Jiang Xuening was satisfied, but there were plenty who weren’t.

By now, who couldn’t see that Grand Princess Leyang was doing all this for Jiang Xuening?

Though Jiang Xuehui entering the palace was quite attention-grabbing, clever people could realize that Jiang Xuening stood behind this matter.

When she spoke those two words “satisfied,” countless people in the hall secretly darkened their faces. Even if they had originally been in a good playful mood, in that instant it was completely destroyed.

Afterward, Shen Zhiyi even invited Jiang Xuehui to play together.

Among everyone, several people were clearly forcing smiles to keep her company. As for Xiao Shu, from the moment Jiang Xuehui appeared holding that brocade handkerchief, she hadn’t spoken another word.

At Yangzhi Study as night fell, palace lanterns lit up everywhere.

Returning from Mingfeng Palace and finally reaching her own room, this eldest miss of the Xiao clan, the blood niece of the Empress Dowager in the rear palace, in the absence of others’ attention, finally allowed all other expressions to vanish from her face, leaving only a kind of coldly desolate, forest-like calm.

Finally, she raised her hand to lightly press her forehead.

Xiao Shu slowly closed her eyes. Her fingers’ curves tensed one by one. When she opened her eyes again, she directly swept the teacup on the table to the floor!

The palace servant attending nearby was startled, eyes widening as she looked at her.

Xiao Shu’s chest rose and fell slightly, but she didn’t look at anyone else.

What floated up in her mind was only that embroidered handkerchief she had once seen fall from Prince Linzi Shen Jie’s sleeve when they happened to meet, and the one she had seen on Jiang Xuehui today…

Others might have already forgotten.

But she remembered perfectly clearly.

It wasn’t Jiang Xuening—that person actually wasn’t Jiang Xuening!

But who could have imagined?

During this time in the palace, Shen Jie had also paid attention to Jiang Xuening at every turn, with many caring intentions in his words. When the Yongyi Marquis household met with disaster, Yan Lin had directly cleared Jiang Xuening of any connection.

All these scattered clues pointed to her.

That’s why last time she had…

The fingers placed on the table clenched bit by bit. Xiao Shu only felt a kind of ironic twist of fate: not only had she failed to eliminate the real threat, but she had also left traces and created a true formidable enemy for herself…

Jiang Xuening was ultimately still sharp.

At the same time, in Jiang Xuening’s room, the atmosphere was rather subtle.

After Grand Princess Leyang’s extensive efforts here, all kinds of ornaments were already complete, fragrant and exquisite. Even a painting or calligraphy casually hung on the wall was an authentic work by a famous scholar from the previous dynasty.

Jiang Xuehui was a learned person and could tell at a glance.

The palace servants had naturally already prepared her room, though it was no different from the other companion readers. But when invited to come see Jiang Xuening’s room, she easily discovered the enormous gap between them—a vast chasm like heaven and earth. Thus, she gained an extremely direct and clear understanding of just how favored this younger sister was within the palace.

Jiang Xuening had already changed out of that complicated palace dress. She only wore a simple sky-blue pleated skirt with intertwining lotus patterns. Even the hair bun that had been carefully styled earlier was loosened, her raven-black long hair cascading behind her head, with a few strands being lightly twisted by her slender fingers into curls.

She only looked at Jiang Xuehui with a gaze that seemed half-smiling.

Jiang Xuehui sat opposite her, quite calm as still water, saying, “You had me enter the palace—what exactly do you want to do?”

Before Jiang Xuening was placed a qin, but it wasn’t Jiao’an, just an ordinary qin.

She reached out her fingers to lightly pluck it.

Hearing that trembling musical tone, only then did she say leisurely, “Having come all the way to this palace and indeed brought that embroidered handkerchief, if Elder Sister says she doesn’t know at all why I had you enter the palace, wouldn’t that be too false?”

Jiang Xuehui then lowered her head to look at that embroidered handkerchief and sighed softly, “How much you hate me, what our relationship is like—you and I understand all too clearly. To say you want to help me, I absolutely don’t believe it.”

Her features actually resembled Wanniang a little bit.

