Chapter 16, Sixteenth Tooth Mark
"Ah." A knowing exclamation broke the tense atmosphere.
There was no way to get a result in a short time, so Jiang Jinyi suppressed his murderous intent, slightly raised his chin, and then a hint of ambiguous smile appeared on his face. "I forgot, the road was long in the snow, and she was tired from walking here. She's asleep inside."
Jiang Jinyi had expected Qi Lingjun's expression to change drastically, but his face remained expressionless, still displaying his humble and polite gentlemanly demeanor. It seemed he had been bewitched by Jiang Linzhi.
"But you can't take her away. When she goes back is up to me." Jiang Jinyi teased, in a good mood.
Cui Jiu, who was waiting outside the door, immediately saw the guest out.
The frail scholar was no match for the soldier; in a single move, Qi Lingjun was pinned to the ground with his hands tied behind his back. Jiang Jinyi didn't even spare him a glance.
Even the most ethereal immortal is utterly powerless before the power of swords and authority.
Seeing the disheveled state of the person before him, Jiang Jinyi's pent-up frustration finally dissipated. Looking at Qi Lingjun's legs, which he tried to lift but couldn't, he suddenly recalled a rumor and said, "I heard that your legs were crippled during your exile. No wonder you disregarded the hatred of killing your father and mother to remain loyal to her. Without her, you would indeed be crippled."
Jiang Jinyi changed the subject, his eyes filled with mockery, "But if it weren't for her, you would still be the high and mighty Second Young Master Qi."
"You and I are on the same path." Without much eloquence, these words slipped like an eel into my already muddy heart.
"We're on the same road, come on up."
Outside the carriage, Chen rushed over anxiously. Qi Lingjun lifted the curtain and calmly called out to Chen, showing no trace of his previous emotions.
Chen jumped off the roof and said urgently, "Who's traveling with you? Miss has been detained by the Regent for a long time. I'll bring her out." He then tried to use his lightness skill to leave.
"Miss is here!" Qi Lingjun rarely roared, his anger evident. He lifted the curtain a little more, allowing Chen Neng to see Jiang Linzhi in his arms. "Come up."
Once inside the carriage, even without a candle, Chen immediately noticed the bruises on Jiang Linzhi's neck and the dark red bloodstains between his fingers. His face turned cold, and he muttered under his breath, "Beast."
"Where did you go?" Qi Lingjun asked.
"I went to the post station to deliver a letter to the border," Chen replied truthfully, feeling somewhat guilty. After all, it was his fault for not protecting the young lady; it was his dereliction of duty.
One of Chen's childhood classmates was stationed at the border. His family had some connections, so although he wasn't sent to be cannon fodder, his life was far worse than before. Chen would often send him things to appease them.
The whole manor knew about this, so Qi Lingjun ignored Chen's dereliction of duty and only said, "I don't know what's wrong with her. She went there by herself and even fooled me."
Jiang Linzhi's actions were half crazy, half surprisingly reasonable. Neither of them could figure it out. After a brief silence, Chen muttered another curse under his breath, urging the coachman to hurry up.
Upon returning to the manor, Qi Lingjun dismissed all the maids and personally helped Jiang Linzhi wash and change clothes.
Jiang Linzhi was woken up by the steam while taking a bath. She moved her neck and heard a cracking sound. Jiang Linzhi yelled and looked at the figure in the steamy water, saying, "He didn't give you a hard time, did he?"
"No." A lie.
"He really favors you, I'm about to be strangled by him." Jiang Linzhi stretched her sore neck, her nonchalant tone making it seem as if she had just experienced a trivial matter.
Qi Lingjun held a loofah in his slender hands and gently scrubbed the girl's body. Although he did not overstep any boundaries, Jiang Linzhi felt that it was different from usual, but she could not put her finger on what was different.
The loofah had already slid towards Jiang Linzhi's waist and abdomen. Jiang Linzhi tried to push it away, but Qi Lingjun's grip was unusually strong.
The bathroom temperature was rising, and the loofah had been washed away by the water.
Jiang Linzhi's eyes suddenly cleared. She pressed down on Qi Lingjun's hand, which had indeed been causing trouble, and looked straight into Qi Lingjun's deep, pool-like eyes. "You know what you want to do, and I'll agree to it, right? You don't need to exchange your body for it."
Qi Lingjun knew, of course, that even if he wanted to attend court and participate in politics, she would help him achieve it as quickly as possible.
But he no longer wanted to. He felt ashamed to stand with those short-sighted, clique-bound fools.
"Is that so?" Qi Lingjun asked back. "I've wanted to do this since I was nineteen, but you've always prevented me from doing so."
"There's no need..."
"Yeah?"
The exchange of glances was silent, but in the end, Jiang Linzhi released her grip. She didn't know what had happened to Qi Lingjun with the Regent.
A biting north wind howled outside, rustling the branches. Seeing Jiang Linzhi's indifferent gaze, Qi Lingjun finally stopped.
"Jiang Linzhi, I hate you." Qi Lingjun gritted his teeth and bit down on Jiang Linzhi's shoulder with these words.
"Um."
After the snow stopped overnight, the ground was covered in white, and everything seemed to stand still except for the snow kites fluttering outside the window.
Afraid of waking Jiang Linzhi, Qi Lingjun got up, opened the window, and took the letter from Xueyao's leg, only then realizing the slight pain in his neck. He touched the teeth marks on his neck, but he didn't even notice that he had slowly curled his lips into a smile.
Xueyao tilted her head to look at him, and Qi Lingjun also tilted his head to look at Xueyao, silently mouthing, "Never seen it before?"
