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

Jiang Sese quickly changed the subject and started talking about Chen Jingang.

"Do you know anything about Chen Jingang?"

Xie Jue glanced at Jiang Sese and said, "I know a little."

Jiang Sese moved forward and, in a low voice, recounted the two cases that Fuyun had mentioned in detail.

Xie Jue said calmly, "I know all of that."

Jiang Sese was stunned: "You knew all that, then you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Sese stopped herself.

After thinking about it, Xie Jue's character isn't exactly that of a kind-hearted person who would step in to help those in need. This is more like something Shen Ziyu would get involved in, but Shen Ziyu's information channels probably aren't that extensive.

Chen Jingang's affair could not be made public, because the more important one's status, the more one cares about face, unless one is willing to give up entirely.

Xie Jue patiently explained, "Chen Jingang is a prince, with the status of a member of the imperial clan as a shield. Moreover, he has the entire Yangzhou Prince's Mansion behind him... His Majesty has always been lenient towards members of the imperial clan."

At the beginning of his reign, Emperor Jingyuan killed many of his brothers and sisters.

When the imperial clan was trembling with fear after being killed, Emperor Jingyuan began to appease them, treating them with exceptional leniency and kindness.

A combination of carrot and stick, a perfect balance of kindness and severity.

Jiang Sese said "Oh," indicating that she understood.

Jiang Sese thought for a moment, then hummed and said, "His Majesty is afraid of being accused of harming his own relatives, so he is exceptionally lenient and preferential to the imperial clan. He sets a strict example to establish his authority first, and then wins them over with generous favors. He is unwilling to easily touch the members of the imperial clan again, lest he chill their hearts."

Xie Jue glanced at her, his eyes brightening slightly, a hint of helplessness and indulgence in them, but he said calmly, "Don't talk nonsense."

Jiang Sese remembered the existence of the Qianlin Guard and quickly covered her mouth, only showing her eyes as she blinked at him.

After a while, Jiang Sese awkwardly took her hand off her mouth, put her arm around Xie Jue's waist, and muttered, "I was just joking." She really still needs to work on her sense of propriety in a royal society.

Xie Jue lowered his head and gently bit Jiang Sese's lips, saying seriously, "Sese, you must remember this. When you are in a position of power or in public, never hand over any leverage to others. Leaving room for maneuver in your words and actions, and not giving others any leverage over you, is the way to protect yourself in the long run."

He would always keep her under his wing, but he was not prepared to turn his wife into a little fool.

She was the most intelligent girl he had ever met. She understood some things without him having to tell her, and if she didn't know, he would tell her.

Jiang Sese covered her mouth, looked at Xie Jue's serious eyes, and after a long while, nodded.

Once Jiang Sese had finished getting ready, she planned to go with Xie Jue to visit the Jiang family mansion.

Xie Jue said, "No rush. Let's rest well at home today and get plenty of rest. I'll go with you first thing tomorrow morning."

Jiang Sese nodded: "Okay, that's fine."

Xie Jue always had a fixed time to practice swordsmanship after court, even on his wedding night—except for the few days on the ship, of course.

So when Xie Jue arrived in Yangzhou, after having breakfast, he began practicing in the courtyard.

The sword light was as white as snow, and the movements were swift and fierce. Jiang Sese sat on the veranda watching with great interest, feeling as if she were watching a handsome man live. It was truly a feast for the eyes.

After Xie Jue withdrew his sword stance, his forehead slightly damp with sweat, he heard Jiang Sese stand up and clap her hands in approval.

Xie Jue: ...

Xie Jue couldn't help but smile, walked up to her, and looked down at her: "Want to learn? I'll teach you."

Jiang Sese shook her head vigorously, handing him the handkerchief as she said, "I won't learn it. With kung fu like that, even if you practice for ten or eight years, it'll just be a showy display, all show and no substance."

It's only necessary to learn things that can be put to practical use!

Otherwise, she wouldn't be doing this out of boredom.

Xie Jue took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, saying, "Learning martial arts does indeed take time, so it's fine if you don't learn swordsmanship. However, if you just want to improve your health, you don't need to practice those things. From now on, every morning, I will teach you a set of Five Animal Frolics."

Upon hearing the words "Five Animal Frolics," Jiang Sese's eyes lit up immediately: "Five Animal Frolics? You mean the Five Animal Frolics of Hua Tuo? Tiger, deer, bear, ape, and bird?"

Xie Jue raised an eyebrow slightly: "You know?"

