Chapter 396 - Chapter 396: Reconciliation

Chapter 396: Reconciliation

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Yu Niaoniao was very stunned.

She remembered what Lo Pingsha had said about the Eagle Guards going to Jinguan City three years ago. It was a secret. Unless the emperor allowed it, it could not be leaked.

But now, Xiao Juan had actually placed the scroll containing the confidential content in front of her.

Yu Niaoniao looked at the man in front of her with wide red eyes and asked in disbelief.

“Can I really look?”

Xiao Juan said calmly, “If you want to see it, go ahead.”

Yu Niaoniao said, “But if I look, won’t you break the rules? Will you be punished for this?”

Xiao Juan did not speak.

Yu Niaoniao understood him. This was equivalent to tacit agreement.

She immediately shook her head. “Then I won’t read it.”

Xiao Juan said, “Even if you don’t look now, you’ll think of a way to peek in the future. Why don’t you look openly now? As for whether I’ll be punished, you don’t have to worry. I know what I’m doing.”

Yu Niaoniao still shook her head, indicating that she did not want to see.

She really wanted to know the truth from three years ago, but she could not implicate Xiao Juan and let him be punished.

She would rather take more detours herself than let Xiao Juan suffer.

Xiao Juan looked at her steadily.

“You only have this one chance. If you give it up, you’ll never see it again.”

Yu Niaoniao was still insistent. “I’m not looking.”

Xiao Juan asked, “Don’t you want to know what I did in Jinguan City three years

Yu Niaoniao pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment before telling the truth.

“Yes, I do.”

Xiao Juan continued to ask, “The answer is in front of you. Why don’t you look?”

Yu Niaoniao lowered her head and whispered.

“You’ll be punished for leaking secrets without permission, right? I don’t want you to be punished.”

Xiao Juan looked at the top of her head for a long time before saying.

“I can tell you.”

Yu Niaoniao slowly raised her head and looked at him blankly. “What?” Xiao Juan said slowly.

“The reason I went to Jinguan City three years ago was to investigate a corruption and bribery case.”

“The officials involved fled to Jinguan City with the money and colluded with the local garrison. I was ordered to arrest them.”

“There was a lot at stake with this case and it has yet to be closed, so the emperor ordered it to be kept secret.” Yu Niaoniao looked at him blankly.

So this was the truth.

She felt extremely ashamed. “So all of this is really a coincidence. The Feng family’s annihilation has nothing to do with you. I was thinking too much. I’m sorry.”

Xiao Juan said, “It’s not completely unrelated.”

Yu Niaoniao’s eyes widened.

“Huh?”

Xiao Juan said, “Three years ago, I saved a young lady in Jinguan City. At that time, she was covered in injuries and was unconscious on the roadside. When I saw her, I got someone to send her to the medical center.”

Some blurry fragments flashed across Yu Niaoniao’s memory.

On the night of the Feng family’s fire, she was the only one who escaped.

She stumbled forward. She was in a daze. Her mind was already disoriented, but the remaining rationality in her mind told her that she couldn’t stop. She had to run forward.

She had to report it to the authorities and find someone to put out the fire.

After running for an unknown period of time, she finally couldn’t hold on anymore and staggered to the ground.

Even though a voice in her head kept clamoring to stand up, her body was already exhausted and she could not move.

Her consciousness gradually became chaotic, and the scene in front of her became blurry.

In a daze, she thought she heard hooves, then voices.

She couldn’t hear what he said. She could only instinctively reach out and grab the corner of his shirt tightly. She spoke with difficulty.

“Save the Feng family. Put out the fire..

It was a simple sentence, but it took up all her remaining strength.

Then she fainted and became completely unconscious.

When she woke up, she was already lying in the medical center.

She asked the doctor at the medical center and found out that a kind person had sent her to the medical center last night, but that person had not left his name, so she did not know who it was.

The memory stopped there.

Yu Niaoniao was enlightened. “You were the one who saved me back then!” She never expected that she and Xiao Juan had met three years ago.

Actually, Xiao Juan had already recognized Yu Niaoniao when he first saw her in the Imperial Capital. However, because he felt that this was an unimportant matter, he did not take the initiative to mention it.

“On the night of the Feng family’s fire, I was chasing after the fugitive official.’

“In order to help me capture him, the government office in Jinguan City had mobilized more than half of their troops.”

“It was also because of this that no one discovered the Feng family’s fire in time.”

“Even if you reported it to the officials, the government could only mobilize a small number of people to extinguish the fire.”

“Strictly speaking, I did have to bear a portion of the responsibility for the Feng family’s destruction back then.”

“If I hadn’t mobilized the troops in Jinguan City that night, the Feng family might not have been burned to ruins.”

“I’m sorry.”

Thinking of the Feng family’s tragic situation, Yu Niaoniao was very sad.

However, she still remained sober and shook her head. “What happened to the Feng family has nothing to do with you. You don’t have to apologize.”

Xiao Juan said solemnly.

“I know you’ve always wanted to find out the truth behind the Feng family’s destruction. I’ll do my best to help you.

“If you want to know anything in the future, you can ask me directly.”

“Don’t act on your own again.”

There are many mechanisms hidden in the Qianji Building. If you accidentally touch them, you might lose your life.” Yu Niaoniao felt even more ashamed.

Initially, she thought that Xiao Juan would not tell her, but he told her everything.

She had taken it for granted.

“Thank you.”

Xiao Juan picked up the scroll and stuffed it back into his sleeve, preparing to turn around and leave.

Yu Niaoniao suddenly grabbed the hem of his shirt and looked at him eagerly.

“I’ve already admitted my mistake. Can we make up?”

Xiao Juan said, “Yes.”

Yu Niaoniao’s eyes lit up.

Xiao Juan pulled the hem of his shirt out of her hand and took two steps back.

“I’ll send the scroll back to the Qianji Building.”

With that, he turned around and left Mirror House.

Yu Niaoniao watched him leave, and her originally bright eyes dimmed bit by bit.

Although he promised to make up, he still kept a distance from her and spoke to her politely and distantly.

He clearly minded.

Yu Niaoniao stood up.

She prepared some good food in the kitchen.

As the saying went, as long as Xiao Juan ate what she made, he would definitely be too embarrassed to be angry with her.

Coincidentally, the kitchen had bought a new basket of cauliflower today.

Yu Niaoniao first used warm water to soak the dried cauliflower and tea tree mushrooms. She cut the onions, ginger, and garlic for backup.

The chicken was cut into pieces and put in cold water. She put some ginger slices and cooking wine to remove the fishy smell. She removed the blood foam and then fished out the chicken and washed it with cold well water.

The vegetable oil in the pot was heated up. She added rock sugar and slowly boiled it into a sticky red syrup. She added the chicken and stir-fried it evenly.

The chicken was wrapped in syrup and gradually turned red. It was out of the pot.

Yu Niaoniao placed the stir-fried chicken into the cauldron with yellow cauliflower, tea tree mushrooms, star anise, onions, ginger, garlic, and other condiments. She covered it and placed it on the stove to boil. Then, she turned it to a low fire and slowly simmered it..