doll
When I returned to the place where I had agreed to meet Ai, Ai had not arrived yet.
In order not to cause any extra trouble, Jiang Nian did not wander around the garden for too long. Instead, he calculated his time, thinking about the clues he had just obtained while keeping an eye on his surroundings.
——If Ai hasn't returned by night, she will go to another place to meet up with Yan and the others.
This time Yan and Yan are acting separately. Although they are on a mission together, to be on the safe side and prevent any changes in the plan, Yan will wait at the agreed place until night.
I didn't expect that this precautionary plan would be used.
Jiang Nian lowered his eyes, leaned against the rockery, and took out the hair accessory that had been hidden in his sleeve.
There were still traces of blood mist on the hair accessory. When the fingertips gently brushed across the surface, the traces instantly turned into red fragments and dissipated in the cold air.
She calmly put away her hair accessories and frowned.
The smell of blood was so strong in Shichan Hall that the smell from the hair accessories was assimilated and masked.
Now if we take it outside and look at it, the bloody smell is most likely coming from these powders.
Thinking of the information he had previously obtained from Xiao Yingzhu about the Wu Mi people, Jiang Nian had a rough guess about these unknown powders.
——Those nobles who disappeared in vain in Shichan Hall may have lost their ability to move or consciousness due to the powder, and were then taken away by someone with ulterior motives.
When he left the hall to look for Ai, there were not many people in the hall. Jiang Nian did not know how many people came in and out afterwards, but if the number of people coming in was small and the number of people leaving was large, then if a certain amount of these powders were put in, it would be possible to knock out the people inside and take them away.
The Wu Mi people always have many tricks like this. Although the specific methods encountered each time are different, most of them are aimed at completing the task by controlling the mind or paralyzing the limbs.
This time is much the same.
Jiang Nian twisted his fingers to rub off the remaining blood-colored powder on his fingertips, and then put the jewelry into the bag he brought with him to the Huachao meeting.
Although she dropped a small part of the ornament, the remaining part, plus the small piece of powder she had picked up with a tissue when the soldiers were not paying attention, was enough for Xiao Yingzhu and the others to study.
The smell was so horrifying that if you didn't know, you would think it was a large-scale murder scene.
I wonder if the Wu Mi people are using this smell to delay time?
For example, if you meet someone like her this time who would be more cautious in a crisis and would be hesitant in making choices, you can successfully slow down your pace.
“…”
The more I think about it, the more I'm going astray.
Jiang Nian stopped these strange thoughts and looked around.
As the sky gradually darkened, the chirping in the garden became much quieter.
In the cold and chilly atmosphere, the intuition of vaguely foreseeing future events in the crisis seemed to be frozen and could only be firmly fixed in the mind.
She took a deep breath and looked up at the darkening sky.
It is clearly August, but the temperature at night in Cang County is almost as high as winter.
In this temperature, the speed of movement will also slow down.
Through the gaps in the rockery, the people under the wishing tree had dispersed a lot. The invaders seemed to have received a satisfactory answer from Meng Yao and retreated from the gathering place.
Jiang Nian looked again at the direction where Ai left, then turned and rushed towards Yan.
—
The soldier's path was exactly the opposite of Jiang Nian's.
After leaving the colleagues who were on the mission together, the most urgent thing was to report the situation here to the master.
I just heard from the maid of that noble lady that the last time she saw the Fifth Prince, he was under the wishing tree.
If we rush to the tree now, we should still have time.
The corridor in Shichan Hall was specially designed for other purposes. It was designed to be extremely long and narrow, and the end could not be seen at a glance.
It’s like running as hard as you can, but you’ll never be able to escape from this place in your lifetime.
The soldier was thinking about the sudden incident at the Flower Festival. While thinking about the only clues offline with his confused mind, he calculated the time and ran forward as fast as he could.
But this corridor seems to have no end. No matter how fast you run, the more garden scenery passes by, the longer the road under your feet still seems.
The red mist gradually spread around the sight and extended towards the center of the sight bit by bit.
The soldier's heart suddenly sounded an alarm. Countless identical thoughts popped up in his mind, each word told to him in striking red letters:
[Stop running]
【Can't escape】
[It will only make your vision more and more blurred]
......
He stopped, bent over, supported his legs, and looked back while gasping for breath. Seeing the overwhelming dark fog behind him, his pupils instantly shrank to the size of needles.
Before he could react, the dark fog that was ready to burst out rushed over, wrapped around his limbs, and surrounded him until his pupils lost their spirit and he became a complete shell.
“…”
Not far from where the soldier fell, a crack appeared in the air for no reason. A man with long hair stepped out of the crack and slowly stood behind the soldier.
Not far from where the soldier fell, a crack appeared in the air for no reason. A man with long hair stepped out of the crack and slowly stood behind the soldier.
The golden pupils dimmed for a moment, and the man lowered his head and stared quietly at the fallen soldier.
【Data comparison sample completed, the results meet the standards.】
"A ready-made body..."
“Well, that’s as expected.”
