A thin layer of mist covered the warm water’s surface, obscuring the features of those nearby. Jiang Xuanjin breathed softly, looking at the person before him with considerable annoyance.
“You are simply reckless!”
The ripples spread out in circles, and the shimmering light reflected in his eyes. Li Huaiyu sighed as he reached out to stroke Jiang Xuanjin’s brow, gently rubbing the tip of his finger against his brow.
“What are you so fierce about? I haven’t done anything to you.”
The heat rose to Jiang Xuanjin’s face as he frowned at him, his thin lips pressed tightly together.
Huaiyu chuckled softly, pressing down on his shoulder to apply the bath powder, coaxing him gently, “Don’t be shy, don’t be angry. We came here secretly; no one outside knows.”
“A gentleman is cautious when alone.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It doesn’t matter whether anyone knows or not; such absurdity should not be done,” he said, his voice filled with indignation.
Huaiyu nodded repeatedly, “That makes sense, that makes sense… Turn around; I need to apply it to your back too.”
Jiang Xuanjin: “…”
He pushed back slightly but found he couldn’t move at all. Huaiyu blinked, looking up to see his serious expression and stubborn gaze as if there was no room for negotiation.
Amused, Huaiyu decided to reason with him, “What’s wrong with sharing a bath?”
“Do I even need to ask?” He frowned, “It’s a lewd and frivolous act!”
“But we are a married couple,” Huaiyu replied. “If we can consummate our marriage, why can’t we share a bath?”
Jiang Xuanjin was momentarily taken aback, caught off guard by the question.
Seizing the opportunity while he pondered, Huaiyu smoothly turned him halfway around, applying the bath powder to his back as he spoke, “Rules are dead, but people are alive. Look, sharing a bath means you have someone to attend to you; isn’t that beneficial?”
“You can’t reach your back, can you? I can help you!”
“It’s boring to be alone here, right? I can keep you company!”
… After hearing this, it seemed to make a lot of sense.
Jiang Xuanjin lowered his head, staring blankly at the water’s surface, unable to recall what was wrong with sharing a bath.
A warm body pressed against him, soothing his back. Someone leaned in to nibble on his earlobe, whispering temptingly, “Stop thinking; there’s nothing to think about!”
Water splashed in the bath, blurring his vision. Jiang Xuanjin let out a low hum, finally giving up his struggle. He reached out and pulled the person splashing water beside him into his embrace.
Cheng Xu and Yu Feng waited outside the main building, glancing at the darkening sky, yet there was no sign of their masters wanting to come out.
“Your Majesty?” Cheng Xu, concerned that the water might cool down, couldn’t help but knock on the door.
There was no response from inside.
Curiously, he tilted his head to listen. Cheng Xu muttered, “Why is there not a sound at all?”
Yu Feng said, “Why don’t you just push the door open and take a look?”
“You push it open!” Cheng Xu shook his head repeatedly, clearly still haunted by the last time he had to push the door open, “I don’t want to go back to the stables again.”
Previously, he could enter the main building without knocking, but the last time he went in at the wrong moment, he had stumbled upon his two masters… cough, cough.
At that time, the Madam hadn’t been angry; instead, she had laughed heartily, but his thin-skinned Majesty… had thrown him into the stables, making him clean horses for an entire afternoon.
That door was not to be pushed!
Yu Feng looked at his expression and shook his head in disdain, “Coward.”
“If you’re not a coward, then you go!” Cheng Xu glared at him.
The two of them pushed and shoved for a while, but in the end, neither dared to reach for the door. They exchanged glances and decided to lean in together, trying to hear what was happening inside.
However, just as they listened for a short while, a cold voice suddenly asked from behind, “What are you two doing?”
Both of them were startled, their heads colliding with a loud “thud.”
Jiang Xuanjin frowned, looking at them with considerable displeasure. He didn’t say much, simply carrying the half-asleep, half-awake person in his arms as he pushed the door open and entered.
