CMWKSD -Chapter 120 Playing to One’s Preferences

Ling Yue bit down hard on the soft flesh inside her lip and glanced at Jiu Yue. “I’ll defeat you.”

Jiu Yue let out a muffled laugh from her chest. “I’ll be waiting.”

Ling Yue snorted and didn’t continue to make a fuss. Of course, she didn’t go tattling either—she obediently stepped behind Princess Ling instead.

Princess Ling and Prince Ling truly had no way to deal with these two children anymore.

Everyone exchanged a few more polite remarks.

Then General Shen led the group away.

When they were leaving Prince Ling’s residence, Ji Chaomian even staggered a step. Thankfully, Shen Zongnian caught him in time, otherwise he would have made a spectacle of himself.

Really—although he felt that after being “trained” by Jiu Yue, he already had a heart of steel—

Every time he went out with Jiu Yue, she still managed to bring him a brand-new kind of “surprise.”

Haha. Truly not surprised at all—just “surprised.”

Please, could there be fewer of these “surprises”?

No—could there be none at all?

Ji Yiqing wasn’t much better than Ji Chaomian. Both brothers’ inner garments were soaked through with cold sweat.

When the wind blew past, it carried a chill straight to the bones.

This hurdle… was it over?

It should be over, right?

It probably was… right?

Shen Zongnian, who was walking at the very back, took a few quicker steps and came up beside Ji Yiqing. “Brother Ji, what made you think of giving books to the heir?”

Ji Yiqing looked at him blankly, then sighed. “Ah, my family is poor, and I’m rather short on money. I truly couldn’t produce any precious gifts. I was afraid that giving something inappropriate would offend Prince Ling. Fortunately, I do have a bit of learning, so I could only give away books I’ve read over the years. I know in my heart that this gift is really quite unbecoming.”

Shen Zongnian let out an “oh” and didn’t suspect much.

He completely forgot that just a month ago, his own family had sent the Ji household ten thousand taels in silver along with a whole cart of fine goods.

He also thought that since this was the Ji family’s first time in the capital, they probably didn’t know that Heir Ling Mo hated reading more than anything.

Nor did they know that Ling Mo had once been chased and beaten by Prince Ling over reading—and even locked in his room to study…

Prince Ling tried every possible way to make Ling Mo read.

Ling Mo tried every possible way to escape reading.

With the books Ji Yiqing had just given him…

That would be enough to keep Heir Ling Mo reading for several months, wouldn’t it? And getting locked up in the residence for several more months as well.

Shen Zongnian felt a bit sorry for Ling Mo. After all, aside from military manuals, he himself didn’t like reading or writing either.

But Ji Yiqing probably didn’t know any of this, right?

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so perfectly… “playing to his preferences,” would he?

Seeing Shen Zongnian lost in his imagination, Ji Yiqing merely curled his lips slightly, then cupped his hands in farewell.

Jiu Yue, however, remembered something and walked up to General Shen. “General, in five more days the surgery can be done. Have you found the physicians I asked you to look for?”

Jiu Yue could perform the surgery herself, but she still needed assistants.

If nothing else, someone had to wipe her sweat, right?

General Shen nodded. “They’ll arrive tomorrow. When the time comes, Doctor Jiu Yue can choose two or three sharp ones.”

Jiu Yue hummed in acknowledgment and, holding Ji Yiqing’s hand, climbed into the carriage.

The moment Ji Chaomian got in, he completely collapsed. His legs were still a bit weak.

It really wasn’t that he lacked backbone.

Most scholars relied on their mouths, not on charging straight in like Jiu Yue.

At the moment when Jiu Yue caught the princess’s whip, Ji Chaomian had already prepared himself for heads rolling.

The way Jiu Yue gripped that whip—she truly looked like she was about to take the princess’s life in the next second.

He was terrified.

Yet when he opened his mouth, he couldn’t say a single word.

At least today she hadn’t directly charged at Prince Ling for a fight—already a huge improvement.

That deserved praise.

