Chapter 30 Lujiang Beauty, you wouldn't be secretly using this as some kind of 'love token'...

Guo Jia noticed that his wife had been "away from home" lately.

She was even more enthusiastic about going to the Sikong Mansion than he was.

This is very wrong.

On this day, he even bumped into her standing behind Cao Cao, her slender fingers resting on the warlord's temples, gently massaging them!

Guo Jia's mind went blank, alarm bells rang in his head, and he rushed in, his eyes practically blazing with fury, to grab his wife and stand in front of her. He bowed and scraped before Cao Cao, apologizing profusely: "My lord, please forgive me! My wife's methods are crude and unsophisticated; she is truly unfit to massage your feet! If there has been any offense, I, Jia Wan, will be held responsible to the death!"

Cao Cao, interrupted from enjoying his meal, and seeing Guo Jia's guarded and anxious expression, couldn't help but sneer and say disdainfully, "Look at how stingy you are!"

Guo Jia bowed deeply in apology while pulling Deng Jie back hastily, explaining repeatedly, "It's true! It's true! Your Excellency is wise!"

Her technique was passable, but her strength was unsteady… What if she lost her temper? Wouldn't that be disrespectful to Your Excellency? Jia was terrified. He would take her back and discipline her properly!

He spoke rapidly, almost half-pushing Deng Jie out of the study before he could react, leaving behind Cao Cao's ambiguous snort.

He walked hurriedly until he was far away from the Sikong Mansion and entered a quiet alley, where Guo Jia suddenly stopped.

He released his grip and turned to face Deng Jie. The deliberate smile on his face had vanished, replaced by a calm anger as he looked at Deng Jie.

"What's wrong with you lately? You're always running to the Sikong Mansion, arriving earlier than me and returning later than me."

Today... today it has been returned to you, my lord..."

He clicked his tongue, feeling a tightness in his chest.

Deng Jie was a little confused by his pulling and changing expressions all the way, but now she found his exasperated look rather cute. She clung to his arm and blinked, saying, "Well, it's because Young Master Chong's health has been weak lately, so Madam Huan asked me to come and check on him more often."

Guo Jia glared at her: "Stop talking nonsense. I even ran into Young Master Chong today, who came to pay his respects to you. He's doing very well."

Seeing that he had been exposed, Deng Jie stuck out his tongue and pulled his hand away, but Guo Jia grabbed him and pressed him down, his eyes filled with danger, as he approached step by step: "Tell the truth, what exactly did you go to do?"

Let me tell you, you must not meddle in the internal affairs of the Minister of Works' residence.

Seeing his solemn expression, which carried a warning tone, Deng Jie couldn't help but ask in confusion, "What... what does this mean?"

Guo Jia pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, "Young Master Chong is exceptionally talented, and his virtue and intelligence far surpass those of his peers. Your Excellency... has decided to cultivate him."

"But what does that have to do with the inner quarters?" Deng Jie still didn't understand.

"I'm afraid... you're getting too close to Lady Bian or Lady Huan, and you'll get involved... which could easily draw in forces from outside the manor," Guo Jia patiently advised.

"W-Will this have any impact...?"

"Of course. You are my wife, and you represent my position in front of them."

Once I get involved in this kind of thing, others will naturally come in to compete for it.

“But isn’t Lady Bian the principal wife? It’s only natural that Young Master Pi is the eldest son. Does Lord Cao intend to…” Deng Jie tiptoed and whispered in his ear, “Depose the eldest son and establish the youngest?”

Guo Jia coughed lightly, his eyes flashing slightly, "Don't forget, there's also Madam Ding."

Seeing that Deng Jie didn't understand, he continued to explain, "As long as you, sir, are willing, he can register Young Master Chong under Madam Ding's name at any time."

Although Lord Ming advised Lady Ding to remarry, her younger sister was the wife of General Miaocai. Even if Lady Ding herself was willing, the Xiahou family would not allow it.

"But, won't Madam Huan have any objections?"

"In the past, King Zhuangxiang of Qin had two empress dowagers who were respected by the emperor. This was not an isolated case."

Deng Jie's heart skipped a beat, and he sighed, "No wonder Madam Bian is still so polite to Madam Ding..."

It turns out that everyone around me understands these things, while I am completely unaware, which makes me feel somewhat ashamed.

