answer
To be honest, Jiang Nian never expected that Meng Zheng would choose to ask her to investigate the truth behind the eldest princess' death.
She didn't even know how she ended up here, and there were probably a lot of questions about Shou Zan that she couldn't answer.
Besides, Jiang Nian didn’t think he could help Meng Zheng much.
To put it in an extreme way, it looks more like Meng Zheng is giving her information.
Is there really a free lunch in the world?
What does Meng Zheng want to accomplish with her identity as a "time traveler"?
Being wary of the hidden thoughts behind Meng Zheng, Jiang Nian was worried and returned the list he had browsed to Meng Zheng.
"Have they...your Highness already asked them?"
Meng Zheng took the list, held it in his hand, glanced over the names, and smiled meaningfully.
"No, Miss Jiang, if you want to know the inside story, why not take some time out of your free time to go investigate with me?"
Thinking about his future whereabouts and how busy he would be, Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment.
"Cangjun's trip——"
Transportation in ancient times was really slow and inconvenient.
Meng Zheng opened his eyes, a dark light flashed across his eyes, and then disappeared into the depths of his brown pupils.
That is the sharp light that emerges only after achieving the goal.
"No problem. Since you've agreed, I'll share everything I find out with you."
“…”
She wanted to ask Meng Zheng what he wanted from her, but judging by the current situation, Meng Zheng would not tell her clearly.
This plan was started before the cooperation with Xiao Yingzhu was reached today, so Meng Zheng should have some inferences about the affairs of the eldest princess and Shou Zan at this time.
Did he intend to use her identity as a 'traveler' after those inferences were finally revealed and verified?
My head is a little confused.
Jiang Nian turned his head, raised his hand and gently pressed his temples to temporarily relieve his tired and throbbing nerves, then gave Meng Zheng a gentle glance.
"Your Highness has a request for me, how could I possibly refuse?"
"Then we'll wait for... good news from His Highness."
Meng Zheng nodded slightly, his serious look faded away, and his eyes and brows were filled with fatigue.
"It's getting late, Miss Jiang, please go back. I won't see you off."
This place was unfamiliar to Jiang Nian, and he didn't want to stay with Meng Zheng any longer, so he stood up and said goodbye.
—
On the way back, Jiang Nian met Ai.
She had just returned from the State Guesthouse. Her hair was a little disheveled and she looked as if she had just been hit by a cold wind. She looked a little silly.
Seeing her empty hands, Jiang Nian paused for a moment.
"Master Qin, have you prepared a room for rest?"
"Um."
Ai nodded.
"He asked me to borrow you here."
A little further down this road is Meng Zheng's residence.
Jiang Nian responded and walked forward with Ai for a while, then thought of something else.
"Is the Fourth Prince...staying here temporarily, or settling down?"
Ai tilted his head at the question.
"The Pavilion Master didn't say that outsiders would stay in the mansion for a long time."
Qin Lan and his people have always had a clear demarcation of boundaries.
Jiang Nian thought to himself, then fell silent and continued to follow Ai Lead the way.
The night is filled with the fragrance of flowers, the moonlight flows outside the corridor, the shadows of the trees sway, and the reflections in the eyes look like clear blue waves.
His tired mind felt somewhat healed by the empty and lonely night scene. Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief behind Ai, and then he remembered that there was something he had not asked the Fourth Prince.
When did he start to guess that he was a time traveler?
This type of question is like Schrödinger's cat. She hides the truth as usual to the people around her. Some people can't see it no matter how long they get along with her, but some people can see through the truth in a short time.
Jiang Nian always felt that his acting skills were not good enough.
But the secret was indeed exposed, but she was not in danger. Is this a blessing in disguise?
Thinking back to what Shou Zan had done decades ago, Jiang Nian intuitively felt that "time travelers" were not welcome among the people of this dynasty.
Therefore, Xiao Yingzhu and Meng Zheng did not express it directly on the surface, but made up their minds and did not ask about it.
The reason they are able to live safely until now is because they have high expectations for their own abilities.
Jiang Nian recalled the skills he had mastered so far and started to work backwards again.
Xiao Yingzhu was able to keep her secret simply because of the insect repellent formula and the 'mineral grass', and Meng Zheng was able to cover up her true identity...
What is the price behind this? In other words, what does he want from her?
Jiang Nian didn't have much thought, and then she recalled that she had asked Xiao Yingzhu about this matter before Meng Zheng came to her.
Although there was no basis for reasoning, in that confusing mess of thoughts, Meng Zheng's intuition allowed him to make up his mind, which should be the moment they met.
The room where they were resting this time appeared in their field of vision, accompanied by the occasional chirping of insects behind the house. Jiang Nian raised his hand and pressed his arm.
The nights in Cang County always gave her the illusion that it was not summer.
Ai stood outside the door without moving, just gestured to her.
"Miss, your residence is inside. If you need anything, please..."
Jiang Nian blinked, turned around, and asked Ai a question directly.
"Xiao Yingzhu...where does he live now?"
The Youguan Mansion was so big that she still couldn't finish her tour.
