Chapter 46: She asked the gods to hear her choice; she rejected Su Heng…
Jiang Geyun opened her eyes the next morning.
She slept quite well, with a kind of deathly calmness, which really surprised her, since she usually wakes up like a zombie in the middle of the night many times.
Do you feel like your sleep quality is subtly improving?
Jiang Geyun looked at Ul on the floor at the foot of the bed, her mind slowly clearing, remembering that Ul had volunteered to keep watch last night.
Perhaps it has something to do with him...
Perhaps affected by the sound of Jiang Geyun getting up, Ur, who was sleeping soundly, opened his somewhat drowsy eyes almost at the same time as her.
Jiang Geyun got off the bed and patted her slightly wrinkled clothes.
The situation was unusual; she had slept fully clothed last night—which made her desperately hope that this matter would end soon so she could truly rest.
She said, "I'll go down and take a look."
Jiang Geyun prepared to leave the room to have breakfast, and also to bring some food for Wuer. Speaking of which, she wondered how Wuer had survived while she was away.
Perhaps it's some kind of life hack from the Tulan people that she doesn't know about.
Ur was not stupid; he just couldn't speak the language. He quickly understood Jiang Geyun's thoughts after hearing her words.
He nodded obediently, turned around, opened the window, and disappeared without a sound.
Jiang Geyun watched him until he had concealed himself.
Once she could hear only her own breathing inside the room, she got up and walked towards the door.
Jiang Geyun was stunned when she opened the door.
A young man in brown stood in front of the door, holding a prepared meal in his hands.
When Jiang Geyun opened the door, the young man in brown who had been waiting outside stepped forward and respectfully handed her the food he was holding.
Jiang Geyun looked down for a few seconds, her heart filled with turmoil.
After a long silence, she said, "Thank you, but..."
As she spoke, she took a step forward, avoiding the young man in brown.
Before one step is even firmly planted, the path ahead is already blocked by young people.
The young man in brown said kindly, "If Lord Jiang has any further instructions, just tell me."
Jiang Geyun said, "...It's nothing, thank you."
She took the food from the young man in brown, stepped back a few paces, and returned to the house. She watched as the young man in brown bowed to her from behind the door and closed the door for her.
Jiang Geyun placed the food on the table, sat down, and fell into deep thought.
A moment later, Ur appeared silently.
He has always been optimistic. Even when he loses his memory and is in danger, living for the moment without knowing what tomorrow will bring, he can still laugh heartily.
Upon his return, however, he seemed to have seen something, and his face showed worry, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
After last night's conversation, Ur will no longer go against Jiang Geyun's wishes.
Therefore, if Jiang Geyun doesn't ask, Wu Er won't speak up on his own initiative.
Jiang Geyun... she really didn't want to ask.
She could guess the answer to the question, and it wasn't a good one. She didn't really want to accept it. It was like covering a cockroach with a lid; whatever you saw when you opened it would be unpleasant, so she might as well not open it at all.
The reason I didn't use Pandora's box as a comparison is because there's still some hope inside Pandora's box.
"Let's have breakfast first."
Jiang Geyun heard herself say calmly.
...
Jiang Geyun had a very difficult day.
Without a doubt, she was placed under house arrest at the Yingguanglou Restaurant.
There are people guarding the entrance at all times. Looking out the window, you can see people who look ordinary at first glance but strangely familiar upon closer inspection passing by downstairs.
Jiang Geyun carefully counted the people who might take her away.
It wouldn't be a problem for Ur to leave on his own; he's done it many times before. If he wanted to conceal his presence, no one would be able to detect him. But even if Ur could leave on his own, he couldn't take Jiang Geyun with him.
After leaving the painting, Cheng Xi must have returned to Lianzhou. Jiang Geyun said something when she said goodbye... In short, she promised him that she would return to Lianzhou on her own. It was neither possible nor necessary for him to suddenly appear in the capital.
