Chapter 45 Don't say... it's too frivolous.
Su Heng remained motionless, looking down at the top of Jiang Geyun's head.
Her heart was as still as the deep sea at that moment.
She turned around in Su Heng's arms, looked up, and met his gaze.
Her face was expressionless; one could call it indifferent, or perhaps bewildered, and for a moment it almost revealed a hint of vulnerability.
Jiang Geyun ignored the bustling and busy attendants in the room.
With this "vulnerability," she whispered to Su Heng in a very soft voice:
"Your Highness... as the Crown Prince, isn't your behavior a bit too frivolous?"
After saying that, she looked up and kept staring at him while gently but resolutely pushing away Su Heng's arm.
Under his unreadable gaze, I walked away from him.
Su Heng's smile remained unchanged, and he appeared completely normal.
He recalled again the way she ran towards him, at Yunling Manor, in the broken painting, her eyes bright, her cheeks flushed.
He withdrew his hand, placed it at his side, and in a corner where no one could see him, he clenched and unclenched his fist.
There's no need to rush, no need to rush.
There's no need to rush.
...
Unlike the deafening roar that almost made Jiang Geyun lose all sense of her surroundings when she witnessed Su Guang's death, this time all she heard was a faint, hoarse noise, like the soft rustling of an old-fashioned radio without a signal.
That's normal, she thought. From her perspective, everyone's death has a different meaning, and that's normal.
She was not affected at all.
...When she pushed the villain away just now, her hand shouldn't have been shaking, right?
The servants in the room were extremely self-disciplined. The main villain hadn't explained anything, but they had already started cleaning up the scene. This situation, which seemed to have been prepared in advance, made Jiang Geyun feel even more chilled.
The only surviving envoy in the mission mystery committed suicide in front of her, using her hairpin.
The foreign man's suicide seemed to her like it was happening in slow motion; she couldn't even explain it herself, how many thoughts flashed through her mind in the blink of an eye—
Why was he acting so dazed? Why did he want to hurt her? And why did he change his mind and instead kill himself?
Was it because of that bowl of medicine? Did Su Heng do something?
Or did something go wrong during the handling of the medicine, leading to this chaotic situation?
In Chao Wujiu's painting, did the main villain mention her hairpin?
Why would he care about something so small? Isn't it just too much of a coincidence?
...Could it be that she made the wrong choice just now?
Was that grand welcome not long ago just a performance staged for her? Was it a play within a play, a way to bring her to Su Heng's side and involve her in this new drama of death?
She couldn't discern the villain's intentions, but based on the information revealed by the system and her past encounters with him, she was quite certain that this man was cunning and capable of such a thing.
With unwavering affection, he gently led her toward death after he had exhausted her.
Now that the surviving envoy is dead, the main villain appears to be protecting her, but has he already planned what excuse he will use to take her down?
Since that's the case, Jiang Geyun decided to retort first.
Although her retort was somewhat tinged with personal emotion.
Whatever, let's enjoy ourselves first! We can regret it when we're being held accountable!
But... is that really the truth of the matter?
He lured her into the trap, made her witness the surviving envoy go mad and commit suicide, and made her doubt Su Heng... Zheng Yi could do the same thing.
These past few days, Jiang Geyun has practically been pushed in front of Su Heng by Zheng Yi. Whether it was arranging an identity for Jiang Geyun or sending her into this game of chess, were all these actions really unintentional?
That's unlikely.
Medicine, hairpin, eagle head.
Another guess is beginning to emerge.
However... she could only sigh softly at that moment.
Jiang Geyun arrived in Beijing midway through her journey. Being unfamiliar with the place and its people, she didn't have much background information to analyze further, which was a real pity.
Ultimately, from the original story to the present reality, no one cares about the truth; everyone just wants the most harmless-looking explanation.
And her?
She seems to be the same way.
She needs to use this case to gain access to the Xuandu Bureau, thereby clearing Su Guang's name and increasing her own strength to dismantle the system.
Therefore, she doesn't need to figure these things out at all.
By joining forces with Zheng Yi, one can smoothly enter Xuan Du Jian and achieve their goal; by joining forces with the main villain, one can at least be promoted and might even gain favor, thus achieving their goal as well.
Why bother trying that dangerous option she had in mind?
...One hundred and forty-three lives lost.
Jiang Geyun bit her lip silently, having already reached a conclusion.
She calmly observed the corpse on the ground, then turned and walked towards the door, as if to leave.
