.
The other person's hair was half loose and covered with frost. He was lying motionless on the stone table, holding half a piece of yellow paper in his hand.
"R-Right General?"
The human figure trembled, slowly raised its head, revealing a pale and swollen face.
"What time is it?"
The attendant calmed himself down and said softly, "It's morning."
Xiao Nanhui stood up suddenly, accidentally knocking over the burnt-out oil lamp on the table. He didn't bother to care about it and asked hurriedly, "Did the general come back last night?"
The attendant shook his head and said, "I will be on guard until dawn. The Right General was the last one to enter the courtyard last night."
Xiao Nanhui froze there for a long time before he moved and picked up the oil lamp.
Her face was a little frozen, and she could no longer look disappointed at this moment.
The attendant observed the situation and was about to leave, but was stopped when he turned around.
"Sir, could you please arrange for a letter to be delivered?"
"Of course, General, please give your orders. However, Jiaosong is a small place, and there are no fast horses at the post station. Without military orders to dispatch messengers, it is estimated that the day of sending the letter back to Quecheng will be almost the same as the day of returning..."
"It's not being sent to Quecheng." Xiao Nanhui handed the thin letter to the attendant, "It's being sent to Huozhou."
She wrote the letter last night after hesitating for a long time.
If the "Zou Sifang" who appeared at the ceremony was the leader of the Puhuna, then the current fog was not completely hopeless. At least she had been to the Zou Mansion, and Zou Sifang was not a person who came and went without a family. And if there was something different about this "Zou Sifang", his family might be able to detect it.
The matter of Puhuna must be resolved.
She repeatedly convinced herself that this was her duty and had nothing to do with that person, but she had forgotten that her original trip to Huozhou was actually for Xiao Zhun.
The attendant took the letter and left. Before leaving, he gave her a copy of the note left by the ceremonial officer as usual.
The post recorded the general arrangements for today's sacrifice. Xiao Nanhui glanced at it and confirmed that it had basically nothing to do with him.
She finally had a free day, and she didn't want to spend it alone in the villa.
After thinking for a while, she took Jixiang's hand and went to the Black Feather Camp where they were stationed.
The Black Feather Battalion was the emperor's personal guard, directly under his command. Normally, they should have been stationed near the imperial palace. However, during this New Year's Eve celebration, the Black Feather Battalion was stationed in the outer city of Jiaosong, home to numerous other palaces.
There were several mansions near Quecheng, with the most concentrated in Jiaosong County. Du Juan had previously let slip, and she had also gathered some information from Yao Yi, confirming that Bai Yun was imprisoned in a mansion in the Jiaosong area. However, she didn't know exactly which one.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
