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Jiang Rao grabbed Rong Ting's skirt, closed his eyes after a while, and gradually fell asleep.
Rong Ting waited for her to fall asleep, lightly lifted the corner of the quilt, sat up, looked at her for a while, then put on his clothes and got up.
He walked slowly to the center of the room and extinguished the half-burned candle.
He replaced the candles in the candlesticks with new ones, and after relighting, he quietly stepped out the door.
A round of incomplete first-quarter moon hangs high in the sky, and the moonlight casts thick shadows on the bottom of the trees.
Seventeenth prince's mansion.
The Seventeenth Prince already knew what happened at the foot of Raogu Mountain.
He was sitting on the armchair in the study, facing the empty Bogu shelf, his fists were clenched tightly, his eyes were red as if dripping blood.
After thousands of calculations, but failed to count, Rong Ting had already arranged a dark guard beside Jiang Rao.
His expression was gloomy, unbearable and annoyed. After this time, it must be more difficult to get close to Jiang Rao than before, and it must be even more difficult to capture her as a hostage.
Like a headless fly, he stood up and wandered around in the study, thinking about how to enter the palace to meet his mother, or how to go to the Xu mansion to meet his grandfather, looking for a trustworthy elder to give him advice.
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It's late at night, and the curfew has already started. The killers he bribed agreed not to reveal his and grandpa's names. Rong Ting won't think it's him for a while, and won't find him so soon .
He had to find a way to make Jiang Xingchuan willing to take his place.
The sound of footsteps from outside made the Seventeenth Prince stop his spinning steps suddenly.
A shout pierced into the eardrums, "Your Highness, Your Highness, someone broke in!"
With a cold expression, he looked out, and the door was kicked open at this moment.
The cold night wind poured into the study instantly, blowing the pages of the books on the desks whistling chaotically.
The Seventeenth Prince could not help but take a step back when he saw who was coming.
A dozen officials with sabers stood outside the study door.
The person at the head is obviously Rong Ting.
Rong Ting held the sword in his hand, his eyes and tone were cold, the Seventeenth Prince shuddered when he saw him standing there silently, pretended to muster up a little confidence, stood tight on the spot and shouted: "Midnight Private Breaking into the mansion, brother Jiu is so reckless, isn't he afraid of being punished by the emperor?"
Even if he wanted to catch him, he had to get permission from his father first!
Without goingssip, Rong Ting drew his sword straight to the Seventeenth Prince's throat, the way he looked at the Seventeenth Prince was no different from those killers in the suburbs who covered their faces with black scarves and the ants on the ground, indifferent and unfeeling, " Buy a murderer, intending to murder the princess, and put him in the Imperial Prison for interrogation at night."
…
When Jiang Rao woke up the next day, the bedside was empty.
She rubbed her forehead, brushed aside the curtain on the couch and walked down.
It was bright outside, and the candle in the center of the house had burned out.
On the candlesticks there were only candle tears left after the candles had burned out and dried up by the wind. Jiang Rao squatted on the ground and stared at those candlesticks for a while, holding her cheeks in her hands, wondering what she was thinking.
Ming Shao came in and helped Jiang Rao to change and wash her clothes. Jiang Rao felt that she was frightened last night, so she gave her a short vacation of half a month, added a salary, asked Ming Shao to go out, and called another maid to come in and serve her. wear.
When the servant girl combed her hair, Jiang Rao asked her, "Where is Your Highness at the moment?"
The servant girl replied: "Your Highness went out early today, so he said that he doesn't need breakfast."
Jiang Rao probably guessed what Rong Ting was doing.
Xu Lanruo and his son tried to take her life again and again, so it was time to settle the matter.
She looked at herself in the mirror, maybe it was after a night, the panic gradually dissipated, and she wanted to understand something.
The seventeenth prince bought her to murder her. If something happened to her, it would be a disaster; but if nothing happened to her, if they could take this opportunity to suppress the seventeenth prince, it would become an opportunity in their hands.
A godsend.
Jiang Rao cheered up, took some broken silver and handed it to the servant girl, "Go to the street and inquire, see how many people know about my encounter with bandits at the foot of Raogu Mountain."
If there were no rumors on the street, she would find a way to suppress the matter, so as not to let her parents know about it and increase her worries.
If rumors had spread in the street, she would have to go back to her mother's house.
In the end, Jiang Rao still got into the carriage and went back to Ning Anbo Mansion.
The Seventeenth Prince thought his plan was foolproof, so he arranged for people to spread rumors on the street early on, saying that Jiang Rao had encountered bandits at the foot of Raogu Mountain in order to confuse the public. People on the street were talking about her encounter with bandits, and they suddenly had a headache.
When the news reached her parents, with her father's usual style, it was estimated that there would be a huge upheaval.
She returned to Uncle Ning'an's mansion around Mao shi. Jiang Xingzhou was already looking as if he was going to see his daughter in Prince Qi's mansion. The carriage was ready. Seeing that her daughter had come back by herself, she was relieved to see that she was fine. In a blink of an eye, she was busy again. He got up, boiled water and made tea himself, and told the kitchen to make Jiang Rao's favorite cakes and steamed meat before settling down.
He glanced behind Jiang Rao, slightly dissatisfied, "Why didn't King Qi come back with you?"
Jiang Rao said: "We must quickly find out what happened to the bandits we encountered."
There were rumors on the street that she had encountered bandits, but Jiang Rao didn't mention the name of the seventeenth prince.
First, I am afraid that my parents will be worried, and second, I am worried that I will scare the snake.
