The street was crowded. Some people noticed the commotion over here, but they only watched from the sidelines.
Not far away, a dozen or so servants roughly pushed through the crowd, shouting, "Second Young Master," as they made their way toward them.
"Beauty, follow this young master tonight, and you won't lack benefits," Zhao Zuchang said, looking down condescendingly at the beauty standing beside his horse.
The beauty wore a simple and light pink summer shirt with a crossed collar. This delicate color perfectly complemented her warm, fair skin. Her dark hair was tied into a small bun. Because her head was lowered, a slender, pale neck was exposed, as graceful as a scallion, resembling a crescent moon wrapped in white silk, smooth and long.
The crane lantern beside her raised its high neck, emitting elegant and beautiful light patterns that shone on her jade-like skin, sparking the imagination.
Zhao Zuchang secretly swallowed his saliva and reached out his hand.
Su Zhenzhen stood there, meeting the horse's gaze.
Before Zhao Zuchang could touch her, she first reached out to stroke his horse, then quickly took a few steps back.
The horse let out a piteous neigh, and Zhao Zuchang was thrown to the ground.
Amidst the chaos, Su Zhenzhen took the opportunity to blend into the crowd.
Just then, Zhao Zuchang's servants arrived. Panicking, they rushed to help their Second Young Master up.
"Second Young Master, are you alright?"
"Where is the beauty? Find her for me!"
"Hurry, hurry, find the beauty."
-
Su Zhenzhen hurried along for a distance, panting from exhaustion. Seeing the city gates right ahead, she was caught off guard when the lavishly dressed man she had just thrown off his horse appeared, riding another horse and angrily blocking the way.
To leave the city, one had to pass through this gate.
Su Zhenzhen's gaze fell on the city guards. She was about to try her luck when she saw the brocade-clad man say something to them. The guards took a portrait from the man's hands and began pulling aside everyone passing through the gate, comparing them one by one.
They were in cahoots.
Su Zhenzhen took a deep breath, covered her face, and turned to walk away.
Earlier, she had pierced the horse with a silver needle, causing the brocade-clad man to fall off.
Although this man looked like someone not to be trifled with, once she returned to the Qingliang Palace, he wouldn't be able to find her.
She had originally thought the matter would end there, but she hadn't expected this brocade-clad man to be so relentless, actually bringing people to block the city gates.
"Hey, come here."
Besides the city gates, the servants from earlier were also holding portraits and searching for her in the crowd.
She didn't know how they had managed to draw her portrait in such a short time and move so swiftly to catch her.
When these servants saw a woman, especially one wearing pink, they showed no courtesy, directly grabbing them to compare with the portrait.
Su Zhenzhen was unfamiliar with Jinling City. She realized that every intersection of this market street was guarded by these servants.
Such skilled operations meant this definitely wasn't the first time they had done this.
"Hey, I'm calling you! Wait a minute."
Su Zhenzhen's back stiffened, and she quickened her pace.
"Hey, I'm talking to you."
Su Zhenzhen broke into a run, darting into a nearby dark alley.
The dark alley was pitch-black, long, and winding, but the pursuing footsteps behind her didn't stop.
Panting heavily, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
A wall.
It was a dead end.
A hand suddenly reached out from the side, grabbed Su Zhenzhen's arm, covered her mouth, and pulled her over.
The servants of the Zhao residence chased after her but saw no one, cursing under their breath.
As the footsteps outside faded away, Su Zhenzhen saw the person in front of her by the moonlight.
She recognized him; it was the old man from the small medical clinic earlier.
"Miss, follow me."
Su Zhenzhen followed behind the old man. She found that this was a long-abandoned courtyard next to the dead end. Just now, the old man had led her through a dog hole and then blocked it with stones, which was why they hadn't been discovered by the servants.
Of course, it was also because the dark alley was simply too dark to notice the dog hole.
