Response
There are thousands of lights in the distance.
Jiang Nian had been looking in the dim light for a long time, and suddenly she saw the bright and dazzling lamp behind Meng Zheng. She frowned slightly with a slight feeling of discomfort.
The expression of the person in front was hidden in the darkness. The contrast between the light and dark in the two places was huge, and she couldn't see Meng Zheng's expression at the moment.
But just based on Meng Zheng's question, his intention of exploring was already very clear.
Jiang Nian's thoughts flashed through his mind for only a moment before he replied, "The order is in good order, and the doctors are so many. This is a testament to the court's benevolent governance."
“…”
Meng Zheng's reaction was flat, without any intention of expressing anything. He just stared at her calmly, as if he was looking at someone through her words and through her eyes.
Their eyes met for a long time, and it always felt like he was looking in the mirror rather than seeing things through her.
After a while, Meng Zheng turned his head to hide the thoughts in his eyes. What he just revealed seemed like an illusion.
He was looking at her from the sect's perspective, so it was reasonable for him to answer her from the sect's standpoint. Jiang Nian felt that there was nothing wrong with his answer.
Silver bells rang softly, and the evening breeze rustled the hairpins of her step-shaking hairpins. Amidst the silence, the subtle sounds were distinctly audible.
After Xiao Yingzhu and Qin Lan finished talking, they had some spare time to look at the people around them who cared about them.
Now he was standing at the steps of Zhuyu Pavilion, looking at her with an unclear expression.
The cold gaze that pierced the air was so powerful that even though Jiang Nian was merely keeping his eyes down in front of Meng Zheng to maintain a polite attitude, he could still feel it on his face.
Well, the longer I stay in front of Meng Zheng, the worse it feels. It’s better to leave early.
After waiting for a while, seeing that Meng Zheng had no intention of speaking, Jiang Nian, feeling the pressure from a distance, gestured to him:
"Your Highness, do you have any other questions? I came here with the Duke today. Now that the time has come, we should leave."
Meng Zheng turned around with a sudden realization, and when he saw the figure below, he chuckled with an ambiguous meaning.
"You two have a truly special relationship. Well, it's fine as long as you don't mean it. I won't keep you any longer. Go."
When the key words entered his ears, Jiang Nian paused as he was about to take a step, then turned around and saluted him.
"Your Highness, you are too kind. I am only fulfilling my duty as a doctor and have no other intentions. Thank you for your magnanimity. I will take my leave."
Meng Zheng smiled and looked at her with his eyes lowered, but did not answer again, allowing her to bow again.
—
The carriage parked in the distance moved slowly. The attendant who had been following Meng Zheng came over, put on a cold-proof coat for him, and looked with him in the direction where the carriage was heading.
That's the State Guesthouse.
There was no one around, so the attendant leaned over to Meng Zheng and whispered, "Your Highness, should we continue to investigate this person's identity?"
Meng Zheng withdrew his gaze from the distance, glanced coldly at the attic behind him, and replied calmly: "No need, stop."
The servant was startled, raised his head to see his master's expression, then quickly lowered his head, not daring to say anything more: "Yes, I obey your order."
It was a cold and quiet night, with street lanterns flickering in front of the shops. He had only walked down a few steps when the servant behind him came up again, his steps hurried, as if there was something he had forgotten to mention.
He quickened his pace and followed Meng Zheng. When Meng Zheng stood up to get into the car, he bravely added, "Your Highness, that civet cat..."
Meng Zheng had just sat down when he heard one of the words and suddenly raised his head to look at the curtain. He narrowed his eyes with an extremely oppressive feeling and looked down at him condescendingly: "Can't control your mouth?"
"Your Highness, please calm down. I made a mistake and will never do it again." The attendant, shocked by the cold words, took a few steps back and bowed hurriedly, saying repeatedly, "Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Meng Zheng was tired. He sighed, pointed at the servant in a warning manner, lowered the curtain, rubbed his forehead, ordered the carriage to set off, and then closed his eyes to rest.
