There are no impermeable walls in this world, let alone when a young lady from a respectable family has her body exposed before a crowd. Rumors and gossip swiftly began circulating through the streets and alleys of the capital that very day. However, when misfortune strikes, it pours—having such an incident wasn’t enough, and heaven seemed to find the Jiang residence insufficiently troubled, releasing another piece of scandalous news simultaneously.
In Prince Jinying’s residence, Jiang Ruan sat at a table drinking tea. She savored the finest Guzhǔ Purple Bamboo Shoot tea paired with exquisite peony tea bean paste—perfectly sweet without being cloying. The cooks in Prince Jinying’s residence were all first-rate, preparing dishes that were both simple and refined. Even the imperial kitchens in the palace might not produce such fine delicacies. The servants in the residence told Lu Zhu that the old Prince Jinying was a man who valued quality living, and these cooks had been carefully selected from outside. However, after the old Prince Jinying and his wife passed away, Xiao Shao’s temperament was cold and aloof, preferring simple meals above all else. These cooks had long been talented individuals with no opportunity to display their skills. Now that a young mistress had finally arrived, they naturally exerted all their efforts to please her, hoping to win Jiang Ruan’s favor and gain more opportunities to showcase their culinary skills in the future.
Though this reasoning sounded somewhat amusing, Lu Zhu’s heart gradually felt more at ease, because these people’s words all conveyed one message—that the servants of Prince Jinying’s residence truly regarded Jiang Ruan as their young mistress, otherwise why would they expend such effort? Currently, what the maids worried about most was that while Jiang Ruan’s marriage to Prince Jinying’s residence could be considered marrying up, and Xiao Shao himself was beyond reproach, they feared the servants in the residence might bully their mistress. Seeing how the servants treated Jiang Ruan with complete respect, and observing Prince Jinying’s residence and Xiao Shao, they couldn’t find a single fault from beginning to end.
As Jiang Ruan was drinking her tea, she saw Lian Qiao walking in from outside, grinning as she called out, “Miss.”
Jiang Ruan acknowledged her, and Lian Qiao placed the freshly picked flowers into a gold-decorated phoenix-patterned large vase. Though Prince Jinying’s residence possessed remarkable grandeur, perhaps because Xiao Shao’s own temperament was too cold and aloof, it always felt lacking in embellishment, appearing somewhat desolate. Originally, when Xiao Shao lived alone, this wasn’t an issue, but Jiang Ruan would be moving into Prince Jinying’s residence in the future. Lian Qiao thought they should add some color regardless. After all, men and women had different sensibilities—even placing a few picked flowers in a vase would add some human warmth, wouldn’t it?
“Miss,” Lian Qiao said while arranging flowers, “this servant heard about a major incident outside today. Can Miss guess what it was?” Though she tried to maintain composure, her face showed traces of excitement, and her eyes couldn’t suppress their mirth. Jiang Ruan glanced at her and said, “Something happened to Hong Ying?”
“Miss is truly divine,” Lian Qiao was stunned for a moment, then ran to Jiang Ruan’s side, blinking as she said, “Exactly! This servant heard it as soon as she stepped outside—the streets and alleys are all talking about this matter, saying that Master kicked Fifth Concubine so hard she miscarried!”
“Miscarried?” Jiang Ruan’s expression flickered.
“This story is quite long to tell.” Hong Ying sat down on a small stool beside them, clearly very interested in recounting this affair, her manner rivaling that of storytellers in wine shops. She continued, “I heard that yesterday, Fifth Concubine bustled about all day, and Master invited an imperial physician from the palace to examine Fifth Concubine’s condition. Initially, everything was fine, but when the imperial physician was about to arrive, Fifth Concubine suddenly claimed she felt extremely unwell and only wanted to sleep quickly. Master, being a shrewd man, immediately sensed something was wrong and began arguing with Fifth Concubine. Who would have thought—” Lian Qiao paused for dramatic effect, intending to pique Jiang Ruan’s curiosity, but when she looked up and saw that Jiang Ruan’s expression hadn’t wavered at all, as if she had already anticipated this event, she awkwardly touched her nose and continued, “Who would have thought that two large cotton pillows fell out from Fifth Concubine’s belly!”
