Jian Xubai dealt with his work hurriedly and then returned to the backyard.

As he found that Song Yixiao hadn"t come back, he went to take a shower first.

After taking a shower, he returned to the bedroom and still didn"t see his wife. He couldn"t help feeling disappointed.

However, he was aware of Wei Chan"s trouble. Since she was weeping and wailing, it was indeed not easy for Song Yixiao to comfort her. Hence, he leaned against the bed and started to read a book, intending to give his wife a reminder when she came back. Pathetic as Wei Chan was, in light of what Lu Guanlun said, she asked for it herself. How could a virtuous wife leave her husband alone in the bedroom for comforting her cousin?

Unexpectedly, as he read most of the book and it was late at night, Song Yixiao was still not back!

“Does she just stay in Jiangxing Villa for the night because of her cousin?” Thinking of this, Jian Xubai was in a fret. He threw away the book, put on his coat and got up. Then he was about to order the servant to urge Song Yixiao to come back when he heard footsteps from the hallway and greetings for Song Yixiao. He was finally relieved.

He felt that his wife was too inconsiderate. She promised to return early but she turned out to come back at midnight!

Hence, he slightly tightened the belt of his coat, adjusted his collars, and sat on the bed under the west window, pulling a long face to wait for his wife to apologize to him.

However, after a while, the door was pushed open and Song Yixiao entered the room and immediately closed the door, negligent of Jian Xubai. Actually, she didn"t catch sight of her husband at all. She just staggered backwards and leaned against the door, sliding downwards!

“What"s wrong?” Jian Xubai was taken aback. He stopped striking an att.i.tude at once, ran forward hastily, held her into his arms and took her pulse!

Song Yixiao just leaned against him and raised her sleeves to cover her face. After a while, she sobbed, “I"m fine.”

“You are absolutely not fine!” Jian Xubai took her pulse and ensured that nothing wrong was with her health, making him finally relieved. He sneered and pulled off her sleeves, snorting, “Your face is covered with tear stains. Why are you so stubborn? Do you think I am an idiot or a blind person?”

Song Yixiao was not in a mood to quarrel with him, but his words happened to touch her nerves. She tried to hold back sobbing and yet suddenly she burst out crying, “How can you be a fool or a blind man? I am the idiot and the blind one! If I were not an idiot and a blind person, how could I not know that my cousin…”

Luckily, although she was undergoing a nervous breakdown, she was still clear-minded enough to swallow back what she shouldn"t say. However, she still failed to suppress her indignation so she leaned against her husband"s shoulders and cried out, “What should she do in the future? She is only 13 years old! The Wei Family has abandoned her. Lu Guanlun will never marry her. How can she live on alone?”

“Why can"t she?” Jian Xubai thought that his wife was worried about Wei Chan"s future after the annul engagement so he couldn"t help frowning, “Lu Guanlun is not the only man who is single in the world. Does she have to die just because he won"t marry her? It"s only a matter of annul engagement! To be honest, your birth mother and mine both remarried. They both live a good life now!”

He was wondering whether Wei Chan threatened Song Yixiao on the ground that she would die for the annul engagement for marriage with Lu Guanlun. Otherwise, why did Song Yixiao cry so sadly after coming back from Jiangxing Villa?

“What a pampered girl! As the legitimate son born by the first wife of a hereditary prince, Lu Guanlun excels in personality and talent. He can never marry a woman who has an affair with his own brother just because she threatens him with her life.” Jian Xubai took exception to Wei Chan"s conduct, but when he looked at his wife crying bitterly in his arms, he pulled a long face and heaved a sigh, saying, “She had better not dream about marrying Lu Guanlun anymore. Your cousin is not dead yet. Even if she courts death, it is impossible for her to save the situation!”

After showing his att.i.tude, he slowed down his tone, saying, “By the way, after the next spring, Xuepei will select a man to be his brother-in-law. We can ask him to help find a good man of talent and fair outlook for your cousin! When she is getting married, we can offer her rich dowry. In the future, I will try my best to help her husband with his official career. As long as she stops being arrogant and ordering about her husband, but learns to be a good wife, how can she not be treated well?”

Jian Xubai believed that it was the best that he could do for his wife"s cousin. If Wei Chan was still not satisfied, he would not put up with her anymore. Anyhow, shouldn"t his wife smile through tears?

Unexpectedly, Song Yixiao wailed even more sorrowfully, “What do you know? Do you think that her grievance can be made up by finding her a husband and offering her a dowry? You know nothing at all!”

“You don"t tell me anything. How can I even know about it?” Jian Xubai was both amused and angry, “Since you think my offer cannot make it up for her, then why don"t you tell me what grievance she has suffered, which makes you come back so late and cry like this?”

“After all, we are sorry for her!” It involved Wei Chan"s reputation and the evil doings of Wei Mengying. How could Song Yixiao tell him? After crying for a while, she smiled bitterly and said, “I can never make it up to her all my life!”

Her thoughts were in a muddle now so she was not as clear-minded as usual. Inevitably, she talked carelessly. By “we”, she actually meant herself and Wei Mengying.

However, Jian Xubai didn"t know that and mistakenly thought that Song Yixiao meant her and him by mentioning “we”. He was confused and speechless, “I haven"t met your cousin by far. Why am I sorry for her?”

Yet, on second thought, “We are a couple. Of course we are one. If Shanyao owes her anything and has to make it up to her, I shall share the liability too!”

