Upon hearing Jiang Si’s instructions, A’ya couldn’t help but look toward Jiang Yi.
In A’ya’s view, it was rather strange for Jiang Si to give her orders, bypassing her own mistress.
At that moment, Jiang Yi’s mind was in turmoil. She absent-mindedly said, “Then you may stay.”
Jiang Si silently observed A’ya, who gradually began to feel uneasy.
Seeing the little maid lose her usual composure, Jiang Si finally spoke, “Your name is A’ya, isn’t it?”
“In response to Miss, this lowly servant’s humble name is indeed A’ya,” she replied.
Jiang Si smiled, “It’s a good name. A’ya, come here.”
A’ya grew increasingly confused but hesitantly walked up to Jiang Si.
Jiang Si took out a jade box from her waist pouch and handed it to A’ya, saying casually, “Open it and take a look.”
A’ya took the jade box and opened it. Inside, she saw a plump, pale red worm struggling to raise its head, its tiny body wriggling.
The scene was so unexpected that A’ya cried out in shock and threw the jade box away.
Jiang Si was prepared for this. With quick reflexes, she caught the flying box.
Surprisingly, the worm inside remained firmly attached to the box, not falling out. However, the plump creature was clearly startled, almost standing upright and vigorously shaking its whiskers at Jiang Si, as if expressing its dissatisfaction at being mistreated by its owner.
The young girl’s fair fingertip gently tapped the worm’s back, finally calming it down. It flipped over and lay on its back in the jade box.
For some reason, A’ya, who had been staring intently at the box, seemed to detect a hint of contentment in the plump worm’s movements.
Jiang Si put away the jade box and looked at A’ya with displeasure, “You almost dropped my little pet.”
A’ya’s heart skipped a beat. She knelt and begged for forgiveness, “This servant was careless. Please forgive me, Miss.”
“Fourth Sister—” Jiang Yi finally came to her senses, feeling that the expressionless young girl before her seemed somewhat unfamiliar.
When did Fourth Sister start keeping such disgusting insects? And just now in the pavilion, Fourth Sister had knocked out two grown men without hesitation…
The more Jiang Yi thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.
Jiang Si gently shook her head, signaling Jiang Yi not to interfere.
Faced with a choice between her sister and a little maid, Jiang Yi naturally chose to stand by Jiang Si’s side and observe coldly.
“A’ya is very afraid of insects?” Jiang Si asked with a smile.
A’ya nodded, her face pale.
Who wouldn’t be afraid of such a round, plump worm wriggling its body as if it might crawl onto you at any moment?
“Then, is A’ya afraid of snakes?” Jiang Si continued.
A’ya’s face turned even paler.
Jiang Si raised her hand to squeeze her damp hairtips and said calmly, “As it happens, I also like to keep snakes.”
A’ya was completely dumbfounded.
She hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did the First Madam’s sister seem determined to frighten her to death?
Seeing that the situation was ripe, Jiang Si said expressionlessly, “A’ya, I don’t care whose person you are, nor do I care if you’re loyal to my elder sister. If even a word about my elder sister getting caught in the rain today leaks out, be prepared to keep company with insects and snakes from now on.”
The encounter with those two men in the pavilion was completely unexpected, and the words they overheard meant big trouble, so she and her elder sister absolutely could not be exposed.
A’man was reliable, but as for A’ya’s true nature, even her elder sister couldn’t be certain. So, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
To control a person’s words and actions, gradually winning them over was the best strategy, but in the short term, threats and enticements were the most effective.
A’ya’s eyes suddenly widened, looking at Jiang Si in disbelief.
Jiang Si reached towards her waist, causing A’ya to flinch. She quickly said, “This servant absolutely won’t say anything!”
Anyone who didn’t know better might think the First Madam had committed murder or arson. It was just getting caught in the rain, was it really necessary to threaten a little maid like this?
“Miss, the hot water is here,” came a voice.
Jiang Si immediately put on a faint smile, “Elder Sister, you should wash up first.”
Jiang Yi hazily wiped herself down, the comfort brought by the hot water gradually bringing her back to her senses.
After Jiang Si had washed up, Jiang Yi immediately sent A’man and A’ya away. Grabbing Jiang Si’s hand, she asked in a trembling voice, “Fourth Sister, why did those two men mention you? How is the Seventh Prince they spoke of related to you? And how did you subdue two grown men—”
Jiang Si was both amused and exasperated, “Elder Sister, you’re asking so many questions at once. Which one should I answer first?”
Jiang Yi collected herself and smiled bitterly, “Fourth Sister, my heart is in turmoil now, as if it’s being fried in oil. Please tell me quickly what’s going on.”
What’s going on? Jiang Si felt a faint headache coming on.
She actually couldn’t explain exactly what was happening. What was the purpose of those two men looking for a girl who resembled the Holy Maiden A’sang to approach Yu Qi? Did that man in the long robe notice her because he found her similar to A’sang?
Facing Jiang Yi’s anxious and nervous gaze, Jiang Si regained her composure and gently wrung out her hair with a soft towel, “Don’t panic, Elder Sister. I guess those two men noticed me probably because of the Seventh Prince.”
“But how does Fourth Sister know the Seventh Prince?”
Jiang Si smiled, “I don’t know any Seventh Prince. Didn’t Second Brother get involved in that arson case on the Jinshui River pleasure boat recently? I went to the Shuntian Prefecture to bring Second Brother home, and on the way, I was surrounded by some young ruffians. A friend of Second Brother’s saved me. Thinking about it now, that friend might have been Prince Yan.”
At this point, Jiang Si had a sudden realization, noticing something odd.
Yu Jin had already been granted the title of Prince Yan, and people now referred to him as such. Yet those two men had called him the Seventh Prince. Could this mean that they were used to calling him that from before and hadn’t changed their way of addressing him?
If so, it would suggest that these two men had been targeting Yu Qi for some time.
Noticing Jiang Si’s distraction, Jiang Yi grew anxious, “Even if Fourth Sister was saved by the Seventh Prince, why would those two men target you?”
Thinking of how those two men were secretly inquiring about her sister’s identity, Jiang Yi shuddered.
“Don’t worry, Elder Sister. Once they find out my identity, they probably won’t act rashly.”
Regardless of whether the Earl’s mansion held any real power, a young lady from an Earl’s family was certainly not easy to control. Assuming they had other options, Jiang Si didn’t believe the man in the long robe would set his sights on her to approach Yu Jin.
“Fourth Sister, I’m still worried—”
“Elder Sister, sometimes worrying is useless. If it’s truly unavoidable, I’ll protect myself.”
Looking at her sister’s determined and bright eyes, Jiang Yi’s chaotic thoughts gradually stabilized. She frowned and asked, “Fourth Sister, how did you come to keep insects?”
“I happened to find this insect’s color very beautiful, so I kept it.”
Jiang Yi fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Do you keep snakes too?”
“No, I don’t. That was just to scare your little maid.”
Jiang Yi heaved a great sigh of relief.
Thank heavens, her sister wasn’t keeping snakes and was still a normal young lady after all.
“Elder Sister, let’s not mention today’s events to Brother-in-law,” Jiang Si reminded her.
Jiang Yi nodded vigorously. Thinking of the two men’s miserable state, she asked uneasily, “Fourth Sister, you didn’t beat those two men to death, did you?”