CXD - 68

The next morning, as Jingzhe helped Jiang Zhiyi get up and wash, she noticed her mistress appeared drowsy with half-closed eyes, as if she hadn’t rested well.

Thinking that Young General Shen’s letter had arrived early last night, and she hadn’t stayed up late waiting for it, instead going to bed early, Jingzhe asked while helping her dress: “Did the young mistress sleep late last night?”

Jiang Zhiyi yawned and casually hummed in response, slipping her arm into the sleeve of her spring robe.

“Is there something on your mind that kept you awake?”

Jiang Zhiyi’s movements paused slightly, and most of her sleepy demeanor dissipated. “... What could be on my mind? I just slept too much during my afternoon nap yesterday.”

Jingzhe watched her silently for a moment, then guided her to sit in front of the dressing table and began combing her hair. “I heard from Guyu that you sent a reply to Young General Shen last night.”

“It wasn’t a whole letter—just one sentence!” Jiang Zhiyi blinked rapidly. “I just thought Guyu had a point. If he delays his return and Uncle’s men arrive, should I wait for him before leaving...?”

“As long as Young General Shen hasn’t restricted your movements, we can depart immediately once Lord Hou’s men arrive. Whether or not Young General Shen is present shouldn’t matter, right?”

Jiang Zhiyi cleared her throat lightly. “It’s all about reciprocity. If he had restricted my movements, I would have left without hesitation at the first opportunity. But since he has treated me courteously, I must meet him face-to-face before leaving to maintain decorum.”

“So, you hope for his return just to formally bid him farewell when Lord Hou’s men arrive, allowing you to leave smoothly and part ways amicably?”

As if pricked by certain words, Jiang Zhiyi’s eyelashes fluttered, and she froze in front of the bronze mirror.

“After returning to the capital to dissolve the engagement, he will continue as the young general in Hedong, and you’ll be the princess in Chang’an. From then on, both of you will go your separate ways, no longer connected?”

Jiang Zhiyi’s throat tightened, and her hand resting on the dressing table clenched.

“In the future, if you meet someone suitable, you can arrange another marriage. Young General Shen can also find someone new...”

“He won’t allow it!” Jiang Zhiyi blurted out.

The sandalwood comb in Jingzhe’s hand paused at the tips of her hair.

Jiang Zhiyi’s gaze flickered slightly, and she slowly straightened her back. “What I mean is... He carries so many secrets. Our tangled misunderstanding was confusing enough. How dare he bring harm to anyone else?”

“But Chang’an is so far from Hedong, and you’ve already dissolved the engagement. If he truly wants to harm someone, you can’t control him, can you?”

Jiang Zhiyi furrowed her brows and angrily crossed her arms.

“Young Mistress, I’m only making an assumption. Don’t blame me for speaking out of turn. These days, I’ve seen how things are between you and Young General Shen. Initially, your attitude softened towards him, and I worried that you might feel sympathy for his background. If you stayed because of temporary soft-heartedness, conflicts would surely arise in the future... But these days, with Young General Shen away, I’ve noticed you’re distracted and absent-minded. Now I worry that if you leave due to stubbornness, you might not be happy after separating from him...”

Jiang Zhiyi stared absently at her unhappy reflection in the mirror.

Jingzhe finished combing her hair, set down the comb, and said, “Your sleepless night last night must have been spent pondering these thoughts. Whatever decision you make, I’ll stay by your side. I just hope you don’t stay out of pity or leave out of stubbornness, or you’ll surely regret it in the future.”

After breakfast, Jiang Zhiyi took Yuan Tuan to the courtyard as usual to bask in the sun.

In the late spring, wearing thin spring clothes provided no chill. Jiang Zhiyi sat on the swing, holding Yuan Tuan and enjoying the gentle breeze, quietly contemplating Jingzhe’s earlier words. After a while, seeing no one around, she suddenly lowered her head and called, “Yuan Tuan.”