Lian Qiao recounted this with great animation, gesturing as she spoke, “At that moment, when Master discovered he’d been deceived, quick as lightning, he delivered a heavy kick. Then—” Lian Qiao coughed twice, “Here comes the most important part! Fifth Concubine screamed miserably and wailed, ‘You heartless man, how can you treat me this way?’ Master said, ‘Ying’er, I’ve been completely sincere toward you, yet you deceive me! I am—heartbroken!'”
“Stop, stop, stop—” Jiang Ruan pressed her forehead. Lian Qiao was telling it like a storybook tale. Those unaware might think she had witnessed it firsthand. If she continued, the servants of Prince Jinying’s residence would gather around to listen to free storytelling without paying silver. She said, “There’s no need to recount those details.”
Unable to display her talent as a storyteller, Lian Qiao felt quite regretful, but still honestly continued, “Then Master kicked out, Fifth Concubine began bleeding, and coincidentally the imperial physician arrived at that moment and examined her. Master’s kick was quite effective—it kicked away the child in Fifth Concubine’s belly. It was a real child, not even three months along.”
Jiang Ruan pondered for a moment before saying, “So that’s how it was.”
Originally, that day when she saw the imperial physician was coming, even someone as composed as Hong Ying would feel panicked. When people panic, they easily make foolish mistakes. Under normal circumstances, Hong Ying was clever enough that she would never make such an error. Yesterday she must have been frantically nervous, which led her to concoct such a clumsy excuse. Though Jiang Quan doted on Hong Ying, that didn’t mean he was a fool who could be easily deceived. Moreover, after the Xia Yan incident, Jiang Quan had become sensitive about matters concerning heirs. Once he suspected Hong Ying, he became aggressively confrontational. During their argument, Hong Ying’s deception was exposed, and Jiang Quan’s anger was inevitable. Being repeatedly fooled by his own women, how could Jiang Quan swallow this humiliation? No matter how much he usually doted on Hong Ying, in his eyes now, her crimes were unforgivable.
Who could have known that by some twist of fate, Hong Ying herself didn’t know when she had actually become pregnant? It seemed that earlier, while still harboring false hopes, she had used some potent medicines during her fake pregnancy. These harsh medicines coincidentally took effect at this moment—Hong Ying had genuinely conceived, but Jiang Quan’s kick destroyed it.
The imperial physician who treated Hong Ying also had a loose tongue. Perhaps he felt the Jiang family’s affairs were truly worthy material for amusing conversation, so he immediately returned and told his colleagues. With so many imperial physicians in the palace, some had connections with nobles while others came from humble backgrounds. Consequently, in no time at all, news of Jiang Quan kicking his concubine and causing her miscarriage spread from the highest noble families to the poorest common folk—no one didn’t know, no one hadn’t heard. It truly shook the entire capital.
Jiang Ruan lowered her eyes. In the previous life, at this time Hong Ying had already been completely outmaneuvered by Xia Yan, with no ability to fight back, let alone discuss having children. If in this life she hadn’t harbored other greedy desires, she might have enjoyed a period of good days. Now her hopes for the rest of her life were also destroyed. Jiang Quan would absolutely show no mercy toward a woman who had made him a laughingstock—Hong Ying’s fate was predictable. However, currently the most anguished should be Jiang Quan himself. A subtle rift had imperceptibly formed between him and Jiang Chao. The Jiang family’s lineage was not prosperous, and Jiang Quan had placed such importance on the child in Hong Ying’s belly. Now that it had died by his own hand, for someone like Jiang Quan, this was undoubtedly a tremendous blow.
Lian Qiao continued, “Miss, please listen to more—Fifth Concubine is finished, but Second Miss still has troubles ahead. Since yesterday afternoon, many people have been surrounding the residence gates demanding to marry Second Miss, claiming that since they saw Second Miss’s body, she must take responsibility. These people absolutely refuse to be driven away. When guards were summoned, they lay at the gates crying and wailing, accusing the Jiang residence of disregarding human life. Master was furious and publicly apologized, saying he would send Second Miss to a temple to become a nun. After Second Miss heard this, she fainted once, then argued with Master, but Master was determined not to relent. Today Master forcibly sent Second Miss to the family temple a hundred li away, and it’s said he truly intends to have her hair cut to become a real nun.”
“Becoming a nun is truly letting her off easy,” Lian Qiao said indignantly. “She really should have been married off to one of those men. However, Master has always doted on Second Miss, so this action that ruins Second Miss’s entire life is indeed shocking.”
