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

Jiang Sese's cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes were unusually firm as she met Xie Jue's scrutinizing gaze. Her voice was soft yet clear: "Yes and no."

Xie Jue's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, signaling her to continue.

Jiang Sese: "Not only do I not want to marry Wu Weizhen, I don't want to get married for the time being."

Xie Jue seemed to smile slightly and said, "My cousin has lofty ambitions."

Jiang Sese thought Xie Jue had misunderstood. He must think she was too ambitious and looked down on the Wu family, or that she had the idea of ​​climbing up to a higher social class.

Jiang Sese quickly explained, "No, cousin, you misunderstood. I didn't mean that Wu Weizhen is not good enough for me, and I have absolutely no intention of climbing the social ladder or trying to get ahead in one step."

"I just don't want to get married without thinking. I want to get married, but the person must be someone I truly love and am willing to entrust my life to. If not, I'd rather not get married."

These shocking remarks can only be described as heretical.

Xie Jue's gaze lingered on Jiang Sese's face for a little longer before he asked, "Why?"

Jiang Sese felt a little flustered under his gaze, but since she had already spoken, she decided to go all out.

Jiang Sese asked the question Xie Jue had just asked her, and hesitated before replying, "Does my cousin have someone he likes?"

Xie Jue's gaze seemed to suddenly deepen.

Jiang Sese's heart pounded as he looked at her, but she still insisted on finishing her sentence: "If my cousin had that feeling, he would naturally understand that feeling of not wanting to settle for anyone else."

Xie Jue had already planned to help her.

Otherwise, given his personality, he would never have let her step into Tingsong Courtyard, much less play those games of chess with her and give her a chance to speak.

The marriage arranged by the Wu family was indeed not a good match for her.

Wu Weizhen was weak and unable to protect her.

Xie Jue originally thought that she was just dissatisfied with Wu Weizhen, and that he had his own ways to find her a more suitable match.

Unexpectedly, she didn't want to get married.

Xie Jue: "I understand. Let me think about it."

He neither said he would help nor he would not help.

But Jiang Sese inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, cousin," Jiang Sese said softly, feeling a huge weight lifted from her heart.

The girl looked timid and forced to remain calm.

A faint sense of strangeness swept through Xie Jue's heart.

An orphaned girl living under someone else's roof dares to openly tell him that she wants to marry the person she likes?

It's not difficult to help her reject Wu Weizhen, but the key is how to break off her engagement while still allowing her to continue living in the mansion.

Xie Jue's mind raced, and he instantly made a plan.

Xie Jue said, "In that case, you should learn something first. Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, horsemanship, archery, needlework—anything is fine. Pick a few things you like and start learning."

Jiang Sese was taken aback at first, then her face lit up with surprise.

Does this mean he agreed to her request?

Although learning new things might sound a bit troublesome, it's a much better thing than being forced to marry just anyone.

Jiang Sese tried hard to suppress the upturned corners of her mouth, but her eyes were already filled with gratitude and joy. Xie Jue really was a good person. He wasn't as cold and indifferent as he was described in the book.

With her immediate problem solved, Jiang Sese's voice lightened considerably: "Thank you so much, cousin! You're so kind!"

Jiang Sese seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly said, "Oh right, cousin, I brought some food that I made myself. My skills are rough, so I hope you won't mind."

As she spoke, Jiang Sese waved to Lü'e, who was waiting under the eaves.

Green Calyx immediately carried a small, exquisite food box over and respectfully handed it to Jiang Sese.

Jiang Sese took the food box with a hint of excitement, like presenting a treasure, and gently placed it on the stone table before carefully opening the lid.

Inside the food box, several small, golden clouds lay quietly.

The surface is fried until slightly browned, but the inside looks extremely fluffy and soft, as if it would collapse at the slightest touch.

It was Jiang Sese who put in a lot of effort to make the soufflé.

Before Jiang Sese transmigrated into the book, she either read novels or watched short videos to learn baking. She never expected that both of these skills would come in handy.

Qing Shuang and Shu Tong, standing a few steps away, were also attracted by this peculiar snack.

The young lady's ideas were ingenious; these dishes were exquisite and cleverly prepared.

Despite the Xie family's large size and the fact that the young ladies appear to be pampered and unskilled, with cooking considered a lowly task, they make an exception for these delicate dishes, which are a common pastime in the inner chambers.

Jiang Sese remembered that in the book, Xie Yihua made desserts for Chu Shaoyuan, but they were so bad that Chu Shaoyuan ate them without changing his expression and even praised them as delicious.

The comments section was filled with people exclaiming, "I'm totally shipping them!"

That's why Jiang Sese dared to make desserts.

If she were to casually roll up her sleeves and cook a braised pork dish, it would only invite suspicion and ridicule. What kind of young lady would lower herself to do such a thing?

Xie Jue's gaze fell on the food box, a hint of surprise flashing deep in his eyes.

He had seen countless delicacies, and the imperial pastries were even more exquisite, but he had never seen a pastry like this before.

"What is this?" Xie Jue asked calmly.

Jiang Sese thought for a moment and then answered cautiously, "It's called a soufflé, a kind of... a kind of dessert that requires special control over the heat."

Jiang Sese's voice carried a hint of nervousness and anticipation, "If you don't mind, cousin, please try it? Actually, this food tastes best when it's hot."

Xie Jue is a good person; he has helped her three times already.

Unfortunately, she didn't have much to repay him with, so she could only make some desserts that he had never tried before to repay him.

Jiang Sese looked at Xie Jue with bright, sparkling eyes.

Xie Jue picked up a small piece with his chopsticks and took a bite.

Jiang Sese held her breath, staring nervously at Xie Jue.

Qing Shuang and Shu Tong exchanged a glance unconsciously.

The eldest son is notoriously picky; if food is too sweet, too salty, or too greasy, he will never take a second bite.

Strangely enough, every time the young lady gave Qing Shuang food, it was sent to the eldest young master's study, and the eldest young master would eat some of it each time.

The two maids asked themselves honestly, and in all the years they had served the young master, they had never seen him so appreciative of anyone's food.

Xie Jue took another bite before looking up at Jiang Sese. He still maintained his calm and reserved demeanor, but something seemed to have settled deep within his eyes.

Xie Jue said, "Cousin Jiang is so kind."

This comment wasn't exactly enthusiastic, but to Jiang Sese, it sounded like heavenly music.

Jiang Sese's smile widened instantly, and she immediately seized the opportunity: "I'm glad you like it, cousin. If you like it, I'll make it for you again next time."

Xie Jue's eyes flickered slightly as he watched Jiang Sese's overjoyed expression.

Contrary to Jiang Sese's guess, Xie Jue had always despised the sycophantic behavior prevalent in officialdom.

He doesn't like people trying to please him.

...But this little girl in front of me is different from the others.

Xie Jue's gaze swept over her new clothes. Although they were fashionable, the material was still far inferior to that of her two younger sisters, Yi Hua and Yu Jiao.

If one weren't living under someone else's roof, constantly in a state of anxiety, who would be willing to lower themselves to please a stranger?

Xie Jue suddenly took it upon himself to make the decision for her, saying, "Go to the horse farm tomorrow at 1-3 PM."

Jiang Sese was taken aback, then realized that he wanted her to learn to ride a horse tomorrow.

But why on horseback?