Is the male lead coming?
Xie Yushu was surprised.
Was she really going to meet the male lead Xiao Zhen this soon?
In the original story, the supporting female Xie Yushu was sent back to the Pei Mansion on the last day of Song Jie’s illness, after being used up.
Pei Shilin had already used her to save his younger brother, and everyone at the Pei Mansion looked down on her.
They deliberately refused to let her enter, locking her outside the gates on a rainy night and forbidding anyone to open the door for her.
She didn’t have a single coin to her name, not even a carriage to shelter from the rain.
She was left to crouch by the back door, soaked through, crying.
It was at this moment that the Fourth Prince, Xiao Zhen, appeared.
He held an umbrella for her, draped a cloak over her shoulders, and spoke to her with utmost gentleness: “Madam, come with me to the main gate. I’ll take you inside.”
In the original, Xie Yushu had never been treated with such kindness.
For a time, she saw Xiao Zhen as her lifeline, willingly imitating Xie Jia Ning’s posture and manner to act as Xiao Zhen’s stand-in.
But how could someone who could become the male lead and take down Song Jie in the finale possibly be truly gentle?
Xiao Zhen was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a schemer hiding behind a gentle façade.
His “rescue” of Xie Yushu was only to gather information about Song Jie’s illness.
He didn’t truly love the female lead Jia Ning either—she was just a weapon for him to use against Song Jie.
The only things he loved were himself and imperial power.
Still, for the current Xie Yushu, he was a pretty good points-farming machine.
“Prime Minister, something really happened in the palace.”
Cang Shu reached out, lifting the bed canopy, and lowered his head as he presented something inside.
Xie Yushu saw that it seemed to be a narrow letter—probably a message from one of his spies in the palace.
She turned her head away, signaling that she wouldn’t peek.
Song Jie took the letter, opened it, and saw a single line on the white paper: [The Emperor has taken dan medicine, urgently summoning the Imperial Physician].
Something really had happened in the palace.
Song Jie glanced at Xie Yushu, who was lowering her head to him, and spoke: “Bring Xiao Zhen here.”
Without hesitation, Xie Yushu said, “Then let’s stop here for today. I’ll leave first so I don’t delay Song Prime Minister’s important matters.”
Off work early—no refunds.
Before she could get up, her sleeve was pressed down by Song Jie.
“Let Xiao Zhen report from outside the door.”
Song Jie ordered Cang Shu, tossing the letter into the brazier at the bedside, then said to her, “Stay quiet in the bed canopy.”
Xie Yushu looked back at him, her brows knit in open displeasure.
“I paid five thousand taels, and it hasn’t even been half an hour yet.”
Song Jie, seeing her expression, was certain that if he mentioned a refund, she’d turn hostile on the spot.
But he didn’t expect Xie Yushu to say, “Since I’ve taken your money, I’ll honor the contract. But let me make it clear: the time you spend talking with the Fourth Prince also counts as working hours. If your conversation exceeds an hour, you’ll need to pay additional wages at the same rate—five thousand taels per hour.”
Song Jie actually laughed.
“Xie Yushu, I’ve never met a woman as good at calculating as you.”
“Then you really haven’t seen much of the world.”
Xie Yushu raised an eyebrow, mocking him with a face full of unyielding sharpness.
She shouldn’t be playing the role of Jia Ning right now, yet Song Jie felt a moment of daze.
Was this the cautious, eager-to-please Xie Yushu he knew?
Did Xie Yushu really have such vivid expressions…?
The barking of a dog outside the door snapped Song Jie out of his trance.
He raised a finger to Xie Yushu, but didn’t show any sign of leaving her or stepping out of the bed canopy.
She was just too warm, like the blazing sun—he couldn’t deny that the closer he was to her, the better his frozen body felt.
“The Prime Minister isn’t able to receive guests. The Fourth Prince may speak here.”
Cang Shu’s voice came from outside.
Through the bed canopy, Xie Yushu could only vaguely see a tall figure shifting behind the bamboo curtain.
Then, she heard another man’s voice from outside: “Is the Prime Minister’s health any better?”
That voice was free of hostility, as gentle as a piece of warm jade, softly landing on satin—so deceptive.
Song Jie’s voice, on the other hand, was sharp: “Did you come so late just for these insincere greetings?”
Outside, he remained gentle and courteous.
“Though I have urgent business, I do care for the Prime Minister’s health. A few days ago, I acquired a thousand-year ginseng. I brought it today—please accept it, Prime Minister.”
Xie Yushu couldn’t help but admire him.
Xiao Zhen was indeed the ultimate survivor—he could endure anything.
She was curious what Xiao Zhen actually looked like, when Song Jie’s knuckles nudged the back of her hand.
She turned her head and saw Song Jie’s face, sharp and full of displeasure.
Suddenly, the system chimed: “Host, you just gained 1 Green Hat Value from Song Jie.”
Huh?
Xie Yushu didn’t understand why Song Jie would feel jealous.
The system did its best to explain: “According to the data, he did feel a sense of ‘green hat’ because you were distracted by another man. Maybe he thinks you belong to him during this hour?”
Men are really sick.
But suddenly, Xie Yushu thought, if she provided stand-in services to Song Jie, Xiao Zhen…and the other male leads’ supporting characters, and they all got jealous of each other, wouldn’t she quickly max out her Life Value and get rich?
She started spacing out again.
Song Jie saw her obviously distracted face and felt a wave of irritation.
Five thousand taels wasn’t to buy her attention for someone else, nor her absent-mindedness.
He didn’t want to see this Jia Ning-like face distracted by another man, especially not Xiao Zhen.
