Chapter 60 [VIP]

Anyone who sees Xiao Chua can sense his good mood.

He didn't show any exaggerated expressions, or even have a blank expression, but you could still tell that he was different from usual. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see that the corners of his mouth were always upturned, but when you looked directly at his thin lips, they had a normal curve.

After going back and forth several times, many people wondered if they had gone mad, thinking, "What on earth is wrong with me? Why am I just imagining Xiao Chuan smiling at us?"

Tangtanyi was the most affected among them.

As men who both loved the same woman, how could Tang Tanyi not realize that Xiao Chuan was secretly pleased?

Considering that Xiao Chuan returned to the team later than him, clearly returning immediately after him to Yizhou and staying there for several more hours, Tang Tanyi felt a sharp pain in his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys just from breathing.

He thought that no matter how clumsy the trap set by the thief was, Xiao Chua would not believe it rationally, but he would think more about it emotionally, because he, as a man from another family, harbored resentment towards Mi Yao.

Who would have thought that, aside from any lingering resentment, Xiao Chuan seemed to have developed feelings for Mi Yao after returning to the city. He was like someone surrounded by a sea of ​​flowers, his icy demeanor now just a facade, revealing a vibrant inner world that made one's teeth itch with envy.

“Governor, look at you, you’ve made everyone angry and they’ve all run away because of your secret gloating.”

Upon hearing that Tang Tanyi had made an excuse to return to Jiangning to handle some business, Zhao De chuckled and teased Xiao Chuan.

He had been Xiao Chuan's subordinate for so many years, and the two had gone through life and death together so many times. Others thought they were seeing things and misreading Xiao Chuan's expression, but he knew that Xiao Chuan was truly different from before. It was obvious that the old house had caught fire and the iron tree had blossomed.

As for why Xiao Chuan was secretly pleased all the time, only Xiao Chuan and that Lady Yu knew the reason behind it.

"He should have gone first, or perhaps he wants us to go ahead as the vanguard?"

Xiao Chuan said calmly that even if Tang Tanyi didn't leave today, he would keep pestering him for the next few days until Tang Tanyi couldn't take it anymore and left first.

Jiannan's alliance with Jiangning was merely to help Jiangning avoid being annexed by the Huainan military governor. As for this assistance, he and his father only intended to stand behind Jiangning's army to bolster its morale, not to act as pawns and risk their lives for Jiangning.

If Jiangning is so weak that they need to handle everything themselves, they are not incapable of rushing to the front lines, but in that case, Jiangning should be renamed Jiannan.

“The town magistrate is right. That kid Tang Tanyi is dreaming. He’s coveting the lady and wants us to work for him. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

Zhao De responded with a word of agreement, and immediately continued, "What did the lady say to the envoy before he arrived? Did she say that the man surnamed Tang was utter garbage, and that she only had the envoy in her heart?"

Xiao Chuan glanced at Zhao De, whose face was full of curiosity, his phoenix eyes piercing and cold.

"You're asking too many questions."

After saying that, he paused for a moment, as if he needed someone to share his feelings, and then continued, "She didn't treat the man surnamed Tang like dog shit, but rather she didn't even see him as a person."

That day, he walked away in a huff, ostensibly because he didn't want to listen to Mi Yao's nagging, but after thinking about it, he realized that he was disgusted by the way Mi Yao treated Tang Tanyi.

In his mind, Mi Yao was only somewhat kind to women who had no ill intentions towards her; she could never say anything nice to anyone else.

She was especially hostile to men who showed her affection.

Even he became increasingly hostile when she sensed his growing affection for her.

Under these circumstances, her polite treatment of the handsome Tang Tanyi made him wonder.

Even now, he still hasn't been able to get the reason why Mi Yao spoke so kindly to Tang Tanyi. But that day in the woods, when he saw that Pu Qing hadn't come, she didn't respond to Tang Tanyi's words and kept her distance from him warily. That was enough for him.

If it weren't for their marriage, he wouldn't have been special to Mi Yao, but no other man would have been special to her either.

"I still remember the town magistrate's indifferent attitude towards the lady at the beginning. Men!"

Zhao De clicked his tongue in disbelief. He had thought Xiao Chuan would be different from ordinary men, and that he wouldn't be able to resist the charms of a beautiful woman even after meeting him.

But the object of affection is that great beauty from the Yu family, who could possibly resist?

He glanced at Xiao Chuan's crotch and thought to himself, "The beauty is suffering."

“She is my lawfully wedded wife. How could I ever think she is indifferent? Don’t talk nonsense.”

Xiao Chuan gave Zhao De a cold glance, fully demonstrating what it means to only recognize his wife and not other men.

*

"My lady, the messenger requests your presence in the main hall."

The maid who had summoned the servant curtsied and then stepped aside, but Madam Pan, who was standing inside the room, remained motionless.

Knowing that Mi Yao was not dead, Madam Pan was constantly anxious. Now that the hanging boot had finally been dropped, she did not breathe a sigh of relief. Instead, her face turned pale and she was covered in sweat.

"Wife?"

Seeing that Madam Pan did not move, the maid called out again in confusion.

"What business does Father have with me? Is there anyone else in the main hall besides Father?"

"This servant does not know."

"idiot,

Pan roared, but seeing how fierce she was, she still couldn't utter a sound. Her anger flared, and she struck the maid several times, intending to...

