The Rebirth of an ill-Fated Consort
chapter-73

Xiao Shao looked down at her. Jiang Ruan was young and although she was taller than most of the girls her age, she still only reached upto Xiao Shao’s chest. After Xiao Shao heard her words, he did not get angry, but his long and slightly curved eyelashes hung low as he said, “Xia Cheng will not let you off.”

“In this world there are many people who will not let me off,” Jiang Ruan looked straight into his eyes, “Regardless, I am not dead yet.” She gave a half-smile, “Wangye is already busy with his own affairs, how come he has the heart to care for others?”

Xiao Shao was momentarily stunned. In the court everyone respected him, feared him and flattered him, yet, there were also numerous people who wished to harm him. His situation was very similar to this di daughter of the Jiang fu. However, he had never been afraid even if he was surrounded by murderous intentions, because… he said indifferently, “This prince has the capability to protect himself, do you have it?”

“Wangye does not need to worry about Ruan niang,” Jiang Ruan carefully kept a distance from him because once bitten, twice shy. After all, he had once saved Jiang Su Su, therefore who knew what motives he had. Furthermore, she did not hesitate to treat anyone who was related to Jiang Su Su as an enemy. Jinying Wang was no exception. “Whether Ruan niang has the capability to protect herself or not, hasn’t Wangye seen it clearly?” She thought for a moment, then said, “It is beneficial to sit on the fence but in the end, isn’t it shameful. Since you have already chosen your side, don’t easily change your mind; be careful or else you might offend both parties.” With that, she directly headed out and no longer cared about Xiao Shao.

Xiao Shao stood in the same spot. Just now he obviously understood Jiang Ruan’s words were an admonishment not to be someone who sat on the fence. Ye Feng, who stood at the side, said, “This Eldest Jiang Miss is truly rude, Master helped her out of kindness, yet she’s still being so sarcastic and mocking.”

“Ye Feng.” Xiao Shao interrupted him, “Return to the fu.”

Meanwhile, inside the residence, Yu Ya was silently dabbing at her tears and Xia Cheng’s face was gloomy. After seeing Xia Jun’s ghostly white face, Xia Cheng couldn’t contain his anger anymore as he pointed at Jiang Su Su, “You evil girl, kneel!”

Jiang Su Su panicked and hurriedly went to Xia Yan to use her as a shield. Xia Yan protected Jiang Su Su in her embrace and with a small voice said, “Father, what are you doing?”

“Don’t think I do not know why last night Jun’er went to the ancestral hall for no reason- wasn’t it a trick that this evil girl came up with! Now Jiang Ruan has suffered no harm and yet your biaoge has been used to satisfy other people’s motives. How amazing!”

Xia Jun creased his eyebrows but Yu Ya let out a short shriek and the way she looked at Jiang Su Su instantly changed, “Is this true?”

Jiang Su Su hid away from her own Aunt’s[1] piercing gaze, saying, “Biaoge himself agreed to this matter, furthermore, I only asked him to comfort Da Jiejie. If he didn’t have those types of thoughts, how would it have escalated into this situation?”

[1] Biao shen ( 表婶 ) – refers to your mother/father’s brother’s wife.

After hearing what she said, Xia Jun’s gaze became gloomy and he coldly snorted, “Comfort… You put an aphrodisiac into the incense burner and you really thought no one would know?” This was something he had figured out later on. At that time, the ancestral hall was heavy with fumes but he had merely thought that it was the ancestral hall’s incense. However, when he became rational, he was immediately able to pinpoint what was suspicious.

Yu Ya could no longer contain herself and rushed up, pulling Xia Yan away. ‘Pa!’, a slap landed on Jiang Su Su’s face. She had exerted a lot of force and thus Jiang Su Su was sent staggering. The veil obscuring her face fell down and revealed half of her hideous face. She gave a horrible shriek, covering her face while shouting, “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” At this moment, Yu Ya had completely abandoned her image of a dignified and composed noble lady. She looked ferocious, as if she wanted to swallow Jiang Su Su whole, “You schemed against Jun’er like that and even used an aphrodisiac, do you even have any sense of shame!”

