Every time Wen Ye conversed with Xu Yuejia, she felt that he always seemed to notice something different about her compared to others.
Seeing that he remained silent, Wen Ye retorted, "Could it be that you are willing?"
Xu Yuejia: "..." He wasn't willing either.
Xu Yuejia stared at his son, Xu Yuxuan, who was busy eating meat, and after a moment of silence, he said, "We should find a tutor for him soon."
Wen Ye's lips curled into a smile as she playfully patted Xu Yuxuan's head and said, "Yuxuan, look how much your father loves you."
She didn't seem to realize that she was gloating.
Xu Yuxuan didn't quite understand, but he felt that his mother's smile was strange, especially after his father arrived.
Since they were back at the residence, Wen Ye couldn't just let Xu Yuejia watch her and Xu Yuxuan enjoy the hot pot alone. She had Yun Zhi bring an extra set of chopsticks and a sesame dipping sauce.
Wen Ye said, "Have some too, the broth is made from bone stock, which suits your taste."
Xu Yuejia didn't refuse. "Thank you."
However, before eating, Xu Yuejia went to the inner room and changed into casual clothes.
Wen Ye felt a bit regretful; she hadn't had enough time to admire him in his official robes before he changed.
The family of three rarely sat together for a meal. Wen Ye even considerately cooked a slice of meat for Xu Yuejia and said, "Try this."
Xu Yuejia wasn't sure what Wen Ye meant by this gesture, so he fixed his gaze on her.
Wen Ye explained, "Don't overthink it. It's just because Yuxuan is here."
Xu Yuejia glanced at Xu Yuxuan, who was staring at him intently, then nodded slightly at Wen Ye to show he understood.
Wen Ye then cooked another slice for Xu Yuxuan to prevent him from getting jealous over the one in Xu Yuejia's bowl.
Although Xu Yuejia had returned home suddenly for Xu Yuxuan's sake, he eventually accepted Wen Ye's actions.
For that alone, it was worth it for Wen Ye to cook him a slice of meat.
Of course, just one slice—no more than that.
Hearing the news, Madam Lu and her two sons hurried back from Ding'an Marquis Manor. When they saw the scene outside the main courtyard, Madam Lu stopped and signaled to the maids who noticed her not to announce their arrival.
Xu Jinglin, however, caught a whiff of the delicious aroma in the air and was about to say something when Xu Jingrong quickly covered his mouth.
Xu Jinglin: "Mmmph!" Why are you covering my mouth? Don't you want to eat too?
Xu Jingrong glared at him: Of course I want to eat, but I value my behind more!
Can't you see that Mother didn't let anyone announce our arrival? Clearly, she doesn't want to disturb Aunt Wen, Uncle Xu, and Yuxuan during their family meal.
Madam Lu ignored the silent exchange between her sons, but she gave Xu Jingrong an approving look for stopping Xu Jinglin in time. She then said to Nanny Xian, "Let's go back."
Nanny Xian whispered, "Didn't you rush back to see Madam Wen and the young master?"
Madam Lu smiled. "Xu Yuejia is here. What reason do I have to intrude? Let's go back to the main courtyard."
She and Duke Xu had grown up together, and he cherished her deeply, never taking a concubine. Because of this, she naturally saw things more clearly than others.
Xu Yuejia didn't eat much. After the meal, he said, "The case isn't resolved yet. I'll likely need to stay at the Ministry of Justice for a few more nights."
The Ministry of Justice had temporary lodgings for officials of different ranks. During major cases, Xu Yuejia often stayed there overnight.
Wen Ye naturally had no objections. She put down her chopsticks and said, "Then go ahead."
Xu Yuejia changed back into his crimson official robe. Before leaving, he suddenly stopped, turned to Wen Ye, and said, "I rushed back on horseback today, so many people must have seen me. If you need to, you can use this to stir up more rumors."
Wen Ye was taken aback for a moment before she understood the meaning behind his words. She asked in surprise, "You don't mind?"
Xu Yuejia replied calmly, "We're husband and wife. Why would I mind? Besides, this benefits me, doesn't it?"
His gaze seemed to say: If I were to fuss over this, what kind of man would I be?
Xu Yuejia looked away, put on his official hat, and stepped over the threshold with a dignified posture, his figure gradually fading into the distance.
For the first time, Wen Ye began to truly see Xu Yuejia as a person. She had initially thought he was just a rigid young man, but now...
