Jiang Ruan was startled, both annoyed and amused. She tapped Xuan Pei’s forehead with a laughing scolding: “Nonsense.” However, she began seriously contemplating in her heart. Xiao Shao naturally didn’t know she had lived two lifetimes, and counting both previous and present lives, she was considerably older than Xiao Shao. For a woman to be so much older than a man was truly somewhat inappropriate. Though it couldn’t be seen from outward appearances, it still left her feeling uneasy.
Seeing that Jiang Ruan was truly thinking seriously about this matter, a flash of displeasure crossed Xuan Pei’s eyes. He took Jiang Ruan’s hand and said: “I originally didn’t know about his relationship with you. Prince Jinying’s marriage proposal came so suddenly—I initially thought Mother Consort marrying him wasn’t necessarily a good thing. But then I thought, in this world now, he seems to be the only one who can contend with Xuan Li. Marrying into Prince Jinying’s manor is better than getting entangled with Xuan Li—it was simply a bargain for Prince Jinying.” Xuan Pei snorted coldly, feeling somewhat displeased after all. In this life, before they had recognized each other, Jiang Ruan had already married Xiao Shao. Originally, this was because Prince Jinying’s manor had extensive influence, and no matter how the dynasty changed in the future, Xiao Shao’s position would be unshakeable. But if he had known earlier that Jiang Ruan had also been reborn in this world, he would never have let Xiao Shao marry so satisfactorily.
Jiang Ruan laughed despite herself and stroked his head: “At such a young age, don’t always pretend to be mature.” Yet she completely forgot that when she had first been reborn, she had been exactly the same as Xuan Pei.
Xuan Pei gripped her hand: “Regardless, Mother Consort, that we can meet again is fortunate. I’ve been in the palace lately, and something has felt off—Xuan Li has made no other moves for quite some time. And there’s the matter of the poison luring—someone is watching you from the shadows. Mother Consort must be extra careful.”
“You needn’t worry about me,” Jiang Ruan shook her head. “I don’t often stay in the palace normally, and Prince Jinying’s manor is heavily guarded—it’s not so easy for people to succeed. It’s you I worry about. The depths of the palace are full of crises, and you and I both know the dangers within. Moreover, now that you’ve gained the Emperor’s regard, who knows how many people are secretly watching you, just waiting to catch you in some mistake to make an issue of it. Pei’er, never confront them directly. If anything happens, immediately send someone to the manor. I’ll have Xiao Shao find a few more people to protect you.”
Feeling the long-missed care from a mother, as if separated by a lifetime. In this life, Xuan Pei had seen all kinds of cold glances in the palace and tasted all manner of desolation and heartache. He never trusted others easily, nor would he accept others’ goodwill. Only Jiang Ruan could open the soft place in his heart. At this moment, as she spoke to him with such gentle concern, Xuan Pei’s heart ached, and he nearly shed tears.
However, he was no longer the child from the previous life who would cry when he wanted to cry and laugh when he wanted to laugh. He blinked, forcing back the tears in his eyes, and smiled: “Mother Consort needn’t worry too much. The people around me aren’t pushovers either. Xiao Shao’s people are too conspicuous—placing them by my side would inevitably arouse suspicion. Though there are many in this palace who want to deal with me, if they have the ability, let them come. We’ll see who ends up in trouble. Besides, Father Emperor now trusts me greatly. If anyone wants to make trouble, Father Emperor won’t let it go easily.”
Hearing him speak of the Emperor, Jiang Ruan couldn’t detect any particular emotion in his tone. Unable to guess Xuan Pei’s true thoughts for a moment, she looked at him and said: “Pei’er, that His Majesty trusts you now appears to others as having ulterior motives. But you know this isn’t groundless. What are your thoughts? I’d like to hear your perspective?” She asked somewhat hesitantly. Every prince’s ultimate goal was to sit on that throne. Admittedly, she didn’t want Xuan Pei to also fight and struggle for that position and lose the happiness he should have. But if the reborn Xuan Pei already had this ambition, she would support him without hesitation. Between mother and son, nothing need be said—whatever Xuan Pei wanted to do, she would always stand on his side.
