In the attic, only Jiang Yunniang, Madam Lu, and the maid Qiuyue remained.
Although Jiang Yunniang had repeatedly urged her mother to prepare herself mentally, Madam Lu was still so furious after hearing her daughter’s words that she couldn’t catch her breath.
“Mother, drink some water to calm yourself.” Jiang Yunniang rose to help her.
Madam Lu sipped twice, then gripped her daughter’s hand tightly. “Yunniang, you mustn’t speak recklessly. Bairou may be scheming, but surely she wouldn’t do something so shameless?”
Just the thought made Madam Lu clench her fists, overcome with shame and anger.
After giving birth to Jiang Yunniang, Madam Lu’s health was frail, and her strength was often depleted. That was how the wet nurse had the chance to switch the babies. Later, when Madam Lu’s condition failed to improve, the Old Madam took the child to raise herself.
It wasn’t until Jiang Bairou turned eight and moved into her own quarters that Madam Lu began teaching her. Though not raised from infancy, she had guided Jiang Bairou for nine years, and it was hard to believe such a thing.
Qiuyue produced Jiang Bairou’s pink undergarment and knelt before Madam Lu. “Madam, the Eldest Miss speaks the truth. We caught them in the act ourselves. Today, Nanny Wang will come on behalf of the Song family’s master and mistress to discuss this matter.”
Madam Lu furrowed her brow. Thinking of Jiang Bairou’s distracted, error‑prone behavior these past two days, she felt regret but also confusion. “But Yunniang, if Wenling doesn’t care for you, why would the Song family marry you? He agreed to the marriage himself.”
Jiang Yunniang hesitated. Her mother was kind‑hearted, the Jiang household simple, with little intrigue. She always thought the best of people. But such a nature often led to being taken advantage of.
Recalling her mother’s early death in her past life, Jiang Yunniang knew she had to administer strong medicine—her mother needed to be wary of certain people and matters.
“At first, I wondered too. Later, from Second Young Master’s attitude, I guessed the truth. Once Mother learned Bairou’s true parentage, you distanced yourself from her. The Song family’s second branch has long been suppressed by the main branch. My in‑laws hoped Second Young Master would prove himself. They knew if he married Bairou, you would not support him. So they sought me instead.” Jiang Yunniang held her mother’s hand and spoke gently. “Second Young Master is a good scholar. With the Lu family’s backing, he could rise smoothly in officialdom, perhaps even surpass the eldest son.”
“So… it was for this?” Madam Lu had never been calculating, but that didn’t mean she was foolish. She simply trusted her kin and husband. Thinking it over now, it made sense.
Realizing it, Madam Lu trembled. “I treated Madam Zhang as a friend, yet she schemed against you so cruelly. It’s outrageous!”
“Yes, Mother. Second Young Master even declared he would never enter my chambers. He and Bairou already shared intimacy. Bairou can only marry him. I insist she enter as a concubine of low birth, lest she overpower me in the future.” Some truths Jiang Yunniang could not reveal—rebirth was beyond belief. She could only explain her plight through what had already happened in this life.
Qiuyue added, “Madam, think of it. Second Miss knew the Eldest Miss was betrothed to the Eldest Son‑in‑Law. She should have avoided suspicion. Yet she secretly climbed the wall to meet him, disregarding the Eldest Miss’s honor. She meant to destroy her marriage. Her heart is truly vicious.”
“Wretch!” Madam Lu now hated Jiang Bairou and Song Wenling bitterly. Thinking of her daughter’s humiliation on her wedding night, she wanted to kill that pair of adulterers immediately. “Qiuyue, call in Nanny Lin. I will confront the Old Madam. A girl with such a corrupt heart cannot remain in our Jiang family!”
“Mother, wait.” Jiang Yunniang pulled her back. “If you suddenly go to Grandmother, what if Father refuses?”
“Why would he refuse?” Madam Lu saw no reason. Jiang Bairou was not of Jiang blood.
But Jiang Yunniang had no proof. She couldn’t reveal that Jiang Bairou was actually her father’s daughter. Too much truth at once might overwhelm her mother.