Seeing that she had realized what he meant, Guo Jia straightened up and said, "That's why you shouldn't keep going over there."

Deng Jie chuckled, "It's alright! To tell you the truth, I've actually been going to see Madam Du these past few days."

Guo Jia's tense nerves relaxed instantly, but then doubt arose again, "Madam Du?"

"It's just to help her mix some fragrance or make some tea."

Besides, she's recently become pregnant and finds Lang'er too noisy, so she had Madam Bian take him away. She's also short of people to talk to.

"There are many women in the household; who gave you the right to speak?"

Deng Jie proudly tilted his head back, "Of course! Madam Du loves to visit me. We're comrades-in-arms who fought against Lü Bu together, aren't we?"

She then looked at Guo Jia with ill intent, "'Little sisters'?"

When Guo Jia saw her bring it up again, he pinched her cheek and vented his anger: "Keep talking, keep talking! Let's see how your 'girlfriends' bully you tonight!"

Not to be outdone, Deng Jie retaliated by pinching his cheek, "Madam Du only treats me well, unlike you!"

Guo Jia snorted and let go, "She certainly has some tricks up her sleeve; she says she's pregnant and then she is."

Lu Bu stayed with her for several months and was perfectly fine.

Deng Jie's smile vanished instantly. Displeased with Guo Jia's gaze, she said sternly, "You know how difficult it is for a woman to live alone. How can you be so rude?"

Seeing her serious expression, Guo Jia immediately suppressed his harshness and bowed repeatedly in apology: "It was Jia who misspoke."

Seeing that Guo Jia's attitude in admitting his mistake was good, Deng Jie's expression softened.

She took Guo Jia's arm and led him towards home. As they walked, she enthusiastically brought up Madam Du again, chatting about tea and hairpins. Once she started talking, all she did was praise her beauty, kindness, and the perfect match between the items.

Guo Jia knows her too well.

She was completely infatuated with beauty and didn't even realize it herself.

When she first saw Xun Yu in Qiao County, she blurted out, "Mr. Wenruo is quite a beauty," completely ignoring the fact that he was more than ten years older than her.

Later, while guarding against a major epidemic at the medical hut, he could tell that the thirteen-year-old Zhuge Liang, who was accompanying his younger brother through his illness, was a "handsome young man," and used this to tease Guo Jia for not being as good as him.

Later, when he met Zhen at the Yuan residence, he stared at her with the same wide-eyed look. After returning to the post station, he still wanted to drag her along to sigh about how the beauty had been ruined by the Yuan family. He only reluctantly gave up when he heard that Yuan Xi was also a handsome young man.

"Alright, alright," Guo Jia interrupted her with a slight sigh, "I know you like her, so I just want you to be careful to avoid gossip."

As they were talking, they arrived home. Suddenly, Deng Jie seemed to remember something, broke free from his arm, and ran lightly into the bedroom.

"What's wrong?" Guo Jia followed behind her, watching her start rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

“I remember I once received a fine piece of jade!” Without turning her head, she carefully rummaged through the cabinet. “It was a green jade disc. I originally planned to give it to Ming’er when he was older…”

His voice dipped for a moment, then quickly rose again, "Anyway, it's just sitting there, and it's a shame to let it gather dust."

With Madam Du being so stunningly beautiful and Lang'er being so handsome, this child is sure to be a gorgeous young master!

The saying goes, "A gentleman is like jade," and a beautiful jade given to a beautiful woman—isn't that perfect?

Guo Jia felt helpless yet somewhat amused; she really cared about Madam Du quite a bit.

I shook my head slightly and went over to see what old things she had found.

His gaze swept over the old clothes, scattered gold ornaments, and worn-out needle cases, and suddenly he was drawn to something.

When Deng Jie shook out a few trinkets from the sleeve pocket of a folded old ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), half a white jade ring rolled out, making a crisp sound.

Guo Jia's heart stirred, and he took a few steps forward, bent down, and picked it up.

This half of the jade ring is flawless and of superior quality, with obvious chipping marks at the break.

"River"? !

This word, this jade... made Guo Jia pause. He gripped the broken piece of jade tightly and began to rummage through his old belongings.