Looking at her, Jiang Xuening’s fingers plucking the qin strings paused. What came to mind instead were the things she had done in her previous life out of jealous hatred toward this person before her: after inadvertently learning that Prince Linzi Shen Jie secretly favored the owner of that embroidered handkerchief, she had done everything possible to prevent Jiang Xuehui from participating in the consort selection. She herself had taken this embroidered handkerchief and once again “happened to encounter” Shen Jie. Thus, she had stolen Jiang Xuehui’s marriage fate, became Princess Linzi, and later became Empress, thoroughly trampling this “elder sister” she hated beneath her feet.

But was she ultimately happy and proud?

It seemed she wasn’t very happy, nor very proud.

Jiang Xuehui had still lived very well.

Sometimes, Jiang Xuening even wondered: When she stole Jiang Xuehui’s marriage fate, did Jiang Xuehui know or not?

From beginning to end, she had never been able to show off to her.

Because shortly after she was selected as Princess Linzi, Jiang Xuehui had married far away and left the capital. She had lost the opportunity to tell this elder sister the truth, to show off to her, to draw her hatred.

“It’s good that you know I won’t help you. This palace is full of danger at every step. Some people misunderstood certain things and used methods that should have been directed at you on me instead. I nearly lost my life, you know?” Jiang Xuening mockingly curved her lips. Recalling how she saw Xiao Shu’s drastically changed expression today, she truly felt satisfied. “Someone saw you bring that embroidered handkerchief today and her face completely changed. I imagine Elder Sister’s days in the palace from now on won’t be very pleasant. As for me, naturally I’ll stand by with folded arms and watch tigers fight from the mountain.”

If it had been someone else, they might not necessarily have guessed who had framed her that time.

After all, there were no real clues.

But Xiao Shu’s misfortune was precisely in encountering not just Jiang Xuening, but a reborn Jiang Xuening. Right now, no one yet knew of Xiao Shu’s designs on the future Empress position, but Jiang Xuening had fought her to the death in her previous life. From the very beginning, she knew that beneath that seemingly aloof face was also hidden vigorous ambition and burning desire.

Threading together the scattered clues, it was hard not to suspect her!

Hearing her words, Jiang Xuehui immediately recalled the rumors from some days ago: Ning’er had been framed in the palace for being connected to traitorous words about the Heavenly Teachings rebels and had nearly lost her life!

Her heart immediately felt a chill.

Only now did she vaguely understand: That incident was actually related to herself!

Jiang Xuening could naturally tell her the cause and effect, to let her be on guard against Xiao Shu. But after all, she couldn’t help but mind Jiang Xuehui, and this elder sister truly wasn’t stupid either. There was no need for her to say it, and she was too lazy to say it.

So she changed the topic.

While fiddling with her fingering techniques, thinking that tomorrow when she went to Xie Wei’s place to learn the qin she absolutely mustn’t make any mistakes, she said carelessly, “Do you know whose hands that embroidered handkerchief you lost ended up in?”

Jiang Xuehui stared steadily at her, but in the end still lowered her eyes and slowly said, “I more or less know.”

“Zheng—”

Jiang Xuening’s fingers trembled lightly, and even the qin’s sound trembled along with them.

She abruptly raised her head to look back at Jiang Xuehui, her gaze suddenly sharp, as if wanting to see through her in this moment!

She knew!

Jiang Xuehui actually said she “more or less knew”!

If she already knew at this time, then in her previous life when she had taken her embroidered handkerchief to “happen to encounter” Shen Jie and stolen her marriage fate, Jiang Xuehui should have known about it too!

Yet she had never erupted…

Jiang Xuening had even thought she hadn’t known from beginning to end!

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Xuehui had originally thought that this second younger sister who had always been hostile toward her, doing what she did today, should already have some understanding of the full picture. But why, after she answered truthfully, did Ning’er instead show such an expression?

She didn’t quite understand.

“…”

But Jiang Xuening remained silent for a long time.

Lowering her eyes to look at the qin before her, she only felt she had lost all mood to practice. She directly reached out to push the qin aside and said coldly, “I’m tired. What needed to be said has been said. Please leave.”