“Enough nonsense. What happened in the palace?”
He impatiently said to Xiao Zhen, and, without thinking, reached out through the sleeve of his Daoist Robe to grip Xie Yushu’s index finger.
The sticky ointment in his palm smeared onto her sleeve.
Xie Yushu instinctively pulled her hand back in disgust, clearly feeling her fingertip break open one of his blisters.
When she pulled away, sure enough, her sleeve was covered in green ointment and red blood.
She glared at Song Jie, wanting to remind him that even through a sleeve, this wasn’t okay, but saw him mouth silently: “Add two thousand taels.”
Two thousand taels—over a million yuan.
For that, letting him hold her finger through a sleeve wasn’t a big deal.
Xie Yushu relaxed her brow, shook out her wide sleeve, and extended her hand under the sleeve for him to see.
Song Jie was stunned—he hadn’t expected her to offer her hand so easily.
What a face that could change at the sight of money—her acting was seamless.
The blue sleeve of the Daoist Robe draped over his knee; in the dim light, her face was even less clear, even more like Jia Ning.
He unconsciously raised his hand, slowly reaching to hold her finger…
Only for her to lightly swat him away.
With a sigh, she reached under her sleeve and grabbed his wrist directly, pointing to his palm and mouthing: “I’m going to stop your bleeding. What are you thinking?”
Song Jie snapped back, his face heating as if he’d been slapped.
Right, what was he thinking?
This was Xie Yushu, who only stayed for the money—how could a simple gesture make him lose his head?
She seemed to deliberately cause him pain, rubbing hard at his broken blister.
Song Jie sucked in a sharp breath.
She looked up at him, frowning, and mouthed a complaint: “If it hurts, be more careful.”
Song Jie pressed a cold hand to his chest, staring at those eyes, that face, and thought: Maybe only someone like him, despised by everyone and half-dead, would take reproach and complaint as care.
And she performed “caring” so convincingly.
She turned sideways to get the burn ointment, the motion stirring the dark blue bed canopy.
Outside the bamboo curtain.
Xiao Zhen heard Song Jie’s hiss of pain and looked up in surprise at the curtain, seeing only a faint candlelight.
But he caught a strange scent—like sandalwood mixed with powder.
The presence of powdery fragrance in Song Jie’s mansion was just too odd.
Everyone in court knew Song Jie suffered from a chronic illness and avoided women; there wasn’t a single maid in his mansion, all the servants were men, except for his female mastiff, Panpan.
So how could there suddenly be a powdery scent in Song Jie’s room, and in the middle of the night at that?
“Father took a new dan medicine made by Xuan Zhen Daoist half an hour ago.”
Xiao Zhen said calmly, “Two quarters of an hour ago, the Imperial Physician was urgently summoned. His Majesty spent the night alone in Funing Hall, not even allowing Palace Maids to serve him. Until I left the palace, there was no news from Funing Hall. I suspect something went wrong after Father took the dan medicine?”
Inside, Song Jie’s sharp intake of breath sounded again, as if in great pain, followed by a fit of muffled coughing.
The bed canopy rustled, the sound of fabric rubbing together very clear—again and again, as if someone was stroking?
Who was touching Song Jie?
Xiao Zhen glanced at Cang Shu, who was standing by the bamboo curtain, but Cang Shu didn’t rush in as usual to check on Song Jie—
There was only one explanation: the person taking care of Song Jie inside was someone even Cang Shu trusted.
Too strange.
Song Jie didn’t trust anyone, not even the Imperial Physician Institute.
Every time he was ill, he only called the old Daoist from the daoguan where he grew up.
After all these years, Xiao Zhen still hadn’t figured out what illness Song Jie actually had.
Stranger still, Song Jie’s coughing gradually subsided under the sound of that stroking.
Then Xiao Zhen heard Song Jie’s hoarse voice: “Understood. I’ll send someone to investigate. Don’t act rashly.”
In the silent moonlight, Xiao Zhen wished he could catch every tiny sound from the room.
He vaguely heard, in Song Jie’s voice, someone gently “blowing air”?
As if someone was blowing on something.
Who was in Song Jie’s bed canopy?
A woman?
Song Jie actually trusted a woman?
Wasn’t he rumored to be impotent?
Xiao Zhen wanted to listen more closely, but Song Jie impatiently said, “Go back to the palace. Wait in your quarters for my orders. Don’t let anyone find out you left the palace for my mansion at night.”
Song Jie seemed especially impatient tonight.
Cang Shu directly said, “Fourth Prince, this subordinate will escort you out.”
Who was hidden in the room that they were so afraid he’d find out?
Xiao Zhen replied, eyes lowered, and said obediently, “Song Prime Minister, please take care of your health.”
He cooperatively turned and left.
As he passed the side window, Xiao Zhen glanced inside and caught a glimpse of a dark blue bed canopy, a hem of Daoist Robe trailing on the floor.
Inside the robe was a pair of narrow feet, wearing Jade Plum Blossom Shoes.
One foot was dangling in the air, as if the person was sitting sideways on the bed—who could be so close to Song Jie…?
“Fourth Prince, this way please.”
Cang Shu stepped aside to block his view, his gaze icy as he showed him out.
Xiao Zhen withdrew his gaze and left with a smile.
After his carriage left the street outside the Prime Minister’s mansion, he told his attendant to stop and quietly ordered, “Go keep watch at the back gate of the Prime Minister’s mansion.”
He had to see for himself—who exactly was Song Jie hiding in his mansion?
Xie Yushu’s bottom line is: let’s see how much more you’re willing to pay.
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