Now, in this very Treasure Pavilion, the same scene was playing out once again.
Sure enough, Jiang Mingyue said with her lips that it was too expensive, that it wouldn't be proper.
Yet her hands moved without the slightest hesitation.
Her slender fingers swept across row after row of jewelry, exceedingly picky.
In the end, she unabashedly selected three sets of the season's most fashionable, most intricately crafted ruby headpieces.
After choosing, she gathered the items close to her side, lowered her head slightly, wearing an expression of contented satisfaction yet demure obedience, quietly waiting for Song Nian to pull out his silver.
Just then, a gentle breeze drifted in through the half-open window lattice.
"Cough, cough… cough, cough, cough…"
Jiang Mingyue suddenly pressed a handkerchief to her mouth, coughing weakly and delicately several times in succession.
The sound seemed as if she might lose her breath at any moment.
Those few light coughs were like a death curse—Song Nian immediately became frantic with worry.
He abruptly stood up, fumbling as he lifted the small pot of pear soup, picked up the spoon, blew on it, and brought it to Jiang Mingyue's lips.
"Mingyue, what's wrong? Why has your illness grown worse?"
"Is it because of that time the eldest daughter's maidservant pushed you into the cold pond? It's left your body in constant poor health—I'll go seek justice for you right now!"
"Brother Nian, don't…"
Jiang Mingyue's voice was soft as water, carrying a thick sob, as if she had suffered the greatest grievance yet still forced herself to be understanding. "Don't offend those noble ladies for my sake. Mingyue is merely an orphan girl living under another's roof—being bullied is a common occurrence. If I were to drag down Brother Nian's bright future, Mingyue could never atone for it even in death."
"What nonsense are you speaking? You are the Young Miss of the Jiang Residence's branch family—who dares say you live under another's roof?" Song Nian's voice was filled with fury and indignation.
He wished he could immediately stand up for Jiang Mingyue.
Song Luo sat behind the folding screen, nearly laughing coldly at what she heard.
What a fine "orphan girl living under another's roof." Though she wasn't the eldest legitimate daughter of the Jiang Residence, the Jiang family was generous and had never mistreated her—yet in her words, she was living under another's roof?
Everything the legitimate daughters of the Jiang Residence had—the clothes they wore, the things they used—not a single item had ever been withheld from her.
Every time she visited the General's Residence, she only ever complained about how the Jiang family mistreated her, yet never once did a single good word about the Jiang family pass her lips.
"Brother Nian…" Jiang Mingyue's eyes brimmed with tears, as if she wanted to speak but held back. "This heat in my lungs may never heal. My constitution has always been weak—no amount of medicine will do any good."
"How could it be useless?" Song Nian grew anxious and rose abruptly. "I'll go open the private storehouse right now and bring out the finest century-old ginseng and snow lotus to nourish your body. If it means curing you, even losing the entire family fortune would be worth it!"
"Brother Nian, don't waste your money." Jiang Mingyue shook her head sorrowfully, tears sliding down her pale cheeks, perfectly displaying her fragility and kindness.
She paused, as if engaged in a great internal struggle, then spoke between coughs.
"Actually… I've heard…"
Behind the folding screen, Song Luo felt her blood run cold at those words.
Oh heavens, here it comes.
In her dream, this was precisely the first turning point where her elder brother Song Nian began his path to ruin.
It was today that Jiang Mingyue, under the pretext of curing her illness, would subtly lure her brother to the lone mountain outside the city to pick that so-called miraculous Xueyuanzhi.
That Xueyuanzhi was Jiang Mingyue's token of commitment—a love gift she intended to give to her true beloved, Duan Xingzhi.
That one trip of Song Nian's would be the beginning of their General's Residence's downfall.
"Shopkeeper."
Song Luo's crisp, soft voice suddenly rang out: "Do you have any jade pendants suitable for giving as gifts?"
Behind the folding screen, both Song Nian and Jiang Mingyue froze simultaneously.
Their eyes met, and instinctively, neither of them made a sound.
Hearing the commotion, the shopkeeper hurried over with a face full of smiles. "What style of jade pendant does Young Miss Song desire? Is it for your own enjoyment, or do you intend to gift it to a young lady of some household?"
"Do you have one for men?"