Invitation
When I left Qishan Mansion, the sun had already set.
He had never expected that he would talk for such a long time at Xiao Yingzhu's house. He relaxed his nerves that had been thinking for almost the whole day, and while waiting for the carriage, he stood at the gate of the mansion. He heard footsteps behind him, turned around and caught a glimpse of the moonlight. Jiang Nian realized that Qin Lan had disappeared at some point, and the person walking here was Xiao Yingzhu.
When he asked about Meng Jian's whereabouts in the afternoon, he didn't know about the existence of the Fifth Prince. After Qin Lan gave him the scroll, his confused thoughts became clear, and he understood Xiao Yingzhu's intention at the time.
Seeing Xiao Yingzhu gradually walking towards him, Jiang Nian raised his head and smiled slightly.
"Thank you for your guidance just now. What's the matter with you coming out now?"
Xiao Yingzhu calmly shifted her gaze from Jiang Nian's clear and pure face. The danger and uncertainty it usually brought to people seemed to have dissipated a lot because it was no longer related to worldly power struggles. There was a sense of casualness and indifference between her eyebrows.
He listened to Jiang Nian's address, just smiled and replied lightly.
"Jiang Nian, if you really can't think of another name to address me, and you don't want to go against my will, why not just call me Young Master Qin like Qin Lan did?"
A dark gaze suddenly turned over, making Jiang Nian's heart skip a beat.
"Or, just call me by my real name?"
His pronunciation was as light and casual as a lotus. Even though it was just a simple change of polite language, his tone sounded like something else, like a vine growing in the dark, slowly wrapping around the heart of its prey.
Standing in front of the gate of the mansion, this should not be a place where private matters are discussed.
The smiles on their faces were still as harmonious as usual, but there was a hint of tit-for-tat in the dark.
Jiang Nian met Xiao Yingzhu's gaze calmly, her smile suddenly deepened, she pretended not to understand his true intentions, and spoke to the side of the subject at the right time.
"Mr. Xiao is absolutely right."
"Just now I was talking about changing my identity and name before going to Cang County. Now is the time to start practicing."
“…”
Xiao Yingzhu stared at her for a moment, but was not annoyed. There was a deep smile on his lips, and his eyes lit up like ink when he looked into her eyes.
Although this reply did not directly address his previous question, but instead steered towards Cang County, this tangent to Cang County seemed to suit his purpose. Xiao Yingzhu did not continue to dwell on the previous words, but instead lightly continued the conversation along the topic of Cang County.
"Well, when we get to Cang County, it's almost the beginning of autumn. There will be a flower festival there, and everyone is required to attend. Tea, snacks, and incense are among the elegant features of the event."
"In my spare time, I imitated a friend's incense. It has the fragrance of green bamboo, which is as refreshing as a deep spring and a deep pool, refreshing the heart."
Hearing a word in this sentence, Jiang Nianwei seemed to think of something and turned his eyes away, but quickly came back to his senses, with a hint of silent thought in his eyes.
"—Originally, you didn't need to come forward this time, but now there are some variables, so we have to be colleagues."
Xiao Yingzhu paused, her eyes turned to the side almost imperceptibly, and she spoke casually, as if she was mentioning it casually, "I have already prepared this incense, so you don't need to carry it with you in the future."
Jiang Nian raised her eyes and met his gaze again, but seemed to see through his thoughts. She was silent for a moment, slightly gathered the green gauze, and smiled lightly and coolly.
"Is this why you asked me before if I like bamboo?"
The light green silk dress only accentuated her fair complexion. Standing before the vermilion doorway, Jiang Nian, her face reflected against the violet blossoms on the branches, her clear, charming features and delicate smile a charming sight, seemed like something from a painting that didn't exist in this world.
Xiao Yingzhu lowered his eyes and took in her smile for a moment, then looked away nonchalantly, his brows and expression calm, as if nothing happened.
