When Ban Yanxiu spoke in a bureaucratic tone to send the visitor out, Jian Xubai loosed his collar and went into the inner room. He said, “It's just a wet nurse's husband who did something wrong. You can directly go to find a post in the study and send it to the Yamen of Jingzhao Munic.i.p.ality. Ban Yanxiu will understand after seeing it. Why do you ask me to come back?”

Leaning against a soft couch, Song Yixiao was lowering her head to read a book. After hearing his words, she put down the book and was about to speak. But when she raised her head, she saw that he wore his rail crown, official costume and jade belt. He came back quickly and had no time to change clothes. It had been late autumn. But there were still marks of sweat on his clothes clearly. Would anyone doubt that he was hurried to come?

“Since he doesn't want to admit his attention to me, he'd better come here before changing clothes!” Jian Xubai's pretense made Song Yixiao dumbfounding. But she knew that Jian Xubai would be angry from shame if she laid bare his lies. So she said after pondering, “I never contact with the government. So I don't want to take actions before you come back.”

“That's true.” Jian Xubai happily accepted his wife's euphemistic praise and sat down. There was a table between them. Then he asked, “Servants didn't tell me clearly on the road. What's going on?”

“It's a simple case. The son-in-law of my wet nurse's husband has a mistress and bullies his wife and son. So my wet nurse's husband hits his son-in-law hard for his daughter. Then he is sued by the Fu Family.” Song Yixiao poured a cup of tea for him with the tea set on the table. She said casually, “When I asked Ms. Zhao to go home with Qiaoqin, Chief House Steward came to tell me everything. He said more clearly than the person asked by the You Family to report. He even mentioned that I had been sold to a brothel madam by my stepmother, Madam Liu. It's so strange!”

Jian Xubai took the cup of tea and was about to drink it. But he put it down after hearing that and frowned, “What did he say?”

“What can he say?” Song Yixiao gathered up her hair and smiled lightly, “He just implied that this case was not simple and he could help me because he was in the know by coincidence. However, he wants me to make a promise soon about the list he gives me!”

“In that case, we don't need to wait for our people to check the list clearly.” Jian Xubai took a sip of tea and said calmly, “No matter who intercedes for them, let's talk about it after the New Year!”

Song Yixiao said with an understanding smile, “I think so, too.”

Jian Xubai disliked Chief House Steward and other people so much. They dared to fish in troubled water at this time. Jian Xubai wouldn't do as they wis.h.!.+

But she still reminded him, “I don't think Chief House Steward is a fool. Why did he come to say that?”

“Is it strange?” Jian Xubai said coldly, “Princess Changxing's wedding with Yiyou is coming. If the servants are prepared before the wedding, they will tell other people that they divide the grandfather's people because Yiyou is married. So others can't blame them. However, if the servants are sent to Yiyou after the wedding, other people will think Yiyou takes advantage of the Princess's power to bully me.”

In such an important moment, Song Yixiao didn't give them the list. How couldn't Chief House Steward be worried?

Jian Xubai rolled up his sleeves and narrowed his eyes. He said, “I don't want to give Yiyou problems about it. But he stirs up trouble to me first!”

Then he took a look at his wife as if thinking of something. “Did your mother do anything at that time to make others hold against her? Although Yiyou has a bad relations.h.i.+p with me, in fact, he is always cautious. He won't take any actions if he just doubts and has no evidence.” He said.

“I don't think others can hold against her.” Song Yixiao knew that Jian Xubai still believed that Wei Mengying or the Wei Family abetted Madam Liu to sell the stepdaughter. But she didn't want to tell the truth. After pondering for a moment, she shook her head, “Words alone are no proof. Ms. Zhao and her husband are loyal. Although the brothel madam is a stranger, she had accepted the gifts and got a good name. Will she betray me so easily?”

“They are always loyal. But it doesn't mean that they will be loyal forever!” Jian Xubai put the tea bowl on the table and said, “Fu Junchang and his ancestors are not your servants. The only relations.h.i.+p between you and him is that he marries your wet nurse's daughter. Do you think how he knows your past?”

Song Yixiao smiled wryly in her heart. After hearing Chief House Steward's words, she had thought of the situation mentioned by Jian Xubai.

But she didn't want to blame Ms. Zhao and her husband. So she said euphemistically, “Maybe the person behind him asked him to talk nonsense to test me. But I'm sure there is no real evidence about it. How can the verdict about Madam Liu be reversed by the words of Fu Junchang who never sees me?”

Then she said, “Although Madam Liu didn't want to sell me, she really treated me badly for almost a year after her wedding! It's true that Madam Liu's trusted subordinate deliberately delayed to find me when I was taken away by the brothel madam. If Madam Liu had been kind to me, she wouldn't have been punished at that time because she could let Ms. Wu be the scapegoat!”

What she said was true. When Jian Xubai was 11 years old, he had said the flaw of this trap. Liu Zhenxi was the Director in the Ministry of Punishments at that time. But the reason why he couldn't explain was because the Wei Family found that Madam Liu hit and cursed Song Yixiao after she got married. In fact, Madam Liu did many things to bully Song Yixiao and treated her badly.

Who would believe such a stepmother was virtuous?

How could the Liu Family say she was virtuous?

Ms. Wu came to the Song Family to report several hours later, which proved Madam Liu's crime. Although Elder Lady Pang didn't want to find her granddaughter back after hearing that and tacitly approved Madam Liu to claim the death of Song Yixiao, Elder Lady Pang was Song Yixiao's grandmother and didn't keep house. So she could s.h.i.+rk most of her responsibility to Madam Liu when she said that Madam Liu cheated her.

