Chapter 69 When the snow clears, I just want to hold a little more weight in your heart...

"What do you want?"

Jiang Yunjin did not lean down again. He lightly touched her nose with the tip of his nose, then pulled back a little so that he could see her expression.

Cui Yiluo looked away, her voice muffled: "I don't want to talk about it."

"You still don't believe me." Jiang Yunjin's eyes darkened, and the chill in his voice seemed to be blown away by the wind: "Is he really that good, so much better than me?"

If it were in the past, she would never have imagined that Jiang Yunjin would one day be so obsessed with competing with others.

Cui Yiluo took a deep breath and looked up to meet his complicated and sore eyes: "Then tell me, if you really never treated me as a pawn, why did you use contraceptive?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yunjin paused, fell silent, and gently pursed his lips.

Seeing his evasive manner, Cui Yiluo's heart sank again. She tried to push away his hand that was trapped around her waist, but he remained unmoved. So she stubbornly tightened her grip even more.

His arms finally loosened a little, and Cui Yiluo had just slipped away slightly when his arms tightened again, and he pulled her back into his arms.

Cui Yiluo struggled angrily, but her wrists were bound by his other hand. Suddenly, he spoke.

“I just don’t want them to threaten you with the children.”

Cui Yiluo's struggling movements suddenly stopped, and she looked at him in disbelief: "What did you say?"

Jiang Yunjin loosened his grip on her wrist, gently stroking it with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, as if he hadn't intended to tell her about it.

He said slowly, "Xiao Zheng and his group have been waiting for an opportunity to act, but they can't find your weakness right now. If we have a child, it won't be difficult for them to use it to control you."

Cui Yiluo never imagined that Jiang Yunjin would use contraceptives for this reason.

Her voice was somewhat unsteady, and her expression was blank. "Is that what you think?"

He looked serious and said solemnly, "I will not allow anyone to threaten you, not even our children."

Suddenly, she could no longer hear the wind chimes outside the window, and looked at him with complicated eyes: "Don't you care about your offspring? You're not young anymore."

He's already twenty-two. Would he really disregard the well-being of the Jiang family and the prosperity of their lineage for her sake? All along, he's been diligent in his official duties, working day and night, all to bring glory to the Jiang family. How could he be so reckless for her sake? Doesn't he ever think about himself?

Jiang Yunjin's lips curled slightly, a hint of self-mockery mixed with helplessness: "In your eyes, am I just that old-fashioned?"

Cui Yiluo looked directly at her and retorted, "Isn't that right?"

So rigid that it's only allowed once a night, or even just one style, it's incredibly boring.

His eyes darkened with displeasure, and his fingers caressed her wrist. Suddenly, he touched something or changed his pressure, and Cui Yiluo felt a tingling sensation rise from her wrist, which then traveled throughout her body.

She bit her lip in suppressed emotion.

But as if determined to defy her, he lowered his face and kissed her lips again: "Don't worry about my health."

Cui Yilu felt that there was something hidden in his words. Recalling the absurdity of the past five days, her chest heaved again, and she glared at him angrily.

But her vivid expression of anger made the man's breathing quicken.

He swept her up in his arms, and with a sudden dizziness, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her toward the bed. Cui Yiluo instinctively struggled, thinking he was about to go crazy again.

"Let me go!"

But instead of pressing her down on the couch, he sat on it and let her sit on his lap. Before Cui Yilu could react, he pulled her into his arms again.

She frowned in confusion. Wasn't he the one who hated it most when she sat on his lap? He would always pinch her waist and not allow her to dawdle, wishing he could push her off immediately. Why was he making her sit on his lap every day these past few days, as if he wanted to stay close to her even when they were sitting?

He's really crazy, she thought.

"Then can you tell me now, what are you looking for Yuan Ling to retrieve?"

His hand, with its distinct knuckles, pressed against her cheek, making her turn to face him, not allowing her a moment's escape.

Jiang Yunjin fixed his eyes on her face, his gaze direct and intense. Cui Yiluo instinctively tried to look away from his gaze, but the hand on her cheek immediately tightened, forcing her to look at him.

She had no choice but to say, "A roster."

Jiang Yunjin frowned and immediately began to think of any clues related to the "roster".

Cui Yiluo took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "The list of those who accompanied the emperor on his southern tour in the third year of Yongming."

Jiang Yunjin suddenly looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes, "You're investigating what happened back then? Why didn't you come looking for me..."

Cui Yiluo's smile was sarcastic.

Sure enough, Jiang Yunjin didn't continue, pursing her lips: "Don't look for him anymore."

Cui Yiluo smiled, her hands moving upwards to hook around his neck. Her sudden initiative startled him.

