Fearing that her son might truly lose his head and resign from his official post, Madam Song did not delay and packed her things to return to their hometown the very next morning.
Pan Shiyan, meanwhile, received the report from his inquiries, which verified everything Jiang Li had told him. The people he had sent out even found Ji Yan’s grave. It had been buried by a kind stranger, making it a very simple mound with only a dilapidated wooden plank as a headstone. Pan Shiyan knelt before the grave, weeping uncontrollably. Had he known that their parting back then would be a separation between life and death, he never would have agreed to be apart from his wife. But all his regret now came too late; he could no longer make amends to her, so all he could do was take good care of their daughter.
Pan Shiyan remained by the grave for a long time, eventually hiring someone to refurbish it. Once that was done, he went to the Ji Family Pastry Shop and had it publicly declared that the shop belonged to him, while also making it known that his wife’s surname was Ji. When A-Gua heard that Pan Shiyan had come, she did not agree to see him, and Pan Shiyan did not press the matter, leaving after his one visit.
…
The night passed, but there was no peace at the Yin residence. Yin Hongcai and Madam Fan were busy deliberating on how to fill the hole left by Yin Chengzhou’s gambling debts when they heard a commotion outside. Yin Hongcai went to investigate and found his fine son, Yin Chengzhou, attempting to steal money. After being caught, Yin Chengzhou remained stubborn, insisting that he had to go back to the gambling den to win back the money he had lost.
This infuriated Yin Hongcai; no matter how Madam Fan tried to intervene, Yin Hongcai was determined to teach him a lesson. Once the servants pulled Madam Fan away, Yin Hongcai took a leather whip to Yin Chengzhou, lashing him until he was bloody and nearly at death’s door. The servants spent the night fetching a physician to treat his wounds and bandage him up. Madam Fan wept all night and had a massive row with Yin Hongcai. Hu Huiniang was also wailing, declaring she could no longer live this way and threatening to return to her maiden home. Madam Fan and Yin Hongcai had to cease their arguing to go and persuade Hu Huiniang. Later, Madam Fan’s head pain flared up again; it was so severe that she banged her head against the wall until it bled. In short, every corner of the Yin residence was in turmoil, save for Jiang Li’s Qinghe Courtyard.
The next day, Madam Fan excused Jiang Li from her morning greeting, and Jiang Li was more than happy for the peace. Recalling how the Yin family had treated her in her previous life, she felt they deserved this chaos. Furthermore, she hadn’t done anything; she simply hadn’t helped them anymore. The system, judging by the level of misfortune the Yin family suffered, rewarded her with five Disguise Pills and another Deep Sea Night Pearl. Jiang Li was quite satisfied; with seven Disguise Pills now, she wouldn’t feel so hesitant about using them.
Two days later, the Eldest Princess invited Jiang Li to meet via the Jiang family shop. Jiang Li did not leave through the front door but changed into a maid’s outfit and climbed over the wall. The entire Yin household was in such a state of disarray that no one noticed her departure.
Before long, Jiang Li arrived at the Princess’s mansion. Eldest Princess Rong’an sat on a couch with a beaming smile, with Princess Baoqing sitting beside her, peeling grapes. Upon seeing Jiang Li, Princess Baoqing immediately stood up and handed her a peeled grape. “Sister Jiang, would you like to taste a grape? I grew it myself!”
Jiang Li feigned surprise, though she first offered her respects to the Princess and the Princess before taking the peeled grape with both hands. She bit into the grape, and its sweet fragrance spread across her palate—it was delicious. After swallowing it, she spoke to the expectant Princess: “It is excellent. It is my honor to eat a grape planted and peeled by your own hands, Your Highness.”
Princess Baoqing beamed even brighter, pulling Jiang Li to sit down. “Sister Jiang, you probably don’t know this, but I love trying all sorts of new and novel things. It’s not just grapes; I’ve planted other things too. When they are ripe, I will invite you to taste them.”
Jiang Li thanked her again. Princess Baoqing looked slightly displeased: “Sister Jiang, you don’t need to be so formal. I like being free and unrestrained; otherwise, I wouldn’t go out to experience the lives of others. If you continue to treat me this way, I won’t talk to you anymore.” This time, Jiang Li did not offer a formal thanks but smilingly agreed to the Princess’s request.
The Eldest Princess spoke up: “Enough, A-Wan, don’t frighten your Sister Jiang.”
Princess Baoqing pouted: “I would never! I have such a pleasant personality, how could I frighten Sister Jiang?”
Jiang Li’s gaze fell upon the Eldest Princess’s face. From the moment she walked in, she had noticed the Princess’s smooth forehead—the scar was gone. It seemed the Beauty Pill had taken effect. Jiang Li had suspected as much before arriving, and seeing the Princess confirmed her hypothesis.
The Eldest Princess looked at Jiang Li with increasing tenderness: “Child, as you can see, the scar on my forehead is gone. Nineteen years ago, I was injured by an enemy spy while saving the Emperor. Over these many years, he has treated me with the utmost care. I know that this scar became a burden on his heart; he always felt he owed me. But I feel we are family, and some things don’t need to be calculated so clearly.”
Mentioning the Emperor, Princess Baoqing was also very excited: “Sister Jiang, you don’t know this, but today when I went into the palace with Mother to see the Imperial Uncle, he saw that the scar on Mother’s forehead had truly vanished, and he actually wept on the spot—”
Princess Baoqing wanted to continue, but the Eldest Princess gave a light cough as a reminder. Realizing she had spoken out of turn, Princess Baoqing skipped the process and went straight to the result: “The Imperial Uncle was overjoyed and wanted to reward you. I have seen them; the rewards are very generous and are currently being kept at the Princess’s mansion, waiting for you to collect them. However, the Imperial Uncle asked Mother to inquire if you have any medicinal pills that can remove birthmarks?”
Jiang Li had long planned for this, but she hadn’t expected the Emperor to ask proactively after hearing about her. When she had first received the Beauty Pills from the system, she had considered giving them to the Eldest Princess and the First Prince respectively. The First Prince had a birthmark on his left cheek; though not unsightly, it had always been a thorn in the Emperor’s side. Since she was asked, there was no reason to conceal it. Furthermore, the pill to remove birthmarks was the same as the one used to remove scars.
“I do. The same Beauty Pill given to Your Highness can also remove birthmarks. I happen to have one more on hand.”
Upon hearing this, the Eldest Princess breathed a sigh of relief: “That is good. I will arrange a time with the First Prince for him to come to the mansion. When he does, you shall hand the Beauty Pill to him yourself.”
Jiang Li had been wondering how she would leverage her position if the pill were handed to the First Prince through the Eldest Princess. While the Eldest Princess’s influence was already significant, having one faction in her corner versus two was quite different. Moreover, if the First Prince could remove his birthmark, he was highly likely to become the Crown Prince. Connecting with the future Crown Prince would undoubtedly make things much smoother in the future.
“Very well, I am at your service at any time.”