Xiao Shao stood silently in the night. After half a stick of incense, the door was suddenly flung open, and Jiang Ruan’s cold voice came through: “Still not coming in?”

“Ah, ah, ah! Young Madam is truly an extraordinary woman of great magnanimity!” Jin San exclaimed admiringly. “So tolerant and generous – truly someone you couldn’t find even searching with a lantern.” She spoke joyfully, having completely forgotten who had just said “Young Madam definitely won’t forgive you.”

Xiao Shao had no mind to listen to her random flattery. The moment the door opened, he decisively slipped inside. Upon entering the room, even Lu Zhu was startled, stammering: “Your… Your Highness.”

“You may go out first,” Jiang Ruan told her. Lu Zhu hesitated briefly as she looked at Jiang Ruan, but still withdrew as instructed. After Lu Zhu left, only the two of them remained in the room. Jiang Ruan sat down at the table, composed and waiting for Xiao Shao to speak first.

Xiao Shao fell silent for a moment, then sat across from her. After thinking, he finally asked: “You know?”

“What do you think?” Jiang Ruan asked in return.

Xiao Shao didn’t know how to respond. After a moment, he said: “I’m sorry for not consulting with you beforehand.”

Jiang Ruan glared at him: “If you had consulted with me beforehand, how could you have put on this act? It would have been exposed long ago.”

Hearing this, Xiao Shao was stunned, then looked at Jiang Ruan with some joy: “So you’re not angry anymore?”

“I am angry,” Jiang Ruan said coldly.

Xiao Shao was startled again: “Why?”

“You’re asking me again?” Jiang Ruan was both amused and exasperated by his question: “Xiao Shao, your subordinates are human beings – are my maids not human? Since you were acting, Jin Er was certainly acting too. You master and servant were naturally fine, but did you think my Lu Zhu was pitiful? I know that in your usual conduct, as long as you achieve your goal, you don’t need to spare anyone’s feelings – if you spared feelings, the Embroidered Uniform Guard wouldn’t need to continue operating. But Xiao Shao, you shouldn’t have used these methods on my maid.”

This speech came out rapid and urgent, clearly having been held in her heart for a long time. It also showed Jiang Ruan’s deep resentment toward Xiao Shao. After finishing, she waited for Xiao Shao’s response. Xiao Shao was slightly stunned, then said: “It wasn’t my instruction.”

Jiang Ruan was taken aback, hearing Xiao Shao’s voice continue: “Jin Er didn’t know beforehand – he only had suspicions. That day he didn’t report to me, just investigated on his own. After things became clear, he told me, but by then he had already begun acting with Lu Zhu.”

“You’re saying Jin Er decided to do this himself?” Jiang Ruan frowned.

Xiao Shao answered: “He suspected someone was behind Liao Meng, possibly connected to Southern Border. If we exposed this forcefully, Lu Zhu might be in danger. Moreover, Southern Border people are extremely cunning. If Jin Er had shown the slightest abnormality then, to achieve the same goal of driving us apart, they might have killed Lu Zhu.” Though these words didn’t directly defend Jin Er, they explained his motives. Xiao Shao looked at Jiang Ruan: “How did you discover this?”

No other Embroidered Uniform Guards knew about this matter. Except for Xiao Shao and Jin Er, the two had kept completely silent to ensure nothing went wrong and to avoid alerting their enemies while determining who was behind it all. Jiang Ruan couldn’t have had anyone tell her – she must have deduced it herself. Jiang Ruan gave him a sideways glance: “I don’t know Jin Er’s temperament? He’s always been one for protecting and cherishing women, always leaving some room for any woman who means no harm. Moreover, he’s always been someone who frequents pleasure quarters and establishments – what female tricks hasn’t he seen? That Liao Meng isn’t even some stunning beauty. I think she’s not as beautiful as the top courtesans in those places. How could she make Jin Er look at her with new eyes? This seemed strange instead.”

