After Fu Ci left, several maidservants came in to attend to Jiang Wan’s washing and dressing.
The head maid was named Qiu Yue.
In her previous life, Qiu Yue had advised Jiang Wan to take things in stride and not quarrel with Fu Ci, lest she push him further toward others.
At that time, Jiang Wan hadn’t listened. To keep Fu Ci firmly in her grasp, feigning illness had become routine.
Qiu Yue had no choice but to comply and play along with her act.
But hearing lies too often would make anyone suspicious.
Later, when Fu Ci grew tired of her and she was moved out of the West Courtyard, all the servants around her were replaced.
She never saw Qiu Yue again.
Jiang Wan didn’t know how Fu Ci had ultimately dealt with them.
In this life, she didn’t want to implicate others again.
“Concubine, this servant is called Qiu Yue. I will be responsible for your daily needs from now on.”
Jiang Wan nodded and selected a hairpin from her jewelry box to give to Qiu Yue. “I’ll trouble you to take care of me from now on.”
Qiu Yue was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor and immediately knelt to express her gratitude.
“Thank you for the reward, Concubine.”
“Rise.”
Qiu Yue kowtowed once before standing up.
The other junior maidservants watched with envy.
It was a gold hairpin, exquisitely crafted and worth at least several dozen taels of silver.
For low-ranking maids like them, it would take half a lifetime to save up that much.
Although Concubine Jiang was only a concubine, she held significant weight in the master’s heart.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been allowed to reside in the main chamber.
It seemed they would have to curry favor with her in the future. Who knew when such immense fortune might come their way?
Once dressed and groomed, Jiang Wan left the West Courtyard with Qiu Yue.
She had walked this path countless times in her previous life, and every scene and object was exactly as she remembered.
Qiu Yue felt a bit puzzled. Concubine Jiang seemed very familiar with the layout of the mansion.
Then she recalled that this lady had once been engaged to the master and must have visited the mansion before.
Qiu Yue’s doubts instantly vanished.
As soon as they reached the East Courtyard, Jiang Wan was stopped.
An elderly matron said, “Concubine Jiang, the East Courtyard is Old Madam’s residence. Unauthorized individuals are not permitted to enter without permission.”
Jiang Wan knew this was a deliberate show of authority.
In her previous life, after Old Madam had recovered from the poison, she had come to pay her respects and was similarly barred from entering.
Later, when Yun Yanran came to visit Old Madam, she was respectfully escorted inside by Old Madam’s personal maid.
The maid had even said that since they were all family, Yun Yanran could enter directly whenever she visited the East Courtyard in the future.
The stark contrast had left Jiang Wan feeling unbalanced.
Now, however, her heart remained calm and undisturbed.
“Please inform her that I’ve come to visit, as I heard Old Madam is unwell.”
“Wait here.”
The matron’s attitude was arrogant. In her previous life, Jiang Wan would have felt wronged and humiliated every time she came to the East Courtyard and was treated this way.
But if she didn’t come, Old Madam would accuse her of lacking manners.
It truly fit the saying: when someone dislikes you, everything about you seems displeasing, no matter how you look at it.
Experiencing this again now, Jiang Wan no longer felt humiliated.
After all, she was merely a concubine, not a proper member of the Fu family.
After waiting for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the matron slowly returned. “Concubine Jiang, you may enter.”
Jiang Wan had been frail since childhood, and after her first night of intimacy, standing for so long left her legs sore and weak.
The matron shot her a glare, her eyes filled with disdain.
It seemed to say, “As expected of a concubine, always feigning weakness to win sympathy.”
Qiu Yue was furious and wanted to argue with the matron, but Jiang Wan stopped her with a look.
As long as she held no attachment to anything in the Fu residence, the opinions of others mattered little.
She was led to Old Madam’s bedchamber.
Upon entering, she saw Old Madam lying weakly on the bed.
Her complexion was pale with a bluish tint, her breathing shallow and labored—clearly in poor condition.
Fu Ci knelt by the bedside, his eyes red-rimmed.
Seeing her arrive, he suddenly averted his gaze, only ordering someone in a low voice to bring her an embroidered stool.
Jiang Wan knelt beside him. “Old Madam, I’ve come to pay my respects.”
Old Madam’s clouded eyes shifted, her gaze settling on Jiang Wan.
“I ask you: if I arrange a marriage for Ci’er, do you have any objections?”
“Grandmother!”
Fu Ci urgently interrupted Old Madam’s words. “Wanwan has just entered the residence, and you want me to take a wife—how will outsiders view her?”
“I am asking her.”
In her past life, Jiang Wan had not come on this day, but in the end, Fu Ci had still agreed.
Thus, her opinion was not important.