“Second Sister-in-law!” Xia Yan shielded Jiang Su Su behind her, “You’re too much. Jun’er, too, bears the responsibility in this matter, why then is Su Su being blamed for everything?”

Shen Rou was at a loss, she had never expected Jiang Su Su, daughter of a distinguished family, to use such underhanded methods. She had also not expected Xia Yan, who was usually a gentle sister-in-law, to act like a tigress on a rampage, baring her fangs and brandishing her claws.

“Shut up!” Xia Cheng was pushed to his limits and could no longer endure. He pointed at Jiang Su Su’s nose and scolded, “Idiot, you are not even capable yet you want to learn from others and harm people. With just that little trick of yours, you’re not scared people will laugh their heads off! Not only are you lacking in comparison to Jiang Ruan’s schemes, you were even out-schemed by her, you fool!”

Although Xia Yan was dissatisfied with the way Xia Cheng spoke to Jiang Su Su, she had always been fearful of Xia Cheng and therefore, did not dare to say anything at the moment. However, Xia Cheng’s sentence of ‘lacking in comparison to Jiang Ruan’ really sparked something in Jiang Su Su and in the heat of the moment she carelessly said, “Maternal Grandfather is right, I am indeed lacking compared to Jiang Ruan and do not have the scheming mind. But what about Maternal Grandfather’s own trick, the pastries? Wasn’t it also seen through by others and you even made a fool of yourself in front of the Crown Prince and Eighth Prince. Is Maternal Grandfather not stupid?”

Xia Yan was frightened. She quickly covered Jiang Su Su’s mouth while Jiang Su Su ferociously glared at Xia Cheng, her gaze full of resentment. Xia Cheng was boiling with violent rage and one of his legs flew up and kicked Jiang Su Su to the side. While gasping for breath, he said, “Evil girl, get out of here! Tomorrow morning, gather your Jiang family people and get out of my fu, I will take it that I never had you, this daughter and this granddaughter!”

“Maternal Grandfather!” Seeing the situation, Jiang Chao, who had had a frowning face throughout, hurriedly said, “Younger Sister only panicked for a moment, she did not mean to purposely talk back to you. I’ll ask for forgiveness from you on her behalf!”

Ever since Xia Cheng had achieved his current title, he’d always received a lot of flattery, thus when had he ever been contradicted by people. Not to mention, Jiang Su Su had poked at his sore spot, and so he became livid from the shame and could not put up with the Jiang family people any longer. Without sparing a glance at Jiang Chao, he gave a scornful laugh, “I am afraid that it is her who simply does not put me highly, this grandfather, in her eyes!” Then, he left with a flick of his sleeve.

Jiang Su Su was again kicked to the ground by Xia Cheng and she covered her face without saying anything. Only, her gaze was gloomy like a poisonous snake. Just then, Yu Ya stood in front of her and coolly said, “This matter will not be resolved so easily. You have harmed my Jun’er, and now for the next three years he is not allowed to step into the officialdom. If you do not give me an explanation on this, I will definitely teach you a lesson and make you regret it for the rest of your life. At that time, don’t say that this Aunt never gave you, my niece, any face!” After that, she supported Xia Jun and walked out without looking at the mother and daughter pair.

The event had escalated to this extent and it was not good for Shen Rou to continue staying. She smiled and said, “I’ll go take a look and see how Jiao Jiao is.” She too left without any acknowledgement. The Xia family’s two young masters were not there, otherwise, who knew how the matter would have evolved further.

The house was empty without a single person and Jiang Su Su suddenly started wailing loudly with her face still covered, “Mother, Mother , how could they treat me like this!”

Although Xia Yan was also furious that Jiang Su Su took things into her own hands and settled Jiang Ruan herself, Jiang Su Su was still her own flesh and blood. Xia Yan felt heartache at her sorry state and pulled Jiang Su Su into her embrace, “It was Mother’s fault, Mother originally wanted your maternal grandfather to help scheme against Jiang Ruan, but didn’t expect Jiang Ruan to be this cunning. Su Su, Mother is wrong, Mother should not have left that despicable person alive in the first place. Five years ago I should have sent her and her short-lived mother to see Yama, the King of Hell[2], together, my Su’er has suffered.”