Yuan Tuan flicked its two white ears and lifted its head.

Jiang Zhiyi stroked its forehead. “Have you ever encountered a very fierce and scary dog?”

Yuan Tuan panted and looked at her, seemingly confused.

Jiang Zhiyi continued, raising her eyes. “If there was a vicious dog who had once been very cruel to you, locking you in his cage and not letting you out, you’d be scared and want to escape, even getting angry at him. But then he says he locked you up because he liked being with you... At first, you definitely wouldn’t believe him, right?”

“But later, it seems like he realized his mistakes and gradually improved, becoming gentle. Every day, he fawns over you and spins around you. Gradually, you start to forget his ferocious appearance and sense that he might genuinely like you. Moreover, he remembers so many things you once told him and did with him. You realize he might have liked you for a long time...”

“So, his initial act of luring you into his cage wasn’t entirely because he feared you’d be a threat; perhaps it was also because he liked you. Maybe these reasons each account for a certain percentage... In that case, would you want to forgive him?”

Jiang Zhiyi lowered her head and saw that Yuan Tuan had already drooped its head, drowsily lying on her lap. It hadn’t understood a thing—no, it hadn’t even been listening.

Jiang Zhiyi sighed deeply. When she looked up, she saw San Qi standing uncertainly at the courtyard gate, peering in. Startled, she straightened her back: “When did you get here?”

San Qi quickly stepped forward and bowed his head respectfully: “Reporting to the young mistress, I just arrived. I saw no one in the courtyard and wondered whom you were talking to. Fearing something might be wrong, I came to check.”

“... I was talking to Yuan Tuan.”

“Then I thought I heard something about forgiveness...”

Jiang Zhiyi tilted her chin slightly upward: “A few days ago, Yuan Tuan was bullied by a dog outside. I don’t know if it wants to forgive the dog and play together again, so I’m asking.”

“Is that so? But Yuan Tuan can’t speak, so asking won’t help...” San Qi scratched his head. “If you want to know, I have an idea.”

Curious, Jiang Zhiyi asked: “What idea?”

“To see if Yuan Tuan forgives or not depends on whether it likes the other dog. You could let the two dogs get close. If Yuan Tuan rubs against the other dog, then it wants to be friends. A dog’s body is the most honest.”

Whether they like or not, the body is the most honest...

Jiang Zhiyi silently repeated San Qi’s words, furrowing her brows and thoughtfully blinking.

That night before bed, Jiang Zhiyi received another letter from San Qi.

Yuan Ce’s journey first went northwest to Ganzhou, then southeast to Shanzhou and Lanzhou, and finally looped back to Liangzhou, forming a counterclockwise circle.

Three days earlier, in his letter, he mentioned arriving at Jincheng in Lanzhou. Today’s letter detailed his itinerary there, elaborating on the cold skin noodles he ate. From the translucent texture of the noodles to the sauce combining salty, sour, fragrant, spicy, and fresh flavors, he described how delicious the cold skin noodles were. He concluded by saying that the governor of the area invited him to visit nearby cities, thinking he could eat more bowls of noodles. Since she said “the flowers by the roadside have bloomed; you may return leisurely,” he decided to linger a bit longer.

“...”

Jiang Zhiyi stared in disbelief. Liangzhou and Lanzhou were only a few hundred miles apart, and their cuisines must overlap. She couldn’t believe that after living nineteen years in Liangzhou, he hadn’t tasted cold skin noodles?

One bowl of cold skin noodles made him delay his journey. She regretted telling Yuan Tuan that he had liked her for a long time. What liking? This was all there was!

Moreover, did “you may return leisurely” mean he should literally take his time? How could he misunderstand even that...

It was like a scholar meeting a soldier, trying to reason with a bull!

Jiang Zhiyi stuffed the letter into the box, slammed the lid shut, and fumed with rising and falling breaths.

