Chapter 80

◎Hoping you find your ideal husband soon [First update]◎

Xue's stomach had been hurting for a long time. When he finally came out of the outhouse, more than an hour had passed. His legs were so weak from squatting that he thought the ingredients in the winter melon and old duck soup must have been stale. Luckily, the handsome brother hadn't drunk it, or he would have suffered like this.

When Xue went back to look for Xue Lingyu, he found the house empty and the food cold.

Could it be that the handsome brother isn't here? Ji Xue called out several more times, but no one answered.

Yuange heard his voice from outside and, thinking something had happened, quickly came in to check.

"Ji Xue, what's wrong?" Seeing that Ji Xue was the only one in the room, Yuan Ge also looked around for Xue Lingyu.

When Xue realized that Xue Lingyu was really gone, she was so anxious that she almost cried. "Sister Yuange, I just went to the outhouse and when I came back I found that my handsome brother was gone."

Yuan Ge's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

Xue Lingyu is currently pregnant. If anything were to happen to her, who knows how Jiang He would react? This is no small matter. Seeing that Xue's eyes were red, Yuan Ge tried to remain calm and said, "Go check the courtyard first, then send servants to look for her. Perhaps she went out for a walk."

This was the second time Xue had lost Xue Lingyu. He felt extremely guilty and nodded vigorously: "Okay."

Unfortunately, the result was not satisfactory. No matter how many servants were sent to search the mansion, or how the courtyard was turned upside down, there was no trace of Xue Lingyu. It was as if she had really disappeared.

Yuange suddenly had a bad feeling: Could it be that Xue Lingyu was no longer in the manor?

But he was heavily pregnant and didn't remember anything from before, so even if he went out, he had nowhere to go.

Yuange was in a terrible predicament over Xue Lingyu's matter. She really didn't know how to explain it to her mistress. But when evening came and Jiang He still hadn't returned, Yuange was even more anxious.

She guessed that Xue Lingyu had left the mansion out of curiosity but couldn't find her way back, so she sent someone to the Jingzhao government office to seek Su Yawan's help to see if they could find Xue Lingyu's whereabouts in the city.

However, the officials from the Jingzhao government said that Lord Su had entered the palace and it was unknown when he would return.

Yuange was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, while Ji Xue sat alone on the steps like a rabbit with drooping ears, silently shedding tears. He felt like a useless person who had failed to complete the young lady's task.

Seeing him like this, Yuange felt bad too. Just as she was about to go forward and offer some words of comfort, a guard from the front courtyard came to report that the Imperial Guard Commander had personally escorted the young lady back, and now there was a dark mass of Imperial Guards at the gate of the mansion.

Yuange quickly led Ji Xue to the gate of the mansion, where they indeed found Jiang He.

The moment she saw Jiang He, she couldn't hold back her tears.

"Miss, how did you get such a serious injury?"

Even though Yuan Ge had witnessed Jiang He's previous injuries, she couldn't hold back this time. Jiang He was covered in blood, and the bloody wounds were still dripping blood. The steps at the entrance of the mansion were stained red. Her left hand was still tightly gripping the sword, but her right hand seemed to have lost its sense of touch and hung limply at her side. If you didn't get close, you wouldn't be able to feel her faint breathing.

Even at a time like this, he was still conscious, as if he was holding on to his last breath.

The strong smell of blood made Wu Yueling frown.

Fortunately, she arrived in time with the Imperial Guards, otherwise Jiang He would probably be dead.

She helped Jiang He walk into the Jiang residence and said to Yuan Ge, "Quickly prepare hot water and towels, I will treat your young lady's wounds."

Yuange ran after Wu Yueling, panting, and asked, "Should we call another doctor?"

Wu Yueling turned and glanced at her, "I'm afraid your young lady will die before the doctor arrives."

She finished speaking and walked toward the nearest courtyard.

Those experts were all soldiers privately raised by Liu Jing. They were ruthless and had no scruples. Every move they made was aimed at killing Jiang He. Wu Yueling was quite surprised that Jiang He could last so long. She did not expect that Jiang He's martial arts skills had not only not deteriorated in the past three years, but had actually improved a lot. Even she, a commander of the Imperial Guard who came from a martial arts background, would probably not have been able to last long in a one-on-one fight if she had not been leading the Imperial Guard.

