tryst
The accommodation provided for the prefect was a state guesthouse, and the treatment was several times better than the private inn he had stayed in before in Chimen.
The servants had fumigated sandalwood and tidied the bedroom, and the whole room was arranged in an orderly manner. The fresh, dry and quiet atmosphere always amplified the psychological fatigue, making one want to fall into a deep sleep and not know whether it was day or night.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to sleep in a foreign country. No matter how good the environment is, once you look around, you will see unfamiliar furnishings. No matter how sleepy or tired you are, you cannot let go of the taut strings and the anxious heart.
There was a shower in Cang County in the latter half of the night.
Jiang Nian leaned on the bed in a daze, watching the bright beam of light lightning up half the sky.
The carved window panes suddenly turned from light to darkness, and the raindrops slid down the tung oil paper, just like the years that had passed.
Ai disappeared after the conversation just now. Qin Lan said that he went to meet up with the troops he had sent to Cang County before.
Qin Lan and Xi Zhen seemed like friends who had known each other for a long time. When they sent her back, Jiang Nian observed that the reason Qin Lan spoke very little tonight was because of Xi Zhen.
Judging from his words and deeds, Xizhen seems to be Xiao Yingzhu's subordinate.
They called Xizhen the Chief Secretary, but he seemed to be the core of all the problems in this conversation, and all the clues pointed to him.
If you want to solve the mystery of the Qixia Mountain mine from Cang County and get the herbs, you have to start with the Wu Mi people who have close ties with the mine.
To unravel the mystery, we need to find a breakthrough point that can pry open the internal plans of the Wu Mi people.
The breakthrough point is Xizhen.
Jiang Nian's vision became increasingly blurred. In a daze, he smelled a faint scent of incense from the corner of his clothes, and his chaotic mind suddenly became clear again.
Wait.
Xizhen and Qin Lan are friends.
Although Xizhen didn't mention her to Qin Lan, she had previously told Qin Lan that she didn't know how to burn incense!
And the original owner didn't know how to burn incense...
Guizhi and Fuling, who took care of her on weekdays, didn't notice this. It was just that today she didn't pay much attention and took out a jacket because the weather turned cold, and was discovered by Xizhen. How embarrassing it was.
Jiang Nian's mind suddenly went blank, then he opened his eyes, turned over, lay flat on his back and looked at the ceiling, his thoughts wandering.
Fortunately, Xizhen was not familiar with her, so she didn't have to think about this issue.
But he had been a little too close to Xiao Yingzhu a few times before. Since he had the idea to conclude that he was not the original owner, could it be because of the fragrance?
Reason told her that now was the time when she needed to rest and recuperate, as she still had things to do tomorrow morning.
But my thoughts were too complicated, and the sleepiness I had felt was gone because of the sudden start.
Jiang Nian grabbed a coat from the sash and put it on, preparing to open the window to admire the moon. Under the bright moon, in the midst of that chaotic reverie, the rain stopped.
She wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep at night.
She looked into the distance and her eyes fell on the tall figure in the pavilion.
The air seemed to be coated with a layer of lonely light. Across the lotus pond with clusters of pink and green leaves, his eyebrows and eyes were beautiful and distinct in black and white.
With her black hair tied up and flowing like a waterfall, Xiao Yingzhu turned her face to the side, raised her eyes, and looked precisely in the direction of Jiang Nian.
The sky was clear and the wind was gentle, and his cold eyes seemed to penetrate into the heart, captivating people.
Jiang Nian was startled, and her hand, which was about to tighten her outer garment, stopped for some reason. When her black hair was loose, she suddenly looked away and hurriedly closed the window, letting her inexplicably confused emotions run wild. She only felt her heart beating like a drum in her chest, and her vision seemed to be doubled.
The door of the wing room behind her was opened hastily, and she walked down the side stairs in the memory of the way she came. Her past peace and composure disappeared into thin air. She didn't care about her hair being messed up by the wind. She held the buttons of her outer dress tightly in her hands and walked lightly through the corridor. The hem of her skirt was like a wild necklace blooming in the dark night, and she ran towards the courtyard between the two buildings.
