The Marquis doesn't support his beloved wife's ambitions, so I'll take the imperial e

Her performance was so sincere and moving; her expression of worry for his safety and reluctance to let him leave was enough to soften any man's heart.

Looking into the "sincerity" in her eyes, Xiao Qingyan felt a strange calming of the unease that had arisen from the urgent message.

He raised his hand and gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips, a gesture he had never made before.

"No need," he said in a low voice. "You don't need to concern yourself with my affairs."

He paused, then said, "Stay here and behave yourself. I will send someone to fetch you after I have finished dealing with matters in the capital."

Here we go again.

Jiang Zhenxue rolled her eyes inwardly, but nodded obediently, her eyes reddening. "Then I'll wait here for you, Lord Marquis. You...you must come back soon."

"Mm," Xiao Qingyan responded, and for some reason, she added as if possessed, "Don't get too close to those shady men."

"I know." Jiang Zhenxue lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the fleeting glint in them. "Now that I am your person, Lord Marquis, I will naturally remain chaste for you and will never bring shame upon you."

These words warmed Xiao Qingyan's heart.

He glanced at her one last time, his gaze complex and unreadable, containing both the scrutiny of a controller and a hint of lingering affection that he himself was unaware of.

In the end, he said nothing more, turned around, and disappeared into the deep night like a gust of wind.

The door creaked open in the night breeze and then slowly closed.

The room fell silent once more.

The disappointment and reluctance on Jiang Zhenxue's face vanished instantly.

She walked to the window and looked in the direction of Yingxian Tower. The lights there had been turned off. Only after confirming that the man was really gone did she let out a long, long sigh of relief.

The air of freedom is fucking sweet!

She turned around, returned to her desk, picked up the account book he had just interrupted, and began humming a tuneless little melody in a very good mood.

Go, go, it would be best if you died on the way and never came back!

Xiao Qingyan, you think this is the end of it?

I remember the slap you gave me.

I've also remembered those nights you forced yourself on me.

I remember every single one of the methods you used to force me into submission, holding my life in your hands.

A gentleman takes his revenge, even after ten years.

Although I, Jiang Zhenxue, am not a gentleman, I have plenty of patience.

We'll settle this score slowly.

In the first hour after Xiao Qingyan left, Jiang Zhenxue did nothing but sit on her sandalwood bed and roll around three times.

Cool!

I feel more refreshed than ever before!

The mountain that had been pressing down on them was removed, the rope that had been binding their necks was untied, and even the air in Yunyang County seemed three times sweeter than it had been a few days ago.

She hummed a tuneless little tune as she sorted out the accounts that Xiao Qingyan had turned into a mess these past few days. The abacus beads clicked and clattered in her hands, the crisp sound even more melodious than celestial music.

"forest!"

"Here I am! Sister Xue'er, what are your orders?" Lin Mu, the newly promoted branch manager, rushed in like a puppy that had received a message.

"Bring me the accounts from the East City branch so I can check them again." Jiang Zhenxue was in a great mood, and even the young shop assistant seemed much more agreeable to her.

"Sister Xue'er, you've watched it three times already, there's no problem." Lin Mu scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.

"I'm doing it my way, it's none of your business!" Jiang Zhenxue rolled her eyes at him. "Go do your thing, don't waste my time making money."

Lin Mu chuckled, not annoyed at all, and turned to run out again.

In the spacious bedroom, Jiang Zhenxue was once again left alone. After checking all the accounts, she looked at the rows of pleasing numbers, and the smile on her lips never faded.

But as she laughed, the expression on her face slowly froze.

Not right.

Given Xiao Qingyan's crazy personality, since he has decided that she is his possession, how could he possibly let her go here so easily?

He clearly controlled her lifeline in the paper industry, holding her greatest weakness in his grasp. According to his script, shouldn't he have simply packed her up and forcibly taken her back to the capital?

Why did he leave so abruptly because of an urgent letter? And why did he give her such a vague promise that he would "come back to pick you up after I've finished dealing with things"?

This is not like Xiao Qingyan's style.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

Jiang Zhenxue's mind raced as she reviewed every detail in her head.

That urgent letter, his suddenly somber expression, and his casual remark as he left, "There's some urgent business in the capital"...

Beijing.

Jiang Zhenxue's pupils suddenly contracted.

She suddenly remembered! In the original story, this time of year was precisely when the political situation in the imperial court was at its most turbulent!

Although Xiao Qingyan was the Marquis of Ningguo, wielding military power and enjoying the emperor's favor, he was not without political enemies.

The forces led by the eldest prince and his maternal clan have always regarded him as a thorn in their side and have been trying to bring him down at all times.

Meanwhile, he was secretly supporting the Third Prince, who seemed to have no foundation but had actually been patiently enduring for many years.

The two factions fought fiercely in the imperial court, and the slightest misstep could lead to utter ruin.

Therefore, his return this time was not to "deal with urgent matters" at all, but to fight a war! A war without gunpowder, yet more dangerous than any battlefield!

Having figured this out, Jiang Zhenxue felt a wave of relief wash over her, which was then replaced by an even greater excitement.

She got it.

It wasn't that he didn't want to take her away, but that he couldn't.

At that critical moment, he himself was in danger, and having a "troublemaker" like her by his side who was unwilling and could cause trouble at any time was undoubtedly courting death.

So he could only "let her go" for the time being.

This is not kindness; it is simply the optimal solution after weighing the pros and cons.

"Xiao Qingyan, oh Xiao Qingyan," Jiang Zhenxue murmured to herself, leaning back in her chair, a cold, calculating smile playing on her lips. "You thought this was a delaying tactic, but little did you know, it gave me the best opportunity."

He thought she was a canary temporarily fostered outside, and that once he resolved the trouble, he could come back anytime and put her back in the cage.

He was wrong.

He was a tiger who had returned to his pack to fight for the throne, and she was no delicate canary.

She was a hunter. A hunter who knew how to seize opportunities and lay a trap for herself.

An unprecedented fighting spirit ignited in Jiang Zhenxue's eyes.

She walked to the backyard, to Shen Yu's room.

The boy was studying diligently under the lamp. Upon seeing her arrive, he immediately stood up, a hint of doubt on his face: "Sister Jiang? It's so late, why are you..."

"Xiao Yu, starting today, you need to change your reading list." Jiang Zhenxue skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

She took out a piece of paper from her bosom, on which she had written down the titles of several books about power struggles and strategies.

"You should read the Spring and Autumn Annals, but just reading it without understanding its meaning is useless. You need to know how those schemes and plots described in the book are now being played out in the court with a different face."