The night wind blew, causing the person in his arms to sway gracefully. Cheng Xu and Yu Feng stood stiffly on either side of the door, only to catch a whiff of the refreshing scent of someone who had just bathed.
Cheng Xu was a bit confused, and as the door slammed shut, he scratched his head and asked Yu Feng, “Did they just come from the bathhouse?”
Yu Feng nodded, “They’ve already changed into their nightclothes.”
“When did they go over?”
“I didn’t see.”
Cheng Xu was puzzled; it was just a bath, so why were they being so secretive? Moreover, what happy events had their masters encountered? Their eyes were sparkling.
After carrying the person to the bed, Jiang Xuanjin ruffled her hair, saying, “Don’t sleep; your hair isn’t dry yet.”
Yawning sleepily, Huaiyu hugged him and mumbled, “So what if it’s not dry? I’m so sleepy.”
Today, she had been excitedly planning to tease him, but in the end, she was the one who couldn’t hold on. However, it wasn’t entirely her fault; Bai Zhuji’s body was too weak.
Holding onto his slender waist, she wanted to snuggle closer, but Jiang Xuanjin unexpectedly pushed her away.
“Stingy.” Without even opening her eyes, Huaiyu assumed he didn’t like being close again, rolling over to bury her head in the pillow and sleep.
However, moments later, he came back, lifting her head by the nape of her neck.
“Hmm?” Huaiyu opened her eyes a crack, confused.
What met her gaze was a cold yet handsome face, his eyes lowered as he looked at her, his long fingers holding a dry handkerchief, methodically drying her long hair.
“You’ll catch a cold,” he said with disdain.
Huaiyu was taken aback.
As her hair was gently rubbed, it felt as if something in her chest was also being gently kneaded. She blinked and suddenly laughed.
“You’re awkward,” she said.
He shot her a glance, lightly snorting, his expression one of disdain. Yet his hands moved delicately and gently. As he rubbed, he suddenly stopped, staring at her belly for a moment.
“Hmm?” Following his gaze, Huaiyu covered her lower abdomen, asking, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s a bit round lately,” Jiang Xuanjin said softly.
Huaiyu couldn’t help but laugh, “You’ve been telling me to eat more at every meal these past few days; how could it not be round?”
Was it because she had eaten too much? Realizing this, Jiang Xuanjin’s dark eyes slowly shifted away, his eyelids half-lowered.
“You…” Realizing what he was thinking, Li Huaiyu froze for a moment, then turned her gaze away, feeling guilty.
Her belly could only be round because she had eaten too much; there was no other possibility.
The room fell silent as Jiang Xuanjin continued to dry her hair. Huaiyu buried her head and tried to sleep, but she couldn’t fall asleep at all, her mind swirling with chaotic thoughts, making her feel a bit restless.
The next morning, Jiang Xuanjin went to court, and Qing Si came in to help her get up, quietly saying as she helped her change, “The fish you caught is Tai Jiu Wei Sun Qing.”
Hearing this familiar name, Li Huaiyu sneered, “This person is unrepentant.”
“He shouldn’t have been allowed to live back then,” Qing Si shook her head.
Sun Qing was once a deputy general under Pingling Jun, harboring deep enmity with the Li siblings. After Pingling Jun passed away, he had his arm broken by the Danyang Princess was stripped of his deputy general position, and was demoted to Tai Pu to guard the horse farm.
At that time, Danyang felt that death was too easy for him; she wanted to hear the sound of his bones breaking and see his former arrogance crushed before she could vent her anger.
However, unexpectedly, this mere Tai Jiu Wei could still stir up trouble.
“Indeed, one must eradicate the roots when cutting grass,” Huaiyu muttered, “But there’s a silver lining; he’s jumped out, and we can follow the clues to find out who’s behind him!”
Qing Si said, “The Ting Wei Fu is already investigating.”
“With Liu Yunlie in the Ting Wei Fu, what can they uncover?” Huaiyu shook her head, “We need to ask Han Xiao for help.”
Speaking of Han Xiao, Qing Si frowned, saying, “When I went to the Lu residence last night, the shopkeeper Lu said that recently, Lord Han’s situation isn’t good.”
