Twenty-one thousand twenty-one

Jiang Xinyue felt as if she were on the verge of insanity.

Not long after she had made an excuse to leave the Hall of Fortune and Longevity, her mother, Madame Xu, followed her. The moment she arrived, she declared, "We must attend the Pei family's banquet."

"I never stopped you from going," Jiang Xinyue replied, sidestepping her mother and signaling to Qingfei to bring over some silver and copper coins so she could begin counting them.

She needed money for a doctor; she might even need to purchase medicine. If there was time, she wanted to head to the small courtyard to return the money she had received from selling the horse to Pei San. After a moment's thought, she set aside a portion of the silver. If Pei San ran out of money, she could use that as leverage to tempt him into leaving the capital later.

Her slender, fair hands moved, stuffing silver nuggets into her purse and taking them out again, treating the Madame Xu standing beside her as if she were invisible.

Seeing this, Madame Xu slapped her hand down, knocking the purse away. It hit the table, sending a few round silver nuggets rolling out from the opening.

"You are not to leave the house for the next few days. Stay here and think carefully about what you will wear to the banquet. I won't be returning to my own quarters for a few days; I'm staying here to help you make these decisions."

"Who taught you to do this?"

"This is my own decision. No one taught me."

With her neck held stiffly, Madame Xu stood in a stalemate with her daughter for a long while. When she saw her daughter's delicate face set in a tense mask, her own shoulders slumped.

She asked with genuine confusion, "This is a wonderful opportunity for you and for the Jiang family. Your grandmother, your father, and the others are already quite dissatisfied with you. Attending this banquet is not a difficult task, and it could help them change their impression of you. Isn't this a situation where everyone wins?"

The naive confusion on Madame Xu's face was entirely genuine. It was not the condescension or the high-and-mighty pity of the old matriarch, but simple, pure perplexity.

In that instant, she looked exactly like a conservative woman abandoned by the times, sitting at the bottom of a well, reaching out to a passerby at the rim and asking in bewilderment, "Isn't it good to stay at the bottom of the well? It's so safe down here."

In a sense, Madame Xu was also a pitiful person.

The flicker of sympathy for her mother in Jiang Xinyue's heart was reignited, and she said earnestly, "Because ingratiating oneself only earns contempt, not the affection one imagines. The only people who win at the Duke of Zhen's residence are them, not me. Why should I do something that brings me no benefit?"

The expression in Madame Xu's eyes shifted, as if she had understood and yet not understood at all.

A glimmer of misplaced hope rose in Jiang Xinyue's heart; even if she could just make her mother feel a shred of dissatisfaction toward the old matriarch, these words would have been worth it.

But under her expectant gaze, Madame Xu soon shook her head, returning to her original, stubborn self.

"You haven't even tried; how do you know they won't accept you? They aren't that kind of people."

A mouthful of blood seemed to rise in Jiang Xinyue's throat. She was almost amused by the sheer absurdity of it. Saying nothing more, she turned and walked toward her own room.

***

She had initially thought that Madame Xu's talk of watching her was empty air, given how obsessed her mother was with her father. Even when Jiang Xinyue had suffered from a high fever as a child, Madame Xu would come to care for her during the day, only to insist on returning to her own courtyard at night, claiming she missed her husband.

She had been waiting for Madame Xu to return to her quarters so she could slip out, find a doctor, and get the medicine she needed.

But this time, for some unknown reason, Madame Xu truly stood guard in the courtyard for several days. Even after she relented and agreed to attend the birthday banquet at the Duke of Zhen's residence, Madame Xu remained in Fufang Courtyard.

"I know you. If you agree now, you'll likely turn around and go to your uncle's house without coming back."

Jiang Xinyue was truly anxious.

Her symptoms of nausea and loss of appetite had worsened over the past few days; she couldn't even bear to look at the food she usually enjoyed. Yet, her mother stayed by her side day and night, even watching her until she fell asleep in the east room before retiring herself.

To avoid raising suspicion, she desperately pinched her own arms, trying to use the pain to suppress the nausea. After several days, both of her arms were covered in bruises, with hardly a patch of healthy skin left.

More importantly, if she were indeed pregnant, the gestation was no longer early. If this dragged on any longer, it would be impossible to terminate the pregnancy.

As the day drew closer, Jiang Xinyue knew that her attendance at the banquet was set in stone. To avoid causing further trouble, she decided to follow them to the Pei residence, then slip away during the banquet to see a doctor and figure out her next steps.

On the day of the Old Duchess Pei's birthday, she deliberately wore no jewelry and chose a simple, lightweight outfit in a plain, inconspicuous color.

Madame Xu was not satisfied, nagging her incessantly, but in the end, she couldn't break her daughter's will and had to let her be.

