Before Jiang Wanning could even finish her sentence, Pei Yanchuan, his face flushing deep red, reached out and covered her mouth.
“A young lady should show more restraint,” he muttered.
Jiang Wanning took the opportunity to lean back into his embrace, stifling a laugh. “Isn’t it only because I’m in front of Your Highness that I dare to speak so bluntly?”
“Miss Jiang,” Pei Yanchuan’s tone turned somewhat serious.
Jiang Wanning straightened up. “Your Highness is still calling me ‘Miss Jiang’?”
“Ning… Ningning,” Pei Yanchuan began, “everything I told you that day was the truth. I fear I may not have long to live. Furthermore, the age gap between us is too wide. This Prince…”
“I’ve said it before,” Jiang Wanning interrupted. “With me, Jiang Wanning, here, even the King of Hell wouldn’t dare take your life. Besides, just a few days ago, the fifty-six-year-old Minister of War married a seventeen-year-old concubine. I don’t even mind you, this ‘old cow,’ yet you’re the one worried about me, a flower in full bloom.“
“That is different,” Pei Yanchuan countered.
“What’s different about it?” Jiang Wanning said, sounding a bit piqued. “Wasn’t this all caused by your ‘dear son’? Now that I am willing to marry you for the sake of both our families’ stability, I don’t even feel wronged—yet you’re the one feeling aggrieved first.”
Pei Yanchuan sensed her genuine annoyance. He paused, and the words at the tip of his tongue ultimately remained unsaid.
In truth, he dreamed of being with her—of being together through every lifetime. He remembered that chubby little girl who used to crawl through the dog hole every day to find him. She had watched someone else’s wedding and insisted he be her groom. Back then, a thirteen-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl had mimicked the adults, performing a marriage ceremony under a century-old ginkgo tree.
It was also that very night that his family was massacred. In the chaos, he escaped and was saved by the Grand Preceptor, who later recommended him to the Emperor (then the Crown Prince) to serve at the border.
That departure lasted ten years.
When he returned, her eyes were filled only with the image of his adopted son. For him, there was only respect and formality. But just as he was about to silently accept his fate, everything suddenly changed. Now, when she looked at him, her eyes were full of surprise, love, and even… a hint of heartache.
He wanted to hold her tightly and never let go. Over the past few days, his heart had been in a constant struggle, for he could not bear the thought of her becoming a widow because of him.
Seeing Pei Yanchuan lost in thought with an increasingly sorrowful expression, Jiang Wanning stopped teasing him. If she pushed too hard, it might arouse suspicion.
Pei Yanchuan eventually snapped back to reality. “Have you truly made up your mind?”
Jiang Wanning huffed and simply closed her eyes, refusing to acknowledge him.
Pei Yanchuan unfastened a token from his waist. “I overstepped just now. Take this as an apology.”
Only then did Jiang Wanning open her eyes. “Your Highness’s personal token?”
The black token was engraved with the words “Langya.” This was an item even Pei Anqing did not possess. In the Eastern Ling Kingdom, the Langya Prince’s token was virtually no different from an Imperial Pardon from the Emperor himself.
“With this token, if you ever cause trouble, it can hold the situation for a while. You can also enter and leave the Prince’s Manor and my study at will.”
Jiang Wanning had wanted to ask if she could enter his bedroom, but she bit her tongue and changed her phrasing at the last second. “Of course.”
“Every person and object in the Langya Manor is at your disposal,” he added. “No one will dare disobey you.”
He was essentially handing the entire manor over to her. Jiang Wanning accepted it graciously. She looked at Pei Yanchuan, wanting to warn him to watch out for Pei Anqing, but she didn’t know how to phrase it. After all, at this moment, she couldn’t reveal that she already knew Pei Anqing wasn’t his biological son, nor that Pei Yanchuan had never actually been married.
The carriage traveled slowly, arriving at the Marquis’s Manor an hour later.
