winter solstice

Marquis Huai'an never expected that Jiang Heng would return with Shen Wenqiu.

Although this Ninth Prince has been neglected for many years, he is now like an ordinary prince, and who knows what bright future awaits him.

The Marquis of Huai'an was a sycophant who fawned on the powerful and looked down on the weak, and he hesitated for a moment.

He would certainly not be willing to treat Shen Wenqiu well because of this matter. After all, he has looked down on Shen Wenqiu for so many years, but now he has to flatter and fawn over him, asking Shen Wenqiu to speak well of the Ninth Prince. How could he bear such a difference?

However, Jiang Heng is a prince after all. If we don't treat him warmly when he comes to our home, someone might accuse us of disrespecting the royal family, which would be a huge disaster.

When Aunt Yan learned of this, she was extremely unhappy. She immediately went to the Marquis of Huai'an's room and complained bitterly about how bad Aunt Qin and her son had been over the years, and how they had seduced the Marquis of Huai'an in order to climb the social ladder. She wanted to use these old stories to evoke the Marquis of Huai'an's dissatisfaction with Aunt Qin and her son, so that he would not give Shen Wenqiu a good look when he returned home.

The Marquis of Huai'an didn't say what he wanted, but looked at Aunt Yan curiously and asked, "In that case, what do you want?"

Concubine Yan assumed that the Marquis of Huai'an was on her side, and immediately became smug. She gestured animatedly as she offered her suggestions, saying, "That Shen Wenqiu has been in the palace for many days but hasn't managed to bring any benefits to the family. Your Excellency should give them a taste of their power! We must not let them get away with this!"

Looking at Consort Yan's beaming face, Marquis Huai'an stared at her in disbelief and repeated, "You mean, give the Ninth Prince and Shen Wenqiu a taste of their own medicine? Make sure they don't get away with this?"

Aunt Yan laughed smugly and nodded in agreement, "Yes, that's how it should be done! If the Marquis does this, the Emperor will dislike the Ninth Prince and will definitely give the Marquis a good promotion. It will also let that scoundrel Shen Wenqiu know who his real father is. He'll be a good boy then..."

Before Aunt Yan could finish speaking, the Marquis of Huai'an slapped her across the face.

With a snap.

Aunt Yan's face was turned to the side by the slap. She covered her face and looked at the Marquis of Huai'an in disbelief, asking in a trembling voice, "My lord, you hit me?"

The Marquis of Huai'an pointed angrily at Consort Yan and cursed, "That's exactly what I wanted to do, you stupid woman! The Emperor released the Ninth Prince and treated him the same as the other princes. Who knows if he won't be given an important position in the future! Now that we've offended him, aren't we just courting death? You wicked woman, you're asking for it yourself, so don't drag me down with you!"

In the past, the Marquis of Huai'an had always given Aunt Yan whatever she wanted, and he never questioned her, no matter how many flimsy lies she told.

No matter what harmful methods they used, they would always praise her for her intelligence and work together to do these things. Now, things have suddenly changed, catching her off guard.

Madam Yan stared blankly at the Marquis of Huai'an, forcing a smile as she grabbed his arm in a flattering manner, saying softly, "My lord, I was so foolish. You said I was just a woman in the inner quarters, how could I know all these intricacies! Fortunately, you are well-informed, otherwise I would have made a terrible mistake!"

The Marquis of Huai'an snorted coldly, his lips curving upwards as he was coaxed by Consort Yan. He stroked his beard and said smugly, "It's good that you know you're wrong. Just don't be so impulsive in the future. Just listen to me in everything."

The frail and boneless Lady Yan leaned into the arms of the Marquis of Huai'an and replied with a smile, "Yes, Your Highness, I will obey your will."

Aunt Yan leaned against the Marquis of Huai'an, her eyelashes lowered, her eyes devoid of any smile, filled only with hatred.

His lips opened and closed angrily, as if he were cursing in his mouth.

That old codger.

-

Shen Wenqiu made the worst-case scenario plan along the way. In the book, Shen Wenqiu suffered all kinds of contempt in the Marquis of Huai'an's mansion. Jiang Heng was an unfavored prince, and given the Marquis of Huai'an's tendency to fawn over the powerful and trample on the weak, he was bound to take a beating.

To their surprise, when they arrived at the Marquis of Huai'an's residence, they found that the Marquis of Huai'an, contrary to his usual behavior, was leading a group of servants to greet them at the gate.

Shen Wenqiu lowered the carriage curtain, looked down and muttered to himself, "There's a saying that if something is out of the ordinary, there must be something fishy going on. These people are probably up to no good."