The person behind this was indeed maliciously cunning. Thinking about it now, they first used Liao Meng to cause discord between Jin Er and Lu Zhu. Both Xiao Shao and Jiang Ruan were protective by nature, with inherent pride in their bones – naturally unwilling to admit defeat easily. When such people became stubborn about the same issue, it would only result in irreconcilable disputes. Of all things in the world, human hearts were the hardest to control. Once the seed of a flaw was planted, the crack would only grow larger. If external factors were added at just the right moment, estrangement would be inevitable. So there was Yao Niannian and Qi Feng.

Qi Feng already harbored some feelings for Jiang Ruan, though he buried those emotions deep in his heart due to Xiao Shao and Jiang Ruan’s status. But this didn’t mean Xiao Shao was completely without reservations. Xiao Shao was fundamentally an extremely dominant man – having other men covet his woman was always displeasing, especially witnessing such a piercing scene with his own eyes. For someone with inherent pride, this was undoubtedly a blow.

And Yao Niannian’s letter and piece of clothing were even more suggestive. Nothing in the world was more powerful than a woman’s unfounded imagination. Based purely on mental fantasies, Yao Niannian’s things were enough to destroy a woman’s confidence in herself and her husband.

These things seemed insignificant individually, yet like small beads slowly strung together on a thread, they finally formed a complete chain of schemes. The ultimate purpose of this plan was to drive apart Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao.

But even the most perfect plans have flaws, let alone when Jiang Ruan herself was an expert at reading people’s hearts. Human hearts were the most changeable things. Though the opponent’s scheme was good, they had already erred in the first step – they never expected that Jin Er had already become a variable in this game.

Jin Er was a man who had struggled among women, often having missions requiring infiltration of pleasure quarters since joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Playing roles had become second nature to him. Liao Meng was undoubtedly a worthy opponent – her background and connections with the Huang family were genuine, and Liao Meng herself was a clever and beautiful woman. Everything was planned flawlessly, making it almost impossible to suspect. However, the first element overlooked in this scheme, and the key error, was that others had ignored Jin Er’s identity.

Jin Er’s identity was as an Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Huang family’s second young master. Perhaps the opponents had investigated carefully to reach this conclusion, but this understanding was far from sufficient. Liao Meng was indeed clever, but for a man who had spent so many years in pleasure houses, her tricks were somewhat inadequate.

Jin Er almost immediately detected that this woman’s intentions weren’t what they seemed. However, the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s keen instincts made him understand that things might not stop there. There seemed to be a mastermind behind Liao Meng – she appeared to be merely a chess piece. Anyone who could move even such a chess piece required vigilance for their meticulous planning. Since this was the case, it was better to go with the flow and see what the opponent really wanted to do.

Following this investigation, Jin Er discovered some unusual aspects and suspected this matter was related to Southern Border. He couldn’t act rashly, so to protect Lu Zhu and confirm his suspicions, he followed Liao Meng’s method and reciprocated by staging this performance, then quietly found an opportunity to explain the matter to Xiao Shao. Poor Liao Meng truly thought her methods were sophisticated, believing she could easily capture even someone like Jin Er without effort, not knowing that her every move had long been seen clearly.

Jiang Ruan frowned, remembering another matter: “Then that night, did Jin Er really… with Liao Meng? This sacrifice would truly be too great.”

That night Jin Er hadn’t returned to the manor, and afterward wanted to cancel his engagement with Lu Zhu. The household servants speculated about this possibility, which Jiang Ruan had heard and found absurd. But thinking about it now, she needed to ask – at least to get an answer for Lu Zhu.

Xiao Shao hadn’t expected her to remember this, was stunned briefly, then shook his head: “No, Jin Er had ways to escape the situation.”

Jiang Ruan sighed with relief: “Since his body remains pure, there’s still some hope.”

Xiao Shao: “…”

But Jiang Ruan didn’t let him off, looking at him sideways with a half-smile: “His purity is preserved – what about yours?”

“Me?” Xiao Shao was puzzled by her words. Then he heard Jiang Ruan’s unhurried voice: “These days you’ve acted quite well with Yao Niannian, haven’t you? Did she take any advantage of you, or did you reciprocate and enjoy some beauty’s favor?”

