Chapter 27

"What, don't you want to get up?"

Even though she didn't want to sleep, Jiang He didn't let Xue Lingyu do anything else.

Xue Lingyu's knees were still hurting so badly that her eyes were filled with tears, and she couldn't bear to hurt herself any more.

Moreover, she was not a lustful person to begin with.

Seeing that she couldn't seduce her, Xue Lingyu could only hide under the covers and sulk, covering her entire head with the blanket, her little face secretly contorted with frustration.

What's clearly more attractive to Jiang He now is the ledger.

Fearing she might disturb Xue Lingyu's sleep, Jiang He didn't use the abacus to check, but instead did mental arithmetic.

As the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, she possessed exceptional business acumen from birth. Had she not gone astray in her youth, spending her days partying with disreputable friends and indulging in extravagant spending, the Jiang family's situation might have been far better than it is now.

Although the Jiang family's business has grown bigger and bigger, the He family is not willing to be outdone. After all, it is the only family in the capital with the strength to rival the Jiang family. In some aspects, the He family is no less than the Jiang family.

Jiang He recalled that her father had selected three sons from three families, intending for her to choose one as her husband, one of whom was the son of the He family.

The He family actually intends to form a marriage alliance with the Jiang family. If the two families merge, they will indeed be able to dominate the entire capital's business network, and the benefits will be countless.

The He family are also merchants, so there is no issue of mismatch.

Jiang Jia rubbed his temples, his eyes showing fatigue, and looked towards the bedside. Xue Lingyu was no longer making any noise, so she must have fallen asleep.

If she really marries a proper husband, Xue Lingyu will probably be unhappy.

She had no intention of marrying the young master of the He family; she had never forgotten the wish she made back then.

Being able to share a bed with Xue Lingyu every day made her truly feel that the two of them were a respectable married couple.

Jiang Wanyi has been in the palace for three years and is already a second-rank concubine. Now that she is pregnant with the phoenix's child, the emperor wants to elevate her rank and make her a first-rank concubine.

This move was met with strong opposition from many ministers of the previous dynasty, who argued that Jiang Wanyi came from a merchant family and the sex of the fetus in her womb was unknown, and that the emperor's actions were too hasty.

Although Emperor Wei's harem consisted of only a few women, each of them had family influence in the court. As if they had conspired together, they all prevented Jiang Wanyi from being appointed as a concubine.

He was already serving the emperor before he even gave birth to a child. If he really gave birth to a princess, wouldn't the emperor want to make him the Phoenix Lord?

Because of her background, Jiang Wanyi has always been the subject of much criticism.

Traditionally, only families of officials were eligible to enter the palace for selection. Jiang Wanyi would never have been able to enter the palace in her lifetime, but the Emperor Wei set a precedent and gave the Jiang family a spot.

He was summoned to the palace and was appointed as a fifth-rank palace attendant, gaining the favor of the late emperor, a position that has remained unchallenged to this day.

Jiang Wanyi has been recuperating in the palace for the past three years, and her health has indeed improved considerably compared to before.

While the previous dynasty was making a great fuss over the investiture, he found himself gazing intently at the purple bamboo orchids presented as tribute from the Western Regions.

He reached out to touch the petals, a slight smile playing on his lips, and murmured:

"Though the flowers are beautiful, they will eventually wither; though people are affectionate, they will change."

The servant asked with concern, "Why are you so sad, Your Excellency? Has something happened to upset you, or has someone offended you?"

Jiang Wanyi gently shook her head in denial, "I was just slightly moved."

He withdrew his hand, still maintaining a gentle demeanor, as if he had never taken anything to heart.

When the Empress stepped into the palace, she saw her beloved sitting by the bed, frowning as she looked at a pot of flowers, looking worried. She strode forward, took Jiang Wanyi's hand, and said in a gentle voice, "Wanyi."

Jiang Wanyi snapped out of her reverie and said with some surprise, "Your Majesty."

Jiang Wanyi wanted to get up and bow, but Wei Di took the opportunity to put his arm around his waist, preventing him from getting up.

"Since you are pregnant, you no longer need to bow to me."

