The Young Marquis Regrets Too Late - Chapter 58

These two arrows carried the momentum of a rainbow piercing the skies. Each shot was more precise than the last.

Had they veered slightly off course, Jiang Jinghui’s injury wouldn’t have been as simple as a scratch on the face.

Though the injury wasn’t severe, the bloodstain on her face was humiliating enough.

Everyone turned toward the direction the arrows had come from, only to see Gu Huaisheng sitting upright on horseback, holding a bow in his hand.

The afternoon sunlight bathed him and cast a sharp glint off the jade headpiece securing his hair. He was dressed in a black round-collared robe with gold embroidery—the hem of which fluttered in the wind. His flawless face radiated a cold, unyielding aura. 

His eyes gleamed with a dark intensity as his gaze fixed icily on Jiang Jinghui.

If he had arrived a little later, where would Jiang Jinghui’s arrow have landed?

Jiang Runchu had come along as well. When he saw Jiang Jinghui aiming her arrow at Jiang Jingchun earlier, his initial reaction was to defend Jiang Jingchun. However, upon seeing Gu Huaisheng’s shot leave a mark on Jiang Jinghui’s face, he anxiously exclaimed, “Why did you aim for her face?”

How could she face anyone in the future if her face became disfigured?

Jiang Runchu even tried to explain on Jiang Jinghui’s behalf. “She was just aiming at a rabbit earlier. You didn’t have to go this far…”

“A rabbit?” Gu Huaisheng turned to Jiang Runchu. “Where is this rabbit you’re talking about, exactly?”

There was no rabbit in the direction of Jiang Jinghui’s aim, only Jiang Jingchun.

“Her face will heal in a few days. But if that arrow had hit her body, what then?”

If the arrow had hit where it aimed, what would Jiang Jingchun do?

Who would have thought there’d come a day when Gu Huaisheng would stand up for Jiang Jingchun, and even reprimand others on her behalf? Moreover, compared to the way Jiang Runchu was talking on Jiang Jinghui’s behalf, his actions seemed almost restrained.

He had thought Jiang Runchu had improved, that he might treat Jiang Jingchun better. But compared to Jiang Jinghui, Jiang Runchu always placed Jiang Jingchun in an insignificant position.

Gu Huaisheng nocked another arrow, aimed it toward Jiang Jinghui, and slowly drew the bowstring back.

Jiang Runchu noticed the killing intent in his eyes and reached out to stop him.

Gu Huaisheng glanced at him and said in a voice that was cold and devoid of emotion. “Are you scared now? Then why, when Jiang Jinghui pointed an arrow at her earlier, did you still speak up for Jiang Jinghui?”

He cared so much about Jiang Jinghui getting hurt, so why didn’t he care about Jiang Jingchun, when it was Jiang Jingchun who was being aimed at by an arrow?

“Jiang Runchu, if she had let that arrow loose—

“I would’ve killed her.”

Jiang Jinghui should consider herself lucky for not firing that arrow just yet by the time Gu Huaisheng arrived. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have received only a scratch on her face.

Jiang Runchu was momentarily speechless for a moment upon hearing this. He knew Gu Huaisheng wasn’t bluffing.

Gu Huaisheng no longer paid attention to Jiang Runchu. He dismounted and walked over to Jiang Jingchun. She was still holding a rabbit that had been shot with an arrow. He pulled her toward him to check her over, and only when he saw no injuries on her—other than the scrape on her palm—did he finally relax.

Jiang Jingchun hadn’t expected Gu Huaisheng to show up. She clutched the rabbit in her hands and remained stunned for a moment. It wasn’t until he stood before her that she snapped out of it.

She looked up at him and noticed the tense line of his jaw as well as the vein pulsing at his temple.

She wasn’t actually afraid of Jiang Jinghui. She knew Jiang Jinghui wouldn’t really kill her.

But Gu Huaisheng clearly didn’t know that. He looked genuinely angry.

Gu Huaisheng lowered his head to look at her. She still appeared as calm as she had been when she’d left the tent earlier. There was no sign of fear in her eyes.

She wasn’t afraid? Even with an arrow pointed at her? Why wasn’t she scared?

Just watching had been enough to terrify him nearly to death.

Gu Huaisheng soon realised his fingers were trembling.

Jiang Jingchun was silent for a moment, then tilted her head slightly to look at him and said softly, “I’m fine, Gu Huaisheng. Don’t be angry.”

