and didn’t go out at all.
I heard that you were on the scene.
Is it true that Second Sister smashed Eldest Young Master Li’s head? “

Jiang Ruan smiled at her.
“Oh, Second Sister’s news traveled swiftly.
But, you don’t seem to believe it?”

“No, no.” Jiang Dan quickly waved her hand.
“It’s just that Second Sister has always been gentle.
I just didn’t expect that she would have the courage to hurt Eldest Young Master Li.” As she spoke, she probed Jiang Ruan’s expression.

“Rabbits will bite when they are cornered.” Jiang Ruan spoke in a slow and deliberate tone.
“People who normally look docile also have a fierce side, but we can’t see it.”

Jiang Dan paused and then smiled.
“What Da Jiejie said is true.” After talking for a while, Jiang Dan timidly said goodbye and left.
Lian Qiao accompanied Jiang Dan to the courtyard’s gate.
When she came back, she remarked, “Fourth Miss is really odd. Furen does not treat her very well, yet she is anxiously inquiring about Second Miss.” She shook her head.
“Wasn’t she being excessively kind?”

Jiang Ruan smiled but kept silent.
She was vague about Jiang Dan’s feelings.
She only knew that since the death of Third Yiniang, Jiang Dan was raised at Zhao Mei’s side.
At that time, Jiang Dan was not as cowardly as she was now.
Although she was somewhat timid, she was always fawning over people and showing off her cleverness.
Zhao Mei also liked her very much.
Although sometimes Jiang Ruan was annoyed with Jiang Dan’s striving for favours.
Ultimately she felt pity for her after losing her mother and understood her rush to fall all over others.
But Jiang Xin Zhi, who had always been gentle, didn’t like Jiang Dan very much.
Although he didn’t show it, he always had a kind of polite alienation.

In the last life, Jiang Dan seemed to have been married out as a noble son’s concubine.
She was a daughter born from a concubine, never mind wishing to be the legal wife of a family of better standing.
Also, she was also uncertain about the subsequent events, and didn’t know whether Jiang Dan had contributed in making her the enchantress who brought calamity to the country.

Sponsored Content

While they were still conversing, she heard someone talking outside.
Lu Zhu pushed the door and entered.
She stuck her lip out and said, “Shu Xiang came back just now.
I saw that her face was covered with slap marks and she was unsteady on her feet.
Her face was really pale.

Jiang Ruan smiled.
Today, Shu Xiang had messed up so greatly, Xia Yan wouldn’t let her go easily.
However, she was still the chess piece placed in Ruan Ju, so Xia Yan was reluctant to kill her for the time being and spared her life.

“Miss,” Bai Zhi asked, “This servant doesn’t understand one thing.
That time, Furen gave you four servant girls.
Why do you treat this Shu Xiang differently? You aren’t this careful toward the others.”

“Perhaps, I have an old score to settle with her,” Jiang Ruan whispered.
“Lu Zhu, besides the Li family’s father and son, was there anyone else who visited the fu today?

“This servant asked many people, there was indeed no other visitor.” Lu Zhu answered.
“Miss, was there a problem?”

Jiang Ruan shook her head.
Li Yang’s manservant wouldn’t faint without any reason.
If it wasn’t an outsider, it could only be someone inside the fu helping her in secret.
But that also meant that what she did today was discovered by another.
The man helped her, but that didn’t necessarily mean that he was a friend and not a foe.

Who on earth was he? Jiang Ruan pondered.

In Yan Hua Yuan, Xia Yan swept the one remaining celadon[1] teacup off the table until it smashed into pieces.
The surrounding servant girls held their breath.
Lin Lang came forward to advise. “Furen, don’t be angry.
It will harm your body.”

Celadon teacup

[1] Celadon : A term for pottery denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware, and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks, that was first used on greenware, but later used on other porcelains.
Celadon originated in China, though the term is purely European, and notable kilns such as the Longquan kiln in Zhejiang province are renowned for their celadon glazes.
Celadon wares were highly regarded by the Chinese Imperial court.
The similarity of the color to jade, traditionally the most highly valued material in China, was a large part of its attraction. 

