Chapter 25

◎A beauty under the lamp, her skin as white as snow◎

Ji Xue paused for a moment, remembering that Jiang's father had asked him the exact same question.

“Ji means to remember, Xue means to remember…” Ji Xue frowned in distress, unable to think of a way to say it for a long time.

Xue Lingyu stared at him, feeling a little nervous for a moment.

Yang Le couldn't help but ask, "Is it the 'Xue' in 'Hu Xue'?"

Huxue is a surname that has been passed down through generations. It was once a prominent family with a high status. The founding general of Fengman was surnamed Huxue, and the people of Fengman all knew this surname.

“Yes, that’s Xue.” Xue Meng nodded. “If only we had pen and ink, Miss taught me how to write.”

He had written his name in front of Jiang's father last time. Although it was a bit crooked, it was still generally recognizable. However, Ji Xue was very puzzled as to why they were all so surprised by his name.

This wasn't the first time he'd used the name Ji Xue.

The Xue in Hu Xue is Xue Lingyu's surname, but Xue Lingyu was clearly somewhat incredulous.

He spoke to Yang Le, his voice trembling slightly.

"Yang Le, bring me a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

Xue Lingyu did not look away for a moment, watching as Xue wrote down his name.

It really was just as he had imagined.

Remember Xue.

Xue Lingyu couldn't help but give a wry smile.

He was never kind to Jiang He from beginning to end, and even harbored resentment towards her. Jiang He hated him and humiliated him, but he deserved to suffer it all.

For the past three years, he has continued to enjoy the adoration of the crowd and live a life of luxury, while Jiang He has stayed in Wudu City for the past three years.

How could Fog City compare to the prosperity of the capital? It was a notoriously poor and remote place. No one knew what hardships Jiang He had endured to become what she was now.

She has become much more mature and composed, but the light in her eyes has disappeared.

The name Xue completely broke his defenses.

"What? All the eyeliners have been removed?" the Fifth Prince shouted at his subordinates.

“Jiang He noticed something. Before we could leave, our identities were exposed. Your Highness, I suspect that Jiang He deliberately set a trap to lure us out so she could catch us like a turtle in a jar.”

"Furthermore, those martial arts practitioners who attempted to assassinate Jiang He have all disappeared outside the city; their fate remains unknown..."

The subordinates' voices grew softer and softer, fearing the Fifth Prince's anger and punishment.

As early as when the news of Xue Lingyu's impending entry into the Jiang family spread, the Fifth Prince had already tried every means to plant spies in the Jiang family, firstly to monitor Xue Lingyu's movements, and secondly to seize the opportunity to act.

He could never swallow the grudges from the past.

Who would have thought that Jiang He would trust Xue Lingyu so much? Even Su Yawan, the Prefect of Jingzhao, was in cahoots with Jiang He, which led to his complete defeat.

The subordinate furtively glanced up and asked nervously, "Your Highness, what should we do next?"

The Fifth Prince did not speak; his fingernails were almost digging into his flesh, and his face was gloomy and terrifying.

At that moment, a palace attendant came to report: "Your Highness, Miss Jiang has entered the palace!"

The subordinate was still kneeling and had no time to dodge.

The Fifth Prince looked up and saw Jiang He walking towards him.

The Fifth Prince took a deep breath, pretending nothing had happened, and smiled, "Miss Jiang, what brings you to the palace today? Did you come to see your husband, Jiang?"

Jiang He didn't give him a friendly look, throwing the two statements on the ground with a deep gaze. "If His Majesty knew that Your Highness had interfered in other people's family affairs without permission, I wonder what he would think?"

The subordinate glanced at it and saw that it was the testimony of the Fifth Prince's spy planted in the Jiang residence.

Jiang He already knew about the Fifth Prince's actions.

The Fifth Prince knew he couldn't keep up the act any longer, but he still remained calm. "Miss Jiang, I don't understand what you mean. I've been in the palace all along. How could I possibly meddle in what you call family matters?"

The Fifth Prince is determined to play dumb to the end. Now that the evidence is conclusive, Jiang He doesn't want to waste any more words with him.

