Chapter 56. Madam, I am not a saint.
Zhao Xian was somewhat surprised by Jiang Liangxu's reaction. "Aren't you scared?"
One body used by two people, with completely different personalities and knowledge. Isn't that strange?
Jiang Liangxu looked down at her: "You come from the future, you are not demons or monsters, you are all human, just with different experiences of the world. Why are you afraid?"
Zhao Xian was speechless. What had that "she" explained to him?
The moment the poet Li Bai's poem was published, it did cause a stir, but soon voices of doubt arose.
One of the men asked, "Young lady, did you perhaps see someone write this poem somewhere and then use it?"
Lang Zhizhi looked around, found the person who had spoken, and said with a stiff neck, "Why can't it be my own doing? Who do you look down on?"
She immediately recited another poem.
Zhao Xian made a mistake by feeling embarrassed for others. Even if the era was fictional and there were no poems by poets like the Poet Immortal and the Poet Saint, she shouldn't have directly admitted to writing them herself, as it would be difficult to cover up the lie later.
The man held his wine glass and chuckled softly: "It's not that I look down on you, young lady, but the two poems you wrote are quite different. One is unrestrained and yearns for freedom, and the other... May I ask, young lady, as a woman, what is the source of your bitterness about being talented but unappreciated and frustrated in your official career?"
There was no such thing as women holding official positions in this dynasty. Even if there were, they would serve the emperor and empress dowager in the palace and would not be seen by outsiders. Moreover, judging from her appearance, Lang Zhizhi was only sixteen or seventeen years old and was not someone who had entered the palace.
The slap in the face came too quickly, catching me completely off guard.
Zhao Xian raised her hand to cover her face, and Lang Zhizhi's expression froze for a moment, his clear eyes seeming to say that the script shouldn't be like this.
"Peony, go and invite her..."
The restaurant was full of men, most of whom were scholars. They were full of questions and kept asking questions until Lang Zhizhi couldn't keep up. Zhao Xian couldn't stand it anymore and was about to tell Shaoyao to bring the man up.
Unexpectedly, the other person's expression changed. Realizing that everyone was watching her, panic flashed in her eyes, her face turned deathly pale, and she lifted her skirt and fled.
Seeing this, Zhao Xian changed the subject: "Go and pay for that girl's meal."
Miss Lang ran straight through the alleyways and back to her rented courtyard.
"Does Madam wish to acknowledge that woman?"
Zhao Xian was momentarily confused. Should she reunite with her fellow villager?
Upon seeing what Lou Bai was investigating, it initially seemed like a case of dual personality, but the strange things Lou Bai said suggested that he might be a time traveler.
Upon observation, Miss Lang's situation is quite complicated; the original owner of the body, Lang Qingwan, was indeed an ancient girl.
She neither disappeared nor was she possessed; instead, her body gained a new body named Lang Zhizhi.
It's probably from outside; Lang Zhizhi appears only for a limited time, and at a very fixed time.
Zhao Xian had been visiting the restaurant's private room for several days in a row, but she never once thought of going to see him.
She should have been happy to see someone like her, but she didn't feel any strong urge to meet them.
After seeing the situation of Lang Qingwan and Lang Zhizhi.
Zhao Xian even reflected on whether she had also fought with the original owner for control of the body, causing trouble for the original owner.
In the end, she even took his place, taking it for granted that she would use his body to marry and have children.
Does Jiang Liangxu know this secret?
“No.” Zhao Xian shook her head.
At least for now, she has no intention of acknowledging him; she's just purely curious.
"Let's go back."
Back at the Jiang family home, Zhao Xian remembered the letter Jiang Liangxu had mentioned. She recalled tearing it up and putting it in her makeup box, saying that she would save it for the original owner of the body to read when she returned.
Reminded by him, Zhao Xian pulled it out. Fortunately, the letter wasn't torn to shreds, so piecing it back together wasn't too difficult.
After piecing together the information and seeing the contents, Zhao Xian frowned several times.
Just then, Jiang Liangxu came out of the bathroom, his hair still damp. He leaned over and their eyes met.
Zhao Xian grabbed his collar and pulled him down a little: "Jiang Liangxu, what do you mean by that? What do you mean by telling me not to reveal my identity, not to talk about China with others, and not to easily trust fellow countrymen?"