“General Xu has just suffered, and Yun Lanqing hasn’t been promoted; he’s left with no one to rely on, so it’s no surprise his situation is bad,” Huaiyu said, not surprised at all.
Han Xiao had a fiery temper, and when Yun Lanqing was around, he could be restrained a bit. If he wasn’t, who knew who he would clash with face-to-face?
Qing Si’s expression looked serious, and as Huaiyu finished dressing, she smiled and patted her shoulder, “Don’t worry too much; maybe Lord Yun will be promoted soon to support him.”
How could that be possible? Promotion required great merit, and Yun Lanqing was currently holding the title of Li Guan Da Fu; where would he find the opportunity to achieve merit?
Qing Si shook her head, thinking her master was just trying to comfort her.
However, not long after, Yun Lanqing indeed received a favor and was promoted to the position of Chancellor’s Long History.
Jiang Xuanjin was not surprised by this; he was supposed to be promoted, but his memorial had been suppressed. Now that he found another opportunity to be promoted, it was considered good luck.
But Liu Yunlie pulled him aside after court and said, “A mere Li Guan suddenly investigating the construction of the Luohua River dam; if you say no one is helping him, I don’t believe it.”
Jiang Xuanjin found him quite boring; even if someone was helping, so what? The Luohua River dam indeed had problems; if it weren’t for Yun Lanqing’s vigilance, half of the capital would suffer when the summer floods arrived.
Since it was a genuine achievement, regardless of who helped, he should be promoted.
After court, when he returned home and mentioned this to Bai Zhuji, she smiled with her eyes curved, saying, “I don’t understand court matters, but Lord Yun looks kind; it’s a good thing he got promoted.”
This person viewed things simply, not caring about party biases, just following his words and enjoying himself, appearing carefree.
Jiang Xuanjin slightly curled his lips.
Huaiyu sat in his lap with a file, seriously filing his nails, “Now that you mention Chancellor’s Long History, I remember hearing on the street today that the previous Chancellor Li seems to be exiled?”
“Hmm.” One hand was held by her, while the other was free to twirl her loose hair. Jiang Xuanjin said, “All the charges against Li Fengxing have been confirmed; he deserves the punishment of exile.”
“Isn’t there also that Lord Yi who has fallen into trouble?”
“Yi Yang is implicated, and the charges are not small; it was your father who personally submitted the memorial. Although Liu Tingwei has not yet decided on the punishment, it surely won’t be light.”
Nodding in realization, Huaiyu muttered, “The officialdom is indeed fickle; these people were once so glorious, yet in the blink of an eye, they have nothing.”
Glorious? Jiang Xuanjin disagreed; even though these two had decent official ranks, aside from helping to bring down Danyang, they had been quite obedient otherwise, with hardly any remarkable achievements.
Thinking of Danyang, he paused, suddenly remembering he had questions to ask Li Fengxing, and quickly stood up, holding the person in his arms.
“What’s wrong?” Huaiyu was startled.
“I need to go out for a while,” Jiang Xuanjin said.
“You just got back from court and are leaving again?” Huaiyu was unhappy.
Gently squeezing her waist, he said softly, “Come with me, and bring Qing Si along.”
Her eyes lit up, and she immediately smiled brightly. Without asking where they were going, she called for Qing Si and skipped out the door.
Jiang Xuanjin went to the suburban post station, where Li Fengxing was temporarily detained, waiting for the person in charge to arrive to escort him out of the capital.
As soon as Huaiyu stepped into the courtyard, she saw Li Fengxing sitting in the corner of the prisoner cart, shackled and dirty, his former sharpness gone, looking quite defeated.
“What are you here for?” Upon seeing Jiang Xuanjin, he gritted his teeth and cursed, “I don’t need anyone to feign concern for me!”
Jiang Xuanjin looked at him coldly, “Feigned concern? I’m just here to ask you a few questions.”