Su Heng said unhurriedly, "Lord Jiang, this matter is of great importance to you. Aren't you going to stay?"
really.
Jiang Geyun stood in front of the door without turning around.
Tonight is a clear night.
The moonlight fell upon her, as if draping her in a light veil, or as if she were radiating a faint glow, drawing the moon to observe.
She remained composed, inwardly screaming—
You promised to pick her up, don't go back on your word!
Otherwise, she'll be really embarrassed!
Whether it was the shout in her heart that had an effect, or the other party, sensing that things were not going well, finally couldn't help but show up.
"I wish you all the best, my lord. I will come to fetch you whenever you need me."
The brown-clad "knight-errant" arrived as promised.
The atmosphere inside the house in the courtyard suddenly became even more tense.
Only Jiang Geyun, Su Heng, and the accountant had relatively calm expressions, though at least one of them was faking it.
The accountant first bowed deeply to Su Heng, and only after Su Heng nodded did she stand up again and look at Jiang Geyun.
Jiang Geyun walked step by step toward the brown-clad accountant in the courtyard. The light she wore, which had been half lamplight and half moonlight, had become pure moonlight.
She made her choice.
The two left the courtyard.
No one stopped them.
Without Su Heng's instructions, the surrounding followers dared not make any rash moves, letting the person who had been "coaxed" there leave. However, their master did not seem disappointed or angry; on the contrary, he seemed somewhat... pleased.
A smile reached deep into his eyes, rippling across his face.
He said softly, "...My wife is truly kind."
Although she won't admit it.
*
"How could Lord Jiang have such a thought?"
The accountant covered his mouth with one hand, looking quite surprised.
Jiang Geyun pointed to the bed in front of her, whose color had even changed.
She said, "Could it be that the sun faded the sheets while I was gone?"
The accountant put down his hand and said with a smile, "Yes."
Jiang Geyun choked.
This person isn't even going to act anymore!
Jiang Geyun remembered that there was still someone hiding in her room. On the way back, she felt uneasy and specifically asked the accountant if they had entered her room.
The accountant answered firmly, "No."
However, once inside the house, let alone the fact that it was spotless—what if Ur had the attributes of the Snail Prince?
But surely this brand-new bed sheet and blanket couldn't have been pulled out from somewhere by Ur to change her bed?
Helpless, Jiang Geyun had no choice but to tentatively change the subject, asking, "Then... have I found anyone breaking into my room?"
The accountant replied, "No."
...The same expression she had when the people who denied entering Yinguanglou had entered her room.
Jiang Geyun smiled and said, "No? That's great. It's getting late, I'll rest first."
The accountant bowed in farewell.
Until the door was tightly shut, the accountant's figure and voice disappeared.
Jiang Geyun turned around and opened the cabinet door.
The wardrobe was neat and tidy inside, and not only that, the brocade box that had been placed on the table in the room had also been put inside.
Fortunately, she didn't have anything suspicious about her.
...But there should be a suspicious person.
There was no one in the wardrobe, and the room was completely silent.
Jiang Geyun looked down at him expressionlessly for a while.
A moment later, she took out a set of undergarments from the cabinet and closed the cabinet door.
Then, she turned and went to the bedside, placed the undergarment she was holding on the bed, and made a gesture to leave the room, ordering someone to bring a bath tub.
The sound of the window being pushed open—
Jiang Geyun glanced sideways at the person sitting by the window.
With red hair and blue eyes, and a smiling gaze, she resembled a little wolf under the moon.
Ur looked friendly, his face showing no trace of gloom. It didn't seem like they had been apart for a long time; rather, it was as if Jiang Geyun had just left in the morning and the two had reunited that very night.
He exclaimed joyfully, "Sister, Miss Jiang, you're back!"
Jiang Geyun breathed a sigh of relief and made a "shh" gesture to him.
She sat down and said softly, "You weren't in any danger, were you?"
Ul shook his head, continued looking at Jiang Geyun, and said, "I'm fine, Miss Jiang, how about you?"
It seems the people of Yinguanglou are less capable than Ur. Thinking back to the initial discovery of Ur and what happened afterward, Jiang Geyun thought to herself, "That makes sense."
As for her?
He probably almost died.
Jiang Geyun said, "It was a close call, but no real danger."
Ur laughed even more heartily, his earnest gaze unintentionally falling on Jiang Geyun's hair, his frank smile suddenly faltering.
