After spending half a year together, Huaiyu had seen Jiang Xuanjin in various states: his eyes sparkling with joy, his body tense with anger, and his ears turning red with embarrassment. She thought she understood him thoroughly, but who would have thought…
Raising her eyes to look at the man standing before her, and then at the room with only the two of them, Huaiyu chuckled softly, “What guidance does Your Majesty have for me?”
In the past, she couldn’t hear his breathing, as he always maintained a good posture and steady inner strength. But now, even standing two steps away, she could hear his ragged breaths, like a fish out of water, struggling for air that wasn’t his, nearly lifeless.
Jiang Xuanjin looked up at her, his eyes devoid of light, as dark as the sea on a stormy night. He moved closer, his pale fingers seemingly wanting to touch her round belly, but ultimately stopping an inch away. He spoke slowly, his voice dry and hollow like a bucket falling into a dry well, “I’ve thought for a long time…”
“I’ve thought for a long time and still can’t understand, how is Lu Jingxing better than me?”
His tone carried grievance, trembling and choking with extreme anger. His Adam’s apple moved as if he had been drinking, up and down. His face, however, showed little expression, as if frozen by the cold wind outside.
If she couldn’t guess what was going on with him now, then she would have grown this head for nothing. How to put it… She had been worried he would come to fight for the child in her belly, but now she found it somewhat amusing. Huaiyu asked him, “Who told you the news?”
Jiang Xuanjin didn’t answer, instead asking her, “If no one had told me, were you planning to hide it from me for a lifetime?”
Huaiyu chuckled, “What good does it do you to know?”
His heart ached, and Jiang Xuanjin lowered his eyes, letting out a hoarse laugh, “Can you lie to me once more? Just say this child is mine, that when you were with me, you didn’t have anyone else in your heart.”
“Alright.” Huaiyu clapped her hands, laughing playfully, “This child is yours.”
He grasped her hand and pressed it against his chest, his lips pale, his long eyelashes trembling, clearly not taking her words seriously.
Huaiyu tilted her head, reaching out with her other hand to touch him. The mighty Ziyang Lord was trembling all over, his body cold, his clothes filled with chill.
Suddenly, she wanted to hug him, like long ago, intertwining their fingers. To give him all the warmth from her body, to make him feel warmer.
But… looking down at her belly, Huaiyu smiled self-deprecatingly. It was impossible. If she took another step closer, she would be shattered to pieces. It was better to retreat, far enough to at least protect the little one in her belly.
“Does the Princess still hate me?” The person in front of her spoke, his voice as light as willow fluff, “If you still hate me, how do you plan to take revenge? Can you tell me in advance so I can be prepared?”
Huaiyu wanted to continue speaking to him in a light-hearted, teasing tone, but inexplicably, her throat tightened.
“I don’t hate you anymore.” She pursed her lips, “Xu Xian and the others are fine, and so am I. You protected me out of the palace, left the capital, and returned to Danyang. You and I are already even.”
Even, were no longer related, so she avoided him, didn’t see him, and no longer wanted to be entangled with him. Missing someone was something that belonged to him alone.
Jiang Xuanjin’s grip on her hand tightened slowly, his voice deepening, “What if I don’t want to be even?”
“What if I still want to make things difficult for you?”
Huaiyu was stunned, her body tensing up, “What do you want?”
A mocking smile spread across his lips, Jiang Xuanjin said in a low voice, “Isn’t the Princess used to doing bad things? How come you can’t guess my thoughts now?”
Hearing this from his mouth, Li Huaiyu felt very uncomfortable. Was he going to deal with her? Because he thought the child in her belly wasn’t his, was he so angry that he wanted to destroy her?
A chill ran down her spine, and Huaiyu instinctively took half a step back. However, behind her was a soft couch, with a two-inch-high step in front of it. In her panic, she didn’t notice and stumbled, losing her balance and falling backward.
