Without Chen Jia’s consent, Huzi sought out Jiang Yan, and upon seeing her, his gaze flickered nervously.

He stammered, “Miss Jiang, our master received news yesterday that he has been promoted to the Deputy Minister of the Jinyiwei.”

“That’s wonderful!” Jiang Yan exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy. “To be transferred from the Zhenfu Division to the Jinyiwei, he won’t have to deal with those criminals anymore. Amitabha, truly a blessing from the Bodhisattva!”

Huzi, however, looked as if he were about to cry.

Jiang Yan paused, sensing something was amiss. “Is there something more to this?”

Huzi immediately adopted a dejected expression. “Miss Jiang, think about it. What is the most important office in the Jinyiwei? Of course, it’s the Zhenfu Division! Our master was doing well, yet without any warning, he was transferred. Don’t you think there’s something suspicious about that?”

Jiang Yan’s face paled as a troubling thought crossed her mind. She hesitated, unsure if she could mention her brother in front of Huzi, who was Chen Jia’s attendant.

After a long silence, she finally asked, “What can I do to help Master Chen?” Her voice was soft, almost fragile.

Huzi shifted uncomfortably, murmuring, “I just wanted to ask Miss Jiang to speak to the Young Master on our behalf, to ensure our master isn’t ostracized by his colleagues like before… those days were truly unbearable.”

“I understand,” Jiang Yan nodded, though her heart was filled with confusion. If Chen Jia was indeed suffering because of her, would her brother be even angrier if he found out Chen Jia had sent someone to plead for her? Yet, she couldn’t just stand by and watch Chen Jia suffer unjustly!

Restless, she thought for a long time at home and then remembered Jiang Lizhu. Her twelfth sister was so clever; she would surely know what to do!

In a hurry, she went to Dou Zhao and expressed her desire to visit Jiang Lizhu. Dou Zhao, having noticed the connection between Jiang Yan and Chen Jia, couldn’t possibly miss Huzi’s visit.

Feeling somewhat disappointed in Chen Jia, she saw Jiang Yan looking as if she needed to confide in Jiang Lizhu. Recognizing Jiang Lizhu’s calm and thoughtful nature, Dou Zhao thought it would be good for Jiang Yan to have someone to talk to, so she asked the maids to prepare for Jiang Yan’s visit without further questions.

The Wu family received the invitation and took it very seriously to honor Jiang Lizhu. When Jiang Yan arrived, not only did the matriarch of the Jiang family reward her with a gold hairpin, but Jiang Lizhu’s mother-in-law also presented her with a silver gift of two taels, leaving Jiang Yan blushing and looking at Jiang Lizhu with a face full of apology.

Jiang Lizhu comforted her, saying, “If you feel uneasy, just remember to pay your respects to the Wu family whenever they have matters in the future.”

Jiang Yan could manage that.

“Of course, of course!” she sighed in relief and began discussing Chen Jia’s situation with Jiang Lizhu in private.

Jiang Lizhu was surprised. She hadn’t expected Dou Zhao to avoid mentioning Chen Jia in front of Jiang Yan, especially given the circumstances of his secret demotion. It was clear that Song Mo and Dou Zhao disapproved of this marriage.

Jiang Lizhu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. She first praised Jiang Yan, “It’s good that you didn’t rashly go to plead with your cousin. Otherwise, with his temperament, he would have thought that Chen Jia was unwilling and used you to speak on his behalf. At that point, it wouldn’t just be a transfer to the Jinyiwei; he could end up demoted to a lower position.” She continued, “Both your cousin and his wife are not narrow-minded people. Since they have already punished Chen Jia, as long as he doesn’t make further mistakes, they won’t manipulate him again. You can rest assured! Master Chen is capable; in a few years, once this storm passes, his career will become clear again.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but shed tears. “After all, I’ve implicated him! I’ve heard that in officialdom, seniority is crucial. He has spent these years in a cold position, and his seniority can’t compare to others. His future promotions will likely be affected… If I had known this, I wouldn’t have asked about my uncle. I thought I was relieving my worries, but instead, I harmed Master Chen!”

Jiang Lizhu quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, advising, “Just don’t meet Master Chen again in the future.”

Jiang Yan nodded repeatedly, but a thorn seemed to remain in her heart, making her uncomfortable.

After forcing herself to stay with the Wu family for half a day, she decided to return home.

People in the Jinyiwei believed that Chen Jia was being moved to make way for Liu Yu, and they speculated whether Chen Jia had offended Song Mo. Their attitude shifted from flattery to cautious observation, which troubled Chen Jia greatly. However, Liu Yu, who had some insight into the situation, treated Chen Jia with great respect. The two completed their handover smoothly, and Liu Yu even hosted a farewell banquet for Chen Jia at the Zui Xian Lou. Shi Chuan also sent a trusted aide to personally escort Chen Jia to his new position in the Jinyiwei. It was only then that the others realized Chen Jia still had support behind him, and they welcomed him with a flurry of activity for four or five days before things settled down. It was then that Chen Jia belatedly learned about Huzi’s visit to Jiang Yan.

He was immediately drenched in cold sweat.

Jiang Yan couldn’t keep a secret, and with Huzi causing such a commotion, wouldn’t she go to Song Mo to plead for him? If Song Mo found out that he had manipulated Jiang Yan, he would surely be furious!

