Upon learning that Nanny Wang had been instructed by Xiao Tianci to provoke Ruan Nanxi into causing a scene during the tea ceremony, just to spite him, Xiao Ye felt a twinge of guilt. After all, Xiao Tianci had always been targeting him—Ruan Nanxi was merely caught in the crossfire.
But his mother kept pulling at him, urging him over and over to forget Miss Jiang and make a proper life with Ruan Nanxi.
It was like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head, reminding him of how this marriage had come to be.
He remembered the banquet that day—being caught in a compromising position by his own mother's people, surrounded by pointing fingers and disdainful stares, looked upon like something filthy.
And then the rumors spread, tarnishing the Duke's Mansion's reputation. His father, goaded by Xiao Tianci, had whipped him until his skin split open, forcing him to marry Ruan Nanxi. He'd lain in bed for over half a month before his wounds finally healed.
Ruan Nanxi did love him—loved him to the point of… obsession.
But knowing full well he didn't love her, she still resorted to every trick in the book, even hurting him, to force him into this marriage. Wasn't that a selfish kind of coercion?
He turned to leave, not wanting to stay a moment longer.
[What's going on? Her mother-in-law drugged him? Oh, right—this is the trigger for Xiao Ye's complete falling-out with his mother. But the drug wasn't even administered by the mother-in-law! It was Xiao Tianci.]
Xiao Ye's footsteps halted. He turned around in disbelief. "You—" He'd barely gotten out one word before a suffocating tightness seized his throat.
Ruan Nanxi: [You what you what? Spit it out! What's wrong with you now?]
But on the surface, she feigned sadness, lowering her head. "My husband misunderstands. I was framed in that incident at the banquet too. I admit I did have feelings for you, but that day a maid slipped me a note saying to meet you in the side chamber. It was signed with your name, so I went happily. Who would have thought…
I love my husband so much—how could I ever do anything to hurt you?"
[Hmph, he definitely won't believe that. He'll probably even curse at me. Though it's understandable if he doesn't—after all, that cup of tea was handed to Xiao Ye by his own mother, and the note was written by Xiao Tianci.]
[And the "catching in the act" afterward was also orchestrated by Xiao Tianci behind the scenes. While you two were arguing yourselves hoarse afterward, he was hiding in a corner gloating! Too bad the mother-in-law trusts Xiao Tianci completely—she suspected every servant in the mansion who emptied the night soil, but never once suspected him.]
Ruan Nanxi ranted inwardly, bracing herself for Xiao Ye's outburst. For the sake of that money, as long as he didn't get physical, a few harsh words were just background noise to her.
But to her surprise, the young man across from her stared at her with a complicated expression for a moment, then gave a stiff nod:
"I'll believe you for now. I'll investigate when I get back."
Ruan Nanxi: "…" [He's that easy to deal with?]
Seeing him turn and stride away on those long legs, Ruan Nanxi glanced at Nanny Wang, who had been dumped on the ground, and called out to stop him.
"Hey, you… my husband, wait. If you really want to investigate, take her back and interrogate her properly! She should be Xiao Tianci's person—she's done plenty of dirty work for him."
It was only when she heard the nanny's surname was "Wang" that she remembered: in the original novel, Madam Xiao had a capable nanny surnamed Wang who had long been bought off by Xiao Tianci, regularly whispering poison about Xiao Ye into Madam Xiao's ear.
Xiao Ye turned back, said a single "Fine," then bent down and hoisted Nanny Wang up. He left without another word.
Watching the bamboo curtain sway and slowly settle, Ruan Nanxi sat back down at the table and took a sip of silver ear porridge, her mind churning with thoughts.
The memories of this body's original owner were shrouded in fog. No matter how hard she tried to recall, she could only piece together that the original's father was a minor fifth-rank official, her mother had died early, and there seemed to be a stepsister.
As for everything else she knew—that came from the original novel.
Ruan Nanxi pinched her brow in frustration. Tomorrow was the return visit to her natal family. If the Ruan family caught on that she wasn't the original, she'd be in serious trouble.