She had always had such a capricious temperament. Being able to sit down and patiently talk with her for a while was already rare. Now issuing an order to leave wasn’t surprising.

Though Jiang Xuehui felt she had left something unsaid, she couldn’t very well ask more.

So she stood up, also telling her to sleep and rest early, then pushed open the door and walked out.

That night, Jiang Xuening once again couldn’t fall asleep.

Early the next morning at class in Fengchen Palace, the palace servants added one more seat in the second row for Jiang Xuehui to sit. The original eight companion readers officially became nine.

The teachers who came to give lessons were naturally all extremely surprised.

Because Jiang Xuehui had joined midway, she hadn’t studied the lessons they had taught before. The teachers couldn’t help but worry somewhat. Among everyone, there were those who couldn’t stand Jiang Xuehui or transferred their hatred of Jiang Xuening onto her. Though they had all heard that the Jiang family’s eldest miss was different from the unlearned and unskilled second miss and was a true young lady of a great family, what the palace teachers taught was different after all. Jiang Xuehui couldn’t possibly know everything. So they all waited to watch the show, wanting to see her embarrassed in public.

But what happened next was like a slap across their faces—

Jiang Xuehui not only knew, but knew everything!

Though the Jiang household’s status wasn’t high, Meng Shi had genuinely raised Jiang Xuehui as a young lady of a great family. Poetry and songs, etiquette and manners—she was skilled in everything!

It was just that she usually didn’t like to show off and rarely displayed her talents before others, so few people knew.

But now, because she had to answer the teachers’ questions in the palace and didn’t dare be the slightest bit careless or perfunctory since she didn’t understand the palace situation, she brought out her full earnestness and easily won the teachers’ amazement.

The current teachers were different from those Jiang Xuening had encountered when she first entered the palace to study. After the incident with Zhao Yanhong, everyone more or less knew what kind of person Xie Wei was. On the surface, they no longer dared show too much favoritism toward Xiao Shu.

And Jiang Xuehui was Jiang Xuening’s elder sister.

Who in this palace didn’t know that Jiang Xuening was favored by Her Highness the Grand Princess? They had wanted to flatter her with a few phrases, but Jiang Xuening’s studies were too poor. Even if they had thick faces, they couldn’t quite bring themselves to praise her.

Now this was perfect—Jiang Xuehui had arrived!

Just right!

First, she was Jiang Xuening’s elder sister and had also been specially selected to enter the palace by the Grand Princess. Second, her etiquette was proper, she was gentle and virtuous, and wouldn’t make things difficult for the teachers—not at all like that troublemaker Jiang Xuening. Third, her learning was outstanding, she was well-read in poetry and books—truly quite rare.

The teachers naturally no longer withheld their praise and lauded Jiang Xuehui highly.

In just two or three short days, Jiang Xuehui, who had only recently entered the palace, had already become a highly favored delicacy appreciated by the teachers in Fengchen Palace.

Originally, Xiao Shu had stood alone in Fengchen Palace.

Now a dark horse had emerged midway, gradually somewhat overshadowing Xiao Shu’s brilliance. Two moons competed for radiance, both brilliant for a time—truly causing people to marvel with admiration.

Whether Xiao Shu was happy or not was hard for others to see.

But Jiang Xuening well knew her nature.

In the past, she could be transcendent and above worldly matters, with eyes that acknowledged no dust, only because no one could pose a threat to her. But once she began to feel threatened, that detached air of being high and mighty would naturally become precarious due to changing circumstances.

So, just thinking about Xiao Shu’s current mood, Jiang Xuening felt extremely pleased—

There was no helping it.

Having fought for so long in the previous life, and in this life she had acted against her again because of that misunderstanding about the embroidered handkerchief—of course she couldn’t be too polite to her!

What was even more interesting was that though Jiang Xuehui’s birth wasn’t as good as Xiao Shu’s, though she was well-liked by the teachers in Fengchen Palace, ordinarily she had not a trace of arrogance. Her conduct was entirely approachable, completely different from Xiao Shu who always maintained some airs. She was quite liked by people.

Even Chen Shuyi was willing to talk with her.

