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

Jiang Sese didn't speak immediately, but silently raised her head, her clear eyes looking straight at him.

She had been surprised before, wondering why Xie Jue, who was so busy with official duties, would suddenly offer to take her back to Yangzhou to pay respects at their graves.

So it turns out... his real intention wasn't what he was looking for.

Jiang Sese suppressed the turmoil in her heart and spoke calmly, her tone even and undisturbed: "People always change. When my parents suddenly passed away, I was all alone, filled with anxiety and unease, and naturally, my writing was full of sorrow. Later, after coming to the capital and experiencing many things, my mind gradually broadened, and my writing style and thoughts changed along with it. I was sentimental when I was young, but I am no longer that melancholy little girl I once was."

After Jiang Sese finished speaking, she met Xie Jue's gaze frankly and said, "What, did my husband bring me back to the old house just to dig out my old poems and essays?"

Xie Jue's eyes darkened, and he pinched her soft side lightly, saying, "I read your poems and essays a long time ago."

When he first noticed her, he made Xie Ping make a trip to Yangzhou.

"Ouch—!" Jiang Se was caught off guard and cried out in pain. Her eyes widened instantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She glared at Xie Jue with a mixture of shame and anger.

This person! Why does he always like to use his hands and mouth!

But Jiang Sese immediately realized what was happening.

It turns out he had already thoroughly investigated her past!

Jiang Sese continued to glare at him, even angrier: "Then what do you mean by this now?"

Are you deliberately picking a fight?

Xie Jue looked at Jiang Sese, sighed, and then said with a stern face, "Which of your matters have I dealt with perfunctorily? Not to mention... But now, without you saying it, I already know."

understood?

What does it mean to know?

What do you mean by "know"?

Jiang Sese looked suspicious and incredulous, wondering if Xie Jue was bluffing her.

Although Xie Jue is very perceptive and intelligent, even he, with all his abilities, probably couldn't have imagined something like time travel...

After all, he was an ancient person!

Besides, aren't there often those idiotic plots in novels where the protagonist says, "I actually know everything," and the villain immediately spills the beans.

The problem is, since the other party already knows, what's the point of explaining anything?

Jiang Sese opened her eyes wide and closed her mouth tightly.

He just didn't speak.

The more you say, the more mistakes you make.

Often, when you don't know the whole story, remaining silent is the wisest course of action.

Xie Jue couldn't help but laugh.

Jiang Sese said earnestly, "When you're in a position of power or in public, never hand over any leverage to others. That's what you taught me."

Only Heaven, Earth, you, and I know.

Xie Jue leaned in and hugged Jiang Sese, lowering his head to caress her lips: "Do you know what I was thinking when I first saw you?"

Jiang Sese was already dazed from Xie Jue's kisses; the front of her clothes had come undone, and she could only manage to utter two words between gasps: "...What?"

Xie Jue nestled against Jiang Sese's chest and chuckled softly, "I was thinking, this girl is really reckless."

"Later I realized that this girl was actually very wise in disguise."

Jiang Sese was furious. She shoved Xie Jue away and pinched him in the process. What kind of friend is he to praise someone as wise but foolish?

Jiang Sese retorted angrily, "You're the one who's pretending to be foolish but actually wise!"

But Xie Jue was a martial artist, and Jiang Sese's little bit of strength was really no problem for him.

It was more like she was teasing him.

Xie Jue raised an eyebrow slightly and said slowly, "To appear capable yet incapable, to act as if one is not using one's abilities. One may appear completely unaware, but one's mind is clearly calculating. Well then, I suppose I am wise in my apparent foolishness."

Just as Jiang Sese was about to speak, Xie Jue's fingertips gently brushed against her temple, and he slowly said, "I once read two anecdotes from the previous dynasty. Most people regard them as fantastical tales, but upon closer examination, they are quite intriguing."

Jiang Sese paused, looked up at Xie Jue, and asked nervously, "What anecdote?"

Xie Jue looked down at her and said, "Firstly, there was once a scholar in plain clothes who accidentally fell into an ancient cave in the mountains. The cave was deep and bottomless, not an ordinary mountain stream, but a secret place of an ancient dynasty that had been sealed for thousands of years."

"He was originally a person of this world. When he fell into the cave, all he saw when he opened his eyes were palaces, clothing, and everyday scenes from a thousand years ago. He stayed in that other world for half a year, witnessing ancient rulers governing and people living their lives, and personally experiencing the long-vanished years of the old dynasty. When his chance came to an end, a cloud of mist surged, and he returned to the mountains of the present world. The mountains and rivers remained the same, but his experience had already spanned a thousand years."

Xie Jue said, slowly and deliberately, "People call it crossing the world in the flesh."

"There is another strange tale of a dream. Long ago, there was a scholar who, while sleeping during the day, suddenly had his soul leave his body and fall into the chaotic world of ancient times."

"In his dream, he was born in a different era, grew up in a different country, studied and entered officialdom, stood in the court, experienced half a lifetime of ups and downs, love and hate, and a life of turmoil. When he suddenly woke up, it was only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn on his bed."

Xie Jue's gaze deepened as he gently pinched Jiang Sese's cheek and said, "Everyone says it's all a dream, but what if it's not a dream?"