Zheng Xiao Mistake: The Mistake of Rebirth Provoked the Cold Master

"My father is on good terms with the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, and they have arranged a marriage for us. She and Wen Liu were born ten days apart, so they can be considered childhood sweethearts. They went in and out together when they were young, and her eyes and heart are full of this future husband."

Nie Ruke said slowly, "I finally waited until I was old enough to get married, but I don't know when Sixth Master Wen and Fourth Miss Zhu secretly got engaged. This old engagement has become a shackle."

Zhu Zheng was stunned, "Wen and I..."

Nie Ru Ke did not let her speak, and continued, "I wonder if Fourth Miss Zhu has noticed that Ru Tang is somewhat similar to you."

"It's because ever since she knew that Wen Liu liked you, she started to imitate you in every way, including your makeup, your tone of voice, your temperament and hobbies. She learned everything she could..."

"I learned so much that I forgot who I was. In the end, I even had to change my name. I didn't want to be called Nie Rutang anymore. I insisted on being called Nie Rusheng."

"She thought that this would change Wen Liu's mind. I have always turned a blind eye to the useless and ridiculous things she did. Other people's comments are nothing, but if she insists on fighting to the death, it will eventually end."

Nie Ruke looked at Zhu Zheng, "Fourth Miss Zhu, I will not interfere in the affairs between you, the Grand Tutor, and Wen Liu. I only care about Rutang. I will cancel the engagement. This waste of more than ten years ends here today."

This incident was much more shocking to Zhu Zheng than when she saw the blood letter. She already felt guilty towards Nie Rusheng, no, Nie Rutang, and she felt even more ashamed when she learned about the past.

While she was digesting the thought, Nie Ruke began to pull Nie Rutang's sleeve again.

Zhu Zheng stood behind the two siblings for a long time, but couldn't help but finish the interrupted sentence, "Sixth Master Wen and I have never secretly decided to spend our lives together."

"Oh?" Nie Ruke raised his eyebrows and said, "What did the fourth young lady just throw? Wasn't it a token of love?"

Zhu Zheng explained, "It was the Hundred Blessings at the Hundred Flowers Parade. Three years ago, I dressed up as the Apricot Blossom Fairy and met Mr. Wen Liu when I was throwing blessings."

Nie Ruke: "Is this the Hundred Flowers Parade Festival?"

Zhu Zheng nodded, "That's right."

Nie Ruke's expression changed. After a moment of silence, he suddenly raised his left hand and said, "Three years ago, I accidentally injured my left arm in Beiwang Camp and returned to Beijing to report ahead of time."

"Rutang went to the city gate to pick me up temporarily."

"That day was March 3rd." Nie Ruke paused, then continued, "She wrote to me and told me that she was invited to dress up as the Apricot Blossom Fairy at the Hundred Flowers Festival."

The river breeze blew past, and the eave bells on the corners of the pavilion were entangled, making a chaotic sound.

Zhu Zheng stood under the pavilion, her thin clothes were blown into a mess, she felt that fate was playing tricks on her, but she didn't know what to say. After a long while, she said palely, "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Nie Ruke sneered, "Why, does it mean that Wen Liu likes whoever is pretending to be Xingxian?"

Of course not.

However, Zhu Zheng has never been very optimistic about the fate between people. Apart from family ties and blood ties, the ties between people in this world may change from day to day, and the slightest external force can have a far-reaching impact.

It is impossible to tell whether she was an external force between the two of them.

But she vaguely remembered that in her previous life, Shengjing had held a grand wedding, where the daughter of the Commander's Mansion got married, but she did not marry the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion. After the marriage, the two of them lived in harmony, and everyone envied them. Even she had heard a few words about it.

Zhu Zheng had never cared about these gossips before, so she couldn't remember where her in-laws were at this moment.

Even without her intervention in their previous life, they would not have been destined to be husband and wife. Perhaps, as Nie Ruke said, it was a waste of time.

"Young Master Wen Liu and I will never meet again." Zhu Zheng said.

Nie Ruke raised his eyes coldly, "Miss Zhu Si does not need to promise me anything."

Zhu Zheng shook her head, "It's not a guarantee, just a reminder."

"Miss Rutang has done me a favor, so I have to say a few more words. It is indeed a pity that the relationship ended at a young age. But I wonder if Miss Nie has ever thought about it carefully. She and the Sixth Master Wen have been engaged since childhood. Did she want to marry him because she liked him, or did she like him because she wanted to marry him?"

Zhu Zheng's voice was a little ethereal in the river wind, "Please tell Commander Nie that Miss Rutang is blinded by floating clouds and a leaf blocking her vision. What you ask for may be regrettable, but there may be unknown fulfillment."

Beside the black pavilion and black water, two figures, one in red and one in white, stood facing each other with fluttering sleeves.

Nie Ruke looked down from above, restraining his sharp gaze, and stared at the opposite side with his dark eyes, revealing an intriguing look.

Zhu Zheng bowed calmly and said, "Goodbye."

"and many more."

Nie Ruke said calmly, "I said I would send you back exactly as you were."

As the saying goes, a tree lives on its skin, and a person fights for his dignity. Zhu Zheng was still angry about being brought here with a knife at stake, so she turned around and said, "No need. Commander Nie's 'first force, then courtesy' is not worthy of me."

Nie Ruke stood where he was, watching the slender figure in white, lonely and calm, gradually disappearing into the distance.