Moreover, there had always been rumors in the capital saying the two Jiang sisters had never gotten along well, that Jiang Xuening was domineering and tyrannical in the household, always bullying this elder sister with her soft temperament. Therefore, those few whose relationship with Jiang Xuening wasn’t very good instead intentionally or unintentionally approached Jiang Xuehui, wanting to befriend her.

You Yue even felt that a great ally had arrived. On this day, while walking on the road, she sidled up next to Jiang Xuehui and said to her with a smile, “In the past at various banquets, whenever I saw Miss Jiang the Elder, I always knew Eldest Miss was capable. I didn’t expect you to be this remarkable. Compared to that unlearned and unskilled Miss Jiang the Second, you’re truly better by who knows how much—one in heaven, one on earth!”

Jiang Xuehui glanced at her but said nothing.

Chen Shuyi nearby also said coolly, “Clearly you’re the legitimate eldest daughter of the family. Your learning, talent, and character are all higher than your younger sister’s by who knows how much. Yet in the household you actually swallow your grievances and let her bully you—it’s truly a strange tale. If I were you, meeting this kind who ruins the family’s reputation and is unlearned and unskilled, I’d seize every opportunity to properly deal with her! Otherwise, the entire household’s reputation will be completely ruined by her!”

These past days, everyone had spoken of Jiang Xuening before Jiang Xuehui more than once. Jiang Xuehui always listened without refuting. Everyone assumed the discord between the two sisters was real, so the words they said behind her back gradually became more unbridled.

Everyone felt Jiang Xuehui should share their enmity.

But who could have expected that once Chen Shuyi said this, Jiang Xuehui’s delicate brow actually furrowed. She stopped walking and looked at her, saying somewhat coldly, “Though my second younger sister is indeed unlearned and unskilled, she hasn’t reached the point of ruining the family reputation and completely losing face for the household. Miss Shuyi’s words are rather biased and unfair. Though my Jiang household cannot compare to some great families, family discipline is still strict. If younger sister has any faults, our father and mother will naturally worry about it. What need is there for Miss Shuyi to say more?”

Everyone was stunned.

Jiang Xuehui was actually speaking up for Jiang Xuening!

What about the story that these two sisters had never gotten along?!

Chen Shuyi’s expression changed even more, her pupils contracting as she looked at Jiang Xuehui.

But Jiang Xuehui looked back at her neither humbly nor arrogantly.

You Yue couldn’t help but gasp. Only then did she, along with everyone else, recall: No matter how poor their relationship internally, they were both surnamed Jiang, sisters from the same household! The so-called “younger sister”—even if I scold her ten thousand times at home, I won’t allow others to casually slander her! Moreover, bearing the family name and considering the family’s honor, it was one thing to speak vaguely in the past, but to explicitly say someone ruins the family reputation—how could Jiang Xuehui not react?

Now no one could respond.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

Just then, ahead of them Jiang Xuening emerged from inside holding a scroll of books, pushing open her room door. From afar, she raised her eyes and saw them outside Yangzhi Study, making it even harder to speak.

It was Zhou Baoying standing among everyone who looked at Jiang Xuening with some curiosity and asked softly and sweetly, “We were just talking about you with Elder Sister Jiang. Sister Jiang the Second, are you going to study the qin again?”

The moment Jiang Xuening saw this group of people gathered together, she knew they had nothing good to say.

When Zhou Baoying said everyone was talking about her, some people’s faces changed.

She sneered inwardly and only said, “I’m going to see if Teacher Xie is there.”

Last time, Xie Wei had told her to come to the side hall the next day to practice fingering techniques, but when she arrived the next day, Xie Wei hadn’t come.

The palace servants said he was busy with court matters and temporarily couldn’t get away.

For many days in a row, he hadn’t appeared at Fengchen Palace again and hadn’t taught a single class. Logically, Jiang Xuening could have stopped going to the side hall to study the qin, but she didn’t know when Xie Wei would finish being busy. The palace servants were even less clear, so she could only go to the side hall once each day and wait for a moment.

If Xie Wei didn’t come, she would leave.

Today was the same.

At this moment, Shen Zhiyi wasn’t present.

