Needle

Li Wan was taken aback by Xie Qi's words. She had just asked casually, without thinking too much about it.

He assumed everyone was like him, full of cunning and scheming, so he decided to give up and avoid further arguments.

Li Wan directly took out the Fourth Prince's letter and handed it to him, saying, "I'm here to discuss a solution with you regarding this matter."

Xie Qi calmly took the letter, quickly scanned it, and found it to be exactly the same as the one he had read yesterday.

She only received the letter last night, yet she came with a plan this morning? Did she act on her own initiative, or had she already discussed it with Xiao Xian?

Given her 'devotion' in sacrificing herself for Xiao Xian and entering the Marquis's mansion, she wouldn't act behind Xiao Xian's back; therefore, it could only be the latter.

According to Shen Jie's report, Xiao Xian's mole in the Marquis's mansion remained untouched, and Jiang Feiwan had not left the mansion. Therefore, it must have been Xiao Xian who came in person.

When did we meet? Late at night!

Where did we meet? In Yingyue Residence, in her bedroom!

There's only one possibility!

Xie Qi's eyes darkened instantly. He closed them briefly, suppressing his surging killing intent.

What do you want?

His clean, beautiful fingers were folding papers, and when he looked up at her, he had already returned to normal.

Li Wan looked back at him, surprised that he was so indifferent to the matter.

Xiao Fan asked her to steal the roster of the Jinlin Army. What would a prince like him need an army roster for? There must be some ulterior motive behind it.

When she saw the letter yesterday, she was excited for a long time. Sure enough, someone was eyeing the Jinlin Army. Perhaps the culprit behind the tragic battle three years later would be the Fourth Prince, Xiao Fan.

The best course of action now is to nip his conspiracy in the bud and, incidentally, use this opportunity to expose his misdeeds, ensuring he can never recover.

She recalled for a moment and then revealed the plan she had come up with the night before.

“We can get a fake roster and give it to him, then send people to monitor the army and the Fourth Prince’s movements. Once his conspiracy begins, we can expose him. The fake roster and this letter are irrefutable evidence.”

Xie Qi fiddled with the paper, his gaze falling on her firm, tightly pursed lips, and suddenly smiled, "Okay."

He gestured for Shen Jie to come in, "Go, get a fake roster."

Shen Jie accepted the order and withdrew.

Li Wan looked at him hesitantly. Why was he so easy to talk to today? He didn't ask any questions and readily accepted her suggestion.

Could it be... that I'm in a good mood?

Thinking of this, Li Wan's pupils shifted, and she decided to take the opportunity to gather more information.

She stood up, walked to Xie Qi's side, and with her fair, slender hand, picked up the teapot handle and poured hot tea into the blue-and-white porcelain teacup.

"It's freezing cold, please have another cup of hot tea, sir."

Xie Qi lowered his eyes, his gaze slowly moving from the steaming teacup to the woman's beautiful face.

His attempt to ingratiate himself was too clumsy, and he was too lazy to expose it.

He reached out and took the teacup from her hand. Their fingertips briefly touched, one dry and hot, the other smooth and cool.

Is it cold? Xie Qi glanced at the center of the room. There seemed to have been a heater there before, but he found it too hot and never let anyone light it. He guessed that the servants had simply carried it away.

"My lord, drink up."

Li Wan sat down in the armchair to his right, watching him lower his head and sip his tea, her fawning smile deepening.

“My lord, now that I have entered the Marquis’s mansion, I am now your person. If you encounter any difficulties in the court, you may speak with me.”

Xie Qi raised an eyebrow, "My people?"

Li Wan nodded emphatically, "Yes, although we had some misunderstandings before, you must believe that I have always been on your side. No matter what happens to you, I will do my best to help you."

Xie Qi twirled the teacup in his hand, then chuckled, "So, you think that what happened at Qingzhu Residence was also a misunderstanding?"

Qingzhu Residence! Li Wan's expression suddenly shattered, as if she had returned to that pavilion, her lips sealed, leaving her to be humiliated.

Her fingers curled tightly in her palm as she struggled to prevent herself from picking up the teapot and smashing it against Xie Qi's shameless face.

But the man continued to provoke, "Actually, I've been waiting for Miss Jiang's explanation. I never imagined that you would consider such a thing just a misunderstanding."

He turned his head to the side, his voice unreadable, "Or is it that you've experienced that kind of thing too many times to care anymore?"

"Xie Qi!"

Li Wan shouted angrily and subconsciously raised her hand to throw a punch, hitting Xie Qi on the side of the face.

Her small fist was white and soft, and Xie Qi didn't even bother to dodge it. However, while other women hit people with slaps, she rudely swung her fist, which was quite unexpected.

"Xie Qi, why do you keep humiliating me?" Li Wan's eyes reddened. She had clearly stated many times that she wanted to help him.

Seeing her red, aggrieved eyes, tears welling up in her eyes, Xie Qi's suppressed anger suddenly flared up.

Caught off guard, he reached out and grabbed the woman by the back of her neck, pressing her against himself across a low wooden table.

A hot, strong hand gripped and pressed down on her slender neck. The difference in strength between the two was too great, and the woman had no power to resist.

The man's eyes were filled with ruthlessness.

"Jiang Feiwan, remember this: I am a man. I can overlook your past filth, but from now on, you'd better dress properly in the Marquis's mansion, or you'll be courting death."

He exuded a menacing aura, and the suffocating pressure left Li Wan stunned, completely unable to understand the meaning behind his words.

Her bewilderment, in Xie Qi's eyes, seemed like a silent resistance.

Xie Qi was suddenly amused and laughed. She was just a withered flower, and he could kill her after he was done using her. Why waste words with her here?