But with all his learning and eloquence, when facing Jiu Yue, Ji Chaomian actually didn’t know where to begin praising her.

Say she was amazing for daring to go head-to-head with a prince?

Spare him, please. Ji Chaomian felt like he was about to be done for.

Still, Ji Chaomian seemed to remember something—especially after seeing how miserable Heir Ling Mo looked.

After weighing it again and again, thinking it over repeatedly, he finally asked slowly, “Sister-in-law, that person who snuck into the prince’s residence a few days ago and beat up the heir… you… do you have any clues?”

Ji Yiqing’s body stiffened slightly.

He slept and woke with Jiu Yue every day, and in his memory, there was only one day when he fell asleep early.

That was the day right after the examinations—he had been utterly exhausted, so he had no idea when Jiu Yue went to bed.

It shouldn’t be… it shouldn’t have been that day, right?

Hahaha, definitely not that day. No, no—Ling Mo definitely wasn’t beaten by Jiu Yue.

He shouldn’t—shouldn’t suspect Jiu Yue like this. She was his wife. He had to trust her completely.

Jiu Yue shot Ji Chaomian a sideways glance.

Ji Chaomian laughed awkwardly and muttered to himself, “Haha, sister-in-law has always been kindhearted. She definitely wouldn’t do something like sneaking into a prince’s residence at night. Big brother was overthinking it. Big brother apologizes to you. Sorry.”

But why did the more he spoke, the guiltier he felt?

Jiu Yue looked at Ji Chaomian with an expression that clearly said what nonsense are you talking about, making him feel even more guilty.

If the last time she beat Ling Mo hadn’t been in broad daylight, there was no way Jiu Yue would have apologized.

Looks like in the future, if she was going to beat or kill someone, she really had to pick a pitch-black, windy night—or somewhere deserted.

Otherwise, there would be another stifling situation like this.

Ji Chaomian clenched his clothes tightly, still unwilling to give up, and asked again, “Sister-in-law, it really had nothing to do with you, right?”

Jiu Yue rolled her eyes. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Both Ji Chaomian and Ji Yiqing relaxed a little, unconsciously letting out long breaths. Ji Yiqing even murmured, “I told you it was impossible…”

Then Jiu Yue slowly continued along Ji Yiqing’s words, “If it wasn’t me, who else could it be? Not beating him to death was already me being kind. Now the entire capital knows that a woman was molested by the heir—my reputation is ruined. Shouldn’t I beat him? I should’ve beaten him to death!”

The two brothers: “……”

The hearts they had been holding up finally died—and were then hoisted back up again, bones pulverized.

Someone who could sneak into a general’s residence at night—how could she not sneak into a prince’s residence?

After suffering such a huge grievance, and yet still not killing Ling Mo, Jiu Yue was actually very mindful of the bigger picture.

And mindful of the Ji family.

Kindhearted.

The Ji brothers finished convincing themselves.

Ji Yiqing held Jiu Yue’s hand. In this matter, as her husband, he hadn’t been able to stand up for her. He had even asked her to go to the prince’s residence to apologize.

The more he thought about it, the more useless he felt—and the more wronged he felt on Jiu Yue’s behalf.

A woman’s reputation was so important. Although Ling Mo had been punished this time—

Ji Yiqing still felt that he truly shouldn’t have acted this way. “Jiu Yue, I’m sorry.”

Ji Chaomian stared at Ji Yiqing as if he’d seen a ghost.

Were men in love this terrifying?

How could he think of nothing else?

Was his head really full of thoughts about how he couldn’t avenge Jiu Yue?

Brother! Wake up!

Jiu Yue could come and go freely in the prince’s residence because her martial arts were truly high.

But you? With that body of yours—muscles without actual fighting ability—you’d probably be stabbed into a sieve before even getting inside the residence.

And another thing!

You’re apologizing to Jiu Yue at a time like this?

From now on, Jiu Yue will only act even more recklessly.

Ji Chaomian touched his own head. Thankfully, it was still there—though he didn’t know when it might have to move houses.