Song Wan had examined those several cards she’d asked Lin Jiayue to deliver.

How pitiful—Song Wan, who always prided herself on being a refined young lady of a great family and spoke in flowery, erudite language, yet couldn’t even write the correct name in a mourning text for someone. It was truly laughable.

Entering the room, Lin Jiayue took a seat beside the two of them directly. Seeing Song Wan and Jiang Xingjian both frowning together, she didn’t care in the slightest.

“Bring me a pair of chopsticks, thank you.”

Smiling lightly at Heng Zhi, Lin Jiayue, regardless of whether others welcomed her or not, reached out and picked up a pastry to put in her mouth.

Didn’t Song Wan most enjoy displaying her refined lady’s demeanor, constantly keeping matters of propriety and gentility on her lips every day? Well then, since she chose to be a hypocrite, even if she found Lin Jiayue displeasing, she could only hold it in and endure it in her heart!

“This pastry is truly delicious. Could you send a portion to Xiuyan Pavilion tomorrow as well? You wouldn’t mind, would you?”

Song Wan smiled faintly: “If you like it, eat. I can afford to bestow even more.”

“Heh.”

The smile on Lin Jiayue’s face cooled. A moment later, she turned to Jiang Xingjian: “Brother Xingjian hasn’t come to see Yue’er in so long. Are you still angry with Yue’er?”

“Though I did wrong, these past few days I’ve done my utmost to make amends. Can you forgive me?”

“Marquis, please enjoy your meal at ease. This wife will take her leave.”

The words had barely fallen when the two, Jiang and Lin, hadn’t even glimpsed Song Wan’s retreating figure before she had already returned to her bedchamber.

“This thing isn’t so delicious anyway.”

Tossing aside the pastry in her hand, Lin Jiayue asked: “Why did Jinxiang Earl’s manor come to make trouble?”

Since she had discovered that Song Wan’s mourning text had the wrong name written, she had rewritten one overnight.

Fortunately, she had previously written one for her company’s vice president and even received recognition from the entire company. If she didn’t have that experience, she wouldn’t have dared to put pen to paper.

Although writing in that flowery classical style was somewhat troublesome, patching and altering based on Song Wan’s version wasn’t much of a problem.

Lin Jiayue considered her writing deeply emotional and sincere—even she herself was moved to tears reading it. That’s why she deliberately didn’t remove Song Wan’s version but included both together.

With a comparison, Song Wan’s suspicion of seeking empty fame would be clearly revealed.

Thinking of how she’d just gotten out of bed this morning to hear servants say that people from Jinxiang Earl’s manor had come to curse her for over half a shichen, Lin Jiayue couldn’t help but want to laugh.

“Why aren’t you speaking?”

Jiang Xingjian looked at the precious makeup cake on the table that Lin Jiayue had taken a bite of and carelessly tossed aside, his expression cold: “Why did you presume to write a mourning ode on your own and send it to Jinxiang Earl’s manor?”

“Mourning ode… to express grief, isn’t this something anyone can write? I specifically asked Huai Su and Ling Yun, and both of them said I could write it.”

Jiang Xingjian’s eyelids drooped slightly, having anger but unable to release it.

“When can you finalize that firearms formula?”

He had waited too long and truly couldn’t wait any longer.

Jiang Xingjian had never thought to use this matter to pressure Lin Jiayue, but today he suddenly couldn’t hold back: “Since returning to the capital, you haven’t researched this thing again. Instead, you’ve put all your thoughts into opening shops and managing the household.”

“I was thinking that since you now have leisure time, why not complete the firearms research as soon as possible, so we can share Imperial Consort’s burdens earlier.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiayue’s face fell.

Heaven knows that when she first met Jiang Xingjian and saved him from the wolf’s jaws, she had casually fabricated a lie that would be remembered until now? But looking at Jiang Xingjian’s earnest eyes and solemn expression now, she didn’t dare speak up.

Lin Jiayue pressed her lips together. After a moment, she said: “I’m researching it. I’ll give you news in a while.”

“Good.”

Jiang Xingjian exhaled deeply. Recalling the terrifying scene she had described of the firearms being manufactured that day, his spirit settled slightly.

For the sake of his elder sister and the Fifth Prince, he had already given up too much. He absolutely could not give up on these firearms now.