Though You Yue was already thoroughly intimidated by Jiang Xuening and absolutely didn’t dare speak in her presence, there was still Chen Shuyi nearby.

Hearing Jiang Xuening mention studying the qin, she let out a soft laugh and actually glanced at Jiang Xuehui, who had just refused to give her face, saying meaningfully, “I’ve always heard that Teacher Xie has an old friendship with Lord Jiang. Though Miss Jiang the Second’s qin studies are so worrying, he’s still willing to painstakingly teach her. Now Miss Jiang the Elder has also come to the palace, skilled in all four arts. It’s just a pity that the teacher has been busy lately and hasn’t come to give lessons. Otherwise, seeing an unpolished jade like Miss Jiang the Elder, he would surely be very happy. After all, facing rotten wood for too long, one really does feel sorry for Teacher Xie…”

Her words faintly carried a provocative meaning.

But Jiang Xuehui didn’t respond.

Even Jiang Xuening showed not the slightest sign of anger. She still smiled cheerfully and only said to Chen Shuyi, “The words Miss Shuyi spoke today, Xuening has noted them down. When I see Her Highness the Grand Princess tomorrow, I’ll definitely tell her.”

“You!”

Chen Shuyi completely hadn’t expected her to say such words, using tattling as a threat to her face!

A breath caught in her throat. Her expression immediately became extremely ugly.

Recalling the scene of being scolded by Grand Princess Leyang that day, her body even trembled slightly—from anger!

But Jiang Xuening was too lazy to even look at her again. She let out a cold snort, then holding the scroll in her hand, walked straight past her. She didn’t put this dark mass of people in her eyes at all, her spine straight as she strode in large steps toward Fengchen Palace.

At the palace entrance, only a young eunuch stood guard.

Jiang Xuening walked up the steps and asked, “Is Teacher Xie coming today?”

The young eunuch shook his head and pushed open the door for her, replying, “No message has come. But I heard that Teacher Xie was busy at court and didn’t sleep for two nights. He returned to his residence last night. It’s hard to say if he’ll come today.”

Jiang Xuening then nodded and entered the hall.

Emei hung high on the wall, while Jiao’an lay flat on the qin table.

After entering the hall, she sat down before the qin table.

The scroll in her hand she set down—it was a medical text.

That day on the street when she happened to encounter Zhang Zhe and saw him carrying medicine, she suddenly remembered that Zhang Zhe’s mother was in poor health, suffering from headaches. It just so happened that these past days Xie Wei had been busy, so besides practicing the qin she also had leisure time. She asked Shen Zhiyi to borrow a medical text from the Imperial Medical Academy to read. In her early years growing up in the countryside, she had also played around following itinerant doctors, so she had a rough understanding of medical principles. The medical text wasn’t written too obscurely, so reading it slowly, she could understand it.

But today, though the medical text was set down, Jiang Xuening only stared blankly at it.

Clearly, having Jiang Xuehui enter the palace was something she had already decided on the day she was framed by Xiao Shu. This elder sister of hers had always been outstanding. Never mind that embroidered handkerchief—even without it, she could make Xiao Shu know that there are people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens, and she wasn’t the only one standing out from the crowd in this world.

But truly watching Jiang Xuehui enter the palace, she wasn’t as calm as she had thought she would be.

Was it because she had actually known very early on that the embroidered handkerchief was picked up by Shen Jie?

Or was it because Jiang Xuehui truly was as good as others said?

She had grown up in the countryside, Jiang Xuehui had grown up in the capital.

She played at wading through water to spear fish, Jiang Xuehui studied the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

She was wild and unruly, not knowing when to advance or retreat; Jiang Xuehui was virtuous and dignified, advancing and retreating with proper measure.

…

In her previous life, she had been resentful of this, jealous, even hateful.

And in this life, to calmly accept that she truly wasn’t as outstanding as others—that also wasn’t something easy to do.

One was Miss Jiang the Elder, one was Miss Jiang the Second.

It seemed they were naturally meant to compete.

Not only did others compare them, even she couldn’t help but subconsciously make comparisons…

The medical text lay properly before her, but Jiang Xuening only stared at the characters on the cover in a daze, momentarily lost in thought.