Ai was stunned for a moment, then replied briefly, "...Miss, you will be able to see Duke Xiao tomorrow. Please rest tonight."
This means that she should rest first and talk about it tomorrow.
Jiang Nian didn't insist any longer and pushed the door open and walked into the room.
Ai stood outside the door and added a sentence after a moment of silence.
"Miss, if you have any questions, you can call me by my name. I live not far away."
Jiang Nian didn't expect that Qin Lan would push Ai over to protect her. She paused, then turned around and smiled at Ai.
"Okay, then you should get some rest. I don't need anything tonight."
Although the location of the mansion is remote, Jiang Nian always has a sense of security, a feeling he did not have when he lived in the State Guesthouse.
Ai was not a talkative person, and there was nothing to talk about at the moment, so he walked straight away from Jiang Nian's door.
The wooden door slowly closed. The room was elegantly and comfortably decorated, without giving people a sense of superiority.
Jiang Nian simply packed up his toiletries, then covered himself with the quilt, put the complicated things in life behind him, and fell into a deep sleep.
—
The next morning, the weather was sunny.
When Xiao Yingzhu was playing chess in the courtyard, he looked up and saw Jiang Nian, who had just finished breakfast, coming in from the corridor not far away.
The chess game on the table has come to an end. The black pieces on both sides have nowhere to retreat and are finally surrounded and eroded by the overwhelming number of white pieces.
The sunlight outside shone on the large white chess piece on the chessboard, causing the dust to float and shimmer.
Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment when he saw Xiao Yingzhu, then slowed down his pace and walked towards him.
The crisp sound of chess pieces dropping was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard. Xiao Yingzhu arranged the chessboard and finally looked up at Jiang Nian.
The girl's flawless face appeared clear because of the soft light. As she walked along that stone road, her whole body was surrounded by hazy light and shadow, as if she was not a person of this world, who could only appear in a vague and boundless dream.
After the conversation last night, Qin Lan's question popped up at an inopportune moment.
"How could you be so confident in letting her communicate with Meng Zheng? Aren't you afraid she might change her mind?"
Qin Lan was not particularly familiar with the tortuous emotional journey between them. Although he asked Ai to see what had happened in the past few days, he still didn't understand much.
After all, after Tong Xizhen went to the child's house that day, he also followed up on the investigation on that side.
That's why we reached an open cooperation with Yu He.
Last night, the moon was high in the sky, and the candlelight in front of the paper window flickered slightly, reflecting their long shadows on the ground.
"Meng Zheng is a special one among the princes... Have you really made up your mind?"
"Miss Jiang is still on her way to his residence. There's still time to intercept her."
Xiao Yingzhu put down her pen and looked at Qin Lan with a half-smile.
"You seem more anxious than I am. Do you have something to say to her?"
The dark pupils reflected Qin Lan's speechless face.
"What can I say to Miss Jiang? That's not you..."
He stopped talking midway through his speech.
"Is she looking into something?"
Xiao Yingzhu's tone was calm, and no emotion could be heard in it: "What do you think?"
"—Are you going to let her ask? How about sending someone to take a look?"
…
'Bird in a cage'.
The three words flashed in Xiao Yingzhu's mind for a moment. His eyes moved slightly, and then he rejected Qin Lan's proposal.
"The results of watching or not watching are not very different, so there is no need to make a fuss about it."
After observing the expressions of Jiang Nian and Meng Zheng throughout the conversation, Xiao Yingzhu felt that they had something to say, but was afraid that Meng Zheng would interfere in their affairs, so she remained calm and composed.
Qin Lan inexplicably felt that he, a bystander, had become an old father responsible for preventing mistakes. He stood there for a moment, and when he saw Xiao Yingzhu picking up the pen again and looking down at the border report handed to him by his subordinates, he sighed with regret.
"Never mind. It's up to you. It's your business anyway. Just have an estimate."
He took a few steps and glanced at the hourglass on the table.
"Oh, it's getting late. I'll go back first."
The voices fell along with the sound of the door opening and closing. The shadows outside flashed across the paper window. Soon, the footsteps disappeared into the silent night.
The subtle crackling sound of the burning candle reappeared here, the rubbing sound of the pen on the paper paused, and then a long black shadow fell.
It was placed on the pen mountain again.
Xiao Yingzhu raised her hand and pressed her forehead, her crow-feather-like eyelashes casting fine shadows on her skin.
The events of the past few days kept replaying in his mind, and finally stopped at the scene in the storage room that night when the room was full of moonlight and Jiang Nian was in tears.
Bird in a cage?
It’s not that he doesn’t give her the right to choose, but at the moment, he can’t and doesn’t want to give her the right to choose.
The window frame was pushed open a crack, and the air that came in made the candlelight sway for a moment. The paper on the table floated for a moment, and the ink-colored handwriting was reflected in the bottom of his dark pupils.
After dealing with the other party for so many years, Xiao Yingzhu even knows what the other party will do next.
As expected, things happened as he predicted, and Emperor Changde took action again recently.
At the moment, there is no way to let Jiang Nian escape from this "inescapable cage".
Because the outside world has been watching closely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