She looked distressed: "What should I do? I made a deal with him."

The hand around his waist tightened instantly, his face darkened, his voice turned cold and urgent: "A deal? What conditions did you promise him?"

"What, are you going to chase me all the way to Jiangnan?"

Jiang Yunjin remained silent, but a sharp, ruthless glint appeared in his eyes, as if a storm was brewing.

"He hasn't thought it through yet, so I haven't agreed to anything for him."

Cui Yiluo added slowly.

Jiang Yunjin's hand, which was gripping her waist, suddenly loosened its grip, the storm in his eyes subsided, and he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

He lowered his head and kissed her lips before saying, "If you want to know what happened back then, I can tell you."

Cui Yiluo raised her eyebrows slightly, and he pursed his thin lips as if to explain: "I was just afraid that you wouldn't be able to accept it before."

Cui Yiluo chuckled, looking at him with interest: "So, in your eyes, I'm that fragile."

I don't want you to feel bad.

Cui Yiluo was taken aback. She was just teasing him, so why did he always explain things to her so seriously and rigidly? There was no fun in it at all. She felt a pang in her heart, and instinctively looked away, avoiding his gaze, and said sullenly, "Then you tell me."

He hugged her tighter, his cautious manner amusing Cui Yiluo. She had already anticipated this, and had no expectations of her, so why would she be upset about it?

He slowly said, "He wants to give you the list because there is someone on it."

Cui Yiluo frowned, then suddenly realized: "Uncle?"

Jiang Yunjin nodded slightly.

Cui Yiluo unconsciously dug her fingers into her palm. No wonder her aunt always felt a vague sense of guilt towards her, and even though she was far away in the capital, she always remembered and cared for her.

The night she secretly begged her aunt to help her break off her marriage with Cheng Feng, her aunt was so sad and guilty after refusing. So that's how it was... Her aunt was also involved in what happened back then. And not long after Consort Qiong entered the palace, her uncle was promoted to Minister of Revenue.

"So she met the Emperor through her uncle?"

Jiang Yunjin gently pried open her fingers, which were clenched into his palm, and slowly said, "I don't know the details either. I only know that Consort Qiong accidentally fell into the water and happened to encounter His Majesty's ship on his southern tour. His Majesty fell in love with her at first sight and left her on the ship to find someone to treat her. But after Consort Qiong woke up, she forgot what happened before."

Jiang Yunjin fell silent at this point.

Cui Yiluo's mind went blank for a moment. "She doesn't remember?"

Jiang Yunjin looked at her, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something but stopping himself. In the end, he said nothing and only gave a soft "hmm".

Cui Yiluo lowered her eyes, and after a long while, she spoke softly, "That's fine too."

Forget her weak and incompetent husband, her humble background, and the bitter days of the past. It's better this way.

Jiang Yunjin took her cold hand and held it firmly. He continued, "Because she had forgotten her past and her husband held a low-ranking official position, she rarely had the opportunity to appear in public. Everyone thought she was just an ordinary commoner, so His Majesty took her in. By the time His Majesty learned that she was his wife, Consort Qiong was already pregnant."

Cui Yiluo's thoughts returned: "So His Majesty fabricated the appearance that she drowned."

Cui Qi, being of mediocre ability, naturally failed to recognize that the indistinct corpse was not his wife. Therefore, everyone assumed that her mother was dead, and no one would believe that the favored Consort Qiong in the palace was once the wife of an unknown and incompetent minor official.

Jiang Yunjin gave a soft "hmm".

What happened after that is self-evident. Consort Qiong had already become pregnant with Xiao Zheng during her southern tour, which is why the Chu family girl "gave birth prematurely" after only eight months in the palace.

She and Xiao Zheng were only one year apart in age.

Cui Yiluo suddenly sensed something was wrong and asked again, "But how does Xiao Zheng know these things?"

Consort Qiong has forgotten the past. Only the Emperor and the important ministers who accompanied the Emperor on his southern tour back then know about these things. They must be keeping it a secret. How could Xiao Zheng know?

"Xiao Zheng is meticulous, and after Consort Qiong gave birth to the seventh prince, he became even more cautious and suspicious. It is not surprising that he sensed something was wrong and sent people to investigate secretly."

Cui Yiluo nodded, and then Jiang Yunjin continued, "If your identity is exposed, His Majesty will not make a mistake. In the eyes of the people, either Consort Qiong is deceiving the Emperor, or the Chu family is deceiving the Emperor, which is why he is so anxious. However, he dares not touch you right now. These days, he has lost the support of his ministers in court and is too busy to deal with everything. But you still need to take guards with you when you go out. You should at least tell me where you went?"

