obscurity
Xiao Yingzhu's gaze slowly turned from the carriage to her, and his eyes were deep and dark as he looked at her.
"A few days ago."
That means I've been here for a few days.
She didn't have much time to interact with Xiao Yingzhu, and her cooperation with Xiao Yingzhu was indeed just one of the tasks between the two parties. They would meet when necessary, and it was normal for her not to come to the pharmacy unless there was a special situation.
And the fact that Xiao Yingzhu would come to the pharmacy tonight to discuss the spy matter with her was an exception. After all, this matter should be handled by her herself.
But why do I feel inexplicably depressed whenever I think that we won’t see each other for a few days after he returns to Liangdu?
My emotions are complicated and confused, and I can't make sense of them or figure them out, just like a diffuse and light white mist.
Jiang Nian slightly turned her eyes away, and the darkness of the night hid the rare confusion on her face.
"I see."
"I don't see any carriages at the moment. How will Your Highness plan to return home?"
The dark color of the person next to him almost blended into the dark night. Xiao Yingzhu's light gaze fell on Jiang Nianbaijuan's profile as if it had substance.
"You said before that there's no need to worry about etiquette in front of me. Miss Jiang, have you forgotten?"
The fingertips on his sides curled up slightly, and Jiang Nian paused as he looked around to see where his carriage was. He turned his head and replied with a smile as usual.
"How could that be? I'm used to being yelled at, but why are you still bringing this up?"
After finally getting the upper hand over Xiao Yingzhu's words, the inexplicable depression in his heart instantly dissipated. Jiang Nian smiled lightly and brought back the topic.
"So how are you going to get back?"
Xiao Yingzhu's gaze was still leisurely fixed on her face, ignoring her question, but the inquiring look in his eyes was almost impossible to ignore.
"There was a pause when Miss Jiang answered me just now."
"Did I offend you in some way?"
Xiao Yingzhu laughed very lightly, her breath was shallow.
"Why don't you tell me? I might be able to answer a few questions for Miss Jiang."
The dark color of the person next to him almost blended into the dark night. Xiao Yingzhu's light gaze fell on Jiang Nianbaijuan's profile as if it had substance.
It was rare to clearly feel that Xiao Yingzhu's tone was a bit light, which matched his expression. Through the fragmented light of the dark night, he seemed ethereal and fragile.
—
The two of them standing in the drugstore were very conspicuous. The young man who had been waiting in the dark to take a nap looked up and saw a familiar figure in the late night vision he was already accustomed to. He leaned out and waved at Jiang Nian.
"Miss--"
The thin clouds floating on the crescent moon were blown aside by a gust of wind, and the cool white light illuminated the dim scene in front of the drugstore.
Jiang Nian's vision suddenly became clear, and he turned his eyes away from the face of the person next to him. He heard the voice and saw the young man waving at a distance. It was like seeing a piece of driftwood in the ocean. The light in his eyes lit up, and he ignored Xiao Yingzhu's questions and walked towards the corner across the street.
The young man watched his young lady walk towards the carriage, and was happy to be able to return. However, his eyes caught sight of the person who had left a shadow in his memory, and his hand, which was waving happily, froze.
Xiao Yingzhu's face was cold and white under the cool moon, like cool and smooth jade, shining in the darkness.
The black hair hanging in front of him reflected his dark eyes, and the elusive smile on his lips faded a little when he looked at the boy.
The young man hesitantly stretched out his hand. He didn't know if it was because Xiao Yingzhu's casual yet solemn impression was too deep in his mind, but when he looked at her face, he felt that Xiao Yingzhu's gentle smile had turned cold.
The intuition in her heart and the chill she felt when their eyes met came together. Her shoulders trembled, and Jiang Nian saw that the young man who was waving at her in front of her sat back down quietly.
The sudden change made her a little confused.
"What's wrong?"
“…Nothing, miss.”
The young man was silent for a moment, then he gripped the reins tightly in his hands and said it with a resolute tone.
"I'm ready to go, please get in the car, miss."
Jiang Nian still remembered clearly how the young man was frightened by Xiao Yingzhu. He turned his head suspiciously and looked at Xiao Yingzhu. The other party was casually crossing his arms, and the cold and dark color of the light-colored car curtain was faintly reflected in his eyes.
He sighed from the bottom of his heart. He didn't see anyone coming to send Xiao Yingzhu back to the mansion. Jiang Nian thought that it would be unreasonable to invite her at this time in this era, but he still spoke.
"Where is your residence? I don't have any extra carriages here. Please, sir, bear with me and return in this carriage."
The bright moon was once again obscured by clouds, and the light on the ground was swallowed up again, reflecting a black shadow.
Xiao Yingzhu raised his eyes and looked at her for a few seconds.
"They didn't come?"
The carriage was very quiet and it was obvious that it was empty.
Jiang Nian's gaze lingered on the car curtain that was swaying slightly back and forth for a moment, and she suddenly realized that Xiao Yingzhu probably thought that Guizhi or Fuling would come to pick her up together.
Fuling has been busy managing the warehouse these days, and Guizhi is quite interested in packaging design, so she followed her to draw several plans.
It just so happened that the pharmacy no longer delivered tea every day like before, and there was nothing extra for her to do, so Jiang Nian simply let her stay in the mansion and paint.
