Jiang Rao grabbed the front of Rong Ting's clothes, closed her eyes after a while, and gradually fell asleep.

After Rong Ting waited for her to fall asleep, he lifted the quilt lightly, sat up, looked at her for a while, and got up after putting on his clothes.

He walked slowly to the center of the room and extinguished the half-burning candle.

He replaced the candle in the candlestick with a new one, lit it again, and walked out the door quietly.

A broken first-quarter moon hangs high in the sky, and the moonlight casts a thick shade at the bottom of the tree.

The residence of the Seventeenth Prince.

The seventeenth prince already knew what happened under Raogu Mountain.

He sat on the armchair in the study, facing the empty Bogu shelf, his fists clenched tightly, and his eyes were as red as blood.

After all the calculations, Rong Ting had already arranged a dark guard by Jiang Rao's side.

His expression was ashen, unbearable and angry. After this time, it was definitely more difficult to get close to Jiang Rao than before, and it would definitely be even more difficult to capture her and take 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 go to the Xu residence to meet his grandfather, looking for a trusted elder to give him advice.

It was late at night and the curfew had already started. The killers he had bought had promised not to reveal the names of him and his grandfather. Rong Ting would not think of him for a while, and would not have found him so quickly. .

He had to find a way to make Jiang Xingchuan willingly take his place.

The sound of footsteps coming from outside made the seventeenth prince suddenly stop his chaotic footsteps.

A shout rushed into the eardrum, "Your Highness, Your Highness, someone is trying to break in!"

With a cold expression, he looked out, and the door was kicked open at this moment.

The cold night wind rushed into the study in an instant, making the pages of the books on several cases whirring.

When the seventeenth prince saw the person coming, he couldn't help but take a step back.

A dozen or so officers with sabers stood outside the study door.

The first person was Rong Ting.

Rong Ting held the sword in his hands, his eyes and tone were cold, the seventeenth prince shuddered when he saw him standing there silently, pretended to be a little confident, and stood taut and shouted: "Secret in the middle of the night. Breaking into the mansion, Ninth brother is so chaotic, aren't you afraid of the father's inquiries?"

Even if he wanted to arrest him, he had to get the permission of the emperor first!

Rong Ting didn't say a word of gossip, and drew his sword straight to the throat of the seventeenth prince. He looked at the seventeenth prince with the same eyes as those killers with black scarves in the suburbs looking at the ants on the ground, indifferent and unfeeling, " Buying a murderer, intending to murder the princess, put him in jail, and interrogated at night."

...

When Jiang Rao woke up the next day, the bed was empty.

She rubbed her forehead, brushed off the bed curtain on the couch, and walked down.

The sky was bright outside, and the candle in the center of the house had been burned out.

On the candlesticks there were only the tears from the candles that had been blown out by the wind. Jiang Rao squatted on the ground and stared at the candlesticks for a while, holding her cheeks and thinking.

Ming Shao came in and waited on Jiang Rao to change clothes and wash. Jiang Raolian and her were frightened last night, so she gave her a short vacation for half a month, and added a salary. She asked Ming Shao to go out, and she called another maid to come in and serve her. wear.

When the maid was helping her comb her hair, Jiang Rao asked her, "Where is Your Highness at the moment?"

The maid replied: "His Royal Highness went out early today, saying that there is no need for breakfast."

Jiang Rao probably guessed what Rong Ting was doing.

Xu Lanruo and his son tried to kill her again and again, and it was time to liquidate.

She looked at herself in the mirror, maybe after a night, the panic gradually dissipated, and she wanted to understand something.

The seventeenth prince bought and murdered her. If something happened to her, it would be a disaster; but she didn't have an accident. If they could take this opportunity to suppress the seventeenth prince, it would become an opportunity in their hands.

Godsend opportunity.

Jiang Rao was delighted, and handed over some pieces of silver to the maid, "Go to the street and ask to see how many people know that I met a bandit at the foot of Raogu Mountain."

If there are no rumors on the street, she will find a way to suppress it, so as not to let her parents know about it, it will only increase her worry.

If the rumors on the street had spread, she would have to go back to her parents' house in exchange.

In the end, Jiang Raohuan got into the carriage and went back to Ning Anbo Mansion.

The seventeenth prince thought his plan was foolproof, so he arranged for someone to take a walk on the street early. Rumors said that Jiang Rao met a bandit at the foot of Raogu Mountain in order to confuse the public. The street was full of people talking about it. Jiang Rao learned from the servant girl. People on the street were talking about her encounter with a bandit, and she suddenly had a headache.

The news reached her parents, and with her father's usual style, it was estimated that the world would be turned upside down.

She returned to Ning'an Uncle's Mansion around 1000 hours. As expected, Jiang Xingzhou was already in the posture of going to Prince Qi's Mansion to see her daughter. The carriage was already ready. When she saw her daughter came back by herself, she was relieved when she saw that she was fine, and then she was busy again. He got up, boiled water to make tea, and instructed the kitchen to make the bacon and steamed meat that Jiang Rao likes to eat before settling down.

He glanced behind Jiang Rao,

With a little dissatisfaction, "Why didn't King Qi come back with you?"

