Paying respects
"Girl, you're finally back."
Xiuhe and others waited at the entrance of the main hall. When they saw Li Wan return, they hurriedly went to greet her.
"With such heavy snow, where did the girl go? Why are her clothes all wet?"
Xiuhe patted the snowflakes off Li Wan's body while whispering.
"Madam was waiting for you at the banquet, and she seemed somewhat displeased."
"I know," Li Wan replied absentmindedly, and went inside to sit down next to Zou Shi.
Madam Zou's expression was serious. "Don't wander around other people's residences. If you offend someone important, you might give them something to talk about."
“My daughter knows.”
Ms. Zou looked around and lowered her voice, "Who did you go out with? I just heard..."
Zou's words were interrupted by the old woman who came into the room to deliver the message. The old woman spoke to Madam Lin with a solemn expression.
Madam Lin's expression changed instantly, but as the matriarch of a prominent family, she quickly gave a few instructions to the old woman and then regained her smile.
"Something must have gone wrong," Zou said silently.
Throughout the birthday banquet, Li Wan did not speak to anyone, but several girls glanced at her curiously.
"Miss Jiang, please wait."
When Li Wan was in the carriage at Shangjiang Prefecture, a maid called her over, and then a beautiful and noble woman with a gold and jade hairpin came over.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Madam Zou quickly introduced her with a smile: "This is the youngest daughter of the Grand Secretary, Princess Qiongying."
Li Wan curtsied and said, "Greetings, Princess Qiongying."
Princess Qiongying carefully examined her before speaking: "It's cold and snowing heavily. Miss Jiang isn't feeling well, so you should be careful and avoid wandering around in courtyards or on paths."
Her words were so blunt that even Mrs. Zou was stunned and didn't know what to say in response.
Li Wan was exhausted both physically and mentally today and was too lazy to deal with her, so she said, "Is the county princess afraid that I might encounter someone in the courtyard or on the road? Please tell me, so that I can take a detour if I meet him in the future."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Zou Shi forcefully pulled Li Wan behind her.
"Please don't hold my daughter against me, Your Highness. She's just naive and doesn't know how to speak properly."
Without even glancing at Zou Shi, Qiong Ying pointed at Li Wan and turned to get into the carriage.
Back at the Jiang residence, Madam Zou's face was practically purple with embarrassment.
"That Princess Qiongying is the youngest daughter of the current Grand Secretary Chen, who is most beloved by the emperor. Her Majesty bestowed upon her the title of Princess Qiongying at birth. How dare you openly defy her today?"
Seeing that Li Wan remained silent, she continued, "Also, did you leave the banquet hall with that Miss Xu today? Do you know that all the ladies are talking about how the concubine the Vice Minister of Rites took years ago was actually from a brothel?"
"When the banquet ended, I heard that Miss Xu committed suicide by hitting her head against the wall at the Lin residence because she couldn't bear the shame of her biological mother's status. It's good that you came back first."
Upon hearing this, Li Wan felt as if she could see Xu Yin'er dying tragically in front of her again.
She lowered her eyes and said, "Mother, I'm tired. I'm going back to my room." Then she turned and left.
The snow stopped at night.
Li Wan lay on the warm, spring-like bed, her mind in turmoil.
She had oversimplified everything. The defeat in her previous life, the loss of 120,000 soldiers, and Xie Qi being falsely accused when he actually died on the battlefield—there must have been a huge conspiracy behind all of this.
She spends her days secluded in her chambers; how could she possibly dream of defying fate?
Add to that the fourth prince, who is like a demon, and Jiang Feiwan must have some very important leverage over him, which is why he can blackmail her so recklessly.
Forcing her to marry Xie Qi would be tantamount to sending her to be a spy for Xie Qi.
It's no wonder that Xie Qi can't get anything good out of him.
Li Wan turned over in frustration. It was a dead end, a dead end. No matter what she did, it was a dead end.
She looked up and suddenly saw the celadon vase beside the couch. She reached out and took out the white jade pendant. The crystal-clear jade pendant was smooth and delicate from being rubbed.
