The Song family was terrified that their son would actually do something rash like resigning from his post. Early the next morning, they wasted no time in packing their belongings and heading back to their hometown.
Meanwhile, Pan Shiyan received the information he had asked for, which verified what Jiang Li had told him. The people he sent out also found Ji Yan’s grave. Ji Yan had been buried by a kind-hearted stranger. The grave was extremely simple, marked only by a worn-out wooden board.
Pan Shiyan knelt before the grave, tears streaming down his face. If he had known that their parting back then would mean eternal separation by death, he never would have agreed to be apart from his wife. But it was too late for regrets. Unable to make amends to his wife, all he could do now was take good care of their daughter.
Pan Shiyan stayed at Ji Yan’s grave for a long time before hiring people to renovate it. After handling this, he went to the Ji family’s pastry shop. He had people spread the word that the pastry shop belonged to him, while also making it known that his wife’s surname was Ji.
Hearing that Pan Shiyan had come, A Gua refused to see him. Pan Shiyan didn’t pester her; he simply left after his visit.
One night passed.
Over at the Yin family, things were far from peaceful. Yin Hongcai and Mrs. Fan were discussing how to fill the financial hole Yin Chengzhou had dug when they heard a commotion outside. Yin Hongcai went over to check, only to find his precious son, Yin Chengzhou, trying to steal money.
Even after being caught, Yin Chengzhou remained stubborn, insisting that he was going to the casino to win back all the money he had lost. This completely ignited Yin Hongcai’s fury. This time, no matter how Mrs. Fan tried to stop him, Yin Hongcai was determined to teach Yin Chengzhou a lesson.
Mrs. Fan was pulled away by the servants. Yin Hongcai grabbed a leather whip and lashed it at Yin Chengzhou, beating him until his flesh was torn open and he was left half-dead. The servants hurried to fetch a doctor overnight to treat Yin Chengzhou’s wounds, and it took quite a while to bandage him up.
Mrs. Fan cried the entire night and got into a massive argument with Yin Hongcai. Hu Huiniang was also weeping incessantly, crying that she couldn’t live like this anymore and threatening to return to her maiden home. Mrs. Fan and Yin Hongcai had no choice but to stop their argument and try to pacify Hu Huiniang.
Later, Mrs. Fan’s headaches flared up severely again. The pain was so agonizing that she banged her head against the wall, THUD THUD THUD, until she was bleeding profusely. In short, aside from the Qinghe Courtyard where Jiang Li lived, the rest of the Yin family residence knew no peace.
The next day, Mrs. Fan excused Jiang Li from her morning greetings, and Jiang Li was more than happy to enjoy the peace and quiet. Thinking of how the Yin family had treated her in her previous life, Jiang Li looked at the current chaos and felt they completely deserved it. Besides, Jiang Li hadn’t even done anything; she had simply stopped helping the Yin family.
Based on the Yin family’s level of misfortune last night, the system rewarded her with five Disguise Pills, plus one Deep Sea Night Pearl. Jiang Li was very satisfied with this. This way, she now had seven Disguise Pills, so she wouldn’t feel as much heartache when using them.
Two days later.
The Eldest Princess arranged to meet Jiang Li through the Jiang family’s shop. Jiang Li didn’t leave through the front door. Instead, she changed into a maid’s outfit and climbed over the wall. The entire Yin family was in chaos, so no one paid any attention to Jiang Li, and her departure went completely unnoticed.
A short while later.
Jiang Li arrived at the Princess Mansion. Princess Rong’an sat on a soft couch with a radiant smile. Beside her sat Commandery Princess Baoqing, who was peeling grapes. Seeing Jiang Li arrive, Commandery Princess Baoqing immediately stood up and handed over a peeled grape.
"Sister Jiang, do you want to try a grape? I grew them myself!"
Jiang Li looked surprised, but she first paid her respects to the Eldest Princess and the Commandery Princess before taking the peeled grape with both hands. As she bit into the grape, a fragrant sweetness spread across her palate; it tasted exceptionally good.