Former Prime Minister Xue Lingyi secretly entered the palace today to accuse Minister of Personnel Liu Jing and Vice Minister Kang Minzhi of framing her. She also attempted to assassinate Xue Lingyi in the suburbs to silence her. Upon hearing this, the Emperor was furious and immediately ordered Wu Yueling to investigate.

Yuange quickly prepared what Wu Yueling needed, along with medicine and gauze. Wu Yueling helped Jiang He to bed and treated the wound on her shoulder. If the other party's knife had been slightly off-target, Jiang He would have died on the spot.

During the application of the medicine, Jiang He gritted her teeth and endured the pain without making a sound.

She knew better than anyone how serious her injuries were. It was only by divine intervention that she survived today; otherwise, Xue Lingyu would have become a widow, and the child in his womb would have lost its mother before it was even born.

Seeing her pale face and the sweat beading on her forehead from the pain, Wu Yueling pursed her lips and asked the same question as before, "Was it worth it?"

Is it worth paying such a price for a man?

Besides, Xue Lingyi had never given Jiang He a kind look before, so if she were to be reinstated, she might not necessarily be grateful to Jiang He for saving her life.

Wu Yueling was a military general who had always disliked the insincerity of civil officials, which is why he became friends with Jiang He.

“I’m getting married soon, and Xue Lingyi is practically my mother-in-law. I don’t want my husband to be heartbroken, so this is definitely worth it.”

Even at this point, Jiang He still had the energy to smile when Xue Lingyu was mentioned. Especially when she thought about getting married tomorrow, Jiang He's slightly red eyes were full of anticipation and joy. Perhaps this was the motivation that allowed her to endure for so long under the attack of those assassins.

Although Wu Yueling did not understand, she was moved by Xue Lingyu's sacrifices.

She wrapped gauze around Jiang He's wound, her voice as cold as ever, "Your hand can barely be saved, and the bleeding has finally stopped. You won't die for now, but I can't guarantee what will happen in the future."

Jiang He said softly, "Thanks."

Yuan Ge remained outside, anxious and fearful that something might happen to Jiang He. At the same time, she glanced at the letter in her hand, which she had found in Xue Lingyu's jewelry box. It was addressed to "Miss".

This made Yuan Ge vaguely feel that Xue Lingyu's disappearance might not have been an accident.

Seeing Yuange enter with a hesitant expression, Jiang He didn't think much of it and instructed her first, "Don't tell the young master that I'm injured. If he asks, just say that I have something to take care of tonight and I'm resting in the study."

Seeing Jiang He's pale face, Yuan Ge, though reluctant, decided to tell her the truth.

"Miss, the young master has disappeared, leaving behind only a letter."

Jiang He initially doubted that she had misheard, but seeing that Yuan Ge's expression seemed genuine, she immediately took the letter away.

The four words "To be opened by Jiang He" on the envelope were indeed Xue Lingyu's handwriting. Jiang He's hands trembled as she opened the letter, but she was already weak from blood loss and it took her a lot of effort to finally see the letter inside.

Jiang He read the letter word by word. She was certain that the letter was written by Xue Lingyu, but it was not the Xue Lingyu who was overjoyed and wanted to marry her. Instead, it was the Xue Lingyu after her memories were restored.

“Jiang He, I was originally going to leave. The first time I stayed longer because of an accidental amnesia. Now I am a slave, and I am not worthy of the status of the young master of the Jiang family. Marrying me will not only implicate the Jiang family in the Xue family, but will also make you a laughing stock in the capital again. So I am leaving.”

"No need to look for me, I hope you find your ideal husband soon."

Jiang He's vision gradually blurred. She couldn't tell whether the blood in her eyes was from the wound on her forehead or her own tears. From a young age, her mother had taught her the responsibility and strength that a woman should have, and that she should not shed tears easily, because that was a symbol of weakness.

As a businesswoman, one should be born to prioritize profit over sentiment. Her mother warned her more than once not to be obsessed with romantic love. But she used to naively believe that as long as she gave her heart, even a stubborn rock would be moved. But as it turns out, she was wrong, and very wrong.

After reading the letter, Jiang He finally understood.

