Xie Yuzhao’s face abruptly turned cold.
He knew the relationship between Jiang Shuangyuan and Jiang Yitang, and that the two had never gotten along.
With just a brief statement from Jiang Yitang, Xie Yuzhao could already guess what had happened.
Scenes from his past life with the woman flashed through his mind—especially the image of her miserable, disheveled death, her fingers broken one by one. In his midnight dreams, Xie Yuzhao would always think of her.
The Shangshu Fu claimed she had committed self-execution to atone.
Xie Yuzhao did not believe a single word of it.
Jiang Yitang had always clung to life, even fearing suffering. After his downfall, she had eagerly severed ties with him—how could she have dared to seek death?
The people of the Shangshu Fu could not withstand interrogation, and someone described in detail the scene of the woman’s tragic death.
Each moment replayed vividly before his eyes as if it were real.
Even in death, she should not have been so disgraced. How much of it was due to Jiang Shuangyuan’s personal malice, only Jiang Shuangyuan herself knew.
Xie Yuzhao’s gaze was terrifyingly icy, until the woman’s faint sobbing pulled his thoughts back. He wanted to reach out and wipe her tears, but his eyes fell on the red rash on his wrist. His outstretched hand froze mid-air, and in the end, Xie Yuzhao withdrew it.
The kitchen prepared a simple lunch of three dishes and a soup, modest compared to the meals in the Eastern Palace, but more than enough for Xie Yuzhao alone.
Xie Yuzhao struggled to sit up.
Jiang Yitang looked up at him blankly. Xie Yuzhao divided the food into two portions, handing one to her and saying softly:
“Go eat outside.”
Jiang Yitang sniffled and glanced at the remaining dishes in the food box.
The portion given to her consisted of all her favorites. For the braised fish, Xie Yuzhao had deliberately picked out the tenderest meat from the belly for her.
Jiang Yitang didn’t question it. Xie Yuzhao had always been perceptive, and it was only natural that he would know her preferences after observing her these past few days.
She bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then took the bowl.
“I’ll only eat a little.”
With that, she quickly transferred more than half of the fish from her bowl back to his, then took her bowl and chopsticks and hurried behind the screen.
Xie Yuzhao’s movements were limited, so Jiang Yitang didn’t have time to eat slowly.
She ate in large mouthfuls, carefully picking out the fish bones before stuffing the meat into her mouth. Her cheeks bulged, and the strain made them ache slightly. Unconcerned, she lowered her head and, in less than a quarter of an hour, swallowed the last bite of rice. Sniffling, she turned and stepped back around the screen.
As soon as she entered, Jiang Yitang froze.
Unlike her, Xie Yuzhao sat with his head slightly bowed, holding a bowl in one hand and wooden chopsticks in the other. Every movement was flawless, as if a ruler were supervising his etiquette—completely different from her.
The Shangshu Fu was also a household of high officials and nobility.
Even though her stepmother disliked her, she could not be raised with a petty demeanor. Jiang Yitang had studied etiquette for a time with palace matrons.
Of course, the focus of those etiquette matrons’ teachings was Jiang Anfu and Jiang Shuangyuan. She and Jiang Yanzhen were merely included incidentally.
Even so, Jiang Yitang’s etiquette was proper, at least not something to be ashamed of.
But compared to Xie Yuzhao, it was like heaven and earth. Even Jiang Anfu, whose etiquette was the most refined in the household, could not match Xie Yuzhao. Perhaps environment truly shapes a person, for in Xie Yuzhao’s every gesture and movement, there was an indescribable nobility.
Jiang Yitang suddenly remembered Chu Liqiu’s words from her past life: she was not worthy of Xie Yuzhao.
At the time, she had not refuted it, nor did she think Chu Liqiu was right. But now, she felt a twinge of shame.
Were it not for their recent entanglement, given her status, she wouldn't even have the right to cross paths with Xie Yuzhao.
No wonder so many people in her past life said she was just lucky.
Hearing movement, Xie Yuzhao looked up just in time to see the young girl, lost in some thought, pouting sadly.
Xie Yuzhao, puzzled, beckoned to her:
"A Li, come here."
