Xiè Wényàn really did have the thought of killing Qiáo Yùjǐng just now.

In this world, having one person like him who has been reborn is enough.

But Qiáo Yùjǐng wasn’t wrong either; the other party knows a lot of secrets, and killing him would be a waste. It’s better to keep him around and make use of him.

Even if this move poses a threat, it’s worth the risk in the face of sufficient benefits.

In short, Xiè Wényàn didn’t want to admit it, but after being hard-hearted all his life, seeing the little brother in tears actually made him feel a rare softness in his heart.

On the other side, having escaped, Qiáo Yùjǐng’s feelings were also quite complicated.

He never expected that his engagement would be settled so hastily, and the partner would be a ruthless and cunning traitor.

Compared to the mediocre and ordinary future husband he had planned, who had decent character, this was not just a little different; it was worlds apart!

But now that things had come to this, there was no point in regretting or feeling frustrated.

He knew too much; if he didn’t make Xiè Wényàn his husband and bind their lives and fates together, the only outcome would be being silenced.

He didn’t want to die, so he could only accept reality.

Actually, thinking about it carefully, marrying Xiè Wényàn wasn’t too bad. Although he wasn’t a good person and was indeed ruthless, he wasn’t someone who took pleasure in doing bad things without principles.

Xiè Wényàn was simply greedy for power and wealth, pursuing glory and riches.

In his previous life, the reason he became a traitor was largely forced upon him; after all, the new emperor of the Chǔ kingdom was not a good person, tearing down bridges after crossing them and killing the donkey after the grind, exterminating the Xiè family’s nine clans.

Xiè Wényàn was never a good thing, so it wasn’t surprising that he became even darker.

As for the high-ranking officials who were harmed by him, there was nothing more to say; in the struggle for power, the victor lives and the loser dies—that’s the cruel reality.

So, the now-reborn Xiè Wényàn would definitely still pursue fame and fortune, but he probably wouldn’t harm the world anymore.

After all, how could one enjoy glory and wealth in a world plunged into chaos?

With the experience from his past life, with Xiè Wényàn’s abilities, he would surely be able to climb to a high position and live a good life this time around.

Therefore, as long as he didn’t betray Xiè Wényàn after marrying him, his future would be very bright!

After all, what he was pursuing wasn’t his husband’s true heart, but just a stable life for the second half of his life.

With this thought, Qiáo Yùjǐng comforted himself.

And he quickly accepted the idea of marrying Xiè Wényàn, smoothly integrating into the role.

“Hubby, since we’ll be a family from now on, could you help your husband with something?”

Qiáo Yùjǐng leaned in eagerly to please him.

Still tangled in his unusual feelings, Xiè Wényàn: …

He had never seen anyone more shameless than himself.

He had met his match.

However, the little brother’s voice was really pleasant; hearing him call “hubby” made even this iron-hearted man feel a bit sweet.

“What do you need help with? Let’s hear it.”

Xiè Wényàn’s expression was still indifferent, but the slight upward curve of his lips indicated that he was in a good mood.

Not sensing any dangerous aura anymore, Qiáo Yùjǐng wasn’t afraid of his cold face.

The little brother tugged at his sleeve and excitedly said, “Hubby, can you help me empty the storeroom of the Yǒngchāng Bó府?”

“Cough, cough!” Xiè Wényàn was choked and found it hard to believe, “What did you say?”

Empty the storeroom of the Yǒngchāng Bó府?

If he remembered correctly, that was the little brother’s own family, right?

Qiáo Yùjǐng didn’t hide the shame of family scandals and explained generously.

“Yes, empty the storeroom of the Bó府! Hubby, you don’t know, the current Yǒngchāng Bó is not my real father, nor is he of the Bó府 bloodline; my real father is the true heir of the Bó府…”

He briefly recounted the grievances between the two generations of the Yǒngchāng Bó府.

Of course, he kept the information about his real father still being alive and currently a trusted eunuch by the emperor to himself.

He and Xiè Wényàn weren’t at the point of completely trusting each other yet; his biological father was his biggest and final trump card, and he couldn’t reveal it until the right moment.

“…That’s basically the situation. I only found out after I died and became a ghost that my father was really harmed terribly by that black-hearted thing of a grandmother.”

“Watching the wealth of the Bó府 go to those fakes was truly infuriating. Hubby, I know you’re the best; you must have a way to help me take revenge, right?”

Qiáo Yùjǐng said with full hope and a spoiled tone.

His future husband was a big shot who could turn the world upside down in his past life; this little “task” shouldn’t be too difficult for him, right?

This matter indeed wouldn’t be difficult for Xiè Wényàn.

He was just worried about how to find the treasures of the Bó府 to support the crown prince, and this could be utilized, but he didn’t expect the Yǒngchāng Bó府 to have such a sordid past.

Since the little brother was now his, he naturally wouldn’t allow anyone to bully him anymore.

“Emptying the storeroom of the Bó府 isn’t hard, but the Bó府’s biggest assets aren’t the gold and jewels in the storeroom, but the properties and fertile fields. Even if the storeroom’s wealth is lost, your grandmother and the others can still live well.”

Xiè Wényàn pondered and analyzed.

Qiáo Yùjǐng, unwilling to give up, asked, “Then what should we do?”

The fake goods from the Bó府 had harmed him and his father terribly; he couldn’t swallow this anger without taking revenge.

He wasn’t a saint; he couldn’t forgive his enemies. His kindness was only for those who meant him no harm.

The reason Xiè Wényàn had a good impression of Qiáo Yùjǐng was precisely because the latter was kind but not a pushover; he wouldn’t hesitate to act when necessary, and this decisiveness matched him well.