Moreover, the dog hole was narrow; apart from slender people like the old man and Su Zhenzhen, no one else could fit through.
Su Zhenzhen followed the old man out of the abandoned house, walked a further distance, and arrived at the old man's medicine shop.
The medicine shop was already closed. The old man double-bolted the door and propped a stool against it before leading Su Zhenzhen up to the second floor.
This was a street-side shop with a very small courtyard, and there were two rooms on the second floor.
The house was very old; clear creaking sounds could be heard when walking up the wooden stairs. Upstairs, there was a clutter-filled room to the side, and the old man led Su Zhenzhen into the other room.
Although the room was small, it was visibly kept very clean and tidy.
Su Zhenzhen's pink dress was too conspicuous. The old man took out a set of clothes from the wardrobe and handed it to her. "These are my daughter's clothes. They are still new, I hope you don't mind."
Su Zhenzhen's gaze fell on the memorial tablet in the room.
Memorial tablet of the late daughter, Lin Wan.
Erected by her father, Lin Yongan.
Su Zhenzhen nodded. The old man turned and left the room, only coming back in after Su Zhenzhen had changed her clothes.
Su Zhenzhen didn't believe that giving the old man a few medical prescriptions was enough to make him go to such lengths to save her.
Judging from the brocade-clad man's actions, his status must be extraordinary. Ordinary commoners lacked the courage and boldness to offend the powerful, let alone the capability, as one careless move could cost them their lives.
Who would be willing to risk their life for a stranger? Just because of a few prescriptions?
A simple oil lamp was placed on the table, its bean-sized flame barely illuminating their faces.
"Thank you for saving my life, old gentleman."
In the quiet room, Su Zhenzhen spoke first.
The old man poured Su Zhenzhen a bowl of coarse tea, remained silent for a while, then stood up and walked to the memorial tablet to offer incense.
As curling lines of smoke rose, the old man looked at the tablet and slowly said, "My daughter encountered the same thing as you. At that time, I couldn't save her."
"I had my daughter in my old age and loved her like a treasure, but I never expected such a thing to happen. My wife couldn't bear the blow and passed away, leaving only me alive."
Su Zhenzhen looked down at the warm tea in front of her, picked it up, and took a small sip. She wasn't very good at comforting others, so she merely fluttered her eyelashes and said, "My condolences."
The old man shook his head. "It's all in the past. Look, I was only able to open this medicine shop because they gave me money."
Su Zhenzhen's hand holding the teacup paused, but she didn't reply.
The old man continued, "Is someone like me unworthy of being a father?"
Su Zhenzhen put down her teacup and said, "I'm not your daughter, how would I know?"
This time, the old man remained silent for a long time.
Su Zhenzhen added, "Sometimes living is more painful than dying."
A summer breeze drifted in, causing the candlelight to flicker slightly, which in turn cast gloomy shadows over their faces illuminated by the light.
The old man's gaze fell on Su Zhenzhen's face. A surge of heat welled up in his cloudy eyes, but he suppressed it.
In truth, he had thought of many ways, but there was no way out.
Yes, living was more painful than dying.
His pain was that he could not kill that person.
"Who was that man earlier?" Su Zhenzhen asked.
The old man said, "It is the second son of the Zhao family, Zhao Zuchang. He has an older brother named Zhao Lingyun, who is the commander of the Jinling City Patrol Battalion. You could say that the entire city of Jinling is under his control."
So that was it. No wonder he was so arrogant, forcibly snatching a civilian woman right in the middle of a busy street.
Su Zhenzhen thought hard and finally remembered.
In the original novel, there was indeed such a character: Zhao Zuchang, the biological younger brother of Zhao Lingyun, the Marquis of Ningyuan, and the legendary local tyrant of Jinling.
Although the two were brothers, one inherited the title of Marquis at a young age and took charge of the Jinling Patrol Battalion.