Jiang Yitang trudged over to him dejectedly.
Xie Yuzhao reached out, brushing lightly past the corner of her mouth, as gentle as a passing breeze.
Jiang Yitang looked up in confusion, and when she saw a grain of white rice on Xie Yuzhao's hand, it felt as if a fire had ignited within her, burning her cheeks crimson. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, she abandoned her wandering thoughts and hastily wiped her face all over.
Before Xie Yuzhao could speak, she covered her cheeks with her hands, not daring to show her face, and mumbled:
"D-don't look!"
Xie Yuzhao couldn't help but curl the corner of his lips:
"Don't smother yourself."
Jiang Yitang protested inwardly—was she really that foolish?
But she didn't dare say it aloud. Muttering, she lowered her hands, avoiding Xie Yuzhao's gaze, and snatched the bowl from his hands, covering up:
"The medicine is going to get cold. Let me feed you first, then you have to take your medicine later!"
Her ears flushed red with embarrassment. Xie Yuzhao didn't cruelly continue the topic, lowering his head to follow her lead.
Seeing this, Jiang Yitang quietly sighed in relief.
Jiang Yitang had always been talkative before, but today, even after feeding Xie Yuzhao his medicine, she remained too embarrassed to speak.
At noon, she wiped Xie Yuzhao's body once more.
By the time Xie Yuzhao was back in bed, Jiang Yitang was nearly exhausted. Panting, she slumped weakly by the bedside. After catching her breath, she forgot her earlier embarrassment and whispered:
"I'm going back to Song'an Yuan for a bit. I'll come again later."
She couldn't possibly spend the entire day at Songrong Courtyard, and besides, she needed to return to Song'an Yuan to confirm something.
On her way back to Song'an Yuan, Jiang Yitang took a detour to the rockery.
She didn't see any food box nearby.
As expected, the claim that lunch would be sent to San Gu Niang once things were settled was just an excuse.
Jiang Yitang turned back to Song'an Yuan expressionlessly.
She had brought the oil-paper umbrella back with her. Qing Su had been waiting for her for a long time and hurried over as soon as she saw her. Jiang Yitang handed her the umbrella and suddenly asked:
"Did the kitchen send lunch?"
Qing Su paused.
Jiang Yitang's heart instantly turned cold.
As expected—if they wouldn't even give her lunch, how could they prepare meals for the servants of Song'an Yuan?
Qing Su clearly knew about what had happened at noon. The second young lady had been making things difficult for her mistress for quite some time, and there was no one in the manor who would stand up for her.
If they just endured it, once the second young lady forgot about the matter, the kitchen would naturally resume sending meals.
Qing Su forced a lighthearted smile for her mistress:
"Don't worry, miss. There are still plenty of pastries in the courtyard! It's just a pity for you—I saved some pastries for you in the room, waiting for your return."
Pastries.
Song'an Yuan's pastry rations had always been scarce. It was a pleasant surprise if the kitchen sent them even once every three days. If Jiang Yitang remembered correctly, the last time the kitchen sent pastries was two days ago.
It was only July, with the scorching sun blazing and temperatures unbearably hot. Pastries from two days ago had likely already spoiled.
Jiang Yitang's nose tingled with a sudden sourness. She turned her head away, discreetly wiping away a tear, and asked in a choked voice:
"What about Dong'er?"
Qing Su replied, "Don't worry, miss. I already sent some to Dong'er earlier."
Jiang Yitang was a proper mistress, yet even her portion of pastries was limited. For a lowly maid like Dong'er, pastries were a rare treat in daily life. Though she had missed a meal, receiving a plate of pastries still lifted her spirits considerably.
After washing herself with warm water, Jiang Yitang went to check the pastries Qing Su had saved for her.
A full plate remained.
The kitchen typically delivered only two or three plates at a time.
Over the past two days, she had eaten some, and with the portion sent to Dong'er, it wasn’t hard for Jiang Yitang to guess that Qing Su hadn’t eaten any at all!
Jiang Yitang picked up a pastry. It still tasted good and hadn’t spoiled. Her expression softened slightly as she handed the plate directly to Qing Su.
