“Grandmother is right. People can look similar, though it’s uncommon, it does happen. I was just overthinking,” Jiang Si agreed with a smile to the words of the Elderly Madam of Marquis Yining, but her heart sank slightly.
Just now, her grandmother had avoided her gaze.
To Jiang Si, this reaction suggested at least the possibility of a guilty conscience.
What could an elderly person with vast life experience have to feel guilty about when facing her grandchild?
Jiang Si didn’t want to doubt her close elder, but she had said almost the same thing to both her father and grandmother, and their reactions were completely different.
Her father’s first reaction was curiosity, disbelieving that there could be someone in the world who resembled his daughter. In contrast, her grandmother had clearly shown displeasure.
Jiang Ancheng’s reaction was more in line with common sense.
Leaving the Marquis Yining’s residence, Jiang Si remained silent, appearing somewhat dejected.
Jiang Zhan glanced at her and asked, “Fourth Sister, you seem troubled. What’s on your mind?”
Jiang Si decided not to share these confusing matters with her brother. She curved her lips into a smile and said, “It’s nothing.”
“Then why do you look so dispirited?”
“I’m a bit tired. After all, I only returned yesterday.”
Jiang Zhan felt quite guilty: “It’s all my fault for burdening Fourth Sister—”
Jiang Si gave him a sidelong glance: “What are you saying, Second Brother? By the way, haven’t you reported to the Emperor about the assassination attempt on you?”
Jiang Zhan’s expression turned serious: “The Prince and I have our plans for this matter. Fourth Sister, don’t worry about it. You’ve been quite tired lately, just focus on spending time with my little niece.”
Their plans?
Jiang Si shook her head with a smile.
Fine, let them have their plans. From her perspective, it seemed Second Brother might have been fooled by Ajin again.
Jiang Zhan escorted Jiang Si to the gate of the Prince’s mansion before heading to the Earl of Dongping’s residence.
The gatekeeper hurriedly opened the door for Jiang Si: “Princess, you’ve returned.”
“Where is the Prince?” Jiang Si asked casually.
“The Prince is receiving guests in the front hall.”
Jiang Si paused and looked at the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper bowed and said with a smile, “Prince Qi, Prince Lu, Prince Shu, and Prince Xiang have come to visit.”
Jiang Si raised an eyebrow.
Except for Prince Qin, all the princes had come.
Not being a timid woman from a humble household, as the lady of the house, it was proper to greet the guests when encountered. Jiang Si stepped towards the front hall.
The attendant guarding the door quickly announced, “Your Highness, the Princess has arrived.”
The hall suddenly fell silent, and all eyes turned to the entrance.
The brocade curtain was lifted by the attendant, and a slender woman entered.
Jiang Si had just returned from her journey south as a Holy Maiden. Her former delicate beauty, nurtured in a greenhouse, had subtly changed, incorporating a touch of the uninhibited spirit of southern women. She looked inexplicably different.
As a result, everyone momentarily forgot to avert their gaze.
Yu Jin set his teacup down on the table with a heavy thud, producing a loud sound.
This noise immediately broke the silence in the hall, and the princes began to greet Jiang Si one after another.
Jiang Si smiled and returned their greetings, then said to Yu Jin, “Your Highness, please continue entertaining the princes. I’ll go check on things in the back.”
“Go ahead.”
While Jiang Si was in the hall, Yu Jin maintained a smile on his lips. As soon as she left, he slammed his hand on the table, and his smile instantly vanished.
Prince Lu hurriedly asked, “Seventh Brother, what’s wrong?”
Why slam the table for no reason? Could it be a signal for a group fight?
Thinking this, Prince Lu became excited.
Ever since the death of the deposed Crown Prince, Fourth Brother had been pretending to be a fool who didn’t contend for anything, and Sixth Brother was slyly evil. There was no hope of seeing them cause trouble anymore. Only Seventh Brother was considerate, creating an opportunity right away.