The other became a good-for-nothing at a young age, addicted to sensual pleasures and hounds, idling away his days with no honest work, only wanting to enjoy himself.
Because their parents died early, leaving only an elderly matriarch in the family, she doted excessively on this chaotic piece of trash of Jinling City.
Killed someone? No problem, the old ancestor will cover for you.
Facing a prison sentence? No problem, the old ancestor will bail you out and spend some money to get someone else to serve the time for you.
Snatched a woman? No problem, the old ancestor will spend money to settle it. If money cannot settle it, we can spread rumors saying that the woman seduced you on the street, which is why you took her into the mansion. No, no, why say "took"? It was the woman who willingly followed you into the mansion, willingly got into your bed; she was an unchaste woman to begin with.
What? She still wants to report to the authorities?
Oh, she hanged herself? It was not suicide? It was murder? No, the authorities all said it was suicide. Once the person is dead, the matter is settled. It was her own inability to let things go.
It was exactly this kind of spoiling.
Therefore, in Zhao Zuchang's eyes, arson, murder, and looting were nothing, and snatching a woman on the street was even less of an issue. It was just taking a woman, after all; it was not as if he had not done such things before.
Some families took the money and let the matter drop.
For those who refused the money and insisted on going to the authorities, entering the government office was like entering his own home. He could manipulate them however he wanted, beating them until they submitted. Even if they were beaten to death, it could be covered up.
Of course, these matters could not be handled solely by an old immortal in the Marquis's mansion with one foot in the grave; naturally, it also relied on that Marquis Zhao of the Patrol Battalion.
Although he knew his younger brother was a bastard, he was still his brother, and he could not just watch him die.
Damn it, a whole family of bastards!
And it was exactly this kind of bastard who lived happily for decades, until Shen Yanci came to power. In order to establish an image of a clean, honest, glorious, and great virtuous emperor for himself, he made an example of Zhao Zuchang.
Why didn't he deal with the Zhao family before coming to power?
Naturally, it was because this Marquis Zhao was useful to him.
And facts proved that in Shen Yanci's war to seize the throne, this Marquis Zhao indeed played a key role.
If he had not surrounded Jinling City tightly like an iron barrel and blocked off all news, those restless vassal kings outside would have long rushed over to grab a piece of the pie.
And this commander of the Patrol Battalion, the hereditary Marquis Zhao, after being squeezed dry by Shen Yanci, had his bones conveniently chewed up and swallowed by him as well.
When the cunning rabbit dies, the loyal hound is boiled.
Even if Zhao Zuchang was not a piece of trash, Shen Yanci would not have spared Zhao Lingyun.
Shen Yanci used the Zhao family's ruined reputation and corpses to drape himself in the reputation of a virtuous emperor. When the entire Zhao family was executed, every household in Jinling City hung up red silk, praising the new emperor as a wise ruler.
"What do you plan to do, miss? You can hide here for a while, but not for a lifetime."
Su Zhenzhen knew that it was already good enough that he could save her once.
While running away just now, she had thrown all the things she bought on the road, leaving only that spun-sugar kitten.
Su Zhenzhen took it out and found that it had been squashed flat too.
She pulled at it, but it could not be restored.
Su Zhenzhen looked a bit dazed. "I do not know either..."
"Aren't you from the Qingliang Palace, miss? Do you know any powerful nobles?"
Powerful nobles.
Su Zhenzhen thought of Mu Dan, and then of Wei Heng.
But she was not anyone important. Would Mu Dan go looking for Wei Heng for her sake?
Or perhaps Shen Yanci?
Oh, she was just a lowly hidden spy. If she died, she died. Shen Yanci probably would not even remember her.
Su Zhenzhen lowered her head and stayed silent.
The old man sat quietly with her until the first light of dawn appeared. His face was illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the window as he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Miss, want to give it a try?"
Su Zhenzhen stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded.
Then she would give it a try.
