After saying this, Yin Ranshuang angrily flicked her sleeves and limped away. The moment she left, Jiang Li’s tears instantly stopped.
Jiang Li had already set everything up as planned. Next, it was time to see if her uncle, Jiang Xiuyuan, and the Yin family would tear each other apart.
After leaving Jiang Li’s quarters, Yin Ranshuang went to see Mrs. Fan. Mrs. Fan was bedridden with a splitting headache. Coupled with smashing her head against the wall a couple of days ago until she bled, she was completely delirious right now. No matter what Yin Ranshuang said, Mrs. Fan couldn’t take a word of it in due to the pain. Yin Ranshuang had originally intended to discuss matters with her, but seeing her in this state, she lost the mood to consult anyone.
Instead, she ordered the steward to investigate Jiang Li’s recent activities within the Yin family. It would take the steward some time to question the servants. Yin Ranshuang sat in the hall waiting, growing increasingly restless by the minute. After turning things over in her mind, she decided to leave the estate and check on the Jiang family’s shops herself.
Unsurprisingly, the few shops she knew of were all closed for business. The only pastry shop still open had changed its name from Jiang’s Pastry Shop to the Ji family’s pastry shop. Asking around, Yin Ranshuang learned that this shop had been bought by Mr. Pan. When asked why the ownership changed, the shop assistant hemmed and hawed for a long time, looking troubled. After pressing for more information, she finally figured out the crux of the problem: Jiang Li’s uncle, Jiang Xiuyuan, was fighting to seize the Jiang family’s fortune. Those other shops had likely suspended business or even been sold off because of him. As for Jiang Li’s clothes and jewelry, she must have pawned them to fill the financial holes.
Shocked by these revelations, Yin Ranshuang began to worry that Jiang Li would resort to dipping into the Yin family’s funds again. However, upon further thought, she realized her parents were no fools; they certainly wouldn’t be swindled by Jiang Li. Still, she had to tell them about this.
Upon returning to the estate, Yin Ranshuang also heard from the steward that some of the servants not only disobeyed Jiang Li’s orders but had even insulted her to her face. Yin Ranshuang frowned deeply at the news. She hadn’t even managed to wring any benefits out of Jiang Li yet. If even she had to cater to Jiang Li, what gave those lowly servants the right to bully her? She ordered the steward to round up the offending servants and punished them one by one right in front of her. Even though the servants protested, claiming they had only gossiped about the Eldest Young Madam behind her back, it was to no avail.
After teaching them a harsh lesson, Yin Ranshuang forced them to go and apologize to Jiang Li. Although the Jiang family’s shops were in trouble, Yin Ranshuang didn’t dare to truly offend her. In fact, she still wanted to coax her, hoping she might yet squeeze some profits from her hands.
When Yin Hongcai returned from his shift at the Ministry of Justice, Yin Ranshuang recounted everything about Jiang Li to him. Mrs. Fan dragged her ailing body out of bed to join them. After hearing the news, the three of them began plotting how to snatch the Jiang family’s wealth right out of Jiang Xiuyuan’s grasp.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xiuyuan also caught wind of the shop closures. The rumors he heard were the exact opposite of what Yin Ranshuang had gathered. Though the shopkeepers’ explanations were just as evasive and vague, Jiang Xiuyuan interpreted them entirely differently. In his eyes, the sudden shutdown of the Jiang family’s businesses was because Jiang Li was being forced to cover Yin Hong’s massive gambling debts and pay for Mrs. Fan’s expensive medical treatments for her head ailment. Both required astronomical sums. Since Jiang Li was now a married woman of the Yin family, it would be difficult for Jiang Xiuyuan to justify causing a scene at their estate. Thus, he came up with an idea: he would target the Yin family from the shadows and force them to spit out every penny they had taken.
This secret tug-of-war between the two sides was exactly what Jiang Li had planned. This was the outcome she desired—let them tear each other apart while she watched from the sidelines. In her past life, she had been so focused on guarding against Jiang Xiuyuan that she had foolishly trusted the Yin family. This time, she would ensure the Yin family met their well-deserved end.
Two days later.
The Princess Mansion sent a message for Jiang Li, asking her to make a trip over. Jiang Li knew without a doubt that they had summoned her to meet the Eldest Prince. Without any delay, she hurried out the door. She first went to a Jiang family tailor shop to change into more appropriate attire before heading to her meeting.
As Jiang Li had anticipated, the Eldest Prince was indeed at the Princess Mansion. In her previous life, Jiang Li had never met the Eldest Prince, Wei Yunlie. She had only heard rumors of a birthmark on the left side of his face, but she didn’t know exactly what he looked like. Now, seeing him in person, she realized Wei Yunlie possessed a strikingly handsome face, but the red birthmark severely marred his otherwise flawless features. It was no wonder even the Emperor was desperate to help him remove it. She couldn’t even imagine how many noble ladies in the Capital City he would captivate if his face were clear.
Wasting no time, Jiang Li retrieved a Beauty Pill from her sleeve and offered it. A palace attendant beside Wei Yunlie took the pill and presented it to him.
The Eldest Princess smiled. "Yunlie, this is Miss Jiang, the one I told you about. The Beauty Pill she makes is incredibly effective. The scar on my forehead only vanished because I took it."
Wei Yunlie withdrew his appraising gaze from Jiang Li, a look of disdain appearing on his face. "Aunt, a scar is not the same as a birthmark. Just because this pill cured your scar doesn’t mean it can cure my birthmark."
Jiang Li’s brow twitched slightly; she could clearly feel the Eldest Prince’s distrust of her medicine. It made sense. If she hadn’t saved Commandery Princess Baoqing’s life first, the Eldest Princess wouldn’t have believed in the Beauty Pill either. The Eldest Prince was born into supreme wealth and power. As the Emperor’s firstborn son, he should have been the undisputed Crown Prince, yet he suffered endless whispers and pointing due to the birthmark on his face. It was only natural for him to be so guarded.
"Whether it works or not can be proven with a try," Jiang Li said. "If Your Highness is skeptical, you may crush the pill and apply it directly to your face, though the effects will be somewhat diminished."
The moment her words fell, Wei Yunlie popped the porcelain bottle open and swallowed the pill whole.
The Imperial Physician, waiting on standby to test the pill for poison, was struck speechless. The palace attendants serving the Eldest Prince were equally dumbfounded.
Even the Eldest Princess was taken aback. This child was usually so composed. How could he just toss it into his mouth without letting the Imperial Physician inspect it first? She originally hadn’t wanted to nag, but since the Eldest Prince was her nephew, she couldn’t help but speak up. "Yunlie, as a Prince, you must never be careless about anything you ingest outside the palace. Not even here in my mansion."
After saying this, the Eldest Princess looked at Jiang Li and gave her a subtle glance. Jiang Li understood. The Eldest Princess wanted the Imperial Physician to test for poison not out of distrust, but to protect her. Matters involving ingested medicines were tricky. If the Eldest Prince’s health suffered any mishaps after taking it, Jiang Li wouldn’t be able to clear her name. She gave a slight nod to show she understood.
Wei Yunlie, however, suddenly laughed. "I trust you, Aunt. If I had an Imperial Physician examine a gift from an elder, wouldn’t that break your heart?"
His words left the Eldest Princess speechless. She had no choice but to have the Imperial Physician wait a little longer to check Wei Yunlie’s pulse. Only after confirming the pill was non-toxic would she allow him to leave.