A group fight would be great. It would be even better if it escalated and reached Father Emperor’s ears, demoting these fellows to Commandery Princes. Then no one could laugh at anyone else.
Prince Lu’s eagerness made Prince Shu’s mouth twitch.
Was Old Five trying to instigate a group fight? Hmph, dream on.
Currently, he and Old Four had the best chances. Only a fool would cause trouble at this time.
“Seventh Sister-in-law truly has a sincere heart for Seventh Brother. Even the Bodhisattva was moved. I came here today to ask Seventh Brother which Bodhisattva Seventh Sister-in-law worshipped. I want to set up a small Buddhist shrine in my mansion for my Sixth Sister-in-law to worship as well.”
After Prince Shu stated his purpose, the others nodded in agreement.
Yu Jin’s anger subsided, and he said nonchalantly, “You all believe in these things? Is it really that miraculous?”
Prince Lu wiped his face: “Seventh Brother, hasn’t Seventh Sister-in-law told you yet?”
“Told me what?” Yu Jin looked puzzled.
Of course, he already knew about Asi sneaking away under the pretext of praying behind closed doors, but hearing about his wife’s devotion to him from these guys’ mouths was quite satisfying.
Hmm, he could let them talk more about this.
Prince Lu indeed mentioned Jiang Si’s closed-door prayers: “To pray for Seventh Brother’s well-being, Seventh Sister-in-law didn’t even attend the New Year’s reunion banquet. Some people were saying… Who would have thought that not only did Seventh Brother return safely, but the Earl of Dongping’s heir, who everyone thought had died in battle, also returned alive.”
If he had known praying was so effective, he would have had his wife set up a small Buddhist shrine long ago. She could chant sutras occasionally, and perhaps his title might have been restored.
The others nodded in deep agreement.
Although Jiang Zhan had only returned today, the news had spread like wildfire, which was why they had all rushed to Prince Yan’s mansion.
It wouldn’t be appropriate to go directly to the Earl of Dongping’s residence to observe, so getting information from Seventh Brother was a good alternative.
Prince Lu suddenly thought of something and said with a smile, “If it were just this one incident, I might not have taken it seriously—”
Yu Jin’s eyes flickered slightly: “Oh? There are other matters?”
Prince Qi, who had been silently drinking tea, began to darken visibly at this point.
Sure enough, living up to Prince Qi’s premonition, Prince Lu glanced in his direction and said, “Not long ago, Seventh Sister-in-law and Fourth Sister-in-law went to White Cloud Temple to offer incense. On the way back, their horses were startled. Poor Fourth Sister-in-law nearly fell off a cliff. She barely escaped with her life but was so traumatized that she lost her senses and still can’t see anyone. And guess what happened?”
Amidst Prince Qi’s increasingly pale face, Yu Jin asked leisurely, “What happened?”
Prince Lu slapped his thigh: “Seventh Sister-in-law was completely unharmed! If this isn’t the Bodhisattva’s blessing, what is it?”
Ever since Prince Jin and the Crown Prince had met with misfortune, Prince Shu considered Prince Qi his biggest competitor. He was happy to add to his rival’s troubles, so he chimed in with a smile, “They say it’s because Seventh Sister-in-law was sincere and donated 1,800 taels of silver as an offering to White Cloud Temple, while Fourth Sister-in-law only donated 400 taels—”
Prince Qi, unable to bear it any longer, interjected, “Sixth Brother, you believe such baseless rumors?”
Prince Shu replied with a serious face: “This younger brother believes it. Fifth Brother, do you believe it?”
Prince Lu scratched his head and spoke honestly: “I believe selectively. For instance, if my Seventh Sister-in-law prays for something in the future, I’ll believe it. As for others, it depends on the situation.”
Prince Xiang, who had originally been on good terms with Prince Qi, couldn’t help but nod at Prince Lu’s words.
He was starting to believe it too…
Yu Jin picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone unreadable: “Hmph, Fourth Sister-in-law even invited my wife to offer incense at White Cloud Temple?”