Seeing Su Zhenzhen nod, the old man let out a breath. A very faint smile appeared on his wrinkled face. "You can write a letter and give me a token, miss. I will deliver it for you."
Su Zhenzhen nodded and reached for the item at her waist.
It was gone, her waist tag.
Could she have lost it while running for her life just now?
Damn it.
Su Zhenzhen searched around and only found an ugly fragrant sachet.
-
Lu Hexu appeared at the gate of the small courtyard, carrying a glazed lantern.
The courtyard gate was closed. He stood at the entrance and waited for a while, only hearing the meowing of a kitten from inside.
He raised his hand and pushed the door.
The door did not open.
Lu Hexu turned his head to look at the flower pot placed by the courtyard entrance. He lifted the flower pot with one hand, moved it to another spot, and took out the key hidden underneath.
Ever since he violently broke the lock once, there had been a key under the flower pot.
Lu Hexu opened the courtyard gate, and a kitten dashed out like lightning. It stood at the entrance looking left and right, and upon seeing it was Lu Hexu, it turned around and scurried back in through the crack.
Lu Hexu carried the glazed lantern inside.
The courtyard was quiet, with no one in sight.
The house was pitch black, with no lamps lit.
Lu Hexu walked under the eaves, lay down on the rocking chair, and closed his eyes.
The usually comfortable rocking chair suddenly felt a bit rigid and uncomfortable.
He frowned and stood up. The kitten came over, sniffed his foot, arched its back to rub against his calf, and vigorously shook its little tail.
Lu Hexu still remembered the first time he saw this kitten; it was as dirty as a rag.
"Get lost."
The kitten could not understand human speech, but it obediently got lost.
Because it realized this was not its owner.
Lu Hexu continued to lie on the rocking chair.
The rocking chair swayed gently, and his body moved up and down with it.
The moonlight was hazy, and the summer breeze brushed by gently.
Lu Hexu closed his eyes but could not fall asleep.
He waited for a while and began to grow impatient, his fingers tapping the armrest of the rocking chair. The kitten thought it was being called and ran out to look, only to find it was still this difficult young man. It ran back inside, searching for its owner's clothes to hide and sleep on.
The courtyard was pitch black.
Lu Hexu originally thought it was this courtyard that gave him a rare sense of comfort, but now he realized it was not.
A courtyard without Su Zhenzhen was no different from any other courtyard.
Carrying the glazed lantern in his hand, he left the courtyard.
The summer night was not yet over. Insects chirped and frogs croaked in the garden, and the summer flowers were lush. Lu Hexu raised his eyes; without realizing it, he had found his way here. In his line of sight was a flower boat hung with wind lanterns.
The flowers on the boat had already withered, sticking dryly to the boat's canopy.
The wind lanterns swayed gently, casting Lu Hexu's long, slender shadow.
He looked expressionlessly at these wilted flowers and thought of the woman's face, damp and prettier than the flowers.
Why was he thinking of her.
-
Dawn broke, and the Imperial Guards were about to change shifts.
At the entrance of Qingliang Palace, a trembling old man leaning on a walking stick bowed to the guards stationed at the door to pay his respects.
"I... I have something to tell you, my lords."
"This is not a place you should be."
The guards were tall and burly. With just a slight glance from them, the old man subconsciously lowered his eyes, but he forced himself to speak, "This... this letter, I trouble you to hand it to a young master under the command of Lord Wei Heng, named Mu Dan."
The guards at the door exchanged a glance.
The old man took out a coin purse and stuffed it into a guard's hand.
The guard frowned. "Give me the letter, and leave quickly."
The old man nodded. "Please, my lords, you must, you absolutely must give it to that young master..." Emboldened enough to repeat his plea, the old man then tremblingly made his way down the mountain.
As the old man gradually faded into the distance, the guard holding the letter discussed it with the man beside him. "This letter..."
"It seems to have something to do with Lord Wei Heng."