Jiang Wanyi, adhering to the rules, said, "Etiquette must not be disregarded."

The emperor had long known that he was a man of principle and not one to take advantage of favor, and thus loved him even more.

"Is something making you sad?" Wei Di touched his brow, and frowned as well.

Jiang Wanyi shook her head, but the Emperor Wei did not believe her.

"Have you heard those rumors from the previous dynasty?" The Emperor patted his hand and promised, "Don't worry, it's only a matter of time before I appoint you as a court attendant. I don't care what others say."

"Your Majesty need not do this for me. I am the son of a merchant, of humble origin. Now I only hope that the child in my womb will be born safely." Jiang Wanyi touched her belly. Soon she should be showing. She didn't know whether it was a princess or a prince.

"Others may consider merchants lowly, but I don't think so. Wanyi, I want to give you the best." The Emperor looked at his abdomen, his gaze gentle, and promised:

"After you give birth to the child, I will bestow upon your mother the title of Duke or Marquis, granting her a first-rank noble title. Then no one will dare to discuss your origins anymore."

Upon hearing this, the servants in the palace couldn't help but marvel at the favor bestowed upon them by the Emperor.

This is exactly what is meant by "love me, love my dog".

Jiang Wanyi was also taken aback. He exclaimed, "Your Majesty, this is against the rules!"

"My word is law." The Emperor gently stroked his face, his voice soft: "Just take good care of yourself during your pregnancy."

Jiang Wanyi's heart was filled with mixed feelings. It is said that people's hearts are fickle, but Emperor Wei's feelings for him have never changed.

Xue Lingyu had been very sleepy these past few days. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that Jiang He saw him open his eyes, looking like he hadn't had enough sleep.

She drew back the bed curtains and smiled at Xue Lingyu, "What, don't you want to get up?"

Xue Lingyu, like a lazy cat, reluctantly got up and gave Jiang He a resentful look.

Jiang He ordered a servant to come in and help him wash up. "I'll take you to the shop later to pick out some nice clothes and jewelry. If it's too late, I might change my mind."

Now that he's married, the clothes he wore when he was a young master are no longer suitable. The clothes Xue Lingyu is wearing now are from several years ago. Although he looks good in them, Jiang He wants to give him something better.

Xue Lingyu originally wanted to ease his relationship with Jiang He. He said it casually, but he didn't expect Jiang He to really remember it. He had always been restrained in his youth, and inspecting the shops was still a new thing for him.

It was called inspecting the shop, but in reality, it was just letting him choose what he liked.

The first place she went was a jewelry shop. The shopkeeper was very loyal to Jiang He and greeted her with a smile when he saw her. "Young master, I sent someone to inform the mansion as soon as we received the goods today. I didn't expect you to come so quickly."

Jiang He walked ahead and nodded. "I just happened to have some free time today. How's the quality?"

The shopkeeper said, "These are goods from Jiangnan. I bought them at a high price on your orders. I've personally inspected them, and they're no less valuable than that gold hairpin."

"This must be the young master," the shopkeeper said with a smile. She had sharp eyes and recognized the hairpin in Xue Lingyu's hair at a glance. "The young master really gave this golden hairpin to the young master. It seems that he dotes on the young master very much."

"I...I'm not..." Xue Lingyu wanted to explain. In name only, he was just a concubine. If those in the know heard this, they didn't know what they would think of him.

To say he's arrogant because of favor? To say he's a concubine pretending to be the master?

Jiang He interrupted his explanation, pulling him inside by the hand, which led the shopkeeper to a complete misunderstanding.

“A gold hairpin is nothing. Feel free to pick any you like later,” Jiang He told him.

"Young Master is truly blessed. Take that other red jade and agate hairpin on your head, for example; it's priceless these days," the shopkeeper remarked.

Unexpectedly, despite the young master's decisive and shrewd manner, he dotes on the young master so much.

However, the young master is indeed exceptionally handsome and has an outstanding appearance.

The shopkeeper thought to himself, "Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman."

Xue Lingyu touched the hairpin in her hair, looked up at Jiang He, and was clearly surprised by its value.

