Chapter 98: Need a Way Out
No matter what, she had come to ask for his help, and it was likely even an emergency. He could tell that much from her glistening, limpid eyes. Song Jiaoyue could feel his heart melt as he met her gaze. He asked, “For what matter do you require my help?”
“This……” Actually, that sort of thing was a little difficult for a lady like her to say. Her behavior was really too bold by olden times’ standards. However, she still gritted her teeth and described the incident from beginning to end. Then, she gave Song Jiaoyue an expectant look, hoping that he would agree to help.
Song Jiaoyue didn’t expect that she would tell him about the secret affairs of the prince’s estate, and then even look at him with such an expression. She was clearly not playing fair! He immediately began to panic and nodded before he even asked what help she needed. But he immediately regretted his actions; this was quite the difficult issue to resolve.
But after seeing the joyous expression on her small face, he couldn’t bear to reject her. He only asked, “So, what sort of assistance do you require from me?”
“Uhh……” She ducked her head and blinked. She wasn’t too familiar with this world, so she really didn’t have a good way of solving this problem. She had hoped that the supporting male character would have an idea, but in the end, it seemed that he didn’t have the slightest clue either. Well, it wasn’t entirely unexpected either. Cheating in the modern times would at most land in a courtroom of some kind, and everyone would eventually return home to look for their mothers. Society’s condemnations wouldn’t be too severe either.
But the same scenario in the olden times couldn’t be handled so casually. This was a place where propriety and honesty were followed to the letter at every corner. But of course, the rich would only be called flirtatious when they did such things, but when the servants did it, they were called base and low.
This was simply inconceivable!
Song Jiaoyue knew that she didn’t actually have any ideas when he noticed her conflicted expression. “How about this? If they truly want to be together, arranging that isn’t that difficult.”
“Really?” Bai Xiangxiu was almost crying from worry. Hearing him say that it wasn’t totally impossible almost sent her to almost plaster herself against him to listen closely.
Song Jiaoyue’s heart pounded crazily. His feelings towards her had become almost irrepressible after he’d learned of her kind nature. He sighed lightly as he spoke, “You only have to say tomorrow that you intend to sell of the third madame, and then let a trusted maidservant out to find a slaver. I will send someone to wait for your maidservant in the back alley.
“After sending your maidservant out, you can then announce that you are handing over the man to the court officials. They will no doubt send him to be arrested. I’ll notify the proper people before that happens and have sentenced him to banishment. Then, we can arrange for both of them to be sent to some other place for them to live together.
“Great idea. It truly is such a great idea. Thank you so much…” Bai Xiangxiu had finally found a reason to smile. Although the plan was simple, the only person capable of enacting such a plan was probably him. His plan required connections with all sorts of faction within the capital. It would be impossible to achieve without a proper network and wealth.
Song Jiaoyue couldn’t help but smile after seeing a smile dawn on her face. He suddenly noticed something stuck in her hair. He nonchalantly plucked it from her hair, but was quick to realize that it was actually a piece of cabbage leaf. Even worse, the cabbage leaf was actually rotten. He stood stunned for a second, then asked, “How did you get out of the estate?”
Bai Xiangxiu was flustered by his tender action. If he hadn’t rejected her previously, she probably would’ve wanted to seduce him again and borrow his influence to slip out from the estate! She let out an awkward cough and said in a small voice, “I snuck out from the estate using the vegetable trader’s cart.”
The leaf was already in his hands. What other explanation could she conjure up?
Song Jiaoyue couldn’t help but furrow his brow. He quickly said, “You’re truly too bold. Hurry on back to the estate. We will deal with this matter using my plan. You can leave everything after that to me. If anyone finds out what you’ve done, you will surely…”
Even his heart was trembling at the thought. He was well aware of what Long Heng was capable of. If Long Heng were to investigate, he would surely find out that she had snuck out of the estate. Even if he didn’t, Long Heng would still come to know that he was the one who had helped her. If Long Heng ever got wind that they had met in private, the girl who was currently in front of him probably wouldn’t have much longer to live.
“When you return, write a letter and have Xiao Shi deliver it to the Song residence. No one must know that you snuck out of the estate.” He paused and then continued, “Oh right. The vegetable trader has helped you a great deal. As a lady of the inner residence, you’re not at liberty to thank him. I’ll send a man over to give him some silver as a token of gratitude !”
Hmm?
What he said doesn’t seem right?
No. In fact, what he said seems a little familiar! She tugged on her hair for a bit and suddenly remembered a sub-plot from the novel. No, rather, calling it a familiar line would be more accurate.
In that sub-plot, the novel had gone to describe how the female lead had told someone that she’d often used Sun Si’er to conveniently sneak in and out of the estate. After that, Sun Si’er seemed to have been secretly removed by someone.
Yes, that one line was enough to destroy him, and all because someone was afraid that Sun Si’er would betray the female lead’s secret rendezvous. As for that somebody, it had been none other than the person in front of her —— Song Jiaoyue.
No way… right? She remembered that in the novel he had asked the female lead the same exact question, and then Sun Si’er was soon no more. The female lead had been clueless about these things. Long Heng had still found out that she had been sneaking out of the estate afterwards, so no one ever looked for Sun Si’er again.
Ah, feudalism is to be blamed for this. Although he is obviously a gentleman, he still shows no mercy when he needs to kill a person. And why are you asking for Sun Si’er’s name with such a tender voice? Do you think I’m just as dumb as the female lead?
Or rather, if she hadn’t read the novel, she might’ve seriously believed that he had wanted to thank Sun Si’er in her stead. Nobody would ever suspect that a man like him could ever be cruel enough to kill without remorse. “Hehe… there’s no need for that. I’ve already rewarded him. Besides, he doesn’t know my identity.” Luckily, she hadn’t disclosed her identity to him, unlike the female lead who had told him everything.
Song Jiaoyue inwardly snapped to attention when he noticed her eyes darting left and right. Had she guessed my intentions? After he noticed that her expression did indeed indicate so, he couldn’t help but sigh. This lady is both kind and smart. What a rarity.
Smart people would normally understand that to achieve greatness, they mustn’t meddle with trifling details. So, they would never trouble themselves with matters that they could afford to ignore. Yet this lady was different. She was intelligent, but would never harm another life. She was intelligent, yet she never used her smarts for her own gain. Instead, she used it to help others and help them obtain their happiness.
But had she ever considered her own happiness?
No. She had indeed considered it before. That had been why she’d attempted to reach out to him with her own hands last time. But he had brushed her off and single-handedly nipped her attempt in the bud.
“I will escort you back, and I will cause him no harm. You can trust my words.” Oh how he wished that she would believe his words.
Unbeknownst to him, Bai Xiangxiu did in fact believe him, since the novel had portrayed him as a highly principled person with conviction. Although he had done some bad things for the female lead later on, he had never gone back on his word. Otherwise, there was no way Bai Xiangxiu would’ve chosen him as her target in the first place. He hadn’t been the only male supporting character that the fleeing female lead could pick from, and at the very least, he wasn’t the only one who had authority to his name.
With such an incredible male lead, such an attractive female lead, and such a high word count, how could the story proceeded if the supporting male characters had been instantly killed and didn’t hold their own weight?
She lightly nodded, “I believe you, but there’s no need for you to escort me back. They have a schedule for deliveries, so his cart wouldn’t be there anyways if I went back too early. I would have to wait for him to come back.”