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

The person in the bed was sleeping restlessly, sweating profusely, their fingertips unconsciously curling up, and a muffled groan escaping their throat.

Xi Lingxian looked at the man's tense profile, his brows furrowed, clearly indicating that he was trapped in a nightmare from which he could not escape.

Her heart tightened, and she crouched down quietly, nudging his arm: "Wake up, you're having a nightmare."

A soft call, like the first light of dawn.

Wang Jue was always a light sleeper. He suddenly opened his eyes, and there seemed to be lingering scarlet and pain from his past life's separation from his loved ones.

The moment he saw the person in front of him, his pupils contracted sharply. What came into view was not the cold and lifeless woman from his dream, but a living, breathing woman with gentle eyes and brows.

In the dim candlelight, the soft, lotus-pink undergarment wrapped around the girl's slender limbs, her black hair falling down from her left side, and the apricot-colored bodice was faintly visible through the overlapping collar.

She probably has no idea how captivating she looks.

Their eyes met, and the surroundings fell silent instantly, with only their soft breathing mingling in the air.

He suddenly pulled her into his arms, his strength so great it felt as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

A large, warm hand immediately gripped the back of her head, and without a word, it lowered its head and kissed her fiercely.

The first two blows were extremely powerful, carrying an unyielding force that left no room for escape.

But then, as if realizing his rudeness, he suddenly relaxed his tense strength and his fierce movements became gentle.

He gently pecked at her lips, one peck after another, with a hint of cautious probing.

Xi Lingxian froze for a moment, her heartbeat suddenly going off track.

As if guided by a ghost, she raised her arms and gently wrapped them around his neck.

That very slight response, that spark, instantly turned into a raging inferno.

Dark, turbulent thoughts surged in the man's eyes. He tightened his grip on the back of her head with one hand, while his other hand gripped her slender waist. He pulled her forward abruptly, simultaneously thrusting himself forward. Their warm bodies instantly pressed tightly together, leaving no gap whatsoever.

The sound of the water mingling was both abrupt and ambiguous in the quiet night, and Xi Lingxian felt that she was probably going crazy.

The clamor of the Gu worms within their bodies added fuel to the fire of their sudden intimacy.

A tingling, pleasurable sensation coursed through my limbs and bones; the closer I got to it, the stronger the feeling became.

Like an addictive poppy, even knowing it's wrong and impossible, it's hard to resist the urge.

When Xi Lingxian came to her senses, she was already pinned to the low couch, her hands held above her head, unable to move; the hot, heavy breathing in front of her almost melted her.

How could she have been so foolish as to get involved with him?

He was filled with regret, yet his body remained intoxicated and reluctant to leave.

Her undergarment had somehow slipped down to her arms, and her apricot-colored bodice hung loosely on her body. She struggled, but her lips, which were gagged, could not form a coherent sentence.

Pass, pass!

Her burning lips and tongue traveled down her earlobe, and she couldn't help but raise her neck, revealing vibrant red plum blossoms blooming one after another on her slender, fair neck.

The temperature steadily rose, pushing their rationality to the brink of collapse.

"My lord! Urgent news from Jiankang!"

A shout from outside the door shattered all the idyllic scene and pulled the two people back to their senses, who were already on the edge of the cliff.

Xi Lingxian blushed, belatedly feeling shy and embarrassed. She pushed him away irritably, clutched her chest, and staggered back to the inner room, forgetting to put on her shoes.

Wang Jue was momentarily stunned. The knocking from the guards outside the door grew more urgent, and he couldn't delay any longer. He took the pair of pink soft-soled embroidered shoes back to the inner room, where the person behind the bed curtains huddled up with their back to the outside.

"Shut up, you're not allowed to say anything!"

She cut him off before he could speak, "Hurry up, or they'll knock the door down."

Wang Jue gave a soft "hmm," dressed herself neatly, and returned to the inner room.

"By the way, you kissed me today. I'll discuss taking responsibility with you when we get back."

Xi Lingxian was stunned.

Who kissed whom? Who is responsible?

She got up to try and explain, but the man had already vanished, draped in a cloak.

You bastard!

They took advantage of the situation and are now acting innocent.

How could she have lost her mind like that!

For several days in a row, the sky over Jiangzhou remained overcast.

Most of the local officials were killed in one fell swoop, because someone always had to take charge of all the big and small matters in the officialdom.

As the governor, Wang Jue was in charge of overall coordination, while specific official duties were to be carried out by his subordinates.

It was at this juncture that Wang Jue pushed Xi Song aboard, and he began learning to read official documents from the moment he boarded the ship, all for the sake of today.

In the office of the Revenue Department, the land tax ledgers of various counties in Jiangzhou were piled up like mountains, and cup after cup of refreshing herbal tea was added.

In just a few days, the once handsome and naive young man seemed like a completely different person, which made Chen Ting feel a little sorry for him.

"Young Master Xi, there's no need to rush. The accounts for land taxes are extremely complicated and cannot be completed overnight."

"That won't do!"

It's true that Xi Song is naive, but what scion of a noble family is a fool?

He knew full well that Wang Jue's promotion of him was far from fair, so he was even more determined to produce some tangible results to silence those critics.

Even if he were to be promoted, he would deserve it.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ting stroked his beard and smiled, "Young Master Xi, you are too kind. You are our Second Young Master's brother-in-law. If we don't give you this good opportunity, who else would we give it to?"

Brother-in-law?

Xi Song took a sip of tea and muttered, "Whether it's related or not, it's not certain yet."

Chen Ting, knowing a bit of the inside story, gave a mischievous smile. "Our second young master is so discerning; if he wanted to, would there be any girl he couldn't win over?"

Xi Song curled her lip, unconvinced, "Then wish him good luck."

When officials change, subordinates and ordinary people are most likely to cause trouble.

The following day, Xunyang County reported a case of a land boundary dispute that had escalated to the prefectural level.

Wang Jue had no time to deal with it and passed the case on to Xi Song.

While reviewing the account books, Xi Song was forced to study the legal provisions.

The law is the most complicated and difficult to understand, but fortunately, Wang Jue's advisor Chen Ting was there to guide him.

After studying the text for a long time and figuring out the situation, Xi Song pondered for a while and wrote a judgment, the gist of which was: the boundaries between the two families' fields had been in disrepair for many years and the original boundary markers could no longer be identified, so they needed to be redrawn based on the number of acres of land.

Despite his young age, Xi Song is quite imposing when it comes to putting on a stern face and displaying his authority.

Those who tried to take advantage of the vacancy in official positions to stir up trouble and gain benefits were mostly all bark and no bite. After he made an example of them without any mercy, they all became obedient.

"Mr. Chen, what has Brother Wang been up to lately?"

After Xi Song finished copying the case file, he finally had the energy to ask a few questions about other matters.

Chen Ting could talk about some things, but not others.

Xi Song found it boring. "Where's my older sister?"

"That story circulating in town, so detailed and seemingly plausible, is it false?"

Xi Song's expression was not good. "If my sister were kidnapped right under his nose, he would be utterly useless!"

"Of course, Miss Xi is doing well, you don't need to worry."

"What about my father and my brother?"

"My father is too good-natured. I'm worried that he'll be tricked by that old fox Yu Liang."

"..."

Good temper?

How could a son have such a misunderstanding about his own father?