"I've come here today to make one thing clear: if anything happens to Xue Lingyu, I will not let this go unpunished."

The Fifth Prince's smile slowly faded. "Even if Xue Lingyu disliked you as much as before?"

Jiang He did not answer him.

If Xue Lingyu disliked her before, then was the Fifth Prince always kind to her?

The Fifth Prince walked up to Jiang He, looked at her, and said, "Would you rather spend your whole life with a concubine who doesn't love you than agree to a royal marriage and give up the opportunity to rise to prominence?"

He softened his tone, “I know the Jiang family’s business has been a bit sluggish lately, and you’re short of money. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have set up a gambling den at the East Suburbs Racecourse to make money. The Jiang family probably doesn’t want such bad news to get out.”

The Fifth Prince was full of confidence in himself and patiently guided Jiang He.

He offered the biggest temptation: "When a prince gets married, the royal family will surely provide a generous dowry, which will definitely solve your current predicament. But if you insist on protecting Xue Lingyu, he has nothing and can't help you with anything."

The Fifth Prince looked at Jiang He with hopeful eyes. He was willing to give all his dowry to Jiang He, which was the greatest sincerity he could offer.

It is important to understand that a man's dowry is his own property. Even if he dies, the dowry can only be taken by the husband's family. It would be shameful for the wife's family to take it for themselves.

Unfortunately, he was too naive.

"Fifth Prince, no matter what you say, even without Xue Lingyu, you would never marry into the Jiang family." Jiang He raised her hand, revealing a wound on her arm left by a thief. She sneered, "I will not marry someone who wants my life."

Although the Jiang family's business is currently doing well, even if it were to reach a critical moment, she would not rely on a man.

Not to mention a man as vicious as the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince completely withdrew his smile.

Before leaving, Jiang He threatened, "I hope the Fifth Prince will take care. If there is a next time, it won't be as simple as just a few lives."

The Fifth Prince watched her retreating figure, while his subordinates trembled with fear.

This was the first time in all these years that Jiang He had ever dared to be disrespectful to the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince chuckled and stared at the doorway for a long time, his tone full of resentment.

“You really are ruthless. What did Xue Lingyu do to deserve your protection?”

Jiang He went to the palace under the guise of visiting Jiang Wanyi. With people from Jiang Wanyi's palace as cover, no one knew that she had also been to the Fifth Prince's palace.

She didn't come to the palace empty-handed this time.

“Brother, these are the latest Jiangnan hairpins from Shuifang. They are all the latest styles and you will definitely look good wearing them.”

Jiang Wanyi opened the box, looked at it, and couldn't put it down: "They are indeed all new styles. I've never seen them in the capital. It's kind of you to still remember me."

Jiang Wanyi immediately asked the servant to help him put it on. Men love to look good, and he looked in the mirror for a while, smiling from ear to ear.

Jiang Wanyi instructed the maid to put the hairpin away and wear it when attending the banquet.

Jiang He stared at Jiang Wanyi's belly, which looked no different from usual. If she weren't told, you really couldn't tell that she was pregnant.

However, Jiang Wanyi gave people a different feeling than before.

She asked with concern, "Brother, are you experiencing any discomfort during your pregnancy?"

Jiang Wanyi's waist is still very slender. Ever since the news of his pregnancy spread, Emperor Wei has come to visit him every day, bringing all kinds of tonics. His face has become fuller.

"Perhaps it's not my period yet, so I don't feel any discomfort. But I'm eating more than before. I wonder if I'll get so fat that I can't walk in the future."

Jiang Wanyi stroked her belly, which was still flat; she wouldn't show until she was three months pregnant.

He patted Jiang He's hand and said, "You need to take it to heart too. The Jiang family is waiting for you to carry on the family line."

Jiang He recalled Xue Lingyu's misunderstanding that she was pregnant, and said with mixed feelings, "I understand."

At this moment, she actually had a strong desire to have a child with Xue Lingyu.

If she were to be born, I wonder what she would look like, whether she would resemble her or Xue Lingyu more.