She made her choice and rejected Su Heng. The villain wouldn't come to her rescue; Pei Xueyi and Pei Xuexiao weren't in the capital, and Xie Jiming was in a private world with his lover. Not to mention whether he would help her, her plea for help wouldn't even reach any of these three people.
As for plain light.
Su Guang is a good person, no, a good ghost.
Jiang Geyun calmly succumbed to despair.
She observed for a day, and Ur hesitated to speak for a day as well. She never asked, and Ur never said anything that would upset her.
Although saying it or not saying it won't affect reality.
Later that evening, there were four knocks on the door.
Dinner must be ready.
Jiang Geyun got up and opened the door, only to be taken aback again.
Zheng Yi stood at the entrance.
Jiang Geyun was stunned not entirely by Zheng Yi's appearance, but mainly because Zheng Yi was no longer dressed in tattered clothes. Instead, he was dressed in a style reminiscent of Su Heng. How to put it... he was dressed in a lavish and extravagant manner.
Jiang Geyun stood at the doorway, subtly glancing down at Zhengyi's hand.
Zhengyi readily agreed, holding up her lunchbox and asking cheerfully, "Would you like to have dinner together?"
After saying that, Zheng Yi did not wait for Jiang Geyun's reply and squeezed into the room from next to Jiang Geyun.
Jiang Geyun thought to herself, "If only I could have that kind of ability to go anywhere as if it were my own backyard."
Zheng Yi's golden attire made the room, which had been darkening with the passing of the day, much brighter. The princess, dressed in her finest clothes, entered the room, scanning her surroundings with a gaze as sharp as a knife.
Fortunately, Ur had already hidden himself.
Jiang Geyun closed the door, went to the table, and gestured to Zhengyi, "Your Highness."
Zheng Yi withdrew his surveying gaze, placed the lunchbox on the table, and focused his attention on Jiang Geyun.
Jiang Geyun didn't know if this was the last supper. After a brief pause, she took the initiative to open the food box and serve the two of them.
Zheng Yi sat down, resting his chin on his hand and watching Jiang Geyun's movements.
After a short while, Jiang Geyun arranged her things and sat down quietly.
They looked at each other.
Zheng Yi chuckled, his gaze fixed on Jiang Geyun, and his hands kept moving, taking a bite of the food in front of him as if he were giving it all to everyone.
After the silent proof was completed, Zhengyi put down his chopsticks.
Jiang Geyun picked up her chopsticks and ate at her usual pace.
Zheng Yi stared at Jiang Geyun for a long time, then suddenly said, "Your Excellency is eating very happily and seems very hopeful about the future... Sigh, when I see someone so hopeful, I just want to die."
Jiang Geyun paused.
Is she happy? Is there hope?
She thought her eating pace would make people lose their appetite, after all, her attitude has always been to eat whatever she wants, and she always seems to eat without tasting anything.
...Okay, they're all dead or alive now, so the cactus obviously isn't saying she's enjoying her food.
Jiang Geyun said expressionlessly, "Does Your Highness dislike the food at Yinguanglou so much? I will relay Your Highness's message to Yinguanglou."
Zheng Yi blinked, not responding to Jiang Geyun's obviously evasive question, and instead asked, "Did you see a puppet show in Changxingfang?"
Jiang Geyun shook her head and replied, "It's a great pity that we didn't get to see each other."
Zheng Yi said, "It is indeed a pity. That thing is very difficult to prepare and is definitely not something that can be seen in ordinary times."
Jiang Geyun put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth.
Zhengyi has gotten carried away with her talking, so this unnecessary mukbang performance can stop now.
Furthermore, Zhengyi's words confirmed Jiang Geyun's guess.
Jiang Geyun lowered her head, recalling the accountant's suggestive words on the way back to Yingguang Tower, and the puppet that always stood beside the accountant.
As Zhengyi spoke, she used the perspective of the puppet show organizer. So she really was behind Changxingfang. The relationship between the siblings wasn't very harmonious.
Looking at it this way, it's possible that Zheng Yi was involved in guiding Jiang Geyun to Changxingfang.
