“Third Master Xiao.”
Jiang Fu’s voice trembled timidly.
She was both afraid of him and felt awkward.
That day at the Xie residence, Xiao Jing had kissed her lips and pressed against her chest to save her. Just thinking about it made her want to crawl into a hole in the ground—how could she possibly want to see him?
The young girl bit her lip, looking utterly terrified of him.
Xiao Jing’s gaze deepened, his palm still seeming to retain the softness from that day.
“Do you like flowers?”
He knew the girl wanted to leave, but having finally seen her, Xiao Jing couldn’t help wanting to look at her a little longer.
He wanted to see if the girl in his dreams—sometimes willful, sometimes obedient—was the same as the timid one before him now.
Xu Yun had her maid pick a large bouquet of flowers for her, and Jiang Fu held them in her arms.
Hearing Xiao Jing’s question, she nodded gently. “Yes, I do.”
“Hmm.”
Xiao Jing fell silent again.
Although the afternoon sun wasn’t as scorching, the delicate girl’s face flushed red after standing for just a while longer.
Her lips were pressed tightly together, looking utterly pitiful.
Xiao Jing wanted to stay with her longer but couldn’t bear to let her endure the sun for too long.
“Do you like dragon boat races?”
“Huh?”
Jiang Fu felt dizzy from the sun and wondered if she had misheard.
“I’ve never seen one.”
She hadn’t left the house since she was five years old. Things like dragon boat races were only something she had heard about from maids and servants.
In previous Dragon Boat Festivals, the main household would go out visiting relatives and friends, leaving only her and Bai Xing huddled in the side courtyard, without even a warm meal to eat.
She was too delicate, too pitiful.
Xiao Jing was no fool. He could guess some of the ugliness that went on in the inner courtyards. The girl’s past life must have been difficult; otherwise, she wouldn’t have never even seen a dragon boat race.
A surge of frustration welled up in Xiao Jing’s heart, and he wished he could raid the Jiang family’s main household.
His tone softened, and his expression turned compassionate.
“The Xu family will participate in the dragon boat race during the Dragon Boat Festival. You can go watch with Miss Xu then.”
He couldn’t directly send an invitation to the girl, but the Xu family provided a convenient excuse.
“Oh.”
Naturally, Jiang Fu wanted to go out and have fun, but she also felt too embarrassed to keep troubling Xu Yun. So, she didn’t take Xiao Jing’s words to heart, merely giving a perfunctory reply.
Her legs ached from standing, and her eyes kept darting toward the carriage. Xiao Jing’s heart sank. “Go back.”
This little ingrate—even saving her couldn’t earn him a bit of closeness from her.
Jiang Fu quickly curtsied, lifted her skirt, and boarded the carriage. Her hurried manner seemed afraid Xiao Jing would change his mind, which only made his expression turn cold.
“Master?”
The carriage had already turned the corner and disappeared from sight, but Xiao Jing’s gaze remained fixed in its direction.
The attendant had witnessed the entire exchange between Xiao Jing and Jiang Fu. If he still couldn’t tell that his master was fond of Fourth Miss Jiang, he would have failed as a personal guard.
But how could this be!
Fourth Miss Jiang had just been rejected by the eldest young master. How could his own master fall for her?
The attendant’s face was troubled. Madam Xiao was urging his master to marry, but if he wanted to marry his former nephew’s fiancée, would Madam Xiao agree?
Moreover, wasn’t this a breach of seniority?
His master truly was a beast.
Xiao Jing, of course, had no idea about his attendant’s thoughts. After parting with Jiang Fu, he returned to the Imperial Guard’s office.
He hadn’t lied to Minister Xu earlier—his duties were indeed very busy. If he hadn’t wanted to see the girl today, he would have returned much earlier.
By the time he finished his duties, it was already the early hours of the next day. Having stayed up all night, Xiao Jing naturally didn’t dream.
His expression was extremely grim, startling everyone in the government office.
“Sir, you’re pushing yourself too hard. This work is never-ending—you really should take care of your health.”
“Exactly. At our age, we should be spending time with our wives and children. If it weren’t for the salary, I wouldn’t even come to the office.”
