She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Jiang Ruining shook her head.

The book devotes considerable space to describing the plot of the murder in order to highlight the protagonist's intelligence, but it doesn't mention who the pawn was, only mentioning it briefly with the sentence, "By the time the investigation was completed, the place was deserted."

"I've had almost no contact with the Gongsun family, so I haven't discovered anything yet, but they're probably keeping an eye on Gongsun Sanlang."

Saburo.

Gongsun Changming's younger brother, who was quite learned.

The person she pointed out surprised Xiao Che: "His mind is not simple."

is it?

Jiang Ruining was not very familiar with this person.

"Even the most shrewd person has a weakness. Once that weakness is exploited, even if it's just a moment of impulsive irrationality, it's enough for the other party to take advantage of and scheme against them, and step into the trap that the other party has set for them."

"This is roughly the target. You should be able to prevent it from being contained if you assign people to monitor it closely."

Xiao Che's gaze deepened, as if he had found a treasure trove containing inexhaustible secrets and surprises: "Alright, I will tell Minister Gongsun about this matter. If we can prevent it, the Gongsun family will owe you another favor."

Jiang Ruining smiled with satisfaction and said, "It would be even better if we could get more favors from other families!"

Xiao Che flicked his finger and tapped her forehead: "Greedy."

Jiang Ruining put her hands on her hips and glared at him: "You're not greedy! If you weren't greedy, how come you gained so much support from the ministers!"

Xiao Che raised an eyebrow: "That makes sense, I'm greedy too."

Jiang Ruining was a little unaccustomed to his humble self-evaluation!

Waiting for the results can be quite difficult.

Unlike at home, there aren't many things to do at an inn to pass the time.

Jiang Ruining was like a wind-up frog, sometimes lying on the table talking to herself, sometimes dipping her hand into the ice tank to play with the ice shards, sometimes squatting on the ground drawing circles with ice water... She was always walking around and never quiet.

Xiao Che flipped through the book in his hand, not minding her noise at all: "You've hired experts, and Shi'an has also brought people with him, what's there to be nervous about?"

Jiang Ruining's current nervousness is more of a physical instinct, stemming from the original owner of this body. Her father had always shown her some affection as a daughter: "He was one of only two people who were good to me."

Xiao Che raised his eyes: "Who else?"

Jiang Ruining spat out a fruit pit: "My brother!"

Xiao Che was not satisfied with this answer and said coldly, "If I were really that good to you, I wouldn't have let Madam Jiang mistreat you all these years."

Jiang Ruining's smile vanished, and she picked up the fruit pit and threw it at him: "You're so annoying! Do you have to make it so obvious that nobody loves me?"

In my memory, every time my father and brothers returned to the capital to report on their duties, they would take her with them, openly showing their affection. Who in the capital did not know that she was favored by my father and brothers?

But if we're talking about loving the original owner, how much could she really love her?

During their time in the capital, Madam Jiang did restrain herself considerably, but she never concealed her indifference and scolding towards the original owner. They were all intelligent people; they would not have failed to understand how difficult her life would be after they left the capital if they could not control her excessive behavior.

I understand.

But they did nothing. What does that tell us?

If you really want to control Madam Jiang and prevent her from openly scheming against and bullying her, there are ways.

However, each of them has a scale in their heart. On the other side of the scale, the cheap father wants to see the merits of his wife in bearing children for him and managing the household. He cannot turn against his wife for the sake of his daughter.

The older brother, who valued filial piety more, would never stoop to defiling his mother for his sister's sake.

The concern expressed in those letters, the jewelry materials sent... there was love, but not much; it was more of a way for them to comfort themselves, as if doing those things was enough to make amends to her.

Since no one cares about her and has made the original owner lose face for so many years, then none of them should have any shame either!

Xiao Che picked up the fruit pit stuck in his clothes, flicked it lightly with his fingertip, and it fell into the fruit plate with a crisp tinkling sound: "Since he is not an important person, there is no need to worry about him."

Jiang Ruining sighed deeply: "The capital is full of nobles and imperial relatives, all of whom fawn over the powerful and bully the weak. If I were a man, perhaps I could earn a future through my own efforts, but unfortunately I am a woman, and this world will not allow me to prove my worth!"

"Life is so long, and if you want to live a less difficult life, you need to have a family to support you. So even if I know they don't love me that much, I still have to find a way to make them love me and care about me."

"I absolutely cannot let all those years of suffering and hardship go to waste!"

This time, she's going to tear everyone's masks off and expose them to the light of day, to thoroughly expose them. Those who try to deceive themselves or force her family to prosper will not succeed!

Back then, her adoptive father and brothers still had some humanity; they would have felt guilty towards her and actively made amends. Only then could she truly gain a foothold in the Jiang family and become a noble and unassailable daughter of the Jiang family!

Then she countered, "Didn't you also endure for many years before you held power? But you're luckier than me; at least your mother loves you, and you're the only one she loves most."

Upon suddenly mentioning his tragically deceased birth mother, Xiao Che gripped the book tightly.

His gaze fell on her face; her thick, dark blue eyelashes drooped slightly, and the curve of her lips was self-deprecating and lonely.

He wanted to ask her why she knew what his mother had said, but he swallowed the question.

"If you're going to do it, do it to the best of your ability, and make those who have hurt you pay a hundredfold or a thousandfold price."

Jiang Ruining smiled and said, "Of course! I don't have many good points, except that I hold grudges!"

Xiao Che lowered his eyes and continued reading, his gaze as cold as a deep, icy pool.

The third day after Shi'an left with his men was Qixi Festival.

When I woke up, the sun was shining brightly, but after I had breakfast, it became gloomy, with clouds blocking out the sun, as if it had entered the night, and rumbling thunder could be heard.

Jiang Ruining stood at the window on the third floor, looking at the heavy, leaden clouds in the distance. Purple lightning flashed continuously in the depths, and unexpectedly, it cleaved down from the thick clouds one after another, illuminating the gray sky.

Before long, the sound of rain pouring down could be heard; it was far away, loud, and rapidly approaching.

At the same time, a large group of men on horseback were also approaching!

Her intuition told her that it was Shi'an who had picked up the person and returned!

Not long after.

Heavy rain and people arrived at the inn.

"Xiao Che, shall we set off today? If we stay to rest, and the enemy launches a desperate counterattack, we will inevitably suffer casualties."

Xiao Che tapped his fingers lightly twice on the armrest of the armchair: "The ships returning to the capital are already waiting at the dock and can depart at any time."

Hearing that he had made arrangements beforehand, Jiang Ruining felt very at ease, a feeling she had never experienced in either of her two lifetimes, and sincerely thanked him: "Thank you."

Xiao Che flicked his finger, resting it on his chin, and lazily looked at her: "So, Miss Jiang actually knows how to say thank you?"

Jiang Ruining absolutely hated his mouth: "I've always been very polite, okay? If you keep babbling on, I'm never thanking you again!"

Xiao Che raised an eyebrow, giving him an "approving" look: "Okay!"

Jiang Ruining was taken aback: "Huh?"