Qi felt a pang of pity seeing her expression, but he didn't want to ruin everything. "It's absolutely true, and everything I told you is true. Prince Jing tried to kill Huo Jingsha several times but failed, so he wanted to target the most important person in his life and take him hostage. Prince Jing initially approached the leader, offering 50,000 taels of silver. The leader was almost tempted by this generous reward, but I persuaded him not to get involved between Huo Jingsha and Prince Jing, lest it bring about the destruction of the gang, and that's why he gave up the idea."
"If there are no helpers, how can Prince Jing's plan be implemented?" Shu Yao asked, puzzled.
"Although we refused, Huo Jingsha's ambition is too great. The Emperor has ordered him to take Prince Jing's head within a month to eliminate him completely. So he is willing to use you as bait to lure Prince Jing out. The ninth day of next month is the palace's Bathing Dust Festival. The Emperor allows all officials to attend with their families. Huo Jingsha will also bring you. In fact, they want to use this opportunity to lure Prince Jing out so they can catch him like a turtle in a jar. But Prince Jing is determined to get him and has a top-secret weapon. If you are captured by them, you will surely die."
"No, Jing Sha will definitely keep me safe. Even if he wants to use me as bait, he's sure he can keep me from getting hurt in the slightest." Shu Yao shook her head repeatedly, unable to believe that Huo Jing Sha would really send her to her death for her own promotion and wealth. But the tears that rolled down her cheeks betrayed her self-deception.
Qi raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "Shu Yao, he's the kind of person who'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. You should know that better than I do. Why stubbornly cling to someone who doesn't love you at all?"
"He loves me! He loves me! He also said he would never betray me!" Shu Yao slapped his hand away and angrily turned to leave.
"Shu Yao..." Qi didn't chase after her, but only called out to her back, "Go to Chengze Hutong and take a look. Maybe you'll believe it when you see it with your own eyes. And... I will always wait for you to say this, forever."
As for whether Shu Yao went to Chengze Hutong to confront him? No, she didn't have the courage. She was afraid that once the lie was exposed, her loving and happy relationship with Huo Jingsha would not be able to continue. She was too attached to his kindness and couldn't bear to part with his intoxicating tenderness. This was something she had earned through nine lifetimes of suffering. She didn't understand why God was treating her this way.
For the past year, she believed she was living in endless pampering. Because she trusted him, she never questioned what he was doing outside. It turned out he went out five or six times a month, keeping a mistress in a gilded cage. But... he clearly didn't even love the beautiful concubines in his harem, and he even offered the stunning beauty to the Emperor. This could only mean one thing: the woman he kept outside was truly special, so special that he was willing to break his principles and even betray her.
Shu Yao is still waiting, waiting for the ninth day of the month. If he really asks her to come along, then regardless of whether she comes back alive or not, she will not choose to continue being with him!
However, she miscalculated. Five days passed in agony, and Huo Jingsha did not appear until the ninth day of the lunar month. He had not returned home for three days, only instructing Xu Chang to come back and inform him that the master was investigating a case outside.
He's always investigating cases, investigating cases. Whenever he's not home, the excuse is always investigating a case. Can she hold him accountable? Can she forbid it? No! As his wife, she can never interfere with his work.
On the night of the eighth day, Shu Yao didn't sleep a wink. She sat in her bedroom waiting, but Huo Jingsha didn't show up. She couldn't help but wonder if he had changed his mind? Did he not want to use her as bait to lure Prince Jing out? Her mind was in turmoil. The next morning, after a quick breakfast, she decided to go for a stroll in the streets.
But unexpectedly, she ran into the concubine of the Vice Minister of Works, who exclaimed in surprise, "Eh? Madam Huo, didn't you go to the palace's Bathing Dust Festival with Lord Huo? What are you doing here?"
Shu Yao's heart skipped a beat, her lips trembled, and she asked, "Did Madam An see me? This morning?"
Madam An nodded. "It was just an hour ago, but I didn't actually see your face. I only saw Lord Huo leading a team of Imperial Guards out of the city, followed by a carriage. I inquired and found out that Lord Huo was taking you to the Bathing Dust Festival. I wanted to say a few words to you, but the Imperial Guards wouldn't allow it. They told me that the Lord and Madam were in a hurry, so they didn't let the caravan stop."
As the carriage passed by my sedan chair, I saw a woman's hand gently lift the curtain. I thought it was you greeting me, but the carriage sped away, and I didn't have time to see clearly. Since you didn't go with it, then…who was the woman in that carriage?”
"Ah... she's one of my husband's concubines in the backyard. I... I'm not feeling well and it's not suitable for me to soak in the hot spring, so I didn't go. It would be awkward for you to go alone without anyone to serve you, so I chose a concubine to come along." Shu Yao forced a smile and made up a reason, but she didn't even know what she was saying.
"I see," Madam An said, brushing her hair. "My sister is so virtuous. She can give up this activity that is only for husband and wife to others. If my husband would let me go, I would crawl to go. It's a pity... I am just a concubine."
Shu Yao gritted her teeth and listened to her complaints. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Madam An finally let her leave. Once the woman had returned to her sedan chair and was far away, she felt a sudden exhaustion and staggered, almost falling to the ground. Fortunately, Chunlu and Xia Hong beside her caught her in time.
"Madam, you must believe in the master. He must have had his reasons for doing this. He will give you an explanation when he returns in a few days." Xia Hong quickly comforted her when she saw that her face was pale.
“Yes, we servants have all witnessed the master’s affection for you. Don’t overthink it. Let’s wait for the master to return before discussing anything further,” Chunlu said.
Shu Yao's heart was churning, and the pain made her afraid to breathe too hard. But then she thought that what the two maids said made sense. Huo Jingsha didn't let her go with him because he didn't want her to go to her death. And did he bring another woman just to be her substitute so that he could resolve the crisis on Prince Jing's side?
Thinking of this, hope rekindled in her heart. At least her husband hadn't sacrificed her, had he? Now, all she could do was wait for him to return and find out the whole story. If he was just using a woman as a scapegoat, wouldn't it be wrong for her to doubt and resent him? And given his resourcefulness, it wasn't surprising that he could come up with such a method.
"Let's go back to the manor first!" she ordered. If Huo Jingsha was bringing her double, wouldn't it expose his scheme if she swaggered out on the street again?
Therefore, after returning to the Huo residence, she gave orders to the head steward to have people guard the front and back gates of the residence tightly. Before the lady returned to the residence, only entry was allowed and no exit was permitted. All servants were to keep their mouths shut and not spread the news that the lady was in the residence.
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