The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

Chapter 326 Wei Zhao's Self-Awareness

When Wei's army saw the general coming this way, they retreated and hid in a corner.

Xiao Huaiyan wasn't angry when he was stopped.

Not only did Wei Zhao's study block him, but even his father, the Marquis of Zhongyong's, study blocked him.

The study is an important place for working.

He was blocked for more than ten years.

I'm used to it.

That's fine, let him be a playboy.

The playboy lifted two jars of wine and smiled at Wei Zhao.

"This is top-quality Zhuyeqing wine, from my father's wine cellar. We need to have a good chat today! Have someone prepare some good dishes to go with the wine. It's getting late, so I'll stay in your house and not go back."

As Xiao Huaiyan spoke, he realized something was amiss.

Because Wei Zhao walked there.

Xiao Huaiyan's eyes widened: "You!"

Wei Zhao made no attempt to hide anything from him, raising her eyes to coldly meet Xiao Huaiyan's gaze: "What did you see?"

Xiao Huaiyan suppressed his astonishment and wisely said, "I... I didn't see anything."

Wei Zhao: "That's good."

"After all, it's dark and the light is poor, so it's only natural to make mistakes."

Xiao Huaiyan: ...

It's dark.

But you have money to burn, this Lan Garden is brightly lit!
Wei Zhao said calmly, "You've come at the perfect time."

He doesn't need to go looking for it.

"Tell me about the clandestine movements of various prefectures in the capital after my incident."

Xiao Huaiyan readily agreed: "Sure."

He speaks without hesitation.

"In the Yang family on Guandong Street, the old master Yang is eighty-seven years old. His hands tremble when he eats, but he refuses to admit his age. Three months ago, he took a concubine. The concubine is not from a respectable family; she is a Yangzhou courtesan. I heard she has a slender waist, a beautiful face, and is quite skilled at seducing men. That night, the old master Yang drank several bowls of deer blood to regain his virility, but he got so excited that he suffered a stroke and died on his bed."

Wei Zhao's face darkened: ?

Xiao Huaiyan acted as if he hadn't seen anything: "I heard that when the servants in the manor noticed something was wrong and rushed in, the two were still connected. The skinny horse was both frightened and scared, but it couldn't resist its good looks. In the end, it was Old Master Yang's sons who stepped forward to pull them apart. I guess he's taken a fancy to that concubine, otherwise why wouldn't he be willing to punish her?"

Wei Zhao remained expressionless.

Xiao Huaiyan, however, knew them all like the back of his hand.

He knew this disgraceful thing as clearly as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

"By the way, years ago when you joined the army, that scoundrel from the Dong family, who said behind your back that all members of the Wei family died young and that you would die sooner or later, when news of your death reached the capital, he was dragged to a corner and beaten no less than seven times by those scions of noble families who admired you. He was bruised and swollen for a whole month, and the last time he was even kicked in the groin."

"I don't know if he's stopped or not, but he can't have sex anymore. He's the eldest son, and he doesn't have any other children."

Xiao Huaiyan winked and said, "You don't know, but the ancestor of the Dong family actually made the eldest daughter-in-law who had just married into the family have a child with her younger brother-in-law, and the elders of the clan agreed to let the second son of the Dong family inherit both branches of the family."

"It sounds unreliable, but the children born in the future will indeed be of the Dong family."

Xiao Huaiyan: "They could have waited until the second wife had a son to adopt, but they insisted on letting the second son sleep with his sister-in-law."

Wei Zhao remained expressionless.

Xiao Huaiyan's smile grew wider as he spoke.

"Chu Liulang, do you know him? He is Zhou Yurou's betrothed."

"He's ridiculous too, there are so many women in his backyard that they can't all live there. I reckon about half a year ago, I saw him touching his own sister's hand, and the way he looked at her was just wrong. I was puzzled at the time."

"But less than two months later, her younger sister was married off by an elder of the Chu family."

If you say there's nothing fishy going on here, who would believe you?

