Chapter Five: This Was Her Old Trick of Teasing Jiang Nian.

Chen lifted her tear-filled eyes. “Nian’er, your younger sister’s illness is worsening, but your grandmother said we can’t take Yue’er to the capital this time. She claims having a mad daughter in the family would tarnish the Jiang family’s reputation…”

Jiang Nian’s expression darkened. She knew her mother still hoped to take her sister to the capital to find renowned doctors.

“Mother, little sister’s illness can be cured without going to the capital.”

A glimmer of hope lit Chen’s eyes. “Yesterday you said you had a lead. Do you know who can cure Xin’er?”

Jiang Nian looked at her sister and thought of the pain she was enduring now, her bones aching with hatred.

“Mother, trust me.”

After the ancestral rites, the group was to set off for the capital. Preparations were underway throughout the mansion.

Chen stayed by the ailing little sister, while Jiang Nian led the maids to pack and move their belongings to the front courtyard for loading.

Qing’er held great hopes for Master Jiang Ping and said, “At last, we’ve made it through. Once in the capital, our lady will be the legitimate eldest daughter of the Jiang family’s main branch!”

The second madam of the Jiang family approached from behind. “The Ministry of Personnel’s Deputy Minister is a high-ranking official, and his daughter naturally enjoys prestige. But… eldest legitimate daughter? Do you deserve that?”

She bore resentment from the few slaps before and spoke more scornfully than usual, eager to see Jiang Nian’s hopeful excitement shift to hurt, then to tears.

This was her usual way of tormenting Jiang Nian.

But this time, the second madam could not detect the expected emotions on Jiang Nian’s face.

Instead, there was a subtle smile.

Qing’er tried to defend, “Second madam, our lady is clearly the Jiang family’s legitimate eldest daughter…”

The second madam sneered, “Not even in the family registry, what kind of eldest legitimate daughter is that? Everyone in the capital knows the Jiang family’s true eldest daughter is Jiang Yu, born to Madam Qiao.”

Years ago, when Chen was sent back to Puzhou, she discovered she was pregnant. Jiang Nian’s name was never entered into the family registry.

Even five years ago, when her father went home to visit his ill mother, and her mother gave birth to a younger sister again, that sister wasn’t recorded in the registry either.

In her past life, Jiang Nian had shed countless tears over such mockery, but now these words felt like mere tickles.

“I don’t deserve it. Does the second madam?”

The second madam froze, suspecting she had misheard.

“You, a lowly merchant-born concubine’s daughter, if you hadn’t brought countless riches to the Jiang family, how could you have claimed the title of second madam? A bought title, yet you flaunt it arrogantly?”

Jiang Nian’s face was calm, neither mocking nor scornful, but her words stabbed deeply into the second madam’s heart.

“I don’t deserve it. Second aunt, do you?”

The second madam’s eyes flashed with malice but quickly composed herself. She had never lost a battle of words.

“A person’s fate is set from birth. Perhaps no matter how hard you try, you won’t get what others take with a mere snap of their fingers. There is no fairness in this world. When you reach the capital, you’ll understand this truth.”

Qing’er looked sadly at her lady, worried for her awkward predicament.

Madam Qiao and her daughter would surely make life difficult for her.

The second madam listened contentedly to Jiang Nian’s long sigh and smiled. “That’s fate. Learn to accept it.”

But Jiang Nian was not sighing for herself. “Second aunt, if you want me to accept fate, you might as well start accepting it yourself. I bet you won’t make it to the capital. Do you believe that?”

The second madam sneered, “You say I won’t go to the capital? What right do you have to decide where I can or cannot go? Ridiculous!”

Just as she was about to lash out, her confidante, Aunt Fang, hurried in and whispered something in her ear.

The second madam’s eyes widened, glancing suspiciously at Jiang Nian. “What did she say?”

The Wei family had actually sent an invitation for Jiang Nian to visit their residence?

Aunt Fang’s expression turned disdainful yet strange. “I heard our third young lady helped the Prefect’s wife.”

The second madam frowned at Jiang Nian. “Since when have you met the Prefect’s wife?”

Jiang Nian smiled lightly.

In her past life, on the road to the capital, she had met the Prefect’s wife, Meng Qing, who suffered from allergies and had died en route to a temple while carrying her son to seek treatment.

This time, she had coincidentally saved Meng Qing’s life.

The second madam grew impatient at Jiang Nian’s silence. “I’m talking to you!”

Qing’er feared the second madam might strike Jiang Nian and quickly spoke, “After leaving yesterday…”

Before she finished, the second madam suddenly turned and slapped her hard across the face.

Qing’er’s fair complexion immediately bore finger marks, and she staggered back into a chair, her words cut off abruptly.

This was clearly retaliation for Qing’er’s earlier slaps!

Nearby, Aunt Fang scolded harshly, “You unruly little wretch! When the masters are speaking, you have no right to interrupt!”

The second madam sneered mercilessly, “Now that she knows she’s going to the capital, she’s even more reckless—lying without batting an eye. Offend the Prefect’s wife, and how many lives do you have to pay with?!”

Jiang Nian was the second madam’s childhood acquaintance—stubborn to the extreme and unwilling to yield. Such a fool could never have the ability to save lives!

The Prefect’s wife was the granddaughter of the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. Her husband, assigned to an external post in Luzhou, would surely enter the Six Ministries upon returning to the capital, with a limitless future!

The second madam ground her teeth in fury. “That damned girl dares to provoke the Meng family! If this isn’t handled properly, she’ll drag the Jiang family down!”

She turned to leave.

Jiang Nian, long accustomed to her cruelty, remained calm. “Second aunt, whatever the Wei family wants, you’ll soon find out. I’ll be waiting for you to come begging me.”

“Beg you?!” The second madam scoffed, thinking Jiang Nian must have been dazed by the ‘eldest legitimate daughter’ title.

“Fine, I’ll be waiting to see what power you have to make me beg!” As she walked away, she pondered how to deal with Jiang Nian.

Though her eldest brother cared for Chen, how important could a daughter who had never grown up by his side be?

And that claim of waiting for her to beg was laughable!

What could she possibly want in this life that she would beg a lowly brat for?

On the road, the second madam met her husband, the second master Xie, and complained, “Look at that wretched girl. Now that she’s going to the capital, she’s recklessly stirring up trouble!”

Xie’s face was equally grim. “Tell the Wei family, as long as she’s not killed, it’s fine. The Jiang family has so many daughters; why must it be her? I’ll speak with the eldest brother.”

Hearing this, the second madam had a sudden thought about choosing a daughter from the clan for some purpose.

In the capital, the Hua and Qiao families held the greatest power.