all
After running for an unknown amount of time, Jiang Yi stopped, panting, and leaned against a tree to catch her breath.
He Lin only told her to run north through the alley, but which direction is north? Luckily, she met a night watchman on the street, otherwise she would have definitely gone in the opposite direction and gotten lost.
I was thirsty. I was in such a hurry that I didn't take anything with me, not even a water bag.
Looking back at the road she had come from, Jiang Yi noticed that a thick plume of smoke seemed to be rising above the Hannan Prince's Mansion, which was especially noticeable in the dark night.
Could the road closure He Lin mentioned mean he set someone's house on fire?!
Jiang Yi used her palm as a fan to cool herself down; it was quite an achievement to break a sweat in such cold weather.
I wonder how He Lin is doing?
The cold wind rustled through the dense forest, and the sound of the wind howling filled her ears. She wondered if she was imagining things, but she could also faintly hear a few wolf howls. Jiang Yi's heart skipped a beat, and she swallowed hard, gripping the dagger tightly as she nervously looked around.
Oh no! I was so focused on running that I didn't even notice where I went.
Wolves should be hibernating at this time of year, right?
Jiang Yi didn't dare to move. Leaning against the tree behind her, she slowly squatted down and curled up into a ball, burying her face between her arms, praying that He Lin would find her quickly, otherwise she was afraid she would die in the wolf's mouth. This way of dying was too tragic. She would rather lose her head than die like this.
Time passed second by second, and Jiang Yi's legs were numb from squatting, but she still dared not move, for fear that wild animals that came out to hunt for food in the forest at night would discover her.
Whether it was the sound of wind rustling through fallen leaves or something actually approaching, she clearly heard a faint noise behind her. She suddenly drew her dagger and stood up, looking back in horror, only to find nothing but emptiness.
Damn it, He Lin, why haven't you come looking for her yet!
Jiang Yi was both scared and aggrieved. She should have just stuck with him and followed him relentlessly; it would have been better than living in fear now.
Just then, something warm patted her shoulder, startling Jiang Yi so much that she screamed reflexively and wildly waved her dagger with her eyes closed.
Fortunately, He Lin reacted quickly and withdrew his hand in time, otherwise he would have definitely scratched his arm.
"Jiang Yi! It's me!"
Looking at the panicked person in front of him, He Lin frowned, stepped forward, and precisely grabbed her wrist, saying in a deep voice.
After opening her wet eyes and recognizing the person, Jiang Yi cried out and hugged He Lin tightly, complaining, "Why did you take so long? You scared me to death, waaaaah..."
He Lin reached out and gently patted her back twice, then pursed his lips and said, "I'm sorry."
...
"Sir, here are your two jugs of warm wine."
The waiter brought over a tray, placed the wine pot on the table, and then went off to attend to other tasks.
He Lin poured two glasses of wine, placed one in front of Jiang Yi, and said, "Warm wine will help you fall asleep, drink it."
"And you still say it's all your fault."
He Lin chuckled: "Yes, it's my fault. This glass of wine is my apology."
Only after he finished his drink did Jiang Yi pick up her glass and take a small sip. It was sweet and sour, and quite delicious, so she drank a few more sips. After finishing, she poured herself a full glass from the wine pot. Watching her actions, He Lin didn't tell her that this kind of sweet and sour wine was actually the strongest and would make her drunk in no time.
The inns in the suburbs mostly prepared this kind of sweet and sour liquor. Travelers who were tired from their journey would have a pot of this liquor with their meals. After eating and drinking their fill, they would have a good sleep and would not feel too tired to continue their journey the next day.
What are your plans next?
Jiang Yi picked up a piece of smooth fish and put it in her mouth.
He Lin lost his purse, and the two of them were only able to stay at this inn thanks to the two pieces of silver that Jiang Yi had managed to scrape together from her person. After handing them over to the innkeeper, their purses were practically empty, not a single copper coin left.
In other words, the two of them had reached a dead end.
"Go back to Beijing."
"Back to Beijing?!" Jiang Yi's eyes widened, her upper body leaning forward slightly as she lowered her voice and said, "Have you forgotten why I came out in the first place?"
She's still wanted throughout the capital; going back now would be suicide.
He Lin looked at her with complicated emotions, then raised his glass to her and said slowly, "I'm sorry, I lied to you."
Jiang Yi was stunned for a long time before finally managing to speak: "What do you mean?"
"Yes, just as you thought."
At this moment, the effects of the alcohol kicked in, and her fair face flushed slightly. She immediately stepped on He Lin's foot, seemingly with force, but in reality, it was light and didn't hurt at all.
"You bastard He Lin, you actually tricked me into coming to this desolate and treacherous place to suffer with you! I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yi's head tilted and she was about to fall onto the table. He Lin quickly reached out to support her to prevent her from getting hurt, and then gently placed her on his elbow to rest her head.
The person next to him was completely drunk, muttering something unintelligible. He poured himself another glass of wine and clinked it against Jiang Yi's empty glass.
"This third cup of wine is to thank you for accompanying me all the way, Jiang Yi."
