Chapter 4: Lady Wang Mocks the Scheming Woman

Her cousin-in-law, Lady Xiang, stepped forward to offer a formal greeting. Madam Wang, her aunt, gave her a light, lifting gesture with her hand, then looked toward the items on the eight-immortal table, frowning slightly with a hint of reproach.

"A-Nian's illness is most aggravated by heat. How could you let her eat these sweet litchis?"

"Do not worry, Mother-in-law. This daughter-in-law watched her closely. Although it looks like a large plate, she actually only ate three or four of them. Look, the shells are still right over there."

Jiang Shiyuan gave a self-deprecating chuckle, obediently putting back the litchi she had just picked up. She looked at her aunt with a sweet, innocent smile, and fearing further reprimand, immediately stood up and walked over. Intimately linking her arm through Madam Wang's, she asked, "Why has Aunt not stayed by the viewing platform to enjoy the commotion? Why have you come over? Is it too scorching outside? Quickly sit down, and A-Nian will fan you to dispel the heat."

Seeing her ingratiating expression, Madam Wang could not be bothered to argue with her any further.

Yielding to Jiang Shiyuan's guidance, she sat down on the round wooden chair. Glancing sideways at the festivities outside, which were now beginning to disperse, she spoke with an expression of supreme satisfaction, "Guess what I ran into on my way here?"

The last time Jiang Shiyuan had seen this particular expression and demeanor on her aunt Madam Wang was during a post-meal chat after the Princess Chuan had discovered the Jiang family's substitution of the bride and had stormed over in a rage. She figured this time would be no exception.

"Could it be that my second younger sister has had some bad luck again?"

"Our A-Nian is certainly clever."

After a wave of uncritical praise, Madam Wang proceeded to recount everything she had witnessed just moments before.

"During the dragon boat races today, the younger ones had a young master surnamed Zhao on their boat, who is none other than the third young master of the Palace of Imperial Sacrifices. When he came out, he brought his family's younger sisters along. Have you ever heard of those two Zhao misses? They are enchanting indeed. Word has it that today, upon catching sight of the Prince Chuan's Heir, they simply couldn't tear their eyes away. Someone bumped into them, and they nearly tumbled right into Quyang Pond. The Heir engaged in chivalry to save the maidens, and now both of those Zhao lasses are weeping mournfully in his arms."

"You didn't see the look on Jiang Shijun's face—it was utterly dreadful. She had to conceal her husband's wandering affections while putting on an air of magnanimity and tolerance. To live a life like hers is truly a laughingstock for everyone in Xijing City."

When Madam Wang said this, her schadenfreude was palpable. If a few slices of summer melon had been placed before her, the scene would have been entirely fitting.

Jiang Shiyuan handed over a cup of tea and said with a helpless smile, "Aunt has said so much, you should drink some tea first to moisten your throat."

Madam Wang took it and gulped it down in a single draught, her bold and unrestrained manner unchanged from years past.

Hailing from a family of military generals, she had been cherished by her parents-in-law and doted on by her husband all these years, while her four sons all possessed promising futures that required little of her worry. Her only regret was never having had a daughter of her own.

After Jiang Shiyuan lost her mother, the Elder Madam Wang personally traveled south to Xuzhou to bring her back to Xijing City. Upon seeing the six-year-old niece, whose delicate, jade-carved appearance carried a hint of frailty, she naturally wished to dote on her as if she were the very apple of her eye.

She was dressed in brocades and satins, pampered with delicacies, and watched over daily as though she were a precious pearl.

Yet a child nurtured with such delicate affection in their Marquis Wenwen's Manor had actually been schemed against by her own biological grandmother and second aunt, allowing the Jiang family's second miss—who excelled at putting on a front before others—to usurp her marriage. Because of this, Madam Wang had been furious for many days.

She had scolded them when visiting and spread the word outside, determined to let the families of Xijing City know precisely how Jiang Shijun had snatched her elder sister's matrimonial prospect. Therefore, having witnessed all this today, how could she possibly be content without giving it a thorough, satisfying airing?

Jiang Shiyuan and her cousin-in-law, Lady Xiang, exchanged a glance, both finding themselves somewhat amused and exasperated.