He picked up a stick and gave Huzi a good beating. “When did my affairs become your decision? How dare you go behind my back to find Miss Jiang! The Duke Ying’s residence is not a place you can enter freely! If I don’t teach you a lesson, you won’t even know what kind of disaster you’re inviting!”

Huzi gritted his teeth and didn’t beg for mercy. “If it weren’t for Miss Jiang, would our master have fallen to the point of being expelled from the Zhenfu Division?”

“You’re still being stubborn!” Chen Jia struck Huzi twenty more times. “Without the Young Master, could I have entered the Zhenfu Division? You can’t handle a little setback and start shouting everywhere. Is this how a person of great ambition behaves? Do you want me to sit in the position of Deputy Minister of the Jinyiwei for the rest of my life?”

Only then did Huzi regret his actions.

Chen Jia resolved to temper Huzi’s temperament. He left him in the courtyard and changed his clothes before heading to Duke Ying’s residence.

He couldn’t directly visit Jiang Yan, so he used the excuse of a matter concerning Li Liang to ask Jiang Yan to send a message through Duan Gongyi.

Having heard Jiang Lizhu’s words, Jiang Yan found them very reasonable. She was just looking for an opportunity to advise Chen Jia to settle down and focus on his duties. When she heard that Chen Jia wanted to see her, she immediately met him in the small flower hall.

As soon as they met, Chen Jia eagerly asked Jiang Yan, “Miss Jiang, have you had a chance to plead my case with the Young Master?”

Jiang Yan felt a bit embarrassed and replied hesitantly, “Not… not yet…”

Chen Jia sighed in relief, saying, “That’s good, that’s good!”

Jiang Yan was puzzled. “Aren’t you asking me to speak to my brother on your behalf?”

“No, no!” Chen Jia quickly clarified. “This was all Huzi’s idea.” He explained the whole situation.

Jiang Yan then used Jiang Lizhu’s words to advise him, “My brother is not the type to hold grudges. After some time, this will all blow over.”

Song Yantang is not the type to “hold grudges”? Who else could be considered as such?

Chen Jia found it amusing but didn’t dare to show it in front of Jiang Yan, fearing she might ask further questions. He simply smiled and agreed, then revealed the purpose of his visit: “The outside world is very complicated. It’s not just you, a woman of the inner courtyard, even I, who often navigate the officialdom, have to think twice before I speak. In the future, if you encounter such matters, please don’t get involved, understand?”

Jiang Yan was taken aback.

Chen Jia thought she was like a blank slate, and he feared his words wouldn’t convince her. After a moment, he added, “Although I lost my position as the Deputy Minister of the Jinyiwei, I received a hereditary position in a hundred households as compensation. This might be the result of coordination between the Young Master and Master Shi, and it’s not as you think, that I was punished by the Young Master. Huzi doesn’t understand and is making a fuss; don’t listen to his nonsense.” He then felt relieved, saying, “Fortunately, you didn’t rush to plead with the Young Master; otherwise, it would have been a big joke.”

Jiang Yan’s face turned red from embarrassment.

Thinking about how she had misunderstood Chen Jia as being implicated because of her, she felt ashamed and wished she could find a hole to hide in. She softly murmured, “I understand,” and turned to leave.

Seeing her unusual demeanor, Chen Jia felt anxious and called out to Jiang Yan. But when she obediently stopped and lowered her head, waiting for him to speak, he found himself at a loss for words as he gazed at her shiny black hair. Not saying anything seemed even more inappropriate, so he stammered, “Did I say something too harsh? I meant well; please don’t take it to heart. You sometimes overthink things and keep everything bottled up. People often do this; the more you ponder alone, the more likely you are to think negatively. If something hasn’t happened yet, you end up scaring yourself. I know you don’t feel comfortable in this family. I find Madam Wu to be quite straightforward; if you have any issues, you might as well discuss them with her…”

As he spoke, he felt uneasy himself. He had originally thought he might never see Jiang Yan again, so he wanted to encourage her during this meeting, hoping she would be bolder in the future. Yet, his words ended up sounding like criticism, which would surely hurt her feelings. He quickly tried to steer the conversation back, saying, “But you did well this time by not rushing to find the Young Master. I just learned about this matter; at that moment, I thought it was over. The Young Master would most likely misunderstand, but I didn’t expect you to remain so calm and not speak to him. It seems I rushed over here, making myself look a bit ridiculous…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Yan, who had been standing quietly, suddenly turned and ran away.

Chen Jia was stunned.

He hurried after her.

But just as he exited the courtyard, he was stopped by Duan Gongyi. “Zan Zhi, I brought you this news because the lady has agreed. If you recklessly barge into the inner courtyard like this, it would be unbecoming of a gentleman.”

Chen Jia was anxious, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but he managed to calm down.

Indeed!

He could no longer entangle himself with Jiang Yan.

If Song Mo or Dou Zhao found out, it would turn a minor issue into a major one!

As this thought crossed his mind, he felt a surge of panic and quickly tugged at Duan Gongyi’s sleeve. “Brother Duan, what did you just say? I can see Miss Jiang because the lady has agreed?”

Duan Gongyi nodded.

Chen Jia felt as if his feet had slipped out from under him, nearly falling over.