Only after he disappeared from sight did Wen Ye finally look away and say to Yun Zhi, "Go call Liuya over."
Yun Zhi bowed. "Yes."
Since Xu Yuejia didn't mind, Wen Ye naturally accepted the goodwill he had offered.
The incident where Lady Li of the Jiang family had injured Wen Ye and made the young master cry had not yet blown over. Now, rumors began to spread about how Xu Yuejia had rushed back on horseback without even changing out of his official robes after hearing the news.
Those who heard the story couldn't help but feel a mix of complex emotions—envy, subtle resentment, and even bitterness.
How could Wen Ye be so lucky? Everything good seemed to fall into her lap.
Regardless of how the rumors spread, many influential families in Sheng Jing now understood that Xu Yuejia treated his new wife differently. Privately, they began to consider how they should act more cordially and warmly toward Wen Ye when they encountered her at future gatherings.
Just as Xu Yuejia had predicted, it didn't take long for his reputation as a devoted husband to spread. As for Wen Ye, aside from envy, most people simply attributed her good fortune to luck.
To this, Wen Ye's attitude was: Let them think what they want. If they're so envious, let them stew in their jealousy. They can look, but they'll never get a taste.
However, thanks to the slight affection between her and Xu Yuejia, less than half a day after the rumors spread, Minister Jiang forcibly dragged Lady Li, who had been stubbornly lingering at the gates of Changnan Marquis Mansion, back to their residence.
By the time Wen Ye heard Tao Zhi's report, Lady Li had already been placed under house arrest by Minister Jiang, who forbade her from leaving the house and causing further embarrassment.
After finishing her report, Tao Zhi said indignantly, "So Minister Jiang gets off scot-free?"
Wen Ye calmed her down and said, "The case isn't over yet. Let's not jump to conclusions."
Tao Zhi was puzzled. "Will the father be implicated if the son commits a crime?"
Wen Ye replied vaguely, "Perhaps?"
Minister Jiang had more than one son. Seeing that there was little hope of saving his eldest son, he naturally didn't want Lady Li to stir up more trouble and further offend Duke Xu's household.
This time, Duke Xu's family had chosen not to pursue the matter. But what about next time?
Minister Jiang was furious at home. They always said that a wise wife brings prosperity, but what kind of madwoman had he married?
He directly ordered the steward standing in the hall, "Without my permission, Lady Li is not to leave the house!"
The steward hesitated before agreeing, then added, "But the young master is still kneeling in the courtyard."
Minister Jiang snapped, "Confine him as well!"
This youngest son had always been slow-witted, and Minister Jiang had never been particularly fond of him, often neglecting him.
After all, the Jiang family wasn't short of sons. Although his eldest legitimate son was now a lost cause, Minister Jiang still considered his other, more capable illegitimate sons to be his pride.
When Aunt Xu heard about this, she was visiting her daughter-in-law, Lady Wen, in her quarters to see her grandson.
After listening to the maid's report, Aunt Xu pursed her lips and said to Lady Wen, "Your uncle is as ruthless as ever."
There was still room for compromise, yet he chose to push them to the brink.
Lady Li was his lawfully wedded wife, and by humiliating her like this, he had stripped her of any dignity she might have had in public.
Lady Wen didn't dare to casually criticize her elders and simply said, "Aunt Li's life will likely be difficult from now on."
Before her marriage, Lady Wen's family had given her a rough idea of what Minister Jiang was like.
If it weren't for the fact that the old master and mistress of the Jiang family had passed away and the two Jiang brothers had long since divided the family estate, her father would never have agreed to this marriage.
Now it seemed her father's concerns had been justified.
Fortunately, her in-laws were reasonable people and hadn't taken on the mess left by her uncle's family simply because of blood ties.
"Never mind her. She brought this on herself. If I were Lady Li, I'd have hired a few men to give your uncle a good beating in secret."
Lady Wen: "..." No wonder her father-in-law was willing to "fall seriously ill."
Aunt Xu sighed, then leaned closer to her daughter-in-law and whispered, "I heard your uncle's mistress has given him another son."
Lady Wen: "..." Why was her mother-in-law telling her this again?
When she first married into the family, Lady Wen had been relieved to find that her mother-in-law was a dignified and amiable woman.
But within a few months, she realized she had relaxed too soon.