The Ziyang Lord, who had just been full of menace, turned pale instantly. He grabbed her hand and pulled hard, barely stopping her from falling. He turned his body, protecting her back before she hit the edge of the couch.
With a thud, the person behind her let out a muffled groan, supporting her waist and gently placing her in his arms.
Her pupils contracted, and Li Huaiyu stared blankly at the furnishings in the room for a while before turning her head to look behind her.
Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips, his eyes shrouded in a layer of mist, as if still in shock. He reached out across her front, holding her tightly. His chin rested on her shoulder, and he closed his eyes.
“You…” Huaiyu opened her mouth, wanting to ask if he was in pain, but felt it was inappropriate, so she stopped herself.
The room fell silent, the greenish-blue hem of his robe scattered on the step, mingling with the peony-patterned hem of her robe, picking up some dust.
Outside the room, people stood in silence. Qingxian and the others wanted to go in several times but were stopped by Juwu. Chengxu and Yufeng looked grim, and although Lu Jingxing still wore a smile, his eyes were not relaxed.
These two said they wanted to talk alone, but Huaiyu was pregnant. What if something happened during their talk?
Jiang Shen stood at a distance, pounding the red pillar beside him, “Why did he still come?”
Shuangtian said helplessly, “I already told His Majesty the truth, but he insisted on entering the city.”
“What is this foolish child thinking?” Jiang Shen shook his head, “Does he have to come and make himself unhappy?”
“I don’t know, but His Majesty is angry,” Shuangtian said worriedly, “I’m afraid he might do something rash… This is still Yixian City.”
“Put your mind at ease,” Jiang Shen said irritably, “I bet a hundred taels of silver that no matter how angry he is, he won’t do anything to Li Huaiyu.”
But this pain of the heart, he would have to endure it.
Feeling suffocated from being held so tightly, Huaiyu moved slightly, frowning, “I want to get up.”
The person behind her released her, propping himself up on the couch and helping her stand.
Huaiyu glanced at him, scratched her head, feeling a bit awkward, and lifted her skirt to leave.
“I will be staying for a while,” Jiang Xuanjin said calmly, “Please prepare a few guest rooms, Your Highness.”
She paused. Li Huaiyu frowned, “What if I don’t want to prepare them?”
Gathering his broken emotions, Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips, adjusting his sleeves, “The other day, a letter personally written by the Emperor arrived in my hands. It said that as long as Ziyang was willing to lend a passage, a decree would be issued, granting me three cities as fiefs.”
Ziyang was right behind Danyang, and the intention of wanting Ziyang to lend a passage was clear.
Huaiyu’s expression turned serious, “Is Your Majesty threatening me?”
Jiang Xuanjin nodded, “Yes.”
He had the leverage to threaten her, and it was heavy enough, so why not use it?
Li Huaiyu fell silent. Her eyes darted around as if trying to determine whether his words were true or false.
Jiang Xuanjin reached out, directly handing her a letter written by Li Huailin from his sleeve.
The familiar handwriting, and the words attacking Danyang, were far more severe than Jiang Xuanjin’s light remarks.
“Doesn’t Your Majesty want the three cities?” Huaiyu frowned, “What good does it do to stay in Yixian City?”
Lowering his eyes coldly, he said, “Do I need to explain my actions to the Princess?”
Well, indeed not, Huaiyu shrugged, “This deal doesn’t cost me anything, so there’s no reason not to agree. But Your Majesty, let me say this first, your days here might not be very comfortable, so don’t get angry and go back on your word.”
Taking a fox fur cloak from the side, Jiang Xuanjin didn’t look at her again, turning to open the door.
The wind blew in from outside, causing the soft fox fur to ripple. Jiang Xuanjin looked up, meeting Lu Jingxing standing outside.
After all these years, this man seemed unchanged, always with that carefree demeanor, standing without proper posture, with a hint of flirtatious indifference in his eyes and brows. He didn’t look like someone who would settle down.
Yet, this very person had been by her side for years, knowing more than he did, having more of her heart. She never lied to Lu Jingxing, treating him well for years, while to him, she was cruel as if they were mortal enemies.
