nucmednet Chapter 64 He needed to act quickly, leaving her nowhere to escape.
Chapter 64 He needed to act quickly, leaving her nowhere to escape.
......
The next day, before dawn, the sound of clattering hooves and rustling clothes echoed in the courtyard.
Jiang Mian was overjoyed and rushed out, only to see Jiang Xun dismounting and untying his cloak.
"Father!" she exclaimed, rushing forward.
Jiang Xun responded lightly and asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
“My daughter is a light sleeper; she came out to see what was happening as soon as she heard the noise.”
She followed Jiang Xun and pressed him for confirmation, "Why did Father come back? Did the Emperor issue an order to replace the commander?"
"Yes, His Majesty has ordered me to remain in the capital and will appoint another commander to go to the front lines at a later date."
Choosing an auspicious date?
"Wasn't it said that sealing Yu Pass was of utmost importance? Why send someone there again on another day?" Jiang Mian asked with a hint of doubt.
"His Majesty has his own decisions; one should not try to fathom his mind."
Seeing his blind loyalty, Jiang Mian wanted to say a few more words.
But it doesn't matter. As long as he returns home and the Jiang family is safe, the weight on her heart will be lifted.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up: "Since Father doesn't need to go to war, he can rest well at home."
Jiang Xun didn't answer, but turned to say, "It's the middle of the night, you should go back to sleep."
"Yes, daughter takes her leave." She turned around lightly, her steps graceful, her heart filled with joy.
However, just as she was about to reach the door, she caught a glimpse of Xiao Hengzhi standing outside her room.
Jiang Wan's smile faded, and she stood still without moving forward.
Looking at the man who was only three zhang away from her, she recalled the incident of stealing the horse and was filled with complicated emotions.
Actually, she had stopped disliking Xiao Hengzhi as much before this; she felt that he was getting better every day.
But beneath his mask lay a sinister and ruthless heart.
How should she face this now?
Her mind was in turmoil, her thoughts surging like a tide, and she couldn't make a decision.
"Second miss."
Xiao Hengzhi walked towards her, interrupting her thoughts.
Jiang Wan composed herself and said calmly, "Since there's no need to go on the expedition, you should get some rest."
Xiao Hengzhi asked again, "I came here to ask if the Second Miss managed to stop the Emperor from withdrawing the summons?"
Jiang Wan remained silent for a long while without answering. Instead, she changed the subject, looking directly into his eyes: "Xiao Hengzhi, last month at Yuezhu Ridge, were you really there to gather herbs?"
Xiao Hengzhi's heart skipped a beat as he sensed the sharpness in her words.
"Why did you suddenly ask about this, Miss?"
"Just answer me, yes or no?"
Jiang Mian's gaze was piercing, as if she wanted to tear open all his secrets one by one.
A vague unease rose in his heart, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Of course."
"Did you find any suspicious people there?"
Jiang Wan carefully examined his face, not missing a single expression.
However, he simply shook his head, showing no sign of anything amiss.
Jiang Wan felt a surge of anger and decided to speak frankly: "Stop pretending, Xiao Hengzhi. I already know everything you've done..."
She threw the receipt over.
Xiao Hengzhi bent down to pick it up and frowned when he saw the name on the receipt that resembled his handwriting.
“I’ll give you a chance to explain.” Jiang Wan looked at him coldly.
However, Xiao Hengzhi kept his lips tightly shut. Although he didn't know how the horse had ended up being sold by him, he had no way to explain the theft of the horse.
Seeing that he remained silent, Jiang Wan asked again, "Why did you stop me from going to the banquet?"
"..."
"Speak!" Her voice was tinged with anger.
"Because I don't want you to see the Crown Prince." He said calmly, looking up to meet her gaze, which was filled with anger and disappointment.
Jiang Wan was taken aback: "How did you... know that His Highness the Crown Prince was going to the banquet?"
"..." Xiao Hengzhi remained silent.
A gust of wind whistled through the courtyard, and the morning mist was beginning to form. The cold air made the atmosphere between the two seem frozen.
Xiao Hengzhi took a step...
Two steps...
He slowly walked up to her.
The moment their eyes met, Jiang Wan shivered. Those unfathomable eyes were like vines reaching out from an abyss, binding her heart and making it hard to breathe.
A bold idea suddenly popped into her mind—
Could it be that Xiao Hengzhi was also reborn, and that's why he knows that the banquet is for the Empress to choose the Crown Princess, and that Ning Zhi will also be attending?
In that case, Xiao Hengzhi in the present is actually the regent in his previous life?
Upon realizing this possibility, Jiang Mian suddenly took two steps back, distancing herself from him.
"Xiao Hengzhi, are you also...?"
"It was when the Crown Prince and Uncle Jiang were discussing matters last time that I overheard them..." He quickly interrupted her.
"You overheard it by accident?"
Jiang Mian was half-believing and half-doubting. Just as she was about to ask again, she suddenly heard a heavy thud from the opposite house.