Cui Yiluo directly pulled her hand out of his palm, a half-smile on her face: "Didn't my husband have been sending people to follow me? Why do I have to tell my husband?"

Jiang Yunjin's expression darkened. "During that period, you saw him so frequently."

"Now you know that I have absolutely no connection with him."

Cui Yiluo couldn't understand why Jiang Yunjin suspected there was something between her and Yuan Ling, even going so far as to say something like "abandon me for him." Aside from his direct rejection, he had always been her only target. Why would Jiang Yunjin think this way? Could it be because on the night she was under the spell, Yuan Ling happened to be nearby when he arrived?

Before Cui Yilu could figure it out, he bit her lip again, with a hint of anger in his eyes.

Cui Yiluo angrily pushed him away, "What are you doing now!"

She didn't understand why he had suddenly become angry again. He was not only unruly now, but his moods were also unpredictable.

Although she pushed against his chest, Jiang Yunjin remained unmoved, still holding her steadily on his lap.

His gaze was fixed on her eyes, and he pressed her aggressively, "Then why did you burn my letter? Why did you go to Qingzhou?"

Cui Yiluo was taken aback, not expecting that after talking for so long, Jiang Yunjin would still remember these two things. But the next moment, Cui Yiluo remembered what her mindset was when she burned the letter, and how she decided to go to Qingzhou. She bit her lip and turned her face away with a bit of annoyance, but she knew that she was not angry with him, but angry with herself for being led by his emotions.

But as soon as she turned her face away, he moved closer. Out of the corner of her eye, she could still see his eyes staring intently at her, as if trying to see through her. This penetrating gaze made Cui Yilu extremely uneasy.

"You think I'm not happy about marrying someone else, don't you?"

He was indeed astute.

His words pierced Cui Yiluo's heart like a sharp sword. Cui Yiluo leaned back, distancing herself from him, and asked, "What does this have to do with me?"

The next moment, he covered her and kissed her passionately. As if he had anticipated that she would push against his chest, he skillfully grabbed her wrist and pressed it against his chest, kissing her deeply as he continued to kiss her.

She placed her hands on his chest and felt his heart tremble.

His expression, which clearly defined her as someone who was jealous and delighted, made Cui Yilu extremely frustrated. The more she tried to back away, the more tightly he pursued her. Finally, she lost her balance and fell onto the couch. He didn't let go, pressing her down beneath him and pulling her deeper and deeper into the quilt. No matter how much Cui Yilu bit him, he wouldn't let go.

Her defiant sobs were swallowed up, only a few faint whimpers escaped.

She gradually succumbed to the waves, instinctively responding to his seduction for a moment, and he surged even more fiercely towards her.

It wasn't until she felt a chill that Cui Yiluo suddenly came to her senses and pushed him away forcefully.

"I don't want to. Aren't five days enough? Jiang Yunjin, what about your rules?"

He used to adhere to the rule of only once a night, and he couldn't even touch her during the day. But now he brazenly unbuttoned her nightgown. And the absurdity of the past five days was almost beyond Cui Yiluo's imagination. She felt like she was being torn apart by him, and her whole body was covered with his marks, especially her chest.

She almost suspected that he had been possessed.

Jiang Yunjin didn't continue, but looked into the deep depths of her eyes: "Haven't you always wanted to see me like this?"

She loved to seduce and toy with him, watching him lose all reason and be completely defeated.

Cui Yiluo was caught off guard and speechless for a moment. In the end, she could only glare at him angrily and say, "No matter what, I don't want to have another half month like this."

Knowing how indulgent she had been these past five days, Jiang Yunjin didn't say anything more. He carefully helped her tie her nightgown neatly and then helped her up.

He suppressed the lust rising in his eyes. Cui Yiluo lowered her eyes and smiled slightly.

He calmed himself down for a few moments before asking, "Shall we return to the manor together after the meal?"

Cui Yiluo recalled that just a few days ago she had said goodbye to Old Madam Jiang, saying she was going to Qingzhou to visit relatives, and that Wang Yuheng had moved into Yuzhu Courtyard. She wondered how Jiang Yunjin had handled it. She hesitated for a moment, and then her hand was suddenly pulled up and placed on the man's chest.

His palms trembled, and his expression was extremely serious: "I know you don't believe me so easily, but if something like this happens again in the future, you should at least give me a chance, shouldn't you?"

Cui Yiluo felt a jolt in her heart, as if she were experiencing the same tremor as the chest of the man she was pressing her palm against.

Before she could answer, she heard his deep voice resonating in her ear.

He pursed his lips: "A-Luo, I just want to hold a little more weight in your heart."