Because of this morning's minor incident, by the time they reached the hanging flower gate, everyone else was already waiting.

Despite the old matriarch's earlier outbursts, she did not show her face on the actual day, instead sending Madame Yang to accompany the young ladies of the household.

The Jiang family placed great importance on this banquet. The third branch's two daughters, Jiang Mingzhu and Jiang Mingzhen, were both dressed in brand-new skirts and jackets, adorned with striking jade jewelry. The bright colors highlighted their beautiful features, making them look fresh and vibrant as they stood in the cold wind.

In contrast, Jiang Linzhao, who was with Madame Yang, looked much more understated. She wore a long apricot-white coat paired with a horse-face skirt embroidered with intricate golden patterns, and a cute rabbit jade pendant. Other than a single, delicate pink silk flower, she wore no other accessories. She appeared dignified, obedient, and serene—the kind of look that elders found pleasing at first glance.

Each of the three young ladies had her own strengths. Compared to them, Jiang Xinyue, who had bundled herself up tightly for warmth, looked significantly "sturdier." It was only due to her naturally beautiful face that she didn't seem entirely out of place.

Madame Xu felt a surge of regret. Had she known it would be like this, she would have brought out her own set of gemstone headpieces and forced her daughter to wear them, even if she had to pin her down to a stool to do it.

Seeing Jiang Xinyue approach, Jiang Linzhao smiled and greeted her, "Third Sister, come sit over here. We'll go together."

"Why are you being so enthusiastic? Do you think she'll appreciate it?" Jiang Mingzhu rolled her eyes without hesitation.

She looked beautiful today, but she couldn't stand the biting cold. Knowing they were going to the Duke of Zhen's residence, she had been excited since last night, rising early to drag her younger sister here to wait.

Yet, Jiang Xinyue had actually been late!

Feeling even angrier, she glared at Jiang Xinyue, turned without hesitation, and stepped onto the carriage.

The younger Jiang Mingzhen apologized to Madame Xu and Jiang Xinyue with a small bow before following her sister into the carriage.

Madame Yang, having witnessed the whole scene, neither reprimanded the two girls of the third branch nor mentioned the lateness of Madame Xu and her daughter. She simply told Madame Xu to follow them.

"Get on the carriage first; it's cold standing outside."

Before her sister-in-law, Madame Xu was as docile as a cat with no temper, and she quickly pulled Jiang Xinyue into the carriage.

As soon as they were inside, Jiang Linzhao sat beside her and leaned in, saying, "Third Sister, why are you wearing such plain clothes? I have a few hairpins here. Take a look and see if you like any—you can wear them."

As she spoke, she took a jewelry box from a spare chest, placed it on her lap, and opened it for Jiang Xinyue to choose.

Jiang Xinyue took one look and knew that this jewelry box must be one Jiang Linzhao used often; the gold hairpins and jade pieces inside were clearly valuable. But she was still planning to slip away later and didn't want the burden of these accessories. She shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm fine as I am."

"That won't do today." Jiang Linzhao looked at her disapprovingly, explaining, "There will certainly be many people at the Duke of Zhen's residence, and there will be no shortage of young ladies from prestigious families. Everyone knows the Duke of Zhen's intentions; they all want to secure this marriage. If you dress too plainly, those with shallow minds will inevitably make snide remarks."

Jiang Xinyue felt that, having been away from the capital for only a year, she no longer understood the political landscape. "The eldest son of the Pei family is so outstanding; why haven't I heard of him before?"

"It is the Duke of Zhen who is outstanding. He captured twelve border cities in succession. When the news reached the capital, the Emperor personally held a banquet to congratulate his ministers. The Pei family is currently the most sought-after household; naturally, everyone wants to secure this marriage."

"Then shouldn't they be aiming for a marriage to the Duke of Zhen himself? What does that have to do with the eldest son of the Pei family?"

Jiang Linzhao's small face stiffened slightly. She leaned in closer and whispered mysteriously, "It is said that the Duke of Zhen is terrifying in appearance, his face like that of a Rakshasa. He is broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, his body covered in bulging muscles. One punch is enough to splatter a person into a bloody mess. Furthermore, he is violent and bloodthirsty, having killed countless people."

Jiang Xinyue let out an "ah." Was this really not a storyteller's tall tale?

Seeing her disbelief, Jiang Linzhao pouted. "It's true. Not long ago, at the Return to the South Gate, someone bumped into him. His face darkened instantly. He killed the person with a single stroke of his blade and then held the man's severed head in his hand to play with."

"Ugh." Jiang Xinyue's stomach churned, and she nearly vomited.

Just at that moment, the carriage came to a halt in front of the Duke of Zhen's residence.

They had arrived.