Chapter 30: To Think She Could Be So Ruthless as to Threaten Him

Looking into the bone-chilling indifference in Jiang Lingyao’s eyes, Jiang Xiushu froze in place, a strange, stinging sensation piercing his heart. He felt utterly at a loss, yet a growing, suffocating heaviness weighed upon his chest, as if he were holding his breath.

"Was I wrong?" He turned his gaze toward the Duke of the State seated at the head of the table. "Lian'er is kinder and more generous than Jiang Lingyao; she is far more suited to be the mistress of the Pei household. Besides, with Jiang Lingyao's reputation in tatters, it would cost a fortune and take immense effort to marry her into the Pei family."

"Spending such resources on her is nothing but a waste!"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, seeking validation from those around him. The members of the Duke’s household remained silent, and seeing this, Jiang Xiushu felt somewhat reassured. He was right.

Picking up his pace, Jiang Lingyao escorted the Old Madam back to her room. Only when the imperial physician arrived did she realize her back was drenched in cold sweat.

"Wipe your face."

Jiang Xiuyuan, who had escorted the physician in, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to offer her a handkerchief. Jiang Lingyao did not take it; she simply wiped her face with her hand, only to discover she was covered in tears that ran from her palms down to her sleeves.

"Thank you, Big Brother."

Her voice was dry, yet her eyes remained fixed on the physician. When he finally stood up, she blurted out, "How is Grandmother?"

"Alas," the physician sighed heavily. "The Old Madam’s health had improved significantly during her year at the Medicine King Valley, but today... all that effort has been squandered. She is out of immediate danger for now, but her vitality has been deeply damaged. I fear she has, at most..."

Jiang Lingyao stood rigid, her fingernails digging deep into her palms. She suddenly dared not ask the question. Lowering her eyes, she choked out, "Please, sir, speak plainly. How much time does Grandmother have?"

"A year at most, perhaps as little as three months." The physician looked at her pale face and sighed. Recalling how haggard she had looked the last time they met, he found himself feeling a flicker of pity for her.

A young lady of such a prestigious house, yet reduced to such a wretched state time and again—who could witness this without feeling a pang of sorrow?

"When will Grandmother wake?"

"She will wake within the day. I shall go and prescribe some nourishing medicine."

Jiang Lingyao nodded silently, staring at the flickering shadows of the candles on the floor, her expression nearly vacant. A year at most, three months at least? Grandmother had been doing so much better when she returned just yesterday; how could she have so little time left? She covered her face, standing motionless.

Jiang Xiuyuan pursed his lips and stepped forward gently, intending to wipe away her tears and comfort her, but as Jiang Lingyao looked up, he saw only a deathly pallor. There were no tears. Her lack of crying was even more alarming than if she had sobbed, her eyes void and hollow.

An inexplicable unease stirred in Jiang Xiuyuan. "Mingzhu, why don't you go back and rest for a while, then come back to watch over Grandmother, all right?"

Jiang Lingyao curled her lips, looking up with icy detachment. "Go back? How could I go back? I still have things to do."

"Nanny Li, please see to Grandmother. I shall return shortly."

She strode out the door. Jiang Xiuyuan was startled, and by the time he regained his senses, he realized she was heading straight for the dining hall.

"Mingzhu." The Duke of the State frowned from the head of the table. "Is there news of your grandmother?"

Jiang Lingyao stepped into the room, reached up to smooth a stray lock of hair at her temple, and said in a measured, calm tone, "The physician says Grandmother has at most a year left, and at least, only three months."

The room fell into a sudden, heavy silence. The Duke sighed. "Your grandmother’s health is fragile; your third brother was reckless today. Jiang Xiushu, from this day forward, you are confined to your quarters for three months, punished with ten strokes of the cane, and shall kneel in the ancestral hall for three days."

At these words, Jiang Xiushu’s face turned ashen, yet he could not utter a word of protest. Ten strokes—he would likely be bedridden for a month. But his words had indeed harmed the Old Madam, and he could neither refute nor defy the decree. Instinctively, as if driven by some hidden force, he looked toward Jiang Lingyao.

He stared at her, his gaze filled with a desperate, unconscious plea, as if offering a surrender.

Jiang Lingyao’s expression remained unchanged. She curled her lips in a cold smile as they locked eyes. Only when she saw that the gash on Jiang Xiushu’s forehead was still bleeding did she look away, satisfied.

*Why is she not reacting at all? Did the wound I deliberately left unbandaged heal already?*

Jiang Xiushu was stunned. He instinctively touched his forehead, wincing as he sucked in a breath of sharp pain. The wound was still there; blood was still streaming down his face. Had she not seen it? He stared at the blood on his palm, looking up at Jiang Lingyao with wide, disbelieving eyes.

When he was a boy and would get hurt, Jiang Lingyao would always cry in anguish at the sight of it. It was because of him that she had developed the habit of hoarding medicines, and Mingzhu Courtyard was always stocked with the finest healing salves.

"Father, ten strokes is too severe! How could Third Brother endure that!" Song Lian’er suddenly burst into tears, her eyes red with grievance. "Third Brother has already been beaten bloody by younger sister; is that not enough?"

Everyone went silent. The Duke frowned, lost in thought. Jiang Xiushu turned his gaze toward Song Lian’er, his eyes filled with gratitude. How wonderful Lian’er was, still knowing how to care for him, unlike that cold-hearted ingrate, Jiang Lingyao!