Jiang Ning was unaware that Liu Ming'an had once again unconditionally accommodated her. She was slowly helping Nangong Muyan back to her room, her nerves taut and her breathing light.
Nangong Muyan was seven months pregnant with twins, her belly so large that she couldn't see her feet when she looked down.
With each step up the stairs, Jiang Ning's heart pounded in fear, her expression one of impending doom, which made Nangong Muyan laugh uncontrollably.
"Why are you more nervous than me? What are you afraid of? There's no need to be so cautious."
Jiang Ning glanced at the large belly and ignored her teasing: "Some pregnant women can miscarry just from twisting an ankle. It's better to be careful."
"Do you think I'm that fragile?" Nangong Muyan was quite surprised. What kind of weak image did she have in Jiang Ning's eyes now?
"You fainted just from a casual move with me. How strong do you think you are?"
"Alright, alright, then make sure you hold me steady." Nangong Muyan didn't want to bring up these embarrassing incidents.
Finally, after safely delivering her to the room, Jiang Ning let out a deep breath.
Nangong Muyan sat on a stool, reaching for the teapot. Jiang Ning quickly snatched it away, poured tea for her, and handed it to her.
"Oh, you're getting more and more considerate!"
Nangong Muyan held the teacup with a smile, her eyes curved in satisfaction as she looked at Jiang Ning.
"Stop talking nonsense and drink up. Then go to bed." Jiang Ning commanded without expression.
"I can't sleep without Zhou Yi holding me. Just chat with me."
"Why are you so clingy?" Jiang Ning couldn't believe these words came from her.
Nangong Muyan nodded repeatedly, unabashedly admitting: "I'm only clingy with Zhou Yi."
Jiang Ning had nothing to say. She felt she no longer knew this person.
"What do you want to talk about?" Jiang Ning eventually gave in. Sitting here waiting for Zhou Yi to call them for dinner seemed silly, so chatting for a while to pass the time was fine.
"Hmm... what to talk about?" Nangong Muyan thought carefully. She and Jiang Ning didn't have much to talk about.
In the past, she had shared various knowledge with this person, centered around the theme of "killing." Now, in this peaceful world, she really didn't know how to converse with Jiang Ning like a normal person.
"How about I tell you how I won Zhou Yi's heart?" Nangong Muyan suddenly had a brilliant idea, her face full of eagerness.
"I don't want to hear it." Jiang Ning directly poured cold water on her enthusiasm.
"Then how about you tell me your love story with Liu Ming'an?" Nangong Muyan wasn't discouraged and enthusiastically suggested another topic.
"I won't talk about it." Jiang Ning remained unmoved.
"Oh, you're really not fun at all. Zhou Yi is the best..."
Nangong Muyan complained, and just then, she felt a slight movement in her belly. She lowered her head gently, placing her hand softly on it, her eyes filled with tenderness.
Jiang Ning watched this Nangong Muyan, and the image of the former person full of sharp killing intent flashed through her mind.
"Tell me about your child." Jiang Ning felt a bit emotional. They had both come out of the darkness and found their own light.
"The child isn't born yet. What is there to talk about? I'll tell you some pregnancy precautions instead. After all, you'll have to go through this experience too."
Jiang Ning pondered for a moment and nodded: "That's fine."
After dinner at the Zhou residence, Liu Ming'an and Jiang Ning took their leave. They still had to arrange the preparations for their return to Lotus Flower Village.
As they left, Zhou Yi saw them off at the door, handing over two jars of wine: "Sister-in-law, this is mulberry wine from my estate, brewed ten years ago and opened this year. The taste is quite good. Take it back and try it."
Zhou Yi always remembered Jiang Ning's heroic act of taking his place in drinking at his wedding. Someone who could drink so well must like wine.
Jiang Ning accepted the wine jars without hesitation and sincerely thanked him.
Upon returning to their residence, they arranged the carriages, horses, and accompanying guards. Liu Ming'an then made a trip to the palace.
His official position was insignificant and very leisurely, but since he would be away for several months, he needed to inform someone.
As he left the Imperial Academy, he unexpectedly ran into Lou Lianyu carrying a stack of thick documents.
"Brother-in-law!" Lou Lianyu saw him and walked over with a smile to exchange pleasantries: "How have you been lately?"
"Everything is fine, thank you for your concern."
Liu Ming'an replied with a smile, casually glancing at the documents in Lou Lianyu's arms, where he spotted a very familiar name among the dense text.
Zhu Yuxuan.
"Lou Shaoqing, are you busy with some official business?" Liu Ming'an asked casually.
Hearing him inquire about this, Lou Lianyu sighed: "It's about two murder cases this year that remain unsolved, with no leads at all. The deadline for investigation has passed, so the Ministry of Justice has decided to seal the case files and reopen them when there are new leads."
"Two cases? Which two?"
Liu Ming'an seemed quite interested. Lou Lianyu liked this cousin of his, and the case wasn't a big secret, so he answered: "One is the case of the son of Minister Zhu being killed in an alley on the fifteenth day of the first month, and the other is the case of Prince Rui Yuwen Xuan being assassinated in his mansion on the tenth day of the second month. Both cases are very serious, involving the deaths of people of high status, yet they remain unsolved..."
Liu Ming'an "oh"ed and didn't ask further, but Lou Lianyu thought he was curious and continued: "Although these two cases seem unrelated, I always have a hunch that the murderer is the same person."
Liu Ming'an's heart tightened. He knew it was impossible. Zhu Yuxuan was indeed killed by Jiang Ning, but when Prince Rui died, Jiang Ning was in Qushui City. She had no reason to kill him.
"Why do you think that?" Liu Ming'an still asked.
Lou Lianyu couldn't explain it clearly. Intuition was something that couldn't be articulated.
The two parted ways at a corner of the palace. After a few steps, Liu Ming'an was called back by Lou Lianyu.
"You're going back to Lotus Flower Village, right?" Lou Lianyu asked, his tone certain. Without waiting for Liu Ming'an's response, he continued: "Please tell my uncle for me that I always remember his teachings."
Liu Ming'an replied: "Alright."
As he was about to leave the palace, Liu Ming'an suddenly remembered that Prince Rui had once been engaged to Nangong Muyan. If Prince Rui hadn't died, Nangong Muyan would have become the Princess of Rui.
"But I always have a hunch that the murderer is the same person..."
Lou Lianyu's words echoed in Liu Ming'an's mind, along with what he had said to Zhou Yi a few hours earlier.
"Zhou brother, don't you think they are quite similar?"
Also, the date Zhou Yi started bringing wine jars to him was the eighth day of the second month, while Prince Rui died on the tenth day of the second month.
Various thoughts surfaced in Liu Ming'an's mind. He stopped and stood still, trying to sort them out, but found many things still unclear.
"Oh~ Brother-in-law, why are you standing here? Is there something on your mind? Shall I help you with anything?"
A sharp voice pulled Liu Ming'an back to reality. He looked at the eunuch in front of him and politely smiled: "No need to trouble you, I'm fine."
As the sun gradually set, the sunset's afterglow painted the sky in brilliant colors.
Liu Ming'an walked back to his residence under the orange-yellow light, thinking about returning to have dinner with Jiang Ning.
There was no need to think about the unclear matters. Everything was good now, wasn't it?
