Upon leaving Hongyan Yuan, Xiuzhu’s small face remained flushed a deep crimson.
Jiang Wantang, however, wore an expression so dark it seemed unnatural, her eyes unable to conceal the murderous intent within.
Though Xiuzhu did not understand the reason, she dared not ask.
……
Pingyang Marquis Estate.
Xiao Jingheng had just returned to the estate and had yet to pay his respects to the elders when his personal attendant, Huai’an, intercepted him.
The latter wore an anxious expression as he exclaimed, “Ah, my young master!”
“You’ve finally returned. If you had been a few days later, I fear your betrothed might have become someone else’s.”
Xiao Jingheng halted his steps and frowned. “Betrothed?”
“It’s the eldest Miss Jiang, the one you’ve been pining for!”
“Young master, rumors are spreading in the capital that Miss Jiang has taken a liking to the Emperor. She’s refusing to eat at home and insisting on entering the palace for the imperial selection.”
“I specifically sent someone to investigate at Xiangfu, and… it’s true!”
“Young master…”
Xiao Jingheng raised a hand to cut him off, speaking in a flat, indifferent tone. “Yes, I know.”
Then, he strode toward the rear courtyard.
Just… like that?!
Upon hearing this, Huai’an stood frozen for a moment, hardly believing his ears.
He knew better than anyone how much his young master adored and cherished this eldest Miss Jiang over the years.
This reaction… shouldn’t be like this!
Scratching his head, Huai’an hurriedly chased after him.
“Young master, young master!”
“What do you know?!”
“Are you sure you know?!!”
Panting heavily as he followed behind, Huai’an spoke urgently, “Young master, slow down, wait for me…”
“You don’t know, but that Second Miss from the Rural Countryside of the Jiang family has returned!”
“Not only has she returned, but she also stole the spotlight from Miss Jiang at her birthday banquet!”
“People at Xiangfu say this Second Miss from the Rural Countryside is crude and vulgar, bullying Miss Jiang as soon as she returned…”
While Huai’an chattered incessantly behind him, Xiao Jingheng in front suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned abruptly, grabbing Huai’an’s arm with great force, his knuckles trembling faintly.
“What did you just say?!” Xiao Jingheng’s pupils contracted sharply, his gaze quivering.
Huai’an was taken aback. “Miss Jiang was bullied…”
“The sentence before that!”
“The Second Miss from the Rural Countryside of the Jiang family stole the spotlight at Miss Jiang’s birthday banquet…”
Before Huai’an could finish, he saw Xiao Jingheng already striding briskly toward the estate gates.
“Hey, young master, where are you going?”
Seeing the direction in which he galloped away on horseback, Huai’an suddenly understood and chuckled with a sigh. “Now that’s the reaction I expected!”
He had thought it impossible for his young master to remain indifferent to matters concerning Miss Jiang.
His young master couldn’t bear to see Miss Jiang suffer any grievance.
Now, hearing that his beloved had been bullied, he must be rushing to stand up for her.
A hero saving a beauty, and in the process, perhaps winning back her heart…
Huai’an walked back into the estate with a cheerful smile.
……
As dusk fell, the lingering glow of the setting sun painted the sky.
When Jiang Wantang returned to the estate with Xiuzhu, both had changed back into women’s attire.
Just as they reached the entrance of the small courtyard, a servant approached to report, “Second Miss, today Young Marquis Xiao from Pingyang Marquis Estate visited, saying he wished to see you.”
Upon hearing the latter part, Jiang Wantang was momentarily stunned, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. “You said… Xiao Jingheng came to the estate… to see me?”
The servant nodded. “Yes, Second Miss.”
Jiang Wantang curled her lips and let out a soft laugh. “You must have misheard. I am not acquainted with Young Marquis Xiao at all. It should be Eldest Miss Jiang Wanfu he is looking for.”
The servant also found it strange—could he really have misheard?
He scratched his head, but before he could answer, Jiang Wantang spoke up and asked, “Do you know where my elder brother is at the moment?”