Jiang Li swallowed the grape completely before speaking under Commandery Princess Baoqing’s expectant gaze. "It’s delicious. It is my honor to eat a grape planted and peeled by your own hands, Commandery Princess."
Commandery Princess Baoqing smiled even more brightly and pulled Jiang Li down to sit. "Sister Jiang, you probably don’t know, but I love trying all sorts of novel things. I haven’t just planted grapes; I’ve planted other things too. Once they ripen, I’ll invite you over to taste them."
Jiang Li expressed her gratitude once more.
Commandery Princess Baoqing became a little unhappy. "Sister Jiang, you don’t need to stand on ceremony so much. I like being free and unrestrained; otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone out to experience the lives of commoners. If you keep treating me like this, I’ll ignore you."
This time, Jiang Li didn’t thank her formally but agreed to Commandery Princess Baoqing’s request with a smile.
The Eldest Princess spoke up at this moment. "Alright, Aweng, don’t scare your Sister Jiang."
Commandery Princess Baoqing pouted. "I won’t. I have such a good temper, how could I scare Sister Jiang?"
Jiang Li’s gaze fell on the Eldest Princess’s face. In truth, from the moment she walked in, she had noticed the Eldest Princess’s smooth forehead. The scar was gone. It seemed the Beauty Pill had worked. Jiang Li had her suspicions before coming, and the moment she saw the Eldest Princess, her guess was confirmed.
The Eldest Princess looked at Jiang Li with an increasingly gentle gaze. "Child, you’ve seen it too. The scar on my forehead is gone. Nineteen years ago, to save my Imperial Brother, I was injured by an enemy spy. Over all these years, my Imperial Brother has taken great care of me. I also know that this scar became a sore spot in his heart, as he always felt indebted to me. But I believe that since we are family, there is no need to keep such strict accounts."
At the mention of the Emperor, Commandery Princess Baoqing became very excited. "Sister Jiang, you have no idea! Today, I accompanied my mother to the palace to see Emperor Uncle. When he saw that the scar on my mother’s forehead had truly vanished, he actually burst into tears on the spot—"
Commandery Princess Baoqing wanted to continue, but a soft cough from the Eldest Princess served as a reminder. Realizing she had misspoken, Commandery Princess Baoqing skipped the details and went straight to the result. "Emperor Uncle was thoroughly delighted and wants to reward you. I’ve seen it—the reward is very generous. It’s all currently stored in the Princess Mansion, waiting for you to take it away. However, Emperor Uncle asked my mother to inquire if you have any pills that can remove birthmarks."
Jiang Li had planned for this all along, but she hadn’t expected the Emperor to proactively ask after hearing about it. When she had first received the Beauty Pills from the system, she had considered giving the two pills separately to the Eldest Princess and the Eldest Prince. The Eldest Prince had a birthmark on his left cheek. Although it wasn’t particularly unsightly, it had always been a thorn in the Emperor’s heart. Since she was asked, Jiang Li had nothing to hide. Furthermore, the pill to remove birthmarks was the exact same one used to remove scars.
"Yes. The Beauty Pill given to Your Highness can also remove birthmarks, and I happen to have one more on hand."
Hearing this, the Eldest Princess breathed a slight sigh of relief. "That is good. I will arrange a time with the Eldest Prince and have him come to the Princess Mansion. When the time comes, you can personally hand the Beauty Pill to him."
Jiang Li had originally been wondering how she would leverage the situation in the future if the pill was passed to the Eldest Prince through the Eldest Princess. Although the Eldest Princess’s influence was already significant enough, having one faction’s backing versus having two factions’ backing was entirely different. Moreover, if the Eldest Prince could remove his birthmark, it was highly likely he would become the Crown Prince. Befriending the future Crown Prince would make things much smoother no matter where she went.
"Understood. I am available at any time."