ambiguous
Aunt Hong replied, "I've been coming often lately, and I stay for half a day at a time. Especially when Dan Niang performs, I come every time without fail."
Gu Jinning said, "Who can blame us when Dan Niang is so beautiful and sings so well? Countless young men have fallen at her feet."
When Danniang entered the room to serve tea, she was not very happy.
"I don't care about these sour grapes."
She felt disgusted just looking at these self-important literati and young masters.
Ironically, her aloofness and refusal to pander only made those people admire her even more.
The side room was wide open, and the wind blew in from the windows, making the bells and jade ornaments on the gauze curtains ring, and then slowly blew into the elegant room, bringing a gentle coolness.
The young woman's red dress fluttered lightly, and a few strands of her black hair swayed by her ears, making her beautiful face even more delicate. The world-weary aloofness in her eyes, coupled with her tall, slender, and graceful figure, gave her a unique charm that made anyone who saw her feel pity.
Xiao Heng'an looked at her with a hint of inquiry, and even the wind around them seemed a little strange.
Gu Jinning sensed something was wrong and said, "Why bother arguing with ordinary people?"
She took the portrait from Aunt Hong's hand and asked Dan Niang, "Have you seen Zi Jin?"
Dan Niang poured the tea and glanced at the portrait. "The cousin of the Marquis of Wu'an's family. I saw her passing by the gate last night."
Gu Jinning was overjoyed, "What time is it?"
"Around 9 PM, I was resting upstairs when I saw her through the window carrying a package, hurrying on her way."
Aunt Hong hurriedly asked, "Then why didn't you call her over?"
Dan Niang sat down next to Gu Jin Ning and joked, "I think Miss Biao and the Princess are alike, both of them like to run away from home."
Aunt Hong patted her on the shoulder and scolded, "What time is it and you're still talking nonsense?"
Dan Niang covered her mouth and chuckled, meeting Xiao Heng'an's gaze directly. She deliberately leaned close to Gu Jin Ning and said, "I went to ask her. She said she was going out of the city to avoid trouble and would come back after a while."
Xiao Heng'an glanced at their shoulders, which were touching, and his expression turned serious.
Gu Jinning, unaware of what was going on, asked, "Where are we going?"
Dan Niang shook her head, picked up the teacup with both hands, and handed it to Gu Jin Ning, her eyes full of charm.
"She didn't say, so I took it upon myself to give her a place to go. I just don't know if she'll be able to get there safely?"
Gu Jinning accepted the tea and asked, "Outside the city?"
Dan Niang nodded, casually draped her elbow over Gu Jin Ning's shoulder, and took the cup from Gu Jin Ning's hand to refill her tea.
Gu Jinning seemed used to her intimacy and guessed, "You're not suggesting she go find Bai Sheng, are you?"
Dan Niang laughed, "The princess is so clever, she guessed right every time."
She breathed almost into Gu Jinning's ear.
Gu Jinning finally noticed Xiao Heng'an's strange gaze. She nudged Dan Niang, signaling her to be serious, and then moved closer to Xiao Heng'an, saying worriedly, "The mountains are a good place, but I'm afraid she'll get lost there."
Quan Zijing rarely left the city, let alone climbed mountains. Wild wolves are so rare and difficult to find that it's not easy for the average person to spot them.
Dan Niang said, "Yes, that's why I asked Xiao Qiu to see her off."
As they were talking, Aunt Hong pointed to the little girl who was walking in downstairs and said with a smile, "What a coincidence, Xiaoqiu is back."
Xiaoqiu looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old, with an oval face, a slender figure, and a bun on her head tied with a red string, like a New Year's picture doll.
She saw the person upstairs and ran up to greet Gu Jinning, saying anxiously, "Sister Dan, that sister didn't go into the mountain last night, she left on her own, and I couldn't persuade her to go."
Dan Niang shrugged at Gu Jin Ning; she had done her best.
Gu Jinning frowned. "Where did she go?"
