Zheng Xiao Mistake: The Mistake of Rebirth Provoked the Cold Master

This time, it was Rong Yan who was speechless for a moment.

"The day of the palace banquet." He lowered his eyebrows and paused before asking, "Palace Chengyi also owes you a thank-you gift."

Hearing him suddenly mention Chengyi Palace, Zhu Zheng felt a chill on her scalp. She still remembered it, but Rong Yan shouldn’t remember it, right?

She stiffened her neck, "...Isn't the master drunk and unconscious?"

"Yeah." Rong Yan looked away and looked at her wrist again. Hanging on her dangling wrist were amber beads as red as pigeon blood, and on top were a pair of hands that looked like they were carved out of white jade.

There was already a faint warmth on the beads, and it was unclear whether it was hers or his.

"I heard it from Liu Feng," he explained calmly.

"Liu Feng?" Zhu Zheng's breath stagnated. "What did he tell you?"

"I was very drunk, and I was lucky to have the kind people help me back to the temple and take care of me."

Zhu Zheng blinked very slowly, and her mind quickly went back to that day, recalling the scene of "compassion and care" that day.

How to drag him back home, how to tease him beside the couch, how to let him press down and rub against me inch by inch...

The breeze brushed Zhu Zheng's face, and the itch from that day seemed to creep up on her back again, as if ants were biting her whole body. It was clearly him who was drunk and misbehaving, but for some reason it seemed as if she had done something wrong.

Zhu Zheng's face felt strangely hot. She lowered her head, not daring to look directly at the person in front of her. "I didn't do anything. It was just a small favor..."

Rong Yan's eyes passed over her red ears, and his throat rolled slightly.

"enough."

The wind blew the branches, and petals fell all over the ground, staining the clothes of the two people under the tree. Zhu Zheng picked up a fallen flower, rubbed it between her fingertips, and fiddled with it unconsciously, exhaling very slowly.

She has always been afraid of Rong Yan, not only afraid of him as a person, but also afraid that he would mention things that he shouldn't mention, such as the poetry gatherings, the pleasure boats on Yaoguang Island, and Chengyi Palace...

But the more afraid you are, the harder it is to escape, and the more afraid you are, the more entangled you become.

She was afraid of being questioned, afraid of being held accountable, afraid of becoming the source of a farce that could not be resolved with him. So before she could think of a solution, she would rather hide away and deceive herself and others as if nothing had happened.

But today, perhaps she should be grateful to the Grand Tutor for not giving up.

Although it left her almost speechless and she had no way to defend herself, and she had to make up an answer full of loopholes, it undoubtedly gave her a chance to face the confusing intersections between them.

He didn't expose her, didn't ask her to answer, and even accepted her nonsense without any fluctuation.

This effortless confrontation finally freed Zhu Zheng from her daily anxiety.

Zhu Zheng didn't understand what the Grand Tutor was thinking.

Since he was not here to accuse her, she thought that both of them were drunk and rude, and they should be even. Isn't it the dignity they deserve if they tacitly agree not to mention it to each other in the future?

Zhu Zheng didn't understand what she was thinking.

No matter if it was an accident or just a spur of the moment thing, if she was really guarding against him like she was avoiding the plague, why did she always inexplicably find herself in a situation where she had to be with him?

The setting sun cast a layer of golden warmth on the two of them. The tall man was leaning slightly, and the slender woman was standing with her back to the crabapple tree, with a hint of doubt and sadness on her pretty face.

"Zhu Zheng." Rong Yan suddenly called her.

He pronounced each word coldly, even his first and last name.

"Ah?" Zhu Zheng responded blankly.

"You still owe me an explanation." His captivating eyes fixed on her beautiful eyebrows, "Don't forget."

He brings up the old matter again and again, it seems that he really cares about it.

Zhu Zheng didn't dare to make excuses anymore and said frankly, "Can you let me think about it again..."

What exactly Rong Yan wants, or what exactly she can give Rong Yan, are two completely different yet integrated questions. Zhu Zheng still has no idea and seems to be stuck in a tangled mess.

She really needs to sort this out.

The two of them stood very close to each other. The crabapple blossoms had no fragrance, but the wind carried a faint scent of cold plum blossoms. Rong Yan leaned forward slightly, his eyes level with Zhu Zheng's, and fell on her face without missing a beat.

"Zhu Zheng." He called her again.

Zhu Zheng's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her heartstrings seemed to be plucked lightly.