They thought the whispers were quiet enough, but Jiang Heng had excellent hearing and could still hear them clearly.

He looked up at Shen Wenqiu, pondered for a moment, then reached out his hand to her and said, "Qiuqiu, we should get off the bus now."

Shen Wenqiu nodded and was about to get out of the car first to help Jiang Heng down.

But Jiang Heng stepped off the carriage first and turned to extend his hand to him.

"Qiuqiu, hand."

The Marquis of Huai'an, who was waiting at the door with a smile on his face, was stunned. He looked up at Jiang Heng, then at Shen Wenqiu, his mind filled with a thousand thoughts.

Shen Wenqiu had not expected Jiang Heng to do such a thing in public, leaving him momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

However, if we remain in this stalemate, it would be even more inappropriate and attract attention.

Shen Wenqiu gritted his teeth, put his hand on Jiang Heng's hand, and got off the carriage.

He kept his head down, becoming very reserved because of Jiang Heng's behavior.

Jiang Heng acted as if nothing had happened, pulled Shen Wenqiu to the Marquis of Huai'an, smiled at him, and said, "Qiuqiu and I are going home. We've troubled you to wait here, Your Excellency."

This sounds like a newlywed bride returning to her parents' home.

Shen Wenqiu couldn't help but mutter a few complaints in his heart.

The Marquis of Huai'an also felt strange, but he didn't say anything on the surface. He just smiled and welcomed Jiang Heng and Shen Wenqiu inside.

Upon arriving at the main hall, the Marquis of Huai'an performed all the proper courtesies, and then observed Jiang Heng's attitude towards the Marquis's residence and Shen Wenqiu.

After a moment's thought, he concluded that the Ninth Prince was on good terms with his son, whom he disliked. As for the Marquis's residence, he figured it was just a matter of how they would treat Shen Wenqiu.

If things go well, the Ninth Prince will be on good terms with the Marquis's family; if not, he will naturally not be friendly towards them.

After figuring this out, the Marquis of Huai'an changed his attitude towards Shen Wenqiu drastically, transforming from a terrible father to a loving father, which disgusted Shen Wenqiu so much that he wanted to stay far away from him.

Seeing Shen Wenqiu's resistance, Jiang Heng frowned and looked at the Marquis of Huai'an, then smiled and said, "Our Qiuqiu is shy, so we won't bother you, Marquis. I also want to see the place where he lived as a child."

After saying that, Jiang Heng pulled Shen Wenqiu away from the main hall.

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Huai'an was so frightened that he hurriedly chased after him.

Shen Wenqiu's former residence was dilapidated and could not possibly be shown to Jiang Heng.

What should he say if Jiang Heng smells it? What if Shen Wenqiu is unhappy, and Jiang Heng also dislikes him and says something to the Emperor?

Perhaps the Emperor has not completely let go of Jiang Heng's matter, but the Marquis of Huai'an's mansion is already a dying candle, and cannot afford to gamble.

"Your Highness, please wait!"

Marquis Huai'an ran up behind Jiang Heng and Shen Wenqiu and quickly called out to them.

Jiang Heng stopped and turned to look at the Marquis of Huai'an with Shen Wenqiu. He smiled in confusion and asked, "Is there something you need, Your Excellency?"

The Marquis of Huai'an chuckled twice, gave a wink to the servant beside him, and then said, "Your Highness, please sit for a while. Wenqiu's room has not been cleaned for a long time. Let the servants tidy it up first, and then we can go and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng looked coldly at the Marquis of Huai'an and said, "Oh? It hasn't been cleaned in a long time? But even if the master of this house isn't home, shouldn't the servants clean his room every day?"

Marquis Huai'an had no idea that Jiang Heng would launch such a challenge, and was immediately put in an extremely awkward position. He stammered and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Jiang Heng didn't give the Marquis of Huai'an time to think about how to respond, and only said, "Now that I'm here, what I want to see is the house where Qiuqiu used to live."

This was a clear warning to the Marquis of Huai'an not to try to fool him with a newly renovated house.

Shen Wenqiu doesn't seem likely to cause trouble on this kind of matter, so he'll probably just get away with it eventually.

Jiang Heng had investigated Shen Wenqiu from the very beginning and knew everything about his family situation.

Today's actions are merely a warning to Marquis Huai'an not to take advantage of the fact that Shen Wenqiu's mother has no family to rely on and that he is disliked in the mansion because of what happened back then, and not to treat him with disdain in every way.