She hated Xue Lingyu as much as she had once loved him.

The Xuan paper, which was originally off-white, was now stained with bright red blood. Jiang He clutched her chest, a bitter smile on her lips, and closed her eyes.

Yuange was shocked and rushed forward to check on her. She found that Jiang He's breathing was so weak that she couldn't feel it. She called out in fear several times, "Miss, Miss!"

Wu Yueling said sternly, "Quickly go to the palace and invite Imperial Physician Ji!"

Xue Lingyi reported her grievances in the Imperial Study. In addition, Wu Yueling had sent people back to the palace to confirm that Liu Jing had privately raised soldiers to assassinate Xue Lingyi and that all the assassins had been captured. This evidence was conclusive. Kang Minzhi had also been imprisoned in the Imperial Guard's prison.

Within an hour, the Imperial Guards submitted a confession.

The salt smuggling case was a deliberate frame-up of Xue Lingyi by Kang Minzhi, and the murder case was also caused by Liu Jing's recklessness. All of these were carefully orchestrated and pinned on Xue Lingyi. Not only that, Kang Minzhi also confessed to the Ministry of Personnel's collusion in selling official positions and accepting bribes.

The emperor ordered a thorough investigation of the Ministry of Personnel and told Xue Lingyi to return to her residence to rest before entering the palace the next day to confront Liu Jing.

The Xue family mansion had been sealed off previously, and the Emperor's actions spoke volumes. He was essentially returning the mansion to Xue Lingyi, and the next step would likely be to purge these corrupt officials from the court before restoring her to her original post.

Emerging from the Imperial Study, Xue Lingyi bowed deeply to Su Yawan, saying, "Thank you, Lord Su."

Su Yawan quickly helped her up, "Lord Xue, there's no need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Jiang He. She not only spent money but also incurred many favors to ensure your safety on your journey to exile."

Jiang He has gone to such lengths; let's see if Xue Lingyi knows how to repay the kindness.

Xue Lingyi's heart was filled with complex emotions. She used to look down on Jiang He, who came from a merchant family, thinking that merchants were greedy and cunning and not good enough for her son. But she never expected that Jiang He would be completely transformed and that the Jiang family would become a noble family. In this way, it seemed that the Xue family was climbing the social ladder.

She had to admit that she had been looking down on people.

"Lord Su, rest assured, I know my vision is limited and I will no longer object to this marriage. Besides, according to what you said, Yu'er seems to be pregnant?"

Su Yawan nodded. "According to Jiang He, the baby in his belly should be about five months along."

Upon hearing this, Xue Lingyi's face lit up with joy.

A note from the author:

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:01:54 on March 1, 2022 and 20:24:14 on March 2, 2022!

Thank you to the little angels who threw the landmine: 3 lifelong weak-attack enthusiasts;

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 1 bottle of egg pudding;

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

◎Latest Comments:

[Comment: I think the appeal of a female-doting male relationship lies in the fact that she gets a response from him. It doesn't have to be the other way around, but it shouldn't be like she gets slapped in the face and then still tries to win his favor. That's not the appeal, or rather, it's the appeal of a male-centric or simp relationship. According to my personal emotional logic, in this situation, the male lead needs to be tortured a bit. He really won't know his place.]

However, this is just my own opinion. If the author still goes as you suggest, then I'll admit I'm wrong. [How deep is my love for you? My nutrient solution represents my heart~]

[He's pursuing his wife again? ???]

I can't stand it anymore.

[Though separated by mountains and rivers, our friendship remains strong; could you give me an extra bottle? Sure!]

[Just asking the author, will there be any scenes of the female protagonist pursuing the male lead later on? Is the entire story about the female protagonist doting on the male lead? I was attracted by the female protagonist's doting on the male lead in the synopsis, and I don't want to see any scenes that I find offensive. If there are any, I won't read it.]

[Don't actually turn this into a wife-chasing spree, will you?]

[55555 I'm so sad, I need to hurry up and win back my wife!]

[Won't there be a "wife-chasing-after-the-cremation" scenario? No way, no way!]

My counselor's name is Jianghe.

[I'm stuck here! I was getting really excited reading this when it stopped. No gifts accepted today, only nutrient solution!]

-over-