Chapter 127: Stirring Up Trouble

"Go find some medicinal herbs," Su Jingluo suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a perfect excuse. Her face was lit up with the pride of a flawlessly crafted lie. If it weren’t for the fact that the scene forbade it, she would have given herself a thumbs-up and laughed uproariously to the heavens.

"What kind of herbs require removing roof tiles?" Xiao Jingxuan glanced at Su Jingluo’s triumphant little smirk, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. Teasing his wife was truly amusing. But if Su Jingluo knew the real reason behind his amusement, she’d surely lose her temper.

However, Su Jingluo had no time to ponder Xiao Jingxuan’s thoughts right now. The joy she felt moments ago was now replaced by a desire to smack herself. If she just said she needed to go upstairs, it would have sufficed—why did she have to be so cheeky about removing roof tiles? Well then, how was she supposed to explain this now?

The proud expression on Su Jingluo’s face vanished instantly. Her brows drooped, the corners of her mouth turned downward. The bitter melon she had planted was hers alone to eat. "Roof tile ash," she suddenly thought, realizing that if she couldn’t win this argument logically, she might as well attack from a professional angle and make something up—after all, Xiao Jingxuan didn’t understand any of it.

"Roof tile ash can cure illness?" Zhuoyue An’s eyes widened immediately, impressed by the princess consort’s apparent expertise.

"Yeah, roof tile ash can heal? How come I never knew that?" Rui Huan chimed in eagerly, feeling that the princess consort was indeed far more knowledgeable than herself.

...

What are you two doing as guards and maids? You might as well go demolish buildings. Sabotaging a stage is way too big a job for you.

If it weren’t for the restrictions of the setting, Su Jingluo was ready to take them both on.

Taking a deep breath, Su Jingluo dug her toes into her shoe’s sole, gritted her back teeth, and forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Secret prescriptions are meant to be kept secret. You two are prying too much. Even if you ask, I won’t tell you."

Su Jingluo decided she’d prepare some more little tricks to slip to Rui Huan later. As for Zhuoyue An, who was far too much trouble for her to handle alone, she’d just have to make use of innocent little Yun Bai. After all, those two deserved a good scolding.

Her carefully woven lie was nearly exposed by their relentless questioning. She felt like her heart was about to stop from the stress of retreating one step, yet the more she endured, the angrier she became.

Zhuoyue An hadn’t quite sensed the deep resentment in Su Jingluo’s tone, but having trained in martial arts for years and being intimately familiar with muscle structures, he noticed the subtle twitching of muscles along Su Jingluo’s cheeks. He immediately realized he had crossed a line. The princess consort was literally grinding her teeth. So he quickly shut his mouth.

"The princess consort can’t tell even us?" Rui Huan, unaware of the tension, felt hurt that Su Jingluo refused to confide in her. When did their relationship become so distant?

Su Jingluo was on the verge of losing her mind, desperately trying to recall whether the original owner had been kicked by a donkey or slammed by a door as a child to explain Rui Huan’s cluelessness.

"Rui Huan, go outside and see if the sky has brightened, then close the door from the outside." Su Jingluo just wanted Rui Huan to disappear as soon as possible.

Rui Huan looked out at the already bright sky, puzzled. Zhuoyue An whispered, "Don’t say anything. The princess consort is unhappy."

"Since the injured party will be staying with you, where will you live?" Xiao Jingxuan, who had already put Su Jingluo in a difficult position, asked. Although his question was full of loopholes, it was clear he was merely trying to find a reason for the injured party’s stay. He wasn’t one to be harsh with a child he felt some guilt toward. Since Su Jingluo had come up with an excuse, albeit a clumsy one, he was willing to tolerate it for now.

"I can live anywhere," Su Jingluo said. With such a large residence as the Jingge Mansion, there was no place she couldn’t stay.

"Since you’ve given your room to the injured party and have nowhere to stay, I, out of benevolence, can let you live in Jinghong Pavilion," Xiao Jingxuan said, his face flushing slightly. His tone was reluctant, yet his eyes betrayed a deep eagerness.