Shen Wenqiu was seeing Jiang Heng like this for the first time, and was both surprised and somewhat familiar with his appearance.

He bore a striking resemblance in temperament to the masked man who had saved him that night.

But then Shen Wenqiu thought again that Jiang Heng had just come out of Yaoyue Palace at that time, and it was not certain whether he had been taken to the prince's residence. How could he have any relationship with that masked man?

The masked man rode a warhorse and moved freely during curfew. He had also secretly bought a house in the capital. No one seemed to have any connection with him.

Shen Wenqiu had read the original novel before. In the book, Jiang Heng was still a pitiful little thing at this time. It was only later that he gradually developed by relying on the remaining power of his uncle's family.

The only strange thing is what's happening right now...

After thinking for a moment, Shen Wenqiu smoothed things over for Jiang Heng.

He probably did it because he was Jiang Heng's study companion and happened to be there, so he used it to establish his authority.

Jiang Heng had no idea what Shen Wenqiu was thinking. He only saw Shen Wenqiu staring blankly into space, so he took the other's hand and gestured for the Marquis of Huai'an to lead the way to Shen Wenqiu's residence.

By the time Shen Wenqiu came to her senses, she had almost reached her own courtyard.

Inside the house, Aunt Qin was unaware of what had happened. She only knew that her son was coming home today, so she was tidying up at Shen Wenqiu's residence when suddenly there was a loud commotion outside, which sounded like a lot of people had arrived.

What happened?

Aunt Qin put down her work and went to the door, where she saw Shen Wenqiu, Jiang Heng, and the Marquis of Huai'an coming in a grand procession.

She didn't recognize Jiang Heng, but she did recognize Shen Wenqiu and the Marquis of Huai'an. The Marquis of Huai'an rarely came to Shen Wenqiu's residence in the past. She panicked for a moment and quickly went to greet him, cautiously asking the Marquis of Huai'an questions.

Aunt Qin looked anxious and timid, and asked, "My lord, why have you come here so suddenly today? Did Wen Qiu anger you again?"

Normally, Aunt Qin wouldn't say such things; she would always be timid and hesitant. But since Shen Wenqiu had finally come back, and she didn't know the situation, she mustered up the courage to ask.

When the Marquis of Huai'an saw that Consort Qin had actually come out and made her face in public, he was furious and was about to rebuke her.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Heng spoke first, pulling Shen Wenqiu forward, pushing past the Marquis of Huai'an, and looking at her with a smile, asking Shen Wenqiu, "Qiuqiu, is this your mother?"

Shen Wenqiu, unaware of Jiang Heng's intentions, nodded in agreement.

Aunt Qin was even more confused. She had never heard of Shen Wenqiu having any friends outside. Who was this person in front of her? Could it be that she met another young master when she was a study companion?

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Huai'an immediately came to his senses.

Jiang Heng brought Shen Wenqiu back today, perhaps to support Shen Wenqiu and Aunt Qin. If he were to express his dissatisfaction to Aunt Qin in public, the Ninth Prince might secretly sabotage him.

The Marquis of Huai'an's residence cannot withstand any more changes.

Marquis Huai'an squeezed through first, smiling as he said to Jiang Heng, "Wenqiu's mother is a housewife with nothing to do, and she tends to overthink things, which is why she asked that question earlier. I treat Wenqiu the best, and as soon as he came back, he told his mother that she must have been tidying up his room earlier."

Jiang Heng smiled and asked, "Auntie, are you cleaning up personally? Can't the Marquis of Huai'an's mansion afford servants?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Qin instinctively wanted to explain, lest she and Shen Wenqiu be scolded by the Marquis of Huai'an later.

Before she could speak, Shen Wenqiu grabbed her wrist and shook his head at her.

Upon hearing Jiang Heng's words, Marquis Huai'an broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly explained, "Of course not, Your Highness has misunderstood! This Concubine Qin dotes on her son and does everything herself; she loves her child!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Wenqiu sensed something was amiss and immediately looked at Jiang Heng, walking to his side and reassuringly taking his hand.

Without uttering a word, Jiang Heng immediately understood Shen Wenqiu's meaning.

For Jiang Heng, who has been reborn, the memory of losing his mother is far too distant.

If it were his past life, perhaps he would have felt some unease, but now... everything has been faded by time.

His goal is to live a better life in this life and make up for the regrets of his past life.

But Shen Wenqiu could immediately think of this...

It's really good.

very good.

Okay...

Jiang Heng wanted to keep him here forever.