A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 85

"Miss, I appreciate your kindness, but there's no rush." Ding Zhaohui was bewildered by her sudden enthusiasm.

"How can we not be in a hurry? Of course we are in a hurry. It's already afternoon. We need to buy Penglai rice, sugar cakes, and jade hairpins, and then hire a carriage for you. You can still make it to Zhangjiadian to rest before dark... Cough, although it's a bit of a rush, it's only right to fulfill our filial duty."

"Young lady, why... why do you always insist on me leaving the capital?" Ding Zhaohui finally understood the reason.

Mo Yan was stunned: "You figured it out? Then I'll just have to tell the truth..."

Hearing her say that, Ning Jin stopped looking at the snow, and Wu Zichu stopped drinking his tea; they both turned to stare at her…

"Actually..." she smiled more sincerely, "It's because it's close to the end of the year, and the security in the capital hasn't been very good lately. To be honest, the constables in Kaifeng Prefecture are so busy that they don't even have time to eat. Look at you dressed in such rich clothes, if you move to the city, all sorts of thieves will be eyeing you. Wouldn't that just cause us trouble?"

Ning Jin stiffly turned to look out the window again. Wu Zichu swallowed the tea in his mouth with difficulty, poured himself another cup of tea, and then buried his head to continue drinking.

Ding Zhaohui laughed and said, "I can't speak for others, but I'm confident I can handle a few petty thieves. There's no need for you to bother."

"That's even more troublesome!" Mo Yan frowned and said seriously, "If you catch the thief, where will we constables' face be?"

Even a seasoned veteran like Ding Zhaohui had never heard such a statement before, leaving him utterly speechless. Ning Jin and Wu Zichu exchanged a glance, both deeply impressed.

"Sigh, I only realized how difficult it is to be a constable after I became one myself. We work ourselves to the bone for such a meager salary. It's a thankless job. We don't earn our living easily, so please don't make things difficult for us. If you make things difficult for us, you're making things difficult for the Kaifeng Prefecture, and if you make things difficult for the Kaifeng Prefecture, you're making things difficult for the imperial court. It'll be hard to explain to Lord Bao."

Ding Zhaohui was completely bewildered by her words, not understanding how she had been accused of opposing the imperial court when she hadn't done anything wrong.

Before he could recover from his drowsiness, Mo Yan quickly said, "Let's go, let's go... I'll take you to pick out some sweet cakes, I guarantee your mother will love them. If you want more after you've had them, just ask someone to pass on a message, and I'll definitely buy some and have someone bring them to you."

"I... this..." Ding Zhaohui was a little confused, but she wasn't about to be dragged away by her. She just couldn't think of anything to say for a moment. It seemed that she couldn't win against this girl no matter what she said. She hurriedly turned to Wu Zichu and called him like a savior: "I want to talk to Brother Zichu some more. Why don't you let him take me there later?"

Wu Zichu was still engrossed in drinking his tea.

"Brother Zichu!" Ding Zhaohui raised his voice.

"Hmm?" Wu Zichu looked up.

Mo Yan warned him with her eyes while smiling and saying, "With Nurse Wu... it would be even better if Lord Wu accompanied us."

Ding Zhaohui was completely helpless.

Ning Jin sighed softly and turned around: "Girl, I remember you said you changed shifts at Shenshi (3-5 PM), it seems like it's almost time now?"

"ah!"

Mo Yan called out softly. She had completely forgotten about changing shifts and patrolling the streets. She quickly glanced at the water clock not far away and realized that it was almost late afternoon. She could almost see Wang Chao's dark face. She hurriedly jumped up and instructed Wu Zichu, "I'll leave the matter of Hero Ding to you. Remember to escort him out of the city. ...Hero Ding, have a safe journey!"

After saying that, she shuffled downstairs and disappeared like a gust of wind.

The three people upstairs all breathed a sigh of relief.