Observing the expression on Xiao Yingzhu's face, Jiang Nian inexplicably thought of the letter Qing had given her before. The content of the letter was similar to what he was saying now. He was obviously worried but didn't say it. Instead, he chose to express it in another way. If you weren't careful, you wouldn't notice it.
If this isn’t tsundere, what is?
Thinking of this, a look of curiosity suddenly appeared in her eyes. Seeing that there was no one around, she added another sentence, with a smile that showed no trace of teasing.
"Is that so? Master Xiao."
Xiao Yingzhu had said before that there was no need to be polite in front of him, so she had to obey his orders now. Even if she used it now, he could not find fault with her.
Xiao Yingzhu glanced at her indifferently, and when their eyes met, they immediately knew what the other was thinking.
Seeing the cunning flash in her eyes, Xiao Yingzhu turned his head and raised the hand hanging by his side, lightly touching the jade. The warmth and coolness from his fingertips seemed to touch his heart because of her words.
Jiang Nian looked at him with an undiminished smile, and then he spoke. His tone was as gentle as a spring breeze, but there was a chill in the seemingly elegant tone.
"I'm just saying this. If you think so, Miss Jiang, then I'll do as you say."
It was as if the deepest core of the poisonous flower was touched. Xiao Yingzhu's dark and gloomy eyes became extremely dark, and a hint of coldness and sharpness seemed to be revealed because of these words.
Jiang Nian was stunned by the unexpected answer.
Even the way they address me has changed. Did I tease myself too much?
Originally, she didn't want to cross his line, but seeing that he seemed a little unhappy, she didn't think about this reaction in detail. The first thing she did was to appease him. Jiang Nian immediately put away her teasing smile and continued with a smooth expression:
"Jiang Nian is very happy that Master Xiao is willing to prepare these for me. I would like to thank Master Xiao in advance."
Although I have never seen what happens when other people offend him, I always feel that Xiao Yingzhu is a person who will hold grudges, so it is natural to say good things at this moment.
At this moment, Jiang Nian's eyes were clear and bright, and she looked at him frankly. Sensing the true nature of her words, Xiao Yingzhu was startled for a rare moment. The coldness in his eyes dissipated, and a casual look that seemed to be a little difficult to discern filled his eyes. After a moment, his expression returned to the relaxed state he had at the beginning. He turned away nonchalantly and replied with a few short words.
"Don't worry about unintentional actions."
Xiao Yingzhu, who is usually casual and free-spirited, seemed to reveal too much of his emotions today. Seeing a different side of him, Jiang Nian was surprised for a moment. Just as he was about to observe and ponder for a while to figure out which word he had just said that made him unhappy, he turned around and saw Qin Lan and Yun Xiu coming here.
They looked like they had just finished talking about something pleasant, and there were smiles on their faces.
"What were you guys talking about? I just talked to Yunxiu about some things that needed to be arranged, so I came in a little late."
Qin Lan looked from behind Xiao Yingzhu. From his perspective, he had just caught a glimpse of a corner of Jiang Nian's skirt, but now that he saw her in person, he raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"Miss Jiang, if you're free tonight, why don't you join us for a banquet at the Moon Viewing Tower?"
As they got closer, Jiang Nian finally saw the girl who followed them.
She followed behind silently, and only nodded slightly when she saw Jiang Nian.
Her figure was reflected in the girl's gentle and indifferent eyes. Jiang Nian immediately came to his senses and returned the greeting.
Looking up and turning her eyes again, she replied to Qin Lan's question with a faint smile.
"I've been bothering you all for quite some time today. I appreciate your invitation to the banquet, but I need to return home tonight to make arrangements for the rest of the day, so I'm unable to go."
Yunxiu glanced between Jiang Nian and Xiao Yingzhu, then stood aside and watched with a smile, without saying a word.
Xiao Yingzhu, who had been silent the entire time, was now back to his usual relaxed and carefree self, his expression as if it had never appeared before. He raised his hand to brush away the violet leaves that had just fallen onto his shoulder, tilted his head, and raised his eyes to ask Jiang Nian calmly, "What's important for you tonight?"
