You Stole My Husband, So I Seduced Your Son - Chapter 53

If she were to trick Ji Moyang into Min Rongxue’s room for an affair, Min Rongxue might even stand guard at the door for them.

She had miscalculated. The key to this plan was still Zhou Minghai’s discovery. Surely he wouldn’t tolerate his wife’s infidelity just to protect Ji Moyang’s reputation.

But Zhou Minghai was currently away from the Capital on official business. By the time he returned, Ji Moyang would likely be taking the imperial examinations.

After scheming for so long, her plan had crumbled completely. Song Xuwan’s fighting spirit suddenly vanished. She had been used and taken advantage of for so long, gaining absolutely nothing in return!

“Baizhi, I miss my mother,” she said suddenly, feeling utterly exhausted and wanting someone to pamper her.

“Of course, Madam. We’ll return to the Song Residence immediately.”

At Fuyun Temple, Ji Moyang sat blankly all morning, unable to focus on a single word. Haunted by the frenzy of the previous night, he found himself drawn back to the grove.

He spotted the tree immediately. Unlike the surrounding trees with their lush foliage, its sparse leaves looked strangely unnatural, as if ravaged by a fierce wind.

Noticing the flattened patch beneath the tree, he could almost hear the whispers of the night before, his throat tightening instantly.

Should I go back and see if she’s awake yet?

The thought struck him, and Ji Moyang immediately swung back onto his horse and galloped toward the Annex.

When he arrived, he found the courtyard eerily quiet. That’s odd, he thought. Ningning is usually so lively.

Tossing the reins aside, he went straight to Liyue’s room. He found his sister diligently embroidering. “Where did Ningning run off to play?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Ah, Brother, you’re back? Ningning left a while ago. Madam Song said she was taking her to visit our maternal grandmother. Have you had lunch yet?” Liyue rattled off the questions.

“I’ve eaten. I need to go into the Capital. I just stopped by to check on you. Keep embroidering.”

Before Liyue could reply, Ji Moyang had already strode out of the room.

His face was terrifyingly grim, so much so that the groom nearly tripped over his own feet while handing him the reins. Mounting his horse, Ji Moyang immediately spurred it into a frenzied gallop toward the Capital.

Fortunately, the official road was sparsely populated, allowing his horse to maintain a blistering pace. Meanwhile, Song Xuwan’s carriage was moving at a leisurely, swaying crawl. Before they even reached the city gates, Ji Moyang had already caught up with Song Xuwan’s party.

Ningning had been gloomy ever since learning she had to leave the Annex. Her head drooped against the small window of the carriage, and when she saw Ji Moyang, she thought she was seeing things.

“Moyang-gege, what are you doing here?”

Song Xuwan, half-asleep and groggy, jolted awake. She saw Ji Moyang on horseback, leaning down to greet them.

“I’m going into town to borrow some books,” Ji Moyang said with an innocent smile. “If I can’t find them there, would it be alright to check your family’s study?”

“Sure! But Father’s away, and Mother and I are going to my maternal grandparents’ house. Moyang-gege, why don’t you ask the steward to take you to the study?” Ningning suggested innocently.

Song Xuwan’s hair stood on end. “Borrowing books” had always been their secret code. Ji Moyang’s words meant he planned to wait for her at the Small Residence today.

And he was threatening to come to her house if she didn’t show up?

What a scoundrel!

What could she do if she refused to go?

Watching Ji Moyang ride his tall horse, basking in the warm sunlight with effortless grace, Song Xuwan’s inner darkness surged like a swarm of cold arrows, yearning to be unleashed.

Ningning, still pressed against the window, sighed wistfully, “Will Uncle let me ride a horse too? I wish I could be as skilled as Brother Moyang.”

“I used to hear that scholars were weak and couldn’t even kill a chicken,” Ningning continued. “But look at Brother Moyang—he’s as strong as a military general! Liyue-jiejie used to worry that he wouldn’t be able to endure the Imperial Examinations. But now that he’s so strong, he could even kill a wolf with his bare hands! He’ll definitely breeze through the hardships of the Examination Compound.”

Song Xuwan’s eyes slowly lit up as a new plan took shape in her mind. Since Zhou Minghai was away from the Capital and couldn’t catch them in the act, and Min Rongxue had no intention of doing so, the only way to sabotage Ji Moyang was to disrupt his performance in the Imperial Examinations.

She had often heard stories of scholars falling ill within the Examination Compound, with some even being carried out before the exams concluded.

If she could keep Ji Moyang entangled in her clutches for the days leading up to the examinations, even if he didn’t die from exhaustion, he would inevitably enter the compound with weak legs and trembling hands, barely able to hold his brush. The nine-day ordeal would surely prove too much for him to endure.

Song Xuwan began counting on her fingers. The imperial examinations started on the ninth day of the eighth lunar month, and Zhou Minghai wouldn’t return until the seventh. It was already the fourth, so time was of the essence. She needed to keep Ji Moyang bedridden for the next few days.

After arriving at the Song Residence and having lunch, Ningning went to play with her cousins, while Song Xuwan retired to her former chamber to rest. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Exhausted from the previous night, she had planned to rest today and begin seducing Ji Moyang in earnest tomorrow.

But what if he couldn’t wait and impulsively came to the Song Residence today?

Her two brothers were both shrewd and perceptive. What if they noticed something amiss?

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that she needed to keep Ji Moyang placated. If she failed to destroy Min Rongxue’s family, she couldn’t risk Ji Moyang turning on her, tarnishing her reputation in the process.

Reflecting on her recent setbacks, Song Xuwan felt a surge of frustration. Her schemes had reached a point where she was truly “killing eight hundred enemies while losing a thousand of her own.”

“Tell the Old Madam I’m going to visit my family,” she instructed. “I’ll be back to stay the night.”

With that, Song Xuwan hurried to the Zhou Residence. After confirming that Ji Moyang hadn’t arrived yet, she strolled through the courtyard before heading to the Small Residence.

As she entered the courtyard, she saw the main room’s door wide open. Ji Moyang sat imposingly on the central couch, a book in one hand and the other rhythmically tapping his leg.

From a distance, his posture resembled not a scholar but a general about to lead his troops into battle, his imposing frame dominating most of the couch.

That couch again, Song Xuwan thought, her face flushing. She resented Baizhi for not having discarded it yet.

Carrying a basket of grapes, she strode into the room and slammed the basket onto the floor. Ji Moyang didn’t even lift his eyelids. Song Xuwan couldn’t fathom what he was thinking.

Deliberately standing in front of him, she found he still didn’t react. Intrigued, she moved behind him, leaned against his back, and teased, “Looks like I came at a bad time, disturbing the great scholar Ji Moyang’s reading.”

This finally elicited a response. Ji Moyang said mildly, “Oh, you’re here.”

What? I rushed over here, and this is all I get? Song Xuwan immediately bit his back. When he still didn’t look up from his book, she boldly slipped her hand inside his collar.

As expected, Ji Moyang’s gaze finally left the pages. He grabbed her hand, turned around, his eyes already swirling with dark passion.

“Perfect. I couldn’t concentrate on my book anyway. Let’s find something else to do.”