“Have you finished eating?”

Seeing his expression soften, Lin Jiayue blinked: “You still haven’t said why people from Jinxiang Earl’s manor came.”

“Your mourning ode had the deceased’s name written incorrectly. Jinxiang Earl’s manor was dissatisfied, which is why they came to the door.”

His tone was poor, but Lin Jiayue’s reaction was even stronger: “Impossible! The one with the wrong name written was clearly Song Wan’s. I checked carefully.”

Jiang Xingjian lowered his eyes: “Do you know Madam Cheng’s surname and given name?”

“Wasn’t it written clearly on there that she was called Lady Lu Gong?”

Jiang Xingjian stood up, no longer having the strength to say another word to her. In a while, he still had to go to Jinxiang Earl’s manor to kowtow to Madam Cheng. If he went late, it would appear even less sincere.

“Wait, did someone switch out my mourning text?”

Jiang Xingjian turned his head, his gaze deep: “Madam Cheng’s given name was Lu Wan. Gong Ren is her honorific title.”

“…”

Lin Jiayue felt somewhat panicked: “How would I know all that? If her name was Lu Wan, then it’s Lu Wan. Why write Lady Lu Gong? Those two cards both had written on them ‘Lady Gong Ren of the Lu Clan of the Cheng Family.’ I truly didn’t know this was her honorific title.”

His fists clenched tightly behind his back, Jiang Xingjian’s ears suddenly filled with a buzzing sound.

Lin Jiayue timidly stepped forward, eyes reddening as she grasped his hand: “I’m sorry, I truly didn’t know. But it’s just writing the name wrong—Jinxiang Earl’s manor wouldn’t be so petty about it, would they? I rather think they’re so angry because Song Wan even wrote Lady Lu’s surname incorrectly.”

“I’m just a concubine. How would they bother arguing with me?”

The young woman curved her finger, carefully writing the character for “Lu” in Jiang Xingjian’s palm.

“This is how she wrote it. This character is clearly written incorrectly.”

Jiang Xingjian clenched his fist. Only after a long while did he say hoarsely: “The dead are most important. To show respect, one typically avoids the deceased’s taboo characters. Writing with missing strokes is the most common practice.”

“I…”

The young woman’s eyes brimmed with tears: “I truly didn’t know. How would I know so many rules and conventions? I put great care into writing that mourning text. I truly put great care into it.”

“Enough. I’ll go to Jinxiang Earl’s manor to apologize in person.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Jiang Xingjian’s steps paused, but he didn’t acknowledge her.

Song Wan sat at her writing desk listening to the conversation in the courtyard, asking quite perplexedly: “How strange. Lin Jiayue is literate. Though she can’t write any splendid articles, listening to her speech, she doesn’t seem like someone without knowledge. Yet how can she be so vulgar and crude, not knowing even basic propriety?”

“This servant also doesn’t know.”

“In ordinary common families, having someone who can recognize three to five characters is already extraordinary. For Lin Jiayue, as a woman, to be able to read and write proves her birth isn’t low. But which descendant of a great clan would behave in such a manner?”

Song Wan pondered for a long while but couldn’t figure it out, so she could only set it aside.

“Miss, the Marquis didn’t take the manor’s account books and authority tablets.”

“Find someone to send them to the Marquis’s room. Tell him the accounts have already been reconciled. If there are still unclear matters, he can come ask me.”

Heng Zhi nodded and found an old woman to send the items to Jiang Xingjian’s residence.

Jiang Xingjian was changing clothes in his room when he saw that enormous wooden chest, his expression solemn.

“Forget it. Move it with me to Mother’s Jiangxiang Courtyard.”

Arriving at Jiangxiang Courtyard and setting things down, Jiang Xingjian said in a low voice: “I must trouble Mother to take charge again for a while. Wan’er… temporarily lacks the strength to manage the manor’s household affairs.”

Mother Jiang supported her head, rising weakly from illness: “Is she throwing another tantrum? In the past when she kept her widowhood in the manor, she was clearly so gentle and filial. Now that you’ve returned to the manor, how has she developed so many issues?”

“Such a petty temperament—how did I never notice it before? If I’d known it would be like this, I shouldn’t have agreed to this marriage arrangement with the Song family back then.”