Li Fengxing was taken aback, glancing at his face as if he guessed something, then turned his head away, muttering, “I don’t know anything.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Xuanjin stood beside the prisoner cart, saying, “You should know in your heart. At this point, no one can save you.”
Indeed, no one could save him. After dragging it out for so long and thinking of so many methods, he was still destined for exile, and no one was even there to arrange for the escorting officials.
Li Fengxing felt resentment in his heart, but he didn’t want to be the subject of ridicule.
As he tried to bury his face deeper, he suddenly heard Jiang Xuanjin say, “If you can clear my doubts, I might be in a good mood and pull you back.”
A glimmer of hope in the darkness, the last straw before drowning!
Li Fengxing suddenly raised his head, his eyes shining.
The Ziyang Jun kept his promises, far more reliable than those who merely offered him sweet words.
“What does Your Majesty want to know?” he changed his attitude.
Jiang Xuanjin said, “It’s nothing major; I just want to know why you lied and framed the Princess.”
Li Fengxing paused, looking deeply at him, “Your Majesty truly still cares about the old case of Sima Xu.”
“Are you planning to lie to me again, or will you carefully explain the ins and outs?”
Glancing at the bystander, Miss Bai Si, who was watching with interest, Li Fengxing pursed his lips, saying, “I’m in this state; what’s the use of lying? Your Majesty is a smart person; I can’t deceive you, so it’s better to speak plainly.”
“The Danyang Princess and I have old grievances; I had no way to deal with her. But after Sima Xiangxiang died, someone told me I could take this opportunity for revenge, so I listened to him and went to the Ting Wei Fu to testify against the Princess.”
Both Jiang Xuanjin and Li Huaiyu were stunned.
“Who was that person?” Jiang Xuanjin asked.
Li Fengxing chuckled, “Who else could it be? It was the Ting Wei Da Ren Liu Yunlie. The testimony was all arranged by him; otherwise, I wouldn’t have known that Sima Xiangxiang left the palace banquet at the hour of Xu.”
Liu Yunlie?! Jiang Xuanjin was taken aback, his expression darkening instantly.
Li Huaiyu frowned at him, her throat tightening as she clenched her fists, “The testimony could even be fabricated.”
“Hardly any of the testimonies in the Sima Xu case are genuine,” Li Fengxing said disdainfully. “With the Ting Wei Da Ren helping, it was a consensus that the Danyang Princess should die, so this case was bound to be swift and thorough. Didn’t Your Majesty notice anything amiss at that time?”
As soon as he finished speaking, a little maid who had been keeping her head down suddenly rushed forward and kicked the railing in front of him.
With a loud bang, the prisoner cart nearly toppled over.
“Ah!” Startled, Li Fengxing grabbed the wooden edge beside him and glared at the person, “What are you doing?!”
The little maid slowly raised her head, her gaze cold as she looked at him.
“Qing Si?!” Recognizing her, Li Fengxing was astonished, then gritted his teeth, “You really are being hidden by the Ziyang Jun; I wasn’t wrong!”
With a cold laugh, Qing Si raised her leg and kicked the prisoner cart again.
“Calm down, calm down.” Huaiyu reached out to pull her back a couple of steps, smiling lightly. “At least he spoke the truth; why are you so agitated?”
“Accomplice.” Qing Si glared at Li Fengxing, spitting out those two words, then turned to Jiang Xuanjin, frowning, “You are too.”
Jiang Xuanjin did not argue; he stood silently, his face slightly pale.
The death of Danyang was indeed a consensus; he had also hoped for her death at that time, so he had followed the records to determine the case, believing she deserved it.
But now that Li Fengxing said the testimonies in the records were all false, what did that mean? What he thought was right turned out to be completely wrong? The Ziyang Jun, who prided himself on being just, had wronged someone out of prejudice and had personally sent them to the underworld?
His hands, tucked into his sleeves, slowly clenched. He lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes trembling helplessly, filled with both anger and confusion.
Seeing his expression, Li Huaiyu felt a sense of relief; did he finally realize he had wronged her? Did he understand that she was truly innocent? The Ziyang Jun, who had never done anything wrong, had made an irreparable mistake; what should he do?