“Mother Consort worries too much,” Xuan Pei smiled and shook his head. “Pleasing Father Emperor and gaining his trust is merely for self-preservation. With Father Emperor’s favoritism, at least no one dares move against me easily. As for Father Emperor’s thoughts, I don’t want to speculate wildly. How things will develop in the future, I can’t say clearly either. What I need to do first now is take revenge for Mother Consort and myself. Though this world’s empire bears the surname Xuan, it’s not his turn to control it.”
There was a faint murderous aura in his words. Jiang Ruan initially wanted to comfort him, but thinking about it, wasn’t she the same? She had come with murderous intent throughout her body, only for revenge and blood hatred. The injustices of the previous life had been too tragic—in this life, she dared not forget them no matter what. So she smiled along and said: “I will always protect you.”
The two spoke for a while longer. Since Jiang Ruan couldn’t stay long in Nanyuan, she instructed Xuan Pei on what to be careful of going forward and left. After Jiang Ruan departed, Mingyue entered and stood beside Xuan Pei. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said: “Why doesn’t Your Highness tell the Princess the truth?”
Whether Xuan Pei had designs on the empire or not, at least in Mingyue’s view, he wasn’t entirely without interest. Every step he took was scheming to seize this empire, including how to imperceptibly gain the Emperor’s attention. And he had begun gradually winning over a group of officials in court. Though everything was done seamlessly, given time, it would certainly add great assistance to the succession struggle.
Normally, Xuan Pei would never answer such questions. He was particularly indifferent in his bones. However, today, perhaps because of Jiang Ruan, his attitude had softened somewhat, actually showing some gentle weariness. He said: “She hopes I’ll be an innocent and kind prince. Why should I tear open this facade to show her the ugly truth? It’s good for me to remain just a child in her eyes for one more day. After all, seizing this empire is only to protect the person I want to protect.”
To protect Jiang Ruan and prevent her from being harmed, he first needed to stand in a supreme position, trampling all those who despised them underfoot. Only absolute power meant absolute safety. For Jiang Ruan’s sake, even if the imperial path was full of slaughter and bloodshed, what did it matter?
Mingyue said no more, knowing that if she asked further, Xuan Pei wouldn’t tell her much more. She simply retreated silently to one side.
Now, after Jiang Ruan left Nanyuan, she had barely taken a few steps when she heard an unfamiliar voice behind her: “Princess Hong’an.”
She turned around and saw several eunuchs and palace maids surrounding a gray-clothed person walking over. That person wore a long gray robe, with a hat that almost covered the upper half of his face—only a delicate chin could be seen. His voice was somewhat androgynous, giving an impression of beauty and eeriness at first glance.
“And you are…?” She smiled slightly. This person called her Princess Hong’an rather than Princess Jinying. In the Great Jin Dynasty’s imperial palace, this was a first.
“This humble person is Yuan Chuan,” the gray-clothed person forced out a smile. “I’ve come from afar from Tianjin to offer loyalty to His Majesty of the Jin Dynasty.”
A eunuch beside him quickly explained: “Replying to Your Highness, this Master Yuan Chuan is an envoy from the Tianjin Kingdom.”
Jiang Ruan calmly observed this Yuan Chuan before her, feeling that his attire didn’t resemble that of someone from Tianjin Kingdom. His entire being emanated an indescribable feeling that made people somewhat uncomfortable. And Yuan Chuan, with his hat covering his eyes, made it impossible to see his expression, making his thoughts even more unfathomable.
“So it’s an envoy from Tianjin Kingdom,” Jiang Ruan smiled. “The Jin Dynasty is vast and rich, abundant and prosperous. The envoy can tour around to broaden his horizons. The Jin Dynasty has always welcomed guests.” Her words were sarcastic—an envoy from a defeated nation was merely here to submit and deliver surrender documents. Why put on such a noble and bright appearance? Her words mercilessly squeezed in the fact that Tianjin Kingdom was a tiny nation with narrow-minded subjects. The two young eunuchs’ faces turned somewhat green. Though he was an envoy from a defeated nation, some face still had to be given out of respect, lest it be said that the Great Jin Dynasty’s imperial family was bullying with power. But Princess Hong’an was now also Princess Jinying and naturally couldn’t be offended. For a moment, the two young eunuchs felt anxious, hoping only that this Yuan Chuan had a gentle temperament and wouldn’t take this matter too seriously.
