At present, Ziyang Jun was unwell, and Bai Dezhong did not dare to be negligent. He glanced at Bai Zhujing ahead, furrowing his brow, and thought it best to wait until Jun had left before asking her what was going on.

“If the Jun trusts Zhujing, I naturally will not oppose,” he said.

Cheng Xu smiled and cupped his hands in gratitude. “Thank you, Lord Bai.”

Jiang Xuanjin was surrounded by Huaiyu and a group of household servants as he walked a few steps away, seemingly oblivious to the conversation. However, when Bai Dezhong looked up, he noticed Jiang Xuanjin tilt his head slightly in acknowledgment.

Was that a response to him? Bai Dezhong felt a bit confused, but upon a closer look, Jiang Xuanjin had already resumed walking forward as if nothing had happened.

“Master,” Bai Mengshi said softly, standing beside him with a frown. “What kind of talk is this? Zhujing has been reckless, and according to family rules, she should be punished.”

Bai Dezhong glanced at her. “Punished? The Jun wants Zhujing to prepare medicine; are you going to punish her now?”

Bai Mengshi was momentarily speechless, clutching her handkerchief as she gazed at Ziyang Jun’s distant figure, still feeling somewhat indignant. “The Jun should see our Xuanji; she understands the rules much better.”

Waving his hand, Bai Dezhong did not wish to discuss this further and turned to return to his room to change.

Huaiyu walked alongside Jiang Xuanjin, her eyes sparkling with laughter.

Jiang Xuanjin coughed a couple of times and asked quietly, “What are you so happy about?”

“I’m happy that you care about me. To save me, you even resorted to a self-inflicted injury,” she said, glancing at him with a teasing glint in her eyes. “You’re so reluctant to part with me; do you like me?”

Jiang Xuanjin raised his sleeve to cover his mouth, his expression cold. “To repay your life-saving grace, we are even.”

“Ha ha ha!” Huaiyu laughed heartily, covering her mouth as her bright eyes danced over his face. “I just love this tough exterior and soft heart of yours!”

Jiang Xuanjin halted, glaring at her with a threatening look as if he intended to leave the Bai residence immediately.

“Hey, wait! I was wrong!” Huaiyu quickly backed down, bowing repeatedly to him. “You are my benefactor now; whatever you say goes! If we are even, then we are even!”

With a huff, Jiang Xuanjin turned away, adjusting his robe as he continued forward.

His temper resembled that of a petulant child. Huaiyu watched his retreating figure, chuckling for a while, but as she laughed, a layer of confusion clouded her eyes.

Was that person ahead still the Ziyang Jun Jiang Xuanjin, the one whose words were as sharp as swords in the court, who would push her to the brink with just a few spoken words?

Tilting her head in thought for a moment, Huaiyu shook her head and stepped forward to catch up.

The guest room in the eastern courtyard was tidied up, and Jiang Xuanjin leaned against the head of the bed, closing his eyes to rest. Huaiyu brought a stool and sat beside him, resting her chin on her hand as she watched him.

“Miss Bai,” Cheng Xu said softly from the side, “You can go rest for a while; I will keep watch here.”

“It’s fine; I’m not tired.” She blinked. “Rarely, your master isn’t glaring at me; I want to look at him a bit longer.”

Cheng Xu hesitated, glancing at her. “Miss Si still has a marriage to consider; you should avoid any misunderstandings.”

At the mention of this, Jiang Xuanjin opened his eyes, his gaze deep as he looked at Huaiyu. “When did you regain your senses?”

Huaiyu answered honestly, “It was the day I ran into you.”

What a coincidence! Jiang Xuanjin scrutinized her, realizing that while her eyes were bright, they seemed to lack depth.

His expression darkened slightly as he said, “Since you have regained your senses and know you have a marriage contract, you should be more restrained. Do not speak any more nonsense in the future.”

“Nonsense?” Huaiyu was puzzled. “What did I say that was nonsense?”

Jiang Xuanjin opened his mouth, about to repeat her words, but then closed it with a scowl.

Huaiyu wore a teasing smile, nudging his arm with her elbow. “Why don’t you say it?”

Turning his head away, Jiang Xuanjin said in a low voice, “I will rest for two hours and then leave. Instead of wasting time here with useless talk, you should think about how to avoid punishment when I’m gone.”

Mentioning this made Huaiyu’s expression fall.

Bai Dezhong was not easy to deal with, and the Bai matriarch did not seem particularly kind to her either. Once Jiang Xuanjin left, she would likely suffer.

Sighing, Huaiyu became serious and reached out to Cheng Xu. “Give me the medicine; I’ll go prepare it.”

Earlier, when reporting to Lord Bai, Cheng Xu had sent someone to fetch the prepared medicine from the carriage. Realizing he had forgotten, he quickly handed the medicine to her.

Huaiyu hugged the medicine bag and skipped out happily.

Jiang Xuanjin watched her retreating figure, his eyes darkening.

“Is the master unhappy?” Cheng Xu asked worriedly.

“No,” Jiang Xuanjin replied. “I’m just a bit agitated.”

The person who kept saying she liked him was his future niece-in-law. Although he hadn’t done anything out of line, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about the Jiang family’s teachings. Once they were in the same household, he wondered if she could control her tongue. If she continued to speak so freely, it would truly be a mess.

Cheng Xu was clever and quickly grasped his master’s thoughts. Half-jokingly, he said, “This Miss Bai Si may not even marry the young master.”

“Why not?” Jiang Xuanjin was taken aback.

“Didn’t the master notice the attitude of the Bai family just now?” Cheng Xu replied. “Lord Bai aside, the Bai matriarch and the household servants didn’t even look at Miss Si properly. It seems she is not favored in this household. Moreover, with her reputation, the young master has shown her no affection. With these factors combined, the bride may indeed be someone else.”

Jiang Xuanjin frowned. “That marriage was arranged by Jiang Qishi before he died for Yan’er; how can it be changed so easily?”

After a pause, he added, “I will discuss this matter thoroughly with Lord Bai.”

Cheng Xu was somewhat surprised. “Does the master want that Miss Si to marry the young master?”

“Why wouldn’t I want that?”

“…” Cheng Xu scratched his nose, deciding it was best not to argue with his master about this; he wouldn’t win anyway. If he wanted it, then so be it.

Huaiyu took the medicinal herbs to the kitchen, facing the intense gazes of the onlookers, and began to prepare the medicine nonchalantly. The Bai residence’s medicine pots were subpar, so the concoction would barely suffice. She didn’t pay much attention to it but kept her ears open to the gossip around her.

“She’s not foolish anymore?”

“It seems so; she can even prepare medicine now, and her movements are quite nimble.”

“She was foolish for three years, and now she’s suddenly fine… Should we lend a hand?”

“Now you think of flattering her? It’s a bit late, isn’t it? Besides, even if she’s not foolish, so what? In this household, the Madam is the highest authority. Whether she can rise to the Jiang family’s branches is another matter.”

Chattering incessantly, the gossip continued.

Huaiyu squatted in front of the small stove, sighing as she fanned herself with her fan. This Miss Bai Si seemed quite pitiful; the servants in the residence dared to belittle her to her face, showing just how low her status was. When she was the Eldest Princess, no one would dare to speak out of turn in her presence.

This was truly a case of a tiger falling into the plains and being bullied by dogs!

Once the medicine was ready, Huaiyu filtered out the dregs and poured the liquid into a bowl, just as a hand reached over and took the bowl, placing it onto a tray.