"Of course I know," Jiang Sese said. "It's just imitating the movements of five animals. The tiger movement should be fierce, the deer movement should be graceful, the bear movement should be steady, the ape movement should be agile, and the bird movement should be light. But isn't this something old people practice? Your Five Animal Frolics won't look like what you see in the park—uh, what is it?"

She knew all five animals like the back of her hand: tiger, deer, bear, ape, and bird.

Xie Jue smiled and glanced at her, then slowly said, "The set of skills I learned was taught by my master, and it is slightly different from what is circulated among the common people."

After careful consideration, Jiang Sese realized that the Five Animal Frolics was indeed much more reliable than sword practice, and it could also improve her physical fitness.

Jiang Sese nodded, then quickly added, "Let's start when we get back."

Xie Jue looked at Jiang Sese with a half-smile.

The next morning, the two went to the old Jiang family residence.

Xie Jue ordered the road to be cleared in advance, but specifically instructed that no gongs be sounded, no people be driven away, and no people be disturbed. He only ordered a few guards to stand guard at the entrance of the alley.

Jiang Sese changed into a light and elegant lotus-colored silk dress. She was accompanied only by Hongdou, Fuyun, and a few trusted guards. No officials followed her, and no local officials came to greet her.

The sedan chairs stopped at the entrance of the old house alley.

Official sedan chairs do not enter narrow alleys, and the powerful and wealthy do not step into the gates of ordinary people's houses. The two alighted from the sedan chairs and walked into the old street.

Upon arriving at the gate, Xie Jue glanced at her sideways and asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

Jiang Sese nodded.

After Jiang's father passed away, the shop's business declined because Sun didn't know how to do business. Later, Sun also fell ill and sold the shop and the land.

All that remains is an ordinary old house where he lives.

This house was just an ordinary dwelling, not worth much money, and not a particularly lucrative property. When Jiang Sese was about to travel north alone to seek refuge with Aunt Sun, she contacted a member of the Jiang clan and asked them to look after the house for her.

The two parties agreed verbally and wrote a simple written agreement, which was then locked and sealed in the main house.

Both parties agreed that if Jiang Sese stayed in the capital for an extended period and did not return, the old house would be at the discretion of the clan members. However, if she returned one day, the clan members would have to return the house to its original condition.

But there was no need to wait for Jiang Sese to return. When the news of Jiang Sese being granted the title of Princess reached Yangzhou, the clansmen immediately cleaned up the house. Later, under the guidance of Old Master Jiang, they paid out of their own pockets to repair the house.

Incense, candles, and fruit were already laid out on the offering table in the main hall of the Jiang family, and two memorial tablets stood quietly amidst the swirling smoke.

Jiang Sese stood in front of the memorial tablet, silent for a long time.

She is not the original owner, yet she possesses all of the original owner's memories.

Before heading to the capital, the young girl swore to the cold memorial tablet—one day, her daughter would make a name for herself and make all those who looked down on her family regret it!

Then the girl wiped away her tears, stood up, grabbed her bundle, and followed the merchant caravan from her hometown to the capital.

Now I understand why the original owner of this body fell for Chu Shaoyuan.

Jiang Sese and Xie Jue then straightened their clothes, knelt down properly, and kowtowed three times to the two memorial tablets.

After getting up, the two strolled around the Jiang family's house together. When they reached the door of the study in the west wing, Xie Jue stopped and turned to ask her if she wanted to go in and take a look.

Jiang Sese hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's go in and take a look."

Come here.

She was also very curious about the original owner's life before.

Although she had the original owner's memories, they were ultimately fragments of someone else's life, and the feeling of personally standing at the scene was completely different.

Pushing open the door, I saw a slightly worn desk by the window, and an old camphor wood bookshelf in the corner, with a few volumes of the "Thousand Character Classic" and "Primer of Prosody" for children to learn, as well as some embroidery patterns and stationery that little girls like.

These are all things that Jiang Sese left behind; the Jiang family has not touched them.

Xie Jue reached out and picked up the yellowed booklet on top.

On the title page, a few words are written in neat and elegant small regular script: Shuyu Collection.

Jiang Sese leaned over for a look, and after a moment of surprise, she realized that this seemed to be the name the original owner had given to her poetry collection when she was a child.

Xie Jue casually turned to a page, which contained a short poem about osmanthus flowers, with delicate and elegant words.

Further on, most of the works are about personal sorrow and longing for deceased parents.

Xie Jue looked at the handwriting and slowly said, "It is indeed different from your current handwriting and state of mind."