Both of them knew this was simply Madam Wang's temperament: quick-tongued and forthright. When she loved someone, she wished to pour her heart out in pampering them; when she loathed someone, she longed to step on them when they were down just to feel the satisfaction.

Pulling Jiang Shiyuan over to sit before her, Madam Wang stroked her bangs with her left hand. Before Jiang Shiyuan could even speak, her expression shifted from schadenfreude to one of profound heartache.

"Good young men in Xijing City are as plentiful as blackberries. It was your aunt who was blind before, actually picking such a worthless marriage family for you. In the future, you must keep your eyes wide open, and I will select a truly fine match for you, only then can I live up to your mother."

When Madam Wang was married into the family, Jiang Shiyuan's mother was still unwed.

One was bright and generous, the other pure and modest; naturally, they matched well in temperament. Therefore, when Lady Wang married far away to徐州 (Xuzhou), the ones who wept the most bitterly were Elder Madam Wang and this sister-in-law. Upon welcoming Jiang Shiyuan back, they poured all their unspent affection for a daughter and their longing for the younger sister entirely onto this niece before them.

Having raised her for nearly ten years, she was naturally cherished to the very marrow of her bones.

Jiang Shiyuan also knew her aunt's deep affection for her, so she took her hand with a pleasant disposition and coaxed her as if she were soothing a child.

"Very well, Aunt shall choose carefully. The family you pick will surely be the best, and I shall gladly and joyfully marry over!"

"It's settled then. Just rest easy and wait."

Hearing this, Madam Wang's spirits soared high. Seeing this, Jiang Shiyuan and her cousin-in-law, Lady Xiang, exchanged a glance, both suppressing the upward curve of their lips.

Half an hour later, the commotion outside had mostly dissipated.

Once the aged Emperor returned to his palace, the remaining crowds naturally scattered—fathers sought daughters, mothers sought sons, and young men sought maidens, each departing of their own accord. Jiang Shiyuan watched as her aunt and cousin-in-law boarded the Marquis Wenwen's carriage, then climbed into the Jiang family's carriage waiting nearby.

Earlier that year, Jiang Shiyuan's father, Jiang Huaishan, had received an outstanding grade in the Ministry of Officials' performance evaluation, thus being promoted to a fourth-rank official in the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, managing matters related to the imperial lineage and external relatives. While not a massive post, the authority and responsibilities were quite distinct.

Consequently, the Jiang family members had also risen a step higher, and those who interacted with them added a measure of courtesy.

Her elder brother was still studying at the academy and had not yet returned, awaiting the spring imperial examinations of the coming year. Therefore, Jiang Shiyuan considered that in a couple of days she ought to visit the Guanghua Temple to pray for her brother's blessings. As the carriage jogged and swayed forward, it happened to brush past the carriage of the Prince Chuan's Manor.

As the wind blew the curtain aside, Jiang Shiyuan and Jiang Shijun caught a precise glimpse of one another.

Jiang Shijun's eyes were rimmed with red. As she looked toward Jiang Shiyuan at that moment, her gaze carried a trace of unyielding defiance and anger.

Princess Qinghuan hadn't come to join the festivities at all today—she had been tricked by Jiang Shiyuan!

And those two maidens from the Zhao family—at a single glance, one could tell they were no benevolent characters. Her mother-in-law had been plotting these past few days to find a secondary consort for the Heir, and now it appeared the Zhao family had caught the scent. Thinking of this, Jiang Shijun twisted her handkerchief into a tangled mess, mirroring the turbulence of her heart at that very moment.

Sitting right beside her was none other than the Prince Chuan's Heir.

He was seen with a jade crown binding his hair, his brows and eyes clear and bright like stars, while his long silk-and-brocade robe made him appear as graceful as a jade tree in the wind. A patterned jade pendant hung from his waist, radiating a flowing, luminous glow. He sat steadily and calmly within the carriage framework, showing no trace of arrogance, still wearing that faint smile, much like the warm sun of spring.

"My wife, what are you looking at so intently?"

The Prince Chuan's Heir glanced sideways, just in time to catch Jiang Shiyuan letting go of the fabric curtain.

It was merely a fleeting glance, yet he was somewhat startled by the stranger's beauty. Hurriedly reaching out to lift the curtain, he saw that the carriage was already rolling farther and farther away, prompting him to ask with curiosity, "Who was that person? Why has this Heir never seen her before?"