Gives Heng a Headache
When a woman gets angry, she’s hard to coax. Song Muyun was especially so. The moment Jiang Yao noticed her displeasure, she subconsciously reached for her hand. It was soft and plush, but after just a moment’s touch, the hand was snatched away. The young woman turned her head to look elsewhere, ignoring Jiang Yao completely, her expression quite cold.
Jiang Yao was shameless, thick-skinned. Without a word, she pursued it again, grabbing the hand once more and rubbing it gently in her palm. “Yun’er’s little hands are getting softer and softer,” she said improperly. “They make me so happy.”
She spoke like a Lecher (Follower of Deng Tu),1 earning a quiet glare from Song Muyun.
Jiang Yao paid it no mind, kneading the little tender paw2 to her heart’s content. Only when she was satisfied did she pull Song Muyun up and lead her to a nearby stall selling earrings.
She had bought Muyun plenty of jewelry, but it seemed she hadn’t bought her any earrings yet. Well, time to buy some.
“See anything you like here?”
Song Muyun was still sulking. She swept her gaze over the display and deliberately said in a delicate voice, “I like all of them. Can’t I have them all?”
A flicker of surprise crossed Jiang Yao’s eyes. There really is a difference between the Muyun from the storybook and my Yun’er. Yun’er was never this decisive when shopping.
She couldn’t hold back a smile. She ruffled Song Muyun’s hair, and as Song Muyun retreated in alarm, she agreed, “Alright. We’ll take them all.”
Song Muyun had been worried that Jiang Yao would mess up her carefully arranged coiffure and had taken two steps back to fix it. But when she heard Jiang Yao’s reply, her head snapped up, her face a mask of shock. “I… I said all of them…”
Jiang Yao nodded, beaming. “Yes. And I said all of them.”
She then raised a hand and beckoned someone over, telling them to wrap everything up.
Only then did it sink in for Song Muyun. She quickly pressed down on Jiang Yao’s hand and stopped the shop assistant who was eagerly gathering the earrings. “What… what are you doing? Are you really buying them?”
Jiang Yao smiled. “When have I ever not taken your words seriously? Since you want them, we’ll buy them. All my money is for you to spend.”
It was the first time Song Muyun realized that a woman’s sweet nothings could sound so wonderful. Her cheeks flushed a deep red, but she kept her hand firmly on Jiang Yao’s, stopping her from buying the jewelry. “I was joking,” she whispered. “Don’t buy them. So many pieces… how much silver would that cost? If your father and mother found out…”
She thought it was far too much and was afraid of making Jiang Yao spend all her money, only to get scolded back home.
Jiang Yao wrapped an arm around the young woman’s waist and pressed her cheek against hers. “Silly girl,” she said warmly. “Didn’t I tell you? I have my own shops. The money I’m spending now is from my own storefronts. My parents don’t manage my finances. If you want it, I’ll buy it for you. As long as you’re happy, it doesn’t matter how much silver it costs.”
Her words were dripping with indulgence. Song Muyun stared at her, stunned. A moment later, she came to her senses and shook her head again, her figure slender and delicate. “No, you don’t have to. I can’t use so many. Let’s just buy a few.”
She had only said it out of pique. She never expected Jiang Yao to actually buy them all, and it had given her a fright. All these earrings had to cost at least several hundred, if not a thousand, taels of silver. She didn’t dare let Jiang Yao spend that much money.
“But you don’t have any earrings from me yet. Let’s buy a bunch so you can switch them out. One pair a day?”
“Even so, I don’t need this many. Just buy a few. I won’t be happy if you buy too many.”
Jiang Yao: ???
That won’t make her happy either?
Goddammit, my wife is getting harder and harder to please.
Jiang Yao sighed internally, cried a little, and finally relented. “Alright, alright. Go pick a few pairs you like. It’s fine if you pick several.”
Fearing that Jiang Yao would impulsively decide to buy everything again, Song Muyun nodded quickly. Her beautiful, star-dusted eyes fell upon the jewelry, and she began to examine them carefully, one by one.
Jiang Yao watched her for a long time, but she couldn’t seem to pick a single pair. Jiang Yao took the initiative and pointed to one. “This pair of Red gold and jadeite water-drop earrings3 is nice. Want to try it?” she suggested.
Song Muyun hesitated for a moment before whispering, “But the color of the jadeite is so dark. It’s too old-fashioned.”
Jiang Yao: …
Oh, so she thinks my taste is bad.
She stubbornly looked at the earrings again. Where is it old-fashioned? Where!