Xiao Shao was stunned, then a trace of helplessness flashed in his eyes. These days, to observe the Yao family’s movements, even he had indeed made some disguises. But it wasn’t as explicit as Jiang Ruan suggested. The Yao family was also clever – probably understanding that directly sending him invitations was too obvious and he definitely wouldn’t go, so they took a roundabout approach, always using the Mo residence or other colleagues’ homes related to Xiao Shao to get close. Most of the time, Xiao Shao only watched coldly at banquets without saying much. He said: “No, I maintained my integrity.”

“Maintained your integrity?” Jiang Ruan played with these four words, then suddenly asked: “Then what about the clothing?”

Finally reaching the crucial point – even knowing it was an act, that clothing was still jarring to see, making her want to cut it up and throw it far away. Xiao Shao was startled, thinking that what Jiang Ruan had been dwelling on all along was this matter, finding it somewhat amusing. The clothing incident was an accident. That day at the banquet, someone had accidentally spilled wine on him. He always liked cleanliness, so he changed clothes and casually left them at the banquet, forgetting to discard them. Unexpectedly, someone took them – naturally, it was Yao Niannian. When Yao Niannian’s letter and clothing arrived, Xiao Shao himself was also confused and called Mo Cong to ask. It turned out that day Yao Niannian had somehow gotten water splashed on her, and someone had conveniently used Xiao Shao’s robe that was set aside to drape over her. After returning to her residence, Yao Niannian had washed Xiao Shao’s robe clean herself and sent it to the prince’s manor with a letter.

This move was undoubtedly extremely clever – saying nothing yet speaking louder than a thousand words. If it were a more formidable wife, she would already be demanding confrontation with her husband. Such mistrustful confrontations between spouses naturally wouldn’t end well – the couple’s relationship would only worsen. Thinking about it now, the person who spilled wine on Xiao Shao at the banquet was probably deliberate too, already knowing Xiao Shao’s habit of cleanliness. Even if Xiao Shao hadn’t forgotten the clothing himself, there were ways to obtain it.

Xiao Shao explained the whole story to Jiang Ruan again. Upon hearing this, though Jiang Ruan’s face still showed dissatisfaction, her gaze softened. It must be said that Xiao Shao’s explanation was quite satisfactory to her – at least those four words “maintained my integrity” were truly deserved. But this also related to Xiao Shao’s own temperament. Everyone knew Xiao Shao was habitually cold and indifferent – naturally he wouldn’t do anything inappropriate at banquets. If he had really spoken gently to Yao Niannian, that would be suspicious.

Just as Jiang Ruan understood, Xiao Shao began asking again: “You knew about Jin Er’s situation – when did you realize I was acting?”

“I knew from the beginning,” Jiang Ruan snorted. “You’re a protective person, but between Jin Er and me, you’d probably protect me. Jin Er is at least a man – if you harbored no special thoughts about him, why would you protect him and offend me? From the start, things were too abnormal. I’m not stupid.”

Xiao Shao: “…”

These words showed Jiang Ruan was quite self-aggrandizing, but thinking carefully, one could hear unusual implications. Xiao Shao was indeed protective – if it weren’t for Jiang Ruan and it were someone else, he would definitely side with Jin Er. This was a leader’s equal trust in his subordinates, especially when there was brotherhood involved. But with Jiang Ruan, Xiao Shao was different. This might seem like favoring romance over friendship, but wasn’t it exactly that? The mastermind undoubtedly understood Xiao Shao very well – this scheme fully considered Xiao Shao’s character traits, calculating his reactions to everything, yet ignored one thing, or perhaps was unwilling to acknowledge one thing: times change. The person Xiao Shao now needed to protect first was naturally Jiang Ruan. So when Xiao Shao acted misunderstanding and distant toward Jiang Ruan, Lu Zhu suspected, Lian Qiao suspected, even Tian Zhu had some doubts, but the one who saw most clearly was Jiang Ruan herself. She clearly understood Xiao Shao’s feelings for her, so she gave him the same trust.