Seeing that he hesitated to choose and instead looked at her with that kind of gaze, Jiang He simply said decisively, "If you don't want to choose, then there's no need to look at them. Just take them all back to the manor, and it will save you time."

If we were to take them all, how much silver would it cost? Xue Lingyu had no choice but to say, "I'll take them, I'll take them."

Jiang He finally felt relieved.

Xue Lingyu picked out two more, but refused to continue.

Jiang He didn't force him. Anyway, there were new goods arriving every month, so she could bring him again in the future.

Before leaving, Jiang He asked the shopkeeper again, "How's things going with what I mentioned last time?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Young master, rest assured, your instructions have been conveyed, and it should be ready soon."

"Okay, that's good."

Xue Lingyu couldn't understand what they were saying.

Prominent families often produce noble and refined individuals, and the Xue family has always maintained a simple lifestyle. He only wore jewelry that was sufficient for his needs, and would only add two or three pieces on special occasions.

It wasn't that he was unsophisticated; it was just that Jiang He was willing to give him anything, something he had never experienced at home.

His father was very strict with him, demanding that he behave like a young master from a prestigious family and never lose the dignity of his noble lineage. Even though he didn't want to live a conventional life, he had to suppress his own nature.

Xue Lingyu, preoccupied with his own thoughts, let Jiang He hold his hand.

Jiang He used a bit of force in her hands; this was the first time she had brought Xue Lingyu out, as if she was afraid he would get lost.

When they arrived at the clothing shop, Jiang He saw a wedding dress hanging inside. She stared at it for a while and then asked Xue Lingyu, "Do you like this wedding dress?"

Before Xue Lingyu could examine it closely, Jiang He asked and answered herself, "It's still a bit inferior to your embroidery skills."

Xue Lingyu looked up and touched the wedding dress. It was made of the finest fabric and the embroidery was exquisite. He had only touched needle and thread a handful of times these days, and his hands were rusty.

Besides, he had never shown his embroidery skills to Jiang He, so why did she feel that he was inferior to her?

However, he also had a wedding dress like this.

He embroidered it stitch by stitch, intending to wear it when he got married, but he was brought in through a side door as a concubine.

Even if it's the most beautiful wedding dress, he'll never be worthy of wearing it again in his life.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but sniff.

"Why are your eyes red?" Jiang He asked, wiping away Xue Lingyu's tears with her fingertips. Even though she didn't use much force, red marks were left on Xue Lingyu's face, showing how delicate her skin was.

She had no choice but to withdraw her hand, looking at him with a bewildered expression, unsure of what to say.

"If you like this wedding dress, I'll give it to you, okay?"

"What a coincidence, to run into Miss Jiang with her concubine having clothes made." The Fifth Prince's voice suddenly came.

He looked at Xue Lingyu's reddened eyes.

Jiang He had just coaxed him in such a humble and submissive manner.

He gritted his teeth inwardly, but outwardly remained composed, his smile concealing a dagger as he looked at Xue Lingyu.

"Young Master Xue, it's been a long time. It seems you're doing quite well these days."

Upon seeing the red jade and agate hairpin in Xue Lingyu's hair, the Fifth Prince's expression completely changed.

A note from the author:

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-01-10 21:46:01 and 2022-01-11 19:25:03!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: q.1;

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Zuihuan (5 bottles); Orange Flavored Cat and Yizishi (1 bottle each);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

◎Latest Comments:

[The male and female leads must overcome their misunderstandings; it's going to be super sweet!]

【Patting claws∈】

Why does there have to be a "villain"? I just want things to be sweet~

【Three poles in the sun】

[I'm a bit confused about the female lead's thoughts. Just when I think she's paving the way for the male lead to become her official partner, it turns out she doesn't seem to have any such intention at all.]

[We've tied the score by accident, looking forward to it!]

[Great job, keep it up!]

The Fifth Prince has it quite convenient to go out.

【nice】

[Say something to him! Seriously, he's giving him too much credit.]

[Some people are so impatient, it's like they have some kind of serious illness. They won't even close a novel they don't like, but instead they're jumping around here trying to get attention. What kind of idiots are they?]

Come to Liaoning! Come to Liaoning!

The Fifth Prince has come to the rescue!

-over-