All the members are good people, only the host is a pervert

"My wife is back. Did your grandfather, mother, and father scold you?" Hearing footsteps outside the door, Xu Jinshu's heart tightened and he hurried out to greet her, his face full of worry.

Lin Ruan looked at him, shook her head slightly, and said with a smile: "It's okay, the elders love me, so they just scolded me a few times."

Xu Jinshu breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, but then he seemed to remember something and asked cautiously, "Is my wife really going to leave the capital?"

"Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess' words are golden, what do you think?" Lin Ruan asked back with a hint of helplessness on her face.

Xu Jinshu lowered his head and was silent for a moment before he whispered, "This, this, this, this, I heard it's because my wife sold the ornaments given by Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess? Is it because she bought jewelry, clothes, and a chamberlain for me that my wife is short of money?"

Lin Ruan felt like laughing, and she chuckled softly. Seeing Xu Jinshu's puzzled look, she said nonchalantly, "Yes, I even spent all the money for the trip to Nanfeng Pavilion on you, so I asked my maid to take this ornament out to sell. It's also my fault. I forgot it was a reward from the princess, and I just thought it was such a small thing that it would be easy to sell."

Xu Jinshu: . . . .

He took a deep breath and told himself to calm down.

Even if Lin Ruan is a hopeless case, at least she is now the daughter of the Duke's Mansion, and has the Crown Princess standing behind her. Even if she is driven to Jinling by the Crown Princess, she is still her cousin and will not be really angry with her.

In the previous life, Lin Ruan died, the Duke's Mansion collapsed, and the princess was deposed.

Even though she had fallen to that point, Xu Xiaolang still had enough food and clothing. As Lin Ruan's widow, apart from her status as the Crown Princess, she was not affected by the turmoil in any other way.

Until he sought power and attached himself to another prince, wanting to remarry—

Thinking of the ending where Xu Xiaolang was strangled to death in front of Lin Ruan's tomb by the deposed princess, Xu Jinshu kept persuading himself that he was not pregnant yet and could not make any mistakes now.

He must be patient and keep a clear head.

After calming down, he changed his mind and felt that this ending was not bad.

First of all, for himself, his status as a newlywed gave him more opportunities.

The Duchess's wife would definitely let him accompany the princess to Jinling. There was no other master in the ancestral home except Lin Ruan. Not only did he not have to set rules in front of the Duchess's wife every day, he didn't even have to get rid of his great-grandfather and father-in-law to be the master of the house.

Such a life is undoubtedly easy and comfortable for him.

Moreover, if she could successfully give birth to a daughter, it wouldn't matter whether Lin Ruan passed the exam or not.

He even felt that it didn't matter if he died in Jinling, because at that time he already had new hopes and sustenance.

Secondly, he felt much more at ease knowing that the princess was far away from the capital.

It was three years later that the identity of the courtesan was revealed.

At that time, even the princesses of the royal family might not be able to pass the imperial examination, so this matter had nothing to do with the Duke's Mansion and did not involve him.

This made him feel relieved and at the same time strengthened his determination to follow Lin Ruan to Jinling.

He remembered that the emperor should have died eight years later, and a year before his death, the princess had lost her power and was imprisoned in Prince Yong's palace;

The Queen was deposed and went with the Queen Mother to Zhongnan Mountain to pray for Qian Chao to become a monk;

The Duke's family was executed and the rest were exiled to Lingnan. Only Xu Xiaolang stayed in the capital because of the divorce letter.

Thinking of this, he put on a look of worry and reluctance, looking at Lin Ruan and said, "My wife, you are going to Jinling. The mountains are high and the road is long. I am worried about you. Please agree to let me accompany you and serve you."

His words were full of pleading and reluctance, as if he was really a weak man who could not leave his wife.

However, Lin Ruan stared at him for a moment with a playful expression.

She didn't believe a single word of Xu Jinshu's. But that didn't stop her from accompanying him in his performance.

Lin Ruan said softly, "Of course. Even if the rules of the Duke's Mansion are strict, there's no rule that allows a newlywed man to be separated from his wife before he's been married for a full month."

Xu Jinshu felt a little guilty when Lin Ruan looked at him, but he still pretended to be calm and said, "Thank you, my wife, for your understanding."

Lin Ruan smiled and said, "Of course I understand you, but I'm a little surprised. I'm just stupid. I only realized it today..."

Her hand gently held Xu Jinshu's hand, which felt cold yet a little sticky, like a snake tightly wrapped around it.

Lin Ruan leaned close to Xu Jinshu and whispered in his ear: "Madam is so infatuated with me, huh?"

Xu Jinshu's ears felt itchy from her warm breath, and he shuddered slightly. He resisted the urge to move away, pretending to be shy. He lowered his eyes and said, "My wife, what are you talking about? My feelings for you are evident to all."

Lin Ruan chuckled and released his hand. "Then I'll see how you can do what you say."

Xu Jinshu was shocked, but he maintained his expression. "My wife, why do you say that? I don't understand."

Lin Ruan didn't expose him, but simply said, "Since you're going to Jinling too, you should pack up for a while. I don't know what the situation will be like when you get there, so if you want to go, be mentally prepared."

Xu Jinshu nodded hurriedly, "Don't worry, my wife, I will be able to take good care of myself and serve you well."

Lin Ruan waved her hand. "Alright, go down. I'm a little tired, I'll take a nap. I don't need you to wait on me here."

Xu Jinshu bowed and stepped back.

After he left, the smile on Lin Ruan's lips disappeared, and a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes.

She knew very well that at this moment Xu Jinshu only regarded her and the Duke's Mansion as stepping stones to success. He was afraid that inside his thin body, his mind was full of plans on how to use her bloodline to take over all the inheritance and power after the Duke's Mansion fell from power.

After all, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. Even if Lin Ruan died and the Duke's Mansion collapsed, the remaining things could be preserved by her good cousin and given to Xu Jinshu so that he could live the life he wanted.

Lin Ruan understood clearly why Xu Jinshu was willing to remarry in her new life and marry the original owner, a idiot known throughout the capital.

He doesn't want power or profit.

What he wants is freedom.

But Lin Ruan was unwilling to give it. She wanted to live a good life and make all Xu Jinshu's plans come to nothing, leaving him with no one to rely on and forcing him to cling to her, depend on her, and try his best to please her.

She said in the previous world that she wanted to fall in love, in this world, with Xu Jinshu.

So she didn't care whether Xu Jinshu loved her in his heart or not, she could only love her wholeheartedly and consider her in her actions.

After all, as the old saying goes, judge by deeds, not by heart.

Coincidentally, she only cares about action and doesn't care about the heart.

Saying "I love you" a thousand or ten thousand times is not as good as bowing down at her feet obediently.