Xiè Wényàn said, “If we’re going to do it, we must do it thoroughly. Since the current Yǒngchāng Bó is a fake, then all the Bó府’s properties and titles must be taken back without exception.”

Qiáo Yùjǐng’s heart raced.

Not out of fear or anxiety, but out of excitement.

Indeed, his perspective was too narrow; to do bad things, one must look at the black-hearted ones.

“Hubby makes a good point! So how should we proceed? What do I need to do?”

Qiáo Yùjǐng was already eager to take revenge.

Xiè Wényàn said, “This matter isn’t urgent; wait until we’re married, and you’ve left the Bó府 before we act. Otherwise, if we scare the mice and break the jade vase, the Bó府 will suffer, and you’ll be implicated too.”

“Then, when will we get married?”

Qiáo Yùjǐng’s face suddenly turned red, and he shyly asked.

Although he was already prepared to get married, he was still an unmarried man, so it was inevitable to feel shy.

The little brother’s face was like the morning glow, his eyes sparkling like autumn waves, resembling a trembling orchid that made one feel pity.

Xiè Wényàn’s tone softened involuntarily, “I’m just a scholar right now, and I come from a farming family. If I rashly go to propose, people will think I’m daydreaming. I must first pass the imperial examination to have the qualifications to approach the Bó府.”

“Moreover, to avoid suspicion, the Bó府 must take the initiative to marry you to me. You should go back and wait for my news.”

Soon, the court would hold the imperial examination, and the timing would be just right.

Qiáo Yùjǐng also knew this matter couldn’t be rushed, so he could only anxiously remind him, “Alright, then you hurry to propose; I really don’t want to stay in the Bó府 any longer…”

“Okay.”

Xiè Wényàn nodded, a smile appearing in his eyes.

Did he really want to marry him that much?

What a shameless little brother.

Xiè Wényàn came in unhappy but left feeling quite pleased.

Qiáo Yùjǐng was also in a good mood; he didn’t care about his marriage; he just wanted to see his lifelong enemy suffer.

After all, he believed that no matter who he married, as long as he adjusted his mindset, he could live well.

……

After the two parted ways.

The sky was already getting late. Xiè Wényàn used the few taels of prize silver he won at the poetry competition today to buy some fine rice, white flour, and meat, and then headed straight back to Tóngshù Village.

“Wǔláng is back? Were you tired from attending the poetry competition today?”

Seeing Xiè Wényàn return home, Xiè Nǎinai was the first to rush over with concern.

Xiè Wényàn supported the old lady and smiled, “Not tired; the poetry competition was quite interesting. I met a lot of scholars today and even won some prize silver.”

“These are the things I bought with the prize silver. Nǎinai, you and Āyé are getting older, so you should eat more fine rice and white flour to nourish your bodies. You need to take good care of yourselves so you can be around to see me succeed.”

“Alright, alright, we’ll definitely take care of our health and wait for you to achieve great things. Oh my, you bought so many good things; how much silver did you spend? Our Wǔláng is really promising!”

Hearing her grandson’s filial words, Xiè Nǎinai’s entire face lit up with joy.

Xiè Yéyé couldn’t help but lose his authoritative demeanor as the head of the family, smiling so widely that his mouth almost split open.

Why did the two old folks like the third branch?

It was because the third branch was truly sweet-tongued and good at talking.

Xiè Wényàn was even better at being a good person; whatever good things he got from outside, he would always bring back home to show filial piety to his grandparents. Although good things eventually circled back to him, he did indeed fulfill his duty of filial piety!

That’s why the two old folks went from simply hoping their grandson would become a dragon to doting on him wholeheartedly.

The other two branches occasionally received some benefits as consolation, which allowed them to endure the third branch’s slyness.

In his previous life, if it weren’t for his cousin’s medical expenses being too high and his aunt stirring up trouble, Xiè Wényàn wouldn’t have easily exposed his self-serving nature.

However, now Xiè Wényàn genuinely wanted his family to eat better.

In a few days, the imperial examination would take place, and this time he could guarantee that he would pass, no longer worrying about a bleak future.

So, he needed to quickly get his family members in good health.

By then, his siblings would have good looks and his academic title to back them up, making it easier to find better marriages.

Kinship relations are very important in the court.

He wouldn’t randomly matchmake and harm his family, but it wouldn’t stop him from choosing a marriage that would benefit the Xiè family within a suitable range.

Otherwise, like his cousin who crossed over, advocating for free love and marriage freedom, the result would be that when the Xiè family fell into hard times, several cousins and sisters who chose their own marriages were all abandoned by their husbands, with wives running away, and not a single one willing to help!

Although it’s human nature to fly apart in times of trouble, one can’t force others to share in suffering.

But the problem is, those people all relied on the Xiè family to prosper, and their behavior was quite ungrateful…

Of course, Xiè Wényàn wasn’t criticizing his cousin’s thoughts; it was just that some of his ideas were truly out of touch with reality.

They lived in a conservative ancient society, and cousins had hardly any experience interacting with the opposite sex. With their limited perspective and narrow connections, what good marriages could they possibly choose?

Since they couldn’t guarantee future kinship, it was better to choose the best option now to enjoy a good life early on.

After all, since his cousins didn’t have anyone they loved, there was no need to seek true love to help the poor!

Xiè Wényàn felt that he was about to marry his husband, and it was time for his cousins to pay attention to their own marriages.

This family really couldn’t do without him.

Aside from their third branch, the rest of the Xiè family were all honest and simple-minded.

And out there, the unscrupulous people loved to bully the honest ones.