Lowering her eyes and restraining her expression, she said, “I defer entirely to you and my lord’s decision.”
Fu Ci looked at her in shock, as if he had not expected Jiang Wan to say such a thing.
“Wanwan…”
Jiang Wan turned her head to look at Fu Ci. “I am someone who should have died long ago. That I have lived until now is entirely due to the Fu family’s protection. I am already content.”
Fu Ci’s eyes reddened as if they might drip blood.
He wanted to vent his frustration but did not know at whom to direct it.
In his anger, he slammed a fist hard against the floor.
The matron attending to Old Madam exclaimed, “My lord, your hands are precious—you must not injure them!”
Old Madam’s face was filled with sorrow. “Is asking you to take a wife akin to taking your life?”
Fu Ci’s expression was resolute. “In this lifetime, I want only Wanwan. Please do not force me.”
“Force you? Do you think your grandmother is forcing you?”
Old Madam grew agitated. “Our Fu family has few descendants. In your generation, you are the only heir. If you do not take a wife now, and the concubine you’ve taken is a sickly one, are you trying to cut off the Fu family line?”
Fu Ci had been raised by Old Madam’s side. As a child, when he contracted smallpox and others dared not approach, it was Old Madam who personally cared for him, feeding him medicine until he recovered.
The bond between grandmother and grandson was deep.
Now, with Old Madam gravely ill, Fu Ci was also deeply anxious.
But to ask him to take a wife—he truly could not do it.
“In my heart, Wanwan is my wife. There will be no one else.”
Old Madam reached out a trembling finger, pointing at Fu Ci.
“For the sake of this Jiang Wan, you have already displeased His Majesty. Now you speak such words—do you no longer care about the lives of your aunt and cousin?”
Fu Ci’s aunt was a noble consort in the palace.
After the Crown Prince was deposed, Fu Ci’s cousin, the Fourth Prince, became the most suitable candidate for the throne.
Everyone wished to distance themselves from Jiang Wan. If not for Fu Ci’s insistence, she would not even have been able to become a concubine.
With a thud, Fu Ci pressed his forehead to the floor.
“In this life, I want only Wanwan.”
The old lady grew even more agitated. “You unfilial descendant! How am I to face the ancestors of the Fu family?”
As she finished speaking, a mouthful of blood spilled from her lips.
Fu Ci was horrified, kneeling forward two steps.
“Grandmother!”
“Quickly, summon the physician!”
Old Madam was already very weak. “If you refuse to take a wife, your grandmother has nothing left to hope for in this life. Very well, I shall go now and apologize to the ancestors of the Fu family in the underworld.”
Jiang Wan watched from the side, a sudden thought flashing through her mind.
A normal person who has been poisoned would be eager to seek treatment immediately, so why is Old Madam not in a hurry and insists on dragging things out until now, forcing Fu Ci to agree to marry?
Could it be that all of this was orchestrated by Old Madam herself?
Otherwise, why would Fu Ci be unable to find the culprit?
Jiang Wan had died once before. In her final days, under Old Madam’s instructions, she suffered greatly.
Later, when her child suffocated and died prematurely, the people sent by Old Madam were also “instrumental” in it.
Jiang Wan knew that in her past life, she had brought it upon herself.
But she couldn’t bring herself to care for Old Madam as she would an elder.
She simply watched.
She knew Fu Ci was about to agree.
The nanny wept bitterly, “Master, please agree to the Old Madam’s request. If we delay any longer, it might be too late to save her.”
Dark red, poisoned blood continuously seeped from the corner of Old Madam’s mouth.
Fu Ci held Old Madam’s hand, “Grandmother, let’s focus on treating the illness first. We can discuss other matters later.”
“Ci’er, you’re making your grandmother die with regrets.”
After spitting out another mouthful of blood,
Fu Ci said with difficulty, “Grandmother, I promise you. I’ll marry whomever you want me to.”
Jiang Wan’s unsettled heart finally sank.
She didn’t blame Fu Ci.
Even without today’s scene, he would still marry someone else in the future.
A suffocating feeling spread in her heart, and Jiang Wan let out a subtle sigh.
She still couldn’t face all of this calmly.
Leaving was her best choice.
Hearing Fu Ci’s words, Old Madam’s eyes brightened slightly, “Really?”
“Really.”
“Ci’er, don’t deceive your grandmother.”
Fu Ci’s Adam’s apple bobbed, “I’m not deceiving you.”
Old Madam repeated “good” several times, as if suddenly finding a reason to live, and only then allowed the physician to enter.
“Master, you and Concubine Jiang should wait outside for now, so as not to disturb the physician.”
Fu Ci said coldly, “You must cure my grandmother.”