Yuan Chuan indeed seemed to have a soft temperament. Facing Jiang Ruan’s barbed remarks, he showed not a trace of resentment. Instead, he smiled: “I just saw Your Highness coming out of Nanyuan. Yuan Chuan knows that Nanyuan houses the Thirteenth Prince. I didn’t expect Your Highness and the Thirteenth Prince to have such deep sibling affection—even without blood being thicker than water, you’re still so devoted.”
The two eunuchs’ faces immediately turned white. They had just thought this Yuan Chuan had a gentle nature, but seeing him now, they found this person absolutely detestable. These words implied that Jiang Ruan and Xuan Pei were merely putting on an act, and worse, they sought to damage Jiang Ruan’s reputation. If Jiang Ruan hadn’t already married, if these words spread, who knew what kind of storm they would stir up.
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, as if completely unaware of the slander in Yuan Chuan’s words. A strange light crossed her beautiful features, though it quickly disappeared. She smiled: “The Thirteenth Prince asked me to find some rare books outside the palace. I happened to find them and brought them along with things Empress Dowager wanted to give to the Thirteenth Prince. I wonder if Master Yuan Chuan has any objections?”
By bringing up Empress Dowager Yide, she had already prepared her defense. That phrase “Master Yuan Chuan” was full of sarcasm—what right did an envoy from Tianjin Kingdom have to lecture the Great Jin Dynasty’s imperial family affairs? His reach was really too long.
Yuan Chuan paused, not speaking for a long time. Only the two eunuchs beside him had already shown him angry looks. Their own country was definitely not for outsiders to meddle with, and for an envoy to dare comment on imperial family matters was inherently suspicious. For a moment, Yuan Chuan had actually provoked public anger. After a long while, Yuan Chuan finally said: “Your Highness is truly gentle and caring, a good elder sister who loves her younger brother.”
He couldn’t find anything wrong. Even if he had some suspicions, Empress Dowager Yide and the rare books in hand were solid evidence—no one could find any fault. Jiang Ruan was naturally attentive to matters concerning Xuan Pei, especially now that countless eyes in the palace were watching him. She would never do anything that could become leverage against him. Even an ordinary meeting was handled cleanly, leaving no one any handle to grasp.
“Likewise,” Jiang Ruan smiled.
Yuan Chuan slowly lowered his head: “In that case, Yuan Chuan won’t disturb Your Highness’s departure.” After speaking, he performed a strange bow, presumably a Tianjin Kingdom custom. Jiang Ruan glanced at him and smiled: “Envoy, take care as well.”
…
During the day, because of Xuan Pei’s matter, Jiang Ruan reorganized everything again. Recognizing Xuan Pei was truly a pleasant surprise of something lost and found again. Even her sadness over Bai Zhi’s death had brightened somewhat. Lu Zhu found it strange, while Lian Qiao vaguely knew it was related to Xuan Pei but didn’t know the exact reason. After Jiang Ruan’s mood brightened, she even looked through quite a few of the account books that had piled up recently. When she stayed in the study until late at night, Lian Qiao finally came in: “Miss, it’s time to rest.”
Jiang Ruan put down the ledger in her hands, rubbed her eyes, got up to wash, and returned to the bedroom. Xiao Shao had already returned to the room and was currently undressed, wearing only a jade-colored inner garment as he reclined on the bed, flipping through a book.
As soon as Jiang Ruan entered, her steps stiffened. Previously, she and Xiao Shao had shared a bed only because of their wedding night, then she had been poisoned, and after returning to the manor, her thoughts had been entirely elsewhere due to Bai Zhi’s matter. Now that things had settled, everything was suddenly piled before her eyes again. Being alone with Xiao Shao like this, especially under the title of husband and wife, was truly somewhat awkward.
Looking at a beauty under lamplight, the beauty’s face was like jade. When Xiao Shao wore black clothes, he always appeared cold and austere, but whenever he removed the black and changed into light-colored garments, that coldness became an elegant nobility, and the austerity became gentle brilliance. His black hair draped over his shoulders, his profile absolutely beautiful, seeming like a piece of beautiful jade glowing with light.
