The morning light was faint, and dew rose with the sun.
A new day dawned, warm and fair—good weather.
Jiang Sihe sat before the bronze mirror, unwrapping the white cloth from her forehead. The wound was right in the center of her brow. She studied it carefully in the mirror for a moment, then picked up a dark eyebrow brush and painted a plum blossom huadian over the injury.
First Madame loved plum blossoms.
She rose and took a pink narrow-sleeved ru skirt from the wardrobe, paired with a sky-blue straight-collar wide-sleeved robe. This was her finest garment, but her mother always said it was too bright and forbade her from wearing it.
She resembled her father more in appearance. Her father had been the Tanhualang of his year in the spring imperial examination. The Minister’s household, impressed by his talent and looks, had married their second legitimate daughter, First Madame, to him and helped him rise swiftly through the ranks.
With her striking, vivid features, pink suited her better—yet her mother always made her wear plain colors.
Looking into the bronze mirror, she saw herself with twin looped buns, mountain-green ribbons hanging down to her collarbones, and bright, sparkling eyes full of youthful charm and vivacity.
“Sister, are you ready? The household carriage has come to fetch us.”
Jiang Jingshu called softly from outside.
The bronze mirror was pressed down onto the table by slender fingers as Jiang Sihe rose and walked out.
The moment she opened the door, Jiang Jingshu looked taken aback.
“Sister, why are you wearing peach pink? Mother dislikes it most when you wear bright colors—it looks like you’re trying to show off. You should go change!”
“Do you mean I should wear the coarse cloth I use for chores every day?”
Jiang Jingshu was momentarily at a loss for words. The side courtyard had no servants; all the dirty, heavy work fell to her sister. So when the household bestowed better fabrics, Mother would first make clothes for her, then for herself.
As for her sister—since she did rough work anyway, Mother used coarse cloth for her clothes. In truth, it was also more convenient for her chores.
“Then… why don’t you wear one of my dresses?”
Jiang Jingshu felt that her sister looked far too dazzling today; Mother would surely disapprove.
“I’m taller than you, sister. Your clothes won’t fit me!”
Without wasting more words on Jiang Jingshu, she quickly boarded the carriage. Sure enough, when her mother saw her, a flicker of disgust rose in her eyes.
But with the household servants present in the carriage, she suppressed her displeasure.
When they reached the mansion gate and descended from the carriage, her mother couldn’t help speaking again.
“Today is your father’s birthday celebration. Don’t lose the dignity and bearing befitting young ladies of Jiangfu…”
Jiang Jingshu nodded obediently: “Mother, this daughter understands!”
Not hearing Jiang Sihe’s reply, her mother turned to her, brows sinking: “Did you hear me? Be content and don’t be so petty—don’t disgrace us…”
“Yes, Mother!”
Be content? Whoever wanted to be content could be content. Today, she absolutely had to win First Madame’s favor.
Following behind her mother through the side gate into the mansion, Jiang Sihe couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.
Her mother constantly claimed that Father doted on her most, and that he hadn’t brought them into the mansion because he feared First Madame’s narrow-mindedness might harm them. Yet now she was made to enter through the most remote side gate—was this what her mother called favor?
And this birthday banquet—Father had never once thought of them. It was First Madame who, out of kindness, had sent someone to bring them back.
Her mother still thought it was Father’s doing. How laughable!
She suppressed the coldness in her eyes, recalling the flower hall where Jiang Jingshu had saved First Madame, as her sister had described upon returning that year.
The flower hall’s roof was covered with glazed tiles, but she didn’t know exactly which spot had lost a tile.
She remembered Jiang Jingshu saying that after the banquet ended, First Madame had summoned her and her mother to the flower hall for questioning when the glazed tile happened to fall.
Jiang Jingshu had pushed First Madame aside, and the tile struck her arm. She was injured, but First Madame emerged unscathed. Because of this, First Madame regarded her as a bringer of fortune and wished to adopt her into the direct lineage.