By thinking so, he felt delighted somehow and carried her in his arms, saying in a soft voice, “Why are you sitting on the ground? Let"s talk on bed!”

He put his wife on the bed, took off his coat and also got on bed. He placed his arms around her shoulders and struck a pose for a long conversation, “What on earth have we done to Wei Chan? Tell me about it. After all, since she is willing to turn to you, obviously, she means to bury the hatchet. In this case, it is possible to make it up to her. Anyway, we have a lot of time and we are not powerless people. What price can"t we pay?”

Song Yixiao shed tears and after a while, she said, “Sorry that I cannot tell you about it.”

She hedged and said, “I must talk to my mother about this so as to decide what to do. However, I"m afraid that she will not meet me now. Could you please think of a way to invite her to our home?”

In light of Wei Mengying"s social ident.i.ty and scheming mind, it was a piece of cake to have Wei Chan killed. However, she chose to beat around the bush and bear for several months. Besides, she even arranged an engagement between Wei Chan and Lu Guanlun first and then struck Wei Chan from the joys of marrying into the purple into the h.e.l.l by means of Lu Zimiao"s confession!

“It is like a palm civet playing with a mouse, a deliberate torture for Wei Chan!” Song Yixiao was aware of her mother"s thought, “By virtue of this incidence, the Wei Family can also learn about the consequence of betraying Mother!”

Since it was Wei Mengying"s revenge, Song Yixiao had to persuade her mother into stopping it if she wanted to protect Wei Chan.

After all, she could take in Wei Chan or even support her for a lifetime.

But Wei Mengying could always find a way to make Wei Chan utterly discredited anytime!

By then, even if she could live a rich life, how could this infamous girl live well?

Never did Song Yixiao hope her cousin to fall into that kind of predicament!

However, given her knowledge of her mother, it couldn"t go smoothly to persuade her mother. Therefore, she didn"t want to have this conversation in Prince of Hengshan"s mansion, which place was under Wei Mengying"s control. It was already stressful to confront her mother. If she couldn"t make use of the location advantage, she would never stand a chance!

The problem was Wei Mengying had distanced herself from her daughter and son-in-law throughout careful consideration after the Dowager Consort pressed her in the ground of the Empress Dowager"s att.i.tude.

Now even if Song Yixiao directly went to Prince of Hengshan"s mansion, she would probably not be able to meet her mother, let alone asking Wei Mengying to come to Duke of Yan"s mansion?

Hence, Song Yixiao had no other choice but to turn to her husband, who was well favored by the Empress Dowager.

Jian Xubai kept silent to her request for a while and then said, “Since you think that we are one, what is it that you cannot tell me?”

Song Yixiao was surprised and had no idea when she told him that they were one.

While she was lost in thought, Jian Xubai thought that she was speechless and then said casually, “Fine. We are married not for long. It is understandable that we cannot trust each other very much.”

Song Yixiao sensed his disappointment in the words. Embarra.s.sed and helpless, she was thinking about how to reply to him and yet, got pushed away by him, “I will let Ji Su pay respects to Grandmother tomorrow and ask her to send words to Prince of Hengshan"s mansion, requesting your mother to pay you a visit on the ground that you are not feeling well.”

Jian Xubai made his wife lie low against the pillow while he didn"t lie down immediately. Instead, he looked out of the bed net. Under the light cast through the curtain, his outline appeared a bit vague. His fair-skinned face looked as if glittering like a jade; beneath his long eyebrows, his eyes were extremely bright; yet, his red thin lips were puckered now, which seemed to be merciless now.

He pulled a cold look and yet said in a calm voice, “I will not wake you up to serve me tomorrow morning so that you can sleep longer, which will make you look more of a patient. You had better not let the cat out of the bag!”

Song Yixiao could recognize that he was very upset but he still didn"t decline her request. Suddenly she recalled the fight with him when she also asked him to inquire Lu Guanlun about the reason for the annul engagement for marriage. After the fight she decided to stop relying on him but he still sent his men to contact Lu Guanlun.

According to Ji Su, Lu Guanlun wouldn"t relate himself to the people of Duke of Yan, but he just couldn"t stand Jian Xubai"s repeated badgering so he gave a reply reluctantly.

In light of Jian Xubai"s social ident.i.ty and royal favor, he and Lu Guanlun would be on the same footing even if Lu Guanlun was the heir of Prince of Hengshan. If it were not for Song Yixiao, he would never disgrace himself by being rejected by Lu Guanlun again and again.

Song Yixiao suddenly felt very guilty, but it was too big for her to leak a word. Therefore, she could only put her cheeks against his arms.

Jian Xubai sensed her movement and then took a glance at her. He only pulled up the quilt and lay down, saying, “Time for bed now!”

Song Yixiao had complicated feelings and didn"t fall asleep until she tossed around for a long time.

Yet, she didn"t know that Jian Xubai suddenly woke up after she fell asleep.

He turned around to observe his wife for a while. Having made sure that she was in deep sleep, he got up carefully.

By virtue of the dim light, he went out of the inner chamber with his clothes and got dressed quickly. When he got out of the room, with no attention to the maid"s shock, he walked to the entrance of Keshao Hall, ordering the guarding woman to summon Ji Su, “Go and bring Wei Chan to the side yard!”

Could he really not look into the issue after promising Song Yixiao that he would help?

Just because he could ask Wei Chan about it too!

“I must know what secret you cannot tell me after you say we are one!”