She didn’t even notice when someone entered from outside.

Xie Wei had changed again today into that unworldly pale blue Daoist robe, a single jade hairpin binding his hair quite simply. He had merely come to make a trip to Fengchen Palace’s side hall, but arriving at the entrance, he heard from the young eunuch that Miss Jiang the Second was there, which was somewhat unexpected.

He pushed open the door and entered.

Jiang Xuening still sat motionless before the qin table.

Xie Wei held in his hand a memorial marked with red approval. His footsteps made no sound as they crossed the plush carpet. Standing behind her, his gaze passed over her shoulder, and at a glance he saw the medical text placed before her.

“…”

A moment of silence.

The sweet fishy taste of fresh blood from years past mixed with the bitterness of medicinal herbs surged up together. Xie Wei couldn’t help but think: What harmful prescription was this little quack doctor who had nearly treated him to death, this third-rate itinerant physician, pondering now?

This appearance showed she was lost in thought.

He walked over and raised that memorial, lightly tapping it on her head, only saying, “Wake up!”

Jiang Xuening was tapped and startled, nearly jumping up from her seat.

She looked up to see Xie Wei’s lips holding a trace of a smile as he walked past her from the side. In his expression was a subtle weariness not easily detected, his complexion seemingly paler than when she had last seen him.

Xie Wei tossed that memorial onto the desk, walked to the wall and raised his hand to take down Emei, placing it on his own qin table. He removed the qin cover, his five fingers lightly plucking to test the sound. Without raising his head, he said, “I heard that Miss Ning the Second has come these past days. You should have taken my words to heart and learned all the fingering techniques, right?”

Ning the Second…

Hearing these two characters, Jiang Xuening froze, so much so that she didn’t hear anything he said after.

Why had she never before felt that such a strange form of address, these somewhat inappropriate two characters, sounded so pleasing to the ear, so comforting?

Jiang Xuening, Jiang Xuehui.

Jiang was the family surname.

Xue was merely the generational character for ordering.

Only the character “Ning” belonged to herself, and also distinguished her from others.

In her previous life, when she met Xie Wei on the road returning to the capital, Xie Wei had called her “Miss Jiang the Second” like others. But after just a few days, after falling into danger, Xie Wei seemed to have changed how he addressed her—not calling her “Jiang the Second,” but rather “Ning the Second.”

This life was no different.

But she had never understood why, nor did she know what was wrong with this person’s brain. In her previous life, she hadn’t wanted any contact with Xie Wei. In this life, at first she had been too fearful, and later she had grown accustomed to it. She had actually never asked, and rarely thought about why he addressed her this way.

Ripples suddenly arose in her heart, spreading out into a patch of bitterness.

Everyone called her “Miss Jiang the Second.” In the past, she hadn’t noticed, but with Jiang Xuehui present, no matter how she listened, it sounded grating.

Jiang Xuening’s eyes grew somewhat hot.

She had always known that Xie Wei’s insight into people’s hearts was unmatched by anyone, and she had experienced this before. But she hadn’t known that this person had so early, so very early, seen through her completely. Not calling her “Jiang the Second” but rather “Ning the Second”—no wonder everyone in court and country praised him. It was just that in her previous life, she had been truly dull and hadn’t understood…

Clearly, in her previous life, this person had spoken harshly to her, had injured her dignity, made her uncomfortable. In this life too, she held fear toward him in her heart, and because of studying the qin had no good impression of him, deeply feeling his face was detestable.

Yet for these two characters, she actually felt Xie Wei perhaps wasn’t so excessive after all.

Jiang Xuening sat before the qin table, looking at him, forgetting to answer.

Xie Wei’s words went out, and after a long time hearing no response, his brow furrowed. He raised his eyes to look, only to see that young woman’s pair of distinct black-and-white eyes staring straight at him, her eye rims somewhat reddened. Her eyelashes trembled once, and teardrops in her eyes rolled downward.

How was she crying again out of nowhere!

His movement paused. He raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, deeply feeling a headache. Helplessly, he sighed, “Who’s provoked you now?”