“To be looked at by Your Majesty like this is an honor,” Lu Jingxing relaxed his brows, twirling his closed fan in his fingers, smiling broadly.
This jealousy and coldness in his eyes matched the emotions he had been suppressing, very well indeed.
The gloomy heart of the great shopkeeper Lu suddenly opened up, letting in brilliant sunshine.
Jiang Xuanjin said nothing, walking past him with Chengxu and Yufeng towards Jiang Shen.
“Weren’t you supposed to be traveling with friends?” Standing in front of him, Jiang Xuanjin said coldly, “Is there half a friend of yours in this mansion?”
Jiang Shen choked, stepping behind the red pillar, “I say… I know you’re in a bad mood, but I’m innocent, why involve me?”
If not him, then who? Jiang Xuanjin said, “You will set off tomorrow, and return to inform Lü Qing to temporarily manage the main city of Ziyang.”
Hugging the pillar, Jiang Shen shook his head firmly, “I won’t!”
“It’s not up to you.” Jiang Xuanjin said indifferently, walking past him.
Jiang Shen’s face darkened. He laughed in anger, “How is he becoming more unreasonable?”
Behind him, Shuangtian said softly, “It’s quite reasonable, you should indeed go back.”
“Hmm?”
“…I mean, His Majesty is indeed very unreasonable!”
With a cold snort, Jiang Shen flicked his sleeves and walked towards his room, muttering as he went, “I’m not leaving, Yixian City is great, dry weather and corpses everywhere, perfect for writing poetry and lyrics!”
Shuangtian remained silent, thinking that the two young masters of the Jiang family might both be a bit out of their minds lately.
Li Huaiyu nestled in her quilt with chicken soup, while Lu Jingxing leaned against the bedhead, playing with his fan, asking her, “What do you plan to do?”
Frowning in distress, Huaiyu said, “It’s not about what I want to do now, it’s about what he wants to do.”
“He already thinks this child is mine, what else can he do?” Lu Jingxing chuckled, “Either take revenge on you or me.”
If it weren’t for the little accident just now, Huaiyu would have agreed with this statement, but now, she shook her head, “I don’t think so.”
If he wanted revenge, he wouldn’t have caught her just now, letting her fall would have ensured the child couldn’t be saved, which in his view, would have been revenge on both her and Lu Jingxing, killing two birds with one stone.
But he didn’t do that.
“The most important thing now is the situation in the capital,” Huaiyu said, “I made my identity public to give Huailin an excuse to act against me, so I could catch him in the act and retaliate justifiably, but there has been no movement. I thought Huailin didn’t dare to act, but who would have thought he was always plotting? If Jiang Xuanjin hadn’t stopped him, we might have been caught off guard.”
Jiang Xuanjin’s intervention had both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that Danyang was safe, but the disadvantage was that no matter what, Huailin couldn’t openly attack Yixian City, only act in secret. Once she retaliated, it would give Huailin a reason to call for the feudal lords to come to the king’s aid. Even if she stood out and said she was wronged by the emperor, no one would believe her.
What should she do?
Rubbing her chin, she was pondering when Qingsi came in from outside, looking strange, “Master, the Ziyang Lord has indeed settled here. Chengxu and the others moved a lot of things into the guest room.”
Huaiyu pouted, “What’s the big deal? He said he would stay, so of course he will.”
“But…” Qingsi pursed her lips, “He’s staying in the guest room in your courtyard.”
Li Huaiyu: “…”
Turning to look at Lu Jingxing, she asked, “Does this person think life isn’t exciting enough, so he came to my place?”
Lu Jingxing nodded in agreement, “Why don’t we excite him a bit more?”
“Sure,” Huaiyu said, “You go tell him you’re pregnant too, that should be exciting enough.”
“…”
Lu Jingxing rolled his eyes, tapping the table with the fan bone, “Seriously, he already thinks this child is mine, when do you plan to marry me?”