"What are you looking for again?" Deng Jie asked, noticing that he was moving even more nimbly than she was, and the two of them were sorting through old things side by side.

Guo Jia took out an old garment stained with blood, pulled out a cloth bag from it, and inside was the other half of the white jade ring!

He gently placed the two pieces of jade together, and with a "click," they fit perfectly!

Deng Jie's eyes widened instantly as he stared at Guo Jia in disbelief: "You...how do you have this half?"

Guo Jia's expression was ambiguous, and with a hint of amusement, he asked in return, "Where did you get this half of it?"

Deng Jie's face flushed red instantly, her eyes darted around, and she looked embarrassed by her secret being exposed. Her voice became hesitant: "It was...it was...when I was studying medicine at the Shucheng Medical Clinic in the third year of Chuping...that I found it..."

Seeing her guilty look, Guo Jia suspected it wasn't just a simple matter of "finding" it. "Oh? How did you find it? And who dropped it?"

Seeing his expression, Deng Jie knew he couldn't hide it from him, so he confessed truthfully: "Back when I was studying medicine in Shucheng, a handsome young man always came to get medicine for my injuries..."

She paused, then softly hummed in agreement. "I was thinking, he's unharmed, yet he came all this time. Could it be... um... that he's interested in me?" She blushed as she spoke.

"However, the last time he came, he had just gotten his medicine when a dashing young man hurriedly pulled him away, shouting, 'This little injury is nothing to worry about.'"

She recalled, "It was around that time that the young man got so worked up that he knocked half of the jade ring from his waist onto the table. I thought it was pretty... so I... so I picked it up..."

Seeing her shifty expression, Guo Jia scoffed, "You wouldn't be secretly using it as a 'token of love,' would you?"

Deng Jie seemed to have his secret exposed and shouted, "No, how could that be! I don't even know their names!"

She pointed at Guo Jia's chest, "Then tell me, where did you come from?"

Guo Jia's lips curled slightly as he sneered, "Do you still remember when we ambushed Shouchun together in the first year of Xingping?"

"That's natural. You said you wanted to find a way to sow discord between Yuan Shu and Sun Ce, and delay Sun Ce's attack on Lujiang."

We stayed there for more than half a year.

Yes, that was right then.

Once I met a young master, and after spending half a day dealing with him, he used this half of a jade ring to attract my attention, stalling for time before running away.

Can you guess his name?

Deng Jie had a bad feeling, “...No, it couldn’t be Sun Ce himself, could it?!”

The dashing young man you mentioned earlier could very well be Sun Ce himself!

"What?!"

Deng Jie gasped in shock, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"We should have mixed poison into the wound medicine back then!"

The jade ring she had treasured for many years, carrying the secret fantasies of a young girl, turned out to be from the hands of the enemy who destroyed her home and slaughtered her relatives.

A surge of shame, anger, and resentment welled up in her chest. She snatched the jade ring and threw it out the window, but Guo Jia swiftly intercepted it.

"What's the rush? It's such a waste to throw it away."

Looking at Deng Jie's puffed-up face, he chuckled as if he had expected it, and kissed her cheek to comfort her: "Look at the two characters 'Lujiang,' they perfectly match the fact that we met and got engaged in Lujiang, and then, after many twists and turns, ended up in our hands. Isn't that a kind of destiny?"

He put the jade ring back together and held it up for Deng Jie to see, saying, "Consider this jade ring a congratulatory gift from Zhou Yu to us, a gift from heaven to celebrate our 'perfect match'!"

Deng Jie was taken aback by his fallacies and heresies. Looking at the jade ring that symbolized the place where they first met and their eventual "reunion" after going through hardships, the intense disgust in his heart was greatly diluted.

"You're the one who calls the shots with your fallacies and heresies."

She chuckled and muttered to herself, turning her head to gaze at her husband's profile, which was slightly illuminated by the light from the window. She unconsciously moved closer, a warm feeling flowing through her heart.

He always found ways to comfort himself and build a real home for her.

Guo Jia turned his head and responded to Deng Jie's ardent gaze with tender affection, unusually patiently waiting for her to come to him on her own.

The next day, Guo Jia found a jade craftsman who drilled holes in each of the two halves of the ring, strung them together with a red string, and hung them next to the ugly cat's medicine pouch, making them a token of affection.

A note from the author:

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