“If you don’t come over here right now, I’ll—”
“You’ll hit me, won’t you? Brother—!”
Wei Zhao walked over on his own and sighed.
“When people bullied you back in the countryside, did it hurt that much too?”
Tears welled up in Jiang Yihuan’s eyes.
“No matter how badly they bullied me, I’d only get angry. But if you’re even a little fierce with me… I get really sad.”
Wei Zhao froze, as if recalling something from the past. His voice softened.
“Alright. I won’t punish Zhu Xian. Why did you change your clothes? Where’s that brocade dress you were wearing?”
Jiang Yihuan told him about the errand Madam Wei had entrusted her with.
Wei Zhao let out a mocking laugh.
“So they’ve actually resorted to using Yihuan now? They really are getting desperate.”
“So… do you want me to help her?”
“I was only passing along her message. The decision is yours. If you don’t want to help the Old Madam, then she must have wronged you before. Repaying evil with kindness isn’t your style… and it isn’t mine either.”
Wei Zhao smiled.
“My grandmother didn’t give you a hard time, did she?”
Jiang Yihuan shook her head.
“Of course not.”
Madam Heng had even said that every time Jiang Yihuan opened her mouth, the Old Madam nearly suffered a heart attack.
“Wei Zhao, shall we sleep together tonight? I’ll only feel at ease if we do.”
Jiang Yihuan had clearly learned how to push her luck.
The corners of Wei Zhao’s lips twitched. He carried her onto the bed.
“Go to sleep. I still have work to do.”
Returning to the main hall, he summoned his deputy generals.
Deputy General Cao wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.
“General, where did you find such a beauty? She’s prettier than a fairy from a painting.”
Wei Zhao glanced at his neck.
“She’s Jiang Qianli’s younger sister—the same Jiang Qianli who nearly killed you.”
“What?!”
Deputy General Cao’s eyes widened.
“Impossible! General, you’ve got the wrong person! How could she possibly be Jiang Qianli’s sister?”
Wei Zhao scoffed.
“They’re alike in every possible way—especially those mouths of theirs that can drive people to death.”
“I don’t believe it. You’ve definitely mistaken her for someone else!”
“Believe it or not. Back to business. How are things in Jiangzhou? How long before we can take it?”
“It won’t be easy. The Crown Prince Zhangde once rebuilt Jiangzhou from the ground up. Ever since his death, Jiangzhou has opposed the imperial court and refused to submit.”
Jiangzhou was a major military province. Its terrain was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and its people were famously fierce. The court had never found an effective way to control it.
Their general already commanded the armies of seven provinces, yet he still intended to bring several more under his authority to further strengthen his position.
Wei Zhao tapped his fingers lightly.
“We’ll discuss it again tomorrow.”
Everyone chuckled.
The general couldn’t sit still anymore, could he?
Perhaps the next time they visited, they’d be drinking wedding wine.
Wei Zhao lifted Jiang Yihuan off the couch.
“Come on. I’m taking you back.”
Still half-asleep, Jiang Yihuan burrowed into his arms.
“Back where?”
“To the Wei Residence.”
When the two returned together, everyone at the Wei household was astonished.
Jiang Yihuan had actually managed to bring Wei Zhao home?
Madam Wei no longer put on airs. She personally came to greet him.
“Erlang, did Yihuan tell you?”
“She did.”
As he spoke, Wei Zhao gently untangled Jiang Yihuan’s hair, which was nearly coming loose.
“Then… what have you decided?”
“You sent her to ask me. How could I let her make the trip for nothing?”
“You mean… you’re willing to plead with the Crown Prince?”
“I am.”
“Good… good…”
Madam Wei was overjoyed.
“I didn’t raise you children in vain.”
At least her family’s honor before her maiden relatives had been preserved.
Jiang Yihuan looked reluctant.
“Old Madam… should I return the clothes and jewelry you gave me?”
The Old Madam had indeed wanted them back.
But with Wei Zhao standing right there, how could she possibly admit that?
“Keep them. I’ll send you more another day.”
Jiang Yihuan beamed.
“The Old Madam is so kind to me. Since I came here, this is the first time you’ve ever given me anything.”
The Old Madam was in too good a mood to argue.
“Yihuan, you’re unfamiliar with the capital. From now on, I’ll personally take you to social gatherings. Zhao’er is a man—he’s not nearly that attentive.”
Jiang Yihuan nodded.
“Wei Zhao, let’s go back to the courtyard.”
Wei Zhao stood and took her hand.
“Alright.”
Her silky black hair flowed to her waist, and her skirts blossomed like flowers as they swayed. The hem of her dress tangled with the edge of Wei Zhao’s black robe, leaving everyone staring blankly.
He truly doted on her.
She addressed him by his given name, yet he showed not the slightest annoyance.
Wei Zhao kept his promise.
