That iron mine was used for forging weapons in secret, and the rush to mine it was because weapons were urgently needed. The court wasn’t short on weapons, so the only purpose was to spearhead a rebellion.
If there were any signs of trouble at the iron mine, it would alert the government to personally come and "arrest the criminals." And the fact that they were so blatant about it indicated that the person behind it had already completely taken control of the local government.
With the third prince’s cunning and means, it was probably not something he could pull off. So who else could it be?
Mu Houchu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and the aura around him became colder.
Ji Xinhe coldly said, "I’m not interested in these matters. But since you’re staying here, I naturally have demands as well. You cannot involve my brother Xiao Bei at any time, otherwise..."
The coldness in Mu Houchu’s eyes dissipated in an instant, replaced by a faint smile. "If I can’t even protect you and your family, I’m afraid I’ve lived these years for nothing."
The words sounded pleasant and gave a sense of security. Ji Xinhe’s heart eased a bit. For some reason, this man always gave her a sense of invisible security. If he said it was okay, then it really was okay. As long as he smiled breezily, she really felt that nothing mattered.
But despite that, why did she still feel that his words were strange? What did he mean by protecting her and her family? What relationship did they have for him to protect them!
Just as Ji Xinhe reacted, she saw Mu Houchu suddenly lean in, his big hand touching her face. "After all, we’re a couple."
Then he turned around nonchalantly and walked away.
Ji Xinhe stared at him in disbelief until his figure disappeared from her sight. Ji Xinhe was so angry that she almost wanted to curse.
"Who’s your other half?!"
Of course, Ji Xinhe’s rebuttal was fruitless.
The villagers had been to the town and the gossip from the town had spread to Yangluowan. Almost everyone had a clear understanding of the relationship between this new man and Ji family’s girl.
So it was really a marriage!
As soon as Ji Xinhe went out to wash a basin of clothes, people gathered around enthusiastically.
"Oh, Xinhe, when are you planning to get married? You’ve already settled the marriage and didn’t even tell your aunt. Are you planning to sneakily get married? Your aunt said she wanted to be Madam Quan at your wedding!"
Ji Xinhe’s mouth twitched: "No..." There was no such thing.
"Oh my! Are you shy now? We know you girls are thin-skinned and too embarrassed to say anything. But it’s a big event in your life. Shyness is one thing, but you still have to let us know!"
"I knew that our Xinhe would choose a suitable husband when the time came. That Mu Chu looks really good, many village girls are secretly thinking about him. You’d better hurry up and get married!"
"Exactly! So, what kind of family background does that man have? Dongzi said he’s your distant relative. Are they well-off? What do his parents do? How much land do they have? How many siblings in the family?"
In a short while, the aunties and sisters-in-law had surrounded Ji Xinhe, leaving her with no chance to argue. They fired off rapid questions, bombarding Ji Xinhe until she seemed fried on the outside and raw on the inside, even unable to open her mouth.
"The truth is, I..."
Just as Ji Xinhe was about to explain, she was interrupted by a deep voice: "Xinhe is a shy girl and is too embarrassed to talk about these things. When we get things ready for the wedding, we will naturally invite everyone to the wedding banquet. Please don’t push her with questions."
Unbeknownst to her, Mu Houchu had arrived, grabbing Ji Xinhe and pulling her behind him, calmly speaking nonsense.
The aunties’ faces immediately showed ambiguous smiles: "Oh my, he’s so protective even before they’re married. What will happen after they get married? Alright, alright, we won’t ask anymore. Xinhe is indeed thin-skinned. We’ll just wait for the good news!"
As they spoke, the crowd dispersed, laughing and gossiping as they left: "Even without anything else, just look at how protective he is of his wife. Xinhe won’t be wronged in the future!"
"Isn’t that the truth? It’s so much better than the man in my family!"
"I just have to wait for the good news and prepare for the wedding banquet. I need to prepare gifts beforehand."
As the people scattered, Ji Xinhe’s face turned black instantly. Grinding her teeth, she said, "Mu! Chu! Do you ever know when to stop? Who’s getting married with you?!"
What angered Ji Xinhe most was that Mu Chu’s name had only two characters, which made it less powerful than a three-character name when scolding. It also limited the emotions that could be expressed.
Mu Houchu lightly hooked his lips and said, "If you want to distance yourself from me, doesn’t that mean I’ll be exposed? By that time, I’ll be arrested by the government."
Ji Xinhe gritted her teeth, "What does it have to do with me if you’re arrested!"
Mu Houchu innocently replied, "If I get arrested, of course it won’t matter. But then you’d be charged with harboring a criminal, wouldn’t you?"
Ji Xinhe: "······"
Unwittingly, she had been dragged into his schemes, tied together so she couldn’t even cast them off.
Mu Houchu smiled lightly and patted her head, "Good girl, don’t be silly. We’re in the same boat." His smile contained Ji Xinhe’s usual cunning.
You old fox!
Ji Xinhe gritted her teeth in frustration, but couldn’t find a single word to refute him. All she could do was curse, "Mu Chu, you bastard! Now that the whole world knows about our so-called relationship, how am I supposed to live here?"
Mu Houchu hooked his lips meaningfully, rubbing her head like comforting a child. "It’s alright. You’ll have to get married sooner or later anyway."
Ji Xinhe’s face turned black with suppressed rage, but she couldn’t find the words to argue. She didn’t want to waste her breath on this shameless man anymore. She simply slapped away his hand, picked up the basin of clothes, and stormed back home.
For some reason, Mu Houchu found her angry figure amusing. Usually, she was a cunning little fox, her eyes swirling and her lips curling with a sneaky smile when she was scheming. Her fierce gaze was as lethal as a knife, and her satisfied, happy looks over small matters seemed as if she had obtained the whole world.
But when she was angry, she acted like a child, even throwing tantrums.
What kind of person was she, really? It was hard to say, but all he knew was that he liked her, and that was enough.
Mu Houchu helplessly shook his head and laughed, following behind her. He knew she was upset right now and needed to think about how to cheer her up.
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