It’s clearly not old-fashioned at all.
I’d like to see what you pick that’s so much better.
Just as she was thinking this, the young woman brought over a pair of gold Chang’e flying to the moon earrings,4 her voice tinged with delight. “These are so beautiful. Can we buy these?”
Seeing the pretty jewelry seemed to dispel some of the gloom in her heart. She was finally acting like a young girl again.
Jiang Yao looked down at the earrings. The craftsmanship of Chang’e flying to the moon was exquisite, and the pose was graceful. It was indeed the kind of thing a young woman would love.
But where did my red gold and jadeite lose!
“Alright, if you like them, we’ll buy them. Pick some more,” she said, still unconvinced but coaxing her all the same.
“That’s enough. One pair is enough. I don’t need to pick any more.”
I never thought she and Xiao Yun’er would have the same personality trait—neither of them can bear to spend my money.
“It’s not enough. Go pick. Do you understand that this little bit of silver means nothing to me?”
She tapped Song Muyun on the nose.
The young woman’s delicate nose wrinkled as she turned her head to avoid the touch. “Stop getting handsy,”5 she mumbled. “I’ll just pick one more pair.”
It’s always like this. We can’t exchange two sentences without her touching me.
Song Muyun was very embarrassed. She lowered her head, letting her smooth, dark hair hide most of her face, refusing to even let Jiang Yao look at her.
A short while later, she picked out another pair: translucent Magnolia colored glass earrings.6 They were stunningly beautiful, but the price was a bit steep, causing many noble madams and young ladies to shrink back.
The young woman brought the earrings to Jiang Yao, a happy expression on her face. “Jiang Yao, are these pretty?”
Since she was so happy, Jiang Yao naturally wouldn’t say anything to displease her. She went along with it, praising, “Yes, very pretty. My Yun’er has the best taste, after all.”
With that, she reached out to stroke Song Muyun’s head again.
Song Muyun still felt a little unnatural and turned her head away, not letting her touch it.
Jiang Yao let out a long sigh. “Ai, what’s wrong with Yun’er today? You won’t even let me touch you. You used to love it when I stroked your hair.”
Her look of disappointment didn’t seem fake.
Song Muyun’s expression grew hesitant.
I… liked being touched by Jiang Yao?
Is that possible?
That me… had such a preference?
I suppose so. Jiang Yao is so good. If I were her, I might like it too.
Song Muyun pursed her lips, easily fooled. She actually stood still and let Jiang Yao touch her.
After Jiang Yao had her fill of stroking her face, she moved to her head, only to hear the woman’s small, urgent voice. “Hey, don’t mess up my hair! It won’t look good later.”
Jiang Yao knew that, of course, and had it under control. After a couple of pats, she withdrew her hand and moved to the woman’s small waist, pulling her into an embrace with a single, fluid motion. She kneaded it gently and subtly, and within a few moments, Song Muyun’s legs went soft. She could only lean against Jiang Yao, panting lightly.
Song Muyun never knew her waist was such a sensitive place. Just one touch and…
She lowered her head, her face crimson, and gave Jiang Yao a light punch. “If… if you do this, how am I supposed to walk?”
“I’ll support you. What’s the big deal?”
She went back to rubbing Song Muyun’s soft, tender cheeks.
Song Muyun wanted to dodge, but then she remembered Jiang Yao saying that that her liked being touched. After a moment’s hesitation, she didn’t move, and in the end, her face was rubbed red.
From the dazzling array of earrings, Jiang Yao picked out another long pair, adorned with several round, plump, but not overly large pearls.
“Let’s take these too. See anything else you like?”
Three pairs of earrings were more than enough. Song Muyun quickly shook her head. “No, I don’t like any of the others. Let’s go back quickly.”
She was afraid that if they stayed any longer, Jiang Yao would buy her more things. She didn’t know the extent of Jiang Yao’s assets and was terrified of buying too much.
“Alright, alright. You’re the best at saving me money.”
Her hand slid down and took Song Muyun’s. Before they left, she greeted the two Liang sisters, telling them not to be polite if they saw anything they liked; they could just tell the owner to put it on her name.
Sometimes when Jiang Yao went out, she couldn’t be bothered to carry silver, so she would buy things on credit. The shops would go to the Jiang Residence once a month to settle the accounts.
With that, she finally left Zhenbao Pavilion with the three pairs of earrings.
On the way, Jiang Yao explained the current situation to Song Muyun, afraid she wouldn’t be clear on it.
