That night, the candles in the Cui Residence in the Capital City burned until dawn.
In the study.
Cui Qiezhe set the memorials he had finished reviewing aside.
Jiang Lingche was indeed the ruler of the Ya Kingdom, but most of the memorials were actually reviewed by Cui Qiezhe, the Chancellor.
As Cui Qiezhe recalled the memorials he had reviewed that day, the contents of one came to mind.
It said that Jiang Peilan had injured her hands while fighting the ruler of the Wu Kingdom.
Cui Qiezhe pondered briefly, then called softly, "Peilan, are you there?"
"Husband, I'm here." Rather than opening the door, Jiang Peilan did something unusual and passed through the wall, speaking gently.
Jiang Peilan had changed her clothes. Her sleeves were long and wide, just enough to conceal both hands.
Looking at her hands, Cui Qiezhe asked, "Were you injured today?"
Jiang Peilan shook her head. "Only a minor injury. Please don't worry about me, husband."
Cui Qiezhe ignored her reassurance and beckoned. "Come sit here. Let me see your hands."
Jiang Peilan paused, then obediently sat beside him without much hesitation, resting the arms she had hidden in her sleeves on her lap.
The husband and wife sat very close together, the atmosphere faintly intimate.
Jiang Peilan's heart pounded.
Cui Qiezhe slowly rolled up her sleeves and unwound the cloth strips wrapped around her hands. His gaze remained calm as he examined the shocking sight of her blackened, festering hands.
His wife was a Sword Cultivator at Celestial Person Perfection. Wu Duanzhuo alone could never have injured her. Clearly, something else had caused these wounds.
"How did this happen?" Cui Qiezhe asked.
Jiang Peilan hid nothing and answered truthfully:
"The Heavenly Laws had only just been established. While fighting Wu Duanzhuo, I took a