It came from Cong Shuang's room.
Jiang Mian rushed over and saw that the house had been ransacked and was in a mess. Cong Shuang was huddled in a corner, as if she had seen something frightening.
Jiang Wan quickly went over to help her up: "Cong Shuang, how did you fall?"
Cong Shuang lowered her head and remained silent.
Jiang Wan gently patted her shoulder to comfort her, then heard her mutter something softly. She leaned closer to listen—
"go home......"
"Does Cong Shuang want to go home?"
She nodded slightly.
Jiang Mian looked at Cong Shuang's current appearance, then glanced at Xiao Hengzhi outside the door with a cold and distant gaze.
Xiao Hengzhi turned his head and quickly returned to his room, where he indeed saw Guiye sitting in a chair, playing with the eagle whistle he had lost and found again.
He turned his head and saw Xiao Hengzhi walk in, and said, "That little girl is too timid. I told her I only wanted the eagle whistle, but she acted like she'd seen a ghost."
"Who let you into her room?!" Xiao Hengzhi raised his voice, his brows furrowing with anger.
Seeing him like this, Guiye tilted her head and asked, "Who upset you again?"
Xiao Hengzhi closed his eyes briefly, suppressing his emotions as he asked, "Did something happen while I was away?"
"There are many more..."
Guiye tossed his whistle high into the air and recounted in detail how Jiang Mian had bought a horse on the street.
He added at the end, "I knew the horse was missing; it turns out it was stolen and sold."
He spoke as if it were none of his business, casually and nonchalantly.
However, Xiao Hengzhi clenched his fists upon hearing this.
This person not only knew him, but also deliberately made Jiang Mian dislike him.
The only person he could think of who would do such a thing was Ning Zhi.
Seeing his murderous expression, Guiye put away the eagle whistle and placed it to her chest, took two steps back, and said, "By the way, she met someone a few days ago. It's hard to find out about that person; all I know is that his surname is Duan. I don't know anything else about him."
After he finished speaking and saw that Xiao Hengzhi did not react, he jumped out of the window and left.
"Duan Zhi'an..."
Xiao Hengzhi squinted and muttered to himself.
No wonder the Emperor temporarily replaced the commander for this expedition.
It turns out that Jiang Mian went to ask him for help. But that man never acts without self-interest, so getting the emperor to rescind his order must have been a considerable condition.
What will Jiang Mian use to negotiate with him?
His brows were furrowed, and his thoughts raced.
Could it be... the Third Prince?
There aren't many things that Duan Zhi'an cares about, but getting rid of the Third Prince to clear the way for Ning Zhi is one of them.
Having lived in the inner palace for a long time in her previous life, Jiang Mian naturally knew a great deal about the secrets of the royal family, so it was normal for her to have leverage over the princes. If the Third Prince were truly eliminated, it would be extremely beneficial to her.
But now Jiang Wan has begun to doubt him and will surely test him again and again.
He had to act quickly. Even if he was exposed, he had to make sure Jiang Mian had nowhere to escape and that Ning Zhi couldn't touch him.
Xiao Hengzhi took out the gold and jade talisman that he always kept on his person.
It's time to put this to good use.
However, there is one more thing that needs to be resolved as soon as possible before we can use it.
......
The next morning, just after Jiang Mian had breakfast, her maids and servants packed up Cong Shuang's belongings and escorted her home.
Cong Shuang's home was thousands of miles away from the capital, and Jiang Mian, worried about her safety, specially ordered two more guards to accompany her.
Just as they saw her off onto the carriage, a soft sound of footsteps suddenly came from behind.
"Miss Jiang the Second".
Jiang Mian turned around and saw Wen Qian walking towards her.
"Why did the Crown Princess suddenly arrive?" Jiang Mian greeted her with a smile.
"I made some sachets, come and see if you like any of them?" Wen Qian said, handing over a box of sachets.
"So many?" Jiang Wan picked up a few and sniffed them. "They smell wonderful, and they even have a refreshing coolness to them."
Wen Qian smiled and said, "I put an extra mint leaf in there."
Jiang Wan nodded, then picked up a few more and sniffed them: "I like this one, it has a faint plum blossom fragrance."
After she finished speaking, she remembered something else: "Oh, right, in a few days it will be the Wen family's annual banquet. I heard that Duke Wen is fond of jade. What do you think, Princess Consort, would it be nice if I sent a jade pillow as a gift?"
After she finished speaking, she looked at Wen Qian's expression and saw that there was no joy on her face.
"Why does the Crown Princess look so troubled?"
Wen Qian pursed her lips and said, "Miss Jiang knows that my relationship with the young master began at this banquet. Originally... it was supposed to be my third sister who married him, but..."
She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Jiang Mian knew that the wine was originally meant for Wen Yin, the third young lady of the Wen family, but by a twist of fate, Wen Qian drank it instead, which led to her entanglement with Li Zhijing.
Wen Qian probably felt that it would be awkward to see Wen Yin again when she returned this time.