However, after watching him for a while, she felt a bit of pity.
He hadn’t done it on purpose…
With this person’s character, if he had known back then that she was wronged, he would have stood up to defend her against everyone’s criticism. He was different from others in the court; he had targeted her simply because her actions appeared wrong.
Huaiyu realized that she had also held prejudices against the Ziyang Jun in the past and had never truly understood him.
After pondering for a moment, Huaiyu reached out to grab him, pulling him away from the prisoner cart.
“Recognizing your mistakes and correcting them is nothing to be ashamed of,” she said generously.
As long as he helped her overturn the case, she could even let go of the grudge of having her life threatened!
Jiang Xuanjin had no idea who the person before him was, nor could he imagine that Danyang would come back to life. He only felt an increase in his sins, sins that could never be offset, and he couldn’t take in her comforting words at all. His eyes were stormy, restless.
“Your Majesty.” The escorting official came over and cupped his hands, “The transfer order has arrived; the prisoner should be on the road.”
Li Fengxing panicked, quickly looking at Jiang Xuanjin, who slowly came back to his senses and coldly said, “The prisoner still has public cases unresolved and cannot be on the road. You should keep him here; I will go to report to His Majesty.”
The official was taken aback, somewhat confused, but Jiang Xuanjin didn’t explain further after finishing; he simply said to Huaiyu, “You go back to the residence and wait for me.”
“Okay.” Li Huaiyu nodded with a smile, slightly loosening her grip, and he stepped back out, his figure graceful and his pace swift.
Li Fengxing squatted in the prisoner cart, watching in astonishment, “He… actually intends to go directly to the Emperor? How can that be? Sima Xu and the Princess are already dead; what’s the use of overturning the case now?”
Huaiyu turned her head to glance at him, “Is there no justice left in this world?”
“A joke!” Li Fengxing said, “Just for the sake of justice, you want to stir up waves after the dust has settled? That’s of no benefit to him at all!”
Overturning this case indeed brought no benefits; it would even directly make him enemies with a large portion of the court. If she were in Jiang Xuanjin’s position, she might not have the courage to wade through this murky water.
Yet Jiang Xuanjin showed no hesitation in his steps.
Such a fool, there would never be another like him in the court or even in the world.
Smiling slightly, Li Huaiyu thought to herself that she had married an extraordinary person.
On the first day of the eighth month, the Danyang Princess had passed away for over four months, and the Ziyang Jun suddenly entered the palace, requesting a re-investigation of the Sima Xu case before the Emperor.
The court was in an uproar, and the news spread quickly, causing the three dukes and nine ministers to rush to the palace.
Liu Yunlie was the fastest to arrive, his expression the worst. He had thought of many ways to deal with Jiang Xuanjin, but he had never imagined that this person would actually bring the old case to light.
He was truly insane!
“Your Majesty, what is your intention in this action?” Qi Han arrived at the scene, stepped forward to salute the Emperor, and immediately questioned Jiang Xuanjin.
Jiang Xuanjin stood in the center of the great hall, surrounded by increasingly more ministers. He didn’t even turn his head, his eyes only on the terrified Emperor seated above.
Beside him, Yun Lanqing was slightly agitated. Seeing him silent, she stepped forward to defend him, “What else could it be? The Emperor is not a capricious person; if he brings this matter up, he must have discovered something unusual. The Chancellor is not seeking the truth but is questioning the Emperor’s intentions?”
Qi Han said in a deep voice, “The old case involves many parties and has already been resolved; suddenly bringing it up again will inevitably shake the court’s foundation.”
“Shake the court’s foundation?” Xu Xian, standing nearby, chuckled lightly, “When the case was decided, wasn’t it said that the evidence was conclusive? Since the Danyang Princess deserved her punishment, why should the ministers fear a re-examination?”
Qi Han was momentarily speechless, and the Minister of Rites, Situ Jing, stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, “I believe that re-examining this case is meaningless.”