"Well, right now there's nothing that requires them to run back and forth every day, so I didn't ask them to pick me up."
—
The Liangdu Pharmacy was quite far away from the Jiang Residence, and the person following Jiang Nian was only a teenager.
Jiang Nian felt cold when Xiao Yingzhu looked at him, and looked away uncomfortably.
"Your Mightiness…"
The car curtain was lifted by slender fingers, and his words were casual but not frivolous.
"Miss Jiang, please go in first."
His heart skipped a beat, and Jiang Nian's eyes showed a hint of surprise. Then he realized something and nodded calmly.
A smile appeared on Xiao Yingzhu's face.
"Well, please excuse me, sir."
This was the first time that she was sent to the carriage by the Duke of the current dynasty. If it had happened a while ago, she probably wouldn't have thought of such an outrageous thing.
Xiao Yingzhu casually turned her eyes away, ignoring the young man in front of the car who was staring with his eyes wide open in shock, and stepped back to get on the car.
—
The carriage was not moving fast, as if it was afraid of hurting the bloodthirsty Lord of Huan Dynasty. The dim street scene on the side of the road was slowly receding.
The compartment was naturally smaller than the carriage at Xiao Yingzhu's mansion. His eyes accidentally saw the long legs that could not be stretched due to space constraints. Jiang Nian pinched his fingers on the legs and turned his head to look at the blurry scenery outside the window.
The two had been silent since they entered the carriage until this moment. Xiao Yingzhu, who was as perceptive as he was, naturally noticed the clues. Even though Jiang Nian's lips were slightly pursed, he could see it clearly from his angle even though he turned his head away.
There was a faint breath with a hint of chill, and Xiao Yingzhu's voice was casual and unfocused. In this quiet room, even the breathing while speaking could be heard clearly.
"Ms. Jiang, you don't need to hide your expression in front of me."
"I can see that."
Jiang Nian took a deep breath, and finally couldn't help but lower his head and clench his hands. After a long while, he raised his head to barely hide the smile on his face.
"nothing."
She sighed softly and didn't meet Xiao Yingzhu's gaze. After a while, she raised her eyes to confirm with Xiao Yingzhu that he would be here tonight.
"Your Excellency came to see me at night. Is it because you went to the warehouse first?"
Xiao Yingzhu listened to Jiang Nian's opening words when he entered the pharmacy, and knew that Jiang Nian had guessed this, so he responded lightly.
After receiving a positive answer, Jiang Nian felt relieved.
"I thought I wasn't taking good care of the place, so I asked them to report it to you."
A light laugh came from the other side, and there was a rare element of certainty and trust in the reply.
"Ms. Jiang has always been thorough in her work. I won't be suspicious."
When he saw Xiao Yingzhu in the evening, Jiang Nian's first thought was that the two secret guards watching the pharmacy had discovered what was happening at the pharmacy and reported it to Xiao Yingzhu, so Xiao Yingzhu came to ask about the matter on time.
Although she never thought that Xiao Yingzhu would send secret guards to monitor her every move, her inner thoughts were still involuntarily brought into it.
Jiang Nian's eyes moved slightly, and another picture appeared in his memory.
The warehouse was indeed brightly lit the night before.
Did Xiao Yingzhu notice the light, so he went to the warehouse to check today?
Thinking of Fuling's pale face when she saw Xiao Yingzhu, I don't know how she answered Xiao Yingzhu in the morning.
When Jiang Nian imagined the scene of Fuling floating down to answer him, he couldn't help but curl his lips.
Xiao Yingzhu next to him seemed to be thinking about something and didn't speak for a long time.
When she raised her eyes, they accidentally fell into his. She paused as she leaned back, her thoughts became clear in her mind, and she blinked.
"So you returned the night before?"
Xiao Yingzhu seemed to have just come back to his senses, and his dark eyes looked at her deeply and solemnly, with some ambiguous emotions in them.
"I thought Miss Jiang had guessed it a long time ago."
“…”
The faint smile at the end of his voice made Jiang Nian silent. She quietly looked away and didn't intend to continue the conversation.
Xiao Yingzhu was quite interested at this time. She lowered her eyelashes, tapped her fingertips lightly, and continued the topic that Jiang Nian had just ignored.
"Did Miss Jiang hear any fragments of what was said in the teahouse earlier?"
The night wind gently lifted a corner of the car curtain, and the rich scent of the sachet in the car seemed to be hooked out. The fragrance that had not been noticed just now slowly lingered around Jiang Nian's nose.
His questions jumped too quickly. Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment and subconsciously held his breath.
"Is what you are talking about related to you? Or..."
Halfway through his words, Jiang Nian realized the meaning of what he had said. He reacted suddenly, and his slightly tense body relaxed a little. He looked at Xiao Yingzhu helplessly.
"Sir, please stop joking. Is this funny?"
Xiao Yingzhu raised the corners of her eyes and curled up the corners of her lips slightly.
"It's not important, what's important is the result."
The words were spoken softly and slowly, and the points where the slender white fingertips touched seemed to have struck Jiang Nian's heart.
Her eyes fell on the shadow on the table, and she listened to Xiao Yingzhu opposite her slowly speaking again with a distant smile.
"Miss Jiang, do you mind that I attended the princess's banquet?"
There was a strange emotion in his eyes, as if hiding some elusive dark meaning.
"Only during the few days I was away from the capital?"
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