The forest is too quiet at night. The occasional chirping of cicadas has stopped at some point, the howling wind has also calmed down, and people's breathing can be heard in the temple.
After Yan Liu said that, Xiao Jing kept his head lowered and said nothing more.
After such a long time, Yan Liu finally said helplessly: "Are you going to the capital?"
Xiao Jingdao: "Well, let's participate in this year's Qiu Wei."
"I will go to the capital with you, and I would like to trouble you to take me to the Marquis' Mansion."
Xiao Jing frowned and said, "Where are the people around you? I just wanted to ask you when I saw you..."
He pondered for a moment, then asked the doubts in his heart: "How did you get yourself into such a mess? What happened to you after you fell into the river a year ago? Why are you in this wilderness temple?"
Yan Liu did not explain in detail, but just said: "Something happened."
Xiao Jing's frown deepened, his lips moved, but he did not continue to ask.
They all should know what was right. No matter whether what happened a year ago was really an accident or calculated, he should not get to the bottom of it.
Yan Liu continued: "I want to go to the capital early. If you have other urgent matters, just send me to Fancheng."
Lu Cai's actions made Yan Liu wary. If possible, it would be best for her not to contact anyone else. Following Xiao Jing to the capital was the safest way.
As the young patriarch of the Xiao family, Xiao Jing, who is highly expected by his elders, will naturally not bring a servant with him when he goes out. He must arrange many attendants around him to prevent accidents.
There must be hidden guards carefully trained by the Xiao family hidden in the ghostly trees at night, and there must be people following them not far away.
Xiao Jing just didn't like being surrounded by people and disturbing his interest in watching the scenery, but he would not stand under a dangerous wall just for this interest.
"I'll take you to the capital, so I don't have to go to the Marquis' Mansion."
Yan Liu insisted: "You have already sent me to the capital, so what if you send me a little longer."
Needless to say, both of them understood that this was for the Hou family to come forward to thank Xiao Jing, not for the favor of the Yan family.
In what capacity does the Hou Mansion express its thanks?
The cousin of the Hou Mansion or the fiancée of the second son-in-law of the Hou Mansion?
Naturally, the relationship between the in-laws is closer.
Yan Liu also understood Xiao Jing's concerns and said: "One of the examiners for Qiu Wei in each session was selected from nobles. The fifth master of the Hou Mansion served as the examiner for Qiu Wei for three times.
It will be more beneficial to you now to have the Hou Mansion come out to thank you.
Moreover, there are many factions in the court now, and the battle for the throne is becoming more and more fierce.
I know that your Xiao family is loyal to the emperor, but this help is determined not to make the emperor mistakenly think that your Xiao family and your honor are unclear.
After all, there is a precedent set by my mother..."
Yan Liu paused for a moment after saying this, smiled helplessly, and continued: "The honorable nobles will not let me have anything to do with you. They will definitely thank you twice as much in the hope of completely repaying this favor. .
This way you can have a smoother career when you first enter the officialdom, and your family will use less connections.
It's not that I have other ideas. As you know, the relationship between the Hou family members is not good. "
Every word is a benefit that Xiao Jing can get, and every word is a reason why Xiao Jing cannot be with Yan Liu.
Xiao Jingdao: "No need, I'm just along for the ride. I don't need this favor."
He reached out and picked up the branches next to him and stirred the firewood in the fire. Perhaps he had never done this kind of work, and the originally dim fire suddenly dimmed and seemed to be extinguished at any time.
Yan Liu had no choice but to stand up and sit next to him, directly picking up the branch from his hand and focusing on stirring the dead branches in the fire.
Xiao Jing froze. When Yan Liu took the branch, it inevitably came into contact with his skin.
He thought that after Yan Liu knew his thoughts, the two would no longer be as close as before.
But he immediately realized that he had just met Yan Liu tonight, and the joy of regaining it made him so dizzy that he couldn't even think.
He and Yan Liu met when they were young, and the two had a deep friendship. This was not only a simple friendship between a boy and a girl, but also a backup plan for him to join the court.
The friendship between teenagers is the most sincere, and it is much more reliable than simply gathering for profit.
Yan Liu would never stay away from Xiao Jing just because of his ambiguous thoughts.
Thinking of this, Xiao Jing's body gradually relaxed.
Yan Liu said: "Then just send me to the city gate. I owe you a favor for this matter."
Xiao Jing agreed in a low voice.
***
On the second day, when the east was slightly bright, the two of them got into the carriage and prepared to go down the mountain.
If not for the difficulty of walking on the mountain road at night, Yan Liu would have gone down the mountain last night.
She has been soaking in the water for a year. The incident occurred suddenly yesterday and she has not washed herself yet.
Now that it was safe, she couldn't wait any longer.
She was about to throw away the clothes she had changed out last night, but Xiao Jing stopped her and carefully put them away. The big family also had rules for how to handle clothes, so how could she just throw the clothes out like this out of thin air.
Yan Liu glanced at Xiao Jing, who was leaning against the carriage with his eyes closed, and sighed secretly.
"System, I somewhat believe that Xiao Jing is very affectionate towards me. He even hugged me last night when I smelled so bad!"
Finally there is a problem that the system knows about.
[Host, I cleaned you up when I brought you ashore. It's not as dirty as you thought. 】
[Your clothes will not be as intact as they are now after being soaked in water for a year. This is all my credit! 】
The system emphasized that it has fully realized that this world cannot help the host in any way, and it can only do what it did when it was first bound.
In order to prevent the host from realizing that it is useless, the system has to emphasize this matter.
Yan Liu didn't know what the system was thinking, but he praised the system's actions for a long time, and the system was about to burn out.
Yan Liu couldn't bear how dirty she was now. If the system hadn't been cleaned for her... Just thinking about that scene made her want to vomit.
On the way down the mountain, the carriage met several teams, all composed of strong men. Judging from their walking posture, they should be members of the military.
But the carriage was not hindered in any way because the Xiao family's emblem was engraved on the carriage.
When they arrived in the town, they randomly selected a wealthy family and handed them the post. The owner of that family hurriedly opened the front door to welcome them in.
He gave up the best house in his family and served him in front of him and in front of him, keeping a low profile the whole time.
The servant who followed Xiao Jing was also rude to the master of the family, and he didn't need to be polite, just because he was also a bastard of the Xiao family.
If Xiao Jing can be taken alone by his side, his background cannot be reduced to dust.
After Yan Liu finished washing, he got on the carriage again and prepared to go to Fancheng, the largest city nearby.
It's only the end of the day now. The journey on the road is faster, and we should be able to rest in Fancheng tonight.
The two of them came and left in a hurry, leaving only a letter before leaving, a letter engraved with Xiao Jing's private seal.
Whether it is used to seek a minor official or kept at home as a support for future generations, it is excellent.
Of course, Xiao Jing's letter can't solve every problem, but a family like them won't encounter a shocking crisis.
The county chief would definitely be willing to give this face, and if it were a trivial matter, the county chief would definitely handle it quickly.
And that's enough.
The judge saw them off, carefully collected the letter, and said to the people around him: "No wonder the young master of the Xiao family is so brilliant, his handwriting alone is extraordinary.
It's much better than that screwdriver that comes to show off its power but doesn't even pull out the hair. "