The moment she heard that the culprit who framed her father hadn’t been caught, Song Muyun’s expression changed. An endless hatred surged in her eyes. In her past life, Murong Qing had also promised to overturn the verdict for her family. The investigation had concluded that it was the First Prince, Murong Chun. She hadn’t believed it. Everything had been investigated too smoothly, the case closed in just a couple of days. She had secretly looked into it and finally found the convicted official the Meng family had hidden away, and learned the truth of the matter.
Of course, this incident was inseparable from Murong Chun! But it wasn’t entirely him—it was also Murong Qing.
Murong Qing had handled everything. It was Murong Qing who had suggested pushing her Song family out to be the substitute death ghost.7
He’s insane. On one hand, he said he adored me, but on the other, he harmed my entire family. Murong Qing is truly worse than a pig or a dog!8
A person like that doesn’t deserve to have a sincere heart.
Song Muyun’s face was filled with disgust, and also a hint of resentment. She resented Murong Qing for doing this. Was it just because she had rejected him?
Seeing that her mood was off, Jiang Yao immediately shifted over to sit next to her. She blinked a few times and quickly pulled the girl into her arms. “What’s wrong? You can tell me anything, hmm?”
Song Muyun looked up at Jiang Yao, who held her tightly, exceptionally reliable.
The young woman bit her lip and suddenly spoke. “Jiang Yao, if I told you who harmed my family, would you believe me?”
Her words were a clear attempt to confide in Jiang Yao. There was no way Jiang Yao would drop the ball at a time like this and say no. Naturally, she affirmed it at once. “I believe you. How could I not believe what you say?! Tell me. I’ll help you.”
She wasn’t a particularly good person, but her family held a high position, which made it convenient to act. There were few people she feared. If an injustice was brought to her, she wouldn’t just stand by and watch.
Especially when it concerned her own wife.
If her wife had a problem, it was her duty to step up.
Jiang Yao spoke to Song Muyun in a soft voice, trying her best to appear dependable.
Song Muyun looked down, as if still hesitating. A moment later, she finally made up her mind. She lifted her head, her gaze resolute, and uttered a single sentence. “Jiang Yao, it was Murong Qing.”
Jiang Yao wasn’t surprised. She had long felt that that shriveled calf thing9 Murong Qing was not a peaceful person.
And his sudden decision to marry the daughter of Duke Cheng was also very strange.
Old Duke Cheng had once protected the Emperor and earned great merit. It could be said that without him, the current Emperor wouldn’t be on the throne.
Although the Emperor didn’t seem particularly brilliant on a daily basis, he had always respected Old Duke Cheng. This was why Li Xiting hadn’t been punished last time, even after she had wandered into the hunting grounds and taken away Murong Ci’s guard, leading to Murong Ci’s injury.
Murong Qing wouldn’t do something without reason. In the dream, he had remained unmarried until he took Yun’er as his empress. Why would he suddenly want to marry the young lady of the Duke Cheng household now? There had to be a reason.
If the Song family’s case was related to him, and he was afraid of being exposed and wanted to use the Li family to save his own skin, then that was indeed a possibility.
Jiang Yao narrowed her eyes, thinking. She thought for too long, and Song Muyun waited too long for a reply. Her heart was suddenly in turmoil.10 She looked at Jiang Yao uneasily, pursed her lips, and asked, “You don’t believe me?”
As she spoke, her snow-white teeth bit her lip, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Jiang Yao had just snapped out of her thoughts when she was rendered speechless by the girl’s alluring appearance. A moment later, she manually pressed the girl’s stunning face into her chest, not letting her move. Rubbing the woman’s soft, rounded shoulders, she cleared her throat, trying hard to be serious, but her voice still came out raspy. “Of course I believe you. If you say Murong Qing did it, then it was him. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ll help you.”
It seems I didn’t finish the end of the storybook. Yun’er didn’t end up living happily ever after with Murong Qing. So… it was Murong Qing who set up the Song family.
How dare he? Obsessed with Yun’er on one hand, while doing things to hurt her on the other.
Does someone like that even deserve to talk about love?
Jiang Yao was thoroughly disgusted.
Song Muyun stirred in her arms, as if wanting to get out. Jiang Yao held her down. “If you want me to let go, you can’t cry later. It breaks my heart to see you cry.”
The way the young woman had been wiping her tears on the road just now had already made her heart ache. Right now, all she wanted was to coax her into not crying.