She was genuinely afraid of him being angry, even though his anger wasn’t directed at her. Anyhow, they were still outside, so why did he have to act so intimidatingly? Besides, nothing had happened to her. Jiang Jinghui wasn’t reckless enough to do something that would lead to her own ruin.

Gu Huaisheng was momentarily stunned when he heard her words.

The way he was acting now must have made her feel quite uneasy.

After understanding her meaning, he let out a soft breath and forced himself to calm down.

His gaze fell on the rabbit in her hands, who was still pierced with an arrow. He couldn’t help but ask, “You wanted to eat rabbit? Why didn’t you tell me…?”

Jiang Jingchun walked over to the side of the horse, stuffed the rabbit into a basket, and lightly replied, “Catching rabbits myself is more fun.”

She had initially planned to catch a rabbit herself for fun. Unfortunately, Jiang Jinghui had appeared midway. Jiang Jinghui’s actions earlier left her no choice but to pick up the rabbit Jiang Jinghui had killed and take it back instead.

Seeing that Gu Huaisheng had arrived, Chen Muqing realised that she couldn’t continue playing around with Jiang Jingchun today. She swung onto her horse, raised her bow, then said to Jiang Jingchun, “There’s not much to hunt here. Xiaochun’er, I’ll head somewhere else to take a look.”

She didn’t wait for Jiang Jingchun’s response, but immediately cracked her whip and rode off. Her figure soon disappeared from sight.

After Chen Muqing left, Gu Huaisheng asked, “What else do you want? I’ll take you to hunt them.”

Because of the incident with Wang Shun earlier, Jiang Jingchun was already in a foul mood. She had initially planned to catch a few rabbits, but Jiang Jinghui had shot all the ones she’d tried to catch. Right now, she’d lost interest in asking for anything else.

As such, she shook her head and said, “I don’t want anything.”

Her voice sounded dull, and her listless demeanor was completely different from how spirited she’d been before leaving the tent earlier. Gu Huaisheng called someone over to take her horse back, then grabbed her hand and started leading her towards his horse.

Jiang Jingchun resisted. She tried to pull her hand away, but then, she heard him ask, “Does it hurt?”

She paused.

Gu Huaisheng had heard someone mention that Jiang Jingchun had gotten into a conflict with Wang Shun. Apparently, she had accidentally run too fast and bumped into him. Upon hearing this, Gu Huaisheng rushed to find her immediately, only to witness the scene that had just unfolded.

He took her hand and noticed it was wrapped in bandages.

She’d also changed her clothes, which were clean, neat, and far simpler than her usual attire. Her current attire clearly belonged to Chen Muqing.

On the way here, he had already heard that she had fallen.

Gu Huaisheng carefully examined her hand. He noticed that even her fingernails were slightly cracked. Her fair, tender fingertips bore faint traces of bl00d. He didn’t even need to think about it; it was obvious that she must have scraped them on the ground.

That must hurt.

Everyone had a different tolerance of pain. For Gu Huaisheng, such injuries were negligible and hardly worth even frowning over. But for her, he thought, it must hurt quite a bit.

Jiang Jingchun understood what he was asking.

She had already processed her emotions and didn’t want to dwell on the incident anymore. But Gu Huaisheng asked again if it hurt.

How could it not hurt?

The pain in her hand wasn’t the worst of it. How could Wang Shun say that she didn’t have parents to raise her properly?

It hurt so much she felt like dying.

Even though she understood that Wang Shun had only said those terrible things because he had a grudge against Jiang Nan, his intentionally cruel and venomous words had struck her deeply where it hurt most.

Gu Huaisheng saw her keeping her head down and refusing to respond. He thought she was still unwilling to treat him and respond to him nicely. He pursed his lips, said nothing, and half-supported, half-carried her onto his horse.

He took her back to their tent.

The wind brushed against them and tangled their garments together. A faint mist hung in the air, while soft rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves and cast gentle halos in the air. The autumn breeze grew colder under the clear sky. Gu Huaisheng held her in a semi-embrace, and his senses became filled with her scent.

He said, “When we get back, I’ll wrap your fingers for you.”

Despite how well-bandaged the palm was, it still only protected her palm and neglected her fingers.

Gu Huaisheng spoke to himself without expecting her to reply. 