After finishing the last cup, He Lin lowered his gaze to her, a gentle smile that didn't belong to him curving his lips. If his subordinates saw this, they would all be astonished as if they had seen a ghost, and most would guess that this man was about to suffer a terrible fate...
After all, his title of "Cold-Faced King of Hell" is not for nothing; when the King of Hell smiles, life and death are unpredictable.
No one would know that this smile was directed at a woman, and that it would forever belong only to her.
·
I don't know when it started, but it began to drizzle outside the window.
With rain in this weather, the roads might freeze, making the already rugged and muddy roads even more difficult to travel. They couldn't go any further for the time being. The two of them didn't have much money for lodging, and even after paying with their two silver coins, it still wasn't enough.
Jiang Yi managed to pull out a hairpin from her person. It was a hairpin she had bought for Xia Zhi in Furong Town. The hairpin head was made of red jade, and it would even shimmer with different colors of luster under the sunlight. It was sparkling and very beautiful.
Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. I'm truly destitute and have nowhere else to turn. I can only apologize to Xia Zhi and borrow her gift to pay off the debt. I'll give her an even better one when I return to the capital.
The two of them, the second young master and second young mistress of the General's Mansion, have actually fallen to this state! They really asked for trouble. Wasn't it good to live a life where everything was done for them? Why did they have to run to this godforsaken place to see some damned prince? Now look what happened, they didn't even see the person, but they've suffered a lot!
Every time Jiang Yi thought about this, she wanted to give He Lin a good scolding. Those gold leaves! They were gold leaves she had saved for so long! That spendthrift He Lin, he just threw them away like that!! It hurts!
And the fact that he could remain so calm and composed after making such a serious mistake is infuriating. Money is so important when you're out in the world! He's clearly a spoiled rich kid who's never experienced hardship; he doesn't know the struggles of life!
The two shared a room. Jiang Yi went downstairs to pay the room fee to the innkeeper. When she returned to the room, she saw He Lin writing something on a piece of paper.
A thought suddenly struck him: Hey, isn't He Lin a painter? He can sell his paintings! In the capital, a painting can sell for a hundred gold coins, so here, even if he sells it for ten gold coins, there should be people who appreciate art, right?
"Ha ha ha ha……"
As she pondered, Jiang Yi couldn't help but laugh out loud a few times. He Lin looked at her, completely bewildered.
"He Lin! I've thought of a way to make money!"
"What?"
"Selling paintings! Aren't you best at painting?" Jiang Yi suddenly realized something, her gaze falling on the hand holding the pen. "Wait, is your hand even better before you start writing? Does it hurt?"
He Lin paused, dipped his brush in ink, and said, "It's alright, writing a few words is no problem, but there's no need for you to sell paintings like you mentioned."
"Alright."
He Lin still had a hand injury, and Jiang Yi didn't want to force him.
A light rain was falling outside the window. Jiang Yi opened the window and reached out to catch the raindrops dripping from the eaves. Soon, a small puddle of water gathered in her palm.
"...You don't need to worry about the money. In a few days...you will still be wearing this bracelet."
He Lin glanced casually and noticed a touch of emerald green on Jiang Yi's wrist. He was very familiar with this bracelet; there was originally a pair, one of which he kept and the other was in his mother's hands.
However, Su Tong gave the one to Jiang Yi not long after their marriage, and he didn't expect that she would keep wearing it.
"Huh? You mean this?" Jiang Yi followed his gaze to the bracelet on her wrist, raised her arm and shook it. "This was given to me by my mother, of course I have to wear it."
He Lin pursed his lips into a thin line, put down his brush, and walked towards her.
Finally, he grabbed Jiang Yi's wrist and examined it carefully, saying, "Did your mother ever tell you about its origin?"
Jiang Yi nodded: "She said that Mother said she had worn this bracelet since she was a young girl. It was originally a pair, with one for her and one for her aunt."
He Lin gave a soft "hmm" and couldn't help but stroke the smooth jade on it.
This isn't his mother's...
"This is for you."
Jiang Yi stared wide-eyed in surprise, wondering where He Lin had taken it from. It was the token he had shown the people from the Hannan Prince's Mansion a few days ago—the golden feather. It was because of this that they believed He Lin's identity.
"You're going to give me a ride?"
"Yes, take good care of it."
"Really? Didn't they forbid me from seeing it last time? And isn't this Brother Zhaobai's?"
He Lin lowered his eyes to look at the golden feather. "This doesn't belong to Zhao Bai, it belongs to me."
Jiang Yi took it and examined it carefully, looking at both sides. She confirmed that it was indeed a feather, plated with gold, and the texture felt different to the touch.
Is this true?
She flicked it with her finger, and before He Lin could answer, she opened her mouth and bit it, but couldn't bite it.
Good heavens, this is actually made of gold! The shape is that of a replica feather, and it looks like an ornament.
"Yes, but it can't be sold."
Jiang Yi clicked her tongue: "What are you talking about? How could I possibly sell something you gave me? Don't worry, I'll take good care of it."
If the tokens of Yu Ling Pavilion were to accidentally fall into the market, they would surely cause a bloodbath...
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