Even buried in her embrace, Song Muyun’s face turned red. When she was finally released, she let out a soft huff, turned her head away, and denied it. “I wasn’t going to cry anyway.”
She refused to admit it. Although the her in her memories seemed to cry a lot, always crying, and Jiang Yao would usually coax her, she—she was not a crybaby!
My life was so hard, and there was no one to feel sorry for me. What right did I have to cry? Song Muyun thought to herself, lowering her head.
Jiang Yao put an arm around her shoulders, and the girl stumbled, falling directly into her embrace. She subconsciously put a hand on Jiang Yao’s firm thigh to steady herself and looked up with watery eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing. I’m hugging you. Can’t you tell?”
Song Muyun could tell, of course. What she wanted to ask was why Jiang Yao was hugging her, but then she remembered Jiang Yao’s glib tongue. If she asked, there would surely be a string of embarrassing words waiting for her.
Forget it. Better not to ask.
The young woman was a little shy, a little awkward, but in the end, she obediently rested in Jiang Yao’s arms.
When they arrived at the Jiang Residence, Jiang Yao didn’t let her get down on her own. Instead, she stretched out her long arms, one supporting her back and the other under her knees, and lifted her entirely out of the carriage. Song Muyun was mortified, but Jiang Yao lied to her, saying they always got out of the carriage like this and she was used to it.
Afraid of revealing the horse’s hoof,11 Song Muyun could only endure her inner shame and let her be.
…
Now that she knew the Song family’s case was related to Murong Qing, Jiang Yao gradually had a direction. In addition, her wife was always trying to guide her, thinking she was being subtle, asking if it was possible that the escaped Prefect of Luzhou was hiding with the Meng family. After all, he was from a branch of the Meng family, and no one would ever think he would dare to hide there.
Jiang Yao understood at once. In the storybook, this person was probably hidden by the Meng family.
After all, he was the only one who knew of Murong Qing’s involvement in the dam collapse.
Jiang Yao didn’t act personally. For such an important matter, she always felt it was safer to leave it to her father.
Once she had a lead, she went to her father’s courtyard.
She didn’t say much, only that she thought she had seen Meng Xia near the Meng residence.
The matter was most likely related to the First Prince.
Jiang Heng nodded, indicating he understood. He would send people to keep watch near the Meng residence.
Jiang Yao had just returned to Hengwu Courtyard when she saw a messenger from the Eighth Prince. He said he was inviting her to the Eighth Prince’s Residence to discuss an urgent matter.
The two of them didn’t avoid others, so Song Muyun, who was sitting in the middle of the courtyard, naturally saw him as well.
Jiang Yao extended a hand toward Song Muyun. “Xiao Yun’er, want to come with me?”
The old Yun’er was always very jealous. If she was going to see Murong Ci, she would definitely want to come along. She didn’t know about this one.
Jiang Yao looked at Song Muyun, and Song Muyun looked back with her sparkling eyes. She was silent for a moment, then, as if she had thought of something, she stood up and walked over, nodding slightly. “Yes. Take me with you.”
With that, she carefully took Jiang Yao’s hand and gave it a placating little shake.
Jiang Yao was speechless for a moment. Is she afraid I won’t take her? How is that possible? I always go along with my wife.
She squeezed Song Muyun’s soft hand in return and nodded to the man from the Eighth Prince’s Residence. “Thank you for your trouble. Please ask His Eighth Highness to wait a moment.”
“Yes, this slave understands.”
The man withdrew. Jiang Yao asked Song Muyun, “Do you want to ride a horse or take the carriage?”
A hint of confusion flashed in Song Muyun’s eyes. “Ride a horse? We can ride a horse?”
She had never known, nor had she ever ridden a horse. Not in the countryside, and certainly not in the capital.
Jiang Yao smiled faintly. “Of course. If you were alone and didn’t know how to ride, that would be one thing. But now that I’m here, I’ll protect you. I won’t let you fall. Riding a horse is nothing.”
Song Muyun’s eyes grew even brighter.
Jiang Yao knew what she meant and ordered someone to fetch the horses.
On the way, the young woman still seemed a little worried, constantly asking Jiang Yao, “Won’t this be improper? A woman riding a horse in the street… won’t it be bad for my reputation?”
A vein throbbed on Jiang Yao’s temple. She knew the Song family had always educated their daughters to be a well-bred maiden from a prominent family.12 She endured it as long as she could, but she felt very apologetic for having to corrupt the well-bred maiden from a prominent family that the Song family had so carefully cultivated.
