Before Concubine Liu could finish her sentence, Jiang Wanning pulled Jiang Wanru into a tight embrace. She reached into her left sleeve with her right hand and pinched herself hard, forcing out a few tears.
Sniffing, she choked out, “Silly sister, I’m just heartbroken for you.”
“It was just a flower. Those who know us would say we share a deep sisterly bond, but those who don’t might think I couldn’t tolerate you and was intentionally making things difficult for you.”
Jiang Wanru tried to break free from the embrace, but unexpectedly, Jiang Wanning’s arms tightened even further. Her father was a military man, so she had naturally practiced martial arts.
“My silly sister, you truly make my heart ache. Ever since we were young, every time you got hurt, it was because you took it upon yourself to help me. Every time afterward, you’d beg me for jewelry and hairpins. I don’t care about a room full of jewelry being given to you, but I care about you, sister.”
Upon hearing this, the onlookers’ perspective shifted.
So that was it. The Eldest Young Lady was simply worried about her concubine sister; she had slapped her out of sheer anxiety. It was like a mother who, seeing her naughty child in danger, would scold and discipline them harshly out of fear for their safety.
However, why did the words following that sound a bit… strange?
“Eldest… Eldest Young Lady, perhaps you should let go first,” said Mamma Zhang, Concubine Liu’s personal servant, standing to the side. “You’re holding her so tightly the Second Young Lady can hardly breathe.”
Jiang Wanning pretended not to hear, clinging to Jiang Wanru and crying loudly.
It would be best if she suffocated to death.
Seeing Jiang Wanru’s hands start to go limp, Mamma Zhang had no choice but to step forward and force the two apart. Jiang Wanru’s face was flushed a deep red, and she gasped for air in large gulps.
“Wanning,” Lady Zhou stepped forward distressed, wiping the tears from her daughter’s face. “Your father and I will handle this.”
Jiang Wanning looked at Lady Zhou’s once-exquisite face, which was now thin and sallow. In her previous life, she had assumed her mother’s health had simply never recovered after giving birth to her. Now she realized they had been using her own hands to poison her mother for a very long time.
Her parents and grandfather—the people she cherished—were all still alive.
And he… he was also still alive.
Jiang Wanning’s eyes were bloodshot, and for a moment, she couldn’t control herself and began to cry in earnest.
Pei Yanchuan hurriedly picked up the teacup beside him and lowered his head to drink. Why did this girl look at me and then start crying even harder? Am I really that terrifying?
Lady Zhou gently patted Jiang Wanning’s back. “Good child, stop crying for now.”
“Sister,” Jiang Wanru knelt on the floor, clutching her face and looking up at Jiang Wanning with a pitiful gaze. “I know you care for me.”
“Rest assured, Sister. Even though everything I did was for your sake, I will never make things difficult for you. Whether I shave my head and become a nun or simply die, I won’t burden you. I only want you to be happy.”
“You mustn’t!” As soon as Jiang Wanru finished, Concubine Liu was already kneeling in tears at the feet of Marquis Jiang Zheng. “Master, Ru’er is also your daughter. I only have this one child. Surely you can’t bear to watch her die?”
“Uncle, Aunt,” Pei Anqing spoke up, looking at Jiang Wanning. “Since Wanning is here, why don’t we hear what she has to say? Their sisterly bond is deep; I believe Wanning wouldn’t only care about her own happiness.”
Jiang Wanning sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she looked completely in agreement. “The Heir is right.”
“How could I only care for my own happiness? My sister did this for me, but this time, no amount of jewelry or hairpins can change the situation. Why doesn’t the Heir simply marry my sister?”
“Absolutely not!”
As soon as Jiang Wanning spoke, Pei Anqing and Jiang Wanru refused in unison.
“How could I steal Sister’s beloved? I would rather die than do such a thing.”
“Wanning, you know my heart only has room for you. It can never hold anyone else.”
Hmph.
As expected, it was just like the previous life.
“Oh. In that case, fine then.”
Pei Anqing had already prepared a set of words to continue his feigned refusal, thinking that if she begged him a few more times, he could “reluctantly” agree. But what was this? What did she mean by “fine then”?
Both were stunned.
“Father, Mother, I originally thought it might be best for Sister to marry into the household as an Equal Wife. But looking at it now, we shouldn’t force anyone against their will.”
Hearing the words “Equal Wife,” Lady Zhou wanted to speak up, but Jiang Wanning silenced her with a look.
“However, this entire matter was clearly a misunderstanding, and a human life is at stake. I believe there must be an honest family willing to accept my sister. Father, don’t you agree?”
“I’m sure the ladies and young misses present, as women themselves, understand the difficulties women face and won’t intentionally spread word of this accident, right?”
“Sister Wanning is right.”
“Yes, yes, it wasn’t a big deal to begin with. It would have been a bigger problem if the Heir hadn’t saved her.”
The crowd chimed in with agreement. Jiang Wanning’s words were a mix of garnering sympathy and subtle threats. The Marquis Mansion and the Prince of Langya’s Mansion were not entities they could afford to offend.
In truth, out of respect for the Marquis and the Prince, everyone would have kept quiet anyway. It was only because the Liu mother-and-daughter pair had made such a scene that the situation had become so difficult to resolve.
“Father, since that’s the case, I remember Wang the Butcher, who delivers meat to our mansion. He is honest and hardworking, quite good-looking too, and a steady man. Why don’t we take this opportunity to arrange a marriage for Sister with him?”
“Ru’er is a woman of noble status! How could she be matched with a butcher?” Concubine Liu cried out in panic.
“Concubine, I beg to differ,” Jiang Wanning said coldly. “Unless a family can trace their lineage back three generations without finding a commoner, everyone comes from humble beginnings. Even our Jiang family was built piece by piece by my grandfather and father. Weren’t you once a singing girl? Your status was far lower than that of an ordinary commoner. Have you been looked down upon once during your dozen years in this Marquis Mansion?”
“It’s a suitable match when a concubine marries ‘up,’ but unsuitable when a daughter marries ‘down’? Or does the Concubine truly want Sister to die?”
“If you hadn’t married Father, then based on your status, anyone coming from your womb would be climbing the social ladder just to marry a man like Wang the Butcher.”
Jiang Wanning slightly raised her voice. “I absolutely refuse to let my sister die, but the Concubine is her birth mother after all. If the Concubine insists on her death, it wouldn’t be proper for me to stop her…”
“I… I…” Concubine Liu was momentarily speechless.
“Father, Mother, if you think this is acceptable, I’ll have someone invite Zhang the Butcher over today to settle the marriage—”
“I am willing to marry the Heir!” Before Jiang Wanning could finish, Jiang Wanru shouted loudly, “I am willing to marry him!”
“I don’t want to see my mother heartbroken. Father, Mother, I am willing to marry the Heir as an Equal Wife. Father, Mother, Sister, please rest assured. After I marry, you and the Heir can treat me as a servant, as thin air. I will never appear before you.”
Jiang Wanning’s eyebrow twitched.
“Didn’t the Second Young Lady say she’d rather die? Why is it that the moment she hears about marrying a butcher, she immediately agrees to marry the Heir instead of insisting on death?”
“And why are you suddenly worried about your mother now? Weren’t you worried about her when you were threatening to kill yourself earlier?”
A woman’s angry, sharp voice came from outside. As the voice approached, a woman dressed in a light purple gown walked in.
The moment Jiang Wanning saw her, her heart was filled with a whirlwind of emotions. She didn’t have time to speak, but looked at Haitang behind her.
Haitang gave a slight nod.
While Jiang Wanning felt a sense of relief, her hatred deepened by another degree.