He had He Mama deliver this letter to her after he went to Changzhou. She thought he was explaining that the emperor's orders were difficult to disobey, so she didn't read it and wanted to leave it for the original owner of the body.
To her surprise, the content was actually a warning.
Zhao Xian remembered that she revealed her identity after seeing him in Changzhou. Before that, she had used the excuse that she had forgotten about what happened between them to fool him.
It turns out he'd been playing her all along! He knew her identity and that she was faking amnesia to deceive him.
Jiang Liangxu bent down following her grip, but the movement was not very comfortable, so he simply picked her up, sat down himself, and placed Zhao Xian on his lap.
Zhao Xian tried to get up, but he put his arm around her waist to stop her.
“From the first time I saw Madam after I came back, I felt that she had changed, and was more like… the Madam from before.” Although she had forgotten many things, she was still his Ah Xian.
Zhao Xian: "...What did you mean by 'before'?"
“When Madam said she was very lonely,” Jiang Liangxu said, his eyes filled with self-reproach, then added, “Take today’s events for example. If it were Madam back then, she would have recognized that girl immediately.”
Before Jiang Liangxu went to Changzhou, he was still worried. Although Zhao Xian said that she had lost her memory, he could tell that she did not completely forget him.
She looked just like she did in her early twenties then—optimistic yet inexplicably lonely. He worried that she might easily trust others again, so he wrote this letter.
"Have I recognized someone before?"
Zhao Xian sensed that there was something more to his words.
And this letter—was the original 'she' a fool? She told him everything.
Did they have absolutely no sense of caution?
"Achoo, it's so cold." With that, Jiang Liangxu carried Zhao Xian to the bed.
Zhao Xian panicked immediately, "Put me down, put me down, we're getting a divorce."
Upon hearing the word "divorce," Jiang Liangxu patted the person in his arms, as if afraid she would fall, and held her even tighter, saying innocently, "I just wanted to carry you to the bed, what are you thinking?"
Zhao Xian's cheeks flushed hot. "I... I have feet, I can walk by myself."
Jiang Liangxu nodded and placed the person on the bed.
Distracted by this, Zhao Xian forgot to ask about the letter, while Jiang Liangxu put on his clothes and went to the study, seemingly trying to avoid her.
Zhao Xian did not go to the private room of the restaurant to observe the young lady, but she still instructed Lou Bai to keep an eye on her.
A few days before Lunar New Year's Eve, Jiang Wei's case was solved, and he was able to return home.
Early in the morning, Li Lianniang came to pay her respects to Zhao Xian in high spirits and told her about the Miss Lang: "Mother, I asked my husband yesterday, and Miss Lang is really not his savior. His injury was not caused by saving my husband."
Before Zhao Xian could ask, she continued, "When my husband was in Changzhou, he was ambushed in the street. There were many attackers, and even with his guards, it wasn't enough. When he fought with the attackers, Miss Lang was caught in the crossfire. If my husband hadn't pulled her away, she probably would have been injured, not just in her arm."
"However, it was because of my husband that an innocent passerby was implicated. Afterwards, to express his apology, my husband sent someone to deliver a gift."
Zhao Xian knew that Miss Lang was not Jiang Wei's savior, but she didn't know the specific details. Lou Bai only gave a brief summary of the findings.
I didn't expect there to be such a part, and the fact that it was never mentioned how dangerous Jiang Wei's journey to Changzhou was.
Cui Tingyue asked doubtfully, "If that's the case, how dare that girl come to the Jiang family and say that she is my brother's savior?"
Li Lianniang was also puzzled. That day, the young lady Lang spoke with such firmness that no one would have thought she was lying. "My husband said he didn't know either. He was busy with things in Changzhou. After sending someone to apologize, he never saw that girl again."
When he returned home last time, he was too busy to come back. He only heard from his servant that someone claiming to be his savior had come to his door.
I only learned the details after hearing Li Lianniang's story during my recent return home.
However, Miss Nalang never visited again. If Li Lianniang hadn't suddenly remembered to ask about it yesterday, she probably would have overlooked the matter.
"Let's not talk about that. The New Year is just around the corner, and the household..." Zhao Xian changed the subject by bringing up the New Year celebrations.
Lunar New Year's eve.
There was a banquet in the palace on New Year's Eve, but only high-ranking officials attended and their families did not participate.