—
The invaders surrounding Meng Yao put down their weapons and left the area under the guidance of the guards who arrived later.
Shuanghua calmly turned her gaze away from the invaders and looked at Meng Yao.
"It's a mess here, Fifth Prince. You should go back with me now."
She looked straight into Meng Yao's angry eyes and shook her head slightly.
"You shouldn't be involved in these things... I will talk to my father afterwards. This is not the place for you."
Meng Yao looked down at his hands, a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes. When he looked up again, he caught the key words in Shuanghua's words.
"Will Your Highness tell Father about this when you return?"
Shuanghua glanced at Meng Yao and nodded slightly.
"Big things cannot be concealed."
"I will also inform my father of my actions."
"If there is a punishment, I will accompany you."
“…”
Meng Yao looked at Shuanghua with a complicated expression, sizing her up with an inquiring gaze.
After being in Cang County for a few months, this imperial sister has changed so much.
It's like giving up something completely. When you feel disheartened, you become indifferent to everything and no longer cling to anything.
After shedding those emotional feelings, her inherent tenacity and calmness were revealed again.
What happened between Princess Qingping and Xiao Yingzhu when he left the capital?
I'll ask my subordinates to check it out later.
But now, it’s not time to go back.
Meng Yao was silent for a moment, then raised his head and replied to Shuang Hua, "Your Highness, you may return on your own. I still have things to attend to."
"I have received information about the insect repellent prescription from Wu Mizhong. I will return after I get it."
There was a slight sound of sword and Shuanghua placed her hand on the scabbard, her thumb clasped around it and her fingertips resting on the handle, raising her guard.
"The Wumi clan's members have unknown origins and are enemies of the emperor. Even if they want to obtain what you desire, you shouldn't listen to them."
"Don't be stubborn anymore, leave here with me."
Meng Yao glanced at the young lady who was hiding behind Shuanghua, concealed the thoughts in his eyes, shook his hand, turned around and walked behind the wishing tree.
"If Your Highness insists, then do as you please. I will definitely not leave this place now."
"Besides—my 'followers' are all here."
"It would not be wise to leave them at this time."
The cold wind blew, and Shuanghua stood under the leafless wishing tree, holding the hilt of the knife, watching Meng Yao leave calmly and indifferently.
A whole bunch of black hair brushed across her cheek, forming a slight arc behind her.
The young lady who was hiding behind her saw that only Shuanghua's guards were left, so she stepped out from behind her cautiously.
"Meng."
Meng Yao's figure had already disappeared under the vast moonlight. Shuanghua shifted her gaze from the direction he left and lightly fell on the young lady of the prefecture.
"Yu, why are you here?"
"I should have told your father that you shouldn't go out during this period."
Miss Zhizhou, or rather, Yu, she shrank her neck and timidly said a few words under Shuanghua's gaze.
"The servant mentioned Xiao Yingzhu. I heard that he will appear at the Flower Festival this time. I want to meet him."
Afraid that Shuanghua would be angry, Yu immediately added a few more words.
"Don't be angry! I'm... I'm curious about who the person you like is, so I wanted to sneak out and meet him."
"I didn't expect that he didn't see it, but he saw you, haha...haha."
Yu secretly glanced at the sword in Shuanghua's right hand, and then quickly glanced elsewhere.
"By the way, Meng, why are you here?"
"—Are you here to see the Fifth Prince?"
Yu looked at Shuanghua's expression and added carefully, "If it's confidential, you don't have to reply to me."
Shuanghua loosened the hand holding the sword, lifted the bowl and turned it slightly. She had been on edge when confronting Meng Yao just now, but now that she relaxed, her wrist felt slightly numb.
"Well, it's just that the Wu Mi people have been making some moves recently. At this critical moment, I want him to return to the capital and avoid causing any trouble."
She was halfway through her words when she lowered her eyes slightly.
"Also, Concubine Shu is also waiting for him to come back."
Concubine Shu, who had always been worried about her son, told her about Meng Yao's unauthorized departure from the palace.
Otherwise she wouldn't have arrived so quickly.
"I see."
When Yu heard the word "Shu Fei", he instantly understood why Shuanghua came here in person.
I'm afraid she is repaying the kindness that Concubine Shu showed to the eldest princess.
The pen pals who hadn't seen each other for a long time met each other. It was indeed at the Flower Festival where strange events happened, and a new round of danger could break out at any time in the surrounding area. Shuanghua shook her head slightly, then raised her hand to let the guards come forward.
"Yu, it's not safe here. It's very dangerous to go out. You're lucky to have met me this time. You won't be so lucky next time."
"After what happened today, the Wumi people will regard the prefect as a thorn in their side. You should return home immediately."
Yu opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but when he thought about his family, which had always remained neutral and protected itself, being pushed to one side of the scale by his reckless behavior today, he was completely unable to escape the serious hostile situation in Cang County.
The prefect has always prioritized stability, but now he's forced to take sides...
Thinking of the punishment she would face when she returned, Yu lowered her head, but considering that Shuanghua was doing it for her safety and not wanting to waste her kindness, she had to nod.
"I understand."
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