“Why would it be?” Jiang Ruan said lightly. Lian Qiao heard something unusual in her voice and looked up, only to be startled by the coldness in Jiang Ruan’s eyes. She heard Jiang Ruan say, “He’s going to great lengths to pave the way for Second Sister.”
Wasn’t it so? If Jiang Susu truly married one of these street ruffians, her life would be ruined. But if she cut her hair and went to a temple to become a nun, this would at least preserve the Jiang family’s dignity while providing Jiang Susu with a graceful exit, preventing her reputation from being continuously trampled. By staying away from the capital’s secular world, Jiang Susu would gradually fade from people’s sight until an opportunity arose for her to return to the capital. When could Jiang Susu return to the capital? Naturally, when the succession struggle concluded, the former emperor passed away, the new emperor ascended the throne, and Xuan Li’s grand enterprise was achieved.
By then, Jiang Quan might receive rewards and honors. With fame, profit, and power as guarantees, who would care about Jiang Susu’s past? Jiang Quan had made an excellent move. In both the previous and current lives, he had paved the way for this daughter step by step, ensuring her lifelong peace and prosperity.
In her previous life, Jiang Susu had said she couldn’t tolerate even a speck of dust in her eyes. Little did she know that in this life, Jiang Susu was also a grain of sand in her eyes. In this lifetime, she was ruthless and merciless, particularly unable to bear witnessing scenes of paternal kindness and filial piety. Jiang Quan had played this chess game well, but she had no intention of helping him succeed.
“Lian Qiao, go tell Jin Er,” Jiang Ruan lowered her eyes, “I want to ask him to help me with something.”
The residence’s hidden guards Jin Er and Jin San couldn’t stay too far from Jiang Ruan. Lian Qiao acknowledged and asked, “What does Miss want to instruct Jin Er to do?”
…
Lian Qiao searched outside for a long time without seeing Jin Er, but did spot another person dressed as a guard from a distance. This person looked somewhat familiar, though Lian Qiao couldn’t quite remember where she’d seen him—he was certainly one of Xiao Shao’s subordinates. She approached and inquired, “Excuse me, do you know where Jin Er is?”
The man turned around, revealing handsome brows and bright eyes—quite good-looking overall. He stared at Lian Qiao motionlessly for a long while. Lian Qiao found his staring strange, and her fiery temperament flared as she raised her eyebrows and said, “What are you looking at!”
“So you were the one telling stories inside earlier,” the man said. Though his expression showed nothing improper, his words carried three parts mockery.
Lian Qiao was stunned, then became angry, “What business is it of yours! You actually eavesdropped! I’ll tell Miss about this, and when the Prince learns of it, just wait to be disciplined!”
This man was none other than Ye Feng. For several years, Xiao Shao had coldly relegated him to the Yi Bao Pavilion to gather intelligence, making his days tediously boring. But since his master hadn’t given orders, he couldn’t emerge on his own. These past few days, Xiao Shao had unusually summoned him back, seemingly about to embark on a journey and wanting to assign him some tasks. Earlier, he had heard Lian Qiao outside recounting the Jiang residence’s affairs to Jiang Ruan, and had been quite surprised by which maid possessed such eloquent speech. If he had such a lively treasure accompanying him during missions, he certainly wouldn’t feel the slightest boredom.
Hearing Lian Qiao mention Jiang Ruan now, his brow twitched. Last time, hadn’t it been precisely because of mistaking someone’s identity that Xiao Shao had coldly neglected him for several years due to Jiang Ruan? Now Jiang Ruan’s status was even higher—she was about to become Prince Jinying’s young mistress. If he angered her—no, even if he merely angered a maid beside the young mistress—given Xiao Shao’s wife-protecting nature, he probably wouldn’t be easily forgiven. He immediately said, “It was my fault. What do you need Jin Er for?”
“The young mistress has something for him to do,” Lian Qiao said. Her nature was straightforward and she wasn’t one to hold grudges indefinitely. Since Ye Feng had already apologized, there was no need to keep harping on it.
“He’s on a mission and not currently in the residence,” Ye Feng said.
Lian Qiao frowned, “When will he return to the residence?”
“Tomorrow evening probably,” Ye Feng replied. “What’s the matter? Is it urgent?”
“Tomorrow evening will be too late…” Lian Qiao bit her lip, her expression somewhat anxious. “Why must he be away at this particular time?”
Ye Feng was curious, “Whatever it is, I can do it just as well.”
