Jiang Fei watched him pick up the cloak and put it down again, looking as if he wanted to throw it into the lake several times. In the end, he didn’t do it. Instead, he tossed the cloak back onto the rock and left.
After he had gone far enough, Jiang Fei sneaked back, picked up the cloak, and hurried away.
At the birthday banquet, male and female guests were seated separately, and she didn’t run into Wei Mingzhen again until the banquet ended.
On the way back to the Jiang residence, Jiang Fei shared a carriage with her mother, Yao Shi.
Earlier at the marquis’s estate, there were too many people and too much gossip, making it difficult to ask many questions. Yao Shi had long been impatient and wasted no time once they were in the carriage. “Did you meet the Wei Family’s third son?” she asked.
Jiang Fei nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“How was it?”
“Fine.”
Dissatisfied with her dismissive attitude, Yao Shi shot her a glance. “Wei Sanlang is as elegant as an orchid and jade tree, and he possesses genuine talent and learning. Unlike other young masters who only know how to gamble and idle away their time, he may not be the eldest legitimate son who can inherit the title, but he has great ambitions and is sure to achieve great things in the future.”
Jiang Fei couldn’t care less whether Wei Sanlang would achieve great things in the future. After all, she wouldn’t live more than two years after marrying him. She simply went along with Yao Shi’s words. “I think so too.”
Yao Shi smoothed her sleeves and asked leisurely, “Did you speak with Wei Sanlang?”
“Yes, I did,” Jiang Fei replied.
Yao Shi frowned. “Do I have to teach you everything? What did you talk about? How did it go? You’re like a gourd with its mouth sawed off—barely squeezing out two sentences.”
Jiang Fei pursed her lips. If I really started talking, my mouth would spew such fragrant words that your old heart probably couldn’t take it.
She gave a rough summary of their conversation, omitting how “Wei Mingzhen” had grabbed and questioned her, how she had tearfully complained and demonstrated her absolute competitiveness. She only said that he had already decided to marry her and that their discussion had gone smoothly.
Yao Shi breathed a sigh of relief. “For the next few days, go out less. Don’t cause any more trouble for me.”
…
When they returned to the Jiang residence, Jiang Rulin was already waiting at the main gate. As soon as she saw Yao Shi return, she eagerly stepped forward to support her.
The two of them seemed to have completely forgotten about Jiang Rufei. By the time Jiang Fei got out of the carriage, they had already entered the main gate.
Jiang Rufei and Wei Mingzhen’s marriage had been arranged years earlier; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been the turn of Jiang Rufei, an unfavored daughter.
Yao Shi of the Jiang family’s main branch had given birth to two sons and three daughters. The original Jiang Rufei was the third child in the Jiang family, the second daughter of the main branch. Her eldest brother, Jiang Chengjin, and eldest sister, Jiang Ruyu, had already married and moved away. Jiang Rufei and Jiang Rulin were still unmarried, and below them was a six-year-old younger brother, Jiang Cheng Lang.
The Jiang family was prosperous and populous, counted among the prominent clans in the capital. Naturally, the Jiang family’s estate was also large.
Jiang Rufei lived in the remote western courtyard, but she had a terrible sense of direction. She had only followed a maid there once the day before and couldn’t remember the exact location, only the general direction. She had no choice but to grab a random maid to lead the way.
Just as she passed through the moon gate, a voice rang out behind her: “You, stop!”
Jiang Fei recognized it as Jiang Rulin’s voice but pretended not to hear. The footsteps behind her grew increasingly hurried.
“Jiang Rufei, didn’t you hear me calling you?”
“Huh?” Jiang Fei stopped and asked the maid, “Does our household keep dogs?”
The maid shook her head. “No.”
Jiang Fei deliberately said, “Since we don’t keep dogs, why did I keep hearing barking just now?”
Jiang Rulin’s face turned livid with anger. She rushed forward in three quick steps, raising her hand to slap Jiang Fei.
“You wretch! How dare you insult me!”
Jiang Fei grabbed her wrist. “Third Sister, why are you so angry?”
“Stop playing dumb!” Jiang Rulin struggled as she spoke. “You lied to Mother, claiming Wei Sanlang would marry you. But Wei Sanlang knows about your affair with Zhao Xingbang—there’s no way he’d ever marry you.”
Jiang Fei was about to retort when a thought flashed through her mind.
Very few people knew about her involvement with Zhao Xingbang—how could it have reached Wei Mingzhen’s ears?
Of course. Jiang Rulin didn’t want Wei Mingzhen to marry her. Besides trying to catch her in bed with Zhao Xingbang, she must have other tricks up her sleeve.
“You deliberately leaked it to Wei Sanlang.” Jiang Fei’s hands gradually clenched.
“Where’s your proof?” Jiang Rulin yanked her hand back forcefully.
Jiang Fei analyzed calmly, “You couldn’t tell Wei Sanlang directly—that would seem too deliberate and make him dislike you. So you bribed one of Wei Mingzhen’s servants. Through casual chatter among maids, you leaked the information to Wei Mingzhen. He wouldn’t suspect your involvement, only thinking the scandal had spread throughout the city, making him despise me even more.”
“Moreover, you didn’t spread the news everywhere because we’re both from the Jiang family. If one suffers, all are affected. If I were publicly disgraced in the capital, you wouldn’t fare much better either.”
Jiang Rulin stood dumbfounded. Jiang Rufei’s analysis was completely accurate—how did she figure it out?
Wasn’t this person usually a fool? How did she suddenly become so clever?
“Seems I guessed right.” Jiang Fei felt secretly pleased.
Why hadn’t she been transmigrated into a palace drama? With such sharp reasoning, she could easily outlive two emperors in a harem conflict!
“So what if you guessed right?” Jiang Rulin retorted. “You can go tattle to Mother, but no one will believe you.”
“Who said I’m going to tattle on you?” Jiang Fei moved closer, smiling cheerfully. “How about I do you a favor instead?”
Jiang Rulin stared blankly. “Wh-what favor? Wait, Jiang Rufei, are you scheming something?”
Jiang Fei crooked a finger, waiting for Jiang Rulin to lean in before saying, “When I marry Wei Mingzhen, you can be my accompanying maid. I might even grant you the honor of becoming his concubine.”
“You… How dare you insult me like this!” Enraged, Jiang Rulin immediately swung her hand to slap Jiang Fei.
This time, Jiang Fei didn’t catch her hand.
She simply sidestepped while casually sticking out a foot.
Unable to stop her momentum, Jiang Rulin tripped over Jiang Fei’s foot and fell face-first onto the ground.
Jiang Fei cheerfully retracted her leg. “If you’re so bored all day, go find yourself a job.”
Fighting over a man like this didn’t align with Jiang Fei’s modern feminist values. Men were fleeting clouds—completing her mission was what truly mattered.
Caring no further for Jiang Rulin still sprawled on the ground, Jiang Fei dusted her hands and headed toward her own courtyard.
Returning to her courtyard, she found it eerily quiet. Only one maid was dozing under the corridor eaves, not even waking when Jiang Fei stepped over her into the house.
Jiang Fei lifted the teapot from the table—it felt light and empty, not a drop of tea pouring out.
Her gaze swept across the room and courtyard. The flowers in the vase had dried into dead branches, yet remained uncleared. The courtyard clearly hadn’t been swept either.
Jiang Fei slammed the teapot down hard. The sharp “crack” made the maid jolt awake in fright.