In Zhao Xian's view, it was somewhat similar to a company annual meeting.
This year, Jiang Heng did not return home for the Spring Festival. Instead, he sent a servant back with a letter saying that he had taken someone else's place and could rest at home for a few more days after the New Year.
Therefore, on New Year's Eve, only Zhao Xian, Li Lianniang, Cui Tingyue, and Jiang Shuxiu, who was less than a year old, stayed up together to welcome the new year.
It didn't matter that there were few people; Zhao Xian asked the main kitchen to prepare pots and roasted meat.
While eating, they watched the servants perform dances, shadow puppetry, sword dances, and other skills; they were quite talented.
Everyone who performed received a reward.
After they had eaten enough, Zhao Xian had someone set out the jars, and they began to play pitch-pot.
Each jar contains a slip of paper with an item written on it. If you hit the target, you take the item written on the paper; if you miss, you are penalized with a cup of wine.
In the first round, Zhao Xian was the only one who missed, and was punished with a glass of wine.
Li Lianniang and Cui Tingyue both won; one received a pair of pearl earrings, and the other received a jade comb.
"Ahhhhh..." Jiang Shuxiu was very dissatisfied; she wanted to play too.
Zhao Xian knew that Jiang Shuxiu was different from other children, so she happily let her play: "Let the wet nurse hold you, walk closer and throw it yourself, and that's it."
As she spoke, a maidservant brought Xiu'er a headless arrow.
The wet nurse carried her close to the jar and let her play with it, which was like cheating her. She even missed the first time.
"Oh dear, what punishment did Xiu-jie not receive? How about you make us laugh instead?"
Jiang Shuxiu grinned, revealing her baby teeth, which made everyone laugh.
Zhao Xian took out a lot of things, threw one, took out a crumpled piece of paper, and then took out another crumpled piece of paper. They were all crumpled up, and no one knew what was inside.
After playing for an unknown amount of time, Zhao Xian realized that she hadn't won many prizes, but had drunk quite a bit of wine.
Li Lianniang and Cui Tingyue reaped a great harvest, and Jiang Shuxiu also gained quite a bit.
A steward came to report: "Madam, it's almost midnight, and the firecrackers and fireworks in the front yard are ready."
On New Year's Eve at midnight, firecrackers are set off to drive away the mythical beast Nian, a very lively custom.
"Give a reward to those who lit the fire, and be careful," Zhao Xian said as she threw out the last arrow.
She refused to believe that her skills were bad, or that her luck was bad too.
Unexpectedly, he used too much force, and the arrow flew past all the ear-piercing pots.
The arrow was caught by a hand the next moment.
Jiang Liangxu looked at the exquisitely carved headless arrow in his hand. "This year's gift is particularly special."
As soon as he finished speaking, a series of crackling sounds rang out, and fireworks lit up the sky.
As soon as midnight arrived, everyone rushed to light firecrackers.
Amidst the sound of firecrackers, Jiang Liangxu sat beside Zhao Xian and hurried back before midnight, the fireworks illuminating her face.
Jiang Liangxu's voice was soft: "Happy Lunar New Year's Eve."
Zhao Xian glanced at Jiang Liangxu, handed him a glass of wine, and they clinked glasses lightly. "Happy New Year's Eve."
After watching the fireworks, people started handing out gold and silver coins, and the sounds of blessings almost drowned out the firecrackers.
Zhao Xian received the least reward for throwing the pot. The losers are always the most unwilling to admit defeat, so they continued throwing the pot.
With the addition of Jiang Wei and Jiang Liangxu, the odds of winning are even higher.
Cui Tingyue pouted, "It's not fair. My godfather's bet went to my godmother, my elder brother's bet went to my sister-in-law, and what about me? Xiu'er and I have to rely on ourselves. We're at a disadvantage."
"Ahhhhh..." Yes, she's right, this isn't fair.
Although Jiang Shuxiu usually didn't give Cui Tingyue a good look and didn't like her, they were now on the same side.
Zhao Xian's cheeks flushed, and she smiled, "Then what do you think we should do?"
Cui Tingyue twisted her handkerchief in her hands. "I need to find some help too."
"Ah ah."
The wet nurse chuckled and said, "Xiu'er said she wants to help too."
