Seeing her nervous and worried expression, Xie Changling felt a surge of warmth in his heart and softened even more. He stroked her head and let her lean against him.
"Xi'er has her husband in her heart. We just need to live our own lives well and not be jealous of that nonsense."
"good."
Song Lingxi gently agreed. Although she didn't know what Song Lingyu was thinking, Xie Changling was her husband. Their marriage was bestowed by the Emperor, and no one could break their destined bond.
"My wife is so good!"
Looking at Song Lingxi's stunning beauty and her sweet and adorable personality, Xie Changling marveled at his own good fortune, thinking that he must have used up all his luck in his life to marry her.
Song Lingxi looked up at him, her long, feather-like eyelashes trembling slightly. When her icy eyes met his gaze, it was as if she said nothing, yet it was as if she said everything.
Xie Changling had a sudden thought, then leaned down and covered her lips with his warm lips, prying them open and going deeper, instantly taking away all her breath.
Song Lingxi hadn't expected that a simple glance from her would ignite the man's lustful desires. When his passionate kiss landed, her eyes widened instantly, but she quickly reverted to the kiss.
Time passed second by second. After an unknown amount of time, Song Lingxi felt breathless and weakly pounded Xie Changling's chest with her small hand before he let go.
Xie Changling noticed that her lipstick was smudged, and she looked somewhat shy, like the most beautiful flower stained with extra red, tempting one to pick it.
Xie Changling wanted to continue, but the sound of the coachman driving the carriage came from outside: "Whoa—".
Then the servant reminded the two of them, "Young master, young mistress, we've arrived."
Song Lingxi's slightly misty eyes held a hint of panic, a subconscious reaction. Her fear struck Xie Changling directly into his eyes.
Xie Changling was taken aback. This was the first time he had ever seen Xi'er so delicate and helpless. She was like a drifting duckweed, which made him feel infinite pity for her.
At the Prime Minister's residence, Song Lingxi always acted calmly and generously, as if she were at home. Her relaxed demeanor made him think that Xi'er was not afraid of anywhere and was very bold.
But now he knows that the Song family is probably even more terrifying to Song Lingxi than the Prime Minister's residence; he had misunderstood before.
Xie Changling sighed helplessly, feeling a pang of guilt and self-reproach. He held her in his arms and helped her tidy her disheveled hair and clothes.
He then took out a brocade handkerchief from his bosom, embroidered with bamboo patterns. With gentle movements, he carefully wiped away the lipstick that Song Lingxi had smudged, bit by bit, with tenderness and patience.
Looking at the red stain on the handkerchief, Song Lingxi became even more nervous. It was as if a string in her mind snapped instantly, exploding in her head, and her ears turned bright red.
Song Lingxi stammered, "You, you, why didn't you tell me? I almost lost face. My sisters in the Song family would definitely laugh at me."
As Song Lingxi was talking, she suddenly remembered something else. The Song family still owed her money, including a few insignificant indentures and a portion of her dowry.
"My lord, I suddenly remembered something. My mother left me a portion of her dowry, and I wish to take it all back. Could you please help me?"
Xie Changling gently tapped her forehead with his slender fingers: "You, why didn't you tell your husband sooner if you had brought the dowry list?"
"Oh, I forgot!"
Song Lingxi slapped her forehead, realizing she had been so busy she had forgotten everything. She had been busy seeing off the Prime Minister since early morning, and then rushing around arranging the carriages and horses.
Xie Changling was both amused and exasperated by her bewildered expression, but these were no big deal; he could simply send a servant to handle it.
He was still thinking about something else that was most important: "Is the dowry list that Madam brought this time consistent with the actual dowry? If they are different, it will be easy to handle, as Mother must have registered it."
Song Lingxi shook her head, her eyes almost brimming with tears, looking pitiful, which made Xie Changling's heart ache.
"The items on the list are the same. My stepmother embezzled half of my mother's dowry. She picked out the inferior items and kept the good ones for her daughter."
"I'm afraid that ledger is still in my stepmother's hands. I don't know how much she embezzled. I've never even seen my mother's dowry list."
Xie Changling hurriedly pulled the person into his arms, patting her back gently as if coaxing a child. His voice was so soft that even the servants outside felt a toothache.
"No one blames you. It's normal for Xi'er to be unaware of the dangers of the inner quarters since she grew up without a mother's protection."
"Besides, Xi'er is so young. Without someone to teach her, how could she think of these things? It doesn't matter, now she has her husband."
"Don't cry, or your eyes will hurt. Instead, Xi'er, think carefully about whether your mother-in-law has anyone in the capital or elsewhere."
"Fortunately, we brought enough servants today. They can hurry to fetch them and arrive before noon. If they were elsewhere, we could come back in a few days to collect the dowry."
Xie Changling's voice was like a babbling brook, speaking slowly and patiently, without any accusation or blame, successfully stopping Song Lingxi from blaming herself and feeling remorse.
A crystal tear clung to Song Lingxi's eyelashes, seemingly about to fall, which, combined with her red eyes, made her look delicate and pitiful.
With a thought, Xie Changling kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes, then gently comforted her, making Song Lingxi feel incredibly cherished.
She stopped crying and tried hard to think about her maternal grandparents' family. If she hadn't been reborn, she really wouldn't know anything about her maternal grandparents' family.
For the first ten years or so, Song Lingxi was unloved by her father and neglected by her mother. She drifted through life aimlessly, her mind unclear, and she didn't even know what she was thinking.
But in her previous life, after she fell into prostitution, she investigated her maternal grandparents' family and later learned that her mother was originally from a distinguished family...
Before my mother married into my maternal family, all the men had died in battle, leaving only an infant in swaddling clothes.
After her mother passed away, her maternal grandmother was also greatly affected. She passed away before she could see her mother one last time. Now, that generation is left with only an orphan and a widow, who is the widow and orphan of her third uncle.
The wives of the eldest and second maternal uncles guarded the frontier with their husbands, but due to the weakness of the previous emperor who did not pay attention to military affairs, they were attacked from the frontier and died on the battlefield.
Thinking of this, Song Lingxi said, "At this time, they should be in the alley in the south of the city. My aunt and cousin are not in good health, and they have almost emptied the general's mansion to pay for their medical treatment."
Upon hearing this, Xie Changling immediately sent someone to invite him, without wasting any time.
He had investigated before their marriage and knew that Xi'er's only relative had moved to the south and had not been heard from since. He didn't know how Xi'er knew this.
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