How can the older brothers and sisters not be married yet, while the younger sister gets married first?

Xiao Huaiyan said smugly, "I felt something was wrong at the time, so I had someone keep an eye on things privately. Isn't that a coincidence?"

He scoffed.

"The woman became pregnant within a month of getting married. The doctor she hired had taken a bribe and deliberately shortened the estimated number of months."

"Zhou Yurou probably doesn't know yet. By the time she marries into the family, her sister-in-law will be giving birth. I wonder if the child will call Zhou Yurou 'aunt' or 'stepmother' in the future." Xiao Huaiyan laughed: "The Chu family is considered a scholarly family, and they have face in front of the emperor, but they are filthy in private."

He was very talkative, even sentimental.

"In this house, if we compare the high walls to one's face, the lower they are built, the more passersby can see what happens inside. As a result, they are concerned about their reputation and dare not commit crimes. The higher the walls are built, the more distinguished the family is. The more secrets are hidden inside, and since no one outside can see them, they can be kept in the dark. But once they step out, they all still present a respectable appearance."

Wei Zhao didn't want to hear a single word.

But he felt that if Yu Tingwan were here, she might feel more energetic after hearing it.

His eyes grew increasingly pale, until finally they were devoid of any emotion.

"You seem to know everything about the everyday gossip and family matters outside."

Wei Zhao looked at Xiao Huaiyan.

"Don't play dumb. You should know that this isn't the kind of nonsense I want to hear."

Xiao Huaiyan paused.

He remained a dissolute and unruly young man.

"what are you saying?"

"Your cousin and I are similar to Ning Yunling. If you ask me which young master is getting together with which girl, or which lady is having an affair, I might be able to talk to you for half the night. But if you ask me about the factional activities of officials forming cliques in private, how would I know?"

Wei Zhao:......

You're really going all out.

In order to belittle himself, he wants to categorize himself with that brainless idiot Ning Yunling?
Wei Zhao, lacking patience, refused to waste words: "One hundred taels."

"Wei Zhao, you overestimate me."

Two hundred taels.

Xiao Huaiyan replied without hesitation, "I don't have that ability. Don't forget, back in the Imperial Academy, I was always at the bottom of the class!"

As he spoke, he became quite smug.

"Which teacher at the Imperial Academy doesn't call me a blockhead?"

Yes, they always keep track of the score, calculating how many questions Xiao Huaiyan can answer correctly on the last try, ensuring he gets one more question right than his opponent. He consistently ranks second to last.

Wei Zhao: "Five hundred taels."

Xiao Huaiyan remained silent: "Are you serious?"

Wei Zhao simply looked at him indifferently.

Xiao Huaiyan spoke quickly: "I won't take advantage of you. One thousand taels. Plus, I'll do you a favor."

This is indeed a good deal.

Wei Zhao said calmly, "Shunzi, give him paper and pen. Watch him finish writing before settling the bill."

and many more.

Xiao Huaiyan: "Are you very busy?"

Shouldn't we listen to what he has to say?
"I wasn't busy to begin with."

Xiao Huaiyan couldn't stop talking about outrageous things. If it were to be serious, Wei Zhao suspected that he wouldn't be able to listen to it all night.

Don't let Xiao Huaiyan's carefree attitude fool you; when it comes to getting things done, especially things he's paid for, they're definitely worth it.

Wei Zhao replied dismissively, "I'm busy right now."

The wind was strong, blowing his robes.

He raised his hand to straighten himself, took a few steps outside, and then stopped.

“I am different from Prince Xiao.”

"After all, they're married; they won't be wandering around and fooling around outside after dark."

Xiao Huaiyan: ...

"What? There's a curfew in the city. Did you set a rule for me, sister-in-law?"

"Nope?"

Wei Zhao said softly, "But as a husband, I have always been self-aware."

He smiled slightly, as if to show him understanding: "Forget it, Young Master Xiao wouldn't understand even if I told him, after all, he's all alone. Why bother asking?"