Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Dingguo Gongfu.

Fu Chong paced anxiously back and forth in the study, his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

I can almost see Jiang Sese locked in that cold, simple, quiet room, struggling to swallow the coarse food, shivering as she curls up on the hard bed.

The thought of her being labeled a jinx and who knows how long she would be locked up in the quiet room made Fu Chong feel a surge of anger.

Fu Wenzhao said, "Father, my sister has already sent a letter saying that she will arrange for two reliable people to take care of Sese, so you don't need to worry too much."

Fu Chong turned around and stared at Fu Wenzhao, noticing a worry clearly on Fu Wenzhao's face.

Fu Chong then said, "What kind of place is that quiet room? It's cold and damp, and Shi Se is weak. What if she gets frightened?"

Fu Wenzhao understood this principle perfectly well.

This is also what he is worried about.

But no matter how worried he was, he still tried his best to reassure Fu Chong, "Father, Sese... Sese is very strong, she will definitely be able to hold on."

Fu Chong waved his hand and said, "Strong? No matter how strong you are, you're still a girl!"

After saying that, Fu Chong's face darkened: "You don't need to say anything more. This time, it was all because that old scoundrel Zheng Tong went too far!"

Fu Chong then asked, "Wen Zhao, has the message been sent to Xie Junheng?"

Fu Wenzhao quickly replied, "I've already sent someone by fast horse, but it will take at least four or five days to reach Suzhou Prefecture."

The distance from the capital to Suzhou Prefecture is about 1,500 li. Except for urgent military matters and important official documents, it can be sent by express courier on an 800-li route, relying on relay stations to keep up day and night, covering 800 li per day.

Under normal circumstances, even when traveling at full speed and needing rest, a person can only travel a maximum of three to four hundred li per day.

Fu Chong remained silent.

That night, Fu Chong and Fu Wenzhao barely slept; one paced back and forth sighing, while the other sat in silence.

……

At night, Xie Yao was studying.

The two personal servants, Xunfeng and Shuxian, were chatting quietly in a corner not far away, their voices extremely low, thinking they wouldn't disturb their master's studies.

Xunfeng exclaimed excitedly, "...Have you heard? The court was quite lively today! Duke Zheng Tong seized the opportunity to launch his attack!"

Shu Xian's tone was equally gossipy and excited: "I heard! I heard! They say they've used that nursery rhyme and that miraculous medicine the Fu family girl made to somehow manage to accuse them of being evil spirits who are bringing disaster to the country!"

"I heard that His Majesty immediately issued an edict to send the adopted daughter of the Duke of Dingguo's family to the quiet room of the Imperial Ancestral Temple to reflect on her mistakes!" Shu Xian's tone carried a hint of sympathy. "Alas, this is an undeserved disaster..."

The two were engrossed in their conversation, but they didn't notice that Xie Yao, sitting at the desk, paused almost imperceptibly for a moment as he turned the pages of a book.

Xie Yao never expected that Zheng Tong would seize the opportunity to report this to Emperor Jingyuan.

Speaking of which, that Fu woman was really unlucky.

Xie Yao gave a dismissive smirk, his eyes indifferent.

Xunfeng sighed, "It's a pity that this Miss Fu is so pitiful. She hasn't even been married yet, and she's already been sent to the quiet room of the Imperial Ancestral Temple... The quiet room of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, just hearing about it is terrifying. I wonder if her marriage to our eldest son will still be possible."

Upon hearing this, Shu Xian seemed to suddenly remember something interesting. His eyes lit up, and he asked, "Hey, Xun Feng, do you know what the surname of the Duke of Dingguo's adopted daughter is?"

Xunfeng curled his lip indifferently, showing little interest: "Who cares what her surname is? What's so special about it?"

"Hehe, you didn't know that, did you!" Shu Xian laughed smugly, with a hint of excitement at sharing a secret, and forgot to lower his voice, "I heard something interesting today. They said that this Fu family girl's surname is actually Jiang! What a coincidence, isn't it? Our family's previous cousin also had the surname Jiang."

As soon as Shu Xian finished speaking, he waited to see Xun Feng's surprised expression.

But the expected cry of surprise from Xunfeng did not come.

The voice that came through was that of the young master, light and airy, as if he were not of this world.

"You said... what's the surname of the Duke of Dingguo's adopted daughter?"

For some reason, the sound made Xunfeng feel uneasy.

Shu Xian and Xun Feng froze simultaneously, turning sharply to look at their young master.

The young master, who had been engrossed in reading just moments before, had somehow raised his head.

Her peach blossom eyes, which should have been charming and amorous, were now filled with an unfathomable darkness, unfathomable and impenetrable to light. Her ink-black pupils were like a frozen lake, their cold light sharp and heavy, pressing down without a trace of warmth.

His long, thick eyelashes, which should have softened his sharp features, only cast a small, deeper shadow on his pale face.

Shu Xian felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze, and subconsciously stammered, "My surname is... my surname is Jiang, young master..."

"puff--!"

Before Shu Xian could finish speaking, Xie Yao gripped the edge of the desk tightly with one hand and covered his mouth with the other, a glaring crimson blood instantly seeping out from between his fingers!

"Young Master!"

"Young master, what's wrong?!"

Xunfeng and Shuxian were terrified, screaming in shock as they scrambled over.

Xie Yao, however, seemed not to hear anything.

The veins on the back of his hand, which was resting on the desk, bulged and trembled violently.

ginger……

Fu's daughter.

Fu's daughter...

I see, I see!

"Heh...heh..." A low laugh tinged with blood escaped Xie Yao's throat. Xie Yao slowly raised his head, his eyes vacant, as if his soul had been instantly emptied.

It turns out that she wasn't his elder brother's mistress, but rather the woman he was to marry through proper channels.

It's laughable that he's still kneeling before his mother, desperately pleading for a marriage that his mother would never agree to.

It's laughable that he sat in Shuhe Courtyard until dawn, thinking he was the only person in the world who remembered her.

Ironically, when he learned that she might not be dead, he even thought that once he achieved fame and success, he would ask his elder brother for her. He didn't care that she had been Xie Jue's mistress, he didn't care about her reputation, and he didn't care about the world's opinion.

"Young master! Please don't frighten this servant!"

"Quickly! Go and fetch the royal physician!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Shu Xian responded and was about to run out when Xie Yao shouted sternly, "Stop!"

Shu Xian immediately stopped and slowly turned around.

But then he saw his young master close his eyes, as if nothing had happened, take out a handkerchief from his bosom, lower his head and wipe the blood off his hands bit by bit, then turn it over and slowly wipe the corner of his lips.

His thin lips, stained with blood, were bright red, which, combined with his handsome and dashing face, and the slightly upturned corners of his peach blossom eyes, gave him an indescribable bewitching charm.

But his eyes were empty; he looked like a beautiful shell sitting there.

Shuxian and Xunfeng were so frightened that they didn't dare to breathe. Shuxian's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground trembling. He even forgot to say "Young Master, please calm down."

Xie Yao glanced at Shu Xun, his eyes unusually calm and gentle, and slowly ordered, "Go to the Chu family and bring Xie Yihua here."