Chapter Twenty-One: She is not so easily bullied; let us wait and see how things unfold for now.

The Old Madam let out a cry of distress, as if she were the one injured, and slapped the table repeatedly. "How could my son produce such a vicious creature! You’ve cut off the family line!"

Madam Qiao glared at the Old Madam with a look of pure malice. She knew her husband would never allow his daughter to marry Xue Shoucheng, but this old harpy’s words were enough to ignite anyone’s temper.

"I will handle the matter regarding the Xue family," Madam Qiao said. She then called for her trusted maid to enter and gave instructions: "First, carry Shoucheng out and settle him in a meditation room, then send for a doctor."

The servants hurried off to carry out her orders.

Outside the meditation room, Jiang Nian remarked, "I’ve heard that the Third Lady of the Xue family has a sharp, volatile temper. Once she finds out her son has been reduced to this, won’t she tear Fourth Sister apart?"

Jiang Yan cursed under her breath, thinking she deserved it. "Indeed. It’s a good thing she didn't come; otherwise, Fourth Sister would have lost all face today. She would have been dragged off to the Xue family’s bridal chamber on the spot!"

Jiang Nian chuckled inwardly. "Oh? Why haven't I seen Fourth Sister’s maids? Qing’er, go help Fourth Sister find her personal maids. See where they’ve gone off to enjoy themselves! To think they couldn't even keep watch over their own mistress!"

"Yes, Miss!"

Before long, Xue Shoucheng was carried away.

Jiang Yu quickly changed her clothes before emerging from the room, a blood-red slap mark from the Old Madam still vivid on her face.

Jiang Yan hurried to Jiang Yu’s side. "Fourth Sister, are you alright?"

Jiang Yu looked up at her, a retort almost slipping out! However, she softened her voice and said with a look of grievance, "Thank you for your concern, Fifth Sister. I was merely startled; I am quite unharmed..."

Jiang Nian chimed in, "Fourth Sister was truly decisive. Had you delayed even a moment, your reputation might have been ruined by him. What would you have done then?"

Jiang Yu bit her back teeth, too furious to speak. She lowered her head and let out a few sobs to mask her rage.

At that moment, Qing’er returned and reported, "Miss, I have found the Fourth Miss’s maids."

Hearing this, Jiang Nian walked over to the two maids and barked, "How were you serving Fourth Sister? Such a major incident occurred, yet you were nowhere to be found! Could it be that Xue Shoucheng bribed you to conspire against my Fourth Sister?"

Chunfen and Dongzhi, the two maids, stammered in panic, "Third Miss, we would never do such a thing!"

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Jiang Yu’s eyes. Was Jiang Nian taking this opportunity to eliminate her loyal maids? "Third Sister..."

Jiang Nian frowned and interrupted her, "Fourth Sister, we should first ask where they were found!"

Qing’er stepped forward. "Reporting to you, Miss, as I was searching for them, I saw these two hovering outside the courtyard, looking as if they wanted to enter but were afraid to."

"Miss, please don't misunderstand!" Dongzhi quickly explained. "We were knocked unconscious. When we woke up, we realized the Miss was nowhere to be found. When we returned and saw all the young ladies standing outside Fourth Miss’s room, we didn't know what had happened, so we were afraid to rush in..."

Jiang Nian sneered, "If you couldn't find your own mistress, shouldn't you have entered immediately to check on Fourth Sister and see if she was in trouble? Refusing to come inside—what is that if not a guilty conscience?"

Chunfen and Dongzhi exchanged terrified glances and crawled to Jiang Yu’s feet. "Miss, we would never betray you! Please, you must believe us!"

Jiang Yu inwardly hated Jiang Nian for using this as a pretext to stir up trouble. She looked at the two maids and said, "I was drugged by Xue Shoucheng; he must have been the one to knock my maids unconscious. The fault is surely not theirs..."

"Fourth Sister, they are your personal maids, and it is kind of you to treat them well, but who led that Xue Shoucheng into your room? Could he have succeeded without someone’s help?"

