Frank
Jiang Nian stopped beside the table.
There is a Go board placed on the stone table, which is currently in an endgame state.
The opponent's black pieces had been completely occupied by the white pieces. Jiang Nian had never played Go before, so he couldn't see any clues.
Just as he was thinking about how to explain the purpose of his visit to Xiao Yingzhu, he put away the pieces on the chessboard, and the chessboard instantly looked brand new.
Xiao Yingzhu turned his head and looked up at her.
"sit."
The unique smell of morning dew permeated the air. Jiang Nian was inexplicably a little nervous because of his order, and then sat down opposite him.
New chess pieces began to be placed on the chessboard. Jiang Nian glanced at them, then calmed down and waited for the right time to ask.
The white and black pieces on the stone table chessboard began to move again, as if replaying past history.
This time, the white piece's territory was gradually eroded by the black piece, and the situation gradually tilted towards the black side. The white side's situation became very difficult, and it seemed that there was no way to retreat.
The sun's shadow tilted, and gradually, the black pieces on the chessboard continued to expand their sphere of influence, occupying large territories on the chessboard, until the last move was made.
Kuroko won with a clear advantage.
“…”
Jiang Nian lowered his eyes and watched Xiao Yingzhu's slender fingertips release from the black spot and place them casually on the stone table.
Before he could speak, Jiang Nian asked softly.
"Is this the battle during the Qi Nian period?"
Fierce battle in Shenjiang.
A long time ago, she had wanted to use this battle as a breakthrough to find out Xiao Yingzhu's position.
But because other things came into the picture later, she ruled out this plan.
However, it is a key factor that affects the current situation. If you have the opportunity to learn about it, try to understand it as much as possible.
"Yeah. But that's not it."
Xiao Yingzhu played with the tiny black piece with an inexplicable smile on her face, and finally put it back into the chess box.
"This game assumes a different outcome."
"If there is no timely supply from the sect, the other party will eventually win."
Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment and looked at the chess game in front of him.
"You mean, if there were no sects back then, other countries might have won?"
Xiao Yingzhu looked at the chessboard nonchalantly and said casually:
"The support provided by the sect was very effective, which is why we were able to stabilize the situation despite the severe offensive from both sides."
He knew something about Xiao Yingzhu's parents, so he didn't want to ask about what happened before.
Jiang Nian ended the topic appropriately and didn't ask any more questions.
The chessboard in front of him was cleared out again, and it became a brand new look.
However, Xiao Yingzhu did not continue playing chess. Instead, he put the black and white pieces back into the chess box. He raised his eyes randomly, looked at her indifferently, and started the main topic of the day.
"Is there anything you want to ask?"
Jiang Nian regained his composure after the chess equipment had distracted him and said seriously, "...Why did you go looking for that diary yesterday?"
Xiao Yingzhu remained indifferent, with a calm expression, and showed no reaction to her question.
"Shou Zan's past is almost entirely with the Princess. I want to check his past movements."
Jiang Nian's heart sank as he vaguely sensed something, and he immediately asked, "Why do you want to check his whereabouts? Is it because..."
Is it because he made great efforts for this country, became famous for a while, but disappeared without a trace?
As an ally, she shouldn't do what Shouzan did.
Is Xiao Yingzhu concerned about her future?
The other person's expression was reflected in Jiang Nian's eyes.
Casual, free-spirited, yet with a touch of seriousness.
He looked at her so frankly, his eyes as dark as ink, hiding his emotions, and his voice was as light as usual.
But the tone of his narration was unexpectedly gentle, not as difficult to detect as usual, but rather as if he was treating a fragile item with care.
"As you wish."
"Shou Zan disappeared after founding the sect. Rumor has it that he passed away, but people turn to ashes after death, so there must be traces of him anyway."
"But in reality, he left nothing behind. He disappeared without a trace, just like his sudden visit that year."
Jiang Nian's pupils dilated, and he subconsciously understood what Xiao Yingzhu wanted to express.
"I want to see his journey before and after to make a decision on how to deal with it next."
His fingertips rested on the tabletop, the sound of tapping was barely audible, but it weighed heavily on Jiang Nian's mind as he had been observing.
"Jiang Nian, you have the same identity as him, both are 'outsiders'."
"Will you suddenly disappear without a word—leaving only those recipes behind?"
…
These days she has indeed thought about what to do after finishing all the current things, but she has not yet made up her mind to choose any of the options.
Jiang Nian's eyes moved slightly, trying to avoid Xiao Yingzhu's straightforward gaze that could see through people's hearts, but such an obvious subconscious reaction betrayed her confused mood.
Xiao Yingzhu didn't give her time to react and continued to ask, "Will you be like him and abandon everything?"
His tone was very calm, as casual as asking about the weather today, without any hint of leading to speculation.
Even the smile on his lips didn't change.
But just like this, Jiang Nian felt as if he was being stared at by some dark creature, and his sight was locked on him. He felt creepy and unable to move.