Is there something important that prevents you from attending the banquet?
Everyone fell silent for a moment. Jiang Nian blinked and returned to her usual well-behaved and quiet self. She listened to his questions but seemed not to understand their meaning and avoided the main points.
"Hurry up and head to Cang County. I need to plan some things for Fuling to do with the pharmacy and the warehouse when she leaves... What's your question, Master Xiao?"
Qin Lan's question was sudden, so Jiang Nian had to find an excuse to get away with it. However, he didn't expect that Xiao Yingzhu, who usually didn't seem to care about other people's whereabouts, would pursue it. Facing his dark but meaningful eyes, Jiang Nian opened his mouth but paused. He looked at him obediently and found a vague excuse. At the end, he didn't forget to ask back.
...But this argument is indeed a bit untenable.
When they decided to go to Cang County together in the afternoon, Yunxiu had an emergency. He knocked on the door of the side hall and came to report two new pieces of news.
It was sent by Mo Qing, who had been collecting intelligence in the capital.
Because of the terrain around Cang County, the birds that are commonly used on a daily basis cannot transmit information through the nearby mountains along the way, so people have to transmit information secretly.
But recently, something has changed. The gates of Cang County are strictly guarded by officials. People can only enter but not leave. Even if you change your appearance, you will be skinned by the inspectors.
Along with this information, there was also a secret letter from Emperor Feng Changde.
Perhaps Emperor Changde has noticed the movements of the Fifth Prince and the Wu Mi people, and will soon start to catch them all in one fell swoop.
After all, their goals are the same, and the most important thing at this moment is one thing. If they are given an easier way to act, some fish may slip through the net. Xiao Yingzhu did not fail to anticipate this.
In order to avoid alerting the enemy, Emperor Changde had already put pressure on the Wu Mi people in order to force the Second Prince to move faster. If he entered the city directly with his real identity, the Wu Mi people lurking in the dark would definitely notice it, so several people discussed the matter of disguising their identities.
Jiang Nian's pharmacy and warehouse are crucial to the opportunity for war between Donglan and Huandu, so Xiao Yingzhu has explained to Jiang Nian that the staff in the warehouse are all trained staff.
Yunxiu also promised on the spot that he would keep a strict watch.
Although the secret guards under Xiao Yingzhu seem to be out of place on weekdays, their role is the same as that of the death squad. They will never be careless when they are on a mission. Now that they have taken over the supervision, subsequent matters will be carried out in sync with the tasks of other secret guards guarding in Liangdu City.
Therefore, after Jiang Nian finished speaking, everyone was silent for a moment. Before Xiao Yingzhu could speak, Yun Xiu raised his hand and pointed at himself, looking at her with a pitiful and sad expression.
"Miss Jiang, don't you trust me?"
“…”
His eyes were so alluring, and his sadness was so well-pretended. If he hadn't curled his lips back the next moment, one would have been too soft-hearted to want to comfort him.
Yunxiu seemed to be the youngest among the first five secret guards, and he looked like he had just tied his hair. Because he was tall, had a flexible and changeable temperament, was very good at observing people's words and expressions, and had a rather special status, even if someone was deliberately talking nonsense or making others angry, as long as they showed a different attitude and caught a glimpse of his unrestrained and bright eyebrows, all their anger would disappear.
Xiao Yingzhu glanced at him coldly, and when she saw Yunxiu put on a serious look again, she turned back to invite Jiang Nian, her tone cold but unyielding. It was obvious that her improvised rhetoric did not pass muster with him.
"It will take a few days to get to Cang County. We have already booked a private room in Guanyue Tower. Please come with us."
“…”
Seeing Xiao Yingzhu's casual yet unquestionable expression, and the cold smile on his lips, and thinking about what happened just now, Jiang Nian didn't want to deliberately provoke him again, so he didn't refuse. He was silent for a second, and then gently curved his eyebrows.
"Thank you very much for your help."
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