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

After Fei Ying left, Xie Ping came in and reported several important official matters. By the time everything was settled, it was already late at night.

Xie Jue rubbed his temples before getting up to return to his room.

Upon reaching the courtyard gate, the maid on duty saw him, hurriedly stepped forward to bow, and whispered, "Young Master, the Young Madam said she was going to sit in the study and has not yet returned to her main room."

Xie Jue paused, then turned towards the inner study: "Understood."

The lamps were lit in the inner study.

Jiang Sese was nestled in the large armchair, legs curled up, engrossed in reading "The Remnants of Qingjian". The dim light enveloped her focused profile, making her appear exceptionally serene.

Footsteps approached, and Jiang Sese looked up at the sound. Seeing Xie Jue, her eyes immediately curved into a smile. She put down her book and asked, "Are you done?"

"Hmm." Xie Jue walked to her side, his gaze falling on the book in her hand, and naturally reached out to tidy up the stray hairs that had slipped down her cheek.

"What are you looking at so intently?"

"Here, this is 'Qingjian Yuji'." Jiang Sese held up the book in her hand. "The author wrote about many little-known quirks and embarrassing stories of famous ministers and scholars."

It has a similar meaning to "A New Account of Tales of the World".

After saying this, Jiang Sese frowned slightly, a doubt creeping into her heart: "I'm just really curious, though. The book mostly contains the private affairs of former Grand Secretaries and prominent figures from aristocratic families, things that are never included in the official histories of the court. Where did the author of this book gather so many fragmented old stories?"

Xie Jue said, "The sources of material for such privately compiled miscellaneous notes are nothing more than a few places. The first is the anecdotal records and private family histories of aristocratic families that have long been lost from the previous dynasty. These are oral accounts of the words and deeds of ancestors by high-ranking families and written records by their children, which are not included in ordinary historical books. The second is the correspondence between literati, the idle talk of local elders, or the casual remarks written by former officials of the previous dynasty after they retired, recording what they saw and heard in the court at that time. The third is the inscriptions and the notes of staff members. Many attendants and students around famous ministers would secretly record the trivial behavior of their teachers and elders, which were passed down from generation to generation."

Xie Jue paused, then smiled slightly and said, "However, these kinds of anecdotal records are not as rigorous as official history. They mostly rely on street gossip and oral traditions, and inevitably contain exaggerations and embellishments. They are only suitable for leisure and entertainment."

Jiang Sese tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "I think these kinds of anecdotes also have their uses. Official history only records the merits and demerits of the court and the general strategy of governing the country. It only shows people with a cold image of fame and fortune, as if the virtuous ministers of the past were born without any emotions or desires, and were not allowed to have the slightest worldly flaws. But people are flesh and blood, and they have quirks, lapses in judgment, and are capable of crying, laughing, fuming, and being silly. History books judge merits and demerits, and determine the order and chaos of the country, and have their own judgments for all time. But these anecdotes and miscellaneous stories can allow people to glimpse another side. From ancient times to the present, those who have held high positions have the same joys and sorrows as ordinary people, so that the sages are not molded into high and mighty, cold clay sculptures. The two complement each other, and only then can we see a person completely."

Xie Jue gazed quietly at Jiang Sese.

Marrying someone of equal social standing, setting aside power and social class, essentially means that two people have equal knowledge and experience. They don't need to make an effort to compromise or force themselves to please each other. They can talk about poetry and books and comment on current affairs in a similar way, without any insurmountable barriers.

From this perspective, he was actually attracted to her from the very beginning.

Xie Jue bent down, slipped one hand under Jiang Sese's knees, and easily lifted her up in his arms.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Jiang Sese was caught off guard, her cheeks instantly flushing red. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, protesting softly, "Put me down! What kind of behavior is this?!"

"It's getting late," Xie Jue said, carrying her outside in his deep, pleasant voice. "The lights in the corridor are dim, and the servants' eyesight isn't very good."

"Besides, according to the Xie family's rules, even if they see something, they know what they should see and what they shouldn't say."

Held in his arms, Jiang Sese could clearly feel the warmth of his chest and his heartbeat. Her struggles weakened, and her face turned as red as a boiled shrimp. She could only mutter softly, "...Well, I'll let it go this time."

Jiang Sese buried her face slightly in his neck, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Xie Jue asked, "Do you want to know about Chen Duxiu?"

Jiang Sese: "Huh?"

Xie Jue: "Xie Pingfang just came to reply."

"Really? Then... what exactly did Xie Ping find out?" Unable to contain herself any longer, Jiang Sese looked up at him, her voice filled with an urgency she herself didn't realize.

Xie Jue glanced down at her, his dark eyes calm as still water. Under the interplay of moonlight and lamplight, the anticipation and nervousness flickering in her eyes were clearly visible.

Xie Jue said, "He was from out of town. After arriving in the capital, he stayed at the Yunlai Inn. Every evening, the innkeeper would submit all the travel permits of the day's guests to the Five Cities Military Command for record-keeping and verification. Xie Ping obtained that man's travel permit."

"Road permit..." Jiang Sese murmured repeatedly.

In this era, travel permits were similar to visas for traveling abroad.

The travel permit was issued by the county government of the place of origin. It was a standard official document that required the applicant to state their name, age, appearance, place of origin, who was traveling with them, the purpose of their trip to the capital, and the duration of their stay. It was also stamped with the official seal of the county government.

The first thing you have to do when you enter the store is for the store owner to take your belongings and check them.

Anyone traveling far without a travel permit is considered a vagrant. If caught, they will not only be flogged but also sent back. Shopkeepers who take in guests without travel permits will also be punished as a result.

The thought of traveling through the hometown of my fellow villagers popped up uncontrollably in my mind again.

Jiang Sese asked nervously, "What about the travel permit? Did you check it?"

Xie Jue: Not yet.

As they were talking, they arrived at the gate of the main courtyard.

When the maids and servants on night duty saw them from afar, they quickly lowered their heads and moved aside, keeping their eyes down as if they hadn't seen anything.

Xie Jue carried Jiang Sese directly into the inner room and placed her on the edge of the bed.

Xie Jue did not get up immediately, but instead placed his hands on either side of her, trapping her in a small space.

Jiang Sese felt her heart tremble under his gaze. Just as she was about to ask him what he wanted to say, Xie Jue suddenly raised his hand, his warm fingers gently caressing her slightly flushed cheeks. The touch of his fingertips made her flinch slightly.

"That...that Chen Duxiu thing..." Jiang Sese shrank back on the bed, trying to steer the conversation back on track and hide the fluttering in her heart.

Um, this kind of thing happens several times a day, she really can't take it anymore!

...I never would have guessed he was this kind of person before.

Xie Jue gave a soft "hmm," his deep gaze lingering for a moment on her moist lips before he lowered his head to kiss her forehead. Then he pulled away slightly and asked, "Want to see that travel permit?"

Jiang Sese immediately leaned closer: "Yes, yes."

But Xie Jue took the opportunity to pin him down.

Jiang Sese: This person is just too, too much.