spoiled

"Wei Shu, don't you have anything to say?" Lou Xuan picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Your subject dares not interfere, nor dares to argue." Wei Shu knelt beside Jiang Jin and looked up at Lou Xuan. "Your Highness, this is my answer."

"Ah Jin, have you found anything?" Lou Xuan didn't wake the two of them.

“I had Zhou Cong send someone to keep an eye on Madam Wang, who rescued a woman in time. However, when I first met Madam Wang, she claimed to be named Li Niang and a slave member of the Wang family. But the woman my subordinate rescued also claimed to be Li Niang and was also a slave.” Jiang Jin connected all the details in an instant.

"Your Highness, this person wants to return to the capital with us. Why don't we go along with it?" Jiang Jin wanted to know what this Lady Wang was up to.

"Aren't you afraid she's ruthless?" Lou Xuan neither objected to nor approved of this suggestion.

"Your Highness, why don't we hand this man over to you?" Jiang Jin glanced at Lou Xuan's expression and felt relieved.

"Xueya, bring these things up." Xueya placed a small paper package and a small teacup in front of Jiang Jin.

"The paper packet contained arsenic, and arsenic was also found in the teacup. Aren't you afraid that Ah Jin, who can scheme to such an extent, will have something to do after returning to the capital?" Lou Xuan only managed to say a few words, knowing that Jiang Jin would understand.

"This subordinate simply believes we can use a counter-strategy, and this subordinate will not let my guard down." Jiang Jin carefully tugged at Lou Xuan's skirt. "Your Highness~"

"Don't give me that crap. What would you do if that arsenic ended up in your cup?" Lou Xuan poked Jiang Jin's forehead with his finger.

"I will be careful. Besides, raising a tiger only works if it's a cub." Jiang Jin already had a plan in mind; now all he needed was Lou Xuan's approval.

"You always use the same old tricks, don't you ever come up with anything new?" Lou Xuan pinched Jiang Jin's cheek. "If anything happens, remember to call Yi Yi. Don't try to tough it out on your own. Preserving your life is the most important thing at all times."

"I know, Your Highness. I can also be your support, so Your Highness can relax a bit more."

Jiang Jin pulled Lou Xuan's hand and placed it on her cheek. "Your Highness, would you like to pinch my cheek a little more? You loved pinching my cheeks when I was little."

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask for?" Lou Xuan didn't refuse and pinched her a few more times.

"No, not at all. If there is anything, it's that I hope Your Highness will be happy." Seeing the harmonious atmosphere between Jiang Jin and Lou Xuan, Wei Shu was relieved. However, he hadn't expected Lou Xuan to be so indulgent towards Jiang Jin.

"Your Highness, my legs hurt from kneeling, can I get up first?" Jiang Jin blinked at Lou Xuan.

"Get up. Anyone who didn't know better would think I was going to punish you." Jiang Jin tugged at Wei Shu's sleeve and then sat down next to Lou Xuan. "I feel safer by Your Highness's side. Please don't send me away."

"Alright, after all this commotion, I wonder if you're hungry. Xueya, bring out the Seven-Return Cake so Lady Jiang can try something new." Lou Xuan pulled Jiang Jin to the table, with Wei Shu following behind them.

"Your Highness, have you been drinking?" Jiang Jin smelled the strong odor of alcohol on Lou Xuan.

"Would you like some of the goose-yellow wine we found in the governor's mansion?" Lou Xuan poured a cup of wine and handed it to Jiang Jin.

"Is this the goose-yellow wine from the Western Regions?" Jiang Jin took the wine and savored it carefully. "Your Highness, it's really delicious!"

"Since you like it, take the rest of the wine back with you." Lou Xuan smiled as he looked at Jiang Jin.

“Before, you were the daughter of an official, so we couldn’t give you anything. But now it’s different. You’ve married Wei Shu and are now the rightful wife of a third-rank official. Giving you something wouldn’t be considered presumptuous.”

Lou Xuan pulled a hairpin from her hair and inserted it into Jiang Jin's hair. "This is a pearl cloisonné glass hairpin, a tribute from a foreign country. It was too conspicuous for you before, but it's perfect now."

"Your Highness, I don't lack jewelry." Jiang Jin chewed on a Seven-Return Cake and reached out to touch the pearl hairpin in her hair. Its smooth texture made it clear without even looking at it that it was no ordinary piece.

"You think you have what I don't?" Lou Xuan pinched Jiang Jin's cheek. "Alright, don't refuse anymore."

"Then I will wear it every day, and I will never disappoint Your Highness's kindness." Jiang Jin fiddled with her hairpin and blinked at Lou Xuan.

"You're just trying to make me laugh with sweet words." Lou Xuan looked at Jiang Jin gently. "I'll go back to the capital with you. You can ride in my carriage then."

"Your Highness, but I wish to ride a horse." Lou Xuan nodded upon hearing this. "Then so be it. While it's not possible to ride freely in the capital, it wouldn't be appropriate to restrict you outside either."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Jiang Jin sipped her goose-yellow wine and held a Seven-Return Cake in her hand. "Your Highness, has the court yet reached a decision regarding the Wang family?"

"Although it's a collateral branch, it still carries the Wang family name, so it won't be easy to completely eradicate it," Wei Shu explained, picking up where Jiang Jin left off.

“I understand what you mean. Even if the Wang family wants to abandon him, they can't make it too obvious in court.” Jiang Jin put down her chopsticks.

