The Young Master Becomes a Wife Chapter 75 Part 1

Chapter 75: The Spy

After returning to the small courtyard where Xie Huan lived, looking at Mu Chongyan who was somewhat more reticent than usual, Xie Huan thought for a moment and still said, "Don't overthink it. Shu'er has known about your matter for only a short while, it's normal for him to need time to accept it. In the future... things will always get better..."

Mu Chongyan wasn't actually too upset. Having missed the first twenty years of Yan Jingshu's life, he had long been prepared for the possibility that Yan Jingshu might not accept him. Moreover, now that Yan Jingshu was still willing to speak with him, he felt very happy and had no other complaints.

However, he hadn't expected Xie Huan to comfort him. After all, every time he had come before, he had been directly turned away. This made Mu Chongyan suddenly seem to have an epiphany about something.

He revealed a dim and bitter smile, shook his head, but said nothing.

Xie Huan's brow furrowed slightly, but in the end, he did not say anything to make Mu Chongyan leave. He then turned around and poured a cup of tea for Mu Chongyan. But that was all. For him, after all, Yan Jingshu was more important than Mu Chongyan.

He could comfort Mu Chongyan, but he would not ask anything of Yan Jingshu for Mu Chongyan's sake.

However, Xie Huan did not know that Mu Chongyan, who was drinking the tea Xie Huan personally poured for him, was not feeling the loss and sadness Xie Huan assumed, but was instead as delighted as if he had discovered a huge treasure.

Yan Jingshu did not know that because of him, Mu Chongyan had found the most effective method to win over Xie Huan. After returning home, he also told Jiang Chenghan about the matters concerning the Marquis of Yongchang and the others.

After hearing it, Jiang Chenghan said something similar to what Xie Huan had said: 'they deserved it.' However, thinking about how efficient the Prince of Chuxiang was, he felt that he shouldn't lag too far behind.

Thinking this, Jiang Chenghan worked even harder at the Inspectorate. But sometimes, the more he tried to make something happen, the less it did, while unintended actions bore fruit. While he was busy looking for Mu Tingyuan's weaknesses to get revenge for himself and Yan Jingshu, he unintentionally discovered that Prince Kang seemed to be connected to Bei Di.

Back when they were in Ningcheng, after a thorough investigation by the imperial envoy in the fake Zhao Dali case, the fake Zhao Dali and his accomplices were identified as Bei Di spies who had infiltrated the Ningcheng garrison to steal military secrets of the Da Qi army or to create chaos at an opportune time. After this was confirmed, the fake Zhao Dali and the others were immediately executed according to the law.

At the time, Jiang Chenghan had agreed with this conclusion. Whether it was the theft of the Tianming Pass defense map or, as Yan Jingshu had described from his past life—where he was secretly assigned by Kou Shijun to escort a Da Qi envoy only to be ambushed and killed by the fake Zhao Dali during the journey—the ultimate beneficiary was undoubtedly the Bei Di.

But now, during his investigations, Jiang Chenghan discovered that the minor ringleader—the one who had served as the central contact point for the fake Zhao Dali and his group in Ningcheng, and who should have been executed alongside them—was actually still alive and present right here in the capital.

This discovery greatly surprised Jiang Chenghan. But as he hadn't personally witnessed the execution of the fake Zhao Dali and the others, he thought perhaps Bei Di had done something to not only rescue the man but also insert him into the capital.

However, regardless, since he knew this person was a Bei Di spy, Jiang Chenghan certainly could not let him go. He immediately began to follow him. During the tailing, he actually discovered that the minor ringleader was privately in contact with an advisor from Prince Kang's residence.

A Bei Di spy, an advisor from Prince Kang's residence... Jiang Chenghan faintly felt that he had stumbled upon something tremendously significant. The matter was of great importance, so he immediately reported it to the Prince of Chuxiang.

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Chuxiang's expression instantly turned grave and serious. He was aware of the secret power struggles and factionalism among the princes, but having dealings with enemy spies was an entirely different matter.

However, one couldn't conclude that Prince Kang was guilty of colluding with the enemy based solely on this. It was possible that the advisor's contact with the Bei Di spy was a private act, or perhaps Jiang Chenghan had even misidentified the person. After all, when Kou Shijun had captured those people back then, he had only gone to take a look once.

But just in case, the Prince of Chuxiang decided to investigate this matter thoroughly. As for Jiang Chenghan, since he had been involved in the Bei Di spy incident back then and was relatively familiar with the case, he was assigned to assist the Prince of Chuxiang in the investigation.

As for the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, although Jiang Chenghan hadn't completely dealt with him during this period, he had caused him quite a bit of trouble, even to the point where the Eldest Princess was affected by criticism. Perhaps guessing that someone was targeting him but unable to identify who was behind it, the Duke of Zhenguo, fearing for his only son's safety, simply confined him to the residence and forbade him from going out.

They became even more guarded in their speech and conduct than usual. This heightened caution, however, made it temporarily impossible for Jiang Chenghan to find any openings to act against them. Therefore, he set the matter aside for the time being and devoted his full attention to investigating the Bei Di spy case.

Winter in the capital, though arriving later than in Ningcheng and not as bitter as in the northern regions, still grew colder day by day after its onset. By the time the twelfth month of the lunar calendar arrived, a flurry of heavy goose-feather snow covered the entire capital in a blanket of pure white.

As the new year approached, the capital became increasingly lively. Although official duties were important, one's own flesh and blood were more important. So the Prince of Chuxiang, abusing his power for personal gain, gave Jiang Chenghan a long vacation so he could go home and spend time with Yan Jingshu and the children.

Last year, because Yan Jingshu was pregnant and Kangkang was still young, even though this was already their second year in the capital, neither Jiang Chenghan nor Jiajia had really had the chance to properly tour the city.

This time, with rare leisure time, Jiang Chenghan sent Kangkang to the Duke of Anguo's residence, entrusting him to Dowager Lady Yan. He then took Yan Jingshu and Jiajia out for some fun.