Rescuing the Villainous Boss with a Little Dirty Master

After Jiang Heng's repeated admonitions, 886 scratched its belly in bewilderment. "We've already gotten this intimate, do we still have to follow the rules?" it seemed completely clueless. But since its host had said so, it decided to listen to him for now.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that Jiang Heng finally came out of his room after a good night's sleep. During that time, Jiang Shi came to check on him and, seeing that he was alright, went back to rest. After staying up all night and experiencing such emotional ups and downs, she was truly exhausted.

Jiang Heng was eating when Jiang Lihai arrived. In less than a day, most of his former arrogance had dissipated. Jiang Heng paused, put down her chopsticks, and silently stared at Jiang Lihai.

"Xiao Bao, it's Dad's fault for not protecting you." Finally, Jiang Lihai broke the silence. He raised his hand and gently stroked Jiang Heng's back, his tone more powerless than ever before.

"Father, are you willing to give up this high position? Our family will leave Qi Lan."

“It’s not a question of whether Father is willing or not.” Jiang Lihai told Lu Qian to stand guard outside the door and not let anyone get close. He leaned close to Jiang Heng’s ear and whispered, “His Majesty has always suspected that I am still holding a team of elite troops that I haven’t handed over to him.”

"Is it true that they didn't give it to him, or is His Majesty overthinking things?" Jiang Heng whispered to him, gossiping, not expecting there to be a hidden plot.

Jiang Lihai glanced at him and said, "Of course I didn't give it to him. That's my trump card."

Jiang Heng and 886: I never expected you to be such a royalist.

Then, Jiang Heng listened with astonishment as her father went on a rant about Emperor Qi Lan, and the sound of Jiang Heng gasping for breath could be heard from time to time in the room.

Lu Qian, who was guarding outside: A snake got into the house?

Jiang Lihai spoke until his throat was dry, then took a sip of tea and concluded, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; without some means of self-preservation, one won't live long."

"So Father already knows that His Majesty was behind my troubles?" He thought his father was a staunch royalist, but he didn't expect him to have so many ulterior motives.

Speaking of this, Jiang Lihai's face darkened further. "His Majesty's actions this time were actually to cut off the Third Prince's path to winning over the Marquis's mansion. To reiterate, His Majesty doesn't trust me, or rather, he doesn't trust anyone. You've been caught in this mess without even realizing it." He paused, then angrily added, "Your elder brother is also a fool; he's been used without even realizing it."

As expected, Jiang Lihai still trusted Jiang Mo to some extent.

"What if my elder brother intended to harm me anyway?" Jiang Heng decided not to take any roundabout approaches.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Lihai's eyes widened. How come the internal troubles started before the external problems were even resolved?

“That’s how it is.” Jiang Heng briefly recounted Jiang Mo’s recent actions. “He will definitely take advantage of my illness during this time. We’ll see whether what I’m saying is true or not then.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just… it’s just…” Jiang Lihai remained silent, after all, he was the child he had raised for more than ten years.

“I know what you mean, Father. If things really come to that, I hope you can make a decision. After all, he can harm me, and he might just be able to bring himself to harm you and Mother as well.”

"How about I find an excuse to send him out of the manor? Don't risk your own safety."

“If I don’t let you see his true colors, can you guarantee you won’t be soft-hearted towards him in the future? You can’t.” Jiang Heng directly saw through Jiang Lihai’s thoughts. He not only wanted to drive Jiang Mo out of the manor, but also to eliminate the root of the problem. He couldn’t tolerate the slightest mistake in this matter.

Jiang Lihai opened his mouth as if to say something more, but seeing Jiang Heng's expression, he gave in. Jiang Heng was right; if he didn't catch him in the act, he would still have a sliver of hope that Jiang Mo wouldn't harm his family.

If he were to kick someone out for no reason, Jiang Mo could easily beg him to let them come back later. On the battlefield, he could be cold and ruthless, but he couldn't be like that with his family.

Upon returning, he immediately ordered his men to keep a close eye on Jiang Mo, and even added several more guards to secretly protect Jiang Heng's courtyard. Jiang Mo remained completely unaware of this.

