Pond fish
The storyteller on the stage was still continuing what he had just unfinished.
"Last time, we talked about how our Fifth Prince had committed a crime and was imprisoned in the capital. So, after everyone learned about this, there was a lot of talk in the capital, and many theories suddenly emerged."
"The most widely circulated one is the one I'm going to talk about next—"
The storyteller closed his fan and began to tell the story.
"I mentioned before that the clan behind Concubine Shu is the largest Xinglin family in Huandu, and they hold great favors for the royal family. The former eldest princess and the current Princess Qingping have both been treated by this Xinglin family."
"And why is Concubine Shu favored? It's also because of her family that she is quite favored by His Majesty."
"--But now the Fifth Prince has been imprisoned, and Concubine Shu's pleas for mercy have failed to appease His Majesty. Perhaps it's because His Majesty discovered that the eldest princess's death was related to Concubine Shu's family!"
"The eldest princess and Your Majesty were once as close as sisters. Although she had made mistakes, Your Majesty still forgave her and never treated her poorly. Everyone knows that she died of illness, but now there are different theories, seemingly due to the Xinglin family..."
Seeing that the topic was getting more and more off-topic and outrageous, Jiang Nian suddenly felt relieved.
She had thought that internal affairs would also be known to other people. In this era of slow news, matters concerning Meng Zheng would surely ferment for a while before dying down. Now it seemed that those Wu Mi people were just trying to take the opportunity to divert the attention of Duke Xiao, who had "always been in Pingzhou."
Several lanterns in front were lit up again. The storyteller's words came to the key point. The curiosity and attention of the people around were attracted by the brightest stage and the voice in front of them.
Xiao Yingzhu's profile was not very clear in the dim light, like the picture shown on an old TV, with a dark filter texture.
Jiang Nian's attention shifted away from the stage in front of him, and his sidelong glance fell on Xiao Yingzhu's face beside him.
At the moment, he was lazily leaning his head, his eyebrows and eyes painted like ink dots were casual, just like the calm yet cold lake surface filled with dead leaves in autumn.
Although it is not eye-catching in the chaotic scene of this teahouse, it always attracts calm passers-by to stop and find comfort from these beautiful and gorgeous eyes and eyebrows.
With such a reliable partner, she should move forward instead of complaining about herself, always trying to compete with him, and wasting her time.
The ups and downs of my thoughts suddenly stopped, and the storytelling sounds from the stage came again from all directions.
Jiang Nian had been sitting for a long time and felt a little bored. Coincidentally, there was nothing else to listen to in the teahouse, so he wanted to go outside to get some fresh air.
Xiao Yingzhu, who was standing beside her, saw that she looked a little tired. She thought that she must have come to the teahouse today to finish some important business and came directly without resting. So she said, "There is nothing important in this teahouse today. If you feel sleepy, you can go back to the mansion to rest."
Hearing the light words coming from beside him, Jiang Nian was a little distracted, but was suddenly pulled back to his senses and instantly straightened up.
These words broke the nerves she had been forcing herself to hold together. Xiao Yingzhu noticed, and she couldn't pretend to be fine any longer. She just happened to be tired, so she nodded and agreed, "Yeah, I'm a little tired, and I was thinking of going out for some fresh air."
"There's nothing to listen to in the teahouse. Why don't you come with me?" Although they were still outside and there were secret guards around, Jiang Nian still paid attention to the address.
"No problem." He seemed to laugh, his voice low, but it was particularly clear in this bustling environment, and every word fell into Jiang Nian's ears and heart, "I'm a little tired too, so I'll go with you."
The storyteller on the stage was telling more and more outrageous stories, a bit fabricated, but they were in line with what the public wanted to hear.
Xiao Yingzhu was not very interested in the content that had been compiled into a neighborhood story. She looked uninterested and stood up with her. She slightly pulled Jiang Nian behind her to block other people's sight and walked out along the inconspicuous corner wall of the teahouse.
—
The raindrops from the eaves of the teahouse cast a dense layer of water shadows on the green tiles, condensed on the eaves, and then condensed into a line like broken beads, dripping gradually onto the oil-paper umbrellas of the guests who were hurriedly coming and going.
Jiang Nian felt chilled by the cool moisture in the air. He wanted to raise his hands to let out the air, but then he remembered that it was still summer, so he sighed and put his hands down.
The days passed more and more slowly, but the tasks of life were numerous and complicated. She always felt that it should be next spring, but looking back, she realized that it was still the season for plowing the fields.
Xiao Yingzhu, who was walking behind him, was wearing a moon-white robe. She took out an ink-stained umbrella from somewhere, and pushed it upwards with her slender fingertips. The umbrella was about to bring the two people on the ground together.
Shadows were everywhere under his feet. Jiang Nian smelled the clear and cold fragrance again and suddenly turned his head to look at Xiao Yingzhu.
The long lanterns hanging from the eaves cast a hazy, pale orange hue against the rain. He wore a jade crown, his dark hair cascading down his shoulders like a deep pool. His cold brows reflected the light behind him, seeming even deeper yet softer.
Inadvertently, she caught a glimpse of his calm face. When Xiao Yingzhu felt her gaze and looked over at her, Jiang Nian came back to her senses from the moment she was stunned. She smiled and said, "I suddenly wanted to come to the teahouse tonight. I had a vague feeling that I would encounter something here."