She was most afraid that her father would blame Rong Ting for her attack, so she added, "If His Highness hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid I would have fallen into the hands of the thief. He has worked so hard on this matter, so he didn't come back this trip , can’t blame him.”
Jiang Xingzhou's face darkened when he heard that sentence and almost fell into the hands of the thief.
At this moment, Jiang Jinxing walked in boldly, with hurried steps, as if someone was chasing him behind him.
Seeing him in such a hurry, Jiang Rao frowned slightly, "It's not a holiday today, why didn't you go to the academy?"
Jiang Jinxing hummed softly, sat on the opposite side of her, picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp, Jiang Rao saw that he was so thirsty, "How did you make it so fast?"
The servant next to him said to Jiang Rao: "The young master heard in the academy that the girl went to Raogu Mountain on the Shangsi Festival yesterday and met a bandit, so she informed Mr. Yan and took a day off from the academy to come back. , I originally planned to go to Prince Qi's Mansion, but I heard that Miss, you went back to Bo's Mansion, so you changed your way back."
Jiang Rao smiled when she heard the words, stretched out her hand and rubbed Jiang Jinxing's head, thinking that what the little bastard did this time was a little bit like a younger brother, she felt soft-hearted for a moment, and wanted to give him a few golden leaves.
As soon as her hand touched her, Jiang Jinxing's head immediately turned to the side. After avoiding it, his eyes were a little reproachful, and he frowned at Jiang Rao.
Jiang Rao: "..."
She immediately dismissed the idea of giving him the gold leaf, stretched out her hand and rubbed his head forcefully, and then withdrew her hand.
Jiang Jin grunted, sitting there with his mouth pouted, although he was angry, he just didn't leave, didn't say anything, just kept his head there, listening to the people chatting in the room with his ears open, and he didn't feel very well after being fed. My favorite tea.
Jiang Rao looks at Jiang Jinxing from time to time, he has grown like a joint over the years, his figure and face are much thinner, his appearance is very different from when he was a child, the cuteness is gone, only that awkwardness still.
Not only is it still there, it has even intensified.
It's okay to fight, but if you want to rub his head, the hair all over his body will be blown up.
When her parents left the main hall and went to the back kitchen, Jiang Rao knocked on the table to signal Jiang Jinxing to look at her, "Ask you something?"
Jiang Jinxing frowned and looked at her, "You don't know how to embroider or cook, so why bother with my studies?"
Jiang Rao: "..." Did she say she wanted to ask him about his studies
Peace of mind, since he asked for leave from the academy to see her, he was calm.
Jiang Rao said slowly: "I don't want to ask about your studies, I want to ask about other things."
She would not do things that were boring to herself, even if she wanted to know what he was doing in the academy, it would be better to ask Uncle Yan than to ask him directly.
Jiang Jinxing crossed his arms in front of his chest, raised his eyebrows and glanced at Jiang Rao, motioning for Jiang Rao to continue talking.
The small expression on his face looked inexplicably arrogant, Jiang Rao continued to persuade himself to be calm in his heart.
"What were you thinking just now?"
"I'm thinking that some people are really tired of their jobs." Jiang Jinxing patted the table, "They've been bullied to Ning'an Bo's mansion. Don't go to the Linshui Banquet for the Shangsi Festival next year, or let me follow."
Just as Jiang Rao was moved, Jiang Jinxing cursed and continued, "If something happens to you, you will lose my face, and everyone will think that I am incompetent."
Jiang Rao completely gave up the idea of chatting with him, sighed, and asked solemnly: "In Qiliu Town, when the inn was on fire, you said you saw a black shadow coming out, and then Never mentioned this matter, that black shadow... who is it?"
The inn was on fire, and when the younger brother came to her room, he mentioned that he saw a dark shadow rushing out.
At that time, Jiang Rao didn't take Jiang Jinxing's casual mention to heart. After all, the truth about who set the fire had already come to light, so she didn't think much about it.
Suddenly mentioning it now... just because she suddenly remembered that Rong Ting appeared very quickly in Qiliu Town.
The reason he was able to appear so quickly at the foot of Raogu Mountain yesterday was because of those dark guards in green clothes, what about that time in Qiliu Town
It's not that Jiang Rao can't understand some things, it's just that she has a loose temper and always doesn't want to think too much.
Even if she thinks too much, she doesn't want to guess too much. She always feels that she is thinking too much, too suspicious, and living too tired.
Jiang Jinxing became silent.
Seeing that he had been silent for too long, Jiang Rao looked affectionately, "Don't remember?"
Jiang Jinxing became angry again, showing his usual expression when he was cursing, "Remember."
"Then why don't you say it?"
"I still don't know who that shadow is."
"The innkeeper and the waiter have no kung fu, but the black shadow flew out in the air, so it is obviously skillful, so it is neither the innkeeper nor the waiter. And..."
Jiang Jinxing paused, and Jiang Rao asked, "And?"
Jiang Jinxing scratched his hair, did not continue to speak, but looked at Jiang Rao, "Why did sister ask about this?"
Jiang Rao didn't want to explain the things she was worried about to him too clearly, what's more, she couldn't explain clearly either, so she said vaguely, "I just thought of it suddenly and felt strange, so I asked."
Jiang Jinxing tapped his forehead twice with his fingers, looking like he was suffering from a headache, hesitated again and again, and finally said: "Brother-in-law had a dark guard at that time, and the first time I saw him, I felt that he looked like that black figure." It's similar, but I don't dare to recognize it."