The crowd began to argue back and forth, but Jiang Xuanjin didn’t listen to a word.
He dared to propose a re-examination because he had already considered all the consequences. Unless the Emperor disagreed, nothing could stop him now.
As someone who loved his elder sister dearly, how could Li Huailin disagree? He was simply shocked by this sudden turn of events, his expression complex as he pondered for a long time.
When he finally came to his senses, seeing the noisy crowd in the hall, he angrily shouted, “Enough!”
The arguing ministers immediately fell silent, bowing their heads and cupping their hands.
Li Huailin stood up and paced a few steps in front of the dragon throne, angrily saying, “The Emperor is here to consult me, not to consult you. I haven’t even spoken yet; what are you all arguing about?”
“It’s just a re-examination of a case; if the Emperor thinks it’s necessary, then let’s re-examine it. It was examined before, so why can’t it be examined now?”
“Your Majesty!” Liu Yunlie said, “The autumn harvest is approaching, and affairs are busy; who has the time to examine this case?”
Jiang Xuanjin said calmly, “Since it was proposed by me, it will naturally be presided over by me.”
Liu Yunlie gritted his teeth, turning to look at him, “Your Majesty, don’t forget that the previous case was also decided by you!”
“Precisely because of this, my re-examination is the most just,” Jiang Xuanjin said, glancing at him, then looking up at Li Huailin, “If the examination was not wrong, I will accept the punishment for disturbing the court’s order. If it was wrong, I will also accept the corresponding responsibility.”
As soon as these words were spoken, those who had been quietly questioning the Ziyang Jun suddenly fell silent.
The crowd was astonished, and Li Huailin was also somewhat shocked.
“Your Majesty?”
Re-examination brought him no benefits; he would be punished regardless of the outcome, yet he insisted on this?
For a moment, Liu Yunlie and the others didn’t know what to say, exchanging glances but unable to find a reason to refute.
“Please, Your Majesty, give your orders,” Jiang Xuanjin cupped his hands.
The great hall fell silent, the atmosphere heavy. Several old ministers looked grim, some even shaking their heads slightly, signaling him not to agree.
However, after a moment of thought, Li Huailin nodded.
“I grant Your Majesty’s request.”
Glancing around the hall, he continued, “The Ziyang Jun will preside over the re-examination, with the Ting Wei Fu assisting. I will give you a month; do not disappoint me.”
Jiang Xuanjin relaxed his brow.
“Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty.” He bowed deeply, sincere and earnest.
The North Wei court, which had been calm for a long time, finally stirred up a storm again. The three dukes and nine ministers debated endlessly, and one memorial after another regarding the Ziyang Jun flew into the Emperor’s study. Everyone felt that the Jun was mad, perhaps even cursed by the ghost of the Danyang Princess.
Not to mention outsiders; even the Jiang family was surprised. As soon as Jiang Xuanjin returned home, he was summoned to the front hall by the old master.
When Huaiyu rushed over, the old master was leaning on his dragon-headed cane, saying, “I taught you to be just, not to be willful!”
“This time, your elder brother won’t help you,” Jiang Chong shook his head, “This is too reckless; how can you, alone, withstand the will of a hundred officials?”
Jiang Shen, who was lounging around, noticed her entering and smiled, “Sister-in-law is here?”
Everyone’s gaze turned to her, and Li Huaiyu steadied herself, smiling as she stepped forward to greet, “I pay my respects to Father and greet all my uncles.”
Seeing her, the old master’s anger flared up again, and he scolded, “Jiang Baishi, since you’ve married him, you should properly advise him!”
Huaiyu blinked innocently; not only did she not know how to advise, but even if she did, with Jiang Xuanjin’s temperament, how could he listen to her on such matters?
Beside her, Jiang Yan spoke with a complex expression, “If the little aunt can advise him, that would be good; I’m afraid she won’t only not advise but will think her little uncle is doing well.”
The young master was quite perceptive, Huaiyu secretly laughed, but her face turned serious as she curiously asked, “What did the Jun do wrong?”
