Half an hour later, Huaiyu sat in the carriage, her lips pouting high.
Jiang Xuanjin was resting with his eyes closed. After walking for a while, he found the silence around him quite pleasant and couldn’t help but lift his eyelids to glance at the person beside him.
“What’s wrong? Not talking much now?”
Huaiyu crossed her arms, looking sulky. “I’m so reluctant to part with you, yet you’re dragging your sick body to send me away. I’m truly pitiful!”
Hearing this, Jiang Xuanjin finally felt a bit more at ease, even managing a slight smile.
After being choked by her for the past few days, it was a rare occasion to see her angry. The usually stern Ziyang Jun found this to be quite a delightful situation.
“Alas.” Huaiyu sighed, cradling her head as she turned to look at him, suddenly extending her hand.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Xuanjin exclaimed, quickly grabbing her wrist.
Her fingertips hovered just an inch away from his waist, and she stubbornly bent them, pouting. “If I go back this time, it won’t be easy to see you again. Of course, I need a token!”
Jiang Xuanjin’s face darkened. “Not a chance!”
“Come on.” She turned his wrist over, looking at him with pitiful eyes. “If you won’t give me a token, anything else will do!”
What a joke! Jiang Xuanjin snorted coldly. After finally getting rid of her, why would he give her another chance to get close? That would be madness!
“Behave yourself.”
Huaiyu’s mood soured, and she glared at him with resentment, while he continued to stare straight ahead, completely ignoring her.
The carriage swayed for nearly half an hour before finally coming to a stop.
“Your Highness.” Cheng Xu anxiously lifted the curtain of the carriage. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Coughing lightly, Jiang Xuanjin stepped out of the carriage, turning to look at the person inside. “Get down.”
Huaiyu reluctantly poked her head out, glancing at the familiar courtyard wall, pouting. “I think this place isn’t as good as being by your side.”
Jiang Xuanjin expressionlessly pulled her down from the carriage.
She struggled a bit, but Cheng Xu was quick, already heading to the front door to deliver a message. Moments later, a crowd of people poured out from the residence.
“Unaware of Your Highness’s arrival, I apologize for the lack of a proper welcome!” A noblewoman stepped forward, bowing respectfully. “The master has gone to the palace and has not yet returned. If Your Highness is not in a hurry, please come in for a cup of tea.”
Jiang Xuanjin nodded and pushed the person hiding behind him forward. “There’s no other business for coming to your esteemed residence. This young lady… must have gotten lost here, right?”
The noblewoman looked up and met Li Huaiyu’s gaze.
In an instant, Huaiyu read a mix of surprise, anger, disdain, and confusion in her eyes. However, the noblewoman quickly lowered her gaze, adopting a fearful expression.
“This… this is the Fourth Miss of our household, who has been mentally unwell for many years. A few days ago, she ran off without a trace. If she has offended Your Highness in any way, please forgive her!”
Mentally unwell for many years? Li Huaiyu was shocked by this statement.
The Fourth Miss of the household? Jiang Xuanjin was equally taken aback by this identity.
Both of them looked up simultaneously at the vermilion plaque hanging above the main gate, where two golden characters were inscribed—Bai Fu.
This official residence near the main road, with the surname Bai, could only belong to the Imperial Censor Bai Dezhong’s family.
Everyone in the capital knew that Bai Dezhong’s fourth daughter was foolish! Huaiyu felt a wave of sadness. Why did she have to borrow the body of the Fourth Miss Bai? That old man Bai Dezhong had always been at odds with her, and now she had to act like his daughter and call him “father”?
What a joke!
Jiang Xuanjin’s expression darkened further as he glanced at Li Huaiyu, as if realizing something, his gaze suddenly became heavy.
“Your Highness seems a bit unwell?” The noblewoman, unaware of their thoughts, stepped aside to bow and invite him in. “Please, take a seat and rest for a while.”
Jiang Xuanjin had initially planned to drop her off and leave, but now he couldn’t just walk away.
“Then I’ll impose,” he said.
“Your Highness.” Cheng Xu followed closely behind, speaking softly with concern. “You should go back and rest.”
Coughing lightly, Jiang Xuanjin replied in a low voice, “It’s fine; there are more important matters at hand.”
More important matters? Cheng Xu paused, recalling the connection between the Fourth Miss Bai and the Jiang family, and immediately understood, lowering his head and falling silent.
Li Huaiyu snapped back to reality, wanting to say something more to Jiang Xuanjin, but the noblewoman beside her, Bai Mengshi, suddenly pushed her hard, causing her to stumble back a few steps and fall behind.
“Hey?” Huaiyu looked at her in confusion.
Bai Mengshi ignored her, smiling as she led Jiang Xuanjin forward while quietly instructing a couple of servants nearby.
The servants, receiving their orders, rolled up their sleeves and approached Huaiyu.
“Hey? What are you doing?” she exclaimed, wide-eyed.
Without a word, several servants covered her mouth and swiftly attempted to drag her away.
If this had been the previous Fourth Miss, she might have had no strength to resist and would have been taken away obediently. But who was she now? The little overlord of Northern Wei, the Danyang Princess, whom all the officials feared! How could she be at a disadvantage against a few servants?
With a kick, she sent the servant covering her mouth flying, her expression darkening as she flipped over and threw another servant who was trying to restrain her to the ground.
With a loud thud, everyone stopped in their tracks.
“Look at how tough you all are, thinking you can play this game with me?” Huaiyu stomped on the servant’s stomach, hands on her hips, angrily declaring, “You refuse to answer my questions nicely and force me to take action! Now, tell me, what do you want?”
The servant beneath her was foaming at the mouth, eyes rolling back, convulsing, and unable to speak.
Jiang Xuanjin glanced over, and Bai Mengshi turned in shock. “What’s going on?”
“You’re asking me what’s going on? I want to ask you!” Huaiyu coldly scoffed, lifting her foot and looking at her. “My people came to visit, and you had them drag me away. What does that mean? Are you trying to snatch someone from me?”
“Who’s your person?”
“What do you mean snatch someone?”
Jiang Xuanjin and Bai Mengshi both shouted at her in unison.
Huaiyu dug at her ears, first smiling at Jiang Xuanjin. “Come on, this is the truth; there’s nothing to be shy about.” Then she turned to squint at Bai Mengshi. “If you’re not trying to snatch someone, why did you lay hands on me?”
Bai Mengshi stared at her in disbelief, momentarily forgetting to argue about her inappropriate behavior. “You… you’re not foolish anymore?”
The Fourth Miss Bai, Bai Zhujing, had suffered a severe illness three years ago that damaged her mind, leaving her half-mad and half-silly. This was common knowledge in the Bai household.
Yet the person before her, wearing the face of the Fourth Miss Bai, was fully aware, not only clear-headed but also quite arrogant.
“Of course, I’m not foolish.” She pouted at the people around her, then slipped over to Jiang Xuanjin’s side, gripping his sleeve tightly.