Xiao Shao stood silently in the night. After half an incense stick's time, the door was flung open, and Jiang Ruan's cold voice drifted out, "Are you not coming in?"
"Aiya, Young Madam is truly a remarkable woman of great heart and spirit!" Jin San exclaimed in admiration. "So tolerant and magnanimous, truly a rare find even if one searched with a lantern." She spoke with delight, having long forgotten who it was that had just said, "Young Madam will definitely not forgive you."
Xiao Shao, however, was in no mood to listen to her fawning. The moment the door opened, he decisively slipped inside. Once he was in the room, even Luzhu jumped in shock, stammering, "Your- Your Highness."
"You may leave first," Jiang Ruan said to her. Luzhu glanced at Jiang Ruan with some hesitation but still withdrew as instructed. After Luzhu left, only the two of them remained in the room. Jiang Ruan sat down at the table, waiting at her leisure for Xiao Shao to speak first.
Xiao Shao was silent for a moment before sitting down opposite her. After some thought, he finally asked, "You know?"
"What do you think?" Jiang Ruan retorted.
Xiao Shao didn't know how to respond. A moment later, he said, "I'm sorry for not giving you a heads-up."
Jiang Ruan shot him a glare. "If you had given me a heads-up, how could you have put on this act? I'm afraid it would have been seen through long ago."
Hearing this, Xiao Shao stared blankly for a moment, then looked at Jiang Ruan with a hint of pleasant surprise. "So you're not angry anymore?"
"I am angry," Jiang Ruan said coldly.
Xiao Shao was taken aback again. "Why?"
"You're asking me?" Jiang Ruan was so exasperated she almost laughed. "Xiao Shao, your subordinates are people, but my maids are not? Since you were putting on an act, then Jin Er must have been acting too. It's fine for you and your subordinate, but don't you feel sorry for my Luzhu? I know that when you do things, you only care about achieving your goal and don't need to show any mercy. If you showed mercy, the Brocade-clad Guards might as well not exist. But Xiao Shao, you shouldn't have used these methods on my maid."
This torrent of words came out fast and furious, clearly having been bottled up in her heart for a long time. It also showed the depth of Jiang Ruan's resentment toward Xiao Shao. After she finished, she waited for his reply. Xiao Shao, however, was slightly stunned. He then said, "I didn't order it."
Jiang Ruan froze, only to hear Xiao Shao's voice continue, "Jin Er did not know beforehand. He was merely suspicious and didn't report it to me at the time. He investigated on his own. He only told me after he had figured things out, by which point he had already started the act with Luzhu."
"You're saying Jin Er decided to do this himself?" Jiang Ruan frowned.
Xiao Shao replied, "He suspected there was someone else behind Liao Meng, someone possibly connected to the Southern Borderlands. If he had exposed it bluntly, Luzhu would likely have been in danger. Moreover, the people of the Southern Borderlands are incredibly cunning. If Jin Er had made the slightest misstep back then, they might have killed Luzhu to achieve the same goal of driving a wedge between you and me." Although these words did not directly plead for Jin Er, they explained his reasons for doing so. Xiao Shao looked at Jiang Ruan. "How did you find out?"None of the other Brocade-clad Guards knew about this matter, except for Xiao Shao and Jin Er. The two of them had remained tight-lipped to ensure everything was foolproof and to avoid alerting the enemy, so they could identify the person behind the scheme. It was impossible that anyone had told Jiang Ruan, so she could only have deduced it herself. Jiang Ruan shot him a look and said, “How could I not know Jin Er’s temperament? He’s the type to cherish women. He always shows some leniency towards any woman who bears him no ill will. And since he’s used to frequenting brothels, what kind of womanly wiles hasn’t he seen? That Liao Meng isn’t some peerless beauty—in my opinion, she’s not even as stunning as the top courtesans in those brothels. How could she possibly make Jin Er look at her with new eyes? That, in itself, is strange.”
The person behind the scenes was indeed vicious. Thinking back on it now, they first used Liao Meng to cause a rift between Jin Er and Luzhu. Both Xiao Shao and Jiang Ruan were protective of their own, and a deep-seated pride was ingrained in their bones, so they would naturally refuse to concede easily. When such people became stubborn about the same issue, an irreconcilable dispute was bound to arise. Of all things in the world, the human heart was the most difficult to control. Once the seeds of discord were planted, the crack would only grow wider. If, at that moment, some external factors were appropriately added, estrangement would be inevitable. And so, Yao Niannian and Qi Feng were brought into the picture.