“It’s not that he’s wrong; he may not be at fault, but what he’s doing is simply inappropriate,” Jiang Chong frowned, “Re-examining an old case and openly opposing the senior ministers in the court, ignoring advice and disregarding consequences. A month later, regardless of the outcome, he will be punished! What is this?”
Listening to this, Huaiyu leaned over and quietly asked the person beside her, “Is the situation very unfavorable?”
Jiang Xuanjin replied calmly, “It’s nothing.”
“Is that really nothing?” Jiang Yan couldn’t help but say, “As soon as you came out of the palace, Prime Minister Qi, Minister Situ, Minister Lin, and Liu Tingwei all stayed in the Emperor’s study to report; it seems they won’t say anything good. Those who once respected you have now turned against you; you’ve clearly become the target!”
So serious? Li Huaiyu was startled, glancing at him in a bit of panic.
Jiang Xuanjin shot Jiang Yan a displeased look, then said, “I know what I’m doing.”
Still holding onto this stubborn temper that wouldn’t budge even with eight horses pulling it back! The old master sighed deeply, not intending to say much more, only saying, “You should think carefully about what to do; Jiang Baishi, stay behind.”
Li Huaiyu, named, stood obediently in place, watching Jiang Xuanjin bow and leave, feeling a bit anxious.
“Jiang Baishi.” Once the others had left, the old master spoke, “I’ve heard that Xuanjin treats you with great affection. Since you are favored by him, you should think for him.”
Giving a dry laugh, Huaiyu lowered her head, “Father, please give your orders.”
“Now that’s a sensible one,” the old master nodded, “You should properly advise Xuanjin; he can’t throw away the reputation he’s built over the years just for an old case. This isn’t just his matter; if he’s not careful, it could easily implicate the whole family. After dinner, Chong’er and Shen’er will go to Mo Ju; they will speak, and you should support them.”
Since they had already decided to re-examine it, what was there to advise? It had already caused such a stir; even if Jiang Xuanjin wanted to backtrack now, it would be useless; once the bow was drawn, there was no turning back.
However, looking at the serious expressions of the Jiang family members, Li Huaiyu still conceded, “I understand, daughter-in-law.”
Jiang Yan looked at her, unable to help but ask, “Before the little uncle went to the palace, where did he go with the little aunt?”
“This…” Huaiyu feigned ignorance, “Just went out for a stroll.”
“If it was really just a stroll, how could the little uncle suddenly remember the Sima Xiang case?” Jiang Yan frowned.
His words made Jiang Chong glance at her with some confusion.
Feeling a chill down her back, Huaiyu faced their gazes. She maintained her innocent expression, “How would I know the Jun’s thoughts? He never discusses court matters with me.”
Jiang Shen helped her out, “Don’t make it difficult for the younger sister-in-law; just ask the third brother directly later.”
The old master nodded from his seat, “Then you should return for now.”
“Yes.” Feeling as if she had been granted amnesty, Huaiyu stepped back and left, secretly relieved that she had managed to get through this.
However, once she was far away, Jiang Yan said in the front hall, “You see, the little aunt really is suspicious.”
Where they had gone was known to the carriage driver in the residence; Jiang Baishi had lied.
At first, when Jiang Yan mentioned the matter of the White Horse Temple, Jiang Chong didn’t believe it, thinking the child was overthinking. But now, seeing this, he was also somewhat puzzled.
Was this Jiang Baishi truly intentional or unintentional?
The old master waved his hand, “We are all family; do not jump to conclusions before there is evidence.”
Isn’t evidence simple? Just test a couple of times, and it will surface. Jiang Yan clenched his fists; if he was wrong in his suspicions, that would be fine, but if Jiang Baishi truly harbored ill intentions toward his little uncle, he would not let her off!
Returning to Mo Ju, Huaiyu looked around and found Jiang Xuanjin in the study by the ink pool, buried in a pile of documents.
She walked over and poured him a cup of tea.
Jiang Xuanjin looked up, pursing his lips, “Are you here to advise me?”