Unexpectedly, though, she suddenly said, “It doesn’t hurt.”

When Gu Huaisheng heard this, he was startled into silence for a moment. Then, he realised that she was answering his earlier question.

It didn’t hurt, she said.

However, at the next moment, Gu Huaisheng heard her say, “He said I was a wild child who doesn’t have parents.”

Her voice was barely audible. They were light and were nearly carried away by the wind. Yet they landed heavily in Gu Huaisheng’s ears.

When he had heard about the conflict earlier, no one had mentioned that Wang Shun had said something so vile.

Wang Shun relied on his position as the senior grand secretary and had always been fond of belittling the younger generation.

Still, how could he say such things to her?

Gu Huaisheng could feel Jiang Jingchun trembling slightly in his arms. Her body trembled with anger and distress. He tightened his hold on her.

In a slightly hoarse voice, he said, “He doesn’t have children of his own, so he likes to attack other people with his words. The less someone has, the more they fixate on it. Besides, he’s always been at odds with Uncle Jiang. Since he can’t target him, he vents his frustration on you.”

That only made Jiang Jingchun feel worse. She lowered her head, and her tears began falling onto the horse’s back.

“I know, I know… but how could he be so mean? I didn’t even do anything to him. What right does he have to say that about me?”

The cold wind bit into her skin and made her entire body feel cold.

Gu Huaisheng noticed her discomfort and distress. He held her even tighter. Perhaps because of the cold, Jiang Jingchun didn’t instinctively push him away. She allowed him to hug her from behind.

Although they shared a bed, they had never been this close before. Since their marriage, they had never experienced such intimacy. Gu Huaisheng embraced her and attempted to warm her from the biting chill.

Perhaps because of his earlier rush on horseback, his body radiated heat. His warmth wrapped around Jiang Jingchun’s back like a comforting embrace.

As he held her in his arms, his clean, crisp scent filled her senses.

Softly, Jiang Jingchun said, “Can I ask you to help me find someone…?”

She still had an estranged father, one who had disappeared after leaving her mother to fend for herself. She wanted to know why Qiongzhang had abandoned her mother. Why had he chosen to leave them behind—leaving her to grow up as a child without either her mother or her father?

Jiang Jingchun desperately wanted to understand why he had done it.

Why had he abandoned them?

Perhaps he had been the young master of some wealthy family, and her mother was merely his mistress. Perhaps he no longer wanted them and had cast them aside to fend for themselves.

But how heartless would someone have to be to abandon two people just like that?

She had to admit that Gu Huaisheng was indeed extraordinary. What her grandmother couldn’t uncover, perhaps he could.

Upon hearing her request, Gu Huaisheng immediately asked, “Who do you want to find?”

“Qiongzhang…” Jiang Jingchun hesitated before adding, “Grandmother said my father’s name was Qiongzhang, but she couldn’t find any other information about him.”

Qiongzhang? 

Rugui ruzhang—as elegant as a jade tablet and a ceremonial jade token.

Gu Huaisheng could tell, from that name alone, that Qiongzhang must be someone of an extraordinary background.

Jiang Jingchun’s father was likely not an ordinary man.

“Will you leave me?”

Gu Huaisheng rested his head on her shoulder and suddenly asked that question.

If she found her father, would she leave him?

Jiang Jingchun didn’t quite understand why Gu Huaisheng would ask such a question out of the blue, but she figured it was his paranoia acting up again. He was always doubting this and suspecting that, and now, for some reason, his thoughts had drifted here.

After thinking it over, Jiang Jingchun replied, “No.”

She feared that if she said she would, Gu Huaisheng might not help her look for her father.

She truly just wanted to know why her father abandoned them. She had no other intentions. Besides, he didn’t want her back then—why would he want her now?

Gu Huaisheng immediately knew that Jiang Jingchun was lying upon hearing her answer.

But even so, he didn’t press the issue.

Gu Huaisheng hadn’t heard the name she mentioned, but that name alone should be enough. In this world, there was no one who truly couldn’t be found. He said, “Once the autumn hunt is over, I’ll send someone to look for him.”

After a pause, he added, “I’m your cousin… and your husband. Whatever you need, just tell me. You don’t need to ask.”

He didn’t want to keep this distance between them.

It seemed that she still didn’t view him as someone she could truly rely on.