Jiang Zheng, having heard that the Prince of Langya had accompanied them, came out personally to receive them. He stepped out only to see his daughter descending from the same carriage as the Prince. Behind them, the Heir, Pei Anqing, and a physician stepped down from a separate carriage.
Suppressing his surprise, Jiang Zheng stepped forward and bowed. “Your Highness. For such a small matter, I have troubled you to make the trip.”
“It is no matter,” Pei Yanchuan replied coolly.
“Father, we should hurry inside to see Second Sister,” Jiang Wanning said, her face now a mask of sisterly concern—a stark contrast to her composed demeanor just moments ago.
Jiang Zheng glanced at the Prince and gestured. “Your Highness, please.”
The group moved to the front hall. Since it was inconvenient for the men to enter the inner courtyard, Jiang Wanru was brought to the front hall instead.
“Doctor, please examine my sister carefully,” Jiang Wanning urged.
“Rest assured, Princess Consort,” replied Physician Qian. Having served in the Prince’s Manor for years and being a gift from the Emperor, he was naturally very respectful to Jiang Wanning, the future mistress of the house.
After taking her pulse, Physician Qian said, “Second Miss, please remove your veil.”
Jiang Wanru hesitated. “Doctor… this?”
Concubine Liu immediately stepped forward. “Master, Ru’er’s face is injured. With so many people here, I fear…”
“What is Auntie saying?” Jiang Wanning interjected. “Everyone here today is family. Besides, Sister is ill; there is nothing shameful about it.”
“Exactly,” the maid Shao Yao muttered in a voice just loud enough for everyone to hear. “It’s not like she hasn’t done shameful things before.”
“Shao Yao, do not be rude!” Madame Zhou scolded with a low voice, though the corners of her lips were twitching upward. She felt a surge of satisfaction. There were things she couldn’t say and Wanning couldn’t say, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t use someone else’s mouth. Though Shao Yao was young and less steady than Hai Tang, she knew how to read a situation. She only spoke because she had been given orders by Wanning.
“Mother, don’t be angry. This maid is clumsy with her words; she didn’t mean it that way,” Jiang Wanning played along. “Sister, quickly let the doctor look at you. Aside from our parents, only the Prince and the Heir are here. They aren’t outsiders.”
Jiang Wanru’s hands were clenched into fists inside her sleeves. It was exactly because Pei Anqing was there that she didn’t want to do it. If he saw her looking like a monster, her future would be…
Jiang Wanning sneered inwardly. That veil is coming off today whether you like it or not. If it weren’t to humiliate Jiang Wanru publicly, why would she have endured the disgust of inviting Pei Anqing along?
Jiang Wanning turned an urgent, concerned gaze toward Jiang Zheng.
“Ru’er, listen to your sister,” Jiang Zheng commanded immediately. “Your sister went to the Prince’s Manor personally late at night for your sake. Do not be difficult.”
“Father…” Jiang Wanru tried to protest, but seeing Jiang Zheng’s darkening expression, she fell silent.
“Second Miss,” Physician Qian added, “medicine requires observation. If you do not follow my instructions, I will be helpless to assist.”
Concubine Liu squeezed Jiang Wanru’s arm. “Ru’er, listen to your father.”
Reluctantly, Jiang Wanru slowly removed her veil. She turned her face away, pointedly avoiding Pei Anqing’s line of sight.
“Heir, Ru’er has suffered such a heavy injury; she must be heartbroken. Why don’t you step forward and offer her some comfort?” Jiang Wanning “kindly” suggested once more.
Under the pressure of Pei Yanchuan’s gaze, Pei Anqing had no choice but to step forward. With just one look, he jerked his head away, struggling to suppress the urge to retch. “Let… let Physician Qian examine her first.”
“My sister fell headfirst into horse manure,” Jiang Wanning added helpfully. “Because of her injuries, it was inconvenient for her to bathe, so she could only be wiped down. It’s normal for there to be a bit of a smell—I’m sure the Heir won’t mind.”
At that moment, Jiang Wanru wanted nothing more than to lunge forward and gag her sister.