That very night, he visited the Crown Prince and asked him to show mercy to the Old Madam’s grand-nephew.
“And how exactly does Grand Tutor Wei wish me to show mercy?”
the Crown Prince asked with a grin.
“Fifty strokes of the cane, a fine of one thousand taels of silver, and three years of corvée labor.”
“Huh?”
The Crown Prince laughed.
“That’s exactly the sentence I gave him in the first place. You were the one insisting on crippling both his hands. Now you’ve come full circle?”
“Break his spirit first. Punish his body afterward.”
The Crown Prince clapped his hands.
“Brilliant! Your cousin heard his hands were going to be crippled and actually lost control of both his bladder and bowels. He wailed in prison all night.”
Wei Zhao laughed.
“So timid, yet he still dared offend Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince studied him thoughtfully.
Everyone said Wei Zhao was ruthless and merciless.
Yet the Crown Prince genuinely liked him.
Wei Zhao’s military talent was unmatched. He had always protected the Crown Prince, placing himself between danger and the heir to the throne whenever trouble arose.
The Emperor repeatedly warned him to guard against Wei Zhao.
But he refused to listen.
Why live in constant suspicion?
The former Crown Prince Zhangde—a genius without equal—had been driven to death by the Emperor Emeritus’s distrust.
He had no intention of repeating that tragedy.
The weather was somewhat warm that day.
Jiang Yihuan sat in the courtyard, sewing a man’s robe.
Zhu Xian brought her a bowl of bird’s nest soup.
“Miss, who are you making that for?”
“My brother.”
She smiled softly.
“I dreamed about him. He told me to wait for him. He said he’d come back for me.”
She bit off the thread with her teeth.
Just then, one of Madam Wei’s maids arrived.
“Greetings, Miss Jiang. The Old Madam requests that you prepare yourself. Tomorrow she’ll be taking you to Minister Wang’s Biluo Banquet.”
“Biluo Banquet? What’s biluo?”
“It’s a stuffed flatbread. Every household brings one kind to the banquet. The host family will prepare cherry-filled ones.”
“Really? I’ll go! I’ll definitely go!”
Jiang Yihuan swallowed eagerly.
On the way there, Madam Wei reminded her,
“Yihuan, once we’re at the Wang residence, don’t speak carelessly. You’ll only make people laugh.”
“I know! Don’t worry, Old Madam. I’ll bring honor to you!”
The Old Madam cursed inwardly.
You don’t know a thing. Just don’t embarrass me.
“Old Madam, why didn’t you bring Zhiru and Zhilan?”
“They’d only cause trouble for you. These old bones of mine can’t handle any more chaos.”
Truthfully, she simply couldn’t be bothered bringing her two granddaughters.
They were useless and constantly invited trouble.
When they arrived at the Wang residence, Jiang Yihuan whispered,
“Old Madam, their house is much smaller. They even have neighbors next door.”
The Old Madam proudly replied,
“How could the Wang family compare to the Wei family? Zhao’er is incredibly capable.”
Wei Zhao had paid double the market price to buy out every neighboring house on Qingyun Street, allowing the Wei family to occupy the entire street by themselves.
Madam Wang welcomed them inside.
The moment she saw Jiang Yihuan, her eyes lit up.
“What a beautiful young lady. And she is…?”
“This is Zhao’er’s beloved.”
Madam Wei answered.
Jiang Yihuan curtsied politely.
“Madam, I’m Jiang Qianli’s younger sister. Wei Zhao has been taking care of me.”
Madam Wang tightened her handkerchief.
Her husband had mentioned Jiang Qianli before.
What a pitiful girl—to have fallen into the hands of her brother’s greatest enemy.
Seeing how lovely and innocent she looked, Madam Wang couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
She called over her eldest daughter.
“Take Miss Jiang around. Don’t let her sit here bored with us old women.”
Jiang Yihuan answered earnestly,
“Madam isn’t old at all. You’re like the peonies blooming in the garden.”
As for the Old Madam…
“You’re like the black chrysanthemums kept by the village schoolteacher.”
Madam Wang burst into laughter.
“Oh my, you’re absolutely adorable. With you keeping Madam Wei company, she must laugh every single day.”
Madam Wei clutched her chest, her teeth aching with forced laughter.
“…That’s right. I treasure this child most of all. Everyone finds her lovable.”
Miss Wang covered her smile with her lips and led Jiang Yihuan away.
She brought her to Lingxiao Hall, where all the young ladies had gathered.
Jiang Yihuan immediately spotted Pei Nianfang and greeted her enthusiastically.
“Nianfang!”
Pei Nianfang’s face twitched, but she forced a smile.
“Yihuan… you’re here too.”
A girl beside her, aware of their previous conflict, whispered,
“Didn’t you say that the next time you saw her, you’d teach her a proper lesson?”