Xiaoqiu replied, "She went south along the mountain road, saying she didn't want to cause you any trouble. I was worried, so I secretly followed her all the way. When I saw that she had hired a carriage on the road, I came back."
Gu Jinning figured that Quan Zijing was smart and wouldn't suffer any losses in the short term. If she took the main road, she would definitely be questioned at the checkpoints, and the Quan family would be able to find her once they received the news, so she didn't need to worry too much.
Gu Jinning then sent Xiaoqiu to the Quan residence to inform them to search southwards.
Meanwhile, Dan Niang was serving tea and snacks to Gu Jin Ning, while occasionally casting flirtatious glances at Xiao Heng An.
Xiao Heng'an's expression was truly unpleasant.
Seeing this, Aunt Hong quickly pulled Dan Niang away, thinking to herself, "This fellow is so clueless today. He can see that Prince Jin is about to eat people, and he still doesn't know how to restrain himself."
Gu Jinning belatedly realized what was happening and smiled ingratiatingly, "That's just how she is, don't take it to heart."
"Really?" Xiao Heng'an didn't take it, but swirled his teacup and said, "You also like male concubines?"
"Pfft!" Gu Jinning spat out the tea she was about to drink, and hurriedly said, "I don't have that kind of fetish."
Xiao Heng'an stood up, suddenly pulled her into the private room and closed the door, his broad body pressing her against the door, completely covering her.
He nodded, his forehead touching hers, his strong hand resting on her slender shoulder, and said with a hint of satisfaction, "You seem to be quite popular here. It looks like your injury has completely healed."
"I……"
Gu Jinning looked up to explain, but her nose suddenly brushed against Xiao Heng'an's, their lips barely touching. The subtle, almost imperceptible touch made her blush. She shyly pursed her lips and turned her head away, but couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.
"Your Highness Prince Jin is quite possessive. Are you jealous? Dan Niang is my good friend, not a stranger."
“That won’t do either,” Xiao Heng’an said seriously. “Who knows what he’s up to?”
"I understand. From now on, I'll not only avoid men, but also women. Your Highness, you don't know how difficult my line of work is. I have to get involved with men, women, young and old a little bit of everyone. It's not easy to avoid them."
"A sect with a thousand members, and the sect leader still has to make money personally?"
"Hehe, it's a developmental stage, so mutual understanding is key."
Gu Jinning poked his chest with her index finger, chuckled, and bent down to crawl out.
Xiao Heng'an wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed her back against the wall, bringing them even closer together.
He asked, "Do you recognize that scholar?"
"I don't know him."
Gu Jinning blurted out that she had nothing to do with him, but when she met Xiao Heng'an's questioning gaze, she lost her confidence to explain, "He's just a potential employer with whom we didn't reach an agreement, we really have nothing to do with each other."
"Yeah?"
Xiao Heng'an moved closer and closer, his face pressed against her cheek, the faint scent of sandalwood lingering around their noses.
Gu Jinning closed her eyes, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
Xiao Heng'an's broad hand gripped her slender hand tightly, and he slowly slipped it into her sleeve.
Gu Jinning realized something was wrong and opened her eyes to cover his hand, but Xiao Heng'an pulled out an item from her sleeve first—a jade pendant.
"This is what you took from his arms."
With irrefutable evidence, Gu Jinning couldn't deny it and pouted, saying, "I took it to see what kind of background that scholar really had."
Before we even had a chance to investigate, we were caught red-handed.
He thought to himself, "His eyesight is amazing."
"It's just a jade pendant."
It is not surprising that scholars often wear jade pendants. Zhou Bing dressed simply and owned very little, yet he kept this jade pendant hidden in his bosom, which shows how much he valued it.
On a rainy night in an abandoned temple, he set off alone, his words earnest and impassioned, revealing him to be a man of unwavering loyalty and courage.
More than half a month has passed, and they've still managed to be captured by Xiao Liao's men. They'll probably be skinned alive if they don't die.