However, Jiang Geyun entered the painting under the influence of the system afterward, which Zheng Yi could not have foreseen, and he also did not know what kind of trip to Changxingfang that Zheng Yi had originally arranged for Jiang Geyun was.
She deliberately stopped thinking and was about to respond with a few platitudes like "what a pity".
Before she could speak, Zheng Yi smiled brightly and said, "It's alright, soon you will see an even more exciting show."
Is it what Zhengyi defines as "wonderful"?
It's probably best not to.
Jiang Geyun paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it also a puppet show?"
Zheng Yi said, "I think so."
Jiang Geyun remained silent.
She was trying her best to guess Zhengyi's meaning, hoping to give herself a better chance of survival later.
After answering Jiang Geyun's question, Zheng Yi seemed to get bored and began fiddling with his armor, his tone listless:
"The protagonist, dressed in fine clothes, eliminates his opponent, achieves his goal, and receives the reward, thinking he has fooled everyone. Little does he know that he is merely a puppet in the hands of others, and even... the choices and steps that the protagonist believes he has made are all part of a trajectory pre-designed for him by someone behind the scenes."
"Isn't that how puppet shows are all?"
Jiang Geyun smiled and nodded, "Your Highness summarized it very well."
“I haven’t finished yet,” Zhengyi said. “This kind of play should end when the protagonist is feeling triumphant and thinks he’s about to reach the pinnacle, and all the strings that are holding him together snap!”
Zheng Yi clenched his five fingers, and his expression returned to a smile.
“They all crumbled together,” she said, raising her eyes with a light that was hard to decipher. “Just watch as the puppets, high above, fall to the dust and mud, and the carefully arranged stage collapses and crumbles… Then you will understand that the wars between nations and the schemes of the people are nothing but illusions.”
"Would you like this kind of performance?"
Zheng Yi's words were practically a declaration—
Why do foreign nations quarrel and why do peoples plot in vain?
Ultimately, it was just a plaything in her hands.
After listening to Zheng Yi's story, Jiang Geyun only wanted to ask:
Can we please stop using riddle tellers?
In the end, Jiang Geyun, who only half understood, could only reply: "I only hope that everything is as Your Highness wishes."
Zheng Yi nodded in satisfaction.
After this performance, Zheng Yi seemed to be enjoying himself. He nodded and got up to leave with a relaxed and happy expression.
Only silence remained in the room.
After confirming that Zhengyi had completely left, Ur appeared.
He must have overheard their conversation, which is why he was looking at Jiang Geyun with a worried expression.
Jiang Geyun looked up.
Just as she was about to speak, a cat meowed from outside the door.
The two people inside the room stopped for a moment.
The cat's meow came again, seemingly urging them on.
She has quite a lot of customers...
Jiang Geyun got up and opened the door again.
The shop manager was sitting in front of her door. When she opened the door, he went up, grabbed her hem, and pulled her outside.
Jiang Geyun was puzzled and was about to call the person guarding her door to take the shop manager away, but when she looked up, there was no one in front of her.
She hesitated and took a few more steps forward, looking left and right.
There was indeed no one there.
Is this really the kind of worldview they have? Even cats have this kind of ability.
Jiang Geyun was amazed.
Ur, who had noticed the strange phenomenon from afar, appeared and came to Jiang Geyun's side. Seemingly interested, he squatted down and tried to pet the old cat.
The store manager, who disliked being touched, released Jiang Geyun and breathed on Ulha.
Ul withdrew his hand, feeling wronged.
Jiang Geyun bent down, as if to hug the store manager.
This time, the store manager did not resist and obediently lay in her arms.
Through her sleeve, Jiang Geyun felt the old cat's body temperature, which was exceptionally warm.
Felines generally have a higher body temperature.
After helping the store manager to her feet, Jiang Geyun looked at Ul beside her.
Ul asked, bewildered, "Are we leaving?"
The words he had been holding back for so long, "You're under house arrest," were conveyed in another way.
Jiang Geyun nodded.