Jiang Geyun raised her hand to smooth her hair and said calmly, "I don't remember promising you that I could do this."
Ur's eyes flickered. He jumped down from the windowsill, quickly walked to Jiang Geyun, sat down in front of her, and bowed his head to apologize.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything bad. It's dangerous, so..."
There's so much I want to say, but my language skills are lacking. It's been a bumpy road, and it's quite pitiful.
Jiang Geyun looked down at Ul, who was kneeling in front of her, and said, "You can apologize."
Ur's eyes lit up again, and he looked at her with hope.
She finished her sentence, saying, "I can also choose not to forgive."
Upon hearing this, Ur took a moment to understand.
After understanding Jiang Geyun's meaning, he remained kneeling, dejected, and pitifully uttered a few words in an unfamiliar language.
Jiang Geyun leaned forward and met the gaze of Ul, who was looking down.
Meeting the red-haired boy's vulnerable gaze, she said, "Do you know what to do next time?"
Ur nodded and looked at her earnestly.
Jiang Geyun finished her observation, composed herself, and straightened up.
She said, "That's good... Don't sit on the ground for so long, it's cold."
Ur immediately stood up.
The foreign boy was very tall, and for a moment he blocked out much of the moonlight streaming in from the window.
Jiang Geyun turned to look at the light on the ground that wasn't completely blocked, and casually said, "Let's leave it at that for now and rest."
Ur asked cautiously and sincerely, "As an apology, may I use your name as the name of my knife?"
Jiang Geyun was taken aback, her eyes filled with doubt.
Ur then realized that the Great Zhou Dynasty did not have this custom, and hurriedly waved his hands to explain, "I don't remember the name of the knife. It was an important comrade-in-arms, and it was a good intention."
He then uttered some more fragmented words.
After listening for a while, Jiang Geyun finally guessed what he meant.
He is currently suffering from amnesia and doesn't remember the name of his sword, but he does remember that Tu Lan has a custom of naming their swords after important people.
What kind of "importance" is it?
He didn't explain, he just kept waving his hands with a red face, saying it was to apologize.
Jiang Geyun said, "Can't you name yourself?"
Ur's face, which had been flushed, turned deathly pale, and his eyes were filled with despair.
Jiang Geyun thought for a moment and explained, "I changed my name myself, and it has a unique meaning to me. I don't want to borrow it."
— Poetry and song were romanticized to the extreme.
The Book of Songs, in its entirety, can be summed up in one phrase: "pure thoughts." The words in the song are all genuine feelings, which is the meaning of her name: pure and innocent natural feelings.
Since her separated mother and father could not give her a name full of blessings, she chose to give herself one.
It was because of this incident that she always felt particularly close to the original owner of the body, not just because her memories showed that their thoughts and behaviors were quite similar in many ways.
However, her response seemed a bit hurtful...
Ur's mood instantly soured again. He hung his head and knelt back down in front of Jiang Geyun.
He was about to say something when he suddenly stopped.
He caught a faint, delicate scent of ink, still damp, subtle yet captivating.
Jiang Geyun lowered her head, seemingly to comfort him.
He raised his head and looked over with a wronged expression.
*
The dimly lit room was filled with incense that made one feel drowsy.
Zhengyi was still wearing her palace attire and makeup, with a red mole between her eyebrows and her hair adorned with vermilion and jade. Her beauty was already captivating, but her formal attire suited her best, making her breathtaking, and this was not the only time she had been so stunning.
An old cat lay alone not far away, drowsy.
Zhengyi casually stroked the person lying on her lap, saying, "What a nuisance."
The man in brown robes, kneeling on Zheng Yi's lap, asked softly, puzzled, "Your Highness, why not just..."
"Directly what?" Zheng Yi's voice turned cold and impatient. "Kill her?"
The moment Zheng Yi's emotions changed, the man in brown immediately knelt down and took a few steps back, banging his head hard on the ground.
He said in a panic, "I have misspoke, Your Highness! I beg you to punish me!"
Seeing this, Zhengyi actually laughed.
She said with amusement, "How could that be? You're right."
-----------------------
Author's note: Yes, there are a lot of characters named A-Yun, but the name Yun shouldn't be split into two characters. But I like to call him that myself, so whatever.
The clues I've given are pretty much all. Some adults might have guessed the truth about the mission case, but please don't tell me, or I'll be very disappointed if you guess right! Please praise me at the end with "Wow, I really didn't expect that!" okay? [pleading]
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