His heart pounded even harder as he held her hand in his. Cui Yiluo was stunned, her palms went numb, and she forcefully pulled her hand out of his grasp.

"My husband has become so unruly these days."

She felt even more shameless than before; it was utterly unbelievable that he could overwhelm her with his advances.

A slight smile appeared in Jiang Yunjin's eyes. He didn't press her for an answer and went outside to instruct the servants to prepare the meal.

He seemed to have finally been appeased, no longer venting as recklessly as he had in the past few days, and no longer forcibly holding her while eating.

After returning to the Jiang residence after her meal, she met Lilan and learned that after Jiang Yunjin took her away that day, he had brought her back to the Jiang residence as soon as he heard the news.

"Young lady, where have you been these past few days? What has the young master done to you?"

That day, Jiang Yunjin suddenly led a group of people to stop the carriage. Lilan was shocked, but she was stopped by Wenfeng and could only watch helplessly as Jiang Yunjin took the people away.

Cui Yilu shook her head, telling Lilan not to worry, "I've been in Qingchi Lane these past few days."

Hearing this, Lilan felt relieved and said, "Miss, when I returned to the Jiang residence that day, I heard that before the eldest young master stopped you, he went back to the residence. After hearing that Miss Wang had moved into the Jade Bamboo Courtyard, he sent her directly back to the old lady's courtyard and took back the account book you gave me."

Cui Yiluo only knew that Jiang Yunjin had resolved the matter, but she did not expect that as soon as he returned to the manor, before he could stop her on the way to Wanglonggang, he would end the matter so decisively and without any mercy.

Seeing the surprise flash in Cui Yiluo's eyes, followed by her lowering her gaze in thought, Lilan understood a bit more. "Miss, you've returned to the manor. Have you reconciled with the eldest young master?"

Although she knew that Jiang Yunjin had stopped her and her servant, and that they would not be able to leave, she understood the situation because her young lady returned to the manor calmly, not as if she had been forced into it.

Cui Yiluo gave a soft "I guess so".

However, she didn't know what to do about the requests he made later, but fortunately he wasn't as crazy as he was a few days ago, insisting that she agree to them.

Lilan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "That's good. You've been unhappy these past few days. With the end of the year approaching and your birthday coming up after the New Year, please don't be unhappy anymore."

It turned out that Lilan had also figured it out, and probably didn't want her to worry, so the two of them tacitly avoided mentioning it to each other.

Cui Yilu smiled and said, "Don't worry."

In the following days, Cui Yiluo took over the Jiang family's accounts and was even busier than when she first took over the eldest branch. However, perhaps because of the indulgence of those days, Jiang Yunjin also became much more restrained. Although the emperor granted him leave, he still had to finish up the affairs in Yunzhou and was often not at home.

However, when he was in the study in the mansion, he wanted Cui Yiluo to move the account books to the study to look at them, but Cui Yiluo refused directly. He didn't say anything, and he behaved himself at night, showing no trace of the crazy behavior he had shown in the past five days.

Except that he must hold her while he sleeps.

Seemingly afraid that Old Madam Jiang would make things difficult for her, he accompanied her to pay her respects during the day. With Jiang Yunjin present, Old Madam Jiang naturally wouldn't say anything to her, only casually informing her that she was back before falling silent. However, Cui Yiluo was still somewhat surprised that Old Madam Jiang had so readily agreed to let her take over the Jiang family.

It wasn't until Jiang Yunjin's leave ended and he returned to court, and she went to pay her respects alone, that she gleaned some clues from Old Madam Jiang's words.

“Since Shenzhi has chosen you, even at the cost of violating filial piety, to hand over the accounting office to you, I am old and should be enjoying my retirement. You young and impetuous people have nothing to object to.”

Cui Yiluo looked at the begonia flower pattern embroidered on her sleeve, pretending not to understand Old Madam Jiang's sarcastic remarks.

She had no reaction, and Old Madam Jiang had no interest in continuing the conversation. She could only say, "But Cui, don't let your childhood friendship with Shenzhi make you forget your limits. The Jiang family has a lot of business, so you should put more effort into it."

Cui Yiluo's gaze, which was quietly tracing the begonia pattern on her sleeve, suddenly paused.

Childhood friendship? When did she and Jiang Yunjin have a childhood friendship?

Author's Note: Notice: Congratulations to player [Jiang Yunjin]! Your target [Cui Yiluo]'s affection level towards you has increased! [Red Heart][Yellow Heart]

Is the sweetness level satisfactory? [Sunglasses]

Is it almost the end of the month? The nutrient solution will expire if we don't add it soon (subtle hint) [doge emoji]