Jiang Feiwan, you are being threatened by the Fourth Prince to get close to Xie Qi, while you are also hiding Xie Qi's jade pendant. Is it pretense or sincerity? Are you also tossing and turning in bed countless nights?
Li Wan's eyes stung with tears. Why couldn't there be a way to have the best of both worlds?
etc!
Li Wan sat up with a swift movement, wondering why Xie Qi always had to be placed on the opposite side of her!
In his previous life, his soldiers died, and he died too, so he was the one who least wanted the tragedy to happen four years later.
This perfectly aligns with her goal.
She's working herself to the bone to save his soldiers and his life, while Xie Qi is still happily playing the role of a powerful minister. Why should he?
Furthermore, the Fourth Prince forced her to get close to Xie Qi, but she originally wanted to start by investigating the truth through Xie Qi!
Therefore, the best solution is to marry Xie Qi, investigate the truth by his side, and work with him to prevent the defeat.
He was in the imperial court, so everything was easier for him than for her, a young woman confined to her chambers.
Li Wan put the jade pendant back into the celadon bottle, her fingers tracing the plum blossom carving on the bottle.
She murmured, "Jiang Feiwan, you must be willing to marry Xie Qi, but I am not you. I miss my father, mother, and brother. I want to go back to my life on the border."
“I also have a sweetheart named Lu Liang. He is the strongest man in our village. He went to the army and said that he would come back to marry me after he has made great achievements.”
"I can only stay by Xie Qi's side for four years. After the Battle of Yugu Pass, I will have to go back to Niutian Village to wait for Brother A Liang... I don't know if he likes your appearance."
"If there were still an Awan in Niutian Village, I would snatch Brother Aliang away..."
The winter nights were long and quiet, and Li Wan drifted off to sleep amidst her rambling thoughts.
The following day, snow covered the capital city, and the glazed tiles of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion gleamed brightly in the sunlight.
In the study of Zhenyun Hall, Xie Qi sat behind a rosewood desk, his slender fingers resting on his temples, listening casually to the people below discussing matters.
Yan Xu, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, glanced at Xie Qi discreetly and asked cautiously, "My lord, His Highness the Crown Prince intends to promote Li Meng to the position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards. What do you think?"
Minister Jiang of the Ministry of War, who often served Xie Qi alongside Shen Jie, was a rough man who spoke bluntly. "We've only just taken over the Imperial Guards, and the Crown Prince is already eager to send people in. What, is he afraid that if Minister Xie commands the Imperial Guards alone, he won't get any benefits?"
"Jiang Huai!" Shen Jie glared at Jiang Huai, signaling him to watch his words.
Xie Qi casually leaned back in his armchair. "In order to deal with Ji Cheng'an, His Highness the Crown Prince went so far as to get injured and use a self-inflicted injury as a ruse. He only wanted to promote one of his men to the rank of deputy commander. If I didn't accept, wouldn't I be petty?"
Yan Xu was secretly startled. Xie Qi, as the eldest son of the Xie family, a prominent clan, appeared refined and elegant on the surface, but after getting to know him, one would realize that he was ruthless and extremely cunning. It would be extremely difficult to gain any advantage from him. Why was he being so easy to talk to today?
However, since Lord Xie agreed, he could also report back to the Crown Prince, so he cupped his hands and said, "Yes, Lord Xie."
After Yan Xu left, Jiang Huaifang asked gruffly, "Sir, are we really going to appoint the Crown Prince's man as deputy commander?"
Xie Qi sneered, "That guy named Li Meng could be the Crown Prince's man before he became the Deputy Commander, but after he becomes the Deputy Commander, he has to be my man. If he agrees, he can continue as Deputy Commander; if he doesn't agree, then prepare a death-in-the-line compensation for him."
"Yes." Jiang Huai felt inexplicably at ease; this was the Lord Xie he knew.
Shen Jie stepped forward. “There is one more thing. The Minister of War has been suffering from a serious illness for a long time. His eldest son sent someone to ask whether he should continue to keep him alive.”