Qi Feng already harbored other feelings for Jiang Ruan, but he had buried that affection deep in his heart because of Xiao Shao and Jiang Ruan’s statuses. However, this did not mean Xiao Shao was completely without resentment. At his core, Xiao Shao was an extremely dominant man. It was always displeasing for another man to covet his woman, not to mention that the scene he had witnessed with his own eyes was so jarring. For a man with such pride in his bones, it was undoubtedly a blow.
And Yao Niannian’s letter and set of clothes were even more suggestive. There was nothing in the world more potent than a woman's groundless fantasies. Based on her own imagination alone, the items from Yao Niannian were enough to destroy a woman’s confidence in herself and her husband.
These things seemed insignificant, but they were like tiny beads being slowly strung together by a single thread, eventually forming a complete plan. And the ultimate goal of this plan was to drive a wedge between Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao.
However, even the most perfect plan has its flaws, especially since Jiang Ruan herself was an expert at reading people’s hearts, which were the most fickle of things. Although the opponent's scheme was good, they had already made a mistake in the very first step. They had never expected that Jin Er would become the variable in this plot.
Jin Er was a man who had navigated his way through crowds of women. Since joining the Brocade-clad Guards, he often had missions that required him to go undercover in brothels, and he had become a master of acting the part. Liao Meng was undoubtedly a worthy opponent; her background and her connection to the Huang family were all genuine, and she herself was a smart and beautiful woman. The entire plan was watertight, making it almost impossible for anyone to be suspicious. However, the first link that the plan overlooked, and a key point where it went wrong, was that others had neglected Jin Er’s identity.Jin Er's identity was that of a Brocade-clad Guard and the second young master of the Huang family. Perhaps the other party had conducted a thorough investigation to reach this conclusion, but this level of understanding was far from enough. Liao Meng was indeed clever, but for a man who had spent so many years in brothels, her little tricks were somewhat lacking.
Jin Er had almost immediately sensed that this woman's intentions were not what they seemed. However, his acuity as a Brocade-clad Guard made him understand that the matter likely didn't stop there. It seemed there was an expert guiding Liao Meng from behind the scenes; she appeared to be just a pawn. And a person who could even manipulate a pawn like her must have a mind so meticulous that it warranted vigilance. Since that was the case, it was better to go along with the flow and see what the other party truly wanted to do.
As he continued to investigate, Jin Er discovered some unusual points and suspected the matter was related to the Southern Borderlands, so he dared not act rashly. To protect Luzhu and to confirm his suspicions, he followed Liao Meng's plan, turning her scheme against her and putting on this act. Afterward, he secretly found an opportunity to explain the matter to Xiao Shao. Poor Liao Meng truly believed her methods were brilliant and that she could easily take down someone like Jin Er without breaking a sweat, little knowing that her every move was being watched with perfect clarity.
Jiang Ruan frowned, recalling another matter. She asked, "Then that night, did Jin Er really... with Liao Meng? That sacrifice is truly too great."
That night, Jin Er had not returned to the residence, and soon after, he wanted to cancel his engagement with Luzhu. The servants in the residence had speculated about this possibility. Jiang Ruan had overheard it and thought it was absurd, but thinking of it now, she had to ask—at the very least, she had to ask this question for Luzhu's sake.
Xiao Shao hadn't expected her to still remember this. He paused for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Jin Er has his ways of getting out of such situations."
Jiang Ruan sighed in relief. "Since his body is still pure, it's not as if there's no chance at all."
Xiao Shao was speechless.
Jiang Ruan, however, did not let him off. She slanted a half-smiling look at him. "His purity has been preserved, but what about yours?"
"Mine?" Xiao Shao was puzzled by her words. He then heard Jiang Ruan's unhurried voice continue, "Haven't you and Yao Niannian also been putting on a good show these days? Did she take any advantage of you, or did you turn the scheme against her and accept the beauty's favor?"