Huaiyu laughed playfully, sipping her soup, “Why are you so eager to let me ruin you? With your looks and wealth, why not marry a proper girl instead of being a stepfather to my child? He thinks this child is yours, but I never said that.”
Lu Jingxing’s eyes darkened, “You’ve been ruining me for five or six years, and you have the nerve to say that?”
“Let’s be reasonable,” Huaiyu said, setting down the soup bowl, leaning on the small table on the couch, and looking at him seriously, “Five or six years of friendship, wouldn’t it be awkward to become a couple?”
“Do you feel awkward?”
“Of course!” Huaiyu pointed at Qingsi, “I’ve been friends with her for eight or nine years, so the feelings are even deeper, right? But if we became a couple, wouldn’t that be awkward?”
…It does seem awkward.
Lu Jingxing lowered his head, thinking seriously for a while, then felt something was off, “How am I the same as Qingsi?”
“Why not?” Huaiyu glared, “Aren’t you both the people closest to me?”
Lu Jingxing understood, this damned scoundrel didn’t see him as a man!
Rubbing his forehead in frustration, he muttered, “Nemesis.”
Huaiyu laughed heartlessly, and after a while, she said, “You’ve already arranged your shops in Yixian City, why not return to the main city of Danyang first? Xu Xian and the others are there, and you can support them.”
Lu Jingxing squinted, “Are you trying to send me away?”
“Look at how you say that, how could I send you away?” Huaiyu waved her hand, “It’s just that there’s nothing much left to do in Yixian City, and instead of wasting time with me here, you could be doing something else.”
Dozens of Lu’s shops are scattered throughout Yixian City, solving the problem of high prices in the city with affordable goods. Although it offended many merchants, it earned the unanimous support of the people. Nowadays, when people mention “Lu Jingxing,” few call him “Langcai,” most say he’s a very capable and conscientious businessman.
A few days ago, a matchmaker even came to propose marriage, saying some family’s daughter admired him, unable to eat or sleep, already at death’s door. Lu Jingxing went, and when he returned, he told her that women were indeed liars, with the girl’s enthusiasm for him being like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.
Huaiyu thought that someone should be by Lu Jingxing’s side. Whether a hungry tiger or something else, she couldn’t let this “female leopard” keep delaying him. Marriage was impossible; she had to work hard to clear the name of Juwu and the others as her male concubines, and she couldn’t drag Lu Jingxing into the mud either.
Sensing her thoughts, Lu Jingxing lowered his eyes.
After a while, he spoke, “I was just joking with you, marriage is a serious matter, I didn’t plan to marry you. The shops in Yixian City have just started making a profit, I can’t leave yet.”
“Hmm?” Huaiyu raised an eyebrow, “They’ve been making silver for over a month, and you call that just starting to profit?”
“You’re not a businessman, what do you know?” He tapped her forehead with the fan, “I have my plans.”
This person seemed carefree, but he was thoughtful. Not wanting to delay him, the closer he got, the further she would retreat. She was right, five or six years of friendship, investing in this wasn’t worth it.
Since that was the case, he would take a step back.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Jingxing turned his head, “You’ve been so focused on Jiang Xuanjin, you’ve neglected the Lord of Changlin. Once I’ve settled him, you should talk to him.”
“Okay.” Huaiyu nodded, watching his back as he left, lost in thought.
Jiang Xuanjin went to the streets of Yixian City, a place he had heard about countless times in memorials, and had long wanted to see. His mind was in turmoil, unable to sit still in the house, so he decided to go out for a walk.
The main city’s streets were not crowded, but not desolate either. Many newly opened shops had raggedly dressed people standing inside, and although the passersby looked worried, they were not in despair.
Li Huaiyu had saved this place, bringing vitality to Yixian City in just two months.
Passing by a teahouse, he sat down to listen to people talk. Several tables changed around him, some praising Juwu, some praising Chijin, and even some praising Lu Jingxing and Xu Chunian, but in the end, he didn’t hear anyone praise the Princess of Danyang.