Jiang Jingchun didn’t respond to Gu Huaisheng’s words. It was only after a long silence that she gave a muffled ‘Mm.’ She sat in front of him with her head lowered, and her face still bore traces of tears. Seeing her like this, Gu Huaisheng knew she was in low spirits and chose not to say more.

After the two of them left, only Jiang Jinghui and Jiang Runchu remained in the part of the forest that they’d been earlier.

Jiang Runchu looked at Jiang Jinghui and recalled Gu Huaisheng’s earlier warning. 

He’d said that Jiang Jinghui wasn’t simple.

At the time, Jiang Runchu didn’t take it to heart. But today, he had witnessed her pointing an arrow at Jiang Jingchun.

Earlier, he had defended her in front of Gu Huaisheng out of fear that she might be harmed. But now, with Gu Huaisheng gone, was he still supposed to lie to himself? 

Was he supposed to believe her nonsensical excuse, that she was aiming at a rabbit?

He looked at Jiang Jinghui and found her utterly unfamiliar. She was nothing like the sister he remembered.

There was a disappointment in his eyes, one even he couldn’t fully understand. He said, “You weren’t like this before.”

Hearing this, Jiang Jinghui couldn’t help letting out a cold laugh.

She almost felt like shooting the arrow at Jiang Runchu instead.

Jiang Jinghui couldn’t stand his self-righteous tone and the way that he criticised her, so she immediately turned to leave.

Jiang Runchu called after her.

“Stop bullying her. She’s already pitiful enough…” 

He hesitated, then added, “Besides, Gu Huaisheng isn’t someone you can afford to provoke. If you bully her…”

Jiang Jinghui interrupted him before he could finish. Her voice was icy as she said, “Is it because Gu Huaisheng is dangerous that you won’t let me bully her, or is it just because you don’t want me to bully her?”

After saying this, Jiang Jinghui didn’t bother waiting to see his reaction. She turned and left, leaving him standing there alone.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jingchun and Gu Huaisheng were heading back to the camp. Upon their return, Gu Huaisheng wanted to tend to Jiang Jingchun’s injured hand, but she brushed it off as nothing serious.

Gu Huaisheng insisted. He said, “It’s already bleeding. If you don’t get it treated, it’ll heal slowly, and when the weather gets colder, it’ll crack.”

The mere thought of it sounded painful.

Jiang Jingchun relented and stopped arguing.

Later that afternoon, Jiang Jingchun noticed that Gu Huaisheng hadn’t gone out hunting. She asked, “Aren’t you going hunting? I’m not going out this afternoon—you can go.”

Gu Huaisheng thought about how things might have been different if he had stayed by her side earlier. Maybe the incident wouldn’t have happened. He should have gone with her to catch rabbits.

When he heard her telling him to leave, he didn’t move. He just said, “It’s meaningless. I won’t go.”

Since he said so, Jiang Jingchun didn’t push further. Neither of them spoke much after that, and they spent the rest of the day in the tent.

After sweating from the earlier hunt, both of them eventually cleaned up and changed clothes.

By the time evening fell and darkness crept in, another banquet was set to begin. Before long, someone came to invite them to the banquet.

The two of them rose together and headed out.

Torches had been lit outside. Their flames flickered against the boundless night sky. They arrived neither early nor late; the guests hadn’t all gathered yet, and Emperor Taihe had not yet appeared, as well.

Gu Huaisheng and Jiang Jingchun sat together. Perhaps because Jiang Jingchun’s demeanour was soft and approachable tonight, it softened Gu Huaisheng’s typically cold aura as well. Several people approached with wine cups to exchange pleasantries with him.

Eventually, the crown prince also arrived and walked in Gu Huaisheng’s direction.

The crown prince, who was younger than Gu Huaisheng by a couple of years, had a tall and elegant bearing, with a handsomeness that was only marred by an innate coldness and hostility in his gaze.

Years ago, when Shen Changqing was alive, he’d also served as the crown prince’s tutor and taught him.

He taught the prince in Wenhua Hall inside the palace.

Outside the palace, he taught Gu Huaisheng.

The two of them could be considered brothers in discipleship, since they’d studied under the same teacher, but they’d never gotten along well.

Ever since Shen Changqing died, they had barely seen each other.

This was the first time that the crown prince had taken the initiative to approach Gu Huaisheng.

He was dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe and a Yishan headwear on his head. He stood in front of Gu Huaisheng.

