Uncle Wu ran out and said, “The young master has sprained her foot, and our young lady is applying a compress for her. She says she only wants to see her elder brother and forbids you from hitting anyone.”
The crowd had already heard the voice of the fasting young master and stopped in their tracks.
A young nobleman in luxurious attire immediately declared, “I will go see my younger sister. The rest of you, wait in the outer courtyard.”
The man who followed Wu Bo into the room was in his early twenties, tall and graceful, exuding an air of nobility tinged with scholarly elegance. He wore a lake-blue robe, a jade belt around his waist, a golden crown holding his hair in place, and carried a closed folding fan. His face was flushed red with anxiety as if rouged, and fine beads of sweat dotted the tip of his nose.
Jiang Yixi had seen this man from afar in her previous life—he was Li Kai, Prince Yong’s heir and Li Zhenbao’s biological elder brother. Someone she had no connection with in either her past or present life had unexpectedly come to her estate today.
Li Kai’s heart ached at the sight of his younger sister, whose nose was red from crying. He hurried over and said, “Zhenbao, does your sprained foot hurt? Look at this, look… Who told you to run around recklessly? Your foot is so swollen…”
Li Zhenbao sobbed, “It’s all because you forced me! I don’t want to be a bald head, I don’t want to stay in the temple, I really don’t want to live anymore. I thought I’d run out to see what the Jinhe Dynasty looks like, eat some meat, and then wait to die.”
Li Kai sat down beside Li Zhenbao, his face pained as he said, “Master Yuhe says that human life involves cycles of cause and effect. You consumed two lifetimes’ worth of meat in your previous life, so you can no longer eat meat in this one.”
“But I want to eat meat…”
“For the sake of staying alive, little sister, you must endure. In this world, there are many delicacies besides meat. Father said he will find more chefs skilled in vegetarian cuisine, and they will surely satisfy you. If Father saw your foot injured like this, how heartbroken he would be.”
Li Zhenbao sniffled, “He wouldn’t be heartbroken at all. He ran off with his wife and left me all alone, yet he claims to care for me. His heart is so cruel…”
“You are Father’s treasured pearl—everyone knows that. How could you…”
Li Zhenbao stopped crying, glared at Li Kai, and shrieked, “I’m not a pearl! Pearls are beautiful and radiant, but I’m so ugly. Why am I so ugly?”
“All seven of your brothers, whether born of the principal wife or concubines, are good-looking—fair-skinned, with double eyelids and high nose bridges. Only I have a big mouth, a flat nose, small eyes, and even cross-eyes… Wuwuwu… If he truly cared for me, why would he make me look like this? He favors sons over daughters—he did it on purpose… I’m going to collapse, I don’t want to live anymore…”
The more Li Zhenbao spoke, the more distressed she became. She threw her head back, closed her eyes, and wailed loudly. Large tears rolled down her cheeks, her mouth wide open, her tongue clearly visible inside.
Li Kai grew frantic, scratching his head and ears. It was a good thing that his younger sister had suddenly become clever after her serious illness, but she often spouted baffling and unreasonable words that left him speechless and frustrated.
He coaxed her gently, “Who said my little sister is ugly? I’ll beat them up. There, there, Zhenbao is very pretty…”
Li Zhenbao choked back sobs, “Ugly is ugly, yet you insist on lying to deceive me. Do you really think I’m a fool? Don’t bully people like this…”
“No, no, how could I ever bear to bully you? Well, they say a girl changes eighteen times before reaching womanhood. You’re only twelve years old…””The foundation is set, do you really think an ugly duckling can turn into a swan? You’re fooling ghosts. Sob sob… Being ugly is one thing, but sending me alone into a nunnery where I can’t eat meat, can’t eat much, and even getting a Dharma name like ‘Fasting’…
“This is a double blow to both my spirit and material life—isn’t this just trying to kill me? Others transmigrate as rich, beautiful, and powerful heroines, why am I so miserable? I don’t want to live anymore. Before I die, I want to see the ancient world and eat a braised pork knuckle I’ve been craving for so long, then I’ll end it all…”
Li Kai was already used to his sister’s incoherent ramblings and tried to console her, “Hair-keeping cultivation isn’t for life. Once your illness is completely cured, you can return to secular life. As for eating meat, just listen to reason. Master Yuhe has said that you can never eat meat in this lifetime, or else…”
He swallowed the words after “or else.”
His consolation was as good as none, his words as useful as silence. Li Zhenbao’s wails grew louder as she repeated, “I’m breaking down.”
Li Kai wore a troubled expression, wiping his sister’s tears and runny nose with a handkerchief while murmuring comforting words. Those words were feeble and empty, and Li Zhenbao paid them no heed.
Growing angrier as she spoke, Li Zhenbao occasionally kicked her right leg. Unintentionally moving her left leg, a sharp pain made her choke back her sobs and scream, “It hurts, it hurts so much! My foot hurts!”
Only then did Li Kai notice that the room was empty except for the two of them—everyone else had left.
He pressed down on Li Zhenbao’s left leg. “Don’t move around, sister.” Then he raised his voice and called, “Someone, come in!”
Jiang Yixi entered from outside. They had found it inappropriate to listen and had struggled to hold back their laughter, so they had stepped out. Not daring to go far, they had remained just outside the door and overheard the conversation.
She approached and said, “Little master, please don’t move around.” Then she turned to Li Kai and added, “Don’t provoke her further.”
She removed the handkerchief from Li Zhenbao’s ankle, rewet and wrung it out in the bronze basin, then placed it back.
Li Zhenbao’s voice calmed down as she said through tears, “Brother, I really don’t want to go back to the nunnery, I don’t want to be a bald head. I have the same dream every day—Extinction Master shaving all my hair off, my head turning into a big bald head, making me even uglier…”
Li Kai reassured her, “Don’t worry, they won’t shave your head. That was agreed upon long ago. Our manor donates plenty of silver to Zhaoming Nunnery every year—they wouldn’t dare disobey Father. Besides, Master Yuhe has also given instructions.”
Li Zhenbao shook her head, filled with infinite sorrow. “But what’s the use of keeping my hair? I can’t marry, I can’t find a man…”
Li Kai choked and coughed violently, quickly covering his mouth with a fist. He glanced at Jiang Yixi and lowered his voice. “Sister, this matter… you’re still young. Let’s talk about it alone later.”
“I want to talk about it now!”
“Don’t be impatient, sister. Once you recover and return to secular life, you can marry.”
Li Zhenbao wept. “What’s the use of returning to secular life? I’m not pretty—no man would like an ugly woman. Don’t think I don’t know—you men only care about looks. Father finds one vixen after another, and you can’t take your eyes off pretty girls. Even the Emperor—which woman you all find isn’t beautiful? I’m so ugly, no man would want to look at me twice. Sob sob…”
Li Kai snapped his fan open with a flourish and declared with authority, “How could that be? Who do you think our family is? Anyone who dares look down on you would have a death wish.”
Li Zhenbao murmured, “Forced melons are not sweet. I don’t want to force myself on someone—I want mutual affection…”
Li Kai was left speechless and dumbfounded, his thoughts unable to keep up. He wanted to stand up and storm off.
Jiang Yixi’s gentle voice chimed in, “Little Master, forgive me for speaking out of turn.”
Both Li Zhenbao and Li Kai turned to look at Jiang Yixi.
“Go on.”
“Please speak.”