So Madam Liu couldn't explain it reasonably and had to die.

Jian Xubai pondered for a while and then said, “So it doesn't matter whether Yiyou has any evidences.”

Madam Liu was really a harsh stepmother. Even if the case was entirely cleared, Wei Mengying and her daughter were not unforgivable. All people of the Song Family never regarded Song Yixiao as their kid. How couldn't Wei Mengying try to save her daughter?

But if everything was clear, Song Yixiao's reputation would be destroyed.

Jian Xubai didn't want his wife to suffer that because it would also lose his face.

So he said, “Yiyou thinks his fiancée is the Princess and we can't destroy Princess Changxing's reputation because of Uncle and Aunt. But there are so many ways to create difficulties. Courtesy demands reciprocity. We should also pay him back!”

So they discussed seriously for more than one hour about how to deal with Jian Yiyou. But people of the Jingzhao Munic.i.p.ality secretly sent a message to them at dusk through the back door. “The person behind it seems to be Director Qiu!”

“Director Qiu?” Song Yixiao thought for a long time and finally remembered a little, “Mother seems to tell me that he is Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's nephew and our uncle. Mother said that he was not easy to get on and I should keep him at a distance. I just think he is serious. Does he have a grudge with us?”

Jian Xubai looked dark and said after a long time, “Xuepei's kneecap was broken by his people!”

“Why?” Song Yixiao was shocked.

“Because I wasn't there at that time. He sent his people there to deal with me!” Jian Xubai sneered, “But Xuepei didn't say where I was. So they tortured Xuepei…”

He kept silent for a while and then said, “It's about the inside information why we were captured five years ago. Do you think why Duke of Ji retired as soon as he came back?”

Song Yixiao didn't expect that such a big thing was dragged out after her wet nurse's husband hit his son-in-law. Her heart beat so fast suddenly. She tried to calm down and then said, “It's said that Duke of Ji was too old…”

“That's just because the Su Family is the offspring of distinguished person for the foundation of the state. So he can make a dignified exit!” Jian Xubai's eyes were full of ridicules. He said, “Prince of Zhao is only 12 years old now. Do you think how his ambition, or the Su Family's ambition, is exposed?”

Seeing Song Yixiao shaking her head in a daze, he smiled sarcastically, “It started when we were captured!”

“That's because Brother Zifu…” Song Yixiao held back her words suddenly when she saw her husband sneering.

“Brother Zifu isn't the ringleader! But he is not innocent.” Jian Xubai narrowed his eyes and said casually, “After all, he is the stupidest people among them. It's easy to make use of him. In fact, the ringleader who made us be captured is Duke of Ji!”

Otherwise, “Parents know their kids best and never stop worrying when children travel far from home! Except Xuepei, people who were captured all had parents, including me and Brother Zifu. Our parents allowed us to join the army when we were young. How could our parents prepare nothing for us?”

Jian Xubai smiled ironically, “Ji Su accompanied me because he has a martial arts skill. Although he was my soldier in name, he just served me actually. Mother even sent dozens of excellent guards temporarily to protect me in the army. They could take me back to the imperial capital without my permission to ensure my safety! In this case, how could we take actions privately?”

Then he said, “It's more ridiculous that we secretly went out of the barracks! There were many lookout posts around barracks. How could we pa.s.s through at will? If it happened, Great Rui would be in danger! How can Great Rui deter other countries! If Chief Commander hadn't allowed us to go deliberately, we would have been tied back by patrol and people protecting us!”

Hearing his a.n.a.lyze, Song Yixiao finally realized, “Did Duke of Ji do that for Prince of Zhao?”

“Yes!” Jian Xubai sneered, “All people know that Uncle made his eldest son be the crown prince because Uncle was ill. Although Uncle is still alive now, he is not as energetic as before!”

In this case, Emperor Xianjia must support the Crown Prince and couldn't change the successor. After all, the Crown Prince was only 24 years old! For ordinary families, such a young man at this age was able to support the family as long as he is not stupid. But the emperor at this age was still young with less experiences and lower prestige!

The Crown Prince was just outstanding but not talented.

So Prince of Zhao had no chance even if his mother, the Empress, had a powerful family!

“But expect being the crown prince to succeed to the crown, other Princes still have many ways to become the emperor.”

For example, “They could make the Emperor abdicate by force!”

The problem was that Emperor Xianjia controlled the whole country well even though he was weak!

Although Duke of Ji and his family were powerful in the military, it was hopeless for them to force Emperor Xianjia to abdicate!”

“Six years ago, on the eve of the army's expedition, Uncle was fainted once in the palace. Although officials didn't know it, the Empress was clear about it.”

It was easy for Empress Su to inform the Su Family after she knew it.

At that time, the army needed a commander with high authority and abundant experiences. Duke of Ji got this position naturally. So the Su Family thought of a method which was to stall!

They wanted to stall for time to beat Wuhuan until Emperor Xianjia died or wasn't able to conduct state affairs!

Then they would come back after destroying Wuhuan and cooperated with Empress Su to abolish the Crown Prince and to make Prince of Zhao ascend the throne!

Jian Xubai sneered, “Although it's a good plan, the greatest flaw is that Wuhuan is a small country and can't resist our army! Without enough reasons, Uncle wouldn't be cheated by them!”

“So Duke of Ji decided to trap you?” Song Yixiao understood, “It was hard to manage the powerful families' kids. So he was appointed to be the commander. With such a kind of worry, people of the imperial capital wouldn't doubt when they knew that you advanced rashly and created a big trouble!”

Seeing Jian Xubai nodding with cold face, she muttered, “But is there any relation with Uncle Qiu?”