If not for that momentary stiffness, Jiang Yin might have almost believed that Shen Shouyu truly knew nothing about this matter.
Only now did she finally understand what it felt like to ask a question while already knowing the answer.
Because she had long been prepared, she answered without hesitation: “Lady Li did not mention it. A Yin was merely curious.”
“…”
Shen Shouyu chuckled softly and said calmly, “Minister Li holds a high position of power, and countless people seek to curry favor with him. His political views differ from Shen Fengzhi’s, so he would certainly not betroth his only daughter to a political opponent… It is only reasonable that this marriage did not come to fruition.”
…That is indeed true.
When Jiang Yin first read this novel, she had thought the same.
She nodded and rose from the couch with Shen Shouyu: “The young master speaks wisely.”
She had thought the topic would end there, but unexpectedly, Shen Shouyu suddenly circled back.
Standing on the footstool with his back to Jiang Yin, he tidied his appearance while asking casually, “Since A Yin is interested in Lady Li’s marriage, why not guess who the one who snatched away her beloved might be?”
“…”
Her heart skipped a beat, and Jiang Yin instinctively declined: “A Yin is ignorant and narrow-minded. How could she possibly know such things?”
“Has A Yin never suspected me?”
“…”
When overly nervous, people either freeze up, unable to utter a word, or speak impulsively, babbling nonsense.
Jiang Yin was usually the former.
But today, for some reason, she suddenly became enlightened.
Before her mind could even react, her mouth retorted: “Didn’t the young master say you would only marry me?”
“…Mm. Yes.”
It was clear that Shen Shouyu was also surprised she would say this.
He paused, turned back, and reached out to Jiang Yin, his expression softening considerably: “…If A Yin believes in me, I will naturally not disappoint her.”
“…”
It seemed she had passed the test.
Jiang Yin secretly wiped her sweaty palms before taking his hand, forcing a smile: “A Yin naturally believes in the young master.”
“Good A Yin.”
Shen Shouyu’s tone carried a rare hint of emotion beyond his usual composure. He clasped her hand, took a step toward her, and raised his other hand to stroke her hair, saying gently, “I will return late tonight. Rest early; there is no need to wait for me.”
“…What will the young master be doing?”
Normally, Jiang Yin would not ask such questions, but today, for some reason, the words slipped out.
Shen Shouyu did not seem to find it odd and replied candidly, “I am going to see Shen Fengzhi.”
Jiang Yin was taken aback: “…Huh?”
“After all, Shen Fengzhi and I are considered brothers.”
The hand on Jiang Yin’s head gently ruffled her hair before sliding down to brush her cheek with the back of his fingers.
A faint, indescribable hint of laughter surfaced in Shen Shouyu’s voice: “Now that he has suffered such a great change, how could I remain indifferent?”
“…Oh.”
Jiang Yin naturally understood what he meant, but since it had nothing to do with her, she saw no need to inquire further.
She proactively brushed aside the hair by her cheek, offering it for Shen Shouyu to touch with a somewhat ingratiating gesture, and added, “Lady Li invited me yesterday. May I return to the Li Residence to visit?”
Shen Shouyu’s expression remained unchanged: “Why did she invite you?”
“After all, we grew up together and spent over ten years in each other’s company—there must be some affection between us… Moreover, the young lady and Prince Qi only held mutual fondness; they never formally pledged themselves. She never blamed me for what happened in the past.”
—That much was true.
Because in the original story, Li Zhixin never blamed that maid either. She was merely disappointed by the male lead’s transgression.
However, Li Zhixin’s elder brother believed it was the maid’s restlessness that led the male lead astray, placing all the blame on her.
As the maid herself, Jiang Yin felt the fault should be shared equally between the two.
…Yet no one cared for her opinion.
Hearing Jiang Yin’s words, Shen Shouyu didn’t press further and readily agreed, “If A Yin is willing, you may go. From now on, there’s no need to ask me about such matters.”
“…Is the young master truly serious?”
“Why would I deceive A Yin?” Shen Shouyu withdrew his hand, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips. “All the restrictions before were only because I worried A Yin might be implicated and face danger because of me. Now that A Yin can take care of herself, I naturally won’t interfere with your freedom.”
“…”
Though unsure why he had become so lenient, for Jiang Yin, achieving her goal was what mattered.
She looked up at Shen Shouyu and said earnestly, “Thank you, young master.”
“…”
Perhaps reminded of something, after she spoke, Shen Shouyu withdrew the faint smile from his face.
He remained silent for a moment, ultimately saying nothing. He gently squeezed the prominent knuckles of her hand, released it, turned, lifted the gauze curtain, and walked out.
After a few steps, he paused and said leisurely, “The wedding attire is ready and will be delivered this afternoon. A Yin, try it on to see if it fits.”
“…Alright.”
If not for knowing that he and Li Zhixin had also set their wedding for the same day, Jiang Yin might almost have believed he truly intended to marry her.
But then again…
If he didn’t genuinely plan to marry her, why would he go to such lengths to prepare wedding attire for her?
To deceive her?
…What did she have that was worth his deception?
Jiang Yin felt momentarily bewildered again.
…
Lost in such wandering thoughts, she drifted off for a while.
By the time she refocused, Shen Shouyu was already gone.
The quiet, tidy room was left with only a wall of soft, clear sunlight and the lingering, delicate fragrance of flowers.
Jiang Yin took a deep breath, slowly opened the window, and sat down by the desk.
Like an NPC programmed to a script, Xinyue pushed the door open the moment Jiang Yin settled, presenting her with breakfast.
While arranging the dishes, she asked Jiang Yin, “Will the young lady return to the Li Residence today? And when?”
“…”
Considering it unlikely that Shen Shouyu hadn’t mentioned it at all, Jiang Yin nodded. “I will go, but there’s no rush. We’ll see in the afternoon… If we go too early, Lady Li probably won’t have time.”
—As far as Jiang Yin knew, Li Zhixin was a professional at sleeping in. In her world, mornings simply didn’t exist.
Back in her previous life in the real world, Jiang Yin’s world had also lacked mornings.
But ever since transmigrating into this unfortunate maid’s life, those good days were long gone.
…Sigh.
Hearing this, Xinyue didn’t ask further and simply agreed, “Very well. If the young lady has any instructions, just call for Xinyue.”
Jiang Yin nodded, then after a moment’s thought, shook her head. “You don’t need to wait around all day today. Sitting idle all day is truly dull. Fetch me some storybooks or miscellaneous journals instead.”
“Yes.”
Originally, she had intended this as a test, expecting Xinyue to refuse, but she hadn’t anticipated such a swift agreement.
Jiang Yin was genuinely somewhat surprised.
But she soon understood why this was the case.
—Before Xinyue left, she introduced another round-faced young maid to Jiang Yin.
She explained, “A Xiu and I are both maidservants serving the young master. When I am not here, you may simply give orders to A Xiu.”
“…”
Looking at Xinyue, then at the round-faced young maid, Jiang Yin struggled to maintain her composure and nodded, saying, “Alright.”
Perhaps because her sudden decision to send Xinyue away seemed too suspicious, after Xinyue left, A Xiu remained inside, kneeling by the table to attend to Jiang Yin.
Even when Jiang Yin asked her to leave, she would only step out briefly before returning with excuses like changing the hot tea or handling other trivial matters.
After this repeated several times, Jiang Yin felt utterly exhausted and simply let her be.
Just then, Yin Niang entered the room, carrying Jiang Yin’s servitude contract.