Reborn Spoiled Girl Tames the Regent

Chapter 50 Listening to the Mother-in-Law

Jiang Mian walked through the corridor with light, graceful steps.

Red silk fluttered in the front hall, wedding candles flickered gently, and everything remained as before.

Seeing her smiling face, Xiao Hengzhi knew what had happened.

He had been following her all the way, and after Jiang Mian left, the maid deliberately led Xie Cen further and further astray. So he casually knocked the maid unconscious and kindly took Xie Cen to the outside of the bridal chamber.

He also instructed, "Your wife loves butterflies the most, so you must give them to her every day from now on."

Xie Cen nodded vigorously and said, "My wife likes it! I'll give it to her every day!"

His thoughts returned to his seat, and he saw that she had calmly returned to her original position, looking composed and unhurried, somewhat like the demeanor she had when she was the empress in her previous life.

He asked casually, "Miss has been smiling ever since she came over. Is something making you happy?"

Jiang Wan remained calm, only a slight smile playing on her lips: "It's nothing, I just gave Jiang Li a big gift earlier. She seemed quite happy."

Xiao Hengzhi noticed her slightly flushed cheeks and frowned, asking, "What happened to your face? Did someone hit you?"

Jiang Mian rubbed her face, which had just been slapped, and smiled, saying, "It's alright, someone will retaliate for me later."

No sooner had the words left her lips than a sharp, angry shout rang out from the entrance to the front hall: "Madam Xie—!"

The noisy guests fell silent instantly and turned to look.

Jiang Li stood angrily at the door, still in her wedding dress, her hair disheveled. Xie Cen stood beside her, clutching a cloth bag tightly in his arms, his clothes covered in mud, and a foolish smile on his face.

The maid rushed in in a panic, knelt down at Madam Xie's feet with a thud, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Madam, spare me! This servant really couldn't stop her!"

Madam Xie's face turned ashen, and she said in a low voice, "Take the second young master away immediately!"

"Yes!"

The maidservant hurriedly got up, trying to drag Xie Cen away, but Jiang Li forcefully pulled her away.

Then she shouted hoarsely, "You all don't know, do you? The Xie family has been keeping Xie Cen out of the public eye because Xie Cen is a complete idiot!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the guests in the hall were in an uproar.

Madam Xie's expression changed drastically, but she suppressed her anger and said, "The young mistress is drunk. Take her back to her room!"

"I didn't drink!" Jiang Li roared hysterically. "Madam Xie, are you afraid to let your son see anyone? Are you afraid others will know what kind of person I married?"

Aunt Wan rushed forward: "Li'er, what nonsense are you talking about?!"

"Don't you know, Aunt? Xie Cen is an idiot! She's an idiot! Why would she make me marry him?! Why?!"

Her loud shout stunned everyone, and they all began to whisper among themselves.

Xie Cen, standing beside her, covered his ears, stomped his feet, and said, "My wife is angry! My wife is angry! I'm going to catch butterflies to cheer her up!"

After saying that, he picked up the cloth bag and ran out like a child.

Among the guests, some perceptive individuals stood up, cupped their hands in farewell, and said, "I suddenly remembered I have something to attend to, please excuse me."

As the first person left, the others stood up one after another, mumbling "I have something to do" as they fled the scene.

Before long, only a few people from the Xie and Jiang families remained in the bustling front hall, and the air immediately became quiet.

Jiang Mian sat to the side, looking calm and composed. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and smiled faintly, as if she were enjoying the farce.

"Father! Don't you know?! He's an idiot! The husband I married is actually mentally challenged!"

Jiang Xun's face turned ashen. She turned to Madam Xie and said, "Does Madam Hou have anything to explain?"

Madam Xie instantly lost her previous amiable demeanor, her eyebrows slightly raised, her tone full of sarcasm: "Explain? It was your Jiang family who begged to marry their daughter to my son. My Xie family has already given your Jiang family enough face by allowing concubines and illegitimate daughters to enter our home, what more do you need to explain?"

Jiang Xun frowned, his expression darkening slightly: "But given the current situation..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Hou, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

His tone was neither warm nor cold, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority: "What? Commander Jiang, do you think my Marquis's legitimate son is not good enough for your illegitimate daughter? Or do you want to break off the engagement now, so that she can find a better husband while bearing the stigma of a second marriage?"

Jiang Xun was speechless after hearing these words. She sighed inwardly that she had fallen into the Xie family's trap. Now that the marriage was done, there was no way to back out.

Lord Xie gave a light snort and waved his hand, "Show him out!"

His tone was commanding, showing no mercy, and all traces of his previous friendliness had vanished.

Soon, several servants came over and, half-dragging and half-inviting, led the Jiang family members out.

Seeing this, Jiang Li panicked and rushed over, crying out, "Father! Aunt! I won't marry anymore! Please, take me back!"

Two maids immediately stepped forward, pinned her to the spot, and held her firmly, leaving her no room to struggle.

Aunt Wan trembled slightly upon hearing the crying, but ultimately couldn't bear it. She paused briefly and turned to look at Jiang Li.

A glimmer of hope appeared in Jiang Li's eyes.

However, the next moment, all that could be heard was the aunt saying, "Li'er, now that you've married into the Marquis's mansion, you're the young mistress of the Xie family. From now on, just listen to your mother-in-law and don't cause trouble. No matter what, you're still the young mistress, aren't you? Your aunt... will have to rely on you in the future."

"Aunt..."

Jiang Li froze, her voice choked as if stuck in her throat.