“Hmm!” Huaiyu nodded, holding the teacup with both hands and bringing it to his lips, “I’m advising you to rest more and not wear yourself out.”
He paused slightly, frowning, “What your father wants you to advise is definitely not this.”
After feeding him a sip of tea, Huaiyu smiled, “You already know their intentions; why should I say more?”
If she had married a proper wife, she would have been nagging him in his ear by now. But this person was different; he didn’t take the elders’ words to heart at all.
Jiang Xuanjin shook his head, feeling a bit lighter in his heart, and continued to read the documents.
Huaiyu obediently accompanied him.
After dinner, Jiang Chong and Jiang Shen indeed came. They sat on either side of Jiang Xuanjin, discussing family interests and the welfare of the people.
Following the old master’s orders, Huaiyu diligently supported them from the side, continuously saying things like “Yes” and “That’s right” to cheer them on.
Jiang Chong was not satisfied with her performance and called out, “Sister-in-law.”
“Ah?” Li Huaiyu looked confused, “What’s wrong?”
What was wrong? She had promised to help advise, yet aside from responding, she hadn’t said a word more. Jiang Chong frowned, his suspicions deepening.
Seeing his expression, Huaiyu felt a bit startled and quickly turned to Jiang Xuanjin, saying, “What elder brother said makes sense!”
Jiang Xuanjin glanced at her, pursing his lips as he said to Jiang Chong, “Why make it difficult for her?”
He showed no reaction to his advice but was quick to defend her. Jiang Chong felt quite helpless.
An hour later, the two left in defeat. Huaiyu was sitting on a stool, lost in thought, when suddenly someone picked her up.
“You don’t have to listen to everything they say,” Jiang Xuanjin said softly. “Just listen to me.”
Her mind returned, and warmth filled her chest. Huaiyu smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, “Aren’t you afraid of spoiling me to the point of disregarding my elders?”
She wasn’t someone who disregarded her elders, Jiang Xuanjin shook his head, gently placing her on the bed and kissing her forehead lightly.
“I will be very busy in the next few days; you stay put and don’t run around.”
Huaiyu raised an eyebrow, pulling him closer and seriously saying, “Then we must seize the opportunity.”
Jiang Xuanjin was about to ask what opportunity, but before he could, she had already wrapped her legs around his waist.
“I still need to look at the official documents.”
“Tomorrow is not too late; look at me first!”
“…”
He felt a bit annoyed but couldn’t resist her entanglement, rolling into the red curtains, breathing heavily as he said with mild anger, “You…”
“What?” Smiling brightly, Huaiyu pinched his chin, “I’m just bold and shameless. But don’t you like it?”
“Who likes it?” he retorted.
Giggling, Huaiyu pressed down on him, kissing him repeatedly, her hands mischievously slipping into his clothes, caressing his waist as she asked, “Do you like it? Hmm?”
His body gradually heated up, and Jiang Xuanjin gritted his teeth, struggling to say, “No…”
Before he could finish, she bit down on his throat.
“The Ziyang Jun cannot lie,” she said seriously.
Jiang Xuanjin was furious, flipping her over and whispering, “You’re too disrespectful; you need to be taught a lesson.”
The person beneath him froze for a moment, then licked her lips, her eyes sparkling as she said, “I humbly request Your Majesty to teach me~”
A temptation that felt like it could take a life.
With a soft gasp, he lowered his head and finally bit down on her fair neck with abandon.
The candlelight flickered, and the inner chamber was filled with intertwining shadows, a storm of passion.
Previously, he had been calculating while enjoying her, but this time, Li Huaiyu thought of nothing, only tightly holding onto him, giving him whatever he wanted. Listening to his voice, she felt stirred.
She actually felt stirred.
“Jiang Jian.” In a moment of unbearable desire, she called his name, feeling that one call was not enough, repeating it over and over again.
The person before her anxiously covered her mouth with his hand, resting his head against her ear, his voice trembling slightly as he said, “Stop shouting…”