Chapter 160 Wrong Room
I also happen to have some news to deliver to Xiao Xuanyou.
She arrived at a secluded little bookstore in Sizhou City.
Due to the disaster, many parts of the city were flooded, and for the time being, not many people had the leisure to buy or read books, so the bookstore was deserted.
The doorman was a little surprised to see her come in. "Sir, what would you like to see?"
Jiang Zhi didn't say much, but handed him the token and asked, "Do you recognize this?"
"This is..." The doorman immediately put away his nonchalant expression, invited Jiang Zhi to sit down in the inner room, and thoughtfully served her tea.
The shopkeeper came out very quickly.
"Young master," the shopkeeper said, noticing her men's attire but not pointing it out, "what can I do for you?"
"Do you have a way to contact your superiors? How long would it take? I'd like to deliver a message to them."
The shopkeeper replied, "Of course we do. What message would you like to deliver?"
Jiang Zhi was about to speak when she paused and asked him again, "Do you know who I'm talking about?"
The shopkeeper laughed and took out an identical token from his sleeve. "Young master, there's no need to worry. My master has already given instructions."
Jiang Zhi was relieved and told him that she had been delayed in Sizhou City due to disaster relief and would need to return later.
When she left, Xiao Xuanyou only gave her a month and a half. Now that the deadline is approaching, it will take her at least ten more days to travel upstream from here back to the capital.
She was worried that Xiao Xuanyou, that madman, might really harm Qingxing, so she could only ask someone to pass on a message to him, asking him to give her some time to apologize after she returned to the capital.
The shopkeeper nodded after hearing her finish speaking. "I've noted it down. Does the young master have any other instructions?"
"There's one more thing," Jiang Zhi pursed her lips, somewhat hesitant to speak.
"Um...do you have any money? Could you lend me five hundred taels first? I'll have someone pay you back when we get to Kyoto."
"This—" The shopkeeper was stunned.
This was the first time he had ever encountered someone trying to borrow money with their master's token.
Seeing that Jiang Zhi hesitated, the shopkeeper quickly said, "Yes, I'll go and prepare it right away. May I ask if you prefer banknotes or cash, young master?"
Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, "Silver notes are more convenient, just prepare some loose silver for me."
“Yes,” the shopkeeper added, “but the money can be returned directly to the master later, as all the properties here are under the master’s name.”
The shopkeeper acted swiftly and quickly prepared what Jiang Zhi wanted.
When Jiang Zhi handed the silver notes and loose silver to the five people, they immediately knelt down in gratitude before her, saying, "Miss Jiang, we will never forget your great kindness."
Who would have thought that not only did they escape from the village, but they were also able to live in such a nice villa and enjoy a life they never dared to dream of before?
Jiang Zhi helped them up one by one, saying, "After we leave, you will have to rely on yourselves to survive here. Money can only solve your immediate needs. If you want a stable and long-term life, you still have to rely on yourselves."
Jiang Zhi gave a lot of instructions and asked Gao Xi and his group, who were about to return to Hong County, to come and visit here more often when they had time.
With the Imperial Guards as their backers, even though the neighbors knew they were all women, they dared not bully them.
After settling everything, the group was ready to head back to Kyoto.
This time, the number of people returning has doubled, and Shen Ci'an specially rented a medium-sized multi-story ship.
With the disaster relief matter resolved and Shen Ci'an safe and sound, Jiang Zhi relaxed on the way back, treating this rare opportunity as a vacation.
Shen Ci'an and Lu Yuan, however, were not so relaxed.
They needed to prepare a memorial to the Emperor regarding the disaster relief efforts, a letter of apology for executing Prefect Hang Yushu before reporting the crime, and a petition requesting the Emperor to send troops to suppress the bandits.
Although the two did not get along, they still prioritized official business and discussed matters to be handled after arriving in the capital while drinking tea at the bow of the ship.
Jiang Zhi had been staying with them, but as the night deepened, she couldn't stay awake any longer. She told them and went back to her cabin.
The ship sailed quietly on the river. Jiang Zhi took off her outer garment and crawled into the bed, drifting off to sleep amidst the rocking motion.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she vaguely heard the sound of the door creaking open, and footsteps coming from inside the cabin toward the bed.
Jiang Zhi thought she was dreaming, until the footsteps stopped by the bedside. After a rustling sound, the blankets were pulled back, and a firm, hot body lay down and pressed against her back.
Her sleepiness was abruptly roused, and before she could even cry out, the cold blade was pressed against her neck.
"Who are you?" A familiar voice rang out. Jiang Zhi was stunned and turned around. She saw Lu Yuan's cold and handsome face in the darkness. His brows were furrowed with frost and he exuded a chilling aura.
But upon recognizing Jiang Zhi, he was visibly stunned and sheathed the embroidered spring knife in his hand.
Jiang Zhi rubbed her eyes. "Lord Lu? What are you doing in my room so late?"
Although the incident happened suddenly, Jiang Zhi knew that Lu Yuan was not the kind of person who would do things in secret, and her earlier panic vanished.
Lu Yuan seemed a little worried. "How are you? Are you hurt?"
He then knelt down on one knee, pressed down on her shoulder, and leaned down to look at her neck.
The skin on her neck was as smooth as ever, with only a light pink mark left by the blade.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the woman in front of him.
Her black hair was disheveled, her eyes were sleepy, and her nightgown was loose and baggy. Because of her half-lying position, a large expanse of fair and smooth skin was exposed, which was very conspicuous in the night.
His eyes flickered, and he subtly turned his gaze away, his voice tinged with helplessness, "Miss Jiang, I'm going back to my room."
God knows the surprise and shock he felt when he found Jiang Zhi lying on his bed.
"What?"
Jiang Zhi was also stunned.
She looked around and, although it was exactly the same as her room, she could tell the difference upon closer inspection.
The layout of this room and her room is symmetrical.
The cabin where Lu Yuan was located was indeed opposite hers.
So, in the middle of the night, she was so sleepy that she not only went to the wrong room but also got into the wrong bed.
Jiang Zhi was so embarrassed that her toes curled up, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
"I'm sorry, Lord Lu, I accidentally went to the wrong room." Her head was almost touching her chest as she hurriedly straightened her clothes and tried to get out of bed.
But Lu Yuan remained kneeling on the bed, blocking her way.
"Miss Jiang isn't satisfied with Lord Shen; she even threw herself into my arms in the middle of the night. If Lord Shen were to see this..." He looked at her with a half-smile.
Jiang Zhi was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to cover his mouth, pleading, "Please, Lord Lu, don't tell anyone."
Otherwise, she would have no face to show.
However, for some reason, Lu Yuan couldn't withstand the force and fell straight onto the bed when Jiang Zhi pounced on him.
The two of them were in an extremely awkward position at that moment.
Jiang Zhi leaned against him, her hand still covering his thin lips. Lu Yuan, afraid she would bump into something, lightly supported her waist with one hand, his dark gaze meeting hers.
Jiang Zhi's heart skipped a beat.
Lu Yuan's pupils were a deep, dark color, as thick as ink, so somber and unyielding that they seemed to be swirling in the depths of his pupils, as if they wanted to swallow her into an endless abyss.
She swallowed nervously, her voice trembling slightly, "I'm sorry, I'll be going now."
Lu Yuan released the hand that was holding her waist.
Jiang Zhi stepped over Lu Yuan's strong and upright body to get off the bed, but she had just walked to the clothes rack to take off her outer garment when there was a knock on the door.
"Is Lord Lu asleep? I need to speak with you."
Jiang Zhi's mind went completely blank.
It was Shen Ci'an!
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