The fatigue that slowly surged over him engulfed him like a tide. The ride was slightly bumpy, and he soon took a nap leaning against the wall of the carriage.
—
From the time she returned to her room last night to this evening, Jiang Nian had been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding Xiao Yingzhu and taking a detour. As long as it was not related to Xiao Yingzhu, she could accept anyone who came.
You can't escape the fifteenth day if you can't escape the first day.
Ai and Xizhen picked me up in the afternoon. Now without them, it would be unrealistic for me to go back to the State Guest House from Zhuyu Pavilion. There are only two familiar people in front of me.
One was Qin Lan who was about to return - he had just bought fruit drinks from somewhere else.
Because the host of the banquet was the prefect, almost no one started eating at the dinner. Everyone was concerned, and even the wine they drank was brought by Yu He.
Seeing Yu He's usually indifferent and cold appearance, Jiang Nian's first impression was that he was one of those immortals who were detached from worldly affairs. It was not until she heard others jokingly say that he could "cup a thousand cups without getting drunk" and saw his actual drinking capacity at night that she felt that people really cannot be judged by their appearance, and preconceived notions are a big taboo.
However, judging from the rumors, Commander Yu was not born with the ability to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, but rather developed it later.
Compared with the other people present, the diplomatic duties he held were relatively few.
But the amount of alcohol they can drink is far beyond that of ordinary people.
What could have caused him to develop this talent?
Afraid of being drugged? That's not logical.
"Ms. Jiang, who are you going to go with today?"
Qin Lan, who had just bought some fruit drinks from a nearby store, waved his hand in front of her. When Jiang Nian came to her senses, she realized that she was at least three meters away from Xiao Yingzhu.
My thoughts are spreading too quickly, which is probably because I subconsciously want to escape from the current situation.
Jiang Nian controlled his urge to glance to the side and stared directly at Qin Lan's inquiring gaze. He pretended to be relieved and indifferent and said with a smile, "Master Qin, are you asking this? Do you want to give me a ride?"
You can ask it, but you can tell with your toes that Qin Lan is a henpecked husband. He will strictly control himself when Tao Yu is not around.
Hearing Jiang Nian's joke, Qin Lan immediately became serious: "Miss Jiang, please don't make such jokes. I still need to explain to Tao Yu."
Since his wife was involved, he no longer wanted to continue gossiping. After a pause, he said half-persuasively:
"...It's getting late, Miss Jiang, it's best not to stay outside for too long. The security in Cang County is not perfect. Please find someone you trust to help you get back home."
Fearing that Tao Yu was watching him from somewhere, Qin Lan established the moral standards of a man.
After saying goodbye to her, he exaggerated the story in front of Tao Yu, as if he was afraid of being seen by some peeping Tom or nosy person, and then waited for him to kneel on the washboard when he got home - of course, all this was just his imagination.
After thinking about this for a long time, I felt that it would be better not to gossip with my future married woman, so I hurriedly got into the car that was waiting on the side.
“…”
Jiang Nian felt a little amused when he saw Qin Lan running away as if he was afraid of being caught.
Her brows relaxed and she smiled, then her gaze shifted to the car on the other side. When she saw the servant coming and whispered a few words to her, her smile froze. In the end, she succumbed to reality and reluctantly followed the servant to Xiao Yingzhu's car.
The scent of scented tea in the carriage is rich and intoxicating. When you sniff it, it feels like flowers blooming in the warm sun, revealing their unique sweet fragrance.
Jiang Nian sat opposite Xiao Yingzhu. The servants lowered the curtains outside the carriage. Lanterns passed by the window. The intoxicating fragrance of floral tea lingered in her nostrils again and again, as if tirelessly inducing her to pick up the brewed teacup in front of her, take a sip, and relieve her addiction to tea.