"Uncle Qin, please help me cast the ball. We'll split what you get 30/70," Cui Tingyue said, looking at Qin Da, Jiang Liangxu's attendant.
In the end, Cui Tingyue chose Qin Da to help, while Qingfan went to throw for Jiang Shuxiu.
Everyone played until midnight, until Xiujie couldn't take it anymore and fell asleep.
Jiang Wei and his wife left first, carrying their daughter, and Cui Tingyue also said goodbye and returned to her courtyard.
Zhao Xian was the only one still throwing; her technique was so bad that she refused to accept reality.
"I absolutely have to get these three in; I won't sleep tonight if I don't." He was extremely serious about it.
Jiang Liangxu held Zhao Xian's shaky hand and helped her throw it out. With a crisp sound, the arrow entered the jar. "Madam is so amazing, try again."
All three arrows landed in the same pierced bottle.
Jiang Liangxu praised, "Madam is amazing, she hits the bullseye every time."
"Hmph, I knew I had some skills." Zhao Xian was satisfied.
Jiang Liangxu put his arm around Zhao Xian, who was already drunk and unsteady on her feet, and said, "Let's go back and rest."
Zhao Xian made a move to get up, saying, "Let's go, I'm sleepy."
Unexpectedly, she was too drunk to stand steadily, so Jiang Liangxu picked her up and carried her in his arms. Zhao Xian leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes to fall asleep.
I just got back to Haitang Residence.
Suddenly, someone started setting off fireworks again, and the loud bangs woke Zhao Xian up.
In the dim light of the lanterns inside the room, she actually saw a handsome profile.
Jiang Liangxu felt something touch his jaw, and it felt a little cold.
When she saw his face, Zhao Xian was stunned for a moment. It looked familiar, but she became even more excited. "It's been so long since I've seen such a high-quality face. Handsome, are you interested in debuting? I can introduce you to an agent."
This face deserves a higher commission.
"Aren't you going to sign it yourself?"
"Oh my, her voice is lovely too," Zhao Xian shook her head. "I'd love to, but I'm just an assistant, still learning, and I don't have many connections. Trust me, I promise I'll introduce you to someone reliable who won't rip you off."
Zhao Xian realized she had been put down, and only then did she notice that the other person was wearing ancient costume. She touched the high-quality fabric of the clothes and exclaimed, "You're already an actress? But this outfit of yours is quite nice, it has a kind of uniform seduction feel to it."
Hearing her rambling, Jiang Liangxu reached out and lifted Zhao Xian's chin, forcing her to look up at him, and asked, "Does the young lady still know who I am?"
"Girl! Your voice is so charming, but you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
Zhao Xian was trying hard to recall how she had spent time alone with this person. Her schedule as an artist had been very busy lately, so she shouldn't have had any free time.
Zhao Xian's eyes suddenly lit up. Could it be someone from another production crew? "Which actor are you? I've never seen you before."
Rationally, Zhao Xian felt something was wrong. This wasn't a trap, was it? But she was just an assistant, and being schemed against by a handsome man wouldn't affect her artist.
Emotionally, although I see many good-looking people, both men and women, I can only look at them.
Suddenly I could feel something, and wait, it's hard. Could it be abs?
Zhao Xian felt that she was being blinded by lust.
Glancing at those restless hands, Zhao Xian, drunk and intoxicated, suddenly became adorable.
Jiang Liangxu moved closer. "Madam, I am not a saint."
"Wow, you're so good at this! One minute you're a young lady, the next you're a lady. You're so skilled!" Zhao Xian slapped her face. She felt she should be more composed, but there was someone dressed in ancient costume, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, being intimately close to her. It was hard to resist.
"You don't have a wife or girlfriend, right?"
Sleeping with men is acceptable, but sleeping with married men is not; that's a moral issue.
Especially in places like the entertainment industry, there are the most scandals like this.
The main problem is that female celebrities suffer the most from rumors and gossip in this regard, and they can extricate themselves from them much faster than men.
So much so that she herself has come to remember the advice she gives to artists so often.
Jiang Liangxu: "It used to be."
Zhao Xian clung to his shoulders with both hands, "So that means it's over now? Did you get divorced or separated?"
"We've divorced."
"You're so good-looking, how come your wife divorced you? Maybe you're a scumbag, um..." Zhao Xian's mouth was covered before she could finish speaking.
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