“How could this be bad for your reputation? Doesn’t everyone say my Yun’er is gifted, intelligent, and beautiful? If you ride a horse, people will just add ‘heroic and dashing’13 to their praises for you. Is ‘heroic and dashing’ a bad thing to say?” she asked.
Song Muyun obediently shook her head. Jiang Yao patted the back of her head and coaxed, “Good girl. That’s the right way to think about it. We’re not racing through the streets, just riding. Riding a horse is a very heroic and dashing thing to do. Who would dare say otherwise?”
I’ll take my whip to them!
Song Muyun was finally convinced. She nodded with a blush, still in Jiang Yao’s arms. Jiang Yao helped her onto the horse, then mounted right behind her, holding Song Muyun in her embrace.
With a light flick of the whip, the horse started to trot.
The two of them often made a spectacle of themselves like this, and now the whole capital was buzzing with stories about them.
The Eighth Prince’s Residence wasn’t far from the Jiang Residence, and Jiang Yao arrived with Song Muyun in no time.
They dismounted gracefully, and a servant waiting at the gate came to lead the horses away to be tied up.
The servant led them inside, this time to Murong Ci’s study.
Her study was the most important place in the entire Eighth Prince’s Residence, guarded by heavy troops. Layers of solemn guards stood at attention. Jiang Yao clicked her tongue all the way there.
Song Muyun also took note of the Eighth Prince’s Residence, a place she had never been. A strange feeling crept into her heart. After all, at this time in her previous life, the Eighth Prince was already dead.
But in this life, he was alive and well, and on very good terms with Jiang Yao.
To be able to bring Jiang Yao into his study, they must be as close as very close friends. Does that mean the Jiang family is on the Eighth Prince’s side?
A curious light flickered in Song Muyun’s eyes. It remained until Jiang Yao led her inside by the hand, where they saw a man dressed in a long, bluish-green robe waiting for them.
When Song Muyun entered, her face first showed surprise, then understanding. “You brought Miss Song along?”
“Yes. Muyun hasn’t been feeling well these past few days. I couldn’t bear to leave her at home all alone.”
As she spoke, Jiang Yao ruffled Song Muyun’s hair with utter doting affection.
With an outsider present, Song Muyun lowered her head and said nothing.
But what Murong Ci was about to say… She glanced at Song Muyun hesitantly. Jiang Yao immediately understood what she meant and waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I don’t plan on keeping Muyun in the dark about this case. After all, it concerns her family.”
Murong Ci thought about it and agreed. The matter was related to the Song family’s unjust case, so she had a right to know. Besides, given the relationship between the two of them now, she certainly wouldn’t betray Jiang Yao.
“Alright. You two sit down. I’ll get straight to the point.”
“Go on.”
Jiang Yao didn’t stand on ceremony with Murong Ci. She found a seat for herself and pulled Song Muyun down to sit beside her.
If Murong Ci weren’t here, Muyun would definitely be sitting on my lap.
Murong Ci glanced at Song Muyun, then at Jiang Yao, and got right to the point. “The retainer14 I planted by Murong Qing’s side told me that the Song family case was a joint conspiracy between Murong Qing and Murong Chun.”
She then watched their expressions, waiting for some kind of reaction. However, after a moment, both of them remained perfectly calm.
They’re not shocked?
They’re just calmly waiting for me to continue!
Murong Ci frowned. “Did you two already know about this?”
Jiang Yao reacted immediately, a look of confusion on her face. “Huh? No, we didn’t. We’re waiting for you to continue. Hurry up and finish so we can discuss a plan.”
Muyun could tell her these things—after all, she had more or less figured out Muyun’s origins—but she couldn’t tell Murong Ci. Otherwise, if Murong Ci asked how Yun’er knew, how would she explain it?
“Then why aren’t you surprised at all? I thought my news was secondhand.”
“Composure. Do you understand composure? We call this having our happiness and anger not expressed on the face.15 Now hurry up and talk. What happened next? Have they made any moves over there?”
Murong Ci balled a fist and held it to her lips, coughing lightly. Then she clasped her hands behind her back and said seriously, “Murong Qing wants to take advantage of the fact that Murong Chun is under house arrest and can’t make any big moves to frame him for this.”
Jiang Yao: …
Speaking of which, Murong Chun is pretty pathetic. Although he’s a terrible person, he’s already taken the fall for Murong Qing several times.
Oh well, it’s his own fault for being stupid. Of all the people to choose as an ally, he had to pick Murong Qing.