“You?” Lian Qiao glanced at him sideways and shook her head, “I really can’t trust you.”
This sideways glance revealed several traces of unconscious girlish charm in her eyes. The several maids around Jiang Ruan all had rather outstanding appearances—Bai Zhi was dignified, Lian Qiao was spirited, Lu Zhu was clever, and Tian Zhu was aloof, each with their own particular appeal. Among these girls, Lian Qiao and Lu Zhu were especially popular with men. Though they hadn’t been at Prince Jinying’s residence long, many of Xiao Shao’s subordinates had already tried to court Lian Qiao and Lu Zhu.
Ye Feng usually encountered women who were either coldly aloof like those in the Embroidered Uniform Guard or heavily made-up courtesans from brothels. It was rare to meet a girl with such a straightforward and spirited nature, whose every movement reflected her genuine character. At this moment, with her bright eyes and peach-colored cheeks, her lips slightly reddened from mild irritation, making her face appear powder-soft and increasingly charming, his heart immediately stirred. Not waiting for Lian Qiao to speak, he was already filled with the competitive spirit that only young men possess. He grabbed Lian Qiao’s wrist, “Can’t trust me? I’ll make you trust me this once!” With that, he seized Lian Qiao and leaped toward the courtyard’s exterior, ignoring her panicked screams.
On the rooftop, Jin San spat out a blade of grass he’d been chewing and uttered just one word: “Foolish.”
Jin Si pursed her lips and patted her sleeves, “Let’s go, time to work!”
…
Meanwhile, in the area around Cloud Peak Mountain, wild grass and trees grew abundantly, and the entire route consisted of muddy paths. The carriage rumbled along, occasionally splashing droplets of mud. The sky was gradually darkening, and they were still some distance from their destination. There wasn’t even a place to rest for several li around, nor any households visible where they might seek lodging. Tonight this carriage was destined to camp in the wilderness.
Despite this, the carriage was arranged quite luxuriously, at least appearing very comfortable from the outside. The coachman was also experienced, doing his utmost to minimize the jolting from the bumpy, pothole-filled road throughout the journey—quite considerate indeed.
The lead guard said, “Let’s rest here.”
Inside the carriage, Jiang Susu’s face was pale, her expression full of indifference. Qingting beside her, seeing this, softly comforted her, “Miss, it’s getting late. Please have some soup and rest.”
After Hudie had been sold to a brothel by Jiang Susu for the purple river cart incident, Jiang Susu had never promoted another second-class maid to fill the position. The first-class maid position had remained vacant, with Qingting serving personally by her side all along. Qingting could be considered Jiang Susu’s confidante, and she served her quite loyally, usually helping with advice. She had never imagined Jiang Susu would fall to such circumstances. As a maid, she naturally had to share her mistress’s hardships and joys—even going to the family temple to become a nun.
However, Qingting understood in her heart that Jiang Quan’s love for Jiang Susu over all these years wasn’t false, and going to the temple to become a nun was merely a temporary measure. After all, with Jiang Susu’s ruined reputation, remaining in the capital would be pointless. When these rumors gradually subsided in the future, they could find an opportunity to bring Jiang Susu back to the residence, and everything could begin anew. Qingting had tried to persuade Jiang Susu of this, but Jiang Susu simply wouldn’t listen. Last night, Jiang Quan had drugged Jiang Susu’s food, and when she awoke this morning, she was already in the carriage with no way to turn back. After berating her thoroughly, she had nearly collapsed, but later, thinking of something, gradually calmed down, though her expression had become strangely cold.
Qingting didn’t think much of it, assuming Jiang Susu had probably figured things out—understood the stakes involved. As long as she stopped making a fuss, that was good.
Jiang Susu glanced at the soup Qingting offered and said, “I understand. Tell those guards to stay far away—I don’t want to be around these servants.”
Qingting considered this and got out of the carriage to instruct the guards to retreat further. After all, there probably wouldn’t be any great danger out here, and if something did happen, these guards could still arrive in time.
When Qingting returned to the carriage, Jiang Susu had already finished the soup in her bowl and said to her, “It’s rather crude, but you should drink some too.”
Qingting looked at Jiang Susu with pleasant surprise. Although she was Jiang Susu’s confidante and Jiang Susu was usually generous with her, Jiang Susu was inherently someone who considered herself superior to others. She looked down even on Jiang Ruan, let alone a servant. Speaking to Qingting so amicably was quite shocking.