"Don't keep me waiting."

The hem of the luxurious crimson-purple robe was fluttered by the wind. Rong Yan concealed his clear eyes, but his overwhelming aura could not be concealed. Although he said such words, his expression seemed as if he would wait forever.

Even if the seas run dry and the rocks crumble, I will get what I want.

Zhu Zheng raised her face and looked straight into those eyes, as if she was feeling nostalgic. A strange thought flashed through her mind, and she suddenly wanted to ask Rong Yan if he was...

While she was in a trance, she suddenly heard one or two noises coming from outside the yard. She came back to her senses and felt that her previous thoughts were ridiculous, so she quickly took a step back.

The sound was getting closer and closer, and it could be heard that it was the voice of the young guard Liu Feng who was looking for someone. Zhu Zheng was afraid that someone would see the Grand Tutor leaving his yard, so he made no secret of his intention to drive him away.

"Sir, we are looking for you outside."

Fortunately, the Grand Tutor was understanding and did not continue to make things difficult for her.

Rong Yan slowly stood up, his eyes paused on Zhu Zheng's face for a moment, and finally he walked out.

When he reached the gate of the courtyard, he suddenly stopped.

"I will leave Beijing tomorrow." Rong Yan turned half of his body back, and the twilight outlined half of his profile.

"See you at the autumn hunting ground."

*

Ever since the Grand Tutor came to the Zhu Mansion, Old Madam Zhu took advantage of the occasion and walked around everywhere, making the mansion lively for a while.

Among the matters that no one mentioned, only Zhu Zheng remembered that Wen Boqiu had broken his promise.

Ever since that day when they parted at the Pear Garden, he seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth, with no news of him since.

Zhu Zheng didn't have time to ask as she was worried about another thing these days.

She had never had a peaceful sleep since she came back to life. Her dreams were always chaotic and made her head hurt.

In the early morning, there was a knock on the door, and Mingcui's voice rang out, "Miss, the third young lady is out."

Zhu Zheng responded, "Got it."

Since returning from the palace banquet, my sister has not been home for three or four days. She always leaves home before sunrise and comes back after sunset.

After coming back, he always looked dazed and absent-minded when talking to her.

So when Zhu Zheng went to bed yesterday, she didn't even take off her clothes. When she heard the noise, she turned over and got out of bed.

She strode out in pursuit and soon saw a familiar figure in front of her holding a green lantern. The slender figure looked lonely in the morning mist.

Not daring to follow too closely, Zhu Zheng didn't even dare to open the lantern.

The cocks had not yet crowed in the capital, the night was still pitch black, and there was not a single soul on the streets.

The two sisters walked one after the other until Zhu Zheng recognized the familiar street scene. They seemed to have walked to the road leading to the brothel.

Zhu Qing at the corner of the alley suddenly stopped, as if he sensed something, and turned around to look back.

Zhu Zheng reacted quickly and hid behind the stone lion at the entrance of the alley.

It was eerily quiet all around.

Bright colors began to appear on the horizon, but there was no light at all where Zhu Qing was standing.

After a while, she turned around, her thin shoulders drooped, and stood in front of the foggy alley, as if her entire figure was about to be swallowed by the darkness.

Zhu Zheng stared at the back, wishing she could rush up and grab her sister to stop her from going in.

But she did not dare to go forward. She remembered Zhu Qing's embarrassed expression every time she tried to hint at him in the mansion, so she had to suppress the thought.

Over the years, the two sisters have never concealed anything and have never lied to each other.

But now, she has a secret that she dares not mention, and her sister also has something she cannot tell.

Zhu Qing paused for a long while before he started walking slowly into the depths of the alley.

She came to a three-story carved building with jade railings and red lintels, climbed the steps, walked to the red door with a painting of a tiger emerging from the mountains, bent down and extinguished the lantern.

The door opened a narrow crack. Zhu Qing seemed to hesitate and stopped at the door. Suddenly, a pale hand stretched out from the narrow crack and pulled her in.

The green skirt seemed to be swallowed by a monster and completely disappeared at the door.

Zhu Zheng almost immediately ran out from the darkness and rushed to the gate in two steps.

Unfortunately it was too late.

The narrow gap was already tightly closed. She pushed hard a few times, but it didn't move at all.

Zhu Zheng slumped down on the ground next to the red door. She raised her head and glanced, her eyes darkening coldly.

On the plaque on the lintel, three large characters glowed brightly.

"Golden Fragrance Tower."