"They're just afraid of being accused of being too cold-blooded for sacrificing the pawn to save the king. Other aristocratic families will also be wary of the Wang family's indifference. If they can abandon their own clansmen, what about a distant relative they only have a marriage alliance with? Since they're so afraid of this matter getting out, then we'll make sure everyone knows about it. People should know that we were assassinated in Bianzhou and framed Wang Juesong."

"You want to undermine their alliance from within, but the alliance of powerful families is very strong and won't waver in the slightest because of these rumors." Lou Xuan's face twitched slightly.

“Everyone wants to climb up, everyone has ambition. I don’t believe that everyone in the entire family is of one mind. As long as we find those who are left behind and help them, although it will be slow, we will eventually see hope.”

"I will give the order. I will send someone to fetch you after Madam Wang is cured." Lou Xuan nodded, his gaze shifting to Wei Shu who was standing to the side.

"General Wei is a confidant of the Emperor. I wonder if he has received any special news?" Wei Shu smiled and shook his head. "I suppose the news I received in Bianzhou was even slower than that received by Her Highness the Princess."

"Since that's the case, I won't force you. After you finish your meal, you two can go back first. Remember, I don't want to hear about any more accidents happening in the governor's mansion." Lou Xuan's eyes remained fixed on Wei Shu, his gaze full of warning.

"This will never happen again." Seeing Wei Shu agree, Lou Xuan relaxed considerably, and the atmosphere among them eased a bit.

"Your Highness, what about Commandant Chang?" Lou Xuan escorted the two to the courtyard gate, and Jiang Jin tugged at Lou Xuan's sleeve, pulling her aside to ask.

"Being too flexible and adaptable is something to be careful about." Lou Xuan hesitated for a moment before telling Jiang Jin his thoughts.

"Alright, I will have people gather information about Chang Yi gradually. Your Highness, please take good care of yourself." Jiang Jin looked at Lou Xuan with reluctance, and left with Wei Shu under her gaze.

"If Your Highness is reluctant to part with Lady Jiang, why not let her stay a few more days to keep you company?" Xueya helped Lou Xuan back to her room.

"She's Lady Wei now, and too much contact with me isn't good for her. Besides, today, ostensibly I'm the one reprimanding them, but inviting them to stay for a meal is already going too far, let alone any longer." Lou Xuan had foreseen this scene from the moment Jiang Jin got married, but it was still somewhat disheartening when it actually happened.

"Your Highness, news has arrived from the capital that the Dou family is impatient; they have already set their sights on the fertile land of Bianzhou." Xueya looked at Lou Xuan with some worry.

“Someone should give my grandfather a good talking-to. Once the Crown Prince gets the fief of Bianzhou, the Third Prince will definitely get a fief that is better than Bianzhou. Father will always have to maintain a balance. But if it is given to me, firstly, I will still be considered part of the Crown Prince's faction, and secondly, the fief will not be directly under the Crown Prince's name. Even if Father wants to maintain a balance, he will still take some consideration into account.”

Lou Xuan didn't know if his grandfather would accept his idea, but at least it gave him another option.

"Your Highness, the key to this matter lies in His Majesty's will. If His Majesty insists on leaving Bianzhou to you, neither the Dou family nor the Liu family can do anything about it." Xueya fanned Lou Xuan, glancing occasionally at the ice in the room, afraid that there wasn't enough ice and Lou Xuan would get too hot.

"I can't possibly guess what my father is thinking. Besides, Bianzhou is a coveted fiefdom, so it's understandable that he wants to leave it to the Crown Prince or the Third Prince."

Lou Xuan's eyelids were a little heavy. "Help me go to sleep for a while. Wake me up if anything important happens."

"Yes." Xueya lowered the gauze curtain for Lou Xuan, then sat down by the couch and silently watched over her.

The sun was shining brightly outside; it was a bit hot, but not as scorching as at midday.

"Today I suddenly understand what kind of relationship you have with Princess Zhaoyang." Wei Shu held up an umbrella to shield Jiang Jin from most of the sunlight.

"Then tell me, what is the nature of my relationship with His Highness? I'd like to hear the insights of a dignified General Wei." The pearl hairpin in Jiang Jin's hair gleamed softly.

"You're very relaxed in front of Princess Zhaoyang. Although you're occasionally nervous, most of the time you say what you want and ask for whatever you want." The two walked slowly along the path, the tall trees providing some shade and a cool breeze.

"Of course, as long as Your Highness is not truly angry, you will not punish me too severely. Besides, Your Highness only punishes me because I do not cherish my health, and you never punish me severely for doing something wrong."

Jiang Jin smiled and said to Wei Shu, "Just like what happened between you and me, Your Highness has never punished me for it."

“The relationship between Princess Zhaoyang and you doesn’t quite feel like that of a master and subordinate in the conventional sense; it seems more like a bond of intimacy and indulgence.” Wei Shu straightened Jiang Jin’s hairpin.

"Perhaps it's because of the bond we've shared since childhood. His Highness once said that I'm no different from her sister; if he has three parts true affection for others, then he has eight parts for me. His Highness always puts my safety first, so when you said that he abandoned me to let me marry you, I didn't believe a word of that." Jiang Jin kicked a pebble aside.

"I'm someone who takes advantage of being pampered. If Your Highness didn't truly dote on me, how could I be so relaxed?"

When Jiang Jin let Wei Shu see her interaction with Lou Xuan for the first time, she felt a sense of peace, as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.