WBSGVS Chapter 156 V1

Xie Residence – Study Room

The knock on the door came again, interrupting Xie Rongyun’s thoughts. He casually tucked the paper he was working on into a book, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote a few more characters before saying, “Come in.”

Qingli walked in with a bright smile, followed by Qiyue, who carried a bowl of tonic soup. “Husband, still busy?”

“Mhm,” Xie Rongyun replied with a faint coolness.

Lately, the couple hadn’t seen each other much, and he hadn’t stayed the night with her once. Their relationship had grown distant. Now that he had already obtained the woman he truly desired, the official wife sitting in that spot felt more like a burden to him.

Not that he couldn’t tolerate her entirely—if Mu Qingli had stayed as naïvely obedient as she used to be, things would’ve been fine.

But now she insisted on playing the “virtuous wife,” pushing other women toward him, and letting Mu Lan’er throw tantrums at him every other day. It was getting on his nerves.

Of course, his current coldness wasn’t just about that—his political career had also hit a rough patch.

He had chosen to support the Fourth Prince—a true troublemaker. With him in play, the Jin family’s hold on the throne would surely weaken. After all, the emperor once nearly wiped out the Xie family due to a treacherous official’s false accusations. Xie Rongyun had long dreamed of watching the Jin family fall from power.

He had helped the Fourth Prince gain the emperor’s favor multiple times, and now the prince was finally in a position to contend.

That meant it was time to eliminate the other competitors.

They had gone to great lengths to drug the Third Prince’s horse, thinking that with his temper, he’d switch mounts with the gentle and generous Sixth Prince. But unexpectedly, he refused—and the Third Prince was the one who got hurt.

Which made it look like they had tried to frame the very person who ended up injured. Every piece of evidence pointed to the Third Prince as the target.

But who would be dumb enough to try to kill themselves in such a public setting? If the Nie family’s second son, Nie Xiao, hadn’t been there at the time, the Third Prince might’ve died on the spot. There had to be more to this than met the eye. Investigations were still ongoing.

Worse yet, the emperor, despite his failing health, hadn’t succumbed to illness but had grown more suspicious, pushing the investigation deeper. Meanwhile, their own planted agents were being discovered.

If the Fourth Prince got implicated, they were finished.

All Xie Rongyun could think about now was finding a way to eliminate one of the princes quickly, to derail the investigation and shift the emperor’s focus.

Qingli didn’t mind his aloofness. She gestured to Qiyue to set the bowl down. “You’ve worked hard, Husband. I made this soup just for you—have some?”

In this kind of situation, Xie Rongyun was still willing to show some courtesy. He picked up the bowl and drank. The soup was rich and flavorful, hot but not scalding. After a few sips, he simply downed the whole thing.

He set the bowl down. His expression softened slightly—delicious food did help lift the mood. “Thank you. Anything else?”

Qingli spoke softly, “On my way here, I heard from the servants in the Pear Blossom Courtyard that Concubine Xu isn’t feeling well. If you’re not too busy, maybe you could check on her. She’s always been gentle and obedient, and she doesn’t have any backing…”

Xie Rongyun was about to refuse.

He hadn’t finished perfecting his plan.

But Qingli had already taken his hand and pulled him up. He suppressed his irritation and said patiently, “Qingli, let go.”

Qingli pretended not to hear him. “Come on, or Big Sister will accuse me of being jealous and not tolerating others again.”

Xie Rongyun tried to pull away, but surprisingly, her strength caught him off guard. Before he could resist, she had pushed him out of the study.

Xie Rongyun: “…”

“You just need to go see her and talk for a bit—it won’t take long,” Qingli said gently.

Since he was already outside, Xie Rongyun resigned himself to it and walked off, though he found Qingli’s behavior more and more baffling. What kind of wife encouraged her husband to spend time with a concubine?

Before he knew it, he was at Concubine Xu’s courtyard.

He hesitated at the door, but a maid, already waiting, exclaimed with surprise and delight, “Mistress, the Master is here!”

Xie Rongyun frowned but stepped inside.

And once he was in, he didn’t come out again.

The allure of a beautiful woman is hard to resist, especially when Xie Rongyun had already been with her before. There was no reason to hold back.

That night, he naturally didn’t go to Mu Lan’er’s place.

The next morning, when Mu Lan’er heard that Xie Rongyun had spent the night at the Pear Blossom Courtyard, she was so angry she skipped breakfast.

She couldn’t wait any longer—if things kept going like this, those concubines might end up giving birth to his heirs!

Once Qingli confirmed Xie Rongyun hadn’t left the Pear Blossom Courtyard, her mood brightened to the point she nearly broke into song. She told Qiyue to go rest for the night and then got out of bed herself. With paper and brush in hand, she began copying the things she’d discovered in the study after successfully getting rid of him.

But she had barely written two characters when she heard a faint click—and a familiar male voice by her ear:
“You’re something—pushing your husband toward a concubine.”

Without looking up, Qingli chuckled. “Thanks for the compliment.”

Nie Xiao was briefly stunned, lost for a reply. He wasn’t used to arguing and ended up standing there in silence.

Qingli’s writing was quick. In no time, the paper was filled with what she had seen. She handed it to the man beside her, setting down her brush as she did.

Nie Xiao reached out, and her hand, still holding the paper, landed in his palm. The warmth and softness jolted him. His brow twitched as he instinctively let go, and the paper floated to the floor.

Qingli turned to see him looking dazed. She bent down, picked up the paper, and placed it firmly into his hand. “Hold it properly this time!”

This time, the contact was only through the paper.

Nie Xiao clenched the sheet, took a swift step back, and said with a tense face, “If you dislike him that much, why not just divorce him? If it’s inconvenient, His Highness could help. After all, you’re working for him.”

Qingli waved dismissively. “Not yet.”

“Understood.” Nie Xiao’s expression turned cold. He opened the window and slipped out.

Qingli blinked. Seeing the window had been shut behind him, she went straight to bed.

Outside, the young man who had just vaulted over the wall paused near it for a moment. Then, without a sound, he turned and slipped through the winding alleys until he reached a familiar gate near his home.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw a plain, unassuming carriage already waiting by the side entrance he often used.

The coachman glanced back and called out. From inside the carriage, a man pulled open the door, poked his head out with a teasing smile, and said:

“Little brother-in-law, where have you been sneaking off to these past few nights?”

Nie Xiao stared at him for a couple of seconds, then decisively turned around.

The Sixth Prince quickly called out, “Hey! What about the thing you got from her?”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want it?” Nie Xiao replied coolly.

The Sixth Prince shrugged. “You already took it. No point in letting it go to waste.”

Nie Xiao’s face darkened as he walked back over and tossed the crumpled paper at him.

The Sixth Prince caught it, unfolded it, and his smile quickly turned cold. Just as he was about to say something, the paper was snatched right back out of his hands.

He sighed in frustration. “Seriously? What’s the point of acting like this? The Nie family will never let you marry her.”

“This has nothing to do with the Nie family,” Nie Xiao said coldly.

“Alright, alright.” The Sixth Prince raised his hands in surrender and dropped the subject. Then in a low voice, he added, “We can’t keep Fourth Prince around any longer. Deliver the evidence and make sure the imperial physicians are on standby.”

Nie Xiao nodded. “Got it.”