[2] Jiàn yán wáng ( 见阎王 ) – refers to when someone dies

“Eldest Younger Sister is really not simple.” Jiang Chao, who had stood gloomily to the side, continued further, “At this moment Maternal Grandfather is displeased with Younger Sister, and Second Aunt’s family feels enmity towards us, now that it is like this, what should we do?”

“Do not panic, Chao’er do not panic,” Xia Yan dried Jiang Su Su’s tears, “Mother still has her ways. I will definitely render that despicable person unable to change her situation for the better.”

In the other room, Jiang Ruan was drinking tea with Lian Qiao. She had brought two servant girls along with her and now that she was only left with one, it made people want to cry. Seeing Lian Qiao remain silent, Jiang Ruan said, “Do you find me cruel?”

Lian Qiao was stunned and did not understand, “Miss, why do you speak such words?”

“Shu Xiang was harmed by me, and while I obviously had the chance to save her I chose to keep quiet, do you think I was overly cruel?” Jiang Ruan asked.

Lian Qiao paused and only understood Jiang Ruan’s words a moment later. She lowered her head and kneeled in front of Jiang Ruan, “This servant has never had this thought. Although Shu Xiang’s death was tragic, she only has herself to blame. If Miss did not do that yesterday, then today the one who died would possibly be Miss. This servant’s master is Young Miss, this servant will be someone who serves Miss for a lifetime, if Miss has any mishaps, this servant will never be able to live happily for the rest of her life.” Her tone was relaxed and her words were decisive, every sentence and every word was straightforward, “Young Miss is not cruel and please never think of yourself as cruel. This servant has clearly seen what the intentions of the Jiang family and the Xia family are. It is already a feat for Miss to continue living on, so why differentiate what methods are being used, as they are all used for self-preservation anyways. They are not kind in the first place so how can they blame Young Miss for being unjust.”

“Please stand up.” Jiang Ruan lightly sighed, “The waters in here are too murky, I do not wish to pull all of you in. It’s just that you have seen today’s matter, and from now on, similar events like this will happen near me. Remaining diligent and taking precautions will be beneficial to both you and the others as well.”

Lian Qiao felt a lump in her throat as she noiselessly got up. Ever since Jiang Ruan had returned to the Jiang fu, many things were left for Lu Zhu to settle and it wasn’t as if she didn’t have her opinions about it. Lu Zhu was a second-rank servant girl, yet she seemed to be considered more trustworthy by Jiang Ruan than a first-rank servant girl. However, after really going through the matter involving the Xia fu and witnessing a true battle take place right in front of her, that little discontent in her heart immediately dispersed like clouds. She raised her head and looked at Jiang Ruan. She and the others had been living with Jiang Ruan since they were little; ever since Jiang Ruan was still an unworldly young lady from a wealthy family, they had already been accompanying her. Throughout the journey in which she experienced the pain of losing her mother, was bullied in the countryside residence, disliked by her own biological father, separated from her elder brother, everything took place before their eyes and they had seen everything. Yet, while not knowing exactly when it had started, that cowardly and meek young miss had totally disappeared, replaced by a ruthless, beautiful Jiang Ruan who was resolute in her attacks. This type of change led people to feel not only gratification but also heartache.

“Miss, they must have had another motive for coming to the Xia fu at this time.” Lian Qiao continued, “Since Miss has already become a thorn in the eyes of the Xia family.”

Jiang Ruan smiled faintly, “What other motives can they have. Eighth Prince was here and Xia Yan hurriedly rushed here. Obviously it was to beg Eighth Prince to be an intermediary and negotiate with the Li family on their behalf.”

“Then, as of now…..” Lian Qiao asked.

“Second Younger Sister has offended the Xia family people, the Xia family will not help the Jiang family to get even for the time being. A married daughter is like spilled water, therefore, will Old Marquis Xia be willing to give up his biological grandson for his daughter’s children? The Xia family’s Second Young Mistress will be unable to let this go, after all Second Younger Sister took her son as a fool, how would she be content to let this go? Rest assured, the Xia family’s Second Young Mistress is also not an ordinary person. This time, we’ll be able to enjoy a good show.”

Lian Qiao thought about it, “According to Fifth Yiniang, Master will marry Young Miss into the Li family; Miss has probably made plans long ago.”

