The journey back to the city seemed peaceful. Aman sat with Jiang Si in the carriage, feeling somewhat regretful that her heroic skills went unused.
Her mistress had said the Princess Consort of Prince Qi would do something evil, but now they were heading back, and nothing had happened yet. If the Princess Consort didn’t act, wouldn’t Aman’s trip with her mistress be wasted, with only a vegetarian meal at Baiyun Temple to brag about to A’Qiao?
Aman squinted in thought and sighed silently.
Just then, the carriage suddenly stopped. The abrupt halt caused the little maid to lurch forward.
She reacted quickly, one hand bracing against the carriage wall, the other reaching out to steady Jiang Si. “Mistress—”
Jiang Si saw the excitement in the little maid’s eyes.
“Let’s wait and see,” Jiang Si said softly.
Soon, the coachman’s voice came from outside: “Princess Consort, the carriage is damaged.”
Jiang Si, supported by Aman, alighted from the carriage to see one wheel askew, obviously unusable.
“It’s broken here, it needs to be repaired,” the coachman pointed to a spot.
“Let me take a look—” Aman was about to move closer but was stopped by Jiang Si.
“Then repair it. How long will it take?” Jiang Si asked gently.
The coachman looked troubled: “It’s not a simple break, I’m afraid it will take some time…”
Just then, a gentle voice came: “Seventh Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?”
Jiang Si turned to meet the concerned gaze of the Princess Consort of Prince Qi, inwardly sneering: Evildoers always lack fresh tricks. After all the waiting, it still came down to tampering with the carriage.
But she was prepared for this, after all, in her previous life, she had met with an accident in a carriage.
Was she afraid?
Glancing at the carriage parked not far away, Jiang Si curved her lips slightly.
She had a stubborn personality that refused to admit defeat. The more afraid she was, the more she wanted to overcome it. Even if she was terrified, she wouldn’t back down.
“The carriage is damaged,” Jiang Si replied calmly to the Princess Consort’s question.
Hearing this, the Princess Consort couldn’t help but curve her lips.
To her, these words were undoubtedly the beginning of luring the Princess Consort of Prince Yan into her trap.
Jiang Si took in the Princess Consort’s expression fully, also curving her lips slightly.
Who was the hunter, and who was the prey? Unfortunately, the Princess Consort of Prince Qi was too foolish to tell the difference.
No matter what, the final result would make her understand.
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi surveyed the carriage a few times, then said with a smile, “Seventh Sister-in-law, we don’t know when the carriage will be repaired. We can’t just keep waiting like this. If you don’t mind, why don’t you ride in my carriage?”
Jiang Si hesitated slightly.
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi persuaded further, “Seventh Sister-in-law, it’s so cold. Let’s not delay on the road. My carriage is quite spacious, it can easily seat both of us. Moreover, you can get back earlier to be with your child…”
Jiang Si seemed moved by these words and nodded slightly.
Aman grew nervous and called out softly, “Mistress—”
Jiang Si glanced at Aman, signaling her not to interfere.
Seeing this, the Princess Consort of Prince Qi smiled, “It’s just that Seventh Sister-in-law’s maid will have to be inconvenienced and walk alongside my maid.”
Normally, one person with a maid in a carriage would be very spacious, but with Jiang Si and the Princess Consort of Prince Qi sharing a carriage, plus two maids, it would be too cramped.
Jiang Si glanced indifferently at Aman and said carelessly, “What’s there for a little maid to be inconvenienced about?”
Hearing this, the Princess Consort’s eyes flickered, and she inwardly sighed in relief.
Thankfully, the Princess Consort of Prince Yan had agreed. She had been anxious, fearing that the stubborn Jiang Si might prefer to walk rather than share a carriage with her.
Seeing Jiang Si about to board the carriage with the Princess Consort of Prince Qi, Aman called out plaintively, “Mistress—”
What was happening? Her mistress was going to ride in the same carriage as that evil woman, while she could only walk alongside? What if her mistress encountered danger and she couldn’t help in time?
Jiang Si glanced at Aman, her face stern, “Have you forgotten what I told you? When we’re out, being proper and orderly is most important.”
Aman immediately recalled Jiang Si’s instructions from earlier on the journey. She bit her lip and said softly, “Mistress is right to chastise me. This servant understands.”
Only then did Jiang Si board the carriage contentedly, surveying the interior.
The carriage was the same as the one in her memory, and the interior layout was largely similar.
This wasn’t hard to understand, after all, the Princess Consort of Prince Qi was poor, and using the same carriage year after year saved quite a bit of money.
Thinking this, Jiang Si felt a bit mean-spirited, but this petty thought made her feel quite pleased and justified.
The carriage jolted and began to move.
“What would Seventh Sister-in-law like to eat?” the Princess Consort of Prince Qi asked.
Jiang Si glanced at the boxes of preserved fruits piled on the small table and said coolly, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Fourth Sister-in-law, but I’m not accustomed to eating in carriages.”
In her previous life, when she shared a carriage with the Princess Consort of Prince Qi, she hadn’t eaten anything either. What had left her weak and unable to escape wasn’t the food, but—
Jiang Si lightly sniffed the air, her eyes sweeping over the openwork incense ball hanging in a corner of the carriage.
A faint fragrance was wafting out as the incense ball swayed gently.
The scent was hard to describe, but it was pleasant, especially to someone like Jiang Si with a keen sense of smell. To find it agreeable was already rare.
In her previous life, she had asked what this fragrance was. The Princess Consort of Prince Qi had explained it was a rare incense from overseas and said if she liked it, she could give her some later.
“What is this fragrance? It’s quite pleasant,” Jiang Si asked, thinking of these things.
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi was startled for a moment, then quickly smiled, “It’s a type of incense from overseas, very rare. If Seventh Sister-in-law likes it, I can have some sent to you later.”
Jiang Si laughed lightly, “Such precious incense, Fourth Sister-in-law should keep it for yourself. I rarely use fragrances, I was just curious.”
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi secretly sighed in relief, unclenching her fist.
Jiang Si was shrewd; she had feared the other woman had discovered something amiss.
The incense in the ball was indeed from overseas, mixed with a substance that could make one’s body soft and weak. Once inhaled for a while, a person would become as helpless as a fish on a chopping board. However, if one took preventive medicine beforehand, there would be no effect.
The Princess Consort of Prince Qi was secretly calculating the time, waiting for the moment when Jiang Si would succumb.
Jiang Si was also counting the time.
Since she was pretending, she might as well do it convincingly, to play along with the Princess Consort’s act.
Estimating that the time was about right, Jiang Si leaned against the carriage wall, frowning, “Fourth Sister-in-law, could you lift the window curtain? I seem to be having trouble breathing.”
The Princess Consort’s eyes flashed, and her smile, falling into Jiang Si’s eyes, became more pronounced.
“Seventh Sister-in-law feels short of breath?”
“Mm.”
“Alright, I’ll lift the curtain for some air.” The Princess Consort’s tone was peculiar as she pinched the corner of the curtain with two slender fingers and coughed once.
Jiang Si leaned against the carriage wall, seemingly growing weaker, her whole body like a limp vine clinging to a tree.
Just then, the carriage suddenly began to speed up.