When the crowd noticed the crown prince heading in this direction, they tactfully dispersed to the sides.

Gu Huaisheng and Jiang Jingchun both saluted him.

The crown prince glanced at Gu Huaisheng and then looked Jiang Jingchun up and down. He asked, “Is this your new bride?”

Seeing the hint of disdain in the crown prince’s eyes, Gu Huaisheng could tell he was about to say something unpleasant. Before the crown prince could get the words out, Gu Huaisheng quickly covered Jiang Jingchun’s ears.

“She doesn’t look like much.”

As expected, the moment Gu Huaisheng covered Jiang Jingchun’s ears, disparaging words spilt out of the crown prince’s mouth.

Fortunately, Gu Huaisheng reacted quickly, and Jiang Jingchun didn’t hear a thing.

The crown prince was momentarily surprised by Gu Huaisheng’s action but quickly sneered.

Gu Huaisheng said, “If you have an issue with me, just say so. Why involve her?”

His tone turned frosty as he spoke.

Gu Huaisheng had never understood where the crown prince’s inexplicable animosity towards him came from. Back when Shen Changqing was still alive, the crown prince often targeted him. Whenever they were forced to meet, the crown prince would always put on a sour face, and when they were younger, he often played petty tricks on him.

It wasn’t until Shen Changqing had a falling out with Gu Huaisheng that the crown prince’s harassment finally subsided for a time.

After Shen Changqing’s death, the crown prince had avoided appearing in front of him altogether—until tonight. 

Their meeting seemed to have stirred up the crown prince’s old habits.

The crown prince glanced at him, then chuckled. He remarked, “You sure are protective of her.”

He’d never seen him treat anyone like this before.

Just as he was about to say more, the emperor and empress came.

The crown prince fell silent. He cast Gu Huaisheng another unfriendly glance before returning to his seat.

The empress dowager might have said something to the emperor earlier that afternoon, because this evening, Emperor Taihe was much quieter than he had been during their earlier banquet. After rewarding the person with the most hunting spoils, he said little else and directly ordered the banquet to begin. After only a few sticks of incense’s time, the event was essentially over.

When the emperor left, Wang Shun followed behind him.

However, not long after that, the eunuch who served the emperor returned and came back to summon Gu Huaisheng for an unknown reason.

Gu Huaisheng felt puzzled and couldn’t figure out what Emperor Taihe wanted from him. He glanced at Jiang Jingchun. He was hesitant about leaving her alone.

Perhaps it was because the crown prince had deliberately tried to provoke trouble earlier—he now worried that leaving her alone might lead to another bad thing happening to her.

Hearing the eunuch’s urging, Jiang Jingchun noticed his hesitation and reassured him, “Go ahead. I’ll stay here and wait for you. I won’t go anywhere. Mother and the others are nearby, so don’t worry.”

Marquis Gu and Madame Gu were sitting near her, so what could possibly happen to her?

After hearing her reassurance, Gu Huaisheng relented. Before leaving,he said, “Wait for me to return.”

Then, he got up and left.

This time, Jiang Jingchun obediently stayed put. After Gu Huaisheng left, she quietly ate her food. She didn’t wander about or cause any trouble.

However, shortly after he left, Jiang Jinghui came to find her.

An arrow had grazed Jiang Jinghui’s face in the afternoon, and it’d left a visible and noticeable mark on her face.

Seeing Jiang Jinghui made a wave of irritation wash over Jiang Jingchun.

Why was this woman like a lingering ghost? She was impossible to shake off.

She ignored Jiang Jinghui and lowered her head to continue eating.

Jiang Jinghui noticed this. Her tone grew cold as she said, “I’m not here to see you. I’m here to talk about Mother.”

Lady Li?

Jiang Jinghui’s words were puzzling. Jiang Jingchun looked toward the Jiang family’s table and noticed that Lady Li wasn’t there—only Jiang Nan’s figure remained.

Seeing her glance up, Jiang Jinghui continued, “You saw Mother this afternoon, didn’t you? What did you say to her? Why did she go back and start talking about ending her life? She even smashed a porcelain bowl and cut herself!”

Jiang Jingchun frowned deeply at these words.

What was she talking about?

Would Lady Li really do something like that?