Xiao Shao was taken aback, then a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes. In order to observe the Yao family's movements these past few days, he had indeed put on a bit of a disguise. However, it wasn't as blatant as Jiang Ruan described. The Yao family was also quite clever; they probably understood that sending an invitation card directly to him would be too obvious and that he certainly wouldn't go. Thus, they took a more roundabout approach, always using the Mo residence or the residences of other colleagues connected to Xiao Shao to get close. Most of the time, Xiao Shao would just watch coldly from his seat at the banquets without saying much. He said, "No. I have conducted myself with integrity."
"Conducted yourself with integrity?" Jiang Ruan toyed with these words, then suddenly said, "Then what was with that set of clothes?"Finally, she had asked the crucial question. Even though she knew it was an act, the sight of that robe was still an eyesore to her; she just wanted to cut it to pieces and throw it far, far away. Xiao Shao was taken aback. Realizing that this was what Jiang Ruan had been brooding over all along, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The matter of the robe was an accident. Originally, someone at the banquet that day had accidentally overturned a wine cup and spilled wine on him. He had always been fastidious about cleanliness, so after changing his clothes, he had casually tossed the soiled robe aside at the banquet. He had simply forgotten to dispose of it, but unexpectedly, someone had taken it. That person was, of course, Yao Niannian. When Yao Niannian's letter and the robe arrived, Xiao Shao himself was completely bewildered. He had summoned Mo Cong to ask about it, and it turned out that on that day, someone had somehow splashed water on Yao Niannian, and another person had casually used Xiao Shao's robe, which had been draped to one side, to cover her. After returning to her residence, Yao Niannian had washed Xiao Shao's robe herself and sent it with a letter to the Prince's residence.
One had to admit, this move was extremely clever. Saying nothing was more effective than a thousand words. A more formidable wife would have long ago started a quarrel and confronted her husband. Such a confrontation, born of mistrust between a husband and wife, would naturally yield no good results; it would only cause the couple's relationship to deteriorate further. Thinking about it now, it was likely that the person who had spilled wine on Xiao Shao at the banquet had also done so deliberately. They had long known of Xiao Shao's habit of fastidiousness, so even if Xiao Shao hadn't forgotten the robe himself, they would have found a way to get their hands on it.
Xiao Shao then explained the whole sequence of events to Jiang Ruan once more. Upon hearing this, although Jiang Ruan still wore a dissatisfied expression, her gaze softened. One had to admit, Xiao Shao's explanation was quite to her liking; at the very least, he truly deserved the words "chaste and self-disciplined." But then again, this was also related to Xiao Shao's own temperament. The world knew that Xiao Shao was habitually cold and indifferent. He would naturally not do anything out of line at a banquet. If he had truly spoken gently to Yao Niannian, that would have been truly suspicious.
Just as Jiang Ruan had figured things out on her end, Xiao Shao began to question her again, "You knew about Jin Er's matter. When did you realize I was putting on an act?"
"I knew from the very beginning," Jiang Ruan huffed. "You're the type to protect your own, but between Jin Er and me, you would probably protect me. Jin Er is a man, after all. If you didn't harbor some other intentions toward him, why would you need to protect him at the cost of offending me? The whole thing was just too abnormal from the start. I'm not a fool."
Xiao Shao: "..."With these words, it seemed as though Jiang Ruan was thoroughly flattering herself, but upon closer thought, one could discern an unusual meaning within them. Xiao Shao was indeed a person who protected his own. If it hadn't been Jiang Ruan, but someone else, he would have definitely sided with Jin Er. This was the kind of equal trust a leader had in his subordinates, especially since there was also a bond of brotherhood with this subordinate. However, with Jiang Ruan in the picture, Xiao Shao was different. This might seem like a case of prioritizing his love over his friends, and how could it not be? The person who set this trap undoubtedly understood Xiao Shao very well. The scheme had fully considered Xiao Shao's personality traits and calculated his reaction to every matter, yet it had overlooked one thing—or perhaps, refused to acknowledge it. And that was, times had changed. The person Xiao Shao wanted to protect now was, first and foremost, naturally Jiang Ruan. Therefore, when Xiao Shao acted distant and as if he had misunderstood Jiang Ruan, Luzhu was suspicious, Lianqiao was suspicious, and even Tianzhu had some doubts. The one who saw it most clearly was, contrary to expectations, Jiang Ruan herself. She clearly understood Xiao Shao's feelings for her, and so she granted him the same trust.
