Old Woman Xiao slipped a golden hairpin to the maid guarding the door, gaining entry to the room.
The room was dim and stuffy, with thick curtains drawn over the windows. Jiang Qian sat on the bed, her hair unkempt and her clothes unchanged, no longer the picture of elegance she once was.
She looked like a madwoman.
Old Woman Xiao stared at Jiang Qian silently, a slight curve to her lips.
After standing quietly for a moment, she finally spoke, “Second Young Lady.”
Jiang Qian kept her head down, not responding at first.
Old Woman Xiao wasn’t in a hurry. She called out again, “Second Miss.”
Jiang Qian suddenly looked up, as if just noticing Old Woman Xiao’s presence. Her eyes were a whirlpool of emotions – anger, heartbreak, grievance.
But she couldn’t speak, only making muffled sounds, looking utterly pitiful.
In Jiang Qian’s heart, Old Woman Xiao, who represented her mother, was her last soft spot.
Why hadn’t her mother come? Had even her mother abandoned her?
No, Old Woman Xiao had said that her mother’s household management rights had been revoked by the Old Madam, and she was ordered to rest quietly – essentially under house arrest. She had no way to come see her.
Why were both mother and daughter so miserable?
Jiang Qian was in agony, clutching Old Woman Xiao’s hand tightly and making continuous muffled sounds.
Looking at Jiang Qian in this state, Old Woman Xiao suddenly smiled.
This smile made Jiang Qian freeze.
Unable to speak, Jiang Qian could only express her confusion with her eyes.
Old Woman Xiao’s laughter grew more unrestrained, eventually laughing out loud.
“Wuwu—” Jiang Qian’s eyes widened.
Had she gone mad, or had everyone else? Why was everyone so strange, so different from what she had imagined?
Old Woman Xiao stepped forward, her voice very low, “Second Miss must be wondering why I’m laughing?”
Jiang Qian nodded.
The pain of being unable to speak distorted her expression.
But Old Woman Xiao showed no fear, speaking word by word, “Because I’ve finally avenged Hongyue! My daughter died in this place that devours people without spitting out bones because of Madam, and now Madam’s daughter has become mute. Hahaha, isn’t this fair…”
Jiang Qian was first bewildered, then filled with overwhelming anger. She grabbed Old Woman Xiao’s wrist.
Old Woman Xiao let her grab it, smiling coldly, “Second Miss, being mute doesn’t feel good, does it? But my Hongyue wasn’t mute, yet you black-hearted people forcibly silenced her and pushed her into the water. She was only sixteen, not even married yet!”
At this point, she pressed down hard on Jiang Qian’s hand, enunciating each word, “Second Miss has been married, so you’re still better off than my Hongyue. But it’s not over yet. Now it’s Second Miss, next will be Madam—”
“Wuwu—” Jiang Qian used all her strength to grab at Old Woman Xiao.
But in her current state, she had little strength left. Old Woman Xiao easily pushed her back onto the bed.
Old Woman Xiao gave Jiang Qian one last look before turning to leave.
Jiang Qian rushed forward, but the maid guarding the door quickly closed it, leaving Jiang Qian to pound furiously on the door.
“Old Woman Xiao, you’d better leave quickly. If anyone finds out I let you in, it would be terrible.”
In the past, Old Woman Xiao had unrestricted access everywhere, but now that Second Madam had fallen from grace, her people naturally followed suit.
Old Woman Xiao didn’t care about this at all. She thanked the maid and quickly left.
The wooden door continued to bang loudly. The maid sighed softly.
The once glorious Second Young Lady had truly gone mad, how pitiful.
When Jiang Qian was sent away, Second Master Jiang didn’t show up. Only her twin brother, Jiang Cang, chased after her. Looking at his sister who was almost unrecognizable, he said tearfully, “Second Sister, wait. One day, Big Brother will bring you back…”
Jiang Qian tried to warn her brother about Old Woman Xiao, but she could only make muffled sounds as the two old women escorting her to the countryside estate pushed and shoved her into the carriage.
Watching silently as the carriage disappeared into the distance, Jiang Cang walked back dejectedly. Passing through the moon gate, he saw Second Master Jiang standing there expressionlessly.
“Father,” Jiang Cang called out, feeling quite upset.
He didn’t blame his father for not stopping Second Sister from being sent away, but the fact that his father didn’t even show up when she left, and even kept their mother in the dark, was disheartening.
Second Master Jiang was equally displeased seeing Jiang Cang’s demeanor.
His eldest son, in whom he had placed great hopes, was now dispirited. Did he want the Second Branch to never rise again?
“Cang’er, the autumn imperial examinations will be held again in two years. If you show promise, your sister will have a chance to return home.”
Jiang Cang’s body trembled as he nodded vigorously, “Son will work hard. I won’t let Second Sister suffer out there for long.”
The elders said Second Sister had fallen ill and needed to recuperate in the countryside estate, but ultimately, it was because Second Sister had offended Fourth Sister. They feared she would be an eyesore to Fourth Sister, so they did this.
Poor Second Sister had lost her voice from the shock, and now she didn’t even have a family member to care for her.
Seeing Jiang Cang’s reaction, Second Master Jiang was secretly pleased.
Although his carefully nurtured legitimate daughter was now ruined, if it could motivate his eldest son to strive harder, it still served some purpose.
Second Master Jiang patted Jiang Cang’s shoulder, “Alright, go back to your studies. Your father’s heart aches for your Second Sister too, but sometimes we must endure pain. The situation is stronger than people.”
“Son understands. Son will take his leave.” Jiang Cang left Second Master Jiang and headed towards his quarters.
“Old Woman Xiao, why are you here?” Arriving at his quarters, Jiang Cang discovered Old Woman Xiao hiding in a secluded spot and stopped.
Old Woman Xiao approached, looked around, and said in a low voice, “Young Master, this old servant has something to tell you.”
“Old Woman Xiao, come this way.”
The bamboo in the courtyard had sprouted new leaves, fresh and green.
Jiang Cang stood there and said gently, “Old Woman Xiao, please speak.”
Old Woman Xiao fell to her knees, crying, “Young Master, you must seek justice for Second Young Lady!”
“Old Woman Xiao, please stand up and speak. If someone sees, they’ll gossip.”
Old Woman Xiao stood up, wiping her tears, “Young Master, you don’t know. The second Young Lady isn’t ill and unable to speak. She’s been poisoned mute!”
“What?” Jiang Cang felt as if he’d been struck by a club, leaving him dizzy.
Old Woman Xiao lowered her voice, “That day, this old servant secretly went to see Second Young Lady and found the door tightly closed with no one attending her. Feeling something was wrong, I quietly went around to the back and peeked through the window. I saw Feng Ma from the Hall of Compassion with two maids forcing medicine down the Second Young Lady’s throat. After that, it was announced that the Second Young Lady had fallen ill and lost her voice…”
“Is this true?”
Old Woman Xiao kept wiping her tears, “How could this old servant dare to gossip about such things? Madam is currently resting, and Old Madam has strictly forbidden anyone from mentioning the Second Young Lady’s affairs to Madam. This old servant dares not disobey but feels wronged for Second Young Lady, so I could only tell Young Master.”
Jiang Cang’s expression changed several times before finally settling into calmness. He said coldly, “I understand. Old Woman Xiao, don’t mention this to anyone else. You should return to Yaxin Courtyard now.”
“Yes.” Old Woman Xiao bowed to Jiang Cang and left the courtyard, a smile appearing on her face.
On her way back, A-Man blocked Old Woman Xiao’s path, raising her chin, “Old Woman Xiao, our Miss requests your presence.”