Before he could speak, Huo Wujiu gripped the collar of the general, and shoved the tall and majestic general back several steps.

“Haven’t you been taught not to open your eyes and speak nonsense?” Huo Wujiu looked at the general and questioned fiercely.

“Take a look. He is Jingwang. I am his concubine, and he is my husband.”

The word ‘husband’ was loud and clear, and it made the general’s eyes widen.

Then, Huo Wujiu hugged Jiang Suizhou into his arms with just one hand.

“Since we’re married, not to mention the throne, even if I take over the world one day, it will all be his. You hear me?”

——

The general was momentarily stunned as if caught in a dream. Huo Wujiu’s statement also caught Jiang Suizhou off guard.

After the general withdrew, Jiang Suizhou anxiously dragged Huo Wujiu to the bedchamber behind the imperial study and said, “Why did you talk nonsense?”

Huo Wujiu’s remaining anger had not yet subsided, so he sat down on the couch and propped his hands on his knees: “Why do you think I was talking nonsense?”

Jiang Suizhou was in a sweat: “Didn’t I instruct you before? My identity…”

“I didn’t want to agree. It was you who forced me to.”

Huo Wujiu was now seething deep inside, so he also had no qualms in refuting Jiang Suizhou.

Jiang Suizhou was speechless.

Huo Wujiu took a couple of breaths, reached out and dragged Jiang Suizhou into his embrace.

“All right, there’s nothing to worry about,” he comforted him.

“But…”

Then, Huo Wujiu turned to look at him.

“No buts,” he said. “Just tell me, do you believe me?”

Jiang Suizhou replied, “Of course, I do…”

Huo Wujiu interrupted him, “Then rest assured. Don’t be fooled when I’m being tough on them. One or a couple of them are my brothers who had gone through life and death with me. They won’t turn against me just because of such a petty thing. If you believe in me, you can only believe in them. Even if you were to die here with me today, they won’t turn around and join Huo Yuyan’s camp.

Jiang Suizhou pondered for a moment and nodded.

Huo Wujiu took out a letter from his sleeves and handed it to Jiang Suizhou.

“I came back just now for this,” he said.

Jiang Suizhou unfolded it and saw Emperor Zhao Yuan’s handwriting on it.

“Your uncle replied?” he asked.

Huo Wujiu hummed in response.

Jiang Suizhou read the letter carefully.

As expected, Emperor Zhao Yuan readily agreed to Huo Wujiu’s proposal, and said that those people would head south in a few days, so Huo Wujiu should wait for them. He said that if there was anything else he wanted afterward, all he had to do was ask him.

After reading the letter, Jiang Suizhou asked Huo Wujiu, “Is it credible?”

Huo Wujiu nodded: “It was sent together with an imperial edict.”

Jiang Suizhou sighed heavily when he heard the words.

“Since there is an imperial decree, it will be made known to the world. Those officials will become imperial envoys, and with this status, it’s considered that you have your uncle’s protection,” he said. “As expected, only Huo Yuyan has a disloyal heart.”

Huo Wujiu stayed silent for a moment, then he snorted inadvertently.

“He has always had a scheming heart since he was a kid,” he said. “It’s ridiculous he used it in a useless way.”

He looked contemptuous, but Jiang Suizhou knew that he was not as detached as he appeared.

With this conclusion, he couldn’t help but ask softly, “So what if you weren’t in Southern Jing now?”

Huo Wujiu looked at him: “What do you mean?”

Jiang Suizhou recalled the end of Huo Wujiu’s history.

He asked, “If at the moment Southern Jing hasn’t perished, and there is no me; you are in Northern Liang and realized Huo Yuyan’s thoughts, what would you do?”

Huo Wujiu didn’t even hesitate for a second.

“To be honest, I’m too lazy to argue with him,” he said. “He likes to compete, but I’m not interested, so I would let him have his way. It’s just a throne. Just because he wants it, does he think everyone else wants it too?”

This was indeed something Huo Wujiu could do.

Jiang Suizhou was sighing in his heart when Huo Wujiu turned his gaze at him.

“However, this assumption is of little use.” He said, “Southern Jing has perished, and you are mine now. Even if I don’t want anything for myself, I have to fight for something for you. If he’s unhappy with me today and wants to kill me, what if he finds you detestable tomorrow? I can’t give him that chance.”

When Jiang Suizhou heard his words, he felt that the only weight left in his heart had disappeared.

Indeed, there was no need for him to cling to how history unfolded. As long as everything was different now, it was enough.

He grinned.

“I see,” he said. “You married into the royal family, but you didn’t bring a single penny of dowry. You always have to add some.”

Huo Wujiu ground his teeth: “You haven’t had enough yet, have you?”

But Jiang Suizhou remembered the way he raised his voice toward his subordinate and said he was his concubine, and laughed even louder.

“You said it yourself,” he retorted. “Follow your husband, right? Not only do you not have a dowry, but you don’t know how to serve your husband. I am a kind-hearted person. Otherwise, I would have kicked you out of the Prince’s manor.”

He laughed happily, but Huo Wujiu felt his teeth itch.

He was laughing presumptuously, but his smile was so inviting. This fearlessness was obviously due to his poor health. Did he not know he shouldn’t torment him?

Huo Wujiu inched forward and kissed him, as if to vent his anger. After kissing him several times, Jiang Suizhou was still laughing.

It’s yield was the opposite.

Huo Wujiu got angry. He rolled over and pinned Jiang Suizhou to the couch and held him down.

“Serving my husband, is it?” Huo Wujiu gritted his teeth, letting his warm breath fall on Jiang Suizhou’s face.

“You said it yourself.”