Chapter 21

The next day.

Madame Wang, the mother of Gu Duan, arrived at the mansion. Instead of visiting the Third Branch as she usually did, she went straight to Qingfeng Courtyard. Before Jiang Si even entered the courtyard, she heard Wang’s condemnatory voice.

"You child, I always thought you were the most sensible one, yet how could you act so foolishly now? Being reckless and headstrong, harming others and yourself—what are we elders supposed to say to you!"

"Auntie Gu, it is all my fault," Jiang Gui said, her voice choked with tears and filled with self-reproach. "I was muddled for a moment. I thought I could help the Fifth Sister, but I never expected to harm her instead."

"I dare not believe those words of yours," Wang let out a cold snort. "You schemed and plotted, yet claim it was for the sake of my Yu'er? I fear no one would believe that if it got out."

Jiang Gui wept even more bitterly, appearing as if she were too distraught to speak. Seeing Madame Gu and Jiang Si enter, she sobbed, "Fifth Sister, I am sorry. I truly never imagined things would turn out like this. I only wanted to help you and Young Master Gu; I never meant to cause such a disaster..."

Jiang Si remained silent, and Madame Gu did not speak either.

Wang slammed her hand on the table, her voice rising even louder. "Stop putting on this hypocritical act. Everyone knows the petty schemes in your heart. You are simply jealous of my Yu'er and want to compete with her in everything! My poor Yu'er, suffering such grievances for nothing."

Her tone was thick with heartache as she came over to take Jiang Si’s hand. The Gu family was not of high standing, and Wang’s own maiden family was not prominent either; there had not been a single official among them for three generations. The only reason she had managed to marry into the Jiang family was because her father had once done a favor for the Old Master of the Gu family. In his early years, the Old Master had been so poor he could not afford three meals a day; had it not been for the regular assistance of the Wang family, he would not have survived, let alone achieved academic success later. It was because of this bond that she became a daughter-in-law of the Gu family.

"Yu'er, do not be afraid. Tell your aunt what grievances you have suffered, and I will seek justice for you!"

"Thank you, Auntie." Jiang Si had a favorable impression of her. In her memory, she was a forthright woman, always wearing a smile, which made her feel exceptionally approachable.

Wang examined Jiang Si, feeling all the more distressed. "After such an ordeal, your heart must be heavy. Look, your chin has even sharpened."

Madame Xie’s expression was awkward; she truly lacked the face to defend her concubine-born daughter. After a long while, she finally said, "Sister-in-law, when all is said and done, this is my fault. I have been too negligent in my daily management."

"Sister-in-law, what are you saying? Everyone in the capital knows how orderly the Jiang household is; it is all to your credit. I am simply heartbroken for my Yu'er. A fine young girl like her bearing such a reputation—her marriage prospects will surely be obstructed in the future..."

Wang had actually hoped to let things be and have her son marry her niece. However, since ancient times, it was customary for women to marry into higher stations and men to take wives from lower ones. Madame Gu’s marriage into the Jiang family had been a climb, and a stroke of luck. If a man from the Gu family wanted to marry a daughter of the Jiang family, he would hardly be qualified. Furthermore, no one knew a son better than his mother; she could clearly see that her son harbored feelings for this concubine-born daughter of the Jiang family’s First Branch.

What a wretched entanglement!

Madame Xie immediately made her stance clear. "Sister-in-law, rest assured. The Fifth Girl’s affairs are henceforth the affairs of the First Branch. I will certainly help her find a good match."

"Then I shall trouble you to look after my Yu'er’s future, sister-in-law."

Having achieved her goal, Wang felt she could finally account for this to her sister-in-law and her niece. She turned to Jiang Gui and said, "I heard that after the incident, you fainted and did not properly apologize to my Yu'er. Whether you are sincere or merely pretending, now that everyone is here, you shall apologize to my Yu'er properly in front of your mother."

Jiang Gui bit her lip, her face as pale as paper. Then, as if driven by desperation, she knocked her head against the floor three times with a thud.

"Fifth Sister, I am sorry!"

After knocking her head, she suddenly pulled a hairpin from her hair. Before anyone could react, she moved to strike herself, but Jiang Si lunged forward. No one saw exactly what happened, but by the time the hairpin fell to the floor, everyone had come to their senses.

"Yu'er!" Madame Gu shrieked.

Jiang Si appeared dazed. A clear bloodstain was visible on her palm-sized face, looking like blood seeping from suet jade—extraordinarily shocking. She seemed not to feel the pain at all, patting her chest with a childlike sense of relief. "Fourth Sister, I am just glad you are alright."

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached, accompanied by Jiang Liang’s shocked voice, "What is going on here?"