After patrolling the streets, Mo Yan, still concerned about her senior sister, hurried to the Nangong family's villa to hear Ning Wangshu recount the details.

After hearing this, she looked worried, frowned, and bit her lip.

"Judging from the princess's expression, she has indeed been moved by compassion. I think it's not entirely impossible." Ning Wangshu felt that this trip had taken a step forward, but she didn't understand why her junior sister was like this.

Nangong Ruoxu understood what Mo Yan was thinking. He had thought of it long ago, but he was afraid that Ning Wangshu would worry, so he did not want to tell her.

"Although my brother-in-law's illness has garnered the princess's sympathy, it is also a potential problem. I hope the princess doesn't think of this. If she does, Brother Zhan might be in trouble."

"How so?"

"Sister, think about it: you can't play the piano, and your husband will have an attack if he plays the piano, so why would the two of you buy a piano? It's clearly a setup."

Ning Wangshu was taken aback and turned to Nangong Ruoxu, who smiled faintly and said softly, "It is my fortune to have it, and my fate not to have it. It has only implicated Lord Zhan."

"I hope the princess never thought of this, please, please..." Mo Yan muttered to herself.

The couple beside her held hands and faced each other quietly.

Chapter Nineteen [VIP]

Returning to Kaifeng Prefecture, it was already past midnight. She had intended to ask Zhan Zhao if the princess had noticed anything amiss, but seeing that his room was dark, she assumed he had already turned off the lights and gone to bed. She lingered alone outside the crescent-shaped gate for a long time, ultimately unable to bear disturbing his peaceful sleep. Just as she was about to turn and leave, someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder from behind, startling her so much that she jumped back more than ten feet before daring to turn around…

"Brother Zhan, it's you!"

Upon seeing who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief and asked in surprise, "It's already past midnight, why aren't you resting in your room?"

"Then why don't you rest in your room?" Zhan Zhao asked her with a smile.

"I just came back from my senior sister's place. I wanted to ask you... did the princess give you any trouble?"

Zhan Zhao understood her concerns and shook his head.

Mo Yan scratched her ear in annoyance and said, "Brother-in-law, you didn't mention his illness when you were planning the scheme. Now that there's been a mishap, if the princess thinks about this, not only will you not get the Seven-Leaf Locust Flower, but she might also punish you."

He smiled faintly and said, "Don't blame Young Master Nangong. If the string hadn't broken, he would have instinctively insisted on finishing the performance. He did his best to prevent your senior sister from putting herself in danger. Besides, this matter was originally Zhan Zhao's fault, so it would be right for the princess to punish him."

"How can that be? You did it to help me..." Mo Yan said apologetically.

Zhan Zhao saw her lower her head slightly and wanted to say something to comfort her, but for some reason, what came out was: "Young Master Nangong once helped me. His life is hanging by a thread, so of course I should help him."

He immediately regretted his words. They made it sound as if he was only concerned with Nangong Ruoxu and had nothing to do with her, as if he was deliberately distancing himself from her: "I...I didn't..."

Fortunately, in Mo Yan's heart, her senior sister and brother-in-law were naturally family. Helping Nangong Ruoxu was no different from helping herself, so she didn't think about it at all. Seeing Zhan Zhao stammering unusually, she couldn't help but stare at him strangely with her eyes rolling. "I didn't mean... I meant that your matter is also very important to me." He didn't know if he had made himself clear.

"I know you've always been good to me," Mo Yan said with a smile.

On this cold night, a girl's smile bloomed like a flower before him. Mo Yan's appearance was quite ordinary; Zhan Zhao had seen her carefree and untroubled smile before, but for some reason, at this moment, he was momentarily lost in thought…

"Plop, plop." Two soft sounds rang out as the snow on the nearby osmanthus tree fell to the ground. Zhan Zhao quickly snapped out of his reverie, his handsome face slightly flushed. He hurriedly tried to make conversation, then remembered something: "By the way, do you know the great hero Ding Zhaohui?"