The Cousin Is About to Marry，The Abstinent Young Lord Loses Control-Chapter 54: Ji Mingzhu’s Mark

Ji Mingzhu didn’t want to be entangled anymore; the longer she stayed in the city, the more likely unexpected events would occur.

A wise person does not stand under a crumbling wall; if she couldn’t provoke trouble, could she not avoid it?

Back at the inn, she instructed Gold to pack up, and even had the guards control Xue Jiaming’s servant to prevent him from sending any messages out.

Xue Jiaming never imagined the beauty he had in his grasp would suddenly fly away. By the time he got the news, the night was already deep.

The city gates had long been closed, and there was no telling where the beauty had gone.

It was too late to pursue her now!

In his anger, he smashed a fine tea set and beat the servant with a board.

Unable to catch up with the beauty, he could only vent his anger on those meddling in his affairs.

"Who is that person who dared to ruin my good deed?"

"Post his portrait, a reward of a hundred taels of silver!"

"Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find him. If we don’t show him some color, I, Young Master, can’t swallow this anger!"

Xue Jiaming’s courtyard was not far from the guest courtyard, and Yuan Changan, with his keen hearing, could hear the furious scolding.

And the servant’s cries for mercy.

Piecing together the intermittent information, with a bit of speculation, he guessed the cause.

If that really was the wife chosen for him by his family, she was quite impressive.

Leaving the city immediately was not surprising.

Normal people don’t like to invite trouble; when sensing something’s amiss, they naturally leave.

But to detain Xue Jiaming’s servant, few girls would dare to do that.

General Ji had died on the battlefield years ago, and Ji Mingzhu’s life had also been full of hardships.

For her to still have such vigor was truly rare.

Yuan Changan disliked fools, but feared he couldn’t handle someone too formidable.

He was used to being free and unrestrained; the thought of a wife suddenly intervening in his life didn’t seem appealing.

He touched his chin, wondering if he should wait for her to leave Yangzhou before returning home?

That girl seemed to understand; as long as he made his attitude clear, she probably wouldn’t force it.

"Young Master, there’s a letter from Yangzhou."

Yuan Changan wasn’t too concerned, "Who’s sick this time?"

The servant shook his head and presented the letter.

Yuan Changan scanned through it quickly, and his expression turned grave, "Return to Yangzhou!"

...

Xie Yunzhen had been traveling day and night, just to see Ji Mingzhu sooner.

But unexpectedly, his efforts were in vain.

The guest room was empty, with no trace of anyone, but the sweet fragrance lingering in the air was identical to the one on Ji Mingzhu.

It proved she had stayed in that room.

Xie Yunzhen stood in the room expressionless, forbidding anyone from stepping in.

No one could guess his thoughts, only feeling the cold aura emanating from him, threatening to freeze everyone.

He walked slowly to the bed and sat down.

Ji Mingzhu’s scent was even stronger there.

Like receiving the best medicine, the restless air in his body gradually calmed.

Even his wounds seemed to hurt less.

Xie Yunzhen’s mind was a bit blank; he had chased all the way here with determination, believing he could finally meet the one who haunted his dreams.

But fate played a trick on him.

He was so close.

Just a little more, and he would have caught up with Ji Mingzhu.

His heart felt a sharp pain, like being pricked by a needle.

Why were he and Ji Mingzhu always missing each other?

With this thought, he punched the bedpost forcefully.

Regret followed soon after, knowing even though Ji Mingzhu hadn’t seen it, his loss of control would surely frighten her.

Xie Yunzhen took a deep breath, driving away the dismal thoughts.

The situation was much better than in his past life.

At least Ji Mingzhu was alive, and he still had a chance to win her back, to make amends.

His hand tightened on his knee, just as he was about to rise, his gaze was caught by a strand of black hair on the pillow.

Black and smooth, distinctively Ji Mingzhu’s hair texture.

As he twirled the strand between his fingers, thinking of its owner, Xie Yunzhen’s gaze softened involuntarily.

The corners of his lips curved up; this was another sign from Ji Mingzhu.

A delay in meeting for a few days wasn’t a big deal; he could wait.

He put the strand carefully into a sachet, in which there was also a jade bead.

Keeping the sachet close to his heart, it felt as if Ji Mingzhu was still by his side.

At this moment, Xie Yunzhen once again realized how ungrateful he had been in his previous life.

With Ji Mingzhu by his side, he hadn’t cherished her.

The sachet she had stitched by hand, he hadn’t worn it even once.

Would he have a chance to receive something from Ji Mingzhu in this life?

A flash of thought brought to mind the set of scholar’s treasures.

When he returned to the capital, Ji Mingzhu had fainted without warning and sent Xi Yu to diagnose her condition.

Later, she sent a thank you gift, which he casually rewarded to Tianshui...

Such instances happened countless times in his past life.

Every time, Ji Mingzhu brought items to him with hope,

only to leave disheartened.

Even though much time had passed, he could still clearly recall her lost demeanour.

Xie Yunzhen’s breath hitched, and he gave himself a harsh slap.

Tianshui exclaimed, "Young Master?"

Xie Yunzhen’s eyes were deep, his tone cool and commanding, "Return the items to me."

Tianshui: "???

Has the Young Master started speaking nonsense again? Is it because he hasn’t rested well?

With trepidation, he said, "I didn’t take anything of yours."

Xie Yunzhen hinted, "What Ji Mingzhu sent."

Tianshui: "Miss didn’t send anything to you."

The man’s face visibly darkened.

Chills crept up his spine, and Tianshui suddenly remembered the set of scholar’s treasures.

Too precious to use, he had kept them safe, intending to pass them on to his children as heirlooms...

Being asked to return them now felt like having his flesh cut.

With his heart crying but forcing a smile, he said, "Those items are at the manor, I’ll return them when we get back to the capital."

Xie Yunzhen’s expression eased slightly, and he said gently, "You can pick any set of scholar’s treasures from the storeroom."

Only the set from Ji Mingzhu was off-limits.

Even knowing she hadn’t put thought into it, Xie Yunzhen wanted to keep it well.

In this life, he might not receive many gifts.

Realizing this, a sense of bitterness arose in his heart.

Touching his chest, Xie Yunzhen stood, "Continue the journey."

Xi Yu thought he could finally catch a break, but upon hearing this, felt a wave of dizziness.

He quickly said, "The shopkeeper said Ji Mingzhu originally planned to take the water route to Yangzhou. She even bought a boat ticket, but something must have happened for her to leave the city unexpectedly. Are you sure you don’t want to find out why?"

Xie Yunzhen paused, and Xi Yu knew he could relax.

He gestured to the shopkeeper, "Prepare a high-class room for me, the bill is on the Young Master."

This was a true noble; not only would they arrange a high-class room, but whatever the request, they would cooperate fully.

Summoning everyone who had interacted with Ji Mingzhu, Xie Yunzhen questioned them personally.

Learning that a man was making advances on her and harassing her when she went out, his fury surged.

"Go to the Xue family and bring that person here!"