"He said it's for a little eunuch under Lord Wei Heng, named Mu Dan? Have you heard of him?"
"No."
The two couldn't decide whether they should keep the letter.
"What do you say?"
"How should I know?"
"Should we hand it over to the Commander first?"
"The Commander is busy with a myriad of affairs every day, why would he care about such a trivial matter?"
"Let's open it and take a look."
The guard opened the letter, and an ugly scented sachet fell out.
Men who could become Imperial Guards were all handsome, heroic, and well-built. Naturally, they had received many sachets from women, but they had never seen one quite so ugly.
"So ugly," the two said in unison.
Besides the sachet, there were two slips of paper. One read: "So, because I'm too pretty, the Second Young Master of the Zhao family has taken a fancy to me. Now he's searching the whole city to catch me. If you have time, could you come and save me?"
The other slip was a map drawn like illegible scribbles.
The guards: ...What kind of prank is this!
"What are you two doing?" A voice sounded from behind them.
The two guards immediately tensed up.
"Neglecting your duties to chat here, go receive fifty strokes of the cane!"
The two guards instantly changed their expressions.
One of the guards suddenly spoke up, "Commander, we aren't chatting, we are discussing a major event!"
"What major event?" Han Shuo frowned, clearly not believing they had anything important to discuss.
"It's about Lord Wei Heng..." The guard's voice gradually lowered.
"Wei Heng?" Han Shuo raised an eyebrow.
The guard swallowed hard. "Lord Wei's... lover!"
Han Shuo's eyes lit up.
He looked left and right, then stepped between the two guards. "I didn't quite catch that. You two tell me in detail. If it's good, I'll spare you the fifty strokes."
When Wei Heng returned to his courtyard, he found the door to the main room wide open.
He frowned and looked at the little eunuch standing under the corridor not far away.
The little eunuch immediately ran over and said with a restrained expression, "Godfather, the Commander is here."
Wei Heng nodded, lifted his robe, and entered the main room.
As soon as he entered, he saw Han Shuo sitting boldly behind his desk, holding a book and reading it with great relish.
Seeing Wei Heng approach, Han Shuo revealed an ambiguous expression.
Wei Heng felt his scalp tingle. He walked over, glanced at what Han Shuo was holding, and his premonition instantly came true.
"It's not mine. Someone under my command was being restless and reading these things, and I caught them."
Wei Heng was not good at lying.
Han Shuo let out a long, drawn-out "Oh~"
Wei Heng: ...
Wei Heng took a deep breath. "If you have no business here, then go back."
Han Shuo put down the book in his hands. "I do have business. How could I not? Come, sit."
Han Shuo patted the spot next to him.
Wei Heng ignored him and sat opposite him.
A little eunuch came over to serve tea.
Han Shuo picked up the teacup, took a sip, and commented, "This tea is a bit bitter."
"Since when do you understand tea?" Wei Heng said indifferently.
"I don't understand tea," Han Shuo said, then tapped the desk. "Tell me, what's going on with your lover? Such a big matter, and you kept it even from your brother?"
"Lover?" Wei Heng frowned. "Where did you hear such nonsense?"
"Ah, but I have evidence." Han Shuo placed the letter on the desk.
Wei Heng reached out to take it, but Han Shuo snatched it away. "Don't think about destroying the evidence. Confess honestly."
"I don't have a lover."
"Still won't admit it? Her father even came looking for you. I say, Wei Heng, oh Wei Heng, I really didn't expect you to be this kind of person, getting involved with a girl and then abandoning her to her fate..."
The veins on Wei Heng's forehead throbbed. "Show me the letter."
Han Shuo handed him the letter, his teasing tone vanishing. "I can take the Imperial Guards to help you find her. Although Zhao Lingyun's patrol camp is troublesome, if I force my way in, it shouldn't be a problem."
Hearing Han Shuo's words, Wei Heng paused. He opened the letter, glanced at it, and frowned. "Are you sure this isn't a prank?"