These people seemed unaware of who was truly saving this drought-stricken city.
“Young… Young Master?” A girl who had been hovering nearby finally gathered the courage to approach, blushing as she handed him a hand warmer, “Your face is all white from the cold, warm up.”
She ran away after giving it to him, hiding in an alley, peeking out to watch him.
Jiang Xuanjin frowned, placing the hand warmer back on the table, taking out a handkerchief to wipe his fingers one by one, showing no intention of accepting the gesture, and continued walking with Chengxu.
Chengxu sympathetically glanced at the girl. There were many brave souls in the world, but few knew that his master had a cleanliness obsession. Something handed over like that, the master naturally wouldn’t accept.
Moreover, his master’s face was not white from the cold.
Petitions from various feudal lords requesting tax reductions were sent to the capital, and Li Huailin’s face was grim. He didn’t mind others being subdued by the Ziyang Lord, but what was with the Lord of Pingling?
The current Lord of Pingling was Li Shan’s illegitimate son, Li Fangwu. Although he had never been favored by Li Shan, growing up timid and cowardly, he was still his brother. Not helping him was one thing, but siding with Jiang Xuanjin?
Li Huailin sneered, immediately issuing a decree summoning Li Fangwu to the capital for a report.
Reporting to the capital was an annual duty. It wasn’t a big deal, but Li Fangwu was scared. He had just submitted a memorial, and the emperor didn’t summon anyone else, why summon him first? Was it because he wanted to reduce too much, so the emperor planned to teach him a lesson and make an example of him?
Holding the imperial edict for two days, Li Fangwu feigned illness, hiding in the Lord of Pingling’s mansion, not daring to move.
In his panic, a young man with red lips and white teeth arrived at the door.
“I am Jiang Yan, greetings to the Lord of Pingling.”
Li Fangwu looked at him for a while, suddenly realizing, “The young master of the Jiang family, former Left Supervisor of the Court of Judicial Review, what guidance do you have?”
Jiang Yan cupped his hands, “The Ziyang Lord knew the Lord of Pingling would have difficulties, so he sent me to resolve them.”
Jiang Xuanjin knew long ago? Li Fangwu was stunned, and then asked, “What did the Lord say?”
“The Lord said that Pingling has unresolved old cases, which are a thorn in the emperor’s side. Coupled with the tax reduction issue, the emperor will surely use the Lord of Pingling as a scapegoat. Once you go to the capital, you may not be able to return.”
“…”
It was exactly what he feared, Li Fangwu sighed. His father had committed too many sins, and since taking over as the Lord of Pingling, he hadn’t slept well, fearing those wronged by his father would come to him in dreams for revenge.
They say the father’s debts are paid by the son, but when his father was alive, he didn’t treat him as a son. How innocent he was, yet he had to bear his father’s sins?
“But I’ve accepted the imperial edict, how can I not go to the capital?” Li Fangwu said in distress, “If the emperor accuses me of defying the edict, I can’t bear that charge.”
“If the Lord can’t bear it, isn’t the Ziyang Lord behind you?” Jiang Yan said, “You can be ill for a few more months, leave the rest to the Lord, and no charges will fall on you.”
Li Fangwu was puzzled, “Why is the Ziyang Lord helping me?”
“The principle of lips and teeth,” Jiang Yan smiled, “We are all neighboring fiefs, it’s only right for the Ziyang Lord to help you.”
Is that so? Li Fangwu was skeptical.
In the following days, he indeed continued to feign illness, anxiously waiting for the capital’s response. However, after five days, there was no document or memorial from the capital. His days of feigning illness were quite comfortable, and he gradually believed Jiang Yan’s words.
Someone reminded him, “My Lord, in three days it will be your father’s death anniversary. According to past customs, you should go to the capital to pay respects at the ancestral temple.”
“This year I won’t go,” Li Fangwu said, “Just say I’m gravely ill, on the brink of life and death, I’m sure the emperor won’t blame me.”