After leaving the palace, she had just arrived at the Jiang residence and was about to return to Liushui Xiaozhu when she found Xue Lingyu standing at the courtyard gate, looking as if she had been waiting for her for a long time.

Yuan Ge stepped forward helplessly and said, "I tried to persuade Young Master Xue, but he insisted on waiting for you to come back here."

Jiang He did not blame Yuan Ge.

She pursed her lips and said to Xue Lingyu, "Come in and tell me what's on your mind."

Xue Lingyu hesitated for a moment, but still followed Jiang He inside.

After all, it was the place where he had been forced to kneel and faint, so he was still a little scared, but he gritted his teeth and went in.

The room was much warmer than the outside, and this was the first time Xue Lingyu had the opportunity to properly look at where Jiang He lived.

He glanced around the room, then looked up at the sky for a while, his hands, hidden in his sleeves, were red from rubbing. He then lowered his head and asked Jiang He, his voice muffled and unlike his own, "Did you come to see me during the day?"

Jiang He thought he wasn't going to say anything, so she held the account book and admitted, "Yes, I saw you were about to wake up, so I went to take care of the business."

The candlelight flickered, and Xue Lingyu's eyes shone like stars. "I've heard that the Jiang family's business sells all sorts of strange and unusual things. I don't know anything about these things yet."

Jiang He paused in her hand holding the ledger, then turned her gaze to him. "If you're willing, I can take you with me to inspect the shops another day."

She noticed the hairpin he was wearing today. "Is that the red jade agate hairpin you're wearing?"

Xue Lingyu touched the hairpin, hummed in agreement, and bit her lip, saying hesitantly, "When I was punished by kneeling, I was angry and almost broke this hairpin. Luckily, I wasn't impulsive, because this is the only pretty hairpin I have left."

He was telling the truth.

"I got a hairpin from the water shop today, I don't know if it would suit you." Jiang He took out an exquisite and beautiful gift box and opened it in front of Xue Lingyu.

The contents inside immediately captivated Xue Lingyu.

"This is a gold hairpin, from Jiangnan. I heard that the young masters there especially like it, and it's worth a fortune to buy one."

Jiang He took out the hairpin, intending to put it on Xue Lingyu herself, but hesitated.

Xue Lingyu stared into her eyes, her eyebrows as black as lacquer, and blinked, clearly acquiescing to her actions.

Under the lamplight, the beauty's skin was as white as snow, and her expression was shy. Jiang He was stunned for a while before she came to her senses.

A fine hairpin suits a beautiful woman, Jiang He couldn't help but sigh.

Jiang He even reached out to tidy up the stray hairs by Xue Lingyu's ears, and Xue Lingyu, like a well-behaved kitten, let her do as she pleased.

Xue Lingyu was unusually different today, as if he had completely let down his guard against her.

Those bright, expressive eyes seemed to speak volumes, gentle and tender, brimming with subtle affection that gently tugged at her heartstrings.

Her heart inexplicably quickened its pace. Jiang He smiled, softened her tone, and breathed into his ear as if whispering sweet nothings:

"This hairpin is named 'Longing for You'."

◎Latest Comments:

[I'm here to clean up the comments section, click the paw icon ∈]

【Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!】

[Ugh, why isn't there an update yet?!]

[Please update, DaDa!]

[Some people are really sick, as if being a brainless idiot who only knows how to criticize the male lead is what it means to love the female lead... True female lead lovers want to see her love and hate freely, strong and independent, able to decide and control her own life and even the male lead's life, not like some romance novels that portray women as helpless vines that can only be saved, helped, and pampered.]

[This is great, this is great, there's progress in their relationship! Hehehehe]

[Keep it up, DaDa!]

[Help...help me, this is actually kind of interesting, hehehe, this is the first time I've read a romance novel on Jinjiang, hehehehe, it's pretty good (suddenly I feel like I've opened the door to a new world.jpg)]

I'm so worried, stop messing around with each other...

[Fast forward to the dribbling scene, hehehe]

[So beautiful, I'm crying! Jiang is so affectionate!]

[When I read a good article, I can't forget it. I drink up all the nutrients in it and become quite enthusiastic about it.]

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