Han Shuo was surprised. "You really don't know her?"
Wei Heng shook his head.
Han Shuo thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead and pulled out the ugly sachet. "Here, there's also this."
Seeing the ugly sachet, Wei Heng's expression drastically changed.
Wei Heng carried today's batch of memorials into Qingliang Hall.
The Emperor was lying on the floor, his wide sleeves covering his face, making his expression unreadable.
Wei Heng quietly placed the memorials on the imperial desk. He noticed that the iced tea on the desk was completely untouched, and only a few of yesterday's memorials had been read, while the rest were piled up in a corner.
Wei Heng stood there hesitantly, then took a few steps forward and spoke in a hushed voice, "Your Majesty."
Lu Hexu raised his hand, and the wide sleeve on his face slowly slid down, revealing his pale face.
He looked unwell; his brows were furrowed, and his expression was gloomy and fierce.
Wei Heng lowered his eyes, knelt on the ground, and presented the sachet and the slip of paper in his hands.
Lu Hexu lay there and cast a slight glance. Seeing the sachet, his expression shifted.
He sat up, supporting his dull, aching forehead with one hand, and reached out with the other to tightly grasp the sachet.
He brought the sachet to his nose, and the familiar scent rushed into his lungs.
"Where did this come from?" Lu Hexu's gaze fell on Wei Heng, carrying a chilling intent.
Wei Heng shuffled forward on his knees, unfolded the slip of paper, and faced Lu Hexu.
Lu Hexu lowered his eyes and saw the words on the paper.
The old man had not yet returned when Su Zhenzhen heard knocking downstairs.
She hid in a room on the second floor and quietly pushed open a crack in the window, just in time to see men from the patrol camp holding a portrait and searching for someone.
To think that Zhao Zuchang had actually mobilized his older brother's patrol camp just for a woman.
It seemed this patrol camp didn't serve the people of Jinling, but existed solely to serve the Zhao family.
Su Zhenzhen turned to look around the room. Aside from an old wardrobe, there was nowhere else to hide.
Su Zhenzhen quickly went downstairs. She listened as the thin wooden door was violently pounded by the patrol camp men; the sound didn't seem to be hitting the door, but rather striking directly against her heart.
Su Zhenzhen sprinted into the courtyard. Just as the back door opened, she saw another squad of men entering from the alley.
She quickly shut the wooden door and looked around.
The courtyard was very small, generally used as a kitchen.
Su Zhenzhen's gaze fell upon the earthen stove.
The men from the patrol camp kicked the door open.
Under the promise of a heavy reward, there were always those blinded by greed.
Someone claimed to have seen a woman in a pink dress in this shop during the day, and brought the patrol camp over to search.
The patrol camp men attacked from both front and back, searching the shop top to bottom. In such a small place, they found nothing.
"Are you playing with me?"
"No, no, no, I really saw someone during the day yesterday. Maybe, maybe she left..."
The man was dragged out by the patrol guards. He didn't get his reward money, and from the sounds of it, he even took a beating.
Su Zhenzhen curled up inside the stove, not daring to move.
The stove was very narrow; it took all her strength just to squeeze in.
She covered herself entirely with the plant ash inside, almost blending in perfectly with the pitch-black stove.
Fortunately, this dilapidated stove, where she had burned her clothes last night, did not attract the attention of the patrol guards.
Su Zhenzhen listened nervously as the voices outside faded away.
She slowly moved her stiff limbs, wondering if she should come out. Would the patrol guards come back?
Just as she hesitated, a rush of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed outside again.
Su Zhenzhen froze, curling back into the stove and trying her best to shrink herself down.
Please don't let it be the patrol guards coming back.
She gripped her dress tightly, crushing the hem into deep wrinkles.
The footsteps paced back and forth, as if stepping directly on her heart.