Thwack! Xia Yan slapped her with the back of the hand.
Immediately, five obvious finger marks showed up on Lin Lang’s face.
She didn’t dare to move.
The other servant girls around, seeing the most favoured Lin Lang being slapped, stayed in place, motionless.

Xia Yan was about to explode in anger.
Remembering the last words of the physician who treated Jiang Su Su, she felt even more emotional: “Your daughter has a deep wound and lost too much blood.
She is still alright now, but I’m afraid it will leave scars later.

Jiang Su Su’s devastatingly beautiful face was now ruined.
How could she marry into a wealthy and noble family in the future! She hated Li Yang for hanging between life and death in Jiang Su Su Su’s boudoir.
She hated Li Dong too for scratching Jiang Su Su’s face.
And she hated Jiang Ruan the most.
She didn’t believe that all this had nothing to do with Jiang Ruan!

Obviously, it had been an infallible arrangement.
As long as Jiang Ruan entered the small guest room and drank the tea on the table, Li Yang would come inside the courtyard and commit an act with Jiang Ruan.
After Jiang Quan and Li Dong found them by accident and the truth came out, this matter would be over.
Jiang Ruan’s reputation would be ruined, so she could only enter the Li family to be a low-rank concubine.
However, it never occurred to her that Jiang Ruan would not enter the guest room at all and not drink the tea.
Unknowingly, Li Yang collapsed in Jiang Su Su’s room just when Jiang Su Su returned to the room!

Now she was afraid that Li Dong fiercely hated Jiang Su Su.
Even if she hated Li Dong just as much, Li Yang was badly injured and castrated in the Jiang fu. She had no idea what kind of method Li Dong would use to retaliate.
At the thought of it, Xia Yan felt a lingering fear.
“No, I have to think of a way.” Xia Yan walked around the room a few times, made up her mind, then went to her desk, and had Lin Lang grind some ink.” I’m going to write to my father and ask him to come up with an idea.

At the same time, Jiang Quan rubbed his forehead in the study.
In a mere few days, several threads of white hair began to grow at his temples.
His favourite son and daughter were suffering from this kind of disaster.
He was seized with anger, but the other side was Li Dong, Eighth Prince’s man.

Hong Ying stood behind him, a pair of lily-white hands pressing his scalp gently while telling him tenderly, “Laoye, be at ease.
Second Young Lady and Second Young Master will get better.

Jiang Quan’s eyes drooped dejectedly.
His eyes that were always high-spirited were now filled with sorrow.
The son and daughter that he had the most pride in were now bedridden and perhaps both would be disabled.
He recalled Xia Yan’s words.
With the only di son and di daughter in the fu being like this now, who would inherit Jiang fu in the future? “I, Jiang Quan, have fallen to this extent.
I was unable to protect my children.”

Sponsored Content

Hong Ying’s gentle words were in his ears. “Laoye, that’s incorrect.
Don’t we still have Eldest Young Master and Eldest Young Miss? “

Jiang Xin Zhi and Jiang Ruan.
Jiang Quan was slightly shocked.
Jiang Xin Zhi had left Jiang fu many years ago and it was unknown whether he was alive or dead.
He called to mind Jiang Ruan that he saw in Su Xin Yuan today.
She was a slender and elegant young girl, wearing light makeup.
She had blossomed into an unparalleled beauty.
Her red dress made him think of Zhao Mei when she was young.

Compared to Zhao Mei, Jiang Ruan was less wilful and impetuous, more sweet-tempered and vibrant.
He loathed Zhao Mei from the beginning because Zhao Mei fell in love with him.
Since Zhao Mei was a young lady from a wealthy and noble family he had no alternative but to marry her, but he never loved her.
Zhao Mei, a general’s daughter, learned the four arts (zither, go, calligraphy and painting) for him.

