Jiang Xuanjin walked quickly, surprisingly holding her quite steadily. Huaiyu sniffed the faint scent of incense on him and almost fell asleep.
“Master!” someone greeted loudly, startling her awake with a shiver.
Opening her eyes, they had already reached the entrance of Moju. Jiang Xuanjin paused for a moment as if hesitating about something. Sensing this, Huaiyu immediately cried out in pain.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Xuanjin furrowed his brows in confusion.
Tears welled up in Huaiyu’s eyes. “What else could it be? My foot hurts!”
With a slight pursing of his lips, Jiang Xuanjin sighed silently and finally carried her through the courtyard gate.
Huaiyu craned her neck to look around. When she had come here in the morning, she had been discovered as soon as she crossed the outer courtyard wall and hadn’t had a chance to carefully examine the layout of the courtyard. But now, as her gaze swept around, she saw pavilions and towers arranged in an orderly manner. Although it was just a courtyard within the mansion, it was meticulously designed, with exquisite architectural details that made her want to applaud.
As the Lord of Ziyang, Jiang Xuanjin was supposed to stay in his fief like other lords. However, due to the former emperor’s favoritism towards him, he was allowed to stay in the capital, where he managed many affairs of the court. As a result, Jiang Xuanjin had lived in the capital for over twenty years.
Moju could be considered his true stronghold.
“Huh?” Watching the direction he was heading, Huaiyu grabbed his clothes and pulled hard, panting heavily.
Jiang Xuanjin’s face darkened. “Are you looking for trouble?” Did she mistake him for a horse?
Startled, Huaiyu quickly let go of his clothes and smoothed out the wrinkles as if to placate him. “I was just asking where you’re taking me.”
He was heading towards the leftmost pavilion, which seemed like a guest residence.
Jiang Xuanjin squinted at her. “Bringing you here is already more than enough. Do you still want to go to the main building?”
“…It’s not that I insist on going to the main building, but if you leave me here, you have to stay with me!”
“Dream on.” Jiang Xuanjin carried her upstairs to the guest room, tucked her into bed, and then turned to instruct a servant. “Go fetch the house’s physician.”
Huaiyu pouted but didn’t make any more trouble. She lay on the soft bed, obediently holding onto the blanket, with her injured leg hanging off the edge of the bed.
Jiang Xuanjin was about to leave after settling her, but as he turned, he remembered to ask, “With your leg injured, wasn’t this trip in vain?”
Seeing her dressed up like this, she must have been hoping to make some progress with Jiang Yan’s marriage. But now, it seemed she couldn’t do anything and was just lying here, while the old master was still trying to arrange Jiang Yan’s marriage with Miss Bai.
At his words, Huaiyu sighed deeply.
“That’s fate, I suppose,” she said with a tinge of sadness in her voice, lowering her gaze. “What can I do? Even if I dress up nicely, my father still thinks I bring shame to the Bai family.”
“It’s quite embarrassing,” Jiang Xuanjin nodded.
Coming from a respectable family like the Bai’s, having someone like her, a troublemaker, must have been a disgrace. He said it in a teasing manner, knowing Miss Bai had thick skin and wouldn’t mind, hence his straightforwardness. However, what he didn’t expect was the immediate reddening of her eyes upon hearing his words.
“I also feel quite embarrassed,” Huaiyu said with a bitter smile, hanging her head low, her voice nasal. “My mother died early, and I’ve been bullied since I was young. I thought things would get better as I grew up, but when I reached adulthood, I was tricked into foolishness for three years. Just when I finally recovered, even my marriage was snatched away.”
She tried hard to hold back her tears, but they wouldn’t come. Instead, she took out a handkerchief and pretended to wipe her eyes, her voice growing more desolate. “Life has never been easy for me, barely enough to eat and no warmth to clothe me. Now, even the one good thing I had, my marriage, is gone. I’m afraid no one will care if I die.”
Jiang Xuanjin frowned as he listened. “When will you stop lying every time you open your mouth?”
“Who’s lying!” She lifted her eyes defiantly. “These are all true! If you don’t believe me, go ask at the Bai residence and see what Miss Bai eats every day!”
His gaze fell on her clothes and accessories, and Jiang Xuanjin’s eyes narrowed in contemplation.
Following his gaze, Huaiyu glanced at herself and pouted. “And don’t you doubt it either. This outfit is all from the Canghai Pearl Pavilion, borrowed from Master Lu when he took pity on me. I have to return it once today is over.”
Was it true? Jiang Xuanjin half-closed his eyes, fingers playing with the Buddhist beads hidden in his sleeve, carefully considering whether to believe her.
“Sigh, what’s the use of telling you all this? In your eyes, I’m just an unruly lunatic, living by lies all day long.” Huaiyu turned her head, staring despondently at the embroidered flowers on the blanket.
As mentioned earlier, the children raised in the Jiang residence were all innocent. Jiang Yan couldn’t resist this ‘Big Bad Wolf’ Huaiyu, and Jiang Xuanjin wasn’t much better off. Seeing her pitiful appearance, after much hesitation, he felt a twinge of sympathy.
After all, she was just a girl, cunning as she might be, she hadn’t truly harmed him.
So, Jiang Xuanjin softened his tone. “Rest well. When the physician arrives to administer the medicine, I’ll go out for a while.”
“Where are you going?” Huaiyu looked at him with a touch of grievance, holding onto the blanket.
“Didn’t you say your marriage was snatched away, making your life even more difficult?” Jiang Xuanjin didn’t even look back. “I’ll help you reclaim it. Then the favor of fetching medicine will be repaid, and we’ll be even.”
Even again? Huaiyu raised an eyebrow, finding Jiang Xuanjin quite stubborn. If he wanted to help, why bother finding excuses?
With a smile in her eyes, she watched his figure as he walked away and said obediently, “I’ll be waiting here for you to come back!”
Without a word, Jiang Xuanjin went straight downstairs.
As soon as he left, the attendant waiting outside brought the physician in.
“Miss, the master has instructed me to take care of you. Please cooperate with the physician and let her dress your wound,” the attendant said, bowing respectfully.
Glancing at the attendant, Huaiyu’s heart skipped a beat. She had asked Chéngxū about this before, whether Jiang Xuanjin had only one guard by his side. Chéngxū didn’t answer her at the time, but now she had her answer.
The person in front of her dressed much like Chéngxū, except for the twin daggers at his waist. With light steps and evident martial prowess, he was undoubtedly another of Jiang Xuanjin’s attendants.
Dealing with just Chéngxū was already tough, and now with this person added, any attempt to do something to Jiang Xuanjin seemed as impossible as climbing to the heavens.
Forcefully keeping her composure, Huaiyu responded with a dry laugh, “I didn’t expect His Highness to value me so much.”
Couldn’t they just treat her like any other guest? Why send someone to keep an eye on her? What kind of grudge was this?
The attendant nodded and, seeing the physician about to administer the medicine, turned to leave without another word.
Huaiyu watched the physician’s movements with a heavy heart, her mind racing. Suddenly, she spoke up, asking, “Miss, is my injury severe?”