Thinking about how today she sought advice from a dog, hoping it would understand her inner turmoil, she realized it was futile. Instead of dwelling on matters, she might as well sleep more soundly!

Jiang Zhiyi climbed onto her bed, pulled up the quilt, and angrily closed her eyes.

Perhaps due to her anger, Jiang Zhiyi didn’t sleep soundly. Tossing and turning, she struggled to fall asleep. Finally drifting off, her dreams were filled with cold skin noodles.

In her dream, she woke up to ask Jingzhe and Guyu what to eat for breakfast, and they said, “Cold skin noodles.”

At lunchtime, she asked again what to eat, and they still said, “Cold skin noodles.”

By dinner, she exclaimed, “We can’t keep eating cold skin noodles!” They replied, “Young General Shen bought many bowls of cold skin noodles. The whole mansion is full of them. If we don’t eat them, there’ll be trouble!”

Fuming, Jiang Zhiyi hit the table hard.

But instead of hitting a hard tabletop, she struck something both firm and soft. At the same moment, a muffled groan sounded beside her.

Dazed, Jiang Zhiyi opened her eyes and turned her head to see someone lying next to her. Before she could gasp and sit up, she recognized the sleepy face turned towards her.

“Jiang Zhiyi,” Yuan Ce pressed his fist against his lower abdomen and shifted an inch down, unsure of what might happen from that sudden hit, “sleeping with you is quite dangerous.”

Jiang Zhiyi slowly widened her eyes, sitting up with disheveled hair. She glanced around and realized she was in her bedroom, deep in the night while she slept.

“How are you here? Aren’t you in Jincheng eating cold skin noodles...?” Jiang Zhiyi looked down in astonishment, examining the person she hadn’t seen in half a month. She noticed slight dark circles under his eyes, indicating he had traveled far without rest. However, he wore clean casual clothes, smelling faintly of soap after bathing.

Yuan Ce recovered from the earlier “nightmare” and looked at her blinking eyes, pulling her down.

“Ai,” Jiang Zhiyi fell awkwardly, her head landing on the pillow as he pulled her into his arms.

Yuan Ce turned to lie facing her: “You told me to come back. Why would I keep eating cold skin noodles?”

Her back felt his solid arm, her front pressed against his chest, and his face was inches away. Jiang Zhiyi’s breath tightened, tensing from the roots of her hair to her toes. She moved her lips slightly: “Didn’t you say it yourself...”

“I intended to surprise you. Who knew you’d sleep so early tonight.”

“So when you received the letter, you...”

“Immediately raced back, galloping day and night.” Yuan Ce gazed intently into her eyes.

Jiang Zhiyi softened her gaze, waves of emotion surging repeatedly within her.

Yuan Ce narrowed his eyes: “Riding for a whole day and night, and this is the look I get?”

“What else do you want...” Jiang Zhiyi raised her hand to scratch her itchy nose.

Yuan Ce’s gaze followed her hand downward: “What do you think?”

Seeing where his gaze landed, her blood rushed like a bursting flood. She wanted to blurt out, “Dream on,” but suddenly remembered something, hesitated, and changed her mind.

“I said...” Jiang Zhiyi nervously swallowed. “It’s not impossible, but... I need to conduct an experiment first.”

Yuan Ce raised an eyebrow, questioning: “What kind of experiment?”

To test if, without heart-pounding assassinations, dazzling apricot and peach blossoms, or romantic storybooks, just the authentic him could give her an honest bodily response.

“Anyway... Just lie still and don’t move.” Jiang Zhiyi pointed at the bed.

Yuan Ce hesitantly released her, lying flat on the bed.

Jiang Zhiyi sat up, brushing her loose black hair to one side, gathering courage in the empty air. Taking a deep breath, she leaned down toward him but stopped halfway, inches away.

Yuan Ce opened his mouth, about to ask what kind of experiment she was conducting—

A soft warmth brushed lightly over his lower lip.

Boom! Flames shot to the top of his head.

She… just licked him?