Thankfully, It Was a Misunderstanding

A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?

Could there still be a turning point in all this?

Xun Rongchang, who had been on the verge of despair and resignation, suddenly felt hope flare up again.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to rush over to Guagua and demand an explanation of exactly what this misunderstanding was.

Fortunately, he was not the only one who had noticed that word. Jiang Nuan had noticed it too.

[Guagua, you said it was a misunderstanding? What happened?]

[Xun Rongchang really did drink until he blacked out back then, but he never did anything. This woman just happened to pass by. She was indeed married at the time, but her husband died soon afterward, and she took her child and remarried in another village.

Now that village has suffered a snow disaster. With nowhere else to go, she followed the refugees to the capital. Once she arrived, she discovered that Xun Rongchang had actually become a court official, so she decided to bring the child along and extort some money from him.]

Upon hearing this, Xun Rongchang almost wanted to shout, "Heavens above, distinguish the loyal from the treacherous!"

[But what's the story with this child? He looks even more like Xun Rongchang than his own son does.]

Looking at that face, which bore such a striking resemblance to Xun Rongchang's, Jiang Nuan felt puzzled.

[That child isn't Xun Rongchang's. He's his elder brother's. Before their family fell on hard times, his brother was a playboy who spent money freely. The woman hooked up with him for his money, but then their family fortunes declined.]

[So he's his elder brother's child. No wonder they look so alike.]

Realization dawned on Jiang Nuan.

[It was precisely because they looked alike that the woman thought of extorting him. And this child isn't ten, either. He's actually twelve. The harvests have been poor these past few years, and he hasn't had enough to eat, so he's rather small and thin.]

After hearing Guagua's explanation, a flicker of guilt passed through Madam Xun's eyes.

When the woman heard that the couple might divorce, a trace of secret delight appeared on her face.

Xun Rongchang, who had been watching her all along, caught that expression.

And it thoroughly disgusted him.

Judging by the woman's behavior, however, she probably could not hear the Ninth Princess's thoughts. Otherwise, she would already have fled in shame.

"Madam, please don't quarrel over me. As long as Kang'er can be acknowledged by his family and take his rightful place among his ancestors, I'll accept anything. I can leave on my own."

The woman put on the appearance of someone who cared wholeheartedly for her child.

"No, no! I want Mother! I want to stay with Mother forever!"

The child named Kang'er hurriedly threw his arms around the woman's neck, terrified that she really would leave.

A trace of tenderness and reluctance appeared in the woman's eyes as she looked at the child. Then she raised her head and gave Xun Rongchang a troubled look.

Xun Rongchang laughed outright, then said mercilessly,

"Don't worry. You two will stay together forever. You can both go to prison together."

Panic flashed across the woman's face at his words. "Y-you, what do you mean?"

"What do I mean? You dared to falsely accuse a court official. What's wrong with me sending you to prison?"

Seeing that the woman was still pretending, Xun Rongchang said bluntly,

"If I remember correctly, I've seen you with Xun Yu. You were one of his lovers, weren't you? And this Kang'er you keep talking about is his child, isn't he?"

"Don't bother trying to argue. According to your story, he should be ten now. But judging by when you were with my brother, he should be twelve. The difference might not be apparent from his appearance, but his bone age won't lie."

“And as far as I know, there's an Imperial Physician in the Imperial Palace who is exceptionally skilled at determining bone age. Shall I go into the Imperial Palace right now and ask His Majesty to have that Imperial Physician examine him, so we can see exactly how old he is?”

Xun Rongchang cut off every argument the woman might have made.

After hearing this, the woman truly panicked.

She had thought her plan was seamless, without a single gap, only for Xun Rongchang to expose so many holes in it.

"Guards, escort them to the magistrate's office. Charge them with falsely accusing a court official."

Xun Rongchang ignored the pleas for mercy from the woman and her child. Without the Ninth Princess's thoughts today, he really would have capsized in a gutter.

As it stood, this was already the most lenient outcome.

[Hooray, hooray! My ship has made up again! Hehe. But come to think of it, is there really an Imperial Physician in the Imperial Palace who's so skilled that he can determine bone age?]

Seeing the misunderstanding cleared up, Jiang Nuan clapped happily.

[Nope. Xun Rongchang probably made that up on the spot. He's pretty quick on his feet.]

The officials, having feasted on juicy gossip and enjoyed a fine show, were thoroughly satisfied. With no reason to linger, they all found excuses to leave.

Xun Rongchang, who had nearly lost his wife and children, finally relaxed considerably. He was delighted to see the officials who had come to watch the spectacle leave. Their presence had forced him to restrain himself quite a bit today. Now he could go back, hold his wife, and pour out his grievances.

After this whole ordeal, surely they could turn the page on his secret stash of money?

Unfortunately, his secret savings were already gone. Otherwise, he would certainly have taken some of them out to thank the Ninth Princess.

Unaware that she had missed out on a "thank-you payment," Jiang Nuan did not want to return to the Imperial Palace so soon after enjoying the gossip, so she begged her father to stay out a little longer.

She had thought her father would refuse, but to her surprise, he agreed immediately.

Since they were already out, they naturally had to visit the busiest street.

"Candied hawthorns! Candied hawthorns for sale! Six copper coins a skewer, ten for two!"

"Sugar paintings! Sugar paintings! Whatever you like, I can draw it!"

"Tofu for sale!"

As soon as they entered the street, the cries of all kinds of vendors rang endlessly in their ears.

Before long, Jiang Nuan's arms were filled with all sorts of things.

At the sight, the amusement in Jiang Yunsheng's eyes nearly spilled over.

Jiang Nuan skipped over to a sugar-painting stall and ordered a phoenix.

"Sir, I'd like a phoenix sugar painting."

"Coming right up! You've got a good eye, little girl. That's one of my must-order designs!"

The vendor scooped up a spoonful of sugar syrup and set to work. Before long, the phoenix was finished.

Looking at the three-dimensional, caramel-colored phoenix, so lifelike in the sunlight, Jiang Nuan almost could not bear to bite into it.

Then she took a bite.

Mmm, so sweet.

As she watched the bustling crowds on the street, Jiang Nuan could not help feeling a little wistful.

[What a pity. Scenes this lively will only last another few years. Once the enemy kingdom breaches the Capital City, many families will have their homes plundered bare.]

At that thought, Jiang Nuan felt her appetite fade.

After walking the length of the street, Jiang Nuan had enjoyed herself immensely, yet a sense of loss lingered in her heart.

She felt as though something had surfaced in her mind, only to vanish in an instant before she could catch its tail.