Response
Xiao Yingzhu put down the documents in his hand. Fortunately, he could still take those trivial and boring documents into consideration.
Without any hesitation, he repeated everything he had said to Emperor Changde.
After listening to the general idea, Jiang Nian lowered his eyes, unconsciously looking at his slender hands, or the stack of documents on the desk, or the butterfly that landed on the windowsill.
"So, everything you arranged earlier was just a trick to deceive His Majesty?"
Donglan has been eyeing Huandu's insect repellent and wants to lure the snake out of its hole at the right time, so he must have a bait.
Emperor Changde wanted to use her, the person who created the insect repellent, as bait.
In this way, the timing of controlling the war will fall into their hands to a certain extent.
Xiao Yingzhu didn't reply after receiving the envelope, and was also thinking about when would be the best time to bring Jiang Nian out in the open.
After all, she is a trump card, a hidden chess move.
Even though both sides have undercurrents of conflict in private, on the surface they appear to be peaceful and tranquil.
He had to time it so that after Jiang Nian made his pharmacy famous, he could write a letter to Emperor Changde, requesting Jiang Nian to become an ambassador of good varieties. Then, after ensuring that the insect repellent was available throughout Huandu, he could attract Dong Lan's attention.
However, due to some hidden thoughts, even though Xiao Yingzhu knew that this was the best move, he still did not want to use Jiang Nian's life as bait and hang it in the war.
It was like a sword was hanging over Jiang Nian's head. If he was not careful, his head would fall off and become an ink stain on the book.
Xiao Yingzhu didn't want to put her inner thoughts on the table, so she didn't respond. She met Jiang Nian's gaze and averted her eyes.
“…”
You still don't say anything even at this point, right? You're just trying to save face and suffer.
Jiang Nian felt like laughing.
I was so angry that I laughed.
She could leave at any time in the afternoon, and Lan even told Xiao Yingzhu about it. However, he still preferred to keep it in his heart and didn't want to say a word.
Are you a taciturn person?
Recalling the previous conversations and tests with Xiao Yingzhu, Jiang Nian could understand why Xiao Yingzhu hid her thoughts like this.
But it is still a bit annoying for people like her who want to satisfy their emotional needs.
But there was nothing he could do to Xiao Yingzhu. Although he was younger than her, he was probably in charge of a higher position, so even if he didn't avoid her words out of any displeasure, he would still do so.
Just looking at him sitting at the desk like this, with his hands on the table, the back of his hands lightly resting on his chin, and his eyes lowered as he flipped through the documents with an indifferent expression, it would be difficult for people to do anything to offend him.
If you want to bring trouble upon yourself, if you use your imagination a little before doing so, you will be able to imagine the cause of your own death.
——No words are needed, just a glance with your cold and ruthless eyes is enough to scare you.
That defensive aura is enough to keep out all those with guilty consciences.
Jiang Nian was almost unable to bear it any longer, but he calmed down with a smile on his face.
She can't win in a fight, and she will only get bored by talking. What can she do?
Sooner or later, she would pull out the head of the man in front of her like Tao Yu pulled Qin Lan's hair.
—
After calming down for a while, Jiang Nian pulled a chair and sat on the other side of the desk. He held his chin and watched Xiao Yingzhu review the documents that seemed to never end. Occasionally, when he saw words about the border, he would consciously shift his gaze in other directions.
The chirping of cicadas outside the window dispelled the changeable weather in Cang County these days, and the warm breeze came in through the open window.
Jiang Nian turned away from the occasional glance at Xiao Yingzhu's face and gazed out the window at the flickering light on the treetops. The intertwined green leaves reflected tiny shadows, which, as she raised her eyes, revealed a different scene.
"Besides what Lan said, there's also the matter of returning to Pingzhou that hasn't been discussed yet, right?"
The words he heard from the maid in the morning came to his mind during the pleasant afternoon. Jiang Nian turned his head and looked at Xiao Yingzhu openly.
"Should you say something to me?"
"?"
The other party raised his eyelashes, casually closed the document, and looked at her: "Now you have the mind to talk to me again?"
She looked angry just now, but her temper came and went quickly, and now she was willing to talk to him again.
Jiang Nian paused for a moment before realizing that Xiao Yingzhu was teasing her about her previous cold war. Thinking about the cause and effect of this series of events, her temper that was about to make her laugh came up again.
She has been so lively recently, she must have Xiao Yingzhu to thank.
"How could that be possible? Duke Xiao is so authoritative. If I don't say something to break the deadlock, I'm afraid the pharmacy will be completely wiped out."
The imperial court still has some grudges against the sect, and the reason can be traced back to Shouzan.
If Emperor Changde knew that the person who developed the insect repellent was another outsider from outer space, he would probably change his mind.
The documents on the desk were reduced by half in the time Jiang Nian was in a daze. When Jiang Nian talked to him, Xiao Yingzhu only had one thin piece of paper left in his hand.
He casually put the paper somewhere else, without saying a word to Jiang Nian's words, but with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.
"I will tell you about returning to Pingzhou after you and Lan respond."
"It's still half an hour until evening, aren't you going to give it any more thought?"
Jiang Nian didn't hear anything wrong in his words, so he just followed his words and said, "Of course, I haven't finished the business at hand, and I'm afraid I'll feel resentful when I return. I feel very sorry for everyone."
“So I decided to stay here.”