Noticing Jiang Ruan’s movement, Xiao Shao looked up at her. Jiang Ruan walked to the bedside as if nothing had happened and sat down. Xiao Shao was slightly startled, placed the book in his hands on the table beside him, and looked at her in confusion.
Jiang Ruan coughed lightly, then felt somewhat annoyed—how did she look like she was unsatisfied with desire? Quickly dismissing this absurd thought from her mind, she pretended to be very calm and skillfully lifted the covers to lie down, then pulled the covers over herself. Turning her head, she met Xiao Shao’s thoughtful gaze.
Jiang Ruan’s face immediately flushed. Thinking of what Xuan Pei had said during the day about her being much older than Xiao Shao, she froze again. Feeling the atmosphere was really quite strange, she looked at Xiao Shao: “I encountered the Tianjin Kingdom envoy Yuan Chuan in the palace today.”
Xiao Shao absent-mindedly hummed in response.
“He’s not from Tianjin Kingdom,” Jiang Ruan frowned. Without waiting for Xiao Shao to ask, she continued: “I deliberately demeaned and damaged Tianjin in front of him, yet he had no reaction whatsoever.” No matter how bad a person might be in this world, they generally couldn’t tolerate others bullying their homeland. Especially an envoy representing a nation’s dignity would never allow someone to humiliate their country so easily. If Yuan Chuan were truly as mild as he appeared on the surface, the Emperor of Tianjin Kingdom wouldn’t have sent such a person to slap his own face.
“You say he’s not from Tianjin Kingdom—could he be some other spy? What purpose could he have in the palace? I always feel like he wants to do something to Pei… the Thirteenth Prince.” Jiang Ruan was speaking to herself when she suddenly realized Xiao Shao wasn’t responding. She couldn’t help but angrily demand: “Are you listening?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly felt her body grow heavy—she had been pushed down onto the bed. Xiao Shao supported himself with one hand, looking down at her from above, his eyes holding unreadable emotions.
Jiang Ruan’s entire body tensed up. For a moment, she was somewhat dazed and didn’t know what to do. Xiao Shao slowly answered: “Mm, I’m listening.”
His soft, smooth black hair hung down somewhat onto Jiang Ruan’s face, tickling as it brushed past her heart. His features were distinctly beautiful like a painting, his long eyelashes straight and slightly trembling, his thin lips lightly pressed together. His faint breathing reached her, and Jiang Ruan could almost hear his strong heartbeat. An undeniable, pressing sense of oppression came suddenly, carrying a kind of barely perceptible ambiguity.
She stammered: “You… get up, you’re too heavy.”
She naturally didn’t know what she looked like saying this. Born radiantly beautiful beyond compare, now with her inner garment slightly loosened at the collar from the movement, one could vaguely see the crimson undergarment within. Her face was charming and gorgeous like a newly bloomed rose, with two touches of bright red floating on her fair skin, more moving than the finest rouge. And her lips were naturally red without any adornment, as if attracting someone to kiss them.
Xiao Shao had originally only wanted to tease her, finding it quite interesting to watch this girl who was usually cold and killed in all directions look nervous. But now faced with such beauty, even someone as cold-hearted as him couldn’t remain unmoved. His breathing gradually quickened, and his head slowly leaned toward her.
Jiang Ruan’s eyes widened. For a moment, she was at a complete loss. In her previous life, even when she and Xuan Li thought their feelings were deepest, they had only held hands within proper bounds. She had never been so intimate with a man and had no idea how to handle it. Steeling her heart, she simply closed her eyes, her nervous heart nearly jumping out of her chest.
But that kiss never came. She heard Xiao Shao’s soft laughter by her ear. Jiang Ruan suddenly looked up and found Xiao Shao looking at her and couldn’t help laughing, as if he found her appearance extremely interesting.
Jiang Ruan angrily struggled free, feeling very embarrassed. Finally glaring at Xiao Shao again, she grabbed the covers and wrapped herself tightly from head to toe. Xiao Shao was helpless and hugged her through the covers: “Be careful you don’t suffocate.”
