26 - Exposed

Chapter 26 – Exposed

After she became pregnant, her appetite had also increased. Although her face was still in the shape of a melon-seed, the other parts of her body showed progressive ‘growth’ . The last time when Si Liujing rubbed her breasts, he beamed a smile of satisfaction. If it was not for the child inside her, he would have probably swallowed her into his belly judging by the greedy expression on his face.

“It is really unexpected. This Ling Wang seemed indifferent but he is actually such an obsessive lover. In the beginning, I was worried that you would suffer grievances when you entered the royal mansion as a concubine but now I truly envy you. It’s not bad and you’re far-sighted as well.” Hua Qianqian took the empty bowl from Bai Yuxiao’s hands and after scooping up another bowl of red bean soup, she handed the bowl back to her.

“It feels so good to be pregnant.” Bai Yuxiao said with a satisfied expression. “I can tease him unscrupulously and then watch his unbearable expression but he is too afraid to touch me. It is more useful than any divine body protection.”

Hua Qianqian looked askance at her.

Is her Fourth Junior Sister feeling happy not because she is pregnant but because she can bully her husband?

She shook her head as she smiled.

“Since you are pregnant, and also a Cefei, I think you should leave your job as a secret constable to fully concentrate on being a Cefei .”

Bai Yuxiao, who was eating the piping hot red bean soup, immediately objected when she heard the words of her Third Senior Sister.

“Why? Of course, I will continue working! We had originally agreed that the four of us will become Four Great Female Constables to compete with those Four Great Constables.”

“Are you dumb? We are secret constables unlike the four of them who can swagger on the streets carrying their swords to show off their authority in the imperial city. We must maintain a low-profile and can’t reveal our identities.”

Bai Yuxiao pouted and continued to drink the red bean soup.

“When will Second Senior Sister arrive?”

“It should be soon. Now that the canal is frozen, it will take ten days for her to ride up from Jiangnan. She should arrive by today, so let’s wait for her to bring the news. By the way, the secret letter said that those who tried to assassinate your husband were related to the Jiangnan Salt Tax Case and the implications are very wide.”

Bai Yuxiao looked solemn and her eyes turned sharp. “They went as far as to collude with the mountain bandits and spring a sneak attack on a prince. They are truly courageous!”

“ Money can even make ghosts push the grinder*, let alone gold is everywhere, so it would be strange if one is not greedy.” As the cold female voice drifted in, a woman pushed the door opened and entered the room.

(Money makes ghosts push the grinder means anyone can be bought over with money and as long as money is the reward, someone is sure to do your bidding.)

“Second Senior Sister!” Bai Yuxiao jumped up excitedly.

The woman who entered was covered in a black hooded cloak with a ring of gray fox fur sewn around the edge of the hood. The cloak was sprinkled with white snowflakes and the warm heat in the room swept away the coldness in her body. She seldom smiles but when she saw the two junior sisters that she had not seen for a long time, her lips slowly curved into a smile that melted the coldness on her face. She slowly lifted her hood back to reveal a face with exquisite features of an iceberg beauty.

The woman’s appearance was cold and her words were equally cold as well. The two junior sisters who were accustomed to her personality immediately broke into beaming smiles and they quickly went forward to greet their Second Senior Sister enthusiastically.

***☆☆☆***

Originally, when Si Liujing said he would not be able to return to the royal mansion and would stay in the palace for a few days as he had to hold discussions with the Emperor, he actually felt apologetic towards Shui’er.

Since she is pregnant, he should be spending more time with her but because the New Year is approaching, it is the busiest time of the year for the various government departments and his Royal Fathe also gathered all the princes for discussions.

Today, he was ordered to settle some matters outside the palace and thinking that he finally has a chance to come out, he would return to the royal mansion to take a look at her and at the same time, give her a surprise.

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Unexpectedly, he discovered that the woman who was in the house nurturing the pregnancy was not her!

The face of the woman in front of him looks like Shui’er but he knows that the woman is not his Shui’er!

He immediately pulled out the sword hanging on the wall and pointed it at the woman in front of him. His voice sounded as cold as the frosty snow in winter.

“Who are you? How dare you disguise yourself as Benwang’s Cefei ?”

Zhaolu trembled as she did not expect that the Wangye could see through her. In fact, the blame should not rest on her as she had always pretended to be her Young Miss without revealing any flaws. Who would have expected that while she was napping on the hot brick bed, she would suddenly be picked up by someone? When her eyes flew open, she saw the Wangye and immediately broke away with fright.

In the past, she and Shuang’er used to take turns to change their facial appearance to look like their Young Miss and they were able to deceive everyone because those people did not come close to them. Since the Wangye also did not venture into their courtyard, so it was safe to pretend to be their Young Miss.

However, now it is different. As their Young Miss is intimate with the Wangye , so it is normal for them to have intimate contact. But she is a young unmarried woman who has never stepped out of the house, so how can she not distance herself from Wangye ’s intimate gesture? Thus, in a moment of fright, she was exposed.

Wangye had sharp eyesight and with a glance, he could see through her and knew she was a fake. At this moment, the smiling Ling Wang had regained his indifferent and ruthless appearance, and his whole body was shrouded in a murderous aura.

Zhaolu was so scared that she could not speak and kept shaking.

“Not speaking? Then Benwang will kill you and tear off your mask!”

“No!” Suddenly, there was a cry of alarm. Shuang’er ran in from outside and was no longer concerned about anything else. She quickly knelt in front of Wangye to beg for mercy.

“ Wangye , have mercy! She can’t be killed!”

