Xiao Qiao was startled, finding his question strange.

His inquiry seemed unrelated to the events of the evening.

When he returned at dusk, he first learned from her about Su Xin’s affair with the Marquis’s wife, then read his grandmother’s letter. His face immediately changed, and he left without a word.

At the time, he didn’t tell her where he was going.

But Xiao Qiao knew he had gone to the courier station to find Su E’huang. Whether to confront her or for some other reason, she wasn’t sure.

He had only just returned.

Given that these two were not ordinary people, both belonging to an exceptional class, and considering their past entanglement in their youth, Xiao Qiao dared not conclude the process and outcome. However, judging by his expression upon return, things didn’t seem to have gone smoothly.

Regardless of the outcome, upon his return, he didn’t mention Su E’huang at all. Instead, he asked if she was hiding anything from him.

It was bizarre.

A flood of secrets she was keeping from him immediately rushed through Xiao Qiao’s mind.

She was a time traveler.

She knew that in his previous life, he had not only become emperor and lived happily with Su E’huang, but also exterminated the Qiao family.

Fearing that in this life, he might one day turn against her family, she had encouraged her father to strengthen their military and become self-reliant.

These were things she could never tell him, not even under torture.

Xiao Qiao asked, “Why do you suddenly ask me this, husband?”

Wei Shao said, “Just answer me.” His tone was insistent.

“Of course not,” Xiao Qiao replied without batting an eye.

Wei Shao continued to gaze at her. His fingers gently caressed her face, then he tightened his arms, holding her close.

“Manman, remember, never deceive me,” he murmured in her ear.

His breath was scorching, warming her earlobe.

Xiao Qiao’s heart suddenly began to race. She allowed him to hold her tightly, so tight that she could barely breathe.

Then he began to kiss her. Like a greedy child tasting candy, his tongue gently and repeatedly licked her cheeks and lips.

Her face became wet from his kisses.

Xiao Qiao wanted to know what had happened when he went out tonight.

Had Su E’huang confessed?

And what was the outcome?

But he didn’t seem to want to mention it.

Finally, his tongue pried open her teeth, continuing to explore inside, increasing the intensity, sucking on her sweet tongue. She closed her eyes, abandoning the idea of questioning him.

…

The next morning, they got up. After breakfast, Wei Shao prepared to leave. At the door, as usual, before seeing him out, Xiao Qiao helped smooth his collar and casually asked, “Husband, how did things turn out last night?”

Wei Shao glanced at her.

“She was lightly punished according to military law for attempted murder,” Wei Shao replied, his tone flat.

…

Chun Niang quickly found out from Jia Si what exactly the military punishment for attempted murder entailed.

Despite various guesses, when she learned that it was nose-cutting, Xiao Qiao shuddered.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, creating an uncomfortable sensation.

She certainly wouldn’t go so far as to sympathize with Su E’huang.

No one knew better than her how terrifying this woman was.

In the previous life she had dreamed of, Su had harmed Madam Xu and Da Qiao to fulfill her so-called “unspeakably noble” destiny, her hands stained with others’ blood as she climbed into Wei Shao’s dragon bed.

Setting aside that imagined world, even in this real, present world, Madam Xu had nearly fallen victim to her poison.

Not to mention the lives of those lesser figures who had served as stepping stones on her path to power.

She needed to receive appropriate punishment.

What made Xiao Qiao uncomfortable was perhaps Wei Shao’s method of dealing with her.

To be honest, Xiao Qiao felt somewhat fearful, her heart uneasy.

…

In her letter to Madam Xu, Xiao Qiao mentioned that Su E’huang had arrived and settled in Jinyang. She then inquired about any developments regarding the poisoning incident from the previous year.

Madam Xu’s reply stated that Granny Zhong had been investigating continuously. Although there had been some leads before, there was no solid evidence. Until recently, through Mrs. Zhu’s recollections and after much effort, they finally tracked down a woman.

The woman’s surname was Ma, formerly a spirit medium who claimed to have supernatural abilities. People often sought her to communicate with the deceased.

Mrs. Zhu, deeply believing in such things, had sought her out to communicate with her late husband. Granny Jiang had accompanied her, which was how Mrs. Ma recognized Granny Jiang.

According to Mrs. Ma, Granny Jiang later came to her alone, seeking to communicate with her son who had died over a decade ago.

Mrs. Ma, having received payment, performed a séance.

Making a living from this, she had developed skills in reading people and extracting information. Pretending to be possessed by Granny Jiang’s son, she convinced Granny Jiang completely, causing her to weep uncontrollably with grief.

Granny Jiang often secretly sought out Mrs. Ma afterward, continuing to request communication with her son.

Gradually, Mrs. Ma learned of the circumstances surrounding her son’s death.

On one occasion, someone came to Mrs. Ma, offering her a large sum of money to pretend, during a séance, that Granny Jiang’s son was speaking through her. She was to say that his death was unjust, that his spirit was restless, and that he wanted Granny Jiang to avenge him.

Mrs. Ma, greedy for money, complied. Granny Jiang believed it completely, once again weeping profusely.

There was a pause for some time. Later, when Granny Jiang returned, she waited for Mrs. Ma to “summon” her son’s spirit. Granny Jiang then rambled on, saying that a noble person had already helped her by drowning the person who had taken her son’s life in a pool. She told her son to rest in peace and reincarnate soon.