“Replying to Miss, the eldest young master just returned not long ago. He should be in the Ancestral Hall now,” the servant replied respectfully.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wantang turned and headed toward the Xiangfu Ancestral Hall.
Entering the empty Ancestral Hall, she spotted Jiang Huaizhou’s tall figure from afar.
He had changed into a set of casual green robes and was gently wiping a memorial tablet in his hands.
The lingering glow of the setting sun filtered through the window lattice, casting a golden halo over him.
It should have been a scene of tranquility and peace, yet for some reason, Jiang Wantang saw only profound loneliness and sorrow in his silhouette.
She noticed that the memorial tablet in his hands was noticeably smaller than the others in the Ancestral Hall—clearly not that of his birth mother.
If not his birth mother, then whose could it be?
Jiang Wantang slowly walked forward and called out softly, “Elder Brother…”
At her call, Jiang Huaizhou finally seemed to snap out of his thoughts.
He instinctively hurried to set the tablet down, and in that moment, Jiang Wantang caught a glimpse of where he placed it—behind the memorial tablet of his birth mother.
That tablet bore no inscription; it was a blank memorial tablet.
The two tablets appeared to merge into one, making it difficult for anyone to notice anything amiss.
Jiang Wantang’s pupils widened slightly, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes, but she quickly averted her gaze.
Jiang Huaizhou turned around and, upon seeing who it was, immediately wore a gentle smile. He said, “Wantang, welcome home!”
As he spoke, he beckoned to her. “Come closer, let your elder brother take a look.”
Jiang Wantang obediently stepped in front of him.
Jiang Huaizhou’s eyes swept over her, and a look of admiration appeared on his face. “Truly, a girl changes beyond recognition as she grows!”
“It has been so long since we last met. Wantang has blossomed into such a beautiful young lady!”
“Your elder brother almost didn’t recognize his own sister.”
Hearing this, Jiang Wantang’s eyes instantly grew warm with emotion.
Yes, it had been so long since they last met…
Chapter 16: Xiao Jingheng
When they stepped out of Hongyan Yuan, Xiuzhu’s small face was still incredibly flushed.
Jiang Wantang, however, looked incredibly grim, the murderous intent in her eyes impossible to hide.
Though Xiuzhu didn’t understand why, she didn’t dare to ask.
…
Pingyang Marquis Estate.
Xiao Jingheng had just returned to the estate. Before he even had the chance to pay respects to his elders, he was intercepted by his personal attendant, Huai’an.
The latter looked anxious as he cried out, “Oh, my young master!”
“You’re finally back! Any later and I’m afraid your fiancée will belong to someone else.”
Xiao Jingheng stopped in his tracks and frowned. “Fiancée?”
“The Eldest Miss Jiang you’ve been thinking of!”
“Young Master, there are rumors in the capital that Eldest Miss Jiang has set her sights on the Emperor. She’s supposedly staging a hunger strike at home, making a scene because she wants to enter the palace for the Imperial Selection.”
“I specifically sent someone to the Xiangfu to investigate, and… it’s true!”
“Young Master…”
Xiao Jingheng raised a hand to cut him off, simply saying with indifference, “I. See.”
Then, he began walking toward the backyard.
That… was it?!
Hearing this, Huai’an froze on the spot for a moment, unable to believe his ears.
He knew better than anyone how much his master liked and cherished the Eldest Miss of the Jiang Family over the years.
This reaction… wasn’t right!
Huai’an scratched his head and hurriedly chased after him.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
“What do you mean you ‘see’?”
“Are you sure you understand?!!”
Huai’an followed behind him, panting and speaking urgently, “Young Master, slow down, wait for me…”
“You don’t know, but the Second Miss from the Rural Countryside, the one the Jiang Family raised away from home, has returned!”
“Not only is she back, but she even stole the spotlight at the Eldest Miss’s Birthday Banquet!”