Jiang Jingchun thought back to what had happened earlier in the afternoon and couldn’t help but wonder if her words had really hurt Lady Li. She remembered Lady Li’s face turning pale and her expression worsening upon hearing them.

Knowing Lady Li’s personality… Yes, it wasn’t impossible for her to react this way when she faced something she found unpleasant.

Could something truly have happened?

When Jiang Jinghui saw Jiang Jingchun’s changing expression, she urged, “Come with me to see her.”

Jiang Jingchun pressed her lips together. Her mind spun with thoughts. For a moment, she feared that Lady Li might genuinely do something drastic. After deliberating, she decided to follow Jiang Jinghui outside the banquet hall.

Jiang Jinghui led Jiang Jingchun away.

At first, there were still a few people around their path. However, as they followed along some unknown path, there was no longer anyone around.

This… wasn’t the direction to the Jiang family’s camp, was it?

Jiang Jingchun didn’t know where Jiang Jinghui was taking her. However, as they walked further and further away, she came to sense that something was off.

She stopped in her tracks and refused to go any further. She called out to Jiang Jinghui and asked, “Didn’t you just say you wanted me to meet her? Where exactly are you taking me?”

If it were someone else, Jiang Jingchun wouldn’t have overthought it. But this was Jiang Jinghui, who always came up with ways to bully her.

How could she not suspect something else was going on in this situation?

Sure enough, when Jiang Jinghui heard her question, she turned around. Her expression no longer hid her intentions.

She sneered and said, “You’ve only realised something’s wrong now? Isn’t it a bit too late for that?”

She’d planned to lure her straight into Song Xuan’an’s camp. However, she didn’t expect that Jiang Jingchun would catch on while they were still halfway there.

Well, she had grown slightly smarter than before.

But only slightly—her intelligence was still not enough to be of much use.

If Jiang Jingchun were truly clever, she wouldn’t have fallen for the lie about Lady Li today and followed her out here.

The moment Jiang Jingchun realised something was amiss and turned to run, Jiang Jinghui grabbed her. Just as Jiang Jingchun was about to cry out, a hand struck the back of her neck. A sharp pain spread through her, and she lost consciousness.

Jiang Jinghui hoisted her onto her back and headed in the direction of Song Xuan’an’s camp.

Most of the people were at the banquet, so the area was temporarily deserted. Song Xuan’an was also still at the banquet.

Song Xuanjing had used some means to send away all the guards near the tent, so Jiang Jinghui encountered no one along the way.

When Song Xuanjing saw her approaching, he stepped out from the shadows.

Seeing her carry Jiang Jingchun over, he chuckled lightly and said, “Looks like she’s not entirely stupid.”

If Jiang Jingchun were any dumber, she would’ve walked over willingly instead of being carried there in an unconscious state.

Song Xuanjing took the unconscious Jiang Jingchun and tossed her onto the bed.

Time was tight. Wang Shun had lured Emperor Taihe into summoning Gu Huaisheng, but they didn’t know how much time that would buy them. Jiang Jinghui got straight to the point and asked, “Has someone already gone to fetch Song Xuan’an?”

Song Xuanjing nodded.

She thought for a moment before asking, “Should we drug her just in case?”

She had long prepared an aphrodisiac.

This wasn’t easy to come by and was potent enough to make someone lose all reason. By the time Jiang Jingchun woke up, she might not even remember what had happened.

Song Xuanjing glanced at the unconscious Jiang Jingchun lying on the bed. After some thought, he nodded. “Do it. If we don’t, there’s no guarantee Song Xuan’an will touch her. But if we do, he definitely won’t be able to resist.”

If Song Xuan’an decided to act upright and pure, then he could outdo anyone. Even if a woman threw herself at him, he might not do anything. But when a drug was involved? That would be a completely different story.

Anyhow, what man could resist the allure of their beloved woman?

Song Xuanjing didn’t believe Song Xuan’an could maintain his saintly composure to such an extent.

The two of them mixed the drug into water, forced Jiang Jingchun’s jaw open, and fed it to her. To avoid being caught by Song Xuan’an upon his return, they quickly left after doing this.

After leaving, Song Xuanjing planned to gather some people outside and later stage an ‘unintentional’ discovery of the scene.

The autumn hunt was attended by many people who could all become witnesses to the incident. Once this scandal spread far and wide, both Jiang Jingchun and Song Xuan’an would be utterly disgraced for the rest of their lives.