“You’ve been acting with me from the beginning?” Xiao Shao was surprised, then somewhat awkwardly mentioned: “Qi Feng…”

“That was also deliberate on my part,” Jiang Ruan said frankly. “Though this is very unfair to him, to act convincingly, I had to behave this way. They would only think their plan was progressing so smoothly, and in their complacency would inevitably reveal flaws. As they say, pride leads to carelessness – I was accelerating their exposure.”

Xiao Shao was slightly stunned and remained silent for a long time. Seeing him like this, Jiang Ruan frowned: “Why aren’t you speaking? Do you think my actions were inappropriate?” At this point, Jiang Ruan sighed inwardly. Her unscrupulous use of everyone and everything around her had become a long-standing habit in this life, not easily changed. She understood Qi Feng’s feelings for her, and using such feelings made her feel guilty, but no amount of guilt could compare to her determination to protect her people.

“I just think,” Xiao Shao shook his head, looking at her: “We have good understanding between us too.”

Jiang Ruan hadn’t expected him to say this. Slightly stunned, she met Xiao Shao’s serious gaze and somehow blushed, looking away uncomfortably. Though they were already married, Xiao Shao’s words could always make her blush and her heart race. When serious people spoke sweet words, it was especially delightful. She had to admit that at this moment, Jiang Ruan’s mood was like the moon vine flowers blooming in the dark night outside – full of sweet, clear fragrance.

But what had Xiao Shao just said? Understanding? Jiang Ruan lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the black-robed young man across from her. Indeed, this scheme was truly cleverly arranged. Even Jiang Ruan herself had to admit the opponent’s painstaking efforts. What seemed like insignificant minor matters with nothing special about them contained inevitable turning points, forcing people to be led by the nose into the trap. Jiang Ruan was also an expert at reading people’s hearts. This scheme exploited human weaknesses and infinitely magnified mistrust in relationships. But this exquisite scheme was seen through from the beginning, becoming nothing but a joke now. Why was this? Naturally, it was because of understanding.

Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao actually hadn’t consulted beforehand, and neither knew the other’s plan. But relying on absolute trust and understanding, they completed a flawless performance. Because there was no prior consultation, no flaws could be detected – it seemed completely genuine. This was understanding.

While deep in thought, Xiao Shao suddenly approached her. Jiang Ruan was startled as Xiao Shao reached out to press her shoulders, leaning close to her ear to whisper: “Since you’re not angry, come back to the manor with me.”

“What manor?” Jiang Ruan said irritably. “Grandfather and the others are all asleep – we’d disturb them.”

“Then let’s quietly return,” Xiao Shao persisted. “I’ll carry you over the wall.”

A dignified Prince Jinying was so fond of wall-climbing – he liked sneaking around before marriage and still liked it after marriage. If word got out, people would laugh themselves silly. Jiang Ruan said: “Aren’t you afraid that when Grandfather and the others find me missing tomorrow morning, they’ll report it to the authorities?”

Xiao Shao pressed his lips together. Not even being able to take his own wife home – what kind of logic was this? Even if such logic existed, it had to be changed. But while Xiao Shao could handle logic, he couldn’t handle Jiang Ruan. Knowing she was always stubborn and left no room for negotiation, he immediately said: “Fine, then I won’t leave tonight either.”

Jiang Ruan looked at him in surprise: “What are you doing?”

“Mmm, I missed you,” Xiao Shao said casually, burying his face in Jiang Ruan’s neck. Jiang Ruan felt tickled and uncomfortable, trying to lift his head, but Xiao Shao wouldn’t budge. Jiang Ruan was both annoyed and amused, simply ignoring him. She’d never felt Xiao Shao was so clingy before – was brief separation really better than a new marriage? Thinking of these words, Jiang Ruan’s face immediately reddened again. She quickly interrupted her wandering thoughts: “Are you here to cause trouble? Go back quickly, before anyone discovers you. I need to bathe too – stop clinging and move.”

Hearing this, Xiao Shao immediately released Jiang Ruan. Jiang Ruan thought he had understood her words and was about to leave, but after a long while with no movement, she looked back at him questioningly. She nearly fainted from anger – Xiao Shao was untying his belt. Seeing her look over, he tugged at the corner of his mouth: “Perfect timing – together.”