Since he didn’t love Zhao Mei, he never showed any concern or care even for Jiang Xin Zhi and Jiang Ruan.
Now, were Jiang Chao and Jiang Su Su’s mishaps Heaven’s punishment for him?

“Li Dong won’t leave the matter at that,” Jiang Quan sighed deeply.
“Li Yang looks like that now.
I’m afraid he will ask to marry Su‘er.“

Hong Ying’s hands stilled.
“Asking for marriage?”

“If Li Yang dies, the matter rests here.
But if he doesn’t, with that kind of appearance, I’m afraid that no good family will consent to give their daughter to marry him in the future,” Jiang Quan explained.
“Now, he hates Su‘er to the bone.
If she gets married to him, she will be tortured in every possible way.
Su‘er will barely survive there nor can she die, thus she will never be happy.”

“Is Laoye willing to break off relations with Grand Councillor Li for Second Young Lady?” Hong Ying inquired.

“No,” Jiang Quan replied,” the Jiang fu needs to ingratiate itself with His Highness, Eighth Prince, but in order to accomplish that it will be impossible to break off relations with the Li family.”

“Then, Laoye is willing to marry Second Young Lady to the Li family?” Hong Ying probed him.

“Su‘er is my most beloved daughter.
I would never send her to a living hell.” Jiang Quan said, “Even if Li Yang was in good condition, I would not marry Su‘er to him, not to mention that he is just a waste now.”

“What will Laoye do?” Hong Ying had a faint guess in her heart and her voice became even more gentle.

“I don’t want to send Su‘er to them.
If I can compensate them with Ruan‘er, maybe I can pacify Li Dong and his son’s anger,” Jiang Quan told her.
“Ruan‘er, who is beautiful now, may look even more remarkable as she grows older.
By giving them my innocent di daughter as compensation, perhaps, they will feel the Jiang fu’s sincerity.”

Even though she had guessed at this a little bit, Hong Ying was still shocked beyond words.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Quan could think of causing Jiang Ruan a lifetime’s worth of misery in exchange for Jiang Su Su’s liberation.
How could there be such a father in the world who treated his own flesh and blood so differently! Had she not heard it with her own ears, Hong Ying could never believe that these words came from Jiang Quan’s mouth.

She couldn’t help saying, “Laoye, do you know what marrying Eldest Young Miss off means?” It would signify that Jiang Ruan becomes a tool for the Li father and son to vent their anger.
Li Yang and Li Dong would transfer their hatred for Jiang Su Su to Jiang Ruan.
Jiang Ruan would have to live a life of humiliation.

Jiang Quan didn’t open his eyes.
“I have no other way.
Ruan‘er, as the elder sister, should love and protect her.”

He spoke as if this was proper and a matter of course.
Hong Ying felt a chill in her heart and reluctantly smiled.
“Laoye, you’d better wait until Second Young Lady wakes up to make a plan.
We also don’t know Second Young Master Li’s situation yet.

Jiang Quan was stunned.
“You are right, this matter will be discussed later.
Now, we will wait until Su’er wakes up.
You can withdraw.”

Hong Ying hurriedly withdrew from the room.
When she got out, she still felt a lingering fear.
She shuddered to think of Jiang Quan’s words just now.
Everyone in the capital had heard about the Li family’s father and son’s disgusting means.
It was really chilling that Jiang Quan could propose marrying Jiang Ruan off to that family without batting an eyelid.

Jiang Ruan once threw her an olive branch, but Hong Ying was always careful and did not ally herself with others easily.
But she could clearly perceive that the course of events inside the Jiang fu had changed surreptitiously since Jiang Ruan returned.
Eldest Jiang Miss looked gentle and pleasant, but during the mishaps that had occurred over these past few days, she was all safe and sound while the Xian Yan mother-daughter pair came to grief.
Hong Ying was born in a brothel, she wasn’t so naive to think that it was all due to Jiang Ruan’s luck.

点击屏幕以使用高级工具 提示:您可以使用左右键盘键在章节之间浏览。

You'll Also Like