Jiang Ruan didn’t want to pay attention to him. Xiao Shao coaxed in a low voice: “A-Ruan, I was wrong. Don’t be angry.”
These words were really too shameless. Jiang Ruan sat up with a “whoosh” again and yanked off the covers to glare at him. Xiao Shao now found Jiang Ruan increasingly interesting—no matter how cold and clever she was outside, at least this side only he could see, and he couldn’t help feeling proud. Jiang Ruan was rendered speechless by his handsome face and said coldly: “Lend me Jin San tomorrow. I have something to do.”
“Good,” Xiao Shao agreed without thinking. “They’re all your people—you don’t need to tell me.”
“Are you also my person?” Jiang Ruan looked at him sideways and asked back.
“I am your person,” Xiao Shao couldn’t help laughing again.
“…Shameless!”
…
How exactly they slept that night, Jiang Ruan could no longer remember. She only felt that compared to before, the two had taken another step closer. At least now with one more person on the bed, she felt much more at ease. She was getting used to the feeling of Xiao Shao. It was just that early in the morning, Steward Lin came in humming a little tune while Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao were eating, carefully searching the entire bed, confirming he hadn’t seen the traces he wanted to see, and naturally left with his head hanging dejectedly.
After Xiao Shao finished eating, he had to go out on business. Jiang Ruan stayed at the manor. After hearing her instructions, Jin San hurried over and looked at Jiang Ruan organizing ledgers in her chair: “What does Young Madam want Jin San to do?”
Jiang Ruan told Jin San exactly what she wanted to do. After listening, Jin San was stunned: “Young Madam won’t tell the Young Master?”
“He probably already knows I’m going to do this,” Jiang Ruan smiled slightly. “Today I even heard him having people arrange things with the Court of Judicial Review.”
“Young Madam is making such a big move now—it will inevitably cause gossip. Though these outsiders’ words needn’t be taken to heart, may Jin San boldly ask why Young Madam wants to do this at this critical juncture? Is there another meaning?” Jin San asked.
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly and didn’t hide it from her: “I was going to do this anyway—it’s just a matter of sooner or later. Choosing this time is because I’m tired of it. My spearhead appears to be aimed at him on the surface, but actually it’s directed at that person in the palace. The bigger the commotion I make, the more panicked she becomes. I’m forcing her to make a move. Because she acts cautiously and I can’t catch her in anything, I have difficulty finding an opportunity. People only make mistakes when they’re panicked and confused. Everything I’m doing is just to make her voluntarily hand me the handle of her mistakes.”
Jin San thought for a while and finally understood her meaning, saying with delight: “Young Madam is so clever.” She thought about it: “But today there’s bound to be another hard battle. Doesn’t Young Madam want the Master by your side?”
The Embroidered Uniform Guards now truly respected Jiang Ruan from their hearts. When Jiang Ruan had refused to flee in a critical moment and stayed to guard Prince Jinying’s manor, and even more so to hide their strength, the Embroidered Uniform Guards felt deep respect for such a mistress from the bottom of their hearts. Human hearts are made of flesh—whenever she had trouble, they would naturally spare no effort to help.
“No need,” Jiang Ruan smiled. “I’m the mistress of this manor after all. If I can’t handle even this small matter, I’d be too weak. This is my own affair—I can handle it. As for Xiao Shao, there will be places where he’ll be busy later.” Her bright eyes seemed to surge with an unfamiliar emotion, like eager anticipation, and also like somewhat sarcastic heartache, complexly intertwined, making her beauty show a kind of resolute cruelty.
At this moment, at the entrance to the Court of Judicial Review, the grievance drum was being beaten heavily, surrounded entirely by a circle of common people watching the excitement. More and more people stopped to watch, almost surrounding the entire entrance to the Court of Judicial Review so tightly that not even water could pass through. The two young women on the left and right sides each beating the grievance drum both looked indignant. After some time, someone in official robes came out and shouted loudly: “Who beats the grievance drum?”
“We servants beat the grievance drum on behalf of our master, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family. The petition is here. We beg Your Honor to clearly judge the true culprit in the murder case of the former lady of the Minister’s manor!”