Painted Skin

On that day, although Prime Minister Jiang wanted to arrange a marriage for Jiang Chaoyu, Jiang Chaoyu declined on the grounds of feeling unwell. Now that it has been a few days and the matter has been brought up again, Jiang Chaoyu can no longer refuse and has no choice but to go to the front hall first.

The bronze mirror reflected a sallow face. Jiang Chaoyu used snail-shell ink to draw dark circles under her eyes. Cui Cui choked back sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks. She kept wiping them away with her sleeve, saying with heartache, "The second son of the Minister of War just killed his third concubine last month..."

I overused my skills, and although I rested for a few days, my recovery ability is still lacking. My body is exhausted right now, so I'm giving myself a makeover to look like I'm on the verge of collapse. Perfect, it'll fool those with ill intentions.

"What's the panic?" Jiang Chaoyu coughed up "blood" onto her handkerchief, using rouge as a smear. "Go to the front hall."

Passing through the corridor and arriving at the main hall, she heard her elder sister Jiang Yuyao's coquettish laughter: "Father, if my sister gets tuberculosis, please don't let her illness affect me." The hem of her blue skirt fluttered in the wind as she flashed past from behind the screen, like a beautiful venomous snake.

Prime Minister Jiang slammed his teacup down: "Do you know that observing three years of mourning for your mother will cause you to miss the flowering season?"

"Your daughter wishes to remain unmarried and serve her father for life." Jiang Chaoyu knelt heavily on the ground. To outsiders, the movement might have seemed too dramatic, causing her to cough violently, with "blood" dripping from her handkerchief onto the blue bricks. In reality, it was all part of Jiang Chaoyu's carefully orchestrated plan. For the past three years, she had used this tactic of feigning illness to evade matchmakers several times, and now she was repeating the same trick.

"Nonsense!" Prime Minister Jiang slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "These past few days, I've been searching for a husband for you. You have no choice but to marry; this isn't up to you..."

"The Second Prince has arrived!" The gatekeeper's shrill announcement tore through the tense atmosphere between the father and daughter, drawing everyone's attention to the gate.

Zeng Chenhua's personal guard stepped across the threshold, carrying a gold tray in his hand. The gold hairpin on the tray attracted everyone's attention. Others didn't know, but it pierced Jiang Chaoyu's heart. It was one of the heirlooms of her birth mother that she had pawned!

Jiang Chaoyu dug her nails into her palms. That day, she clearly teleported to the secret room of the pawnshop, yet this man was able to track down the whereabouts of the gold hairpin.

"His Highness said that the kindness of receiving steamed buns back then should be repaid with a spring of gratitude." The guard's voice was loud and clear. The teacup that his elder sister had knocked over fell to the ground and shattered. It was unclear who was feeling the same way at that moment.

Prime Minister Jiang's beard trembled; he never imagined his second daughter would know the second prince: "How could my daughter be worthy of him..."

"The Prime Minister is right. I am not worthy of Miss Jiang?" A smiling voice came from outside the door.

Zeng Chenhua, draped in a dark fox fur cloak, stepped into the front hall. His pale face made the cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye look eerily blood-red. Although the cloak concealed his face, it was impossible not to notice his strange gait. He leaned on a cane in his right hand, a wound he had sustained in battle a few years ago. Since then, the once revered Second Prince had fallen to rock bottom. Many officials had offered their daughters to him, but now they had all given up the idea. After all, what could a vanished prince possibly accomplish?

But seeing Jiang Chaoyu kneeling on the ground, she said coldly, "It seems I've come at the wrong time, stopping the Prime Minister from handling important family matters."

Prime Minister Jiang gave a wink to the servants beside him, signaling them to help the second young lady up and behind the screen. The servant, receiving the signal, hurried to help Jiang Chaoyu up and escort her behind the screen.

Jiang Chaoyu was already weak, so when she saw someone come to help her, she leaned all her strength on her and used as little effort as possible, letting her help her walk behind the screen.

Watching the Second Prince talk with Prime Minister Jiang, he leaned back in his chair, yawned, and let himself rest.

Jiang Yuyao watched Jiang Chaoyu's movements, then lowered her head, her expression inscrutable. Jiang Chaoyu, perhaps too focused on what was ahead, didn't notice Jiang Yuyao's gaze.

"I beg the Second Prince to rescind his decree." Prime Minister Jiang knelt directly before Zeng Chenhua, who was seated on the throne, and pleaded with Zeng Chenhua to withdraw his decree to marry his second daughter.

Zeng Chenhua used the tea lid to skim off the foam from the cup, took a small sip, and said, "Good tea. Prime Minister Jiang, would you be so kind as to give me some more?"