After returning to his room last night, he began to sort out the whole incident, from the Third Prince inquiring about Jiang Heng's condition to him offering to give him a prescription. He went through all the details in his mind.

It's certain that the Third Prince is fine; he's too busy trying to win over the Marquis's family to do something so foolish. The problem lies with that prescription.

Is someone trying to use him to murder the Marquis's heir, or is the target the Third Prince? If it's the former, Jiang Mo would be more than willing to help; if it's the latter...

Thinking of this, Jiang Mo couldn't sit still any longer. At daybreak, he sent a letter to the Third Prince's residence, requesting an audience with the Third Prince. It wasn't until the next day that the Third Prince's residence sent someone to notify him to come over. And all of this was under 886's surveillance, and now, with the addition of Jiang Lihai's people.

"You're saying Jiang Heng fell ill after using that prescription?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yinghong stood up abruptly, knocking over the teacup beside him. Ignoring his damp clothes, he strode up to Jiang Mo and demanded sharply, "Tell me in detail!"

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Mo became even more certain of his guess. His hand, hidden under his clothes, trembled again. He steadied himself and recounted the events in detail.

"Good, that's really good." Li Yinghong staggered back two steps, his eyes bloodshot. He hadn't done anything yet, he had only tried to befriend Jiang Heng slightly, and she was already so eager to cut off his path, without any attempt to hide it.

"Does Your Highness already know who framed you?" Jiang Mo looked at Li Yinghong uneasily, a hint of mockery flashing in his mind. He had only been tricked once, why was he reacting so strongly?

“Yes.” Li Yinghong’s gaze returned to Jiang Mo, his eyes filled with calculation. “You should be quite happy with Jiang Heng like this, right?”

"What does Your Highness mean? Xiao Heng is my younger brother, and I am more anxious about his illness than anyone else."

Li Yinghong waved his hand, walked back to the main seat and sat down, his posture relaxed, as if his earlier loss of composure was just Jiang Mo's illusion.

"Don't pretend with me. Don't you ever look in the mirror? Your ambition is overflowing."

Jiang Mo clenched his fists, a wave of embarrassment washing over him. He felt like a monkey in a circus, being laughed at and watched by onlookers. Seeing this, Li Yinghong softened his expression, realizing that this man was still useful.

“Jiang Mo, having ambition is not a bad thing. You know, I want the Marquis's power, and you want it too. There is no conflict between us. It all depends on your choice.”

After saying that, Li Yinghong stopped looking at him and drank his tea on the side, giving him time to think it through.

Fortunately, Jiang Mo didn't keep him waiting too long. Jiang Mo spoke as soon as Li Yinghong finished his cup of tea.

"What does Your Highness need me to do?"

"Isn't Jiang Heng sick? Let him stay sick. The Marquis's mansion needs a capable successor."

"Your Highness, please explain in detail."

Jiang Mo secretly concealed the fact that he had the medicine that could achieve the desired effect, since he couldn't possibly work for Li Yinghong for nothing.

Li Yinghong summoned the eunuch Fuquan, who was serving him, and said, "Go to the box on the second shelf of the bookshelf and get that blue porcelain bottle."

"Blue?" Fu Quan paused upon hearing this, suppressed his alarm, and left to carry out the order. A short while later, Fu Quan returned with the porcelain bottle, which Li Yinghong instructed him to hand directly to Jiang Mo.

"Give this medicine to Jiang Heng, one pill each time, for three consecutive days. His sickly body will be completely cured." Jiang Mo stared at the porcelain bottle in his hand, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Can it be detected?"

Li Yinghong sighed inwardly, "This man isn't stupid. He can't find anything. After this ordeal, his body was already severely weakened. This medicine just accelerated the process." Li Yinghong then casually added, "There should still be nine pills left inside."

Jiang Mo suddenly looked up at him, and Li Yinghong gave him a cryptic smile without saying a word.

Jiang Mo suddenly clenched his fist so tightly it hurt, but in the end he put the porcelain bottle into his bosom and took his leave.