If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

People who have been in a high position for a long time will not allow themselves to fall.

It's not just about food, clothing, and daily necessities; it's also about the prohibition on spiritual dignity.

Xi Lingxian knew perfectly well that, given her current lifestyle, there were no more than three other young ladies in Jiankang City who could rival her.

She never cared about matters of the court, and for a moment she couldn't tell whether Wang Jue's words were true or just meant to scare her.

She was in a daze for a few moments, and when she came to her senses, Wang Jue was no longer in the room.

Every time she met him, she felt exhausted, as if she had just fought a battle.

After taking off her clothes, Xi Lingxian crawled into bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

……

Shen Shi (3-5 PM)

Wang Jue sat behind his desk, with a blank folded document spread out in front of him, the candle wax piling up into a small mountain on the candlestick.

"Regular sugar?"

"Yes. Dr. Lang said it's just ordinary plum candy, not poisonous, and without any added drugs."

Wang Jue waved his hand, signaling the guards to leave.

Mr. Zhou looked suspicious: "Does the young master suspect that the Prince of Chenliu will target Miss Xi?"

"It seems I underestimated him; he is very cautious."

Ah Hu: "Young master, then tell me, if the Prince of Chenliu were to make a move, what would he do to Miss Xi? Would he use a deadly poison or...?"

Chen Ting shook his head and said, "Miss Xi is just a young lady from a wealthy family. To harm her would be detrimental to the Prince of Chenliu in every way."

Mr. Zhou: "As far as I know, the Prince of Chenliu traveled extensively in his youth, including to the southern border. It's hard to say that he might have obtained something from the shamans of the southern border."

"To have Miss Xi at his beck and call is far more beneficial than to take her life directly."

Chen Ting said with a serious expression, "Young Master, if that's the case, Miss Xi is in great danger. The two of them are both at the Linchuan Abode, and they are teacher and student. They will run into each other all the time. The Prince of Chenliu will have plenty of opportunities to make a move."

Wang Jue's expression darkened, and he then instructed Chang'an, "Send an invitation to Lord Xi, inviting him and Xi Rui to a gathering at Zuixianlou at noon tomorrow."

The gatekeeper of the Xi residence delivered the invitation to Xi Jian's study, where Xi Lingxian and her two siblings, along with Xi Wen, happened to be present.

"Brother Qingyu, what brings you to suddenly have the leisure and refined taste to invite us to a feast?"

Xi Lingxian: "Father, he definitely has ulterior motives."

Xi Jian frowned. "Fanfan, Erlang's feelings for you are obvious. Don't you really care at all?"

"I don't want to think about it, I don't like him anymore."

Xi Jian was puzzled. "You liked it so much back then, why do you suddenly stop liking it?"

Xi Lingxian lowered her eyes, concealing the turmoil within them. "He has too many rules; I don't like them."

Xi Rui and Xi Song hesitated to speak.

Xi Jian: "Fanfan, the world is not at peace. Your brother and I may rush to the battlefield at any time. I am worried about leaving you alone at home."

Xi Lingxian had already made up her mind. "Father, I'm not afraid. If it really comes to that, I'll go back to Guangling."

The Xi family also had their own residence in Jingkou, whose grandeur was no less than that of the one in Jiankang.

Xi Song's eyes lit up. "I want one too! If my sister is going back, then I'll go back too!"

Xi Rui frowned. "What about Grandmother? She's all alone here."

"The Xi family has completely withdrawn from Jiankang, which makes outsiders think that our family is afraid of them."

Xi Jian didn't think too much about it and asked his daughter softly, "Are you really sure you want to completely reject the marriage proposal from the Wang family?"

She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt a tearing pain in her heart.

To be honest, the people who killed her in her past life were people like Madam Yu and Granny Zhou, and she has already taken her revenge.

Can……

Realizing what she was doing, she stopped in time!

There are no buts.

"I'm rejecting this; I won't marry him."

Xi Rui rested his chin on his hand and said, "Fanfan, your older brother admits you're a fairy, but if you don't even want Wang Jue, you might never meet someone worthy of a fairy again."

"...Whoever I like is the best to me."

Xi Jian took a deep breath, and both he and Xi Rui prepared to deal with the situation.

The Drunken Immortal Pavilion was noisy and bustling in the afternoon.

Wang Jue wanted the most luxurious private room, secluded from the hustle and bustle of the world, where he could enjoy a quiet and peaceful retreat.

Both publicly and privately, Xi Jian had always wanted to establish a marriage alliance with the Wang family;

Publicly, it would bring fame and recognition to the family; privately, Wang Jue was extremely capable, and he could protect his daughter.

What a pity...we weren't meant to be.

Wang Jue didn't beat around the bush; he handed the files gathered by his secret guards to Xi Jian and his son, and then explained them in detail.

"The Prince of Chenliu was enraged when Miss Xi politely refused him, and he even used his position as a teacher to target Miss Xi for personal gain. This shows that he is by no means an upright gentleman. I sent people to investigate his past and found that he had traveled to the southern border many times when he was young and had close relationships with many shamans and doctors in the south."

"Uncle, you have traveled all over the country and seen a lot. I don't need to say more about the skills of the witch doctors in the southern border regions."

Xi Jian's face darkened inch by inch.

Xi Rui said anxiously, "Father, Fanfan is in the academy now, meeting with that guy Xiao Yun every day. What if he falls for some evil trick..."

Xi Jian closed his eyes briefly, then turned to Wang Jue, "Qingyu, you brought this up with me yourself, do you have a plan?"

Wang Jue said without hesitation, "Uncle, I would like to formally propose marriage."

Xi Rui's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Xi Jian forced a smile, "This, this..."

"Uncle, I know your daughter is the apple of your eye, and I will treat her well."

Xi Jian rubbed his forehead, knowing he had to speak no matter how difficult it was.

"Qingyu, I won't lie to you. Before coming here, I asked Fanfan for her opinion several times. The Wang family is the pinnacle of the aristocratic families in the world. Their rules are complicated and their responsibilities are enormous. It is really not something that my pampered daughter can bear."

"Second Brother, please don't make things difficult for me. I only have this one daughter. If I really force her, I will have no face to see her mother after I die."

Wang Jue's fingertips silently tightened around the rim of the cup. "Uncle, do you still remember the ancestral contract between our two families?"

Xi Jian was speechless for a moment.

"The tales of a perfect son-in-law are now history; Qingyu, to be honest, there are other fine young ladies in my Xi clan, each well-educated, virtuous, and beautiful. If you find them suitable, I can adopt them into my family. This would be considered a marriage of the eldest daughter of the main branch, and I will provide for Fanfan in every way she desires. This way, the relationship between our two families will not be affected, and our contractual alliance will still be strengthened. What do you think?"

Wang Jue's tone left no room for argument: "If I were willing to take someone else, the marriage would not have been delayed until now."

Xi Jian sighed helplessly.

Xi Rui asked with a heavy heart, "Qingyu, is a marriage alliance truly necessary?"

"You and Fanfan are simply not compatible. With your refined taste and untainted spirit, how could you possibly get along with my unruly little tyrant? Without her constantly making you angry and bickering, the house would be in complete chaos. A marriage alliance is meant to strengthen family ties, but if it turns into this, wouldn't it be the opposite of what we intend?"

The Xi family had a thousand reasons to oppose the marriage; yet each one seemed to be genuinely for his benefit, leaving him with no room for argument.

It turns out that things get this complicated whenever she's unwilling.

She didn't want to...

The little tail that used to follow him everywhere in his past life no longer wants to come back to him.