Why hasn't Madam Pan gone over yet?

When Zhao arrived, he saw that Pan's door was wide open and a maidservant with tears streaming down her face had been pushed to the ground.

"Could it be that she encouraged you to make a mistake?"

Upon suddenly seeing Zhao Tianhe's confidant, Madam Pan's expression changed, but upon hearing this, her face stiffened: "What does Uncle Zhao mean? What mistake have I made?"

"Whether Madam Pan has made a mistake or not, she knows herself. If Madam Pan thinks she has done nothing wrong, she should go and explain to Lord Zhao as soon as possible, lest Lord Zhao keep waiting and think that Madam Pan has really made a big mistake."

Zhao Xun's expression was cold, unlike his usual gentle demeanor, which made Madam Pan feel even more uneasy.

“I don’t know what Father has misunderstood, but I don’t even dare to watch chickens being killed, how could I have made any big mistake? Uncle Zhao, don’t worry, I’ll go with you right away.”

Pan gave a stiff smile, walking while recalling whether there were any loopholes in her assassination attempt on Mi Yao.

In her opinion, there is no such thing.

The people she directed to contact the Xiao family's grooms and thugs were not her current servants, but rather the loyal family slaves from her past life who ultimately shielded her from a knife and died before her.

After her rebirth, she secretly contacted this person, intending to make him a hidden pawn in her scheme.

She wouldn't have used that person if she didn't desperately want Mi Yao to disappear from this world.

Logically speaking, no one would connect that person with her, so even if they found some clues, that person wouldn't betray her.

With that thought, Madam Pan felt relieved. However, when she arrived at the main hall and saw Mi Yao and the man she had bribed, her body went limp.

"Greetings, Father. Ninth Sister-in-law has come to see you?"

Pan smiled broadly, trying to pretend she couldn't see the man kneeling in the hall, but Mi Yao was too lazy to play games with her.

She didn't know if Zhao Tianhe was too old to sleep or what, but he sent someone to wake her up early in the morning. She put on her clothes with her eyes closed, and then, with her eyelids half open, Qi Niang helped her into the carriage.

Now she felt that Zhao Tianhe, who had a chronic illness, looked better than her.

"No need for insincere greetings, Madam Pan. The current situation is that you sent someone to assassinate me, but I survived and am now here to settle accounts with you. If any of your accomplices or those who know information can report it, your punishment can be reduced depending on the value of your intelligence."

Zhao Tianhe called her over and asked her to handle the matter, and she handled it in her own way.

Meeting Pan's forced composure, Mi Yao continued, "Just stop wasting time making up excuses. I'm here, Father is here, your men are here. Everything is perfectly clear. If you try to explain now, you'll only waste our breath and make Father even more disappointed in you."

Upon hearing Mi Yao mention Zhao Tianhe, Madam Pan stiffened even more, and she didn't even dare to look up at Zhao Tianhe, who was sitting in the main hall.

She wasn't afraid of Mi Yao because with Zhao Tianhe around, she would always be the Zhao family's adopted daughter, and no one would dare to do anything to her. But if Zhao Tianhe didn't protect her, not to mention Mi Yao, even her former mother-in-law, Granny Ma, could make her suffer.

“I don’t understand a word of what Ninth Sister-in-law is saying. I don’t know this person, and I would never send someone to assassinate Ninth Sister-in-law. I know that my attempt to curry favor with Ninth Brother angered Ninth Sister-in-law, but she can’t wrong me about something so important!”

Hearing that Madam Pan was still stubbornly clinging to her beliefs, Mi Yao took a sip of tea. The aroma was refreshing, and the celadon teacup that held the tea felt as smooth as ice and jade, with a lustrous texture. It was perfect for drinking this cup of Baihao Yinzhen tea.

Mi Yao originally just wanted to moisten her lips, but after the tea entered her mouth, her eyes lit up and she praised Zhao Tianhe, "Father, this tea is really good. It's sweet with honey and has a refreshing aftertaste. It's perfect for drinking in the morning."

After taking a sip of tea, she felt her still somewhat drowsy mind fully awake.

"Take some back with you if you like."

A slight smile appeared on Zhao Tianhe's serious and tense face. He didn't mind Mi Yao's sudden digression and instead cooperated by saying something.

"Then I won't be polite."

Pan gritted her teeth in hatred as she watched Mi Yao act all cute and charming in front of Zhao Tianhe. If only Mi Yao had taken a liking to Zhao Tianhe, she would have been happy. She had also had feelings for Zhao Tianhe in her past life.

In her view, the adoption father-daughter relationship between the man and woman actually made the man feel more excited.

Unfortunately, Zhao Tianhe was unaware that she was truly ill and had lost her virility. Her hints went unanswered, and she was even distanced from him. Fortunately, Zhao Tianhe died before her, so she didn't have much regret.

She was fantasizing that Mi Yao and Zhao Tianhe were getting together, and Xiao Chua would be hers. After Mi Yao finished asking for tea, she saw the vicious and terrifying look on her face and decided to keep her distance to avoid being attacked by her in a fit of rage.

“Since Madam Pan denies it, Gan Qiang, you speak up and explain clearly, word by word, how Madam Pan approached you and promised you benefits to make you work for her.”