And in that seemingly gentle but actually cold gaze, all the thoughts hidden in the heart seemed to be exposed in the hot and dazzling light.
It was a sunny day, but I was in an icy cave.
After a moment, Jiang Nian relaxed his tense nerves and said with a faint smile, "Don't worry, I will never betray our alliance."
The other person lowered his eyes lazily, raised his hand to support his head, and a few strands of dark black hair hung down, contrasting with the moon-white robe, making it particularly conspicuous.
"If the sect reappears, Emperor Changde will definitely not allow it first."
So he needed to make Emperor Changde feel some trust in the sect.
It must be difficult to break the ice that has been frozen for many years, so Xiao Yingzhu asked him to cooperate with Meng Zheng.
It would be more convincing if we first gained Meng Zheng's trust and then informed Emperor Yu Changde of the results of Meng Zheng's investigation.
After figuring this out, Jiang Nian nodded slightly and added another question.
"So, when did the Fourth Prince confirm my identity?"
“…”
Xiao Yingzhu was silent for a moment, then looked away thoughtfully, and then his gaze fell on Jiang Nian's face again.
"It wasn't that long ago. It should be the day we went to the Princess's residence."
His heart skipped a beat. Jiang Nian recalled his slightly offensive behavior during their confrontation that day and asked awkwardly:
"Is it because I stepped forward to dissuade him—or did he discover it before that?"
It couldn't be that he was too nervous at the time, and his facial expression gave Meng Zheng a chance to find clues.
Xiao Yingzhu did not make a direct conclusion, but her gaze stayed on Jiang Nian a little longer than usual, as if she wanted to see something she wanted to know from his face.
The courtyard was silent for a moment, and he asked calmly.
"What did he ask you that day?"
Jiang Nian still remembers this tense moment where she was afraid of exposing her true identity, and she immediately thought of the key point.
"He asked me if I was sure I was a female doctor."
"But the protagonist of that diary is often Shouzan—"
Jiang Nian paused subtly for a moment, observing Xiao Yingzhu's expression, and then answered a question for himself.
"Perhaps it's because of the words I tried to test you with earlier."
"That similarity..."
Unexpectedly, I was led astray by Meng Zheng.
So Meng Zheng then used the "poaching" incident to observe Xiao Yingzhu's expression and her reaction to confirm what he was thinking?
I always feel like something is weird.
Jiang Nian came back to her senses and saw Xiao Yingzhu leaning her head to look at her.
Seeing his beautiful eyes and eyebrows, she was dazed for a moment, then came to her senses and smiled faintly at Xiao Yingzhu.
"Thanks for the answer. I understand how many inconveniences I've received today."
After she finished speaking, she stood up, picked up the bag she was carrying and prepared to walk out of the courtyard.
Unexpectedly, she heard another question from behind, which made her stop.
"Jiang Nian, if the ending is predetermined, would you choose to change history?"
"......What?"
Xiao Yingzhu's question hit her heart like a hammer. For some reason, Jiang Nian felt uncomfortable.
"Why do you ask?"
The man sitting beside the stone table smiled faintly, but the look that flashed across his eyes was chilling.
“You just have to go with your gut.”
Jiang Nian paused for a moment, thinking about the problems Shou Zan faced in this era.
His choice is... to change, to change with technology that does not belong to this era.
So what about her?
If we use future knowledge to improve our existing living environment, will the result be the same as Shouzan's?
"If Shouzan didn't exist, would Huandu cease to exist?"
Jiang Nian did not directly answer Xiao Yingzhu's question, but changed the subject and asked back.
Looking straight into his cold eyes, there was now a faint glimmer in those eyes that she could not understand.
Following his first instinct, Jiang Nian spoke.
"I can't do this when I have the ability to save someone and then not do it."
"So..." She smiled helplessly, "If I encounter a problem that I can solve to the best of my ability, I will still try to change it."
Even if she were given thousands of chances to travel here again, instead of thinking about how big a butterfly effect her actions would have on future generations, her first thought would still be to research anthelmintic formulas, improve the operation of her pharmacy, and also alleviate this era of famine.
There's no way around it. She's just so selfish. She always likes to choose options that don't hurt her conscience, so as to make herself feel better.
Xiao Yingzhu laughed softly, a laugh that was barely audible and a little soft, and it disappeared in the wind if you weren't paying attention.
"Really?"
It was exactly what he expected.
The day was clear and the sunlight cast a soft hue over the scene.
Jiang Nian narrowed his eyes slightly and turned his head to look at the horizon not far outside the mansion wall.
The view there is boundless, and it is one of the rare good weather in Cang County.
The gap still stands between them, and the imbalance of concepts makes it difficult for them to move closer to each other.
In the silence, Jiang Nian slowly spoke.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go prepare for the Flower Court Meeting."
After saying that, she took a few steps back, keeping a natural smile on her face, then turned around without hesitation and walked out of this place that always made her feel confined.
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