She pondered carefully and concluded that the spot should be near the entrance of the flower hall. But to ensure absolute certainty, she had to find a chance during the banquet to go check the area around the flower hall.
The mansion’s maids led them to the banquet, where they were seated in the most remote corner.
Despite such cold treatment, her mother maintained an indifferent, composed air.
“Your father must have arranged it this way because he feared that if we came back and stole the spotlight, overshadowing First Madame, she would bear a grudge against us. He still thinks of me—look, this table is full of my favorite pastries!”
Jiang Sihe glanced at the other tables—the same pastries. Her mother was a master of self-deception.
Unwilling to listen to more of her mother’s self-comforting words, she turned her head to look at the guests at the banquet.
At the seat of honor sat a young gentleman, his bearing elegant and upright, his features exceptionally handsome.
“Today, Grand Tutor Pei’s presence truly honors Jiangfu!”
Jiang Sihe saw her father raise his wine cup and walk personally to the young gentleman, toasting him with a fawning demeanor.
Yet that young man, bright as the moon, did not rise. He only pressed his hand down slightly and spoke five words: “Pei does not drink wine.”
Her father’s face stiffened into an awkward smile. “Then Grand Tutor Pei, have tea, have tea…”
“So he’s Pei Yanchao—the one who placed first in all three examinations and was personally appointed by His Majesty as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince?”
“Yes, at the age of twelve, he was selected as a companion to the Crown Prince, and later achieved the rare feat of placing first in all three levels of the imperial examinations. The current Emperor, who was then the Crown Prince, holds him in extremely high regard. Having only passed the age of coming-of-age three years ago, he has already achieved such success—in a few more years, he will likely enter the Grand Secretariat…”
Jiang Sihe overheard the guests ahead whispering among themselves and only then learned that the gentleman as elegant as orchids and jade trees was none other than Pei Yanchao, who would soon wield immense power across the court!
At first, the world praised him as dignified and composed, refined and handsome, bright as a gentle breeze and clear moon, radiant as orchids and jade trees in a courtyard.
Later, the world avoided him like a flood or a beast, all fearing and dreading him!
All because he was utterly cold and merciless. She remembered that at the time, he should have been serving as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, at the age for arranging a marriage. He had been betrothed once, and when the woman’s family sent the dowry list to his residence, he merely glanced at it and spotted stolen goods among the items. He directly ordered the entire household to be raided and seized.
Then there was the second attempt at marriage… He went to the woman’s home for a formal viewing, and actually discovered a corpse in their back garden, which unraveled a murder case within the inner quarters. That family was exiled in full.
After that, no matter how much the noble ladies of the capital admired this handsome, jade-faced young man, none dared to arrange a marriage with him.
Jiang Sihe withdrew her gaze and silently thought to herself that someone so cold and heartless was best never crossed paths with in the future.
Seizing the right moment, Jiang Sihe clutched her stomach, furrowed her brows, and spoke softly.
“Mother, my stomach hurts. I need to go to the privy…”
Her mother looked at her with disdain. “I just warned you not to be so petty and greedy for those fruits, but you wouldn’t listen. The dance performance is about to begin—if you delay the timing… Fine, go quickly and come back quickly!” Jiang Sihe nodded, then lifted her skirt and ran out from the back.
The banquet was held on the north side of the flower hall. She took a small path around, hid among the tall flower bushes, and took a distant look at the glazed tiles, silently committing them to memory.
Time was short, and she dared not linger. As she hurried back, just as she was about to enter through the moon gate, she collided head-on with someone.
She hastily apologized, “I’m so sorry…”
Looking up, she found it was none other than Pei Yanchao—the very person she had silently decided to keep at a respectful distance.
She wondered—had her father embezzled anything, or was there a corpse hidden in the inner quarters of Jiangfu?
Would he hold a grudge? Would Jiangfu be raided and exiled because of this?