As Xie Lin half-propped himself up on his arm, Jiang Yunshu hazily thought that she could easily push him away right now.
Yet, even as Xie Lin leaned down toward her again, she didn’t.
Why was that? Jiang Yunshu subconsciously licked her slightly swollen lips, still tingling from the friction—was it because of Xie Lin’s face?
Or was it because his kisses were too intoxicating?
In the end, she even dozed off within the confines of his arms, nestled in the bed curtains saturated with his scent.
When she woke again, a young eunuch brought her a bowl of medicinal brew and urged her to drink it.
"This is a remedy prescribed by the imperial physician to ward off colds. If you take it now, you won’t fall ill."
Jiang Yunshu accepted the bowl, and the eunuch swiftly retreated from the room without a sound.
She downed the bitter liquid in one go, then looked at Xie Lin with a faintly mocking smile.
Even if she had been slow to realize before, she understood now.
Why would the imperial physician have prepared a cold remedy in advance? Why had the eunuch so boldly escorted her directly to Xie Lin’s private chambers when she came to visit him?
And if she traced it back further—how was it that she, a woman who had fallen into the water, hadn’t caught a chill, yet Xie Lin, a man of formidable martial skill, had succumbed to a fever so severe?
"How exactly did the Chief Eunuch catch this cold?" Jiang Yunshu asked.
Xie Lin pressed a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "Why does my lady ask such a thing?"
Jiang Yunshu narrowed her eyes. "Because I think the Chief Eunuch is quite adept at setting traps."
Xie Lin’s lips curled slightly. "I thank my lady for the compliment."
"In that case, would my lady care to evaluate how well I’ve dug this pit?"
He handed her a slip of paper.
Jiang Yunshu took it, her brows furrowing in confusion as she read. Soon, her expression shifted from puzzlement to astonishment.
The words on the paper, just as Xie Lin had said, outlined a trap—a scheme.
One targeting Duan Jinxing.
Her eyes flew across the lines, and by the end, her eyebrows arched. The plan in Xie Lin’s hands could strip Duan Jinxing of his position as Chancellor.
When Xie Lin saw she had finished reading, he asked softly, "What does my lady think?"
His gaze locked onto hers, unblinking.
Jiang Yunshu smiled. "Not bad."
In an instant, Xie Lin’s heart soared.
He had suspected before that Jiang Yunshu cared little for Duan Jinxing’s fate.
Now, by testing her directly, he found it was true.
Jiang Yunshu no longer held even a shred of affection for Duan Jinxing!
She didn’t care about him in the slightest!
Xie Lin felt as refreshed as gulping down an icy drink on a scorching summer day.
Delighted, he decided that if that was the case, he might as well give Duan Jinxing a swift end.
He would make it quick—spare him prolonged suffering.
Xie Lin was well-versed in this art: to destroy a man, first drive him mad.
And the method to drive Duan Jinxing mad was laughably simple—strip him of what he cherished most: his position as Chancellor.
True to form, the moment Xie Lin struck, Duan Jinxing stumbled into the trap. In the past, Duan Jinxing had Jiang Yunshu by his side, offering counsel and caution.
Now, left to his own devices, his arrogance went unchecked, and he fell headlong into disaster.
Duan Jinxing lost his position as Chancellor, was demoted, and exiled from the capital.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yunshu flourished in her role as a palace official.
When she had first transmigrated to this ancient world, she knew nothing of politics. But in the Marquis's Mansion, she had gleaned some insight, and after marrying Duan Jinxing, she had immersed herself in the intricacies of power.
Now, her political acumen and skill were more than sufficient for her duties in the palace.
Among the female officials who had entered the palace together, there had been no distinction in rank at first. Yet now, all deferred to Jiang Yunshu as their leader.
Life in the palace was far more satisfying than her days in the Chancellor’s residence.
Turns out, wielding power for oneself was infinitely better than advising someone else.
If there was one thing that troubled her about palace life, it was Xie Lin’s nightly habit of using his martial prowess to slip unnoticed into her courtyard.
Every morning, Jiang Yunshu vowed that tonight, she would absolutely bar Xie Lin from her chambers.
But when night fell, she couldn’t bring herself to shut him out.
And by dawn, rubbing her sore waist, she would swear once more—this time, she would not let Xie Lin in!
No matter how sweetly he spoke, it wouldn’t work!