The distance between the two buildings is not far. The pavilion between the lotus pond is like a paradise in the extremely quiet night. Everywhere you look, there are pink lotuses and green leaves dripping with dew, which cover the girl's heartbeat on the bridge.
Xiao Yingzhu sat beside the stone table. The air was cool after the rain, and the faint fragrance of flowers by the lotus pond filled her breath.
Jiang Nian stopped in front of the pavilion, calmed his breathing, raised his hand to lift up his slightly scattered hair, and slowly walked into the pavilion.
The umbrella in the pavilion was placed aside, the canopy was as white as frost and snow, and water drops fell continuously.
It was not until her figure completely fell into his eyes that Jiang Nian suddenly realized how reckless she was. When their eyes met, she suddenly lost her voice and could not find the words to say.
Xiao Yingzhu's expression was relaxed, a smile playing on her lips, and there was an imperceptible softness in her words: "Meeting you under the moon, Miss Jiang also shares the same elegant taste as me?"
Jiang Nian took a quick glance at the umbrella still stained with raindrops. "I never thought I'd see someone I know while admiring the moon... This is like meeting a like-minded person."
They looked at each other knowingly.
It was just the beginning of autumn and the chirping of cicadas had not yet faded away. After the rain stopped, the chirping began again. Everything was quiet. Jiang Nian hurriedly concealed his thoughts that were almost on the surface and sat quietly at the other end of the stone table.
There was nothing in the pavilion except a table and a few stone chairs.
Seeing the flash of surprise in her eyes, Xiao Yingzhu propped up his head and teased, "Do you think there's tea?"
"Master Xiao, aren't you asking this knowingly?"
Jiang Nian raised her eyes and was startled by the dark light in his eyes. She turned her head away uncomfortably and raised the back of her hand to half cover her cheek, fearing that he would see her emotions revealed in an instant.
When she changed her clothes at night, she did not take her pajamas. After all, this was not a place where she could be at home, and everywhere was unfamiliar. She only took the skirt that she rarely wore outside as pajamas, so it was not strange to wear it outside. However, the clothes were a bit thin, and even if she wore an outer skirt, it could not withstand the cold wind after the rain.
Xiao Yingzhu glanced at her clothes lightly, as if he thought of something, then he lowered his eyes casually, as if he didn't want to say anything else.
In silence, Jiang Nian's thoughts flew across the flower pond and out to the distant rushing river.
When I was on the ferry, the scenery around me was all the same. As soon as I looked at each other, I saw familiar faces. I stopped talking helplessly as soon as I said something.
This often drives people crazy, so they always find something to do.
Qin Lan carried Ai to the cabin, watched her practice writing, and occasionally taught her new characters.
There were only her and Xiao Yingzhu in the room.
They each did their own thing and didn't feel awkward when they were alone. Instead, they became more familiar with each other's presence.
Just like a blade of grass or a stone that grows naturally between heaven and earth, it should be peaceful and harmonious.
No matter who comes here, they cannot break the law of mutual generation of all things, nor can they break the coexistence based on cause and effect.
As the time passed by day after day, Jiang Nian would almost not feel it. Whenever he finished writing his diary or random thoughts, he would look up and see Xiao Yingzhu lazily flipping through documents.
His long eyelashes drooped, and his extremely fine facial features were deeply outlined by the beam of light, reflecting the softness hidden deep inside, which seemed to be visible only to her in the world. She couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction and security in her heart.
…
Jiang Nian was nervous. There was no sound in the garden pond. There was only the breeze and the barely audible sigh in his ears.
It was precisely because of the awkwardness between the two of them at that moment that she looked back to her previous memories, trying to find that familiar and comfortable feeling.
It was not until Xiao Yingzhu's almost imperceptible sigh that she was pulled back from her tense and wandering thoughts, calmed her drowsy soul, and regained her consciousness.
Her actions at this moment were too obvious.
Turning his head and seeing those smiling eyes, Jiang Nian calmly covered his face with his hands and casually changed the subject to cover up the sudden embarrassment: "That fragrance..."
Xizhen's meaningful gaze flashed through her mind. The real person was right in front of her, and she was stuck in the nebulous atmosphere.
