Fu Xirong was terrified.
“…Y-you’d better not do anything crazy! Don’t slash my throat—or my face!”
Jiang Yihuan took a breath and replied calmly,
“You’re overthinking it. I’m going to dig out your eyeballs.”
Fu Xirong turned even paler.
“Brother! Back away! Just do whatever she says first!”
She had only come out hoping to freeload a meal. Who knew she’d run into someone completely fearless?
Leaning close to her ear, Jiang Yihuan whispered so softly it was almost inaudible,
“Don’t try any tricks. Otherwise, I’ll gouge out your eyes, stuff them into your mouth, and let you taste what they’re like.”
Fu Xirong nearly threw up.
With her brother’s brain, there was no way he’d think of any tricks anyway.
Jiang Yihuan said gently,
“Big dummy, once you run home, I’ll let your sister go. And return Zhiru’s money pouch.”
Meanwhile, at the Eastern Palace, Wei Zhao was accompanying the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was two years younger than Wei Zhao. Having only recently come of age, he possessed an exceptionally gentle temperament.
He sighed miserably.
“What do you think I should do? I have seven Eastern Pearls, and both the Crown Princess and my Liangdi want them. I can’t divide them equally.”
Wei Zhao was speechless.
“Your Highness summoned me here… just for this?”
“Exactly. I’m worried sick. I can’t bear to make either of them unhappy.”
“Then give all the pearls to me. Wouldn’t that solve everything?”
The Crown Prince blinked.
“…Huh?”
It did solve the problem…
But somehow it also felt completely wrong.
“B-but…”
Wei Zhao stood up.
“If Your Highness has no further business, this minister will take his leave.”
“Don’t rush off. I heard Jiang Qianli’s younger sister is with you. You haven’t been bullying her, have you?”
The corners of Wei Zhao’s lips curled upward.
“Of course I have. Otherwise, why would I have brought her to the capital? To let her enjoy herself?”
The Crown Prince sighed inwardly.
Grand Tutor Wei really is outrageously arrogant.
On the bustling main street, Wei Zhao led his horse on foot.
Liang Jian suddenly whispered,
“Master, look!”
A huge, burly man was sprinting wildly through the street.
“Move! I have to get home! I have to save my sister!”
He knocked over stall after stall, leaving furious vendors cursing behind him.
Wei Zhao laughed.
“Isn’t that the second son of the Fu family? Has his epilepsy flared up? Lord Fu is truly blessed.”
Liang Jian was speechless.
The man’s just a bit slow-witted. He doesn’t have epilepsy.
The moment Wei Zhao returned to the Wei residence, Heng Shi was already waiting anxiously outside the front gate.
“Xiguang, something happened to Yihuan!”
Wei Zhao’s heart tightened.
“…What happened? Wasn’t she staying at home?”
“Zhiru took her out today, so I wasn’t worried. But she got into a conflict with the Fu siblings and was injured. Hurry and go see her.”
Wei Zhao immediately strode away.
Watching him leave, Wei Zhilan was still shaken.
The look on her elder brother’s face was terrifying.
Even back when he had been beaten, scolded, and bullied himself, she had never seen such an expression.
Inside the side courtyard, a maid gently pressed an ice pack against Jiang Yihuan’s swollen cheek.
“Bear with it, Miss. It’ll feel better soon.”
“Hiss… Where’s Zhu Xian? Is she badly hurt?”
“Miss Zhu Xian is fine. The physician said she’ll recover after a few days of rest.”
The crystal-beaded curtain was suddenly swept aside.
“Yihuan!”
Wei Zhao strode in.
Jiang Yihuan beamed.
“Wei Zhao! You’re back so early today? Ah… my face hurts a little.”
Seeing her swollen, reddened cheek, Wei Zhao’s expression darkened.
“The Fu siblings did this to you?”
“Mm. They wanted to take Zhiru’s money. I refused, so that big fool from the Fu family beat us.”
As she carefully recounted everything that had happened, Wei Zhao’s anger steadily mounted.
“If that idiot from the Fu family hadn’t cared about his sister… do you realize how badly you could’ve died? Was that little bit of money really worth risking your life for?”
“It’s not just the money!”
Jiang Yihuan protested earnestly.