He suddenly withdrew his hand, and Li Wan, caught off guard, was thrown to the ground.

The cold ground and the sharp pain in her knees jolted Li Wan awake.

The "lowlife" of Qingzhu Residence, and the "filthy" one just now.

His humiliation and disgust...

In a flash, she, who had never known human affairs in either of her two lifetimes, finally vaguely understood something.

However, isn't Xie Qi the person Jiang Feiwan admires? If not, how do you explain the jade pendant hidden on the bed?

Or was Jiang Feiwan's innocence forcibly taken by another man?

Who? Could it be Xiao Fan?

Could this be the leverage Xiao Fan used to blackmail Jiang Feiwan?

A noblewoman who has lost her chastity in her maiden chambers would naturally not dare to let others know.

But this is just her conjecture; the truth remains unknown.

The fingers supporting him on the ground slowly tightened, and the soft flesh inside his mouth clenched painfully.

She had always considered herself somewhat clever, hoping to use this cleverness to change the tragedy three years later. But now she realized that her little schemes were no match for the shrewd people in the capital.

But Jinlin Army would belong to Xie Qi in the future, and it was Xie Qi who was shot to death by a hail of arrows three years later. Why should she come to save him, only to be constantly humiliated by him?

So why not throw the problem at him? Compared to her, who is confined to the inner quarters, he is clearly more capable of preventing the tragedy from happening.

"Jiang Feiwan".

Xie Qi glanced at the woman sitting on the ground, looking dazed and pitiful, as if she had no will to live. The more he looked at her, the angrier he became.

"Give the false roster to Xiao Fan, then stay in the manor."

After saying that, he stood up and took a step to leave.

Suddenly, the corner of his black robe embroidered with gold cloud patterns was grabbed. He lowered his eyes and met the woman's bright eyes, which had calmed down.

"My lord, please wait."

Li Wan grabbed his sleeve and pulled hard, using the leverage to stand up and stand facing him.

Thank you, Qi, for looking down at her. Just a moment ago she looked like a wronged and helpless rabbit, but in an instant her eyes dried up.

Judging from her eager expression, she's probably going to carry out Xiao Cheng's orders again, trying to find out something from him.

Their love is truly as deep as the sea.

"Thank you, sir."

Li Wansi came up with a good idea. Looking up at the increasingly deep and fierce look in his eyes, she was afraid that he would think of something else, so she spoke up before he went crazy.

"Do you know why I would rather be a concubine than not marry you?"

Xie Qi squinted at her slightly, as if to say, "Nonsense..."

Suddenly, his waist and abdomen were encircled, and the woman's soft, warm body pressed against him, her faint floral fragrance filling his embrace.

Her cool, fair cheeks rested against his hard chest, her voice unusually sweet and coquettish.

"I married you not only to save my father, nor only because of the Fourth Prince's threat, but also..."

She raised her head in his arms, her eyes narrowed, "Yan Jin, do you know that I have admired you for a long time?"

After she finished speaking, Xie Qi's eyes narrowed slightly. He remained silent and let her lean against him.

Li Wan's voice was low and hoarse, "But I am not good enough for you. I... my innocence was ruined by bad people. I am not even worthy to be your concubine."

"However, I was unwilling to give up. I learned by chance that you would encounter a great calamity in the future, and I was even more worried. That's why I followed the Fourth Prince and my father's affairs and secretly entered the Marquis's mansion."

“My lord, I don’t blame you for your disgust and humiliation, but that great calamity concerns the lives of the Jinlin Army soldiers and your own, so you must believe me.”

"A villain?" Xie Qi's voice was deep. "Who?"

Li Wan was taken aback, wondering why he could never grasp the main point. They were talking about the great calamity of the Jinlin Army, so why was he bringing her up again?

Fortunately, she had read a few storybooks, and soon she was able to come up with a story.

"I don't know. Several months ago, I was tricked out of the manor and drugged. When I woke up, I found out..."

She lowered her head, pretending to be heartbroken.

"My lord, please don't ask about this matter anymore. Once I help you get through this great calamity, I will resign from my marriage, and you can then marry another respectable woman."

After Li Wan finished speaking, she waited for a moment, but did not hear Xie Qi reply. She looked up and met his gaze.

His long, narrow, and handsome phoenix eyes were fixed on her, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"grown ups."

She called softly, her breath brushing against his prominent Adam's apple.

A moment later, he took a step back, pushed her away, and turned to leave.

Li Wan watched his retreating figure, then slumped into the armchair. It was a pity that after suffering such humiliation, she hadn't even mentioned the great calamity of the Jinlin Army.

She wailed inwardly: That scoundrel of a man is so hard to deal with!

Back at Yingyue Residence, Xiuhe and Xiuzhu had already prepared breakfast.

"Young lady, why have you been gone for so long? I even had to reheat the fish porridge."

Li Wan had been crying and pretending, and was already starving. Now, smelling the fragrant fish congee and a few brightly colored stir-fried side dishes, she suddenly felt a great appetite.

Just as she bent down to sit and eat her porridge, a sudden, sharp pain shot through her knee, and she couldn't help but hiss.

"Girl, what's wrong?" Xiuzhu asked anxiously.

Li Wan waved her hand and said it was alright, but Xiu He forcibly lifted the pleated skirt and pulled up her trousers.

"Your son-in-law hit you again!" Xiuzhu exclaimed.

Li Wan looked down and saw a dark bruise on her right knee, which must have been from when she fell to the ground.

"It's nothing, don't make a fuss."

Li Wan was used to falling and bumping into things in the fields and villages since she was a child, so this kind of minor injury was commonplace for her. She didn't care at all and started drinking the delicious fish porridge in big gulps.