Chарtеr 5: Jiаng Хun Really Rаisеd Her Wеll
Qing He immеdiаtеlу lооked uр, his еуеs filled with astоnishment.
Had he hеаrd cоrrесtlу?!
Jiаng Xun аlsо liftеd his gaze аt thаt momеnt, looking towаrd Shen Мingshu.
The servаnt who hаd reроrted the mеssage stoоd thеrе dumbfоunded, wondеring if hе hаd mishеard.
Thаt was Gеneral Хiao, аfter all. In thе past, whenеvеr thе Seсоnd Young Miss heаrd he hаd сome, shе would alwаys bе еаger tо rush straight to thе gate.
Sееing thаt he still hadn’t moved, Shen Mingshu’s prettу fаce tightened. “I sаid, I wоn’t see him. Tеll him tо leave.”
Only then did the servant snap back to his senses and hurriedly replied, “Yes, Second Young Miss.”
After he left, the room fell into silence for a moment.
Shen Mingshu, however, acted as if nothing had happened. She picked up her chopsticks again, selected a piece of soft, tender tofu, and placed it in Jiang Xun’s bowl, saying sweetly, “Elder Brother, have some more.”
What did Xiao Zheng matter! In her previous life, she had been blind!
If she jumped into the same fire pit again in this life, she would truly be beyond foolish!
Outside the mansion.
Xiao Zheng stood at the foot of the stone steps, his figure tall and straight, dressed in a black, gold-woven, narrow-sleeved martial robe.
Though only eighteen years old, his bone structure was exceptionally fine, his eyebrows thick but not unruly.
When he heard the servant’s reply, he was incredulous. “What did you say?”
“She said she won’t see me?”
The servant felt his heart tighten under Xiao Zheng’s gaze and could only steel himself to repeat the message. “The Second Young Miss indeed said she will not see you.”
“Impossible.” Xiao Zheng scoffed. “She couldn’t possibly refuse to see me.”
“This servant did not mishear. The Second Young Miss even said it twice.”
The smile on Xiao Zheng’s face froze.
Yesterday, he had also heard that Shen Mingshu had encountered some trouble at the banquet and was feeling unwell.
At the time, he had intended to visit her, but on the way, he ran into Lin Qingyan.
She had sprained her ankle and was crying pitifully, so he had no choice but to accompany her back to her residence, temporarily unable to attend to Shen Mingshu.
Could Shen Mingshu really be angry over such a trivial matter?
Feeling irritated, he said, “Since she won’t see me, then so be it.”
With Shen Mingshu’s temperament, she wouldn’t be able to hold out for more than a few days before obediently coming to find him.
He turned and mounted his horse. The sound of hooves clattered on the bluestone pavement, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Shen Mansion, Little Round Studio.
Shen Mingshu had just finished bathing and changed into a light pink gauze gown. Her hair was half-damp, accentuating the soft, slender lines of her shoulders and neck.
Chun Xing stood beside her, carefully wringing out her hair.
“Have you found out? Who drugged me?”
Chun Xing replied in a low voice, “The Fourth Prince has detained and interrogated all the servants and maids who were at the banquet that day. But there were simply too many attendees, most of them nobles. The investigation is still ongoing, and there are no leads for now.”
Shen Mingshu pondered.
Because of Jiang Xun, the Shen family’s reputation in the capital was not low. Whoever dared to target her must have considerable audacity, likely not an ordinary noble.
After finishing her medicine, Xiao Tang took the porcelain cup. “Miss, would you like to practice painting for a while? The new pigments delivered today are already arranged on the painting table.”
Shen Mingshu glanced sideways. Indeed, several gilded lacquer boxes were neatly placed on the table. Though the lids were still closed, she could faintly catch the crisp, mineral-like scent.
The pigments she used were all ground from rare gemstones like jade, coral, and lapis lazuli. Their colors were rich and long-lasting, remaining vibrant on silk or paper for centuries without fading.
“These were all delivered this morning,” Xiao Tang said.
Shen Mingshu gazed at the pigments, lost in thought.
In her previous life, after marrying into the Xiao family, when she wanted to paint, Xiao Zheng’s mother had refused, saying the pigments were too expensive and unwilling to buy them for her.
From childhood to adulthood, she had almost never handled money herself. Her clothing, food, shelter, and daily necessities were all arranged by Jiang Xun.Only then did she realize that the pigments she used daily were so precious.
Jiang Xun had protected and raised her, yet he was most strict when it came to her studies.
She began learning painting at the age of five, required to paint for two full hours every day before she could return to her room. For a young child, those two hours were pure torment.
Yet it was precisely this day-after-day refinement that forged her extraordinary skill in painting, making her one of the finest in the capital.
Besides painting, she also learned dance, the qin, and chess, excelling in each.
Only now did she realize that all her talents were because of Jiang Xun.
Jiang Xun truly raised her well.
Suddenly, the image from her past life surfaced in her mind—Jiang Xun lying dead in the snowy night…
She did not know who had killed him.
Even more unimaginable was how someone could have killed Jiang Xun, a man so intelligent.
Shen Mingshu bit her lip. In her past life, she had never paid much attention to court affairs and knew very little about them.
After marriage, she was trapped in the Xiao household, completely in the dark about the outside world.
This matter… she needed to find an opportunity to tell Jiang Xun, so he could take precautions early.
Shen Mingshu turned and asked the maid beside her, “What pastries does my brother usually like to eat?”
Chun Xing and Xiao Tang were taken aback, exchanging a glance, momentarily unable to answer.
They truly did not know.
After all, the young lady had never shown concern for Master Jiang’s affairs.
The next day, outside the Listening-to-Pines Pavilion, night had already fallen.
Lanterns in the courtyard had just been lit, their warm yellow light filtering through carved windows to spill onto the stone steps. A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
She wore a light green silk dress, her hair simply tied up with a jade hairpin, appearing even more serene and ethereal under the lantern light.
The guard at the door caught sight of a woman approaching and his expression immediately darkened.
Women rarely appeared in their courtyard.
The only female resident in the mansion was the Second Young Lady, but she had never come to seek out their master on her own!
If it wasn’t the Second Young Lady, then it must be some bold maid!
After all, such incidents had happened before, though there had been none in recent years. Who could be so daring today?
The guard scolded in a low voice, “Which courtyard are you from? How dare you come here?”
The woman did not stop her steps. She raised her eyes to glance at him, her gentle gaze like autumn water in the night under the lantern light.
When the guard saw her face clearly, his expression changed instantly. He trembled and quickly knelt.
“Second Young Lady! This humble servant is blind and did not recognize you. I beg for your forgiveness!”