“What is there to be afraid of,” Jiang Ruan indifferently said, “If the Xia family does not say anything, Eighth Prince will not take the initiative to negotiate with the Li family regarding this. Even if Father wishes to personally settle this with the Li family himself, Li Dong is not that easy to dismiss. Moreover, after this period of time, I am afraid that Li Yang does not have the fortune to marry a furen anymore.”

Lian Qiao was frightened. Looking at Jiang Ruan’s increasingly cold expression, her heart abruptly skipped a beat, yet she still lowered her head and pondered silently. Jiang Ruan laughed, “The Xia family personally invited me to their residence, but it was Mother who prepared a big gift for me. I myself have a huge present to give them too.”

Lian Qiao raised her head to look at her, “Miss?”

“Regarding Li Dong’s matter, I must still trouble the Xia family’s Eldest Young Mistress for a trip,” she said. Then, she pulled out a letter from her bosom and passed it to Lian Qiao, “Find a chance to stuff this onto Eldest Xia Young Mistress’ body.”

Although Lian Qiao did not understand, she still accepted it and nodded. Jiang Ruan gave a half smile, currently, the Xia family’s manor was in turmoil. Now, it was time for Shen Rou and Xia Tian Cai to have their ending. The beautiful and touching Eldest Xia Young Mistress and Second Xia Young Master, who was filled with limitless romance and amour, Sister-in-law and brother-in-law. Jiang Ruan wondered whether Shen Rou would be extremely shocked upon seeing the letter.

However, this chess piece would be better used when taken out later. Jiang Ruan’s gaze contained some regret, “It is still raining today.”

“Indeed,” Lian Qiao complied with her words and added on, “It has yet to stop.” Rain during the Spring season should not have lasted for so long.

It was getting closer and closer to the day of being exiled from the Xia fu and returning to the capital.

The very next day, early in the morning, Xia Cheng really did order people to prepare the horses and the carriages. He had a demeanor of wanting to chase someone out. There were rumors that last night, Xia Furen “woke up” and begged Xia Cheng for a long time but it still did not make Xia Cheng change his mind. Perhaps, it was because he was so full of anger that he even vented his anger on Xia Furen.

Therefore, the scene of their departure was extremely different from their arrival. Not one Xia family member was present to send them off. At this, Jiang Li was naturally upset and Jiang Su Su and the other two had ashen faces. Jiang Dan, as usual, silently kept to the corner, completely unfazed by the type of atmosphere they were in, and Jiang Ruan stood alone.

* * *

Before returning to the Jiang fu, Jiang Quan had long heard from Xia Yan’s messenger about the whole situation, from beginning to end. Although he was furious that Jiang Su Su had not only failed in her scheme, but had even further ruined things for them, he was even more furious at the fact that the Xia family did not bother to leave them any face. When Xia Cheng had yet to ascend the title, he would always try to curry favours with that son-in-law of his, Jiang Quan. Now that he had his title, he started putting on airs around them. He had also heard that Li Yang was looking to hire famous doctors at a high price these few days. Presumably, the Li family’s di son’s life was saved. However, this made things more difficult to handle. Thinking about everything, Jiang Quan felt only a headache.

Seeing him like this, the manservant by his side comforted him, “My lord, you have not rested for a whole night, do you want to take a rest?”

Jiang Quan waved his hand. At this moment he was too hard pressed, how could he be in the mood to rest.

The manservant, seeing the situation, continued in a low whisper, “Come to think of it, it is rather strange that ever since Eldest Young Miss returned to the fu, there has not been a period of time when bad news has stopped coming in.” He spoke while stealing glances at Jiang Quan’s expression. Upon hearing this Jiang Quan’s whole body went stiff, his whole person seemed to be stupefied for a moment and he gradually creased his eyebrows. An instant later, he suddenly harshly beat the table, “She is indeed like a cursed star[3]!”

