Jiang Suihuan sat down leisurely with her arms crossed, raising an elegant eyebrow. “Old General Zhen Yuan is known for his integrity and uprightness. Who would have thought his granddaughter would be such a sore loser, accusing others of cheating just because her skills are inferior.”
Hearing Jiang Suihuan invoke Old General Zhen Yuan’s name, Meng Qiao’s face instantly turned pale. Her mother was a singing girl, and she had been disliked by Old General Zhen Yuan since birth. Even though she was now married, she still couldn’t help feeling nervous whenever she saw the old general.
Meng Qiao’s lips trembled slightly, feeling the disdainful gazes from the noble ladies around her.
Seeing Meng Qiao’s embarrassment, Meng Qing, sitting nearby, rolled her eyes. She thought to herself that a shu nu would always be a shu nu – even after marrying into the Chancellor’s household, she couldn’t transform into a phoenix. She couldn’t even outargue someone as foolish as Jiang Suihuan.
“Jiang Suihuan,” Meng Qing pressed, “it’s common knowledge that you were never skilled at the qin before. Now you suddenly can play such an exquisite piece. If you weren’t cheating, does that mean you’ve been pretending to be incompetent all along to deceive everyone?”
The others were taken aback, finding Meng Qing’s words quite reasonable. Jiang Suihuan couldn’t even play the simplest tunes before, yet today she amazed everyone with her performance. She must have been pretending all along. To be so scheming at such a young age was even more repulsive than her previous foolishness!
Watching Meng Qing redirect the accusations back at her with just a few words, Jiang Suihuan sighed inwardly. These people were truly like grass swaying with the wind, always following wherever the trend blew.
Jiang Suihuan lowered her head, then looked up with a serious expression. “Since things have come to this, I won’t hide the truth from you anymore. The reason I’ve become like this is entirely because of Nan Ming Wang and Jiang Meier.”
Hou Furen showed an understanding expression. “Are you saying that Jiang Meier taught you your current qin skills?”
The other noblewomen nodded in agreement. “No wonder. Jiang Meier is the top talented lady in Jingcheng. It’s not surprising she could teach you to play like this.”
“No, no, no.” Jiang Suihuan shook her head. “You’ve misunderstood. Jiang Meier didn’t teach me qin skills. She had me thrown into Luanzang Gang. After spending a night there, it was as if my Ren and Du meridians had been unblocked, and my previously muddled mind became clear and sharp.”
The noblewomen stared wide-eyed. Such an unbelievable story was truly unheard of. In the past, they wouldn’t have believed it at all, but seeing Jiang Suihuan’s serious tone and today’s performance, they were somewhat inclined to believe her.
Jiang Suihuan declared confidently, “If you don’t believe me, you can try spending a night at Luanzang Gang yourselves. See if it makes you feel refreshed and clear-minded.”
Zhang Ruoruo, the legitimate daughter of Grand Tutor Zhang, seemed to remember something and quickly said, “I think Jiang Suihuan is telling the truth!”
Meng Qing grew anxious and tugged at Zhang Ruoruo’s sleeve. “You’ve always been clever. How can you believe such supernatural nonsense this time?”
But Zhang Ruoruo ignored Meng Qing, smoothing her wrinkled sleeve instead. “Do you remember Beimo Wang we mentioned earlier? A few days ago, he was injured at Luanzang Gang. When he was found, the wounds on his body were stitched up with extraordinary precision – even the Imperial Physicians in the palace couldn’t have done it so well.”
“That’s right!” The noblewoman sitting opposite Zhang Ruoruo suddenly clapped her hands. “So it seems Luanzang Gang really is a feng shui treasure land!”
Meng Qiao felt increasingly uncomfortable inside. She looked at the noblewoman who was clapping and said sarcastically, “Why are you so excited? Do you also want to spend a night at Luanzang Gang?”
This noblewoman was also sharp-tongued. Upon hearing this, she sneered, “Whether I go or not doesn’t matter. But you’d better stay there overnight to improve your qin skills, so you won’t accuse others of cheating every time you lose.”
As the banquet gradually turned into a battlefield, the ladies wisely took their daughters and excused themselves.
Jiang Suihuan called out to Meng Qiao, who was about to leave, and glanced at her wrist. “Wait a moment, Miss Meng. Did you forget something?”
Meng Qiao glared hatefully at Jiang Suihuan, roughly took off the bracelet and shoved it into her hand. In a voice only the two of them could hear, she said viciously, “Jiang Suihuan, just you wait! I won’t let you off easily.”
Jiang Suihuan ignored her and put away the bracelet properly. Then she looked around in confusion. “Why do I faintly hear mosquitoes buzzing? So noisy.”
“Hmph!” Meng Qiao’s face turned red with anger as she stormed out of Houfu.
In the blink of an eye, the once lively backyard was left with only Hou Furen and Jiang Suihuan. Hou Furen asked curiously, “Suihuan, did you really become wiser after spending a night at Luanzang Gang?”
Jiang Suihuan gave a faint, bitter smile. “Mother, Luanzang Gang is no blessed place. I became like this because I had a brush with death, saw through many things, and gained many insights.”
Hou Furen felt some heartache for her, but soon frowned slightly. “Suihuan, although Mei’er misunderstood you this time, she is still your sister after all. Don’t mention this matter in front of others anymore. If word gets out, it will damage Mei’er’s reputation.”
“Mother, I’m not feeling well. I’ll go back to my room to rest first.” Jiang Suihuan avoided discussing Hou Furen’s words and turned to leave the backyard.
Back in her room, Jiang Suihuan lay wearily on the bed. Staring at the canopy above, she recalled Hou Furen’s words and couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
Ying Tao, standing nearby, asked curiously, “Miss, you won against Miss Meng in qin playing today. You should be happy, so why are you sighing?”
“Somehow I’m feeling a bit restless. Go brew me a cup of Qinghuo tea.”
After Ying Tao brewed the tea and brought it over, Jiang Suihuan picked up the cup and gently blew on it. “Ying Tao, how many years have you been in Houfu?”
“Miss, my father is the steward of Houfu. I grew up here and have been here for fifteen years.”
“So you were here even before I returned to the mansion. Do you know why Mother treats Jiang Meier so well?” Jiang Suihuan truly couldn’t understand why Hou Furen valued Jiang Meier more than her own daughter.
Ying Tao thought for a moment and replied, “It seems because the Second Miss has been clever and quick-witted since childhood, very good at winning Madam’s affection. Plus, the Second Miss is skilled in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, which makes Madam look good in front of the other ladies.”
“Although the Second Miss is now a Shu Nu, Madam still treats her as her own second daughter.”
Seeing Jiang Suihuan’s dispirited expression, Ying Tao comforted her, “But don’t worry, Miss. No matter how much Madam dotes on the Second Miss, her favorite must still be you. After all, you are her Raw meat and bones.”
“Besides, now that you’ve unblocked that so-called second meridian, your zither skills have improved so much. Madam is bound to grow fonder of you from now on,” Ying Tao declared with absolute certainty.
Seeing that Ying Tao truly believed what she had said at the banquet, Jiang Suihuan burst into laughter. “Yes, you’re right.”
Jiang Suihuan drained her cup of tea in one gulp when she suddenly recalled the Beimo Wang, Gu Jin, mentioned by the noble ladies. The original host’s memories contained almost no impression of this person, only knowing he was the Emperor’s younger brother and Chu Jue’s Imperial Uncle, who had taken his mother’s surname, Gu.
“Ying Tao, do you know about Beimo Wang?”