“Don’t look at me that way,” Jiang Susu lowered her head and said, “Now I’m just a nun in a temple, no longer any official’s daughter. You and I are not so different in status.”
Hearing Jiang Susu speak this way, Qingting assumed she was still bitter about recent events and said, “Miss mustn’t speak so. Though things are temporarily difficult now, Miss will always be the legitimate daughter of the Minister’s residence, and this servant will forever be Miss’s servant.”
Jiang Susu smiled slightly, “You speak well. Have some soup—you’ve accompanied me through hardship today too.”
Since she insisted several times, Qingting couldn’t refuse further and picked up the bowl to drink the soup. After finishing, she noticed Jiang Susu staring at her unblinkingly. Qingting felt a chill run down her spine under Jiang Susu’s gaze and whispered, “Does Miss have any instructions?”
She heard Jiang Susu sigh, “Qingting, do you think I’m beautiful?”
“Miss is naturally beautiful—in all of the capital, no one could match Miss’s beauty,” Qingting said. This wasn’t flattery—Jiang Susu was indeed born beautiful, and after practicing charm arts, she had become even more devastatingly gorgeous.
“Since I’m so beautiful, how can I become a nun?” Jiang Susu suddenly asked in return.
“Miss…” Qingting was stunned.
“I won’t become a nun,” Jiang Susu’s lips curved into an eerie smile. “Someone so beautiful as me can naturally find a place of refuge and achieve the highest position. How could I waste such beauty?”
Qingting felt uneasy at Jiang Susu’s strange expression and tried to speak, but suddenly felt her head become dizzy and collapsed helplessly onto the small table in the carriage. “Miss… you… you drugged me?”
“I will not become a nun,” Jiang Susu laughed.
Qingting understood what she intended to do and used all her strength to cry out, “Help—”
Her voice cut off abruptly. She stared with wide eyes, incredulous, at Jiang Susu. The dagger in Jiang Susu’s hand was dripping with blood. She yanked it out forcefully, and Qingting’s body fell limp. She opened her mouth like a stranded fish, only able to make helpless sandy sounds that formed no words.
Jiang Susu didn’t spare her a glance: “I had intended to spare your life for all your years of service, but you don’t know what’s good for you! Truly just a dog blocking the path.”
With that, she began removing Qingting’s outer garments.
The guards outside heard commotion from this direction and wanted to come check, but heard Jiang Susu call out loudly, “Go ahead, throw these outside!”
Immediately after, in the dim moonlight, Qingting emerged carrying a tray. Seeing this, the guards returned to their original positions to chat, drink, and laugh, paying no more attention to this area.
Jiang Susu ran for a full incense stick’s worth of time. When she finally saw the forest entrance ahead, she breathed a sigh of relief. She disgustedly removed the outer garment still stained with Qingting’s blood and casually threw it on the ground, gripping the letter in her sleeve tightly.
When she had awakened today, someone had somehow nailed a letter inside the carriage. The letter said only that the writer had admired her for a long time, was unwilling to see her sent to a temple, and was willing to become her protector, arranging for her under his wing.
The letter paper carried the faint fragrance of peach blossom ink—clearly from a wealthy household. Looking at the handwriting, it also displayed an elegant style. Though Jiang Susu didn’t know who this person was, she surmised he must be a son from a noble family, probably one of those who had admired her in the past. Previously, Jiang Susu would have been merely disdainful, but now that even Jiang Quan was abandoning her, this person was like a lifesaving straw. She firmly believed she could capture this person’s heart with her beauty, and in the future, naturally climb higher step by step through her wiles—certainly better than becoming a nun. This person had also provided sleeping powder, which enabled her scheme.
This person wanted her to wait in the forest, but she didn’t know when he would come. At this moment, with the moon dark and wind high, the atmosphere was rather gloomy, and Jiang Susu couldn’t help feeling somewhat afraid.
Just as she was in panic, she heard footsteps behind her. Jiang Susu was delighted and quickly turned around, saying, “Are you the young master who’s come to rescue Susu?”
The person’s footsteps paused. At this moment, moonlight shone down, and Jiang Susu’s body stiffened, because she could see clearly that the newcomer was merely a middle-aged burly man with a terrible scar running from his forehead to the corner of his eye. Seeing her, he snorted from the corner of his mouth and suddenly revealed a lascivious smile.