Jiang Yu gripped her palms tightly. Xue Shoucheng had indeed been guided in by Chunfen and Dongzhi, disguised as maids—but her original target was supposed to be Jiang Yan!

Watching Jiang Yu’s expression, Jiang Yan sneered to herself. This is what you call digging your own grave!

She chimed in, "Fourth Sister, why not hand them over to me for interrogation? I will certainly help you get to the bottom of this, so you don't have to feel reluctant to part with these two."

Jiang Yu looked at her mother, Madam Qiao. The Third Lady spoke up first: "Yu’er, you must return as quickly as possible to come up with a strategy with your father, or you won't be able to answer to your aunt and uncle. As for the maids, let Yan’er handle it for you. She certainly won't wrong your servants."

Jiang Yu’s hand trembled in her sleeve as she looked at Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan smiled, "Fourth Sister, dealing with the Xue family matter is more important."

Jiang Yu gritted her teeth. "Then I shall trouble you, Fifth Sister..."

Jiang Yan smiled. "Rest assured, Fourth Sister."

The temple’s monk-physician had already examined Xue Shoucheng’s injuries and stated there was no danger to his life.

Old Madam Jiang frowned and scolded, "What a load of nonsense. There are so many eunuchs in the palace, and they all live long lives! Hurry back to the manor to deal with this matter properly!"

Madam Qiao felt a headache coming on the moment the Old Madam spoke. She instructed her servants, "Clear out one of the carriages, settle Shoucheng securely, and send him back to the Xue family. I need to return to the Qiao family first."

When Jiang Nian returned to the manor, all was calm.

Qing’er went out to scout around and returned to say, "I heard the First Madam went back to her maiden home, and the Xue family hasn't come knocking. Could the Third Lady of the Xue family just let it go after her only son was crippled?"

"How could she possibly let it go? With the Qiao family acting as mediators and the Marquis’s residence applying pressure, the Xue couple may be full of hatred and agony, but they dare not make a scene. However, this hatred will boil over from time to time; it will be a disaster sooner or later. The Jiang family will inevitably have to pay a price to smooth this over."

"No wonder the Old Madam was squawking, saying it wasn't her son cleaning up someone else’s mess. I heard that when the First Madam left the Songhe Hall, her face was purple."

Jiang Nian chuckled lightly. "In the Old Madam’s eyes, her son’s merits are her own."

...

At the Imperial Preceptor’s residence.

The young Daoist boy, Li Xiaojiu, stepped into Kongshan Abode. "Senior Brother, there is news!"

Lu Moran was meditating before the alchemy furnace and opened his eyes upon hearing this.

Li Xiaojiu sat down heavily across from Lu Moran. "That Miss Jiang did indeed go to Hui County with her mother, Madam Chen, twelve years ago to seek treatment from the Divine Physician. Our people have already confirmed it with him."

"What was the illness? How can he remember it so clearly after all these years?"

"When Miss Jiang was young, she contracted a rare allergy. It couldn't be cured, so it could only be managed by using acupuncture to guide the toxins to one spot and sealing the surrounding meridians to prevent them from spreading. Such a technique could only be performed by the Divine Physician."

Lu Moran nodded. "I see."

Li Xiaojiu, always a chatterbox, continued with relish.

"The Shigu (Junior Martial Aunt) said that when she was rescued, the woman in the carriage didn't show her face, but she faintly heard her mention 'the Capital.'

"A young girl of three or four lifted the carriage curtain to look out curiously, and there was a red plum blossom mark on her collarbone."

"It seems the one who saved the Shigu was Madam Chen, and that little girl was the Third Miss Jiang."

Lu Moran gave a faint "Hmm." "No wonder I could never find her."

So Jiang Nian had been living in Luzhou with her mother all this time.

Li Xiaojiu added, "Miss Jiang’s life hasn't been peaceful. Madam Chen has just separated from Minister Jiang. Senior Brother, should we offer them some support?"

Lu Moran thought of Jiang Nian’s guarded eyes and said, "She is not so easily bullied. Let us watch and wait for now."