Chapter 34  

The days passed in a hazy blur, and by the time a month had passed, the weather had turned cold. Even though Xu Lianqiao was wrapped in a thick quilt, her feet would still feel cold until midnight.

When Jiang Huai entered, Xu Lianqiao was huddled nervously in the bed, her hands clutching her knees.

Although it was still noon, the atmosphere in the room had become dark and damp, as if the cold had seeped inside.

Jiang Huai walked over to Xu Lianqiao’s bedside and sat down, gently smoothing the stray hair from her forehead.

“What are you doing?”

Xu Lianqiao looked up at him, her expression wary like a frightened deer.

Ignoring her question, Jiang Huai spoke as if to himself.

“Ah Qiao, today is the day the child has his inheritance ceremony. You should be with me.”

Jiang Huai had finally agreed to let Lu Siqing take care of the child that day. However, recently, his elder brother’s illness has worsened. It had been some time, and now, this matter could not be delayed.

Xu Lianqiao stared at Jiang Huai in fear, still processing his words.

She had heard about the adoptive child before, but she didn’t expect Jiang Huai to be so cold-blooded.

“You are so heartless.”

Though she didn’t like Lu Siqing, Lu Siqing had not wronged Jiang Huai. She became his concubine and gave birth to his child, yet Jiang Huai, with a single word, was ready to pass the child to someone else.

It felt shameless and dishonorable.

Jiang Huai was taken aback. He had thought that Ah Qiao would be happy to hear the news, given how much Lu Siqing had slandered her.

But instead, she called him ruthless on Lu Siqing’s behalf.

Thinking about this, Jiang Huai tightened his fist, making a creaking sound.

Xu Lianqiao flinched and shrank back in fear.

Jiang Huai suppressed his anger and reminded himself not to frighten her.

“Ah Qiao, if it weren’t for Lu Siqing, we wouldn’t have wasted all this time since we married.”

If it weren’t for Lu Siqing’s instigation, their child would be born by now.

Jiang Huai tried to take Xu Lianqiao’s hand, but she clenched her fist in fear.

“You and I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation. This is just the punishment she deserves… Why are you defending her?”

Wasn’t she upset about the time wasted between them?

Xu Lianqiao listened to Jiang Huai’s words indifferently.

A few days ago, he explained why he was disgusted with her before… no, that was just an excuse.

He thought she could understand his pain at being deceived, but Xu Lianqiao only saw how foolish he was.

He was a minister at Dali Temple, but a minister who couldn’t see the truth.

After hearing just a few words from others, he concluded that she was a vicious person. This only reflected his own bad judgment.

She wasn’t saying Lu Siqing and Xu Jiawei were right, but even if they weren’t framed, it was clear that, despite their good relationship, Jiang Huai might easily be swayed by others to hate her later.

For Jiang Huai’s sake, it would have been better if he simply admitted he hated her. At least that would have made him seem more human.

“Because Lu Siqing said it, you just did it.”

Xu Lianqiao said this calmly, turning her gaze away from Jiang Huai.

There was no harm in what he had done, either by his own actions or by his acquiescence.

He had pulled the hairpin from her head in public and given it to Wei Jue, making her the target of ridicule.

He had joked about her life with his friends.

He had even choked her.

Each of these actions, none of them were truly her fault.

Now, he simply shifted all the blame to the woman to make himself appear innocent.

Thinking back on how she’d been deceived by his lies, Xu Lianqiao inwardly cursed herself.

She had truly loved him and ended up suffering her whole life.

Jiang Huai had no response to this.

Seeing that his approach hadn’t worked, he switched tactics.

“Ah Qiao, actually, I adopted the child to my elder brother not only to punish Lu Siqing for deceiving me but also because I wanted to repay my elder brother.”

Jiang Huai had always kept this to himself. No one knew of the burden he had carried for years.

Now, with Ah Qiao by his side, he felt he could finally share the weight.

Jiang Huai moved closer to Xu Lianqiao, placing his arm around her.

This took her by surprise. She wanted to push him away, but his strength was too much for her. She was like a helpless little bird trapped in his grasp, unable to move.

Under these circumstances, Xu Lianqiao had no choice but to listen to Jiang Huai speak of his past with his elder brother, Jiang Lian.

“Originally, my elder brother was healthy…”

The two brothers were three years apart. When Jiang Huai was six years old, his grandfather punished him and made him kneel in the ancestral hall. He begged Jiang Lian to take him out.

After much pleading, Jiang Lian finally agreed to take him to the backyard to play.

It had been winter, and a heavy snowfall had fallen two days earlier. There was a lake in the backyard, with a layer of ice on it.

He stepped onto the ice to play, but his elder brother, worried for him, chased after him.

Though Jiang Huai was young and light, the ice could support his weight. But for Jiang Lian, who was nine, the ice couldn’t hold him.

As the ice cracked…

Both brothers tried to run back to the shore, but the ice was cracking faster than they could move.

Eventually…

His elder brother pushed him to safety, but Jiang Lian fell into the freezing water.

Though help was called immediately, in the bitter cold of winter, his elder brother caught a severe illness.

Over the years, his health deteriorated, and he had to rely on medicine to survive.

Not only had he lost the position of heir that would have been his, but he was also unable to have a child of his own.

“Because my brother can no longer have an heir due to saving me, I adopted the child for him. I hope someone will be there to keep his legacy alive.”

Jiang Huai had long carried this burden and, in his mind, this was the best solution.

Xu Lianqiao fell silent after hearing this. It was the first time she had heard this story. She, like everyone else, had always thought that Jiang Lian had fallen into the lake on his own.

And how could the future heir of the Xuanwu Marquis Mansion be tainted by the death of his brother?

“After all, the child is still of our Jiang family. He doesn’t need to bear the stigma of being an illegitimate child. It will be good for his future.”

Jiang Huai spoke as if to assure Xu Lianqiao that he wasn’t completely heartless.

From his perspective, she could understand his actions.

By helping his brother, he was also punishing Lu Siqing for her earlier betrayal.

But..

 As a woman, Xu Lianqiao couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the child’s mother.

Although that mother was Lu Siqing.

_

Xu Lianqiao didn’t want Jiang Huai to hug her like that, so after thinking it over, she agreed to go to the annoying adoption ceremony ahead of her.

The warm sun shimmered, and the yard was filled with laughter.

Everyone at the table seemed happy except Jiang Xi.

Jiang Lian wore festive clothes. Though his face looked weak, he had a smile. Zhou Wan, holding a child just over a month old, also smiled happily.

Compared to Jiang Huai’s indifference, it seemed like this couple had truly given birth to the child.

Xu Lianqiao looked around but didn’t see Lu Siqing.

According to tradition, the adoption ceremony was completed.

Although everything appeared peaceful, for some reason, Xu Lianqiao couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.

“Here, eat this,” Jiang Huai said, placing a piece of vegetable on Xu Lianqiao’s plate.

It seemed like they were a loving couple.

Forget it, no matter how much she disliked Jiang Huai, she couldn’t resist this piece of meat.

Meat was innocent.

Xu Lianqiao flicked her chopsticks and stuffed the meat into her mouth.

One bite, then two. It was quite delicious.

But before she could take a third bite, a young man hurried over with news.

“Master Marquis, something is wrong. Someone went to beat the Dengwen drum ^[1]a drum used in ancient China to announce important news or send a public message., accusing the Crown Prince of something.”

Xu Lianqiao glanced around at everyone.

Everyone had surprise on their faces.

Except for one person, who appeared surprisingly calm.