Although she didn't know what the store manager's purpose was, or what the purpose of the people behind the store manager was, this was her only chance to escape from house arrest.
Ul asked again, "Where to?"
His eyes held pure trust, as if he would stay by Jiang Geyun's side without complaint no matter what answer she gave.
Jiang Geyun pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you know about Lord Yuantian?"
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Pei Xueyi once said, "Why bother with all that? To be honest, it's better to just go and pray to Lord Yuantian."
Jiang Geyun really couldn't think of any other place.
We can't possibly go to Ci'en Temple, where evil spirits haven't been exorcised!
Upon hearing Jiang Geyun's uncertain suggestion, the shop manager lazily meowed.
Ul opened his eyes wide and asked in surprise, "It can understand?"
At a time like this, are you still wondering about this? Doesn't Tu Lan also like small animals?
Although it is most likely not this kind of animal.
Jiang Geyun remained silent.
Ul scratched his head and answered Jiang Geyun's previous question, saying, "I only remember a little bit. It's that god-king who can predict good and bad fortune and issue divine pronouncements, right? You want to go to the temple?"
Jiang Geyun nodded.
Ur replied in a light and cheerful tone, "Wherever you go, I'll go!"
Jiang Geyun, holding the cat, took a few steps forward.
Suddenly, Ul remembered something. He said, "The people inside the building have been dealt with, but what about outside... Miss Jiang, do you have a way to avoid the people tracking and monitoring us from outside?"
Jiang Geyun stopped.
She thought for a moment and then said, "Yes."
...
The two people and the cat stealthily made their way to the Yuantian God Temple in Changxingfang.
Yes, what Jiang Geyun learned from Pei Xueyi included how to use the most basic spells, how to draw out her natal fire, and how to make the Mirage Needle.
She wasn't skilled enough and it took her a little time to make it; otherwise, she would have arrived even earlier.
However, if they had come earlier when there was no curfew, they might not have been able to do so smoothly, and without the mirage needle pointing out the most suitable route, they might not have been so safe.
There were no worshippers inside the temple; all was quiet.
Jiang Geyun looked up.
This is the second time I've seen this deity.
The statue before me was no different from the one in Yunling Manor. It was enormous, with its head bowed, eyes half-closed, and a gentle and compassionate face. The statue's clothing was simple and plain. The incense in the temple was very strong, and there were eternal lamps everywhere. The names of believers were written on the lamps, which looked like indistinct black dots from a distance.
After curiously observing the offering table, Ur approached the altar and bent down to examine the divination sticks.
Jiang Geyun withdrew her gaze from the statue and slowly stepped forward.
The old cat jumped out of her arms and onto the offering table.
...Isn't that a bit impolite?
Before Jiang Geyun could bring the old cat back, the old cat casually stretched out its paw and pushed the divination tube, its meaning quite clear.
All right.
Jiang Geyun shook her head, but still picked up the divination stick container and shook it tentatively.
The bamboo skewer fell to the ground with a thud.
Jiang Geyun bent down to pick it up. The fortune slip was written in a long, dense script, but there was no need to read it or interpret it.
Because at the very top of the divination slip are the two simplest and most straightforward words—
"Very bad luck."
Jiang Geyun held the divination stick and paused for a long time.
She gazed wistfully at the old cat.
—I guess you really shouldn't just jump onto the offering table!
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Author's Note: The cat doesn't know anything, the cat didn't do it on purpose [poor thing]
The clues are mostly complete. This chapter contains some riddles, but don't worry about them, everything will be explained in the next chapter!
The mission case is finally coming to an end! Yun can go back to her hometown to get married soon!! (?)
-
Also: "Why do the nations quarrel and the peoples plot in vain?" This is from the Bible.
"Stacking armor": The author quotes this phrase purely out of appreciation for its literary and aesthetic tension. All its use and interpretation in the text are limited to the textual level, serving the creation of the plot and atmosphere of the book. It is a one-sided and highly personal understanding, and does not represent the author's specific stance on any religion or belief.
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