…
The next day, Ruan Nanxi slept until nearly mid-morning before getting up. After washing up and eating breakfast, she paid her respects to Madam Xiao at the main courtyard, then prepared to make the return visit with Xiao Ye.
By the time Ruan Nanxi reached the mansion gates, the horses and carriage were already prepared, with a cart of return gifts following behind.
She couldn't help but feel that Madam Xiao was truly good to her as a mother-in-law.
Xiao Ye rode over on horseback. Ruan Nanxi turned at the sound and was thoroughly stunned by the sight.
The young man on horseback was tall with long legs, his features bold and striking. Even his loose, wide-sleeved robes couldn't hide his straight, commanding posture. He was like a drawn sword.
The high ponytail was the perfect finishing touch.
[Damn, that face is incredible—flawless from every angle. A true picture of a handsome young man in fine clothes on a spirited horse!]
[Sigh, only in novels do people this good-looking exist. And he's a military officer too—my favorite type is athletes with eight-pack abs. Too bad he's not mine. I can only feast my eyes…]
Ruan Nanxi's thoughts were too blunt and direct, making Xiao Ye feel quite uncomfortable. Just as he was about to say something, Ruan Nanxi had already turned her head away.
Ruan Nanxi was merely appreciating the view with no other intentions, after all, this convenient husband had made it crystal clear on their wedding night—leaving both money and status to her while remaining devoted to the female lead.
She was just about to step onto the carriage using the mounting stool when Xiao Tianci, dressed in an off-white long robe with the air of a wandering scholar, approached them with a gentle smile as if yesterday's events had never happened:
"Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, are you heading out?"
Xiao Ye ignored him, and Ruan Nanxi let out a displeased "mm" before turning and boarding the carriage.
Watching the carriage leave through the estate gates, a shadow of malice flickered across Xiao Tianci's eyes.
Ever since Ruan Nanxi had married into the family—or rather, ever since the tea ceremony yesterday—everything had felt off.
First, Nanny Wang had suddenly been exposed, then his father had inexplicably requested leave claiming he wanted to visit friends, and this morning when he went to pay his respects to his mother, he could clearly sense that her gaze toward him had changed.
The concern was still there, but it seemed to carry a hint of scrutiny.
Nanny Wang had been planted by his mother's side when he was very young, and Xiao Tianci was confident she wouldn't betray him.
His intuition told him this family was hiding some secret from him, and it made him deeply uneasy!
And all of this was because of Ruan Nanxi.
Xiao Tianci summoned his servant Moshu and sneered as he instructed:
"Tell Miss Jiang that my dear Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law are getting along quite harmoniously.
At the tea ceremony, Ruan Nanxi stood up for Third Brother at every turn, and Third Brother was clearly deeply moved!"
…
Ruan Nanxi marveled as she examined the ancient carriage—it had a tea table and seats, everything one could need, and even shock absorption so the ride wasn't too bumpy as the horses ran.
She fiddled with things for a while, pressing a few buttons with her fingers, and the two original seats instantly transformed into a long couch that could fit one person reclining.
Ruan Nanxi's eyes lit up—she loved sleeping in vehicles. Just as she was about to lie down, the carriage suddenly stopped, the curtain was lifted, and Xiao Ye bent down to climb in.
Ruan Nanxi sat up straight and asked in confusion, "Aren't you riding a horse?"
Xiao Ye tugged awkwardly at his elaborate robes and let out a frustrated sigh: "Mother had someone take the horse away."
Watching Xiao Ye transform the long couch back into seats, Ruan Nanxi felt equally frustrated.
She could only grab a handful of nuts and chew on them listlessly.
Xiao Ye across from her was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke with some stiffness:
"Sorry, I misjudged you before."
Ruan Nanxi, with a pine nut kernel in her mouth, glanced at him in surprise.
Noticing that compared to yesterday, his attitude toward her was noticeably better—at least he wasn't wearing a cold expression anymore—she guessed:
"So you've finished investigating everything?"