Auntie Liu’s eyes darted around evasively before she resumed her weak, bitter lament. “Lord, it is all my fault. Ru’er feels she has wronged her eldest sister and is consumed by guilt. These past few days, she has been unable to eat or sleep well. She is constantly plagued by nightmares. I thought… I thought I would let her go to the temple to offer some incense,” Auntie Liu sobbed. “I am also supposed to be reflecting in seclusion, and I felt I had no face to meet the Madam, the Eldest Miss, or you, Lord. That is why I thought to let Ru’er sneak out quietly at night.”
“Auntie, you are muddled!” Before Jiang Zheng could speak, Jiang Wanning interjected with a soft, scolding tone. “If Second Sister goes out like this and something happens to her, what then?” Turning to Jiang Zheng with a face full of concern, she continued, “Father, she is my second sister after all. If her face isn’t treated soon, the delay might lead to permanent disfigurement. Since I am already the future Princess Consort of Langya, surely there is no harm in going to ask for a favor. I will go personally; it won’t take long.”
Jiang Zheng glanced at Jiang Wanru, who lay on the bed with a face so swollen it was unrecognizable. His heart suddenly softened. “See to Ru’er’s treatment first.”
“Thank you, Lord! Thank you!” Auntie Liu kowtowed repeatedly until, overwhelmed by emotion, she fainted.
Jiang Zheng immediately bent down and gathered her into his arms. “Wanning, it’s hard on you, but please make the trip.” With that, he carried Auntie Liu toward another room.
Madam Zhou’s hand, holding her handkerchief, tightened instinctively. Her tense body was suddenly touched by a small hand reaching for her waist. Madam Zhou startled and turned to look at Jiang Wanning.
Masking the disappointment and sorrow in her eyes, Madam Zhou said, “Wanning, Mother is a bit tired. I’ll head back to rest now.”
“I will walk you back.”
“You?” A flash of shock crossed Madam Zhou’s eyes. “Aren’t you going to the Prince’s manor to beg for a doctor?”
Jiang Wanning’s lips curled slightly as she whispered, “No rush. I’ll see Mother back first.”
Once they returned to Madam Zhou’s courtyard and Jiang Wanning explained everything, Madam Zhou finally realized the truth. “The reason you sent Haitang out that day… was to get a hornet’s nest?”
Jiang Wanning laughed. “What else? Mother didn’t actually think I was sincerely seeking medical help for her, did you? This is the capital; although Doctor Sun’s skills are indeed excellent, there are plenty of doctors who can treat minor wounds like these. The imperial physicians on duty can’t leave the palace, but there are always those who are off-duty.”
Madam Zhou suddenly understood. As the saying goes, “concern leads to confusion.” No one had thought of this, and Auntie Liu certainly hadn’t either.
“Then why are you going to the Prince’s manor?”
“Naturally, to ask for a doctor,” Jiang Wanning said. “However, the timing of that is entirely within my control. Just wait and see, Mother. By tomorrow morning, the ‘heroic’ tale of me seeking medical aid for my sister will spread throughout the entire capital.”
Madam Zhou nodded. “I thought you were just like your father…”
Jiang Wanning took Madam Zhou’s hand. “Mother, Father is indeed in the wrong. But that Auntie Liu… she used to make a living among crowds of men; she certainly understands men better than anyone. She has simply grasped Father’s temperament and used it to provoke you on purpose. Think about it—over all these years, although Father isn’t very good with words, has he ever stayed overnight in Bihe Courtyard even once since Auntie Liu entered the manor? Father’s feelings for her are nothing more than guilt. She always presents herself to him as someone who doesn’t blame him—someone tolerant, understanding, generous, and fearless. She is quick to admit fault, handling him with just the right touch. The more she does this, the more guilty Father feels, but beyond guilt, there is nothing else. Mother, do not let someone else’s petty tricks tear you and Father apart. Rather than letting her be smug in secret while you suffer, you should live your life freely. As long as it is a disguise, it will eventually be exposed. Even if it is a disguise, you must know: the better you are, the more uncomfortable she is. The more miserable you are, the happier she is. How can you let her have her way?”