Jiang Rao said, "We must quickly find out what happened to the bandits we encountered."

Rumors on the street said that she met a bandit, and Jiang Rao did not mention the name of the seventeenth prince.

First, I am afraid that my parents will worry, and second, I am worried that I will startle snakes.

She was most afraid that her father would blame Rong Ting for the attack on her, and added, "If His Highness hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid I would have fallen into the hands of the thief. He worked so hard for this matter, and he didn't come back this time. , can't blame him."

Jiang Xingzhou almost fell into the hands of the thief when he heard that sentence, and his face sank.

At this moment, Jiang Jinxing walked in with a slash and axe, 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 tea cup and drank it, Jiang Rao saw that he was so thirsty, "How come you are so rushing?"

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 he informed Mr. Yan and took a day's leave from the academy to come back. , I originally planned to go to Prince Qi's mansion, but I heard that you went back to the uncle's mansion, and changed your way."

Hearing this, Jiang Rao smiled, reached out and rubbed Jiang Jinxing's head, thinking that what this little bastard should do this time would be a little more like a younger brother, she felt soft for a while, and wanted to give him a few golden leaves.

As soon as her hand touched, Jiang Jinxing's head immediately turned to one side, and after dodging, his eyes were a little reproachful, and he frowned and glanced at Jiang Rao.

Jiang Rao: "..."

She immediately dismissed the idea of ​​giving him the golden leaf, and forcefully reached over and rubbed his head before retracting her hand.

Jiang Jinxing groaned angrily, sat there with his mouth high, and although he was angry, he didn't leave, didn't say anything, just sat there with his head down, listening to the chatter of others in the room with his ears up, and he didn't think much of it. Favorite tea.

Jiang Rao glanced at Jiang Jinxing from time to time. He has grown like a joint over the years. His body and face have lost a lot of weight. Compared with his childhood, his appearance is very different, and his cuteness is gone, only that awkwardness Change in.

Not only changed, but even worsened.

It's okay to fight, if you want to rub the hair off his head, he explodes.

When her parents left the main hall and went to the back kitchen, Jiang Rao knocked on the table and motioned Jiang Jinxing to look at her, "Ask you something?"

Jiang Jinxing frowned and looked at her, "You don't learn embroidery, and you don't know how to cook, why do you care about my studies?"

Jiang Rao: "..." Did she say she wanted to ask him about his studies?

Peace of mind, for the sake of him taking time off from the academy to see her.

Jiang Rao said slowly, "I didn't want to ask about your studies, but something else."

She didn't do it in front of him, even if she wanted to know what he had learned in the academy, it was better to ask Uncle Yan than to ask him directly.

Jiang Jinxing put his arms around his chest, raised his eyebrows and glanced at Jiang Rao, motioning Jiang Rao to continue talking.

The small expression on his face looked inexplicably arrogant, and Jiang Rao continued to persuade herself to calm down in her heart.

"What were you thinking just now?"

"I'm thinking that some people are really tired of living." Jiang Jinxing patted the table, "They've all bullied Ning Anbo's house. Next year's Shangsi Festival's Linshui Banquet, don't go, or let me follow."

Jiang Raozheng was moved, Jiang Jinxing scolded and continued: "If something happens to you, you will lose my face, and you must think that I am incompetent."

Jiang Rao gave up the idea of ​​talking with him completely, sighed, and asked seriously: "In Qiliu Town, when the inn caught fire and ran out of water, you said that you saw a dark shadow coming out, and then again Never mentioned it, that shadow... who is it?"

The inn caught fire, and when my brother came to her house, he mentioned that he saw a dark shadow running out.

Jiang Rao didn't take Jiang Jinxing's casual mention to heart at that time. After all, who was the arsonist, she didn't think much about it.

Suddenly mentioning it now... just because she suddenly remembered that in Qiliu Town, Rong Ting appeared very quickly.

Yesterday, he was able to appear so quickly at the foot of Raogu Mountain because of those secret guards in Tsing Yi, what about that time in Qiliu Town?

It's not that Jiang Rao can't understand some things, but she has a loose temperament and has always been reluctant to think about it.

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 too tired to live.

Jiang Jinxing fell silent.

Seeing that he had been silent for too long, Jiang Rao's eyes were somewhat affectionate, "Don't remember?"

Jiang Jinxing became annoyed again, showing his usual expression when he was cursing, "Remember."

"Then why didn't you say it?"

"I don't know who that shadow is."

"The innkeeper and the second shopkeeper have no time for themselves, but the black shadow came out in the air, so it clearly has a kung fu, so it's not the innkeeper, nor the second shopkeeper. And..."

Jiang Jinxing paused, and Jiang Rao asked, "And?"

Jiang Jinxing scratched his hair, and instead of continuing to speak, he looked at Jiang Rao, "Why did my sister ask about this?"

Jiang Rao didn't want to tell him the things she was worried about too clearly, what's more, she couldn't explain it clearly, 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 had a terrible headache, he hesitated again and again, and finally said: "At that time, there was a dark guard next to my brother-in-law, and the first time I saw him, I felt like that shadow. It's similar, but I don't dare to recognize it."