Although I don’t remember why I was so mentally devastated in modern times that I became disgusted with the world and didn’t want to wake up, there must be a cause for every effect.
Right now...her heart is more inclined towards Xiao Yingzhu and the others who can share her worries.
Although they did not interfere too much in her pharmacy and tasks, it must be their credit that they allowed her to no longer have a psychological barrier to this era, and invisibly changed her view of this era.
Xiao Yingzhu's eyelashes drooped, and from Jiang Nian's perspective, it was impossible to see what he was thinking.
Without waiting for Xiao Yingzhu's answer, Jiang Nian immediately asked "?"
"Is there anything wrong with what I said?"
"......" When Xiao Yingzhu raised her eyes again, her brows were relaxed, and there was nothing unusual about her. "No."
"Have you really thought it through?"
He spoke carelessly, his pronunciation was very light, and Jiang Nian suddenly felt that he seemed to be confirming something.
Earlier, when Jiang Nian was talking to You in Zuihualou, she sometimes always felt as if something was watching her from the dark, spying on her heart.
And this irresistible feeling once again appeared in Jiang Nian's heart.
She paused for a moment, not realizing how much of a problem this was. Since it was all about collusion, there shouldn't be any problem.
Therefore, Jiang Nian nodded again with certainty.
"really."
“…”
In the fading light, Xiao Yingzhu's profile softened slightly at these words, as if the hidden meaning within them had touched a deep place within him. Beneath that gentleness, some elusive emotion seemed to be brewing.
Jiang Nian stared at his face hidden in the dark, and a chill slowly rose from the bottom of her heart, slowly crawling up her back and her limbs.
It was as if some evil ghost had opened its eyes in the darkness and fixed its gaze on her.
—
Lan arrived as scheduled in the evening.
As usual, there was only one candle lit in the study.
Xiao Yingzhu didn't seem to like too bright light. Even though there were many things in the study that could provide lighting, he was still only willing to light the closest one on the table.
Lan came in holding a cup of scented tea and showed the style of the tea to Jiang Nian.
Now his face has returned to the gentle look he showed to her in the past, and his solemn image is hidden in the darkness where no light can reach.
Glancing at the tea in his hand, Jiang Nian paused for a moment and asked in surprise, "Isn't this the scented tea I kept in Pingzhou Mansion?"
When she came to Cang County for business, she did not bring all her belongings with her as if she was moving house. Therefore, when she brewed tea with the flowers from Cang County, it was always not sweet enough to her liking, and she missed the tea bags she left at Pingzhou Mansion.
Lan took out a few more packets of scented tea from her sleeve and put them in her hands.
"It's just a tiny bit of sincerity."
Realizing that Lan was talking about how they had resolved Shou Zan's unconsciousness, Jiang Nian held the tea bag and suddenly laughed, "Isn't it a bit shabby that the gift from the dignified Space Ruler is the floral tea I'll be able to drink soon when I return to Pingzhou?"
Lan slowly returned to the seat she had sat in the afternoon and shook her finger at her.
"Of course."
"But it depends on your answer to choose a gift that suits you."
He glanced at the sky, then crossed his fingers and looked at Jiang Nian inquiringly: "The time has come, so what is your choice?"
Jiang Nian said without hesitation, "Of course I'll stay here."
"You're not going back there?"
"Um."
“…”
Lan looked at her deeply, as if trying to find out her inner thoughts from her eyes.
Unfortunately, there was nothing but determination in Jiang Nian's eyes.
As someone who had traveled through countless worlds, Lan naturally found it difficult to understand what Jiang Nian was thinking after such a short change of heart. After a moment, he replied:
"Indeed, I will stay here again and again for this era. I have changed history once before."
"After going through these things, it's normal for your attitude and perspective to change."
"Since you have made up your mind, I will not take you away from this era."
Lan lowered her head slightly, reached out and took out an item from the transparent space beside her and handed it to Jiang Nian.
"Artifacts from your time."
"Since this era is limited, I imitated something with the same effect."
Because Xiao Yingzhu was present, Lan did not explain what the item was, but simply put the small bag of heavy powder into Jiang Nian's hand.
Jiang Nian weighed the powder in his hand. It was placed in a rough cloth bag with distinct particles inside and a sloppy bow tied at the end with white nylon rope.
Unable to smell or see what was inside, she casually put the thing into her sleeve pocket.
Seeing that she accepted it, Lan also said: "Use all the tools you have in Pingzhou to test the things in here. Maybe you don't need to test them. You can tell what they are made of just by looking at them."
"Then you just need to find the ingredients and mix it."
Jiang Nian met Lan's gaze and understood what he wanted to express.
As if speaking in code in front of others, as if making a secret contact, she replied casually: "I understand. I'll go back to Pingzhou to see how to develop it... Thank you."
Things that I had no idea how to make at the moment will be much easier to make now that I have the references Lan provided.
Now that things have come to this, there is nothing more to talk about.
When Lan turned and stepped into the void, Jiang Nian looked at his back and suddenly asked, "Will I be able to see you again?"
The other person turned his head, and in the transparent invisible space, his appearance as a soldier gradually faded away, but because of a layer of vague mist, Jiang Nian could not see his face clearly.
"You don't want to see me again."
Lan waved his hand, turned around and walked into that space. The last sentence he said became a little difficult to distinguish because of the layer of space.
"If we say goodbye, it will be another unsatisfactory ending."
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