Xie Qi glanced at the secret report sent from the palace on the table and said, "Since he is ill and unable to bear it, let him go to the Pure Land as soon as possible."
Jiang Huai chuckled, "Finally, I don't have to worry about that old guy anymore."
Just as Shen Jie was about to glare at him again, the voice of Butler Tian came from the doorway.
"Young Master, someone has delivered a visiting card and wishes to see you. The servants are waiting in front of the mansion."
Xie Qi frowned. Generally, officials and people in the palace who wanted to see him would send their visiting cards to the Ministry of War. Very few people would come to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence to see him directly.
"Enter."
After Tian Fu entered, he bent down and handed over the visiting card.
Xie Qi opened it and was immediately struck by the words on it. How could anyone's handwriting be so ugly? It looked like a child trying to write an adult's handwriting, completely incongruous.
However, he had seen her handwriting before, and this visiting card was not in her own handwriting.
He endured the discomfort and finished reading, his gaze lingering on the three characters 'Jiang Feiwan' for a few moments.
"She personally delivered the invitation?"
Tian Fu bowed. "Yes, Miss Jiang didn't even wear a veil or hat, and said she had something to discuss with you, sir."
Shen Jie and Jiang Huai exchanged a glance. The eldest daughter of the Minister of Revenue openly paid homage to the Vice Minister of War, which seemed perfectly normal, but something just felt off.
Xie Qi closed the visiting card, his well-defined index finger lightly tapping it. "Take her to the front hall."
"yes."
Li Wan was taken to the front hall of the Marquis's residence, while Xiu Zhu waited outside.
Shortly after the servants served tea and snacks, Xie Qi entered.
Li Wan looked up at him. Despite the harsh winter weather, he was only wearing a black brocade robe with gold cloud patterns, and a wide black gold belt around his waist. As he walked, the hem of his robe surged like dark clouds, exuding a powerful aura.
Looking at herself, she was wrapped tightly in an extremely thick, light blue embroidered cloak up to her neck, leaving only her small face exposed, like a curled-up little rabbit.
Realizing she had lost her composure before even speaking, she quickly straightened her back, stood up, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency."
Xie Qi lifted his robe and sat down in the high-ranking armchair, a slight smile playing on his lips, and pointed to the tea and snacks beside Li Wan.
"Why didn't Miss Jiang have any tea or snacks? Don't worry, there's no drug in the tea that's meant for animals."
Sensing his implied meaning, Li Wan blushed guiltily, "Why does my lord still hold a grudge? We agreed that the matter of me jumping off the building would be forgotten."
As Li Wan spoke, her eyes involuntarily swept down to his waist and abdomen, and instantly, her cheeks turned even redder.
Xie Qi naturally thought of what happened that day, and coughed lightly, "I wonder what brings Miss Jiang to my residence today to discuss with me?"
Li Wan looked at him, her dark eyes revealing helplessness. "My lord, I've encountered a problem and really don't know what to do, so I've come to you for help."
Xie Qi raised an eyebrow. "I've only met Miss Jiang twice. Why are you so sure I'll help you?"
"But this difficult matter is related to adults."
Xie Qi looked at her without saying a word.
Li Wan curled her fingers and asked, "Does Lord Xie have a grudge against the Fourth Prince?"
Xie Qi glanced at her slightly reddened fingers, "Why does Miss Jiang ask such a question?"
"The Fourth Prince exploited my weakness and forced me to seduce... get close to the Lord in order to gather intelligence for him."
“I think he must want to deal with you, but he can’t beat you openly, so he sent me to your side as a spy to find an opportunity to bring you down.”
Xie Qi's fingers, with slightly bulging veins, rested casually on the armrest of the armchair as he quietly watched her.
Li Wan turned to face him completely in the chair.
"My lord, I chose to confess this matter to you because I know you are a good official and I do not want to help the wicked. However, I am afraid of the power and methods of the Fourth Prince, so I came to you for help."
Xie Qi lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, "Not stupid at all, you made the right choice."
When Li Wan saw him smile, she thought to herself, "So, my lord has agreed to help me?"
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