“Ah, you know Grandmother raised Bairou, and Father is especially fond of her. If they soften their hearts and allow Bairou to enter the Song family as a favored concubine, I will be crushed beneath her forever.” Jiang Yunniang couldn’t shift too abruptly. Even if she suggested divorce, her mother might agree, but Grandmother would never consent.
Madam Zhang had once said rightly: even if Song Wenling struck her with a blade, Grandmother, with her rigid, old‑fashioned ways, would never allow a separation. She would only force Jiang Yunniang to reflect on whether she had erred and displeased her husband.
For now, the situation could only be handled step by step.
A titled concubine was considered a woman of respectable family. According to the laws of Great Ye, a titled concubine could be elevated to the position of wife. Thinking of this, Madam Lu grew worried. “Then what do you suggest we do?”
Jiang Yunniang twisted her handkerchief. Before coming to the Jiang residence, she had already formed a plan. “Mother, sit closer. Let me tell you…”
Meanwhile, Jiang Bairou had found an excuse to shake off Lu Jianfeng and secretly had her maid bring Song Wenling to the rock garden.
When the two met again, their passion flared instantly. They embraced, pouring out their longing for one another.
Jiang Bai Rou sobbed, her voice trembling. “I… I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”
“How could that be? I promised you long ago that I would give you a proper status. Now that you carry my child, I will never let you suffer.” Song Wenling gazed at her tenderly. His Bairou was the most gentle and considerate. “Father told me to find a chance to meet your father alone. I’ll confess everything about us. Even if I’m beaten or scolded, I’ll endure it. With your father’s love for you, he will surely agree to let you marry me as a titled concubine. Once he decides, no matter how Jiang Yunniang objects afterward, he won’t change his mind.”
“But… but I’m afraid this will hurt my sister’s feelings.” Jiang Bairou lowered her head in feigned guilt, pretending not to dare meet his eyes.
Song Wenling snorted coldly. “She wants you to enter as a lowly concubine, and you still worry about her? Bairou, you’re too kind—that’s why you’re always bullied. Jiang Yunniang is nothing but a shrew, without a shred of refinement. I have no affection for her.”
He had married Jiang Yunniang solely for the Lu family’s influence. From the start, Song Wenling had never thought highly of her. He pulled Jiang Bairou into his arms again, inhaling the faint scent of crabapple blossoms from her body, his throat tightening. “Bairou, asking you to be my concubine first truly wrongs you.”
“It’s no wrong. As long as I can be with you, even without a title, I’m willing.” Jiang Bairou leaned against his chest, her lips curling in secret triumph.
She knew Song Wenling would never let her be a lowly concubine. With his love, being elevated to wife was only a matter of time.
Jiang Yunniang had stolen what was hers—she would take it all back, piece by piece!
The two were lost in their tender embrace, oblivious to footsteps outside, until the snap of a branch startled them. They turned in panic to see Jiang Yunniang and Madam Zhao.
Then came a questioning voice: “Sister‑in‑law, why have you stopped walking?”
Madam Zhao’s face froze as she stared at the pair still locked in each other’s arms. After a long moment, she finally found her voice. “You… what are you doing?” Hadn’t the Old Madam intended to match Jiang Bairou with Jianfeng? Why was Jiang Bairou now in Song Wenling’s arms?
Jiang Yunniang let out a cry of shock as well, stepping forward so her two cousins behind could also see. “Se… Second Master, this is too much!”
She covered her face, pretending to weep. She had known that on this return‑home day, Jiang Bairou would find a way to meet Song Wenling, so she had arranged for them to be watched in secret. She had also deliberately brought her cousins and cousin‑in‑law along. If the matter of Jiang Bairou becoming a concubine were discussed only privately with her father and grandmother, they would surely refuse.
So after much thought, Jiang Yunniang decided to involve her visiting cousins.
Now that they too had witnessed the affair between Song Wenling andJiang Bairou, it was no longer just a secret between the Song family’s second branch and the Jiang family. Outsiders knew. Her father and grandmother would have to give her an explanation and could no longer shield Jiang Bairou—otherwise, they would never silence the Lu family’s tongues.