Jiang Si didn’t believe that her elder sister Jiang Yi had an illicit affair and was divorced in her previous life. However, after her recent probing during her grandmother’s birthday celebration, she still came up empty-handed.

After much consideration, Jiang Si realized she couldn’t yet reach into the Zhu family’s inner circle. For now, all she could do was keep an eye on Zhu Ziyu.

Jiang Yi’s husband, Zhu Ziyu was the closest person to her. Whatever secrets there might have been in the previous life, it was unlikely he was completely uninvolved. Watching him might yield nothing, but it was better than doing nothing at all.

Jiang Si felt somewhat regretful.

In her previous life, when her elder sister was sent back to her maiden home due to the alleged affair, Jiang Si had gone to see her. At that time, Jiang Yi seemed to have lost her soul, unable to answer any questions, only repeatedly saying “I didn’t do it,” which was heartbreaking to witness.

She didn’t dare to further upset her sister and thought to wait until Jiang Yi had calmed down before questioning her further. Unexpectedly, not long after returning home, she received news of her sister’s suicide.

If only she had pressed her sister to say more in her previous life, perhaps she wouldn’t be so clueless now.

No, that wasn’t entirely true. She did have one clue.

Jiang Si remembered the last time she saw her sister in her previous life, she heard Jiang Yi say something.

It was when she was leaving after comforting Jiang Yi. As she reached the door and lifted the thick cotton curtain, the wind and snow hit her face, making her shiver involuntarily and pause her steps.

At that moment, a faint cry came from inside: “I shouldn’t have saved him!”

The cry was so low that it was scattered by the wind as soon as it reached outside, making her think she had misheard.

Even now, after a lifetime, Jiang Si still wasn’t sure if her sister had said those words. Nevertheless, she wasn’t going to overlook any potential clues.

If those words were indeed spoken, who had her sister saved? And why did she say she shouldn’t have saved that person? Or was it someone else who had done the saving?

A series of questions led Jiang Si to a conclusion: Assuming Jiang Yi hadn’t had an affair, those words likely indicated that her sister’s fate was related to saving someone. This person, then, could be the key to resolving Jiang Yi’s predicament.

A cold light flashed in Jiang Si’s eyes: she must find this person.

“Miss, shall I go now?” Seeing Jiang Si lost in thought for quite some time, A-Fei cautiously asked.

“Go ahead, remember to report to me every three days, whether there’s anything unusual or not.”

A-Fei was quick-witted. Seeing Jiang Si’s attitude, he immediately raised his level of attention to this matter and patted his chest, saying, “Don’t worry, Miss. I’ve got this.”

After leaving the rented house, Jiang Si took A-Man to visit a cosmetics shop.

This small shop, which she had casually named “Lu Sheng Xiang” (Fragrance of Morning Dew), had gone from being deserted to now quite lively, with women frequently entering and exiting through its open doors.

Lu Sheng Xiang was managed by A-Qiao, who handled everything from interacting with Xiu Niang to keeping the accounts.

A few days ago, A-Qiao had come to her sighing and complaining, saying that the newly opened cosmetics shop was constantly losing money, squeezed between two well-established cosmetics shops. If this continues, it would be better to sell the shop.

Jiang Si had an exceptional sense of smell and could detect the slightest changes in scents, giving her a natural advantage in perfume making. At that time, she had casually written down a formula for a fragrant dew and given it to A-Qiao. Soon, this fragrant dew became famous.

The same fragrant dew from Lu Sheng Xiang smelled particularly fragrant and pleasant.

The subtle changes in fragrance brought people entirely different feelings, and Lu Sheng Xiang suddenly became popular because of this unique fragrant dew.

Entering the shop, Jiang Si didn’t remove her veil but surveyed the surroundings through the light gauze.

The small shop was spotlessly clean, with various items neatly arranged. A woman with a blue floral headscarf was bustling about, attending to customers.

For such a small cosmetics shop, one shopkeeper and one assistant were enough.

Xiu Niang, who had witnessed and participated in Lu Sheng Xiang’s growth from nothing to prosperity, seemed to be slowly recovering from the pain of losing her daughter. A smile had returned to her face.

Jiang Si didn’t disturb Xiu Niang and quietly left with A-Man, but an idea had formed in her mind: she would create two more fragrant dews to give Lu Sheng Xiang an even greater advantage in this area, which would make the business even more prosperous.

Money was undoubtedly a person’s foundation, and Jiang Si had many uses for money. Not to mention, she needed to win over many people on A-Fei’s side, which naturally required money.

After walking a few steps out of Lu Sheng Xiang, A-Man suddenly gently tugged at Jiang Si’s sleeve: “Miss, look at that lady. She seems familiar to me.”

Jiang Si paused her steps and looked in the direction A-Man pointed. She saw a young woman accompanied by a maid walking towards Lu Sheng Xiang.

Jiang Si was quite surprised.

This young woman with a married woman’s hairstyle was Qiao Niang, Ji Chongyi’s sweetheart – or rather, she should now be called Third Madam Ji.

Unlike the graceful young girl in simple clothes she had seen that night by Mou You Lake, Qiao Niang was now dressed in luxurious clothes with a golden hairpin. With each step, the pearls and jade hanging from the hairpin gently swayed, making her look completely different from a few months ago.

What surprised Jiang Si was that Qiao Niang, who had successfully married into a noble family, didn’t look to be in good spirits.

Jiang Si quickly averted her gaze and brushed past Qiao Niang.

“Is the fragrant dew here really that good?” Qiao Niang looked up at Lu Sheng Xiang’s sign and said softly, with a hint of hesitation.

These days, she felt that Ji Chongyi wasn’t spending as much time in her room as before. Although he still spoke to her gently, she instinctively felt uneasy.

The other day, while idly strolling in the garden, she accidentally overheard the maids praising the fragrant dew worn by the eldest miss, saying it was bought from a newly opened small shop. She secretly memorized the shop’s name and finally found an opportunity to come and buy it.

Hearing Qiao Niang question their shop, A-Man smiled and replied, “Of course it’s good! Madam, you’ll know once you try it. Our miss uses it too.”

“A-Man.” Jiang Si softly warned A-Man.

Ever since successfully breaking off her engagement, she had no intention of having any further interaction with these two.

Qiao Niang was startled at first, but feeling A-Man’s goodwill, she smiled and slightly bowed her head as she entered the shop.

On the way back, Jiang Si said displeased, “You talk too much.”

A-Man stuck out her tongue: “Who told her to doubt the quality of our shop’s fragrant dew? Besides, I do think that lady looks familiar. Strange, where have I seen her before?”

After just a couple of steps, A-Man suddenly remembered and her face turned ugly: “Mi-Miss, she’s that, that—”

Jiang Si’s expression was cold: “She’s just a customer coming to buy fragrant dew from our shop, nothing more.”

A-Man blinked and fell silent.

Although she didn’t understand what her miss meant, seeing her miss’s indifferent attitude made her feel quite satisfied.

After returning home, Jiang Si picked up a brush and wrote a letter to Jiang Yi.