…Everything handled?
Handled what?
Jiang Yin’s attention was briefly drawn away by the young master’s words, but before she could figure out what he meant, his next words pulled her back.
“Undress.”
This time, she did not refuse, but cautiously asked her question: “What does the young master mean by ‘everything’?”
“A Zhuo.”
“……Huh?”
“Call me A Zhuo.”
“……”
Jiang Yin pursed her lips, watching as his hand slid up from her waist, finding the bruised and broken skin beneath her chest, and gently dabbed it with fingers dipped in cool medicinal liquid.
The mix of pain and itchiness made her tense up silently. She replied, “Yes.”
“Say it, A Zhuo.”
“……A Zhuo.”
“Does it hurt?”
“No.”
“You’re lying.”
“……”
Jiang Yin looked up at the person before her. In the side light of the candle stand, his face was a play of light and shadow, still expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger.
She felt inexplicably guilty. “A Yin did not.”
“If it doesn’t hurt, why are you trembling?”
“I…”
“You tell too many lies, A Yin,” the other said calmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt. “Lying to others may be wise, but not to me. You must change this.”
“……Yes.”
“Don’t say ‘yes.’ Don’t always see yourself as a servant. This, too, must change.”
“……Alright.”
“I heard you used to be a companion to the young lady of the Li family, so you must have learned etiquette… How well did you learn?”
Jiang Yin thought for a moment and answered truthfully, “Enough to handle daily interactions.”
“Not enough. You must learn more.”
“……Alright.”
“In a few days, I will bring a tutor to teach you. Learn more, ask more. As my principal wife, you may not need to be literate, but you must be dignified and never show timidity.”
“……”
Jiang Yin’s heart trembled, and she stumbled over her words to confirm: “Prin… principal wife?”
The young master remained composed, with no hint of pretense. “Whether as ruler and subject or as husband and wife, one should remain faithful to the end. I only need one principal wife who can share the burden of the family with me. I will not take concubines.”
“……”
It was rare to hear such words in such a setting, but unfortunately…
Jiang Yin glanced at him cautiously before replying, “A Yin understands.”
The young master nodded and continued, “Since you understand, you should know that your responsibilities are no less than anyone else’s. I need heirs, but your current health is not suitable for bearing children. Starting today, your meals will be arranged by me… Do you have any dietary restrictions?”
“……No.”
…Just after praising him, he turns around and wants to control her again. Truly unpredictable.
Jiang Yin turned her face away, looking at the candle stand on the table, feeling restless inside.
The candle stand had not been replaced for a long time, and the candle was now only a small stub. The dim light made the atmosphere even more oppressive.
…At least, at least it’s only temporary.
“You must have restrictions,” the young master rejected her answer. “If you want others to respect you, you cannot be too accommodating. You may not have preferences, but you must have aversions, to ensure others are cautious in their words and actions around you.”
“……Yes.”
The young master corrected her again. “Don’t say ‘yes.’”
“……Alright.”
“Since you have no restrictions, then follow mine: avoid spicy foods, sweets, all cakes, porridges, and poultry.”
Jiang Yin bit her lip, offering a small resistance. “I like sweets.”
“Alright,” the young master dipped his fingers in the medicine again and applied it to her wound, his tone calm. “I’ll remember that.”
“……”
“I know you dislike being restrained, A Yin,” he continued before Jiang Yin could respond, “but earning my money is no easy task either. Every word and phrase I speak today, you must remember firmly and act upon with caution. Understand?”
Jiang Yin took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in her voice. “…Mm.”
“Why so tense? Relax.”
“…”
With her robes half-open, trapped in an indecent posture between the desk and the young master, Jiang Yin already felt as if sitting on pins and needles.
Coupled with several nearly forceful demands and the constant throbbing pain from her injuries, she truly found it hard to breathe.
Without considering the consequences, Jiang Yin grasped the young master’s hand and struggled to rise. “It hurts… A Yin is unwell. Please allow A Yin to rest for a moment… I apologize.”
“…”
Jiang Yin could sense that ever since she returned with the medicine, the young master’s mood had been rather poor.
She had thought such a blatant refusal would provoke even greater displeasure from him.
Unexpectedly, the young master said nothing and did not stop Jiang Yin. Instead, he silently leaned back slightly, allowing her to leave more easily.
…This made Jiang Yin seem overly sensitive and fragile in spirit.
Feeling somewhat ashamed, her initial desire to escape diminished somewhat.
After all, it was she who had initiated the provocation… Now, acting so timidly seemed somewhat hypocritical.
Yet, just moments ago, she had genuinely felt unwell…
Forget it… It’s only a few days. Endure it and it will pass.
Silently glancing at the young master, who had set down the medicine bottle and picked up a silk handkerchief to wipe his hands, Jiang Yin hesitated before kneeling back down.
However, before she could figure out how to speak, a sudden wave of dizziness interrupted her thoughts.
With no time to brace herself, darkness enveloped her vision almost instantly, and she collapsed uncontrollably.
“…”
…
As expected, upon hearing the dull thud of the person beside him falling, Shen Shouyu lowered his gaze to his fingers, his expression unreadable.
He continued his movements, wiping the medicinal residue from each finger one by one before setting aside the silk handkerchief.
The room fell into dead silence. The candle on the stand was nearly spent, casting dim light.
After a moment of silence, Shen Shouyu’s face remained cold and stern as he watched the remaining stub of the candle gradually extinguish.
Only when the residual warmth of the candleholder faded, and moonlight spilled through the window lattice, filling the room with a silvery frost, did he turn his head. His gaze lingered on the slender ankles of the person lying on the floor, unmoving for a long time.
…
When Jiang Yin awoke again, three days had already passed.
She learned of this because the young maid who brought her lunch also delivered a bowl of Laba porridge.
Yet she distinctly remembered that the day she fainted was the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month.
After a dazed moment, Jiang Yin asked the young maid, “Did the young master tell you why I was unconscious for so long?”
The young maid nodded earnestly. “The young master said that Miss’s body is depleted and her energy insufficient, which is why she fainted. As long as she takes the medicine according to the doctor’s instructions, she will recover.”
“…”
…She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but Jiang Yin had a vague feeling that things were gradually unfolding in a direction beyond her expectations.
After lunch, having pondered alone for a long time, she finally resolved to leave as soon as possible, before the young master returned.
Silently tucking the thousand-tael banknote into her bosom, Jiang Yin realized she had no clothes to wear.
But such a small matter would not stump her.
After randomly tearing off a few pieces of bed curtain and piecing them together, she soon fashioned herself a set of clothes.
Turning around in front of the mirror, she found it quite beautiful and couldn’t help feeling pleased with herself.
Yet, just as she was happily about to push the door open to leave, she discovered the door was locked.
“…”
Only then did Jiang Yin remember that she had promised the young master she would not go out for the next few days.
But now…
After standing there dazed for a while, still unable to make up her mind, Jiang Yin felt somewhat dejected.
Just as she was thinking of waiting a bit longer before deciding, suddenly, she heard a familiar voice: “Coming, coming! Stop rushing!”
The voice grew closer and closer, heading in her direction.
With her mind tangled in countless thoughts, the desire to leave ultimately prevailed. Without further hesitation, Jiang Yin quickly stood up, desperately pounding on the door and shouting loudly, “Help! Murder! Murder! Help!”
As expected, this trick worked quite effectively.
The footsteps passing by outside stopped, and then the familiar female voice asked, “What’s going on here?”