Compared to the noisy patrol guards from before, this new group made no sound at all, save for the thud of thick-soled boots on the blue-stone bricks.
"Tap, tap, tap..." Footsteps approached her.
Su Zhenzhen's heart instantly leaped into her throat.
"Su Zhenzhen."
A familiar voice exploded by her ear.
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously widened her eyes and leaned half her body out of the stove.
In the shadows beneath the courtyard eaves stood a young man wearing a black cloak. The black hood covered half his face, revealing only a pale, sharp jawline. He held a black oil-paper umbrella with a bamboo handle.
Under the scorching summer sun, the young man furrowed his brows. He was drenched in hot sweat, clearly in extreme discomfort.
Yet, he still suppressed his temper and called out her name.
"Su Zhenzhen."
"H-here... I'm... here..."
A weak voice drifted from beneath the stove.
Su Zhenzhen crawled out of the stove. She was covered in ash, filthy all over, with only the whites of her eyes showing.
She stood there, tears flowing uncontrollably, washing away the ash on her face like little streams to reveal streaks of white skin.
Lu Hexu walked up to her, and that strange sense of agitation within him was suddenly soothed.
It was as if a box that had suddenly lost its treasure was filled once more.
He looked her up and down, stepped closer, and slightly tilted the black oil-paper umbrella in her direction.
"Are you hurt?"
"No... my legs fell asleep."
-
A carriage was parked at the entrance of the apothecary.
Su Zhenzhen followed Mu Dan into the carriage.
As soon as they entered, the young man immediately took off his black cloak, revealing a pale, sweat-drenched face.
Su Zhenzhen sat beside him like a dirty little puppy. She reached up to wipe her face, but only made it dirtier, so she simply stopped moving.
The carriage curtain fluttered slightly, and Su Zhenzhen saw the brocade guards gathering to surround the carriage.
The young man seemed very tired; he closed his eyes the moment he got into the carriage.
Su Zhenzhen had a bellyful of words she wanted to say, but seeing the young man's state, she held back.
Her gaze gently fell upon Mu Dan's face, and she couldn't help but reach out her fingertips to hook onto his hand resting by his side.
The young man leaned against the carriage wall and opened his eyes slightly. He saw the woman's pitch-black face, only her wet eyes gazing at him.
"Did you see the letter?" Su Zhenzhen couldn't hold back and spoke up.
Hooking her fingers around his, she saw the ash from her hands rub off onto his. The young man's originally pale fingertips instantly became dirty.
[I made him dirty.]
Su Zhenzhen pulled her fingers back and continued wiping them on the hem of her skirt.
"Mhm," Lu Hexu replied faintly.
The carriage rumbled forward. Su Zhenzhen looked at Mu Dan, a strange warmth welling up in her heart, yet she couldn't help but worry. "Do you know who the Zhao family I mentioned is?"
"I know."
"Then... aren't you afraid?"
The ones who should be afraid were the Zhao family.
Lu Hexu closed his eyes. The scorching sun made it impossible for him to concentrate.
The woman's voice drifted into his ears intermittently, but he couldn't hear it clearly.
The carriage drove down the main street all the way to the city gates, where it was stopped by the city's patrol guards.
The leading brocade guard pulled out a token, and the patrol camp immediately let them pass.
The breath Su Zhenzhen had been holding completely released. She went limp in the carriage, face down, burying herself in the young man's robes.
Lu Hexu opened his eyes and saw the woman slumped beside him, a pitch-black lump, trembling slightly.
[So cold.]
Lu Hexu frowned. He raised his hand, draped the black cloak over her, and then scooped her up, placing her on his lap.
Though the young man was thin, he possessed immense strength.
Half of the ash on Su Zhenzhen's face had been washed away by her tears, revealing her flushed eyes.
"Go to sleep," the young man said.
Su Zhenzhen closed her eyes and slept peacefully, nestled in the young man's embrace.
