Chapter 6: Unexpected Events

In her dream, it felt like someone was pressing on her neck, suffocating her as if she were drowning. Distressed, Jiang Yuan suddenly broke free from the dream, her chest heaving as she gasped for air.

As soon as she opened her eyes, her hazy gaze tightened. When did an uninvited guest break into her room and cover her mouth and nose so tightly that she could hardly breathe?

Her heart pounded like a drum, and her eyes slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room, illuminated only by a faint moonlight. Following the arm in front of her, her gaze moved upward. With a sense of alarm, Jiang Yuan finally saw the stranger who had startled her in the middle of the night.

It was him! With his bewitching peach blossom eyes, high nose bridge, and delicate features. The man who had held a reins spear in Cian Temple! Although they had only met once, he had left a deep impression on her.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Jiang Yuan carefully scrutinized his expression in the dim moonlight.

There was a hint of hesitation in his cold and stern gaze.

Enough. Even that slight hesitation put her mind at ease.

His eyes were clear and devoid of any lecherous intent. He had been quietly observing her, more like assessing her.

Zhou Jun stood on the edge of the bed, leaning in to look at her. He noticed that despite her initial panic, the young woman quickly regained her composure. Despite her young age, she showed no signs of anxiety.

"Young lady, don't be afraid. I am here to ask for your help. As long as you don't call for help, I guarantee that I will not trouble you in the slightest."

Not trouble her? Coming uninvited, his words still carried a sense of coercion. Perhaps in his eyes, if she was sensible, they could coexist peacefully.

In this situation, she couldn't afford to call for help. Even if he didn't remind her, she wouldn't be foolish enough to ruin her reputation.

Nodding obediently, Jiang Yuan lowered her gaze to the palm of his hand, which was slowly moving away from her. She took a deep breath and moved further away from him, waiting quietly for him to explain his intentions.

"Please change your clothes and accompany me out of the mansion tonight. I guarantee that I will safely return you before dawn tomorrow."

With her lips tightly closed, Jiang Yuan concealed her shock. Reluctant as she was, she couldn't openly defy him.

In the middle of the night, being taken away by a man she had only met twice, the consequences were self-evident if she were discovered. She couldn't afford to entrust her future to someone whose background she knew nothing about.

Sitting in the shadowy corner of the room, the woman wrapped herself in a quilt and sat up. Only a portion of her moon-white clothes was visible on her shoulders. Her face was indistinct, but her eyes shone like stars. Despite her young age, there was little fear in her eyes, easily overlooked.

"Sir, could you please light the lamp? I'm afraid of the dark." Her voice was barely audible, tinged with the helplessness of a young girl.

Zhou Jun crossed his arms and pondered for a moment. She was just a delicate young lady from a noble family, and he wasn't afraid of her playing tricks. He walked to the candle stand, picked up a fire striker, and lit the lantern as she requested.

With the room now illuminated, Jiang Yuan squinted and carefully observed him.

His profile, illuminated by the dim candlelight, was fair and handsome. His eyebrows were stern, and his lips were thin. Clad in a black robe with golden embroidered edges, he seemed out of place, yet exuded an air of confidence.

Jiang Yuan suddenly understood that his hesitation was not due to guilt for intruding into a woman's chamber at night, but rather because this task made him feel uncomfortable and compromised his noble status.

Clearly, he had a deep background and was arrogant and unreasonable. Despite being the one wronged, she couldn't help but feel that he was the one in a difficult position. If his attendants were like this, she could only imagine what his master was like.

Without even meeting him, Jiang Yuan had already become wary of him.

"Sir, could you please wait outside? I need to change my clothes. If you're still worried, you can use that folding screen as a makeshift barrier."

Zhou Jun raised his chin and indeed saw the silhouette of a person swaying on the landscape screen to his left.

This woman was quite thoughtful.

Well, it was indeed inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together.

"You are a clever person, and I don't think I need to remind you of anything," he said, and then left the room as she had requested.

Kneeling by the bedside, Jiang Yuan reached for the robe neatly folded on the small stool at the foot of the bed. In the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the delicate silhouette on the screen not far away, and the woman's eyes sparkled brightly. She unfolded her arms and began to dress herself methodically.

"Sir, how are the maids at Peach Blossom Manor faring now?"

"Could you please tell me your background, so that I can feel at ease?"

"If it's not convenient, could you at least tell me why you've come on this trip?"

Despite her repeated probing, the man remained silent. Although Jiang Yuan felt disappointed, she didn't let it discourage her. After all, what she valued most was not whether he would respond to her.

At this moment, all the courtyards in the prefectural governor's mansion had fallen silent. Except for the seventh young lady's chamber at Peach Blossom Manor, which was still lit by a lonely candle.

Half an hour later, at the Tai Long Prefecture Mansion.

Guan Xu shook his folding fan, watching the lone figure standing in front of the heir, and couldn't help but feel that today's events were quite unusual. He was so surprised that he even forgot to put down the chess piece in his hand.

"Sir Zhou returned empty-handed?" Ever since he found out that Zhou Jun had gone to the prefectural governor's mansion to "request someone," he had been curious to see if Zhou Jun's method would work when he brought the person back.

Now it seemed... there was something to it.

Zhou Jun furrowed his brow deeply, and it wasn't until he reached the entrance of the mansion that he suddenly realized. His master had entrusted him with a task, and yet he had inexplicably failed for the first time!

Just a while ago, he had clearly entered her room and watched her change and tidy up. After that... no matter how hard he tried to recall, all he remembered was returning to the mansion's entrance. When he looked up, he saw the gilded plaque hanging outside the main entrance, and that's when he realized that something was amiss!

Strangely enough, what remained crystal clear in his mind was the gentle refusal from the woman:

"Meeting a man outside at midnight violates the rules of a lady's conduct. Please do not make things difficult for me. If it's an urgent matter, please find a compromise. I, Jiang Qi, will not refuse then."

Feeling either frustrated or aggrieved, Zhou Jun had never imagined that he would one day be outwitted by a woman and a child.

He lightly tapped the chessboard, urging Guan Xu to make his move faster. The man across from him, initially surprised, now let go of his hand, showing no sign of anger at the failed plan.

"It's fine. Tell me about what you witnessed tonight. I want to see how capable she is."

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the crisp sound of the chess pieces hitting the board as Zhou Jun recounted the details.

After a long while, the man leaning on the couch sat up, gesturing to remove the chessboard and closing his eyes in contemplation.

"She lured you to gaze at the embroidered screen and made several attempts to test you?"

After all, he was the son of the Duke's household, and his upbringing should not be underestimated. Referring to what he had seen in the tower that day, he had actually glimpsed some clues after careful consideration.

"She had schemed from the beginning!" His words were filled with anger. Zhou Jun was shocked and angry, realizing that he had been too polite to the woman, not expecting her to have already set a trap for him!

"I underestimated her." Putting on his clogs, the man lightly smiled and walked towards the inner chamber. "This matter is over. Since she is determined to have you deliver the message, she has made up her mind and will not yield."

He had a very calm demeanor and was resolute. It didn't quite match her gentle appearance.

"If she can make you suffer, it's worth letting her have her way for a few days."

Seeing the son's figure disappear behind the soft curtain, Zhou Jun's expression turned cold. With a disdainful glance at Guan Xu, he brushed his sleeves and left.

He would remember the humiliation the man had caused him today and would eventually seek revenge from her!