Serves him right for being used to block a knife.16
Song Muyun’s face was terribly pale. In her past life, Murong Qing had framed Murong Chun. If she hadn’t felt something was wrong and investigated privately, how would she have ever known that Murong Qing was the true mastermind?
But in the end, she was the only one who knew. The common people still thought of that Murong Qing as an enlightened ruler!
“Isn’t Murong Qing afraid that Murong Chun will expose him in court, and the Emperor will become suspicious again?”
Murong Ci sneered, seeming to have a firm grasp on Murong Qing’s thoughts. “But in the end, there’s no evidence. Even if Father-Emperor is suspicious, it will only be suspicion.”
“Is he planning to completely give up on the Emperor’s favor?”17
“He can’t get it anyway. If he doesn’t quickly find a reasonable scapegoat,18 he’ll be the one in trouble.”
The Dali Temple19 was closing in, and Murong Qing had run out of options.
“Besides, we still don’t know what he did with that silver. If it was to raise an army…”
The two of them exchanged a look, each understanding in their hearts that if he had really raised an army, even a prince would find it hard to escape death. At the very least, he would be demoted to a commoner and then imprisoned for life.
“So what do you plan to do? Let Murong Qing pin the blame on Murong Chun? That can’t be right. I don’t want to let Murong Qing get away with it again and again.”
She squeezed Song Muyun’s hand and looked at her.
The beauty lowered her head and said nothing, but the hand she was holding struggled a little. After loosening its grip, it took hold of her thumb.
Murong Ci pulled up a stool and sat opposite them. “I know that, of course. I find my Seventh Imperial Brother Qi annoying too. I just wanted to ask you if there’s any way to stop Murong Qing from framing Murong Chun.”
She hated them both. Couldn’t they both be made to lose one’s reputation and fall into disgrace?20
If even one of them got away, she would be too upset to eat.
Jiang Yao also felt she didn’t want to let either of them go. She had offended them both anyway. She still hadn’t settled the score with Murong Chun for having his men kidnap Muyun.
“If we want to stop them, we have to find out the truth before they do. Is that Meng Xia still on the run?”
“He is. The men the Dali Temple sent out haven’t been able to catch him.”
“Mm. My father might be able to find him.”
Murong Ci’s eyes lit up. “Really? How does the Prime Minister know?”
“My dad has a lot of capable people under him. Anyway, he has some leads.”
That’s right, just push this kind of thing onto my dad.
“So what do you plan to do once you’ve caught him? Have him expose Murong Qing in court? I’m afraid that won’t be convincing enough.”
Meng Xia was already a fugitive. To suddenly appear and expose the Seventh Prince would look like he was just trying to drag someone he hated down with him.
“Mm, you’re right, it’s not enough. That’s why I need to go home and ask my dad.”
Murong Ci: …
“Will Lord Prime Minister have a good idea?” Murong Ci asked.
Jiang Yao didn’t hesitate. “My dad has way more ideas than the two of us combined. He’s got a black heart, that one. Just wait, I’ll go ask him.”
When faced with something that required brainpower, Jiang Yao would usually call for her dad. There was nothing shameful about it. When there was clearly someone with a good brain in the family, why should she, the one with the bad brain, have to rack her brains over it?
She wouldn’t.
Jiang Yao led Song Muyun out of the Eighth Prince’s Residence, her arm around her the whole way. “Don’t be afraid,” she said gently. “We have a lead now. It’ll be alright.”
Song Muyun’s lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing. What she was thinking was that she wanted to kill Murong Qing with her own hands.
But she felt that Jiang Yao would stop her.
The two returned to the Jiang Residence. Jiang Yao didn’t delay. That same day, she went into her toiling old dad’s21 study and told him everything Murong Ci had found out.
Her old dad frowned, paced around his desk several times, and then waved his hand for Jiang Yao to leave.
Jiang Yao understood. Her dad had a plan. She left with a flourish, without a moment’s hesitation.
The old father looked at his martial artist daughter, who did nothing but cause trouble for him and stir up storms all day, and once again suspected: had he and his brother switched daughters at birth?
Ru’er, so well-behaved and sensible, who only read poetry and books—she should have been his daughter!
Jiang Yao had been exactly like her Second Uncle since she was a child!
Gives Heng a Headache.22
The author has something to say:
I’m going to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow, so the update will probably be late. After all, I stay up late every day, and I’m afraid I’ll get some incurable disease and croak / to be done for.23 I will definitely fix my sleep schedule the day after tomorrow QAQ
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