The speaker had just gotten married and was deeply in love with his new wife, making every day at work feel like a struggle.
“Shh! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Our sir doesn’t have a wife.”
“With his temperament, he might very well stay single for life…”
Although Xiao Jing’s expression was cold and stern, he treated his subordinates well, which was why they dared to tease him like this.
When men gossip, they can be even more exaggerated than women. Privately, they had speculated about who might marry their superior in the future. A small number chose Xie Chan, while the majority believed Xiao Jing would end up alone.
In their eyes, the idea of Xiao Jing liking women was even more improbable than the sun rising from the west.
……
On her way back to the residence, Jiang Fu stopped by a pharmacy to buy spices and also consulted a physician about her nightmares.
“Young lady, are you perhaps burdened with heavy thoughts? Emotional stagnation often leads to frequent dreams. If you wish to avoid dreaming, try to open your heart and think of happier things.”
After examining her pulse, the physician found nothing wrong. Jiang Fu felt she had enough to eat and wear, and there was nothing particularly troubling her. Her daily meals might be a bit lacking, but certainly not to the point of emotional stagnation.
Or perhaps it really was her own audacity, coveting Xiao Jing’s body, that led her to take liberties with him in her dreams night after night.
The young girl’s face flushed with heat. Without asking further questions, she picked up the spices and hurriedly left with Bai Xing.
As soon as the mistress and servant returned to the residence, Madam Yan and her daughter received the news.
“The Xu family sent her back again? And with a pile of gifts?”
Madam Yan wasn’t so shallow as to envy those gifts, but she had underestimated how much Xu Yun valued Jiang Fu.
Could it be that she and Jiang Yao had guessed wrong before? Was Xu Yun genuinely interested in befriending Jiang Fu?
That simply wouldn’t do. This little wretch should be confined to her courtyard and eventually married off to some ordinary family. She must never be allowed to outshine her Jiang Yao.
“That’s what Mama Wang said. The fourth young lady and Bai Xing couldn’t even carry everything themselves—the Xu family’s maidservants personally delivered the items inside.”
The maid couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Their fourth young lady had truly stumbled upon great luck.
Jiang Yao was so furious she nearly tore the handkerchief in her hand to shreds. “Mother! That little vixen Jiang Fu is so skilled at bewitching people. Why don’t you ruin her face? That way, she won’t be able to seduce anyone anymore.”
Not only did she seduce men, but she even charmed women—it was truly infuriating.
Jiang Lin, who had been silently standing nearby, glanced at her upon hearing this and couldn’t help but clench her fists, hiding them in her sleeves.
They all knew how important a face was to a woman, especially for someone like her and Jiang Fu, who had no one to rely on. Their futures were entirely in the hands of Madam Yan and her daughter, and they lived under their mercy. If their faces were ruined, everything would be over.
For once, Jiang Lin found herself empathizing with Jiang Fu.
Madam Yan shot her a disapproving glare. “Be quiet! Don’t ever say such things again. You’re currently in the process of arranging a marriage. If word gets out that you’re malicious, what respectable family would dare to marry you?”
“I understand…”
Jiang Yao still dreamed of marrying into a prestigious family, and Madam Yan’s words filled her with a sense of dread.
After all, she was her own daughter, and Madam Yan couldn’t bear to truly scold her. “No matter how beautiful she is, she’ll only be a concubine in the future. Besides, with no one in the second branch to support her, her marriage is entirely up to us to decide. Your father has been stuck in the Hanlin Academy for over a decade without any advancement—it’s time for a change. His superior, Academician Lin, has a fondness for beauties. Jiang Fu has received care from the main branch for more than ten years; it’s only right that she repays us.”
“Academician Lin? Isn’t he almost seventy?”
Jiang Yao’s eyes widened. When she came of age, Academician Lin and his wife had attended the ceremony, and she remembered him vividly—mainly because he was so short, even shorter than herself.
Thinking of Jiang Fu having to become a concubine for such an old man in the future, Jiang Yao broke into a smile.
“Academician Lin is still a fifth-rank official, after all. She’s getting off easy!”
Jiang Fu remained completely unaware of the plans of the main branch’s mother and daughter. Having bought all the necessary materials, she began making fragrant beads.