Jiang Xuanjin walked quickly, and surprisingly, he held her quite steadily. Li Huai Yu, inhaling the faint scent of sandalwood on him, nearly dozed off.
“Master!” Several voices called out in unison, startling her awake with a shiver.
Opening her eyes, she realized they had already arrived outside the main entrance of Mo Ju. The person carrying her paused for a moment as if hesitating about something. Seeing this, Huai Yu immediately let out a pained cry.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Xuanjin frowned in confusion.
With tears welling in her eyes, Li Huai Yu replied, “What do you think? My foot hurts!”
Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips and silently sighed, finally carrying her across the courtyard gate.
Huai Yu stretched her neck to look around. When she had come in the morning, she had been discovered as soon as she crossed the outer courtyard wall and hadn’t had a chance to examine the layout of the courtyard. Now, as she scanned her surroundings, she noticed the pavilions and towers were arranged beautifully. Although it was just one courtyard of the residence, it was exquisitely crafted, with eaves and angles that made her want to applaud.
Ziyang Jun was the lord of the Ziyang region, and logically, he should have been stationed in his fief like other lords. However, the late emperor favored Jiang Xuanjin greatly, granting him a fief but keeping him in the capital, entrusting him with many affairs of the court. As a result, Jiang Xuanjin had lived in the capital for over twenty years.
This Mo Ju could be considered his true stronghold.
“Hey?” Seeing the direction he was heading, Huai Yu tugged at his clothing, “Whoa—whoa—”
Jiang Xuanjin’s face darkened. “Are you looking for death?”
Did she think he was a horse?
Startled, Huai Yu quickly released her grip and soothingly smoothed out the creases in his clothing. “I was just in a moment of panic; don’t be angry. I wanted to ask where you’re taking me.”
He was heading toward the leftmost pavilion, which looked like a guest room.
Jiang Xuanjin narrowed his eyes and glanced at her. “Bringing you here is already showing great mercy; do you still want to enter the main building?”
“…It’s not that I must go to the main building, but if you leave me here, you have to stay with me!”
“Dream on.” Jiang Xuanjin carried her up to the second floor of the guest room, unceremoniously placing her on the bed, then turned to instruct a servant, “Go fetch the physician from the residence.”
Huai Yu pouted, lying on the soft bed without further fuss. She obediently hugged the blanket, keeping her injured leg suspended over the edge.
Once Jiang Xuanjin had settled her, he intended to leave. However, just as he turned to the side, he remembered to ask, “With your leg injured, isn’t this trip a waste?”
Seeing her dressed up so nicely, it was clear she had intended to negotiate a marriage with Yan’er. But now, it seemed she could do nothing but lie here while the old master was still trying to match Yan’er with Miss Bai Er.
Hearing this, Huai Yu let out a long sigh.
“This is probably fate; you can’t force it.” She lowered her gaze, her tone filled with sorrow. “What can I do? No matter how well I dress, my father thinks I’m a disgrace to the Bai family.”
“It is quite disgraceful,” Jiang Xuanjin nodded.
The Bai family was so proper, yet they had such a wild child. Who knows if their ancestors’ tablets had fallen over?
This remark was meant to be teasing; he knew Miss Bai Si had a thick skin and wouldn’t mind, so he spoke plainly. However, to his surprise, the person in front of him turned red-eyed upon hearing it.
“I also think I’m quite disgraceful.” With a bitter smile, Li Huai Yu hung her head, her voice thick with nasal tones. “My mother died young, and I’ve been bullied since I was little. I thought things would get better when I grew up, but who knew that after a few years, I would be made a fool for three years. Just when I finally recovered, my marriage was snatched away.”
Trying hard to hold back her tears, she could only pull out a handkerchief to feign wiping her eyes, her voice growing more desolate. “Life has never been easy; I can’t even eat or dress warmly. Now, the only good marriage I had is gone, and in the future, I’ll probably die somewhere without anyone caring.”
Jiang Xuanjin frowned upon hearing this. “When will you stop lying so easily?”
“Who’s lying?!” She glared at him, clearly displeased. “This is all the truth! If you don’t believe me, go ask the Bai family and see what Miss Bai Si eats every day!”
His gaze fell on her clothing and accessories, and Jiang Xuanjin’s expression deepened.
Following his line of sight, Huai Yu looked at herself and pouted. “Don’t doubt me; this outfit is from Canghai Yizhu Pavilion. Manager Lu lent it to me because he felt sorry for me. I have to return it after today.”
Is that the case? Jiang Xuanjin half-closed his eyes, fiddling with the Buddhist beads in his sleeve, carefully considering whether to believe her.
“Ugh, what’s the point of telling you all this? In your eyes, I’m just a reckless madwoman who lives by lying,” Huai Yu turned her head, dejectedly staring at the embroidered flowers on the blanket.
Earlier, he had said that the children raised in the Jiang residence were pure-hearted. Jiang Yan couldn’t resist this big-tailed wolf, and Jiang Xuanjin wasn’t much better. Seeing her pitiful appearance, he hesitated for a long time and finally felt a bit of sympathy.
After all, she was just a girl. Although she seemed cunning, she had never harmed him.
Thus, Jiang Xuanjin softened his tone and said, “You should rest well. When the physician comes to apply the medicine, I’ll step out for a bit.”
“Where are you going?” Huai Yu looked at him with a wronged expression, hugging the blanket.
“Didn’t you say your marriage was snatched away? Isn’t your life even harder now?” Jiang Xuanjin replied without looking back. “I’ll help you get it back. Then we’ll be even for the favor of asking for medicine.”
Even? Huai Yu raised an eyebrow, thinking that this Ziyang Jun was awkward. If he wanted to help, he should just help; why did he need to find an excuse?
With a smile in her eyes, she looked at his back and obediently said, “Then I’ll wait for you to come back!”
Without responding to her, Jiang Xuanjin went straight downstairs.
As soon as he left, the people waiting outside brought in the physician.
“Miss Bai Si,” Yu Feng bowed to her. “The master instructed me to take care of you. Please cooperate with the physician and let her bandage your wound.”
Glancing at him, Huai Yu’s heart sank.
Earlier, she had asked Cheng Xu if Jiang Xuanjin had only one guard by his side, but Cheng Xu hadn’t answered her. Now she had her answer.
The person in front of her, dressed similarly to Cheng Xu, had a pair of Emei daggers tucked into his waist, moving lightly with considerable martial skills. He was one of Jiang Xuanjin’s trusted aides.
One Cheng Xu was already difficult to deal with; with this person added, it would truly be as hard as climbing to the heavens for her to do anything to Jiang Xuanjin.
She forced a couple of dry laughs and replied, “I didn’t expect the lord to value me so much.”
Couldn’t he just treat her like an ordinary guest and leave her here? Why send a trusted aide to watch over her? What kind of grudge was this?
Yu Feng nodded, and seeing the physician preparing to treat her, he turned to leave without saying another word.
Huai Yu watched the physician’s movements with a sense of melancholy. Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly asked, “Miss, is my injury serious?”