Mrs. Ma knew that the person who had caused Granny Jiang’s son’s death was Mrs. Zhu’s brother. Out of curiosity, speaking as her son, she asked who this noble person was.

Granny Jiang, completely off guard, told her “son” that the noble person was the wife of the Duke of Zuofengyi.

After Granny Jiang left, Mrs. Ma felt terrified.

Making a living from this trade, she knew how dangerous the dark secrets of high-ranking families could be, capable of devouring people.

Now she had become involved. Recalling the person who had bribed her to deceive Granny Jiang, she constantly worried about getting into trouble. As she had no children or other family burdens, she packed her belongings and fled a few days later, hiding under an assumed name in another place, resuming her old trade.

Now, finally tracked down by Granny Zhong, after thorough questioning, Mrs. Ma truthfully revealed the inside story she knew from back then.

With this, the relationship between Su E’huang and Granny Jiang finally came to light.

It could be concluded that the person who had instructed Granny Jiang to poison her was indeed Su E’huang.

At the end of the letter, Madam Xu added that Su’s mother was, after all, her niece. Although they had less contact over the years, there were still familial ties, and blood relations that were hard to sever. She had overcome this calamity thanks to the good fortune of her daughter-in-law.

The wheel of karma turns, there is cause and effect. She told Wei Shao not to be fixated on taking her life. If she still refused to behave, they could send her back to Lunu and hand her over to the Prince of Zhongshan.

…

Because of Madam Xu’s instructions, Xiao Qiao had originally thought that if Wei Shao wasn’t convinced by Su E’huang’s self-defense, he would at most have her imprisoned and detained.

She never imagined that he would cut off her nose!

The level of cruelty was even more frightening to Xiao Qiao than if he had simply ordered her execution.

For the first time, not based on hearsay or rumors, but truly and directly, she felt the ruthlessness of her husband, the man who shared her bed.

She remembered clearly that just a few days ago, he had told her that if he hadn’t already married her, he might have taken Su as a concubine due to their youthful affection.

Those words were still fresh in her ears, yet in the blink of an eye, upon learning of Su’s past deeds, he had cut off her nose!

He was indeed cruel enough to those he deemed enemies, and capable of carrying out such acts.

She also recalled the strange expression on his face last night when he suddenly, inexplicably asked her if she was hiding anything from him.

After dealing with it last night, she hadn’t thought much more about it.

Now, thinking back, it seemed to have a different meaning.

She suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

…

Throughout this day, because of this news, Xiao Qiao harbored some shadow in her heart.

She felt even more fearful. She was also grateful that she had made preparations early on, persuading her father to strengthen their military—even if the forces of Yanzhou were ultimately insufficient to contend with those powerful figures, it was still better than doing nothing like in her previous life.

So when Wei Shao returned in the evening, Xiao Qiao faced him with her usual demeanor, smiling and chatting, though her heart felt slightly off.

Finally, they went to bed.

Naturally, they didn’t miss doing that thing.

Anyway, since he had returned from Xihe County, they did it every night.

Afterward, he closed his eyes, one hand still slowly kneading the soft flesh on Xiao Qiao’s chest, gradually slowing down, his palm still covering it, as if he had fallen asleep.

Xiao Qiao buried her face in his chest, closing her eyes and counting the beats of his heart. After counting to two hundred, she quietly opened her eyes, secretly observing him. She pondered the underlying intention behind his question last night, asking if she was hiding anything from him after cutting off Su’s nose.

Something must have happened that she didn’t know about.

Wei Shao suddenly opened his eyes without warning, meeting her gaze.

His eyes were dark and bright, watery, with a peach blossom-like quality.

Every time after did that thing with her, his eyes would become like this.

It was quite beautiful.

“Looking at me?” He raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Qiao caught off guard, felt her heart skip a beat.

She was about to shake her head. After a moment’s hesitation, she finally asked, “Why did you suddenly ask me that question when you came back last night?”

Wei Shao was taken aback. Then he mumbled vaguely, “Nothing, just a random thought that came to mind.”

Seeing Xiao Qiao staring at him, he coughed and said, “I forgot to tell you, my business in Jinyang is almost done. You can start packing early, we’ll be leaving in a few days.”

“We’ll go to Xindu first. We’ll stay there for a few days while I take care of some matters. After that, we’ll return to Yuyang.”

He looked at her as he spoke.

Xiao Qiao was stunned, her mood gradually improving.

They had stayed in Jinyang for seven or eight months. First came Chen Rui, then Su E’huang.

Neither were events that brought pleasant memories.

Now they could finally leave!

Xindu was the city where Xiao Qiao had first been sent to marry Wei Shao.

Although their relationship had been extremely bad at that time—Wei Shao had sent Xiao Qiao away the day after their wedding—strangely, Xiao Qiao’s impression of that city remained good.

Perhaps it was because she liked the Tan Tower in Xin Palace, where she could climb high and gaze into the distance during her lonely and anxious times.

Even now, closing her eyes, she could see the scene of climbing the Tan Tower at dusk, gazing at the setting sun on the horizon beyond the city walls.

She felt a bit happy at the thought of visiting that city again.

Moreover, she would soon be able to see Madam Xu again.

“I’ll pack tomorrow!” she said.

Wei Shao nodded with a smile.