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

Jiang Sese didn't speak, she just kept sneering.

The laughter was soft, as if it came from her nose, carrying a hint of disdain, annoyance, and a touch of melancholy that she herself was unaware of.

Jiang Sese turned her head away, not even bothering to look at Jiang Qian again.

Xie Jue's gaze lingered on her profile for a moment, then he raised his eyes and swept over Jiang Qian and the two ashen-faced clansmen behind him.

Xie Jue said calmly, "It's getting late, sir, please return."

His tone was calm and indifferent, without any deliberate pressure or politeness, yet it made Jiang Qian feel more ashamed than any reprimand.

Jiang Qian sighed and bowed again, saying, "The Jiang family has no way to deny the many oversights of the past. We have come here today not to ask the princess to forgive us immediately, but only to hope that the Jiang family still has a chance to make up for the past shortcomings."

Jiang Qian bowed again, his steps faltering as he turned around. Jiang Mao quickly stepped forward to support him.

Jiang Qian, supporting Jiang Mao's arm, slowly walked out. With each step, Jiang Mao's originally straight back hunched over a little more.

As he approached the threshold, Jiang Qian suddenly stopped, as if he wanted to turn back and say something, but in the end he said nothing and stepped over the threshold.

His back view made him look more than ten years older all of a sudden.

Xie Jue told Jiang Sese that when Jiang Qing died, Jiang Qian actually sent some clansmen to offer condolences, but the clansmen felt there was no benefit in it, so they ignored Jiang Qian's instructions.

Jiang Sese was silent for a moment, then said, "What's the point of saying all this?"

Xie Jue didn't say anything more, but simply reached out and gently pulled her into his arms.

Jiang Sese leaned against Xie Jue's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and suddenly felt that all those sharp thorns from before had softened, one by one.

Back at the Xie family's old residence, Jiang Sese glanced at Xie Jue several times before finally asking, "Did you come to Yangzhou for something else?"

Xie Jue was sitting next to her with his eyes closed, resting. Hearing this, he didn't even lift his eyelids, but the corners of his lips curved slightly.

Xie Jue opened his eyes and turned to look at her, a hint of a smile in his calm eyes: "Guess."

Jiang Sese pondered for a moment and began to mentally flip through the book.

She remembered most of the plot in the book, but Yangzhou was not mentioned much.

Jiang Sese thought about it over and over again, only vaguely remembering that it had mentioned something about the Yangzhou canal transport, but she had no recollection of what it was.

Maybe it is, but it's not mentioned in the book.

Thinking about the things that weren't written in the book, her brows suddenly furrowed—those things that weren't written in the book all seemed to be related to her.

The book tells the main storyline, the love and hate of the main characters, while the blank spaces that are glossed over, forgotten by the author, and ignored by readers when they turn the pages are all filled in this real world. It is filled with people like Chen Jingang who have never appeared in the book, and also with minor characters like Jiang Qian.

Jiang Sese snapped out of her daze and found Xie Jue quietly watching her. She asked, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Sese snapped out of her daze and asked, "Is it the accounts?"

Xie Jue's eyes were deep as he asked Jiang Sese why she had thought of the accounts.

"I guessed." Jiang Sese spread her hands, met his deep and calm gaze, and said confidently, "We came by boat along the Grand Canal. Along the way, I noticed that many sections of the canal were silted up, the banks were cracked and mottled, and the sluice gates and dams along the way were in disrepair. But the imperial court clearly allocates a lot of national treasury silver every year for the maintenance of the Grand Canal."

"Looking at the officials and clerks on the shore of Yangzhou, all dressed in fine clothes, it's hard not to have some suspicions."

Jiang Sese recalled her first meeting with Chen Jingang at the dock that day, and the guilty conscience and fear hidden in his eyes. She added, "When we landed yesterday, Chen Jingang's gaze towards you was also a bit off. He holds the title of a prince of the imperial clan, and His Majesty has always treated the imperial clan with favor. As a result, the local officials in Yangzhou inevitably try to curry favor with him and secretly offer him tributes. Over the years, this inevitably breeds thoughts of embezzlement."