There were some whispers on the street that were also carried away by the wind. In the quiet atmosphere, Jiang Nian could recall the ambiguous and somewhat absurd things that happened last night when he glanced at any item related to Xiao Yingzhu.
It feels like she is even more old-fashioned than the ancients, but no matter how you think about it, it seems incredible. This kind of ambiguous object that falls from the sky is an ally, a superior, or even a powerful person. No matter how you think about it, it seems like something that only exists in novels!
Jiang Nian felt that she might be too narcissistic. After what happened in the lotus pond last night, she actually felt that Xiao Yingzhu liked her.
...Is this something that can be said?
Anyway, she didn't really trust her own judgment, but her sixth sense told her so. It was obviously the same brain that was thinking these two ideas, but they were extremely separated. They kept swinging back and forth in her mind. The two concepts of yes and no had to compete with each other to determine the winner.
As a result, she felt guilty when she saw Xiao Yingzhu today.
——The kind of guilty feeling when you doubt others but feel that others have already seen through what you are thinking.
It was as if every time I saw him, every time my heart beat faster, there was a greater chance that he would see through my thoughts.
Especially when meeting his captivatingly cold eyes, Jiang Nian would have to consider whether he would be led astray by his rhetoric when talking to him on a daily basis. If he looked into his eyes with a guilty conscience... Jiang Nian felt that he had lost everything before he even started.
In short, I listed so many reasons just to explain that she was really uncomfortable being alone in the same carriage with Xiao Yingzhu. It wasn't a nervous or awkward discomfort, but an uncomfortable discomfort that made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.
She felt that there was no need for the next moment, as if she thought about it any longer she would be seen through.
Along with all these, what also came into his mind was what he sensed from Xiao Yingzhu's behavior last night.
That feeling of being caged.
It seemed that as soon as she thought about it now, layers of vines with distinct branches would sprout from the bottom of this wide but stuffy carriage, slowly tightening around her ankles that were about to touch the ground, extending all the way to her calves, and then quickly wrapping around her chest, firmly fixing her in this carriage that she wanted to leave so much.
Thinking of this, Jiang Nian felt chest tightness again, as if he was being gently drowned in water. No matter how he struggled to break free, it was like a kitten scratching its itch, without a single splash. After a few bubbles appeared in the air, they were suppressed deeper into the water.
How long will it take to get to the State Guesthouse?
Jiang Nian felt inexplicably bad. She moved her hands, which were stiff and numb, and glanced lightly out the car window.
The buildings outside looked unfamiliar, and the familiar people and places were unfamiliar to me, as if I was back in the beginning in Liangdu City.
When she saw those scenes she had never seen before, her heart would jump with joy.
But obviously I don't have the leisure time for that now.
Now she is inexplicably involved in a relationship with someone else. She just regards it as the spice of life, but the progress of the relationship is completely beyond her control.
It even felt like he was a puppet from the very beginning, being pulled by invisible threads and pushed towards his desired goal. Yet, he was having a lot of fun walking along the path, and actually thought that he was following the route he had planned. It was only now that he realized that this was a trap.
Even the initiative to invite Xiao Yingzhu at that time was part of the other party's plan.
Even if she didn't invite him, I'm afraid he would have other ways to get her to invite him.
Anyone is just a pawn in his hands.
And she is just one of them.
Even so, she even felt that the ambiguous relationship was something she could control, and that the other person had the same thoughts as her.
There is no such thing as telepathy in this world.
It's all just bullshit that you tell to deceive yourself.
The tightness in his chest became even worse, and Jiang Nian didn't want to pay any attention to Xiao Yingzhu at all.
I don't even want to touch the flower tea that I saw and smelled just now, which was so attractive to me and was specially poured for me.
How much backbone does a person have?
Jiang Nian didn't know, but she was now disgusted with the house and the people in it, including the owner of the flower tea and the flower tea.
For a short time, she would not touch anything related to scented tea.
If an unreasonable emotion arises, just let it go with the flow.
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