Qing Su was startled, her eyes widening:
"Miss! What are you doing?!"
Ignoring her surprise, Jiang Yitang pushed it toward her. "I already had lunch at Songrong Courtyard. You eat these."
Qing Su tried to protest, but Jiang Yitang cut her off, lowering her gaze and speaking softly:
"I know you haven’t eaten."
"The kitchen wouldn’t dare neglect Songrong Courtyard. I won’t go hungry there. But you—if you keep saving everything for me, what will happen if you fall ill?"
"You’re all I have left."
All of Qing Su’s objections were silenced by her mistress’s final words.
She opened her mouth, her throat dry.
Indeed, ever since Concubine Song passed away, it had been just her and the young mistress relying on each other.
Dong'er was a maid who had entered the mansion only two years ago and was later assigned to Song'an Yuan as a lowly servant. Strictly speaking, Dong'er didn’t truly belong to Song'an Yuan.
Qing Su took the plate. Having gone a full day without eating, she was ravenous. As she took a bite of the pastry, its sweet flavor filled her mouth, momentarily overshadowing the ache spreading in her heart.
Jiang Yitang breathed a sigh of relief. She had known that if she didn’t return, Qing Su would surely save food for her.
With the matter settled, Jiang Yitang stayed in Song'an Yuan for another hour before leaving with Qing Su.
When they reached the rockery, they saw two food boxes placed at its base. Both of them relaxed their tense shoulders simultaneously.
Jiang Yitang picked up one of the food boxes and told Qing Su to take the other back:
"Dong'er is timid. She was probably frightened by what happened at noon. If you bring the food box back, it’ll help put her at ease."
Qing Su snorted lightly. "Miss, you’re too kind-hearted."
Though she muttered, Qing Su didn’t argue with Jiang Yitang.
Dong'er wasn’t a bad person—just timid and afraid of getting involved, which made her seem overly cautious. Still, she always kept to her duties. If Qing Su truly disliked her, she wouldn’t have sent her a plate of pastries earlier that day.
Jiang Yitang carried the food box to Songrong Courtyard as usual, but as soon as she entered the courtyard, she sensed something was off.
She glanced at the door—it was slightly ajar, leaving a narrow gap.
Jiang Yitang frowned abruptly. Xie Yuzhao couldn’t be exposed to drafts now, so she always made sure to close the door and windows tightly whenever she entered or left.
Had someone come?
Yet the courtyard was eerily quiet, showing no signs of anyone’s presence.
A sinking feeling gripped Jiang Yitang’s heart. In her past life, she had spent considerable time with Xie Yuzhao and knew well that danger often lurked around him.
Not daring to dwell on it, she hurriedly pushed the door open.
"Creak—"
Jiang Yitang collided head-on with the person emerging from inside. The newcomer wore a neat, clean gray-green robe and had a baby face—a typically approachable appearance. However, with his stern expression and hair tied back, he seemed rather unapproachable.
Jiang Yitang froze on the spot, her eyes wide with shock.
She recognized the person!
Wei Li!
Xie Yuzhao’s trusted confidant.
Jiang Yitang was very familiar with him and recognized him at a glance. But shouldn’t Wei Li have appeared alongside the second imperial decree?
Something felt off to Jiang Yitang, yet she felt she had finally understood why there had been that decree reprimanding the old lady in her previous life.
After all, with the person involved lodging a complaint, the old lady’s reprimand was hardly unjust.
Wei Li glanced at the food box in Jiang Yitang’s hand, then took in her delicate and beautiful features. Recalling Dianxia’s earlier words, his expression turned somewhat peculiar.
The young woman before him had slender, slightly arched eyebrows and clear, innocent almond-shaped eyes that easily evoked sympathy. Yet, no matter how striking her appearance, one couldn’t overlook her youthful face and slightly immature figure and demeanor—clearly not yet of Jiji age.
Seeing the young woman seemingly frightened, Wei Li suppressed his odd feelings, bowed his head, and clasped his hands in greeting:
“Miss Jiang, Dianxia is waiting for you.”