Having decided to go to Jingzhou, Lu Li and Liu Jinghong gave each other some more instructions. Lu Li added, "Since you've made up your mind, then go with your fifth sister tomorrow!"
Jing Zhe immediately shook his head and waved his hands. Seeing this, Liu Jinghong raised her eyebrows and pouted, saying, "What, it's fine if you don't want to go back to Liangzhou with your fifth sister, but why can't you even let your fifth sister see you off? Do you look down on me?"
The way he speaks hardly resembles an invincible cavalry general.
She's more like a jealous, coquettish little woman!
Jing Zhe was so engrossed in watching that it took him a while to come to his senses.
She laughed and said, "Fifth Sister, what are you saying? Zhe'er is so eager to get close to you, how could he possibly find fault with you?"
Liu Jinghong was finally satisfied, and pouted, saying, "Then why didn't you let me deliver it?"
So Jing Zhe repeated the excuse he had given Su Mochen to Liu Jinghong, but Lu Li immediately exposed his lie.
"This kind of thing can be handled by Fatty or Big Face, why do you need to do it yourself?"
"yes!"
Liu Jinghong immediately chimed in, "His Majesty personally ordered the rescue of Princess Mochen this time. I imagine His Majesty is aware of what happened in Yongzhou. The new prefect will arrive soon, and the matter in Yongzhou will naturally be resolved properly. You don't need to worry about it!"
Seeing that he couldn't fool them, Jing Zhe had no choice but to tell the truth: "Actually, I didn't want to go with Princess Mo Chen!"
So he explained his concerns.
After listening, Liu Jinghong patted him and laughed, "Zhe'er is amazing! He can have so many stories with His Highness!"
Jing Zhe could only smile wryly: "Fifth Sister, please stop teasing Zhe'er. How was I supposed to know she was a princess back then?"
Lu Li thought for a moment, then waved her hand: "You must go back with your fifth sister!"
Originally, Lu Li's idea was that since he had such a close relationship with Su Mochen, why not take advantage of it? If he could get close to Princess Anguo, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage if he ran into the Prince of Jin in Jingzhou.
This idea was also supported by Liu Jinghong. No matter how much he resisted, he could not change the fact that he would return to Jingzhou with Liu Jinghong and Su Mochen tomorrow. Jing Zhe could only smile bitterly.
They talked for a long time after that, mostly Jing Zhe telling them about the things that happened in Pengzhou from his memory. Although they were just everyday trivia, they listened with great interest.
Finally, Jing Zhe took out five hundred taels of silver notes from his pocket and handed them to Lu Li, but Lu Li refused to accept them, telling him to keep them himself. She said that things were much more expensive in Jingzhou than in Yongzhou, and that everything required money.
Since the silver notes previously given to Lu Li totaled more than two thousand taels, enough for the people on the mountain to spend for a long time, Jing Zhe did not refuse and put the silver notes away.
...
The two sisters hadn't seen each other for many years, and they had only heard Jing Zhe talk about it; they still had a lot of private things to say to each other.
Jing Zhe then came out of Lu Li's room, leaving the two of them some private space.
It was nearly noon, and Jing Zhe decided to go to Su Mochen's room to check on him. After all, he had rejected him so ruthlessly just now, and now he was going to go with him again. Although he was unwilling, he should explain things properly.
As a result, her room was completely empty.
Only after calling Hanhan over and asking did they learn that Su Mochen had returned with Guizhi and Pangqiu, and that about two and a half hours had passed since then.
Just as she was wondering what was going on, she saw Su Mochen return with two other people. Before he could speak, she excitedly said, "I took Guizhi to the city. The Emperor's decree has arrived in Yongzhou. The new prefect is on his way. Before he takes office, Chen Guozhong will act as the prefect of Yongzhou. I went to reveal my identity, and Master Chen has promised me that the 'Cool Summer' and the ice-making method will henceforth belong solely to Madam Zhang of Chunshui Tower. You don't need to worry about it anymore!"
He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "By the way, the constable who went to collect taxes has also been locked up. When the new prefect takes office, he will be sentenced along with Lin Tong and the others!"
Fatty chimed in, "Young Master, you have no idea how miserable that constable was! I heard that Commander Lin caught them committing adultery and had him castrated—it's awful! Even if he hadn't been arrested, he'd be a cripple for the rest of his life! And His Highness even had Master Chen lock him up with Commander Lin..."
"..."
One is driven by the hatred of having his wife stolen, the other by the resentment of being castrated. If the two are locked up together, they might fight each other to death before they are even convicted. So, it just goes to show that women are ruthless.
She glanced at Su Mochen, their eyes meeting. Su Mochen blushed and said, "Who told him to do so many bad things back then?"
Jing Zhe laughed and said, "Your Highness did the right thing. If I were in their shoes, I would have made the same arrangement! They brought this upon themselves, and they deserve to suffer the consequences!"
Su Mochen was satisfied upon hearing this, but at the same time, he reminded her, "Now that everything in the city has been resolved, you don't need to stay for a few more days. Can you come with us tomorrow?"
"good!"
Jing Zhe readily agreed.
"..."
This was something Su Mochen never dreamed of.
She had already planned how to deal with Jing Zhe's rejection again, but she never expected him to agree so readily.
He tentatively asked, "You agreed so quickly?"
"Yes, Your Highness is moved by your sincerity."
Seeing her in a daze, he asked again, "What, Your Highness doesn't want me to refuse, does he? It's not impossible..."
"No, please!!!"
Once he realized what was happening, Su Mochen waved his hands repeatedly.
The two chatted for a while longer, and the atmosphere was fairly harmonious. Su Mochen, unusually, didn't argue with him anymore. Perhaps she herself knew that opportunities like this, where the two of them could be alone and chat freely, were becoming increasingly rare.
Once she returns to Jingzhou, she will be Princess Anguo, making it difficult for her to even leave the palace, let alone see Jing Zhe.
Thinking of this, Su Mochen's mood instantly plummeted.
"If... I'm confined to the palace by my father after we go back, and can't leave, would you want me... to leave the palace?"
In the end, she still didn't dare to say the explicit question "Will you miss me?" alone, but added two words, which made a world of difference in meaning.
"..."
Jing Zhe remained silent for a moment, pondering how to answer in a way that would neither offend her nor make any promises lightly.
But Su Mochen was faster; seeing him hesitate, he turned and left.
For a woman who is sensitive and sentimental,
Hesitation is rejection.
————
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