“People from the Xiangfu say this Second Miss from the Rural Countryside is vulgar. She started bullying the Eldest Miss the moment she returned…”
Huai’an’s mouth ran on non-stop from behind, but the Xiao Jingheng in front of him suddenly jerked to a halt. He turned around in shock and grabbed Huai’an’s arm with a grip so tight his knuckles trembled slightly.
“What did you just say?!” Xiao Jingheng’s pupils constricted, his eyes shaking.
Huai’an was stunned. “Eldest Miss Jiang is being bullied—”
“The sentence before that!”
“That the Second Miss from the Rural Countryside stole the spotlight at the Birthday Banquet—”
Before Huai’an could finish, Xiao Jingheng was already stroking toward the estate exit.
“Hey, Young Master, where are you going?”
Seeing the direction he was heading on horseback, Huai’an suddenly understood. He smiled and sighed, “Now that’s the right reaction!”
He knew it. How could his master remain indifferent to matters concerning Eldest Miss Jiang?
The Young Master hated seeing Eldest Miss Jiang suffer grievances the most.
Now that he heard his beloved was being bullied, he must be going to support her.
A hero saving the damsel… and he might even win back the lady’s heart in the process…
Huai’an walked back into the estate with a chuckle.
…
At dusk, the setting sun cast a lingering glow.
By the time Jiang Wantang returned to the estate with Xiuzhu, they had already changed back into their female attire.
Just as they reached the entrance of her small courtyard, a servant came forward to report, “Second Miss, Young Marquis Xiao from the Pingyang Marquis Estate visited today. He said he wanted to see you.”
Jiang Wantang froze for a moment upon hearing the latter half of the sentence, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. “You said Xiao Jingheng came to the estate… to see me?”
The servant nodded. “Yes, Second Miss.”
Jiang Wantang curled her lips into a slight smile and chuckled. “You must have misheard. I have never met Young Marquis Xiao. He must be looking for the Eldest Miss, Jiang Wanfu.”
The servant also thought it was strange. Could he really have misheard?
He scratched his head. Before he could answer, he heard Jiang Wantang ask, “Do you know where my brother is right now?”
“Reporting to Miss, the Eldest Young Master returned not long ago. He should be in the Ancestral Hall right now,” the servant said respectfully.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wantang turned and walked toward the Jiang Family Ancestral Hall.
Entering the empty hall, she could see Jiang Huai Zhou’s tall, slender figure from a distance.
He had changed into a set of green everyday robes and was gently wiping a memorial tablet in his hand.
The rays of the setting sun filtered through the window frames, casting a golden halo over him.
It should have been a peaceful and serene scene, but for some reason, all Jiang Wantang saw from his silhouette was a heavy sense of loneliness and sorrow.
Jiang Wantang noticed that the tablet in his hand was significantly smaller than the others in the hall; it clearly didn’t belong to his birth mother.
If it wasn’t his mother’s, then whose was it?
Jiang Wantang walked forward slowly and called out softly, “Brother…”
At her call, Jiang Huai Zhou finally snapped out of his trance.
He reflexively and hurriedly put the tablet down. At the moment he placed it, Jiang Wantang’s sharp eyes caught that he had positioned it behind his mother’s tablet.
Furthermore, there were no words on that tablet; it was a blank one.
The two tablets looked as though they were merged into one, making it difficult for anyone to notice anything amiss.
Jiang Wantang’s pupils widened slightly as a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but she quickly looked away.
Jiang Huai Zhou turned around. Seeing who it was, a gentle smile instantly appeared on his face. He said, “Wantang, welcome home!”
As he spoke, he beckoned to Jiang Wantang. “Come here, let your brother look at you.”
Jiang Wantang followed his instructions and walked up to him.
Jiang Huai Zhou looked her up and down, his eyes filled with admiration. “A girl really does change as she grows up!”
“It’s been so long since we last met. Wantang has blossomed into such a beautiful young lady!”
“I almost didn’t recognize my own sister.”
Hearing this, Jiang Wantang’s eyes instantly grew hot.
Indeed, it had been a very long time…