Today, he served two drunkards who were crying and wailing, trying to commit suicide, and he also squatted on the ground killing chickens for a long time. He was full of resentment, and this Zhu Si really suffered an unexpected disaster.

Nie Ruke looked at his drunken sister, picked up the cup beside him, turned his wrist and poured the wine out.

The tears on Nie Rutang's face were washed away, and he opened his eyes with a few tea leaves in his eyes, "Brother..."

Nie Ruke said coldly, "Awake?"

Nie Rutang curled his lips, "Why did you splash me..."

"Wake up and go home."

*

After rejecting Nie Ruke's nice words and arguing with great style, Zhu Zheng went down Liuxian Pavilion and found that this place, as a scenic spot, was actually very deserted.

Twilight is closing in, and the sky is getting darker.

She walked alone for a long time before she came to a place with some people.

Then, Zhu Zheng realized that she didn't have a penny on her.

He had no choice but to walk to the teahouse again, find Changying to borrow some silver, and then wander around for a while before finding a place to rent a carriage.

When I returned to Tingxiaoyuan, it was already late at night and everyone was asleep.

Because An Fengxue was guarding the gate, the lights were usually on in Tingxiao Garden, but at this moment it was completely dark, except for the scattered chirping of insects, the whole place was silent.

My sister must have gone to bed long ago, so Zhu Zheng went straight back to the bedroom in the front yard. Naturally, the bedroom was also dark.

The moonlight outside was hazy and she could barely see anything. Before she lit the lamp, she picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup of tea.

Too many things happened today and too many words were spoken. I didn't have a drop of water to drink the whole afternoon. Zhu Zheng drank three cups of tea in a row and her throat finally recovered.

Thinking of the entanglement caused by her, I still felt confused and tired, and I couldn't help but sigh quietly.

After sighing, he went to get a tinder, and was about to light the candlestick when he glanced at the table. He found a small hexagonal white porcelain cup that had appeared on the table. It looked unfamiliar.

She opened the lid and moved closer with the tinder. Before she could see what was inside, a voice suddenly came from behind her, "Where did you go?"

Zhu Zheng was so frightened that the porcelain lid fell off and hit the ground, breaking into several pieces with a "pop".

There was a figure sitting on an ebony armchair in the corner, hidden in the darkness where the moonlight could not reach.

"Sir?" Zhu Zheng recognized who it was and asked in confusion, "Why...why don't you light the lamp?"

Rong Yan didn't say anything.

The occasional chirping of katydids outside the window made the silence in the room even more audible, even though one could hear a pin drop.

Zhu Zheng shook the lighter and lit the candlestick. The warm light spread out, and she heard Rong Yan repeat, "Where did you go?"

Zhu Zheng hesitated. She didn’t know when Rong Yan would come back, or how An Fengxue would report back.

After all, today's incident had nothing to do with him and it had already been resolved. If he were to bring up the whole story, such as how Commander Nie found this place and how he pointed a sword at her and took her away, given Rong Yan's personality, it was inevitable that there would be complications.

Zhu Zheng thought about the pros and cons and decided that it was better to have less trouble than more, so she evaded the question by saying, "I was in the backyard, asking my sister how to embroider a purse, and I forgot the time for a moment."

"Where's your wallet?" Rong Yan asked.

"It's not finished yet..."

Rong Yan didn't respond.

There was a folding screen near him, blocking out the faint light of the candle. The bamboo leaves embroidered on it looked more vivid than ordinary people.

He was always quiet, but Zhu Zheng felt something was different today.

What permeates the silence is a cold and oppressive dead silence, like a moss-covered ancient well without ripples.

He just stared at her in silence, which made Zhu Zheng's heart beat fast. She deliberately started the conversation and asked, "My lord...are you fully recovered from your cold?"

Rong Yan still didn't respond.

Zhu Zheng was not discouraged. At this time, she had already seen what was in the open small cup on the table. She said to herself, "What did the master bring back?"

"Oh! It's Qionghua Lychee Jelly."

The lychee jelly was made with fresh lychees mixed with shaved ice. At this point, it had completely melted, and the honey jelly garnish on top was drooping.

Zhu Zheng realized that Rong Yan must have been waiting for a long time, and the reason she just gave would definitely not scare him. With a wandering mind, she picked up a spoon, scooped up the already melted snack and tasted it, "Did your Excellency go to Xiangsi River to buy it again? You are such a fortune teller, how did you know that I just happened to want to eat this..."

The more guilty she felt, the more she liked to talk, as if she would risk being exposed if she stopped.

But Rong Yan just sat there without asking any questions. He slumped in the armchair, and his usually clear eyes were surprisingly dim.

Zhu Zheng had no idea what he was thinking. This situation was like cutting meat with a blunt knife. It would be better for him to just confess directly.

She made up her mind and walked towards Rong Yan, touching him with the spoon, with an unconscious hint of flattery in her expression and words.

"Why are you ignoring me, sir? The lychee jelly has melted. Are you angry because you've been waiting for me for so long? I'm sorry. I apologize to you, sir, but this is still sweet even if it melts. Do you want to try it..."

Before he could finish his words, the stone statue suddenly moved. Rong Yan grabbed Zhu Zheng's wrist and pulled her hard. She staggered and sat on his lap. Then her jaw was pinched and slightly lifted up, and warm lips fell on her.

"Well……"

While Zhu Zheng was letting out a sigh, Rong Yan threw the porcelain spoon in her hand away, and her lips were violently invaded by a fierce force, and her breath was filled with the cold and fragrant lips and tongue.

"Do not……"

That's not how it tastes...