[3] Shā xing ( 煞星 ) – It’s like a star sign, but this star’s meaning is calamity and catastrophe. It is the star of doom. Therefore, it can be use as a expletive similar to saying ‘harbinger of death’

The manservant was frightened and so he retreated to the side and stopped speaking. But Jiang Quan suddenly thought more. When Zhao Mei died, a wandering Taoist Monk, who was passing by, helped Jiang Ruan calculate her fortune. He said that she was an inauspicious person and she was born with the fate of bringing misfortune to her husband and mother. It was only that Jiang Quan was not an overly superstitious person and didn’t care much about ghosts and superstitions. Except that, during this time Zhao Mei had just passed away not long ago and Xia Cheng had just succeeded the title. He had advised and asked when Jiang Quan would promote Xia Yan to the position of the main wife. Back then, he also had the heart to do such a thing as he felt that by being the shu daughter and son, Jiang Su Su and Jiang Chao had suffered for so many years for no apparent reason. Therefore, he had complied with the Taoist Monk’s words and sent Jiang Ruan to the countryside residence. Primarily, to allow Xia Yan to ease her mind, and secondly, due to the fact that he couldn’t stand the sight of Jiang Ruan. As long as he did not see Jiang Ruan, he would not be reminded of the irritating Zhao Mei.

Now that the manservant had helped him remember, Jiang Quan suddenly reacted. Ever since Jiang Ruan had returned to fu, Jiang fu had indeed been in constant turmoil. First it was Jiang Su Su, who had inexplicably lost her reputation, then Jiang Chao also fell from grace and his finger was cut off by someone. Lastly, the Jiang family not only had to deal with a conflict with the Li family, now even the Xia family bore a grudge against them. All of these situations seemed to be slightly related to Jiang Ruan. However, based on her own ability, it was impossible that she had caused all of this. She did not have that type of scheming mind or the underhanded methods. Still, this whole matter was strange, the only logical explanation being, just as that Taoist Monk had said, she was genuinely the bane of others’ existence.

Jiang Quan clenched his fist tightly. He originally thought that with this extra daughter, he would have a bargaining chip that could be used in some manner to help his beloved Xia Yan, Jiang Su Su and Jiang Chao. Who knew that she would turn out to be like an evil spirit wanting their lives. Since it was so, he could only get rid of her!

The manservant had followed Jiang Quan for many years and upon seeing his expression, quietly left the room and walked out without being asked to.

After Jiang Ruan returned to Ruan Ju, the first thing she did was to dismiss the few servants that Xia Yan had previously sent to her. She said, “Since Mother has allowed me to send all of you back, you can all return to Yan Hua Yuan by yourselves now.”

A few of the servant girls looked at each other in blank dismay, and one of them said with courage, “Eldest Young Miss, Furen has let this servant come here to serve you, thus this servant wishes to follow you.”

Yet, Jiang Ruan acted as if she had not heard her words and assigned a task for Lian Qiao to do, “Oh by the way, when you have time, make a trip to the Xia fu and help me put Shu Xiang’s body in a coffin. After all, she served me before and should not fall to such a state that she is not even given a proper burial and just left to feed the wolves.”

On hearing this, some of the servant girls were shocked. Then they looked to Jiang Ruan’s side and indeed, there was no sign of Shu Xiang. They only heard Lian Qiao say, “This servant shall save you the effort. Shu Xiang’s death was horrible but Miss please do not take it to heart. It was all her own actions that led to this end.”

Jiang Ruan smiled and looked towards the few servant girls, asking, “What did you say just now?”

“Nothing much,” that servant girl hurriedly replied. She lowered her head and no longer dared to look at Jiang Ruan.

Jiang Ruan herself was left feeling pleased.

* * *

In Yan Hua Yuan, Xia Yan, who was weary from the journey, had just entered the room when Li momo came over and said, “Furen, Wan Cai from Master’s side has something to report.”

“Let him enter.” While receiving the tea from Lin Lang, Xia Yan sat down on a carved wooden chair.

Wan Cai entered and said to Xia Yan, “Furen.”

Xia Yan waved her hand, “If you have something to say, get straight to the point. What is the progress of the thing I asked you to do?”

Only then did Wan Cai nod his head and said, “It is already settled, Master believes that Eldest Young Miss is the bane of others’ existence, but he doesn’t know what to do as of now.”