Jiang Wanning’s words were like a sudden epiphany for Madam Zhou.
“Wanning,” Madam Zhou said, clutching her daughter’s hand tightly. “I have lived for so long, yet I am not as clear-headed as my own daughter.”
Jiang Wanning wore a smile, but her heart held a trace of bitterness. She was only clear-headed because she had lived an entire lifetime already. The Liu mother and daughter were too good at pretending—but who wasn’t? In this life, she would make them taste the feeling of suffering a loss in silence.
“Alright, Mother, you rest now.” Jiang Wanning patted her mother’s back. “Your daughter will be back shortly.”
After leaving Madam Zhou’s courtyard, Jiang Wanning returned to her own room and began to dress herself with meticulous care.
“Shaoyao, does this one look good?” Jiang Wanning put on a water-green long dress, spreading her arms and turning gently.
“Miss is beautiful; everything looks good on you,” Shaoyao replied. To fetch a doctor, her mistress had changed through eight sets of clothes. If one didn’t know better, they would think she was going to see a lover.
The Prince of Langya’s Manor
Pei Yanchuan closed his book, his eyelids lifting slightly. “Who did you say is here?”
“The future Princess Consort?” Mo Qing pointed toward the manor gates, looking mischievous. “The Eldest Miss Jiang. She looks quite anxious.”
Pei Yanchuan stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly behind him. But after taking a single step, he stopped. “Did she say what the matter is?”
Mo Qing shook his head. “She didn’t say, just that it was urgent and she begged to see you.”
“See me?” Pei Yanchuan paused. “Where is the Young Lord?”
“He went out at noon.”
Could it be that she regrets it? Has she come for Pei Anqing? An indescribable emotion surged in Pei Yanchuan’s heart. He feared she really wanted to break the engagement for Pei Anqing’s sake; he wanted to see her, yet dreaded it.
“Your Highness?”
Pei Yanchuan snapped back to reality. After a long silence, he said, “Bring her in.”
“Yes.”
“And have Mo Bai brought here first.”
Mo Qing was momentarily stunned, but then he nodded. “Yes!”
Jiang Wanning waited for a long time before Mo Qing came out to lead her inside. At the door of the study, he stopped Shaoyao. “The study is a restricted area. I must ask the future Princess Consort to enter alone.”
Jiang Wanning was quite pleased with the title “Princess Consort.” She replied with a smile, “Then please take my maid to get something to eat. She’s been busy all evening and is hungry.”
With that, she touched her hair to check her pins, smoothed her clothes once more, and pushed the door open.
Mo Qing looked at the plump Shaoyao. “As a young lady, you should pay a bit more attention to your figure.”
“Did I eat your family’s rice?” Shaoyao glared at him, shoved him aside, and sat down on the steps nearby.
Hearing the door open, Pei Yanchuan quickly lowered the hand that had been straightening his robes and picked up a book to read. He didn’t even look up. “It is so late. What could be so urgent? The Young Lord…”
Just as Jiang Wanning uttered the word “Young Lord,” a white tiger crawled out from under the desk, staring fiercely at her.
Jiang Wanning’s heart leaped with joy. She called out softly, “Mo Bai!”
In her past life, this white tiger raised by Pei Yanchuan—perhaps under his secret instructions—had been very close to her. Because Pei Anqing disliked it, she often took meat to Pei Yanchuan’s courtyard to play with Mo Bai. Later, Pei Anqing had killed the tiger for its meat and forced her to eat a piece of it.
Jiang Wanning wanted to reach out and stroke Mo Bai’s head. Her hand paused mid-air for a second, then she quickly put on a terrified expression.
“Your Highness, help!”