Half an hour later, Huaiyu sat in the carriage, pouting.
Jiang Xuanjin was resting with his eyes closed. After traveling for a while in blessed silence, he couldn’t help but peek at the person beside him.
“What’s wrong? Not so talkative now?”
Huaiyu crossed her arms, puffing up with indignation. “I can’t believe you’re sending me away even though I’m so reluctant to leave you. You’re sick, yet you’re still so determined to get rid of me. I feel so pitiful!”
Hearing this, Jiang Xuanjin finally felt a bit better, even allowing a faint smile to curl his lips.
He had been exasperated by her for days, so seeing her upset for once felt like a rare and delightful victory for the usually stern Lord of Ziyang.
“Sigh.” Huaiyu sighed, resting her head on her hands. She turned to look at him and suddenly reached out her hand.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Xuanjin exclaimed, quickly grabbing her.
Her fingers stopped just an inch from his waist. Reluctantly, she curled them, pouting. “Since it’s going to be hard to see you after I leave, I should at least take a token.”
Jiang Xuanjin’s face darkened. “Not!”
“Come on,” she whined, flipping her grip to hold his wrist and shaking it pitifully. “If you won’t give me your token, anything else will do!”
What a joke! Jiang Xuanjin snorted. He had finally managed to get rid of her; there was no way he would give her another chance to come near him. Was she out of her mind?
“Behave yourself.”
Huaiyu was displeased, staring at him with eyes full of resentment, while Jiang Xuanjin gazed straight ahead, completely ignoring her.
The carriage swayed for another half-hour before finally coming to a stop.
“Master,” Cheng Xu said worriedly, lifting the carriage curtain, “are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Jiang Xuanjin coughed twice and, looking pale, got out of the carriage. He turned to the person inside. “Get down.”
Reluctantly, Huaiyu poked her head out, glanced at the familiar courtyard walls, and pouted. “I think being by your side is better than this place.”
Without a word, Jiang Xuanjin expressionlessly pulled her out of the carriage.
She struggled for a moment, but Cheng Xu was already at the main entrance, presenting a visiting card. In no time, a crowd of people from the mansion poured out.
“Forgive us for not greeting Your Highness sooner,” a noblewoman stepped forward, respectfully bowing. “The master has gone to the palace and hasn’t returned yet. If Your Highness isn’t in a hurry, please come inside for a cup of tea.”
Jiang Xuanjin nodded and pushed the person hiding behind him forward. “I came here for no other reason than this. Could this young lady perhaps be a member of your household who got lost?”
The noblewoman looked up and met Li Huaiyu’s gaze.
In an instant, Huaiyu read a multitude of emotions in her eyes: astonishment, anger, disdain, and confusion. But quickly, the woman lowered her gaze and adopted a fearful expression.
“This… This is our fourth young miss. She’s been mentally unwell for years and went missing recently. If she has offended Your Highness in any way, please forgive her!”
Mentally unwell for years? Li Huaiyu was shocked by these words.
Fourth young miss of the household? Jiang Xuanjin was equally stunned by this revelation.
Together, they looked up at the vermilion plaque above the main gate, where two golden characters were written: “Bai Residence.”
A residence near the official road with the surname Bai could only belong to Ba Dezhong ng, the Censor. Everyone in the capital knew that Ba Dezhong ng’s fourth daughter was mentally impaired! Huaiyu felt disheartened. Of all the bodies she could have borrowed, she ended up in that of Bai Si Xiaojie! That old man Ba Dezhong ng had always been at odds with her, and now she had to be his daughter and call him father?
What a joke!
Jiang Xuanjin’s expression grew even more severe. He glanced at Li Huaiyu as if something had dawned on him, and his eyes darkened.
“Your Highness seems a bit unwell?” The noblewoman was unaware of their thoughts and politely gestured for them to enter. “Please, come in and rest for a while.”
Jiang Xuanjin had originally planned to leave immediately after dropping her off, but now he couldn’t leave.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” he said.
“Master,” Cheng Xu whispered worriedly from behind, “you should go back and rest.”
Jiang Xuanjin coughed lightly, his lips pale. “It’s fine. There’s something more important to attend to now.”
More important? Cheng Xu was puzzled for a moment, then, recalling the connection between Bai Si Xiaojie and the Jiang family, he quickly understood and fell silent.
Li Huaiyu came to her senses and was about to say something to Jiang Xuanjin when the lady beside her, Madam Bai, suddenly shoved her hard, causing her to stumble and fall behind.
“Hiss—” Huaiyu looked at her in confusion.
Madam Bai Mengshi ignored her, instead smiling as she led Jiang Xuanjin forward while quietly instructing a nearby servant.
Following orders, the servant rolled up his sleeves and approached Huaiyu.
“Hey? What are you doing?” she glared.
Without a word, several servants covered her mouth and swiftly tried to take her away.
If it had been the previous Fourth Young Lady, she might have been overpowered and obediently taken away. But now, who was she? The Little Overlord of Northern Wei, Princess Dan Yang, whom even the court officials couldn’t handle! How could she be bullied by a few servants?
Kicking away the servant covering her mouth, Li Huaiyu’s face darkened. She flipped another over her shoulder, slamming him hard to the ground.
With a dull thud, everyone froze in place.
“Do you think you can play these tricks on me?” Huaiyu stepped on the stomach of one of the servants, hands on her hips, and said angrily, “You refuse to answer my questions and force me to take action! Now, speak up. What do you want?”
The servant beneath her foot foamed at the mouth, eyes rolled back, and convulsed, unable to speak.
Jiang Xuanjin glanced over, and Madam Bai Mengshi, equally shocked, turned to face the commotion. “What’s happening?”
“You’re asking me what’s going on? I was about to ask you the same thing!” Huaiyu snorted and withdrew her foot, looking up at Madam Bai. “My people came to visit your mansion, and you have them taken away. What does that mean? Are you trying to snatch them from me?”
“What do you mean, ‘your people’?”
“What do you mean, ‘snatch’?”
Both Jiang Xuanjin and Madam Bai scolded her simultaneously.
Huaiyu rolled her eyes and smiled at Jiang Xuanjin. “Sweetheart, this is the truth. There’s nothing to be shy about.” Then, she squinted at Madam Bai. “If you don’t want to snatch anyone, why did you lay your hands on me?”
Madam Bai looked at her in astonishment, momentarily forgetting her manners. “You… Aren’t you supposed to be…?”
Bai Zhuji, the Fourth Miss of the Bai Family, had suffered a severe illness three years ago that damaged her brain, leaving her semi-mad. This was well-known throughout the Bai household.
But the person standing before them wore Bai Si Xiaojie’s face yet possessed clear consciousness. Not only was she clear-minded, but also audacious.
“Of course, I’m not mad,” she sneered at them, then slipped away and stood beside Jiang Xuanjin, clutching his sleeve tightly.