There was a ghost of a cold smile on Xia Yan’s lips, “Since it is so, go tell Laoye that there will be a wandering Taoist Monk, who is very gifted and proficient, coming to the capital in a few days. Many things have happened to the Jiang fu in these few days. I invited this master to come here to perform a ritual for us, to get rid of the bad luck in the fu.”

An idea formed in Wan Cai’s mind, “This servant understands.”

“You may return.” Xia Yan waved her hand wearily.

After Wan Cai left, Li momo came forward to help Xia Yan massage her shoulders, she said, “Furen, we are going to use the same method we used last time?”

“We must find an excuse after all.” Xia Yan narrowed her eyes in a smile, “Many things have happened in the Jiang fu these past few days, thus, if we can push everything onto Jiang Ruan, everyone’s gaze will then stop always being on Su’er and Chao’er. On the contrary, Jiang Ruan’s reputation will be ruined for eternity. This is also the best way to clean Su’er and Chao’er reputations.”

Li momo also smiled, “Furen is wise. No matter how brilliant Eldest Young Miss is, it would be hard for her to fight against the widespread rumors, which will confuse the public on the rights and wrongs. Furthermore, Master already feels suspicious about her so we can simply carry this out confidently.”

“In order to prove that the words are not false, in a few days it is Old Madame’s longevity celebration; arrange for the Taoist Monk to pray for good fortune for Old Madame as well. If we prove that Jiang Ruan is a curse in front of everyone, then she can forget about having a comeback again in this lifetime.” Xia Yan slowly said.

“But Furen, do we still look for the same monk from five years ago?” Li momo asked.

The hand that Xia Yan was using to press her temples paused, she laughed viciously, “Naturally, the words of people whom you have come across before are the most persuasive. Five years ago I was able to send her to the countryside residence, five years from then, of course I will still be able to do the same. It was only that five years ago, Laoye asked me to hide that matter. Now I want everyone in this world to know that Jiang Ruan is the bane of others’ existence and is also a jinx to her mother and future husband!”

Five years ago, in order to find an extremely good excuse to send Jiang Ruan to the countryside residence, she bribed a Taoist Monk to make Jiang Ruan’s birthdate characters[4] align with an inauspicious cursed star. She originally wanted Jiang Ruan to die in the countryside residence, yet she did not expect her to live well and even return to the capital early. She already had a hidden trick up her sleeves, just in case things did not go smoothly, and she would then ruin Jiang Ruan with it. Afterall, Jiang Ruan had made Jiang Su Su suffer and would not get away with it. A few years back, Wan Cai had already started doing things for Xia Yan and putting casual advice into Jiang Quan’s ears was an easy job. Moreover, Jiang Quan was already extremely unhappy with Jiang Ruan, and with a slight wind, the grass would waver and the first person he would suspect would definitely be Jiang Ruan.

[4] Bāzì ( 八字 ) – the character 8 / birthdate characters use a person’s date of birth, based on the lunar calendar, the time of birth and how the stars align for fortune telling purposes.

No matter how Jiang Ruan would try to scheme, it would still be the same. The reason being, she could not gain Jiang Quan’s affections, and thus, was destined to never have a winning chance in this battle!

* * *

Old Jiang Madame had just regained consciousness a few days ago and after nourishing her body, she was better. However, when one has reached the later stage of their life, one’s health and vitality couldn’t be compared to their younger days and bouts of illness were normal occurrences. It had only been a few days, yet she had grown wan and sallow by quite a fair bit. There were even signs of aging in her complexion.

Du Juan carried the bowl of medicine in and gave a look to Cai Que who was keeping watch over Old Jiang Madame. Cai Que hurriedly stood up and smiled at Old Jiang Madame who was lost in thought while looking outside the window. She said, “Old Madame, drink the medicine while it is warm.”

Old Jiang Madame retracted her gaze and looked at Du Juan’s bowl of medicine. She coldly said, “What’s the point of still drinking medicine when I can tell that everyone in this fu can’t wait for me to die to be happy!”

Cai Que jumped in shock and hastily said, “Old Madame, where do these words come from, everyone is hoping that you’ll live a long life. For Second Young Master, you have to be healthy.”

“Chao’er,” Old Jiang Madame’s gaze suddenly deepened, “He has his mother’s nature. I thought he was good at first but now he is arrogant and conceited. He is exactly the same as his younger sister, both are shallow.”

