CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 54: WHAT ELSE CAN YOU GAIN FROM DECEIT?

The Jade Bracelet never ended up being purchased.

After exiting the silver building, Song Wei bought Wen Wan a lot of her favorite snacks.

Seeing the young girl holding the snacks and smiling foolishly, he couldn’t help but smile too. "If not tonight, then tomorrow, or the day after. I’ll bring you back to choose something you like then."

Wen Wan pointed to the big bag of pastries in her arms with her eyes, a joyful expression on her face.

Song Wei looked at her, "You like this?"

Yes!

Wen Wan nodded very earnestly.

"Don’t like the bracelet?" Song Wei asked again.

Don’t like it.

Wen Wan thought that if she bought that thing back, it would just be locked away at the bottom of a chest. The snacks were more practical; you could eat them, and they’re tasty, which she liked.

From Wen Wan’s expression, Song Wei could see the potential of his little wife being a food lover, he couldn’t help but secretly chuckle. Why hadn’t he noticed before that she liked these little edible treats?

On second thought, her life at her parental home was hard, and she didn’t have many chances to eat snacks, so it wasn’t surprising that she liked them so much.

Back at the inn, to prevent mice from stealing the snacks at night, Wen Wan carefully hid the snacks Song Wei bought her into the cupboard, only feeling at ease to sleep after securely closing it.

After the lamp was blown out, Song Wei, as usual, pulled her into his arms.

Listening to the gentle breathing of the young girl after she fell asleep, Song Wei recalled what Mr. Xiao asked him at the Songhe Building during the day: why participate in the imperial exams?

The truth was, he had long since had the answer, he was in it for power.

With power, he would have the ability to protect her and provide her with a real home.

He thought, when Aunt Lu handed the young girl over to him, she must have hoped that he would take good care of her.

That night, a light rain fell, shrouding the entire Pingjiang County in a thin mist of rain.

Before dawn, Wen Wan got up, packed the pens, ink, and food that her husband needed for the exam into the exam basket, and only after ensuring nothing was missing did she lock it.

Song Wei came over fully dressed, and seeing that she had been concerning herself with his matters since getting up and hadn’t managed to tidy herself up, he hugged her from behind, rubbing his chin against her neck gently, knowing he couldn’t persuade her not to get up so early, he could only softly say, "After I leave in a while, you should go back to sleep a little longer."

Wen Wan agreed readily and saw him off downstairs, holding an umbrella for him.

Watching her husband walk into the distance, Wen Wan stayed standing outside the inn for a while longer before returning to the room.

She didn’t really heed his advice and go back to bed for extra sleep but instead took out the books he had studied, regardless of whether she could understand them or not, she mimicked his serious demeanor, reading them word by word.

During lunch, she didn’t spend money on ordered dishes but dug out the snacks that Song Wei bought for her, eating a bit of everything.

When Song Wei came back, he specifically asked the inn’s servant, knowing she hadn’t gone out all day or come down to eat, he felt both heartache and helplessness, and simply instructed the servant to deliver meals to her room on time for the next three days.

Wen Wan gave him a reproachful look with her eyes for wasting money.

Song Wei asked her, "If you don’t eat meals regularly, and end up too hungry and needing a doctor, wouldn’t that be wasting money?"

Wen Wan fell silent.

——

In the blink of an eye, the five exams concluded, and Song Wei and his wife packed to return home. Before leaving, Song Wei intended to keep his promise and buy a piece of jewelry for Wen Wan.

Halfway there, the couple was intercepted by Chu Feng on their way to a teahouse.

Emperor Guangxi sat by the window, and on the table in front of him was a delicate, hollowed-out box, the lid open, containing the jade bracelet that had been snatched from Song Wei’s hand that night.

After the couple sat down, Emperor Guangxi pushed the box to Song Wei, saying that since he was leaving, consider it a parting gift for Miss Song for having met.

Song Wei didn’t put on airs, accepted it openly, and said a simple thank you.

Seeing his calm demeanor, Emperor Guangxi was infuriated—are you clueless? Knowing I’m the emperor, a figure you can’t afford to mess with, and now that I’m about to leave, you still don’t try to curry favor with me?

Emperor Guangxi was silently aggrieved for a while before speaking again, "Mr. Song, may I ask you a question?"

"Please go ahead, Mr. Xiao."

"What was your reason for setting up a scheme to deceive County Magistrate Lu and Mr. Zhang?"

"What’s the point of deceiving others?" Song Wei said, "Just for the satisfaction."

Emperor Guangxi: "..."