"I didn't expect to meet you."
"Well, I haven't been back to Pingzhou for a while, and I want to hear about the recent gossip in the teahouse."
"Can you hear what you want to hear tonight?"
It was rare for Xiao Yingzhu to bring up the topic, so Jiang Nian pursed his lips and smiled as he replied, "Of course, but compared to all that 'Prince's secrets' in the teahouse... I'd rather get something I want to hear from you."
Knowing that Jiang Nian still had questions to ask him, Xiao Yingzhu responded lightly, slowly raised the edge of the umbrella, and motioned her to look forward.
"The Jiang Mansion's carriage has arrived. Let's go inside and talk first."
Jiang Nian was so engrossed in the conversation with Xiao Yingzhu that when he raised his chin slightly to signal her, she suddenly realized that the family carriage had arrived at the time she had agreed on, but she had not noticed it.
"How did you get back today?"
"I'll go with you to the mansion, and then I'll go back on my own."
Xiao Yingzhu held an umbrella for her, and Jiang Nian held the oil-paper umbrella, which was still a little cold, in his left hand to prevent it from getting the right side of his simple clothes wet.
Jiang Nian really couldn't imagine how Xiao Yingzhu could get to the mountain without a carriage. Could she walk with an umbrella?
Taking advantage of the short walk from the teahouse to the carriage, Jiang Nian turned back and said something to Xiao Yingzhu. Perhaps it was because he heard some interesting word in her words, but the indifferent look between Xiao Yingzhu's eyebrows quietly relaxed, as if she smiled for a moment, and the loneliness and coldness faded, and she seemed gentler.
The young man who had previously picked up Jiang Nian was transferred back from his previous temporary position tonight and was waiting for his young lady at the roadside.
From a distance, I saw that Duke Xiao, who had been chatting and laughing with the young lady before, was now walking with the young lady again. The two of them even shared an umbrella, talking and laughing happily.
The overlapping images of different time periods give people a particularly shocking feeling, not to mention that this scene is happening right in front of him. The boy's breath was choked and he almost felt his ears buzzing again.
The Duke wouldn't really have any relationship with the young lady...right?
The man holding an umbrella in the rain opposite seemed to sense his gaze and raised his eyelids to look at him. The young man held his breath and immediately looked away.
It's so scary.
Being targeted by the Duke feels like I'm going to lose a layer of skin.
—
It rained continuously in Pingzhou at night. Xiao Yingzhu stood outside the carriage and waited for Jiang Nian to get on the car before she closed her umbrella, raised the curtain, and knelt down to sit in her previous position.
This carriage was slightly different from the previous ones. The most obvious change was that Xiao Yingzhu could finally sit comfortably, but Jiang Nian didn't have the leisure to care about it at the moment.
He was wondering when the minerals would arrive, but asking Xiao Yingzhu would give him no answer, as he couldn't conjure up what he wanted out of thin air.
Therefore, Jiang Nian wanted to ask about Meng Jian at this moment.
Considering that he had just heard something about the Fifth Prince in the teahouse, Jiang Nian pondered for a while and then asked:
"I heard somewhere before...about the old story between Your Majesty and the Princess. Does Your Majesty still visit the old place and reminisce about old friends?"
Meeting Xiao Yingzhu's gaze, Jiang Nian explained, "I was wondering, since Your Majesty still remembers the Princess's past relationship... will you give Meng Jian some leeway?"
The reason why Meng Yao did such a thing to help the Wu Mi people was simply because he was instructed by Meng Jian.
How could Emperor Changde fail to understand the meaning of this?
Although the request to Concubine Shu is still on hold, the emperor has complicated thoughts. If he thinks about the kindness that the Xinglin family has shown to the eldest princess and the county lord in the past, he may not be so cruel as to kill them.
At that time, it would be a bit tricky for her to use the anthelmintic prescription against Meng Jian.
It was as if she was mixed up in the palace, witnessing one secret event after another.
When the war between Huandu and Donglan settles down...Jiang Nian unconsciously stroked the fan in his sleeve pocket.
It's really not certain whether she can escape from this deep pool.
First, she was worried about Xiao Yingzhu's stance, and now she was worried about whether Emperor Changde would think of killing her. After Jiang Nian finished explaining, he sighed helplessly for a moment.
She really didn't want to lose her property and her life by running a pharmacy.
The scent of agarwood on the table drifted away from the box.
Xiao Yingzhu raised his eyes and heard her light sigh. Suddenly, he curled his lips and said, "Considering the affection we once had as family, we should stop before the incident with Meng Yao happens."
"Otherwise, the disasters caused by speculating on people's minds would have already spread everywhere."
His words were casual and a bit careless, as if he was curious about the source of Jiang Nian's hesitation. He looked up at Jiang Nian carefully for a moment and asked, "Why do you feel this way?"
Jiang Nian thought of Xiao Yingzhu's family's intricate ties with Emperor Changde, and was momentarily distracted. "It's just that I'm worried about 'poor people being affected'. Once this chess game is over, who knows where the roots of life will drift to."
Xiao Yingzhu stared at Jiang Nian's face for a few seconds, then lazily lowered her eyelids, her gaze falling on the box of agarwood on the table.
"It is the act of a fool to mourn the death of a rabbit. When the dust settles..."
"Miss Jiang, do you have a place in mind?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