Si Liujing was shocked when he saw the panic on Shuang’er’s face as she begged for mercy. After thinking for a while, he suddenly seemed to have figured out something and his face darkened.

“Tear off your mask!”

When he shouted at her, Zhaolu who was originally scared out of her wits had regained her senses and hurriedly peeled off her mask. Then she plonked her knees on the ground and knelt side by side with Shuang’er.

“ Wangye ……..this slave…….this slave deserves to die!”

So, that’s it!

Si Liujing glared at Zhaolu’s face that looked like Shui’er’s and she was also wearing Shui’er’s clothes.

He finally understood what was going on without even asking!

That woman dared to ignore his warning and had slipped out of the mansion again!

It seemed that from the time she entered the mansion, she had the maids change their facial appearance to look like her, and then she would roam freely outside the mansion behind his back.

“Where is she?” Si Liujing’s voice was deeply cold. He had not ground his teeth for a long time and at this moment, he was almost grinding his teeth into smithereens.

It’s afraid the Wangye is so angry that he is going crazy……..

Zhaolu and Shuang’er had never seen the Wangye with this expression before and they could only kowtow to him continuously while they begged for mercy. They did not dare to tell him where their Young Miss went and neither do they dare to make up a story to deceive the Wangye . Therefore, they gritted their teeth and replied that they did not know.

Si Liujing sneered. “Not talking? Guards!”

Upon hearing the angry voice of the Wangye , the two guards who were originally guarding the courtyard entrance rushed in immediately.

“Subordinates are here!”

“Take these two away immediately and put them in the dungeon!”

The two guards could not help but be stunned.

Put them in the dungeon again? The last time they were only locked inside the dungeon for three days and then released. So this time, how many days will they be locked there?

They had followed their master for a long time and they were also able to assess the situation.

Shui Cefei is currently the favored concubine and the Wangye treats her like a treasure and dotes on her heavily. Now that Shui Cefei has sneaked out of the mansion again and although Wangye is extremely angry, who knows he might smile and hug his concubine intimately later. Especially now that Shui Cefei is pregnant and she might be carrying Wangye ’s heir, her status might not remain the same.

Although the guards put Zhaolu and Shuang’er into the dungeon, they did not dare to ill-treat them. The heaters and quilts that should be given were given and delicious food was also served. They ate well and slept well while they waited for the return of Shui Cefei .

***☆☆☆***

Since Bai Yuxiao regarded her husband as being ‘jailed’ in the palace and had no time to return to the mansion, she felt very much at ease to hold a night discussion with her Second Senior Sister and Third Senior Sister. As she ate supper, she listened to her Second Senior Sister talked about the Jiangnan case.

Throughout the dynasties, the salt tax had always been an important source of income for the imperial government and it also topped the list of tax income. Comparatively, the salt tax income exceeded the proportions of business tax, iron tax, tea tax, shipping tax, and other miscellaneous taxes and the Linghuai salt tax was the highest.

As long as there are fertile waters, there will be corrupt officials.

The illegal salt trafficking in the Lianghuai was very serious. If it is said that government officials were not involved as escorts, it would be impossible. As the Emperor had long wanted to rectify this matter, therefore, he sent Ling Wang to investigate in secret.

The clue that Second Senior Sister brought to Bai Yuxiao was really important and it could be a breakthrough for the Emperor to rectify the Jiangnan Salt Tax Case. This matter also involved the group of people who attempted to assassinate Ling Wang .

Bai Yuxiao felt excited as she listened and besides, she had not seen her Second Senior Sister for a long time, so she insisted on staying overnight. It was only until after breakfast the next day that she returned to Ling Wang Mansion with the gift that her Second Senior Sister had given her.

As soon as she entered the bedchamber, she smiled and said. “Zhaolu, I’m back! Is there anything to eat?” Although she had just taken breakfast at Senior Sister’s place, she is now eating for two people and her appetite had increased.

She walked into the inner chamber and when she saw Si Liujing sitting on the bed, she froze.

He glared at her. Although he was just sitting there, the powerful aura that his body exuded was like a net shrouding the whole room.

Bai Yuxiao froze in shock with her mouth agape and she did not know what to say. Looking at the expression on his face that was similar to the King of Hell, she knew he had been sitting there for a long time. However, she did not know when he came back.

He couldn’t have sat there all night, right?

Both of them stared at each other. One did not speak and the other also would not talk and just like that, they were like wooden statues nailed in place.

In the end, it was Si Liujing who spoke first and his voice sounded frighteningly cold.

“Come here.”

“This concubine is scared.”

“What are you scared of? I just told you to come over.”

“Still scared.”

“Am I so scary?”

She looked cautiously at the wicked aura on his face and there was also a dark cloud hovering over his head.

“It’s not that you’re frightening, it’s the past that’s frightening.”

What is the difference?

Because she was scared of him, she did not dare to go over…….and she did not dare to go over because she was scared of him.

Si Liujing’s cold face seemed to be covered with a layer of frost.

“Are you coming over?”

“Alright……..”

She lowered her head and walked over with footsteps that were as slow as a tortoise’s.

No, even a tortoise crawls faster than her!

She seemed to be walking but on closer inspection, she was actually walking on the spot!

Si Liujing had waited for her all night and his heart burned with anger throughout the whole night. Now that she had finally returned, how could he still have the patience? He suddenly moved forward to grab her.

Unexpectedly, before his outstretched hand could reach her, she immediately knelt on the ground and while cradling her belly, she cried.

“Son, save me! Your father wants to beat your mother!”