“I planted a cherry tree back in my village. When the fruit ripened, the village head’s daughter forced me to guard it day and night so birds couldn’t peck at it, then made me pick all the perfect cherries for her to eat. I was furious! Those cherries were obviously mine!”
The maid stared in disbelief.
People actually bullied her like that?
Wei Zhao felt both heartbroken and amused.
“…Ahem. What does that have to do with the Fu siblings?”
“They look just like the village head’s son and daughter. Every person I hated back home seems to have someone who looks just like them here in the capital.”
Wei Zhao couldn’t help asking,
“What about the Fu family’s daughter? Did you stab her to death?”
“No. I only made her neck bleed a little. She cried like a ghost howling.”
“Besides your face, where else are you hurt?”
“The back of my head. And I banged my knee too. Look!”
She rolled up her trouser leg.
Wei Zhao instinctively wanted to look away, then silently cursed himself.
Why shouldn’t I look?
He gave it a quick glance.
Her knee was covered in dark bruises that stood out starkly against her snow-white skin.
His brows knitted together.
He hurriedly pulled her trouser leg back down.
“You’ve suffered today. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to report this to the authorities.”
“Will reporting it even help? The constables back in Wuzhou County only steal chickens and dogs. They never stand up for ordinary people. Crows are black everywhere.”
Wei Zhao looked at her.
“What if I personally report it?”
Jiang Yihuan paused before bursting into applause.
“Then it’ll definitely work! Back in Wuzhou, even the big water buffaloes stop eating grass whenever they hear your name!”
Wei Zhao ground his teeth.
…Is that supposed to be a compliment?
After hesitating for a while, Jiang Yihuan cautiously said,
“Zhu Xian was hurt pretty badly. I heard you already docked three months of her salary. I’ll just eat a little less. Please don’t deduct her wages, okay?”
Wei Zhao found that amusing.
“You eat my food, use my things, and now you want to interfere with how I manage my own subordinates?”
Jiang Yihuan immediately fell silent.
…That did seem rather unreasonable.
Someone quietly approached outside the window.
Wei Zhao instantly became alert.
“Who’s out there? Come out!”
The maid answered,
“It’s Miss.”
Wei Zhao pushed open the door.
Wei Zhilan stood outside awkwardly.
“Brother… it’s me.”
“What are you doing lurking outside the window?”
Clenching her fingertips, she said cautiously,
“Brother… send Jiang Yihuan away. She hasn’t even been here long, yet she’s already offended both the Pei family and the Fu family. She’s only bringing you trouble.”
Wei Zhao fixed her with a steady gaze.
“Do you believe only the aggressor has the right to use violence, while the victim isn’t allowed to fight back?”
“Brother, don’t you think Jiang Yihuan is only pretending to be innocent? She did all this on purpose! She’s making enemies for you everywhere. What good does it do you to offend so many people?”
Wei Zhao brushed his sleeve sharply.
“Whether it’s the Pei family or the Fu family, if I choose not to pursue the matter, they should be thanking their lucky stars.”
Wei Zhilan’s mouth tasted bitter.
Why wouldn’t her brother listen to reason?
That night, Jiang Yihuan’s cheek throbbed so badly that she couldn’t sleep.
She whimpered in bed.
“Where did Wei Zhao go? Go call him over to keep me company.”
The maids exchanged helpless glances.
“How would we dare ask where the General has gone? It seems he went out.”
Jiang Yihuan pounded the bed.
“Wei Zhao! Wei Zhao! Come keep me in line! I’m your prisoner!”
Wei Zhao’s voice suddenly sounded from outside the door.
“Little dummy, are you summoning ghosts?”
He pushed open the door.
In his hand was a small bamboo basket covered with fresh green leaves, beneath which bright red fruit peeked through.
Jiang Yihuan’s eyes lit up.
“Are those cherries?”
“Mm. Try them.”
The cherries were thin-skinned, plump, and brilliantly red.
She picked one and popped it into her mouth.
“…Mmm! They’re so fresh… and so sweet! No! I have to feed them to my favorite person.”
Wei Zhao snorted.
“They’re only a few cherries. You really have no ambition.”
He promptly clamped his mouth shut.
There was absolutely no way he was letting her feed him.