"You were acting with me from the very beginning?" Xiao Shao was surprised, then added with some awkwardness, "Qi Feng..."
"That was also my doing," Jiang Ruan said frankly. "Although I've done him a great injustice in this matter, an act must be convincing. By behaving this way, they would only think their plan was progressing smoothly. Smug with their success, they were bound to reveal their flaws. As they say, complacency leads to exposure. I was accelerating the reveal of their weaknesses."
Xiao Shao was slightly taken aback 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 improper?" At this, Jiang Ruan sighed inwardly. She had unscrupulously used every person and thing she could around her; it had become a long-standing habit in this life that she couldn't change in a short time. She understood Qi Feng's feelings for her, and she wasn't without guilt for using such feelings, but no amount of guilt could compare to her determination to protect her own people.
"I just feel," Xiao Shao shook his head and looked at her, "that you and I have a great deal of tacit understanding."
Jiang Ruan hadn't expected him to say that. She froze for a moment, meeting Xiao Shao's earnest gaze. For some reason, a blush crept onto her face, and she looked away, feeling a little flustered. Although they were already husband and wife, the things Xiao Shao sometimes said could still make one's face flush and heart race. When a serious person spoke sweet words, it was always exceptionally delightful. It had to be admitted that at this moment, Jiang Ruan's heart felt like the moon-creeper flowers blooming in the dark night outside, slowly filling with a sweet, delicate fragrance.
But what had Xiao Shao just said? Tacit understanding? Jiang Ruan lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the black-clad young man opposite her. Indeed, this scheme had been cleverly arranged. Even Jiang Ruan herself, upon seeing it, had to admit the other party's painstaking efforts. It looked like a trivial matter with nothing special about it, yet the twists within were inevitable, forcing one to be led by the nose into the trap. Jiang Ruan was also a master at fathoming people's minds. This scheme exploited the weaknesses of human nature and the lack of trust in relationships, magnifying them infinitely. Yet, this exquisite trap had been seen through from the very beginning and was now nothing more than a joke. Why was that? Naturally, it was because of their tacit understanding.Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao hadn't actually coordinated beforehand, and neither knew the other's plan. Yet, relying on absolute trust and tacit understanding, they had just completed a flawless performance. Because they hadn't discussed it in advance, their act appeared to have no flaws and felt incredibly real. Such was their tacit understanding.
As she was lost in thought, Xiao Shao unexpectedly walked up to her. Jiang Ruan was startled, but Xiao Shao reached out, pressed her shoulder, and leaned close to her ear to whisper, "Since you're not angry, then come back to the residence with me."
"What residence?" Jiang Ruan said irritably. "Grandfather and the others are all asleep. We shouldn't disturb anyone."
"Then we'll go back quietly," Xiao Shao said, refusing to give up. "I'll carry you over the wall."
The dignified Jinying Wang was so fond of climbing over walls. He liked to make surprise night visits before they were married, and he still liked it after. If word got out, people would laugh their heads off. Jiang Ruan said, "Are you not afraid that Grandfather and the others will report me missing to the authorities tomorrow morning when they find me gone?"
Xiao Shao pursed his lips. He couldn't even bring his own wife home—what kind of logic was that? Even if such logic existed, he would have to make someone change it. However, while Xiao Shao could handle the logic, he couldn't handle Jiang Ruan. He knew she had always been a person who meant what she said, so there was naturally 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?"
"Mm, I missed you," Xiao Shao said nonchalantly, burying his face in the crook of her neck. It tickled and felt uncomfortable, so Jiang Ruan tried to lift his head, but Xiao Shao didn't budge an inch. Both exasperated and amused, Jiang Ruan decided to ignore him. She had never known Xiao Shao to be so clingy. Was it true that a short separation felt like a second honeymoon? At the thought of those words, Jiang Ruan's face instantly reddened again. She quickly cut off her own wild, rambling thoughts. "Are you here to cause trouble for me? Hurry up and go back. Get out while no one has noticed. I need to bathe, so stop clinging to me."
Hearing this, Xiao Shao immediately let go of Jiang Ruan. She thought he had understood her and was about to leave, but after a long moment without hearing any movement, she looked back at him in confusion. What she saw nearly made her faint from anger. Xiao Shao was untying his own sash. When he saw her looking over, he quirked his lips. "Perfect. Together."
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