Even though the girl in front of him looks only seventeen or eighteen, he is actually in his twenties. How can he be so innocent when asking for fragrance?
Jiang Nian secretly complained, but did not show it on the surface. He stopped talking for half a second and then continued naturally.
"When I came to Cang County earlier, Young Master Xiao mentioned the Flower Festival."
"——I wonder if Master Xiao deliberately asked Xi Changshi to make this incense?"
With her eyebrows raised and a smile on her face, she looked extremely calm and a little teasing.
"Could it be that Master Xiao has recently taken a fancy to a certain girl and that's why he asked her to make incense for him?"
Xiao Yingzhu looked over with a gaze as calm as water, and the dark meaning was revealed for only a moment before being hidden by the dark and boundless river and sea.
"Why do you say that, Miss Jiang?"
"Because of the conversation we had at the mansion earlier."
"Did Master Xiao forget?"
Jiang Nian was smiling and was about to bring up his arrogant attitude when he asked her about her aromatherapy preferences in a roundabout way, and to tease her about it to break the awkwardness that could not be concealed at the moment. However, when she met his face in the blink of an eye, she suddenly stopped talking.
It wasn't because she suddenly couldn't think of anything to say, but because she was facing his deep, meaningful expression that was directed only at her.
It's like removing the veil that has been covering a woman's face.
Xiao Yingzhu's deeply hidden desire for control suddenly emerged like an iceberg, revealing a corner of it.
And just this indifferent glance was enough to bring out fear from the depths of one's heart - the desire for control he suddenly displayed was too strong, almost overwhelming, tightly enveloping the person in the center, strangling and entangling them, touching the heartstrings, locking them tightly, and making them feel it unforgettable.
Her nerves were tense, stress hormones in her body were rising, and she suddenly became speechless. She could only stare blankly at his beautiful eyes and eyebrows like poppies.
Bright red poppy flowers.
At some point, they became very close, and under the cover of night, Xiao Yingzhu's face became extremely clear.
He stared at her calmly, his lips curved slightly, as if he was smiling but not really smiling—it seemed like it could no longer be called a smile, and his face was almost expressionless.
His pupils were dark, as if covering the prey that had been wandering outside, and he just watched there nonchalantly, with an indulgent look.
Because there was no way to guess where he was looking, there was no telling when he would suddenly strike, grab the back of the prey's neck, lift it up lightly, look it in the eye almost gently, and watch with pity and gentleness as it made its last futile struggle.
Jiang Nian felt a chill all over her body when she was stared at by Xiao Yingzhu's light and gentle gaze. She felt that all the pores on her body stood up. It was an instinctive reaction when encountering urgent danger. She subconsciously wanted to escape, run away quickly, and escape from here.
This doesn't seem to be the Xiao Yingzhu who would remain calm and blush at the slightest teasing. This doesn't seem to be the Xiao Yingzhu who always cared about problems with a proud attitude.
He is not as easy to get along with as before.
With a completely gentle and unhurried attitude, he slowly and unintentionally penetrated the heart of the person he was targeting, casting an overwhelming net and lifting it gently.
The people in the network are completely unaware of this, and seem to be living happily as before, completely unaware of the quiet changes in the outside world.
It wasn't until I realized I couldn't escape.
There are nets everywhere.
She had nowhere to run, nowhere to go.
Jiang Nian suddenly felt his heart beating violently, and even his ears started to buzz.
It was different from the oppressive feeling I had back then.
This time, she really felt like she was being watched closely by someone in the dark and couldn't break free.
shudder.
...Didn’t we agree to just have an ambiguous relationship?
Although the night tryst.
Not really, I just came here to reminisce about the past.
Having never experienced such a creepy feeling, she no longer cared about etiquette and just wanted to slip out of the pavilion as quickly as possible.
My heartstrings seemed to be hooked by a thin string, being pulled slowly and steadily. Just as I changed my mind and stood up to leave this ominous pavilion, the string that seemed to be hanging high in the air and would never break suddenly shrank and relaxed, with uneven forces applied to the front and back, and broke with a "snap".
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