Cai Que was stunned. Old Madame criticized both Jiang Chao and Jiang Su Su like that in front of them and they did not know how to continue the conversation.

Old Jiang Madame glanced at Cai Que and stretched out her hand to take the bowl of medicine from Du Juan’s tray herself. She raised her head and drank the whole bowl of medicine till the last drop and because the medicine was truly too bitter, she tightly shut her eyes and furrowed her brows. Only after a while did her expression gradually relax.

“Old Madame, your birthday celebration is in a few days, and Furen says that she wants to personally organise the event for you,” Du Juan seeing her expression ease up, then carefully said.

“It is only a disguise to deceive people.” Old Jiang Madame coldly snorted, “Does she think that I do not know what ideas she has in her mind?”

Cai Que and Du Juan looked at each other in blank dismay- Old Jiang Madame was usually strictly self-restrained. However, after she fell ill this time, it was as if she had become a new person, especially with her being extremely unsatisfied with Xia Yan and the other two. They only heard Old Jiang Madame say again, “But I am afraid that her plans will be in vain, Eldest Young Miss is no simple person.”

Cai Que and Du Juan both lowered their heads and remained silent, but they had their own opinions in their hearts.

* * *

For the next few days, there was the pitter-patter of drizzle in the capital’s centre and the gray clouds seemed to never leave the capital city’s skies. The dry food that the rich families’ fu stored was starting to grow moldy from the humid weather, and needless to say, for the poor families too.

The capital city’s newly built Top Scorer’s fu was washed by the rain water till it was shiny and gleaming. Even if the weather was gloomy, it could not dispense the great amount of joy present in the Liu fu. In the study room, Liu Min was standing at the window, staring at the water droplets that were dripping from the ledge, deep in his thoughts.

The capital city had not rained like this for some time, and although it did not seem like heavy rain, it kept pitter-pattering non stop. The water level of the reservoir that protected the river from flooding had risen quite a bit. Even if it was the newly renovated Top Scorer’s fu, while staying at home, one could still feel a trace of cold dampness.

The servant girl behind him considerately offered him a cup of ginger tea, “Young Master, drink some to warm your body up.”

Liu Min turned around and accepted the cup of tea from the servant girl’s hands. He gently took a sip. Though he was not old, he still possessed a profound and distinct arrogance. Compared to the impulsive sons of the rich families in the capital city, he was like a piece of smooth, pure and pleasantly cool green jade. Looking at him caused others to feel admiration from the bottom of their hearts.

He asked, “These few days, did you receive any letters for me?”

The servant girl was dazed and shook her head, “There is no letter.”

Immediately, a flash of disappointment passed over Liu Min’s face. Ever since he was appointed as the Top Scorer in the imperial examination, he had never heard from that mysterious person again.

At this moment, Liu Furen hastily walked in, holding a bronze invitation and said, “Ah Min, why are you wearing such worn out clothes?”

Liu Min smiled and shook his head. Seeing the invitation in her hand, he asked, “Mother, what is this?”

“The furen of the capital’s Minister Jiang has sent an invitation, inviting us to their Old Madame’s longevity birthday celebration.” Liu Furen hesitated, “I originally wanted to reject it, but now that you have entered into officialdom, having someone to look after you would be good. This invitation is written clearly, it is our first time going to a gathering in the capital city and it should be safe for us to pay a special visit to them. Mother has pondered over it, this is only a longevity birthday celebration and going there would be harmless.” She appeared to have thought of something more and suddenly laughed, “Furthermore, there will definitely be a lot of prominent young ladies attending this celebration. If you see one that catches your attention, mother will help you take note. You have grown quite old, you should start caring about the most important event in your life.”

“Mother,” Liu Min was somewhat helpless, “This child only wants to establish his career, I have no wish to get married.”

“Nonsense,” Liu Furen glared at him, “Mother still wants to carry a grandchild.” After speaking she looked at Liu Min again and asked, “But Min’er, do you think Mother should go to the longevity birthday celebration or not?”

Looking at his mother’s expectant gaze, how could he bear to refuse her. Liu Min laughed, “Since Mother wishes to go, naturally you should go.”