She never imagined that Aunt Wan, who was always shrewd and calculating, would hold her accountable for this.

Knowing full well that the Xie family mansion was a pit of fire, he still pushed her in without hesitation.

She clenched her fists, looked at the scene before her, and realized that she had trapped the rest of her life in an endless quagmire.

However, upon closer reflection, all of this was due to Jiang Wan; it was all thanks to her!

No wonder she was so generous in giving up the marriage!

Her wedding, which she had longed for day and night, turned out to be nothing more than a trap carefully set by Jiang Wan...

Resentment climbed into her heart like a poisonous vine. She struggled fiercely, but was held down firmly by the maid beside her.

"Jiang Wan! I will definitely kill you—!!"

Her eyes were bloodshot as she roared in the direction Jiang Wan had left.

But no one paid any attention to her.

Madam Xie stood aside, her anger no longer concealed. She stepped forward and slapped Jiang Li hard across the face.

"Snapped--!"

"You are the daughter-in-law of the Xie family, and Cen'er is your husband. Instead of helping your own family when things happen, you want to air your dirty laundry in public!"

Jiang Li felt a ringing in her ears and her mind went blank.

"Guards! Take the young mistress back to her room and teach her the manners of a 'Xie family daughter-in-law'!"

The rule for Xie family wives is that everything revolves around their husbands, and they are above all else. Even if their husbands are fools, they still have to serve them and kneel down when necessary.

Jiang Mian coldly watched Jiang Li being dragged away, and then slowly left the Xie residence.

When she came out, she realized that Xiao Hengzhi was not there.

When did he leave?

Jiang Mian didn't think much of it and returned to the Jiang residence with a beaming smile.

......

Changchun Pavilion is a tea and snack shop in the capital.

Recently, they've been competing with the newly opened Kuailvlou across the street. While the other side offers a buy-one-get-one-free deal, this place is offering a buy-one-get-two-free deal.

The store was bustling with activity, selling and giving away items.

However, amidst the hustle and bustle, a man sat there, pouring tea and drinking pot after pot, without ordering any dishes, simply occupying a seat for nothing.

Guiye looked around at the crowd and felt very uncomfortable.

He had lived in the animal kingdom his whole life, and had never sat so seriously in a shop before.

The waiter, seeing that he had finished another pot of tea, couldn't help but come over and say, "Sir, you've been sitting here for most of the day without ordering any dishes, and you even brought a horse to stand in the carriage seat. We still have business to do here!"

A moment later, the shopkeeper came over and said, "Yes, young man, why don't you go sit in the Green House across the street for a while?"

The shopkeeper was thinking, "I'd better hurry up and drink some tea across the street!"

Guiye saw that he was driving the guest away, scratched his head, and helplessly led the horse out and stood outside the door.

He was chewing on a blade of grass when, suddenly, a pair of hands patted the horse's back from the other side, followed by a sound.

"Any news?"

Guiye saw the visitor and replied, "You asked me to find that one-eyed Zhang, which is indeed strange. The other day I followed him all the way and found that he entered the Wen residence. When he came out at midnight, he carried several large boxes onto the ship. Judging from the direction of the ship, it should be heading to the border."

What's in the box?

Guiye shook his head: "We didn't rob it for fear of attracting attention, but judging from the sound, it should be a weapon."

"Weapons?" Xiao Hengzhi's eyes lit up.

The blueprints he saw at Zuiyin Tower were also weapon blueprints.

With this connection, does it mean that the person behind Zuiyin Tower is actually Duke Wen? Using Zuiyin Tower as a front, he is actually engaged in the arms trade?

Privately forging weapons is a crime comparable to treason. Could it be that the Wen family has the Crown Prince's backing to do such a thing?

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: Ning Zhi had come to find Jiang Xun just a few days after Jiang Wan was kidnapped—

Could it be that Ning Zhi deliberately orchestrated the kidnapping of Jiang Mian, then rescued her, in order to coerce Jiang Xun into submitting?

But if that's the case, who wanted to kill Jiang Mian in her past life? Could it have been Ning Zhi? But when Jiang Mian died, Ning Zhi had already been thrown into a mass grave.

Xiao Hengzhi still felt that something was wrong, and frowned: "Go and arrest One-Eyed Zhang. This man should know more."

Guiye stood still and asked, "You're investigating Zuiyin Tower so thoroughly, is it because the person behind it has a grudge against you?"

Have a grudge?

In his previous life, Jiang Mian died inexplicably from vomiting blood. He investigated countless people but found nothing. In this life, Jiang Mian was kidnapped to Zuiyin Tower and nearly lost her life.

If everything in this life and the next is related to Zuiyin Tower, then the person behind the scenes and he are the enemies who killed his wife.

Regardless of whether it's the Wen family or Ning Zhi behind it, he has to find out the truth.

"You don't need to ask any more questions, just bring the person here."

Guiye pursed his lips; he wasn't particularly interested in these things anyway.

The horse beside him shook its ears, and Guiye asked again, "By the way, I haven't asked yet, why did you choose to meet here? I don't have any money, and the people inside are going to kick me out."

Xiao Hengzhi glanced at him and casually said, "I didn't ask you to go in and wait."

After he finished speaking, he stepped inside and said, "Shopkeeper, pack two boxes of soft cheese and sprinkle some powdered sugar on them."

Guiye watched his retreating figure with a hint of speechlessness, shook his head, mounted his horse, and headed off in the other direction.

However, little did they know that their conversation was being watched by people sitting in a private room in the restaurant across the street.