It was not just Jiang Liang who arrived, but also Jiang Zhuo and Jiang Shen. The brothers had just returned to the mansion when a servant reported that there was a commotion in Qingfeng Courtyard. They rushed over, hearing Madame Gu’s scream before they even entered. Almost instantly, they all saw the bloodstain on Jiang Si’s face.

Jiang Shen was alarmed. "Yu'er, this... what is the meaning of this?" He stepped forward quickly to support his daughter, questioning his wife with his eyes.

Madame Gu clutched her chest. "...It was the Fourth Girl. She acted as if she had lost her mind and tried to hurt herself. Yu'er tried to stop her, but was injured in the process..."

Jiang Liang frowned, looking at the daughter who had always been the most sensible in disbelief. "Gui-er, how could you act this way in front of your elders?"

Jiang Gui hung her head, watching as a flower of blood bloomed on her own chest. The blood began to spread, and finally, she felt the pain. She had miscalculated this time!

"Father... I was wrong." Her body swayed, and she fainted to the ground.

The moment she collapsed, Jiang Si burst into tears. "Fourth Sister, it is all my fault. It is my fault for not stopping you in time. I had been looking forward to today; I should have been very happy. Why did such a thing have to happen?"

Hearing this, Jiang Liang’s brow furrowed even deeper. "Fifth girl, you have been looking forward to today?"

Jiang Si nodded. "Yes, Uncle. Today is my birthday."

She had been raised outside the capital, and not only Jiang Liang, but even Madame Xie had forgotten her birthday due to the recent chaos. Shedding blood on one’s birthday was never a good omen. The First Branch soon sent birthday gifts to the Third Branch. Beyond the customary items, there was a set of ruby jewelry.

Old Mother Liao said, "The First Madame prepared this set early on, intending it for the Fourth Young Lady’s dowry. Now, it serves a good purpose." The implication was clear: the jewelry was meant for Jiang Gui, but due to her misconduct, it was now being used as a formal apology to Jiang Si.

Jiang Si pretended not to understand, accepting the items with a naive expression. Following this, the Second Branch and Grand Tutor Jiang sent gifts as well. The Second Branch’s gift was standard, while the Grand Tutor sent a set of four treasures of the study along with several rare books.

Madame Gu had come today for two reasons: to demand an explanation for the trouble Gu Duan had caused, and to deliver a birthday gift. This year’s gift was heavier than in previous years, the most precious item being a set of pure gold jewelry.

Jiang Si took stock of these gifts, estimating their value in front of Madame Gu. Madame Gu had been worried that she would be upset by the scar on her face, but seeing her looking so much like a little miser, she could not help but feel both amused and tender.

"Look at you, you little miser. You must never act like this when you are out."

"Mother, don't worry, I know," Jiang Si said. She was most pleased with the gold jewelry Madame Gu had sent; pure gold was the easiest to sell and the most practical. "I am not a miser; I just want to save up some money so that life will be worry-free, and you and Father can rest easy."

Hearing this, Madame Gu felt as if something had sharply tugged at her heartstrings. Her Yu'er—why did she have to have such a fate?

After the mother and daughter finished organizing all the gifts, the sky had turned completely dark. The family enjoyed a sumptuous dinner by the warm candlelight. During the meal, neither Jiang Shen nor Madame Gu intentionally mentioned the events of the day.

Jiang Xuan gave Jiang Si a jade-pendant hairpin bought with money he had saved for a long time. He personally pinned it into his sister’s hair, promising to buy her an even better one next year. The siblings chatted and laughed until they returned to their respective rooms.

Not long after Jiang Si returned to her room, more gifts arrived. Zhu An brought them in, puzzled. "The Old Master has already sent a birthday gift; why is he sending another?"

Jiang Si was sitting in front of the mirror, letting Zhu Ping undo her hair accessories. "Did Grandfather send a message?"

"The Old Master did say that this is a gift from an elder to a junior, and that you should simply accept it."

The glass mirror reflected a beauty whose appearance could not be captured by the finest painter, the only flaw being the ointment applied near her chin. Yet, even so, she was breathtakingly beautiful. She gazed at her reflection, lost in thought for a long time. Only after a while did she take the brocade box from Zhu An and slowly open it.

"Young Lady, this... it is purple jade!" Zhu Ping exclaimed.

Inside the box was a purple jade gourd. Its purity of color and smoothness of texture made it a rare treasure in this world.

Jiang Si cautioned them, "Do not speak of this to anyone."

Both maids agreed, assuming Jiang Si feared it would incite jealousy. Jiang Si took out the purple jade gourd and tied it around her neck. The jade gourd rested perfectly against her heart; unexpectedly, it did not feel cold at all, but rather emitted a gentle, warm sensation.

This thing... could it be from the person she thought it was?