Snowhawk tilted its head in confusion, looking at the man in front of it.
Qi Lingjun suddenly stretched out his arms, startling the snow hawk like a child. He chuckled, closed the window, and went back to bed, pulling Jiang Linzhi into his arms. After a while, when he heard the morning bell, he whispered, "Time to get up."
Whatever the divisions or hardships, they will always pass, just like always.
When the New Year arrives, managers from all over the country must come to the capital. Firstly, to report on the official business of the past six months, and secondly, to receive rewards or punishments, so that the process can continue in the coming year.
Lu Huantang is now among them.
After a year of nurturing with gold, Lu Huantang has undergone a complete transformation. His already handsome appearance is now free from the hardships of battle, making him look every bit the noble young master.
Jiang Linzhi saw him when he was still outside the door and smiled at him across the person in front of him.
The door closed, and Lu Huantang smiled faintly, his eyes lowered. It seemed Jiang Linzhi was quite satisfied with him. Indeed, otherwise she wouldn't have given him one of the two spots for the first day's meeting.
This is an unparalleled honor.
The shopkeeper inside was more experienced and had a better harvest than him. The two chatted for a long time until Lu Huantang's limbs stiffened, at which point the man came out of Jiang Linzhi's room, showing how much Jiang Linzhi valued him. As he passed Lu Huantang, the man even nodded politely in greeting.
If Lu Huantang hadn't overheard this man sneer at others gossiping about him, he would have truly thought he was someone easy to get along with.
Lu Huantang didn't want to pay attention to that at the moment. He straightened his clothes and deliberately turned the collar over, making it look like it had been blown into disarray by the wind from standing in the wind for a long time.
As soon as the door opened, the warm air enveloped Lu Huantang. Jiang Linzhi was warming himself by the stove, and when he saw Lu Huantang arrive, he stopped pretending, moved a stool over to sit by the stove, and casually placed an iron mesh over the fire.
Chestnuts are roasting, thick slices of sweet potato are roasting, and milk tea is bubbling away—it's so pleasant!
Lu Huantang took the iron clip from Jiang Linzhi's hand and said with a light smile, "I thought it was a serious report on official business, but I didn't expect it to be Miss treating me to snacks."
Jiang Linzhi emptied his hand, straightened his collar, and said, "I'm not a serious person. I just pretend to be serious with those old men. You're one of us. If I pretend, you'll feel uncomfortable, and so will I."
The chestnuts slowly cracked open under the heat of the fire. Jiang Linzhi poured two cups of milk tea, covered his hands, and asked, "How have you been these past few months?"
"I dare not neglect your orders, Miss. Starting from Cangyue, from Guanshan Road..." Lu Huantang answered meticulously, but was interrupted by Jiang Linzhi.
"I don't want to hear about these things, I want to hear about your story." Jiang Linzhi looked up into Lu Huantang's fiery eyes and waited quietly.
Lu Huantang used his internal energy to peel the scalding chestnut and handed it to Jiang Linzhi, still wearing an impeccable smile, and said, "Besides official business, there's nothing else."
Amidst the crackling sounds, Lu Huantang perfectly captured his disappointment, simply laughing and saying, "Relaxing during the New Year is enough; how can one have their own life every day?"
Jiang Linzhi leaned closer to Lu Huantang and whispered, "How about we sneak out for a few days after we're done with the social engagements? You can take me with you."
"Miss is in poor health..."
"You think I'm a burden!"
"No, I'm afraid Mr. Qi won't..."
"He pays you a monthly salary?"
Finally, Lu Huantang looked up into Jiang Linzhi's eyes and solemnly said, "This subordinate will protect Miss Jiang and ensure her safety."
The plan was set, but before that, she needed to socialize with various shopkeepers and cultivate her network of contacts. Jiang Linzhi was so busy that she was practically crawling on the floor, her forced smiles etched into her face. As soon as the banquet ended, she deflated like a punctured Kongming lantern, collapsing into Qi Lingjun's arms.
Lu Huantang only felt that she was very tired, so tired that even he, an outsider, couldn't understand why she was so tired.
Is it just for money? For status? Such things cannot balance her exhaustion at all.
The banquet had finally come to an end, and before the doors could even be closed, a servant came running in, his voice trembling, to report: "Miss, the Regent has arrived! The Regent..."
Before he could finish speaking, several servants behind him were sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground and instantly losing consciousness.
The massive sandalwood screen crashed to the ground, and a cold wind blew, causing the Regent's black robes to flutter. The newcomer spoke in a cold voice, "Miss Jiang's business has grown so much that I am no longer worthy to be your honored guest."
Qi Lingjun stood in front of Jiang Linzhi, about to bow in greeting, but Jiang Linzhi pulled Qi Lingjun behind him, smiling as he greeted the Regent, saying, "How could that be? It's just a gathering of us lowly folks. Inviting Your Highness would be disrespectful, wouldn't you say?"
With her silver tongue, she turned falsehood into truth. The Regent had anticipated her move and didn't argue further. He walked to the head seat and said, "Indeed, given Miss Jiang's status, she's only fit to be a dancer in the Prince's Palace. Now that you mention it, I've never seen Miss Jiang dance."
Lu Huantang stepped forward and knelt on one knee, quickly trying to defuse the situation: "Your Highness, Miss is not feeling well today. The manor has invited the best dancers from the Music Bureau, which will surely please Your Highness."
Before the Regent could make a move, Cui Jiu knocked Lu Huantang back with a single palm strike. Caught off guard, Lu Huantang was slammed against the wall and coughed up blood.
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