Chapter 35 - Meeting the Scholar Again

Qi Zheng wanted to return to the village with Shen Ziqiao, but the latter refused with a dark face.

“You think that I’m easily fooled because I look honest? Look at your Uncle Qun. He’s guarding against me as if guarding against a pervert. If you come back with me, he might think that I will do something to you. Who am I going to cry to then?” Shen Ziqiao was determined and refused, heading down the mountains with her two girls.

“Third Miss, we didn’t even eat yet…” Zhao Di said, unwilling to go. They only had half the food.

Shen Ziqiao suddenly stopped and looked over at Qi Zheng, who had been maintaining a relative distance from them. She walked over to him in large strides and asked in a low voice, “Is there really poison in the food?”

“Yes.” Qi Zheng nodded.

“How come nothing happened to me after I took a few bites of the food and a sip of the soup?” Shen Ziqiao touched her stomach. She didn’t feel anything.

Qi Zheng smiled and said, “Sometimes the poison is slow, sometimes it’s quick…”

“You’re just trying to scare me!” Shen Ziqiao’s face paled. She didn’t want to be poisoned before she had a chance to do anything.

“The other party probably just wants to poison me.” Qi Zheng said in a low voice. He swept his gaze around his surroundings and there seemed to be a figure, so he immediately swapped for an ignorant and dumb expression.

Shen Ziqiao turned around to see a bearded man and a scholar walking over together. They were the men from the North Camp she had met during that night.

It must have something to do with this person!

“Third Miss Shen, I hope you have been well since the last time we met.” The scholar wearing cyan silk clothes elegantly bowed with his hands held in front. Then he greeted Qi Zheng and smiled like a neighborhood big brother.

“You just stopped my carriage a few days ago. We really haven’t parted for long.” Shen Ziqiao cast a side glance and said mockingly. She felt as though the scholar’s smile was hiding evil intentions. So annoying.

The scholar smiled even more warmly and politely. “Third Miss, why were you chased away to such a far place this time? In the past, at most, you were just punished to copy the scriptures in the temple. This time, did you do something really bad?”

“What does this have to do with you?!” Shen Ziqiao held in the urge to roll her eyes. Was she that close to him?

“Lu Jiasheng, why bother talking to her? Just say what you need to say!” The bearded man didn’t have a good attitude. He was listening to the scholar… To Lu Jiasheng talk about irrelevant things and he was long tired of it.

… So this womanly man is Lu Jiasheng.

“Third Miss, did you really not encounter any suspicious person while you were traveling that day? Or rather, someone who appears to be out of place?” Although Lu Jiasheng was saying this, he was observing Qi Zheng’s expression.

Shen Ziqiao softly laughed when she heard this. She looked mockingly at Lu Jiasheng and said, “Who would be able to see any suspicious person under such dark lighting? Plus, didn’t you stop my horse carriage? Even more, define what it means by ‘someone out of place.’ Can you give me an example and explain it?”

The bearded man pushed the scholar to the side and murmured. “What is this nonsense? Why are you beating around the bush with the Third Miss? Third Miss, we have reason to believe that the person who stole from us is in Shen Family’s courtyard. Can you let us in and search?”

“Of course not. If I allow you guys in to search, where would my face be? Don’t ruin my reputation.” Without another word, Shen Ziqiao rejected them.

“What reputation do you have?!” The bearded man yelled.

Shen Ziqiao trembled by his loud voice and she replied, “Why do you care? I’m in charge here.”

Lu Jiasheng pulled the widened-eye bearded man back and he said, “Third Miss, he doesn’t know how to talk. Please don’t blame him.”

“Let’s go back!” Shen Ziqiao said to Yin Hua and Zhao Di. “Have the guards pay more attention and don’t let just anyone come in. Do the same for the guards in the fruit garden.”

Lu Jiasheng’s smile froze while the bearded man’s face flushed.

Qi Zheng glanced at them and followed Shen Ziqiao down the mountain. When they were almost back at the village, Shen Ziqiao just noticed that he was following behind.

“Did you fail to understand my words?” Shen Ziqiao knitted her eyebrows and looked at him. Did he really think that I was going to help him again?

“I’m a fool.” Fools obviously don't understand.

Shen Ziqiao smiled insincerely and said, “You don’t seem to worry that I’ll expose the fact that you’re just pretending to be stupid. Maybe I should let the guys know who stole from them the other day?”

Qi Zheng slowly walked to Shen Ziqiao and he had a calm face with deep eyes. He stared at Shen Ziqiao and then he suddenly said, “You’re really Shen Xiao’s daughter?”

“So you don’t even know who I am? It seems like you’re really stupid.” Shen Ziqiao was slightly shocked. Could it be that Qi Zheng had found out something? He shouldn’t know her from the past.

“You don’t know that General Shen’s Armored Horse Camp and the North Camp are rivals? You still want to help Du Jitang?” Qi Zheng moved closer and said this slowly and calmly in Shen Ziqiao’s ears.

This… She really didn’t know anything. She didn’t even know which camp Shen Xiao was at.

“You and Du Jitang have great enmity?” Shen Ziqiao raised her eyebrows and asked, unmoved.

Qi Zheng obviously wouldn’t think that Shen Ziqiao wasn’t Shen Xiao’s daughter. He smiled slightly, but didn’t respond to Shen Ziqiao.

“What did you steal from Du Jitang?” Shen Ziqiao asked again.

“There’s no benefit in knowing too much.” Qi Zheng said.

Shen Ziqiao snorted and said, “I know you’re pretending to be stupid. What? Are you going to kill me to silence me?”

Qi Zheng suddenly laughed. His mellow and magnetic laugh seemed to stir Shen Ziqiao’s heart. His deep eyes seemed to be bright like diamonds and his sharp face didn’t appear to be as serious and stern anymore. At that moment, he appeared to be more handsome and bright. Shen Ziqiao was stunned by the view.

Actually, he didn’t need to pretend to be dumb anymore. However, he was used to this state so he wasn’t able to return to his normal state for a while.