"Your Highness, I am guilty! I deserve to die!"
Xie Ze prostrated himself before Helian Jue, showing none of the composure he had displayed in the capital.
He also showed no trace of the arrogance of someone from a prominent family.
At this moment, he was like a lowly person who was afraid of death, pleading desperately for a chance to survive.
"Your Highness should not have been humiliated by offering a substitute marriage!"
"And Your Highness the Princess Consort, I should not have treated her poorly..."
Without Helian Jue even needing to remind him, Xie Ze readily admitted his mistake.
Neither Helian Jue nor Xie Yuan, who was sitting beside him, showed any satisfaction.
Instead, the couple frowned simultaneously.
That's all?
It's all old, trivial stuff, completely worthless!
Cui Boyong guessed that Xie Ze had another job in Yuezhou, and that the Sage or the Fourth Prince (more accurately, the Fifth Prince behind the Fourth Prince) must have given him "special privileges".
For example, a certain degree of military power.
Another example is a secret edict for handling special cases.
Xie Ze did not reveal any of these details.
He came ostensibly to surrender, but in reality, he's just putting on an act, deliberately feigning weakness. (Reading...)
Of course, he was probably also afraid, afraid that Helian Jue would deal with him casually.
Anyway, it's a "popular rebellion." The governor of Yuezhou is dead, so it's perfectly normal for a newly appointed magistrate of Hexian County to die as well.
But despite his fear, Xie Ze probably wasn't terrified to the extreme.
Therefore, he still held back in front of Helian Jue.
Helian Jue and Xie Yuan exchanged a silent glance, and the couple nodded slowly.
"Hmph, at least you know what's good for you!"
Helian Jue feigned arrogance, his tone smug.
Xie Ze's head was buried deep in the ground, making it impossible for him to see Helian Jue's expression.
However, hearing Helian Jue's tone of voice, his anxiety eased slightly.
Helian Jue was willing to spare him this time.
Xie Ze felt relieved, but also somewhat smug.
I was right after all. With a simple kneel, I settled my old scores with Helian Jue and his wife.
Later, I'll be a little more shameless and have a proper chat with that brat Xie Yuan.
Regardless, I am the head of the Xie family, and Xie Yuan is a relative.
In today's society, where family ties are highly valued, married women still need their maternal family.
Xie Ze didn't believe that Xie Yuan would really break completely with the Xie family.
Of course, there was indeed a grudge between Xie Ze and Xie Yuan.
But he had already returned most of Xie Yuan's assets back then.
Xie Yuan didn't suffer any loss in the matter of being forced into a marriage in lieu of marriage.
If it weren't for the substitute marriage, Xie Yuan wouldn't be able to become the esteemed Princess Consort of Yue, would she?
Thinking about all this, Xie Ze felt even more that he did not owe Xie Yuan anything.
With his kneeling and apology, all grudges should be settled!
Xie Yuan: ...You're dreaming!
On the matter of a substitute bride, she and Helian Jue shared a strikingly similar view—
The reason she is doing well now, and has a harmonious and deepening relationship with Helian Jue, is not because of Xie Ze.
Rather, it was Xie Yuan's painstaking efforts and active contributions, and Helian Jue was not the kind of heartless and ungrateful person.
They will be happy, entirely due to their own efforts.
It has absolutely nothing to do with Xie Ze.
On the contrary, Xie Ze's initial request for Xie Yuan to marry in his place was entirely ill-intentioned.
The original owner of this body was killed by Xie Rou on that very day!
Not to mention the Xie family's assets that Xie Ze embezzled. He will return more than half of them, not because he wants to, but because Helian Jue has caught him red-handed, so he has no choice but to back down!
In short, Xie Ze's past actions cannot be easily erased.
However, now is not the time to settle scores with Xie Ze.
Xie Yuan looked at Helian Jue again.
Their eyes met.
The two saw their own reflections in each other's eyes and had a silent exchange.
Helian Jue: There must be some conspiracy behind him. Should we play the long game and catch a bigger fish?
Xie Yuan: I also think it's not appropriate to deal with him at this time!
The couple reached a tacit agreement.
Then Xie Yuan spoke up, "Sigh, if you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"
His tone was still resentful, but there were signs that it had softened.
This is her complaining about "her own people".
Xie Ze realized this and became even more smug.
Thus, Xie Ze successfully "surrendered" and "turned hostility into friendship" with Helian Jue and Xie Yuan.
...
Early in the morning, the streets of He County were deserted, and the people were all staying at home.
Although the civil unrest three days ago was not the first time, it was precisely because of this "experience" that the people were even more afraid.
Those rioters were targeting the government office, specifically a certain official.
But once a person goes crazy, it's very difficult to control them.
Every time there is a "civil unrest," innocent people are affected.
Having learned from their painful experience, the people kept their doors tightly shut and dared not go out.
Merchants dared not open their shops for business.
The vast county town was deserted, as silent as a dead city.
The sun slowly rose, and suddenly, a sound came from the street—
Tap, tap, tap!
These are the footsteps of many people coming together.
There was also the sound of horses' hooves clattering.
These sounds were very loud, with the imposing presence of a vast army.
The villagers, hiding in their own courtyards, peeked out cautiously.
"Is the army entering the city?"
"Where did this army come from? I think they're just rioters!"
"Tch, don't you know where those rioters come from? They're just a bunch of dogs kept by Governor Cui."
"Could it be the Yuezhou camp? But that doesn't make sense, isn't the Yuezhou camp affiliated with Governor Cui?"
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