Xie Jue listened quietly to her finish speaking, then gently pinched her cheek and chuckled, "What do you mean by 'the way you're looking at me isn't quite right'?"

Xie Jue's smile suddenly faded, and he said, "I think he's clearly a lustful man with boundless audacity."

Yesterday, Chen Jinghuan had been staring at Jiang Sese with a lecherous look, and neither Jiang Sese nor Xie Jue were blind.

Jiang Sese didn't want to talk about Chen Jingang, so she just pulled Xie Jue aside and asked her if her guess was right.

Xie Jue said, "You guessed right. Yangzhou is the central hub of the salt transport in Lianghuai and the throat of the Grand Canal transport."

Before he arrived, he knew that Chen Jingang's messy affairs were not limited to those two murder cases, but also included an even bigger mess hidden in the ledgers of the canal wharf.

But he wasn't actually planning to do anything to Chen Jingang right now.

The principle remains the same.

Even when beating a dog, you should consider its owner.

Although Emperor Jingyuan himself did not know what Chen Jingang looked like, Chen Jingang held the title of a member of the imperial clan.

This era has always valued sticking together for warmth and sharing both honor and disgrace.

Alone, if an opponent were to impeach him, he would have no one to speak on his behalf, submit memorials, or gather information.

Killing Chen Jingang is nothing, but the imperial clan will immediately jump out.

Jiang Sese had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, so she didn't continue the topic.

As evening fell, Xie Jue took Jiang Sese to the most famous restaurant in Yangzhou.

The private rooms on the second floor are by the window; by opening the carved window, one can see the misty waves of the Slender West Lake at dusk.

The last rays of sunset fell on the lake, scattering countless golden sparks. One by one, the lights of the returning pleasure boats lit up, as if someone had sprinkled a handful of stars on the lake.

The waiter served up braised crab meat lion's head meatballs, braised silver carp head, and braised dried bean curd strips, one dish on top of another, steaming hot, covering the entire table.

Jiang Sese picked up her chopsticks to grab a lion's head meatball, but Xie Jue gently pressed her hand down.

"The lion's head meatballs are fresh out of the pot, be careful they're hot." Xie Jue said, picking up her bowl, breaking the meatballs into small pieces with chopsticks, blowing on them to cool them down, and then pushing them back to her.

Jiang Sese lowered her head and took a bite. The fresh aroma of crab roe mixed with the tenderness of the meat spread on her tongue.

Jiang Sese's eyes lit up: "This trip to Yangzhou was definitely worthwhile."

Xie Jue was serving her dried silk when he heard this, and the corners of his lips curved slightly.

Just as I was about to say something, I saw her stick out her tongue and quickly lick away the tiny bit of crab roe on the corner of her lips; that little bit of tender red tongue flashed by in an instant.

Xie Jue paused slightly.

Jiang Sese was completely unaware of what was happening. She picked up another piece of braised silver carp head with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. She gasped slightly because it was hot, and then squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

As Jiang Sese was eating, she was struggling with a piece of braised carp head when she heard Xie Jue suddenly call her name.

Jiang Sese raised her head, still with half a mouthful of fish in her mouth, and asked vaguely what was wrong.

"Come here." Xie Jue put down his chopsticks and stretched out his hand to her.

Jiang Sese was confused and thought he was going to talk about something important, so she put down her chopsticks, got up and walked over to him.

Before she could even ask a question, he gently pulled her up, and she fell into his lap.

Jiang Sese was startled and instinctively tried to stand up by supporting herself on his shoulder. She lowered her voice and said urgently, "We're outside. There are maids outside too."

Xie Jue chuckled softly, his hand firmly resting on her waist, and said that the door to the private room was closed and no one would come in.

As he spoke, his breath brushed against her earlobe, causing a faint tickle, and Jiang Sese's ears instantly turned red.

Just as she was about to retort, she felt him lift her chin and press his warm lips against hers.