Gu Jinning wanted to help him because she appreciated his sincerity at the temple.
Xiao Heng'an picked up the jade pendant to examine it, while keeping his other hand wrapped around Gu Jinning's waist.
This is an ordinary piece of white jade, polished into a circle and engraved with orchids, but the craftsmanship is not sloppy and is quite clean.
Xiao Heng'an guessed, "It's not an old item, but more like a keepsake."
"A token?"
Gu Jinning snatched the jade pendant and examined it from all angles, but couldn't figure out what it meant.
Xiao Heng said, "A scholar has no money, no power, and no connections. How would he know to seek help from martial arts figures? Someone must have given him guidance afterward."
Gu Jinning didn't care. "Anyway, I didn't take any orders, and he doesn't know my real face. No one can find out."
She was always meticulous in her work, and all her orders were handled through Bai Sheng. Bai Sheng changed his appearance for each person he met, and no one had ever seen his true face.
Even if Zhou Bing confesses, she won't be held responsible.
Xiao Heng'an reminded him, "Don't forget the one-month deadline."
Gu Jinning said, "The tokens are gone. Even if the Prince of Qin is tortured into confessing, he'll still have to come up with a plausible reason. If you ask me, he should retreat to advance, turn this case into an unsolved case, so that the Crown Prince can be deposed. Then let Consort Xian cry a bit, and His Majesty will feel sorry for him. Not only will he be allowed to stay in the capital, but he might even become the Crown Prince."
Xiao Heng'an took the jade pendant from her hand and put it into his waistband.
"You know, his mind isn't on the case."
"Whatever. Without solid evidence, he can't bring anyone down."
Gu Jinning leaned back against the wall, her bright eyes gleaming with confidence. She was certain that Xiao Liao would never find the slightest fault with her. All his suspicions were nothing but wishful thinking.
The two chatted back and forth, seemingly forgetting how ambiguous their posture was.
As light and shadow intertwine, from a distance, the silhouettes of two figures, one tall and one short, appear closely intertwined on the wall of the lobby downstairs.
On a whim, Gu Jinning wrapped her arms around Xiao Heng'an's neck and said with a mischievous smile, "Xiao Wangshu, if others see us behaving like this, who knows what kind of tale will be told tomorrow."
"To be honest, it was indeed inconsiderate of me to deliberately spread rumors about you and Ji Lin before. I'm sorry. It's really unpleasant to be the target of rumors."
Xiao Heng'an pressed his forehead against hers and said, "Then I'll punish you and make you suffer the pain of being spread rumors."
"OK."
Gu Jinning happily tiptoed to meet his punishment.
Downstairs on the high platform, Danniang leaned against the pillar supporting the building, her eyes fixed on the intertwined figures in the side room, her beautiful peach blossom eyes filled with resentment.
Aunt Hong said, "Alright, stop looking. The princess and the prince are an arranged couple."
Dan Niang said, "If she abandons her beliefs for the sake of Prince Jin, I will despise her."
Aunt Hong was somewhat displeased, "You're saying that out of spite."
Dan Niang didn't argue, but turned and went backstage. "I guess so. I've been very troubled lately."
Aunt Hong said, "I know you're getting a headache from all those rich young men. How about I give you a few days off so you can go and have some fun with Bai Sheng?"
"No, I'll stay in the teahouse and sing my songs."
Aunt Hong knew her temperament, so she didn't try to persuade her further and went about her own work.
Upstairs, two silhouettes flickered. Gu Jinning bit Xiao Heng'an's shoulder and said, "Satisfied?"
Resounding footsteps echoed outside the room, followed soon by Song Hui's voice, "Your Highness."
Xiao Heng'an reluctantly took a half step back, pulled his arm away from Gu Jinning's waist, and instead held her hand, leading her to a seat and saying, "Come in."
Song Hui pushed open the door and entered the room, replying, "Your Highness, the matter at the Prince Qin's residence is settled."
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