Xiao Zuiyue adjusted her clothes and shot a proud glare at the three men: “Did Xie Jinglan send you?”
The three answered in unison: “Yes.”
With these three present, she knew she couldn’t confront that woman.
Muttering discontentedly, Xiao Zuiyue said, “I was only taking a little stroll. Did Xie Jinglan really have to send people to catch me?”
The three men, all trained in martial arts with excellent hearing, caught every word.
Wu Yan, the lead, looked solemn: “Your Highness, your status is noble, and you are the only daughter of the Southern General. The prince guards the southern borders, placing you in the capital. Your safety concerns the state, so we cannot take it lightly.”
“Your Highness sneaking off to Yuzhou was already a lapse on our part. If anything were to happen to you, we could not explain it to the Southern General. Please do not make things difficult; come back with us.”
“Ha! How grandiose their words sound,” Xiao Zuiyue sneered internally.
“You’re just afraid I’ll cause trouble for that Mrs. Jiang of Lingzhou, and Xie Jinglan will punish you. Fine, I’ll go back with you.”
She swept her sleeves and turned to leave.
Her trip today wasn’t entirely in vain. At least she had confirmed that the woman surnamed Jiang was greedy for money.
Such a vulgar woman didn’t deserve her careful plotting.
A shadowy figure in black watched the four leave from the dark.
By evening, Xiao Lingzhou returned and reported the day’s observations in full.
After hearing it, Xiao Lingzhou’s expression darkened, his eyes chilling slightly.
“Did the lady suspect anything?”
“Judging by her appearance, she seems to have believed Xie Jinglan’s men. No doubt was raised,” Ling Qi bowed his head.
“Go tell Xie Jinglan, if he fails to make amends this time, he will no longer serve as Chief Secretary.”
“Yes!”
…
“Ah Yu, I’m back.”
Jiang Yu came out and saw Jiang Mo wagging its tail around Xiao Lingzhou, slightly surprised.
“Why are you back so early today?”
Xiao Lingzhou took her hand and led her inside, his voice gentle: “The bridge is mostly repaired. There’s nothing I need to assist with. The village head allowed me to return early.”
“Will you go tomorrow?”
Sitting at the wooden table, Jiang Yu poured him a cup of water. He took the white porcelain cup and sipped.
“I’ve recorded the number of people going to work each day and made a list using your method. In the coming days, the village head only needs to mark attendance; I needn’t go in person.”
Previously, Jiang Yu went daily to the school while he was registering tuition.
For rural families, sending children to school wasn’t easy, and tuition was collected monthly. Xiao Lingzhou had to register once a month, which was tedious and prone to errors.
Jiang Yu, wanting to get closer to him, had taught him a method from modern tables.
He was exceptionally clever and quickly mastered it.
Xiao Lingzhou pulled her onto his lap, wrapping her completely in his arms.
“What did you do today?”
“The sun was good. I turned the flowers I picked earlier into rouge, planning to sell them while the bridge construction is ongoing and business is good.”
In reality, there was no rouge—she merely needed an excuse to go into town.
“Yuzhou suffered a disaster this year. Who knows what next year will bring. I want to save some money now to open a rouge shop, or another business later, to have a foundation.”
She spoke as if planning endlessly for the future.
Xiao Lingzhou patiently listened, brushing a stray lock from her cheek.
“You stayed home all day. Did anyone visit?”
Finally, he asked.
Jiang Yu feigned thoughtfulness and briefly mentioned Xiao Zuiyue’s visit, showing full trust in Wu Yan’s words.
“She rambled nonsense. Clearly not of sound mind. Fortunately, her servants took her away, or I’d be worried Jiang Mo might bite her.”
“If they tried to extort money from this, I have no silver to compensate,” she added.
Once money was mentioned, she instantly became a miser, talking even more.
“Earning money is hard. I rise early, work hard all day, and yet this storm destroys the bridge.”
“Rouge can’t be sold, and it delays flower gathering. Counting with my fingers, that’s a huge loss.”
She waved her hands in exasperation, sighing heavily.
“Look, my hands are covered in calluses. When will I save enough to open a shop?”
Xiao Lingzhou’s gaze lingered on her delicate hands. Satisfied she hadn’t doubted Xiao Zuiyue’s words, he relaxed.
He enveloped her hands in his large palm, speaking softly: “Ah Yu, I can support you. Forget the rouge business if you want…”
Since their marriage, he had mentioned this multiple times, always refused by her.
Previously, she was stubborn, so he let her keep it secret.
Now, with half a month before returning to the capital, he didn’t want her to work so hard.
Moreover, she had inadvertently exposed the Pisces pendant in the city, and the Empress Dowager’s people might watch her again.
For her safety, he still couldn’t reveal his true identity.
Jiang Yu shook her head and rose from his arms: “How much can a teacher earn in a month? If I don’t sell rouge, we’ll starve.”
She hoped he would take this chance to confess.
But Xiao Lingzhou’s words disappointed her.
“My parents left me money before passing. Even if we do nothing, we will live without worry.”
He took her hand, eyes warm: “Ah Yu, I don’t want you to work so hard. I can care for you. This time, just listen to me, alright?”
Looking at his noble, handsome face, Jiang Yu felt a swirl of emotions.
She realized she had been self-deceived.
After six months of marriage, Xiao Lingzhou still didn’t trust her.
Perhaps in his mind, she was merely a stranger occupying the role of his wife.
No—she wasn’t even a wife.
Just like Xiao Zuiyue said, she was his wife now, but that might not last.
In the capital awaited Su Yueqing for him to marry, and there was childhood friend Xiao Zuiyue. Even Cui Ling admired him.
In the future, countless women could appear…
At this moment, she understood why he married her initially.
She desired his perfect looks; he used her to conceal his identity.
In the end, it was mutual benefit.
Thus, she felt no lingering attachment.
“Your parents really left you a large sum?”
Her acting was impeccable; no real emotion surfaced. She even exaggerated her greed, almost as if the words ‘all I care about is money’ were written on her face.
Xiao Lingzhou smiled: “When have I ever lied to you? It’s true.”
Ha!
Never lied?
Jiang Yu mentally tagged him: “Not a single word is true.”
“Words aren’t enough. Let’s see the real silver,” she said, opening her hands, clearly challenging him to prove it.
Xiao Lingzhou smiled, gently squeezing her palms: “No rush. I’ll first fetch some moisturizing ointment to rub your hands.”