Zeng Chenhua did not answer the question directly, but instead used the tea as a pretext to answer Prime Minister Jiang.

"It's just tea from a few years ago, and it got a little damp. It's nothing for you, Second Prince, to worry about."

Listening from behind the screen, Jiang Chaoyu sighed in admiration, "This is indeed the way a cultured person speaks; what a wonderful metaphor!"

"I heard that the second young lady suffers from tuberculosis. I am also a cripple, so we are a perfect match."

Zeng Chenhua's words made Prime Minister Jiang instantly panic. "Second Prince, you are too modest. You have made such a great contribution, and everyone respects you very much."

This was the first time Jiang Chaoyu had heard of such a saying about being a good match. She couldn't help but speak up from behind the screen, "How could my daughter be worthy of the Second Prince? Cough cough, I'm already half... cough... buried. I dare not pass on my illness to the Second Prince."

Jiang Chaoyu coughed as she spoke, as if to let everyone know how serious her illness was and to dissuade Zeng Chenhua from having this idea.

"Oh, really?" He wasn't annoyed by her answer, and chuckled. "What a coincidence! I've become a renowned doctor because of this leg injury. Perhaps I can cure you. Miss Jiang, you're coughing quite badly. May I take your pulse?"

Jiang Chaoyu didn't know Zeng Chenhua's purpose. If he wanted to save her from this abyss, she would be grateful. But no one knew if his place was another abyss. She had to do things she was sure of.

Moreover, she didn't understand why Zeng Chenhua would say that his leg was injured during the two years of war. A few days ago, he looked like a normal person. Since that was the case, she couldn't agree to his marriage proposal, so she had to decline.

Using the screen as a cover, Jiang Chaoyu extended her wrist. "This is an old ailment of mine. The doctor said it can't be cured and I can only take care of it and see how long I live. In that case, I'll have to trouble the Second Prince."

Zeng Chenhua pressed his fingertips against her throbbing pulse. "This pulse, however, can be treated at my residence."

"We hope the Second Prince will reconsider." The father and daughter spoke together. Hearing this, Zeng Chenhua did not press the matter, but instead used the support to stand up.

"If I have been too hasty, I will visit the Jiang residence again in ten days. At that time, I hope to hear a satisfactory answer."

Jiang Chaoyu tried to pull her hand away, but he gently tugged at it and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Second Miss, next time you use loquat syrup to fake a cough, it will be more realistic than ketchup."

Zeng Chenhua released Jiang Chaoyu's hand and walked straight forward, leaning on his cane.

The entire Jiang family knelt down and said in unison, "Respectfully seeing off the Second Prince."

After Zeng Chenhua's men had all left, Jiang Chengxiang said to Jiang Chaoyu, "Come out and kneel down."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chaoyu thought to herself, "Kneeling again? A woman's knees are worth gold. Can't she just sit down and talk things out properly?"

Although he was internally complaining like this, he didn't show it on his face at all.

"It's my daughter's fault." Jiang Chaoyu admitted her mistake without waiting for Prime Minister Jiang to speak.

"What is the kindness of a steamed bun?" Prime Minister Jiang asked after the others had left. Over the years, his second daughter had been raised in seclusion and rarely left the house.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chaoyu realized something was wrong. This second prince wasn't here to propose marriage; he was clearly here to take her head.

At this moment, Jiang Chaoyu began brainstorming, "Five years ago..."

Before Jiang Chaoyu could finish speaking, Jiang Yuyao interrupted her. Jiang Yuyao also knelt in front of Prime Minister Jiang and said, "Father, this is not important. What is important is that the current emperor has few children. My second sister is stupid and not good. Why don't you let your daughter go instead?"

Jiang Chaoyu had just thanked Jiang Yuyao for interrupting her, so she wouldn't have to think of a reason, but now she was being belittled one after another. However, as long as she didn't marry her, everything was fine; she'd just pretend she wasn't talking nonsense.

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Jiang glared at him angrily and said, "How can a young woman discuss state affairs?"

"We'll discuss this another day." After saying this, Prime Minister Jiang left the residence.

"Father!" Jiang Yuyao called out as she looked at Prime Minister Jiang's retreating figure, but Prime Minister Jiang did not stop walking.

From the moment Jiang Chaoyu arrived at the Jiang family mansion, she knew that Jiang Yuyao had always been targeting her, and always wanted to take all the benefits for herself, perhaps because they were half-sisters. Now that she was saying these things again, Jiang Chaoyu was used to it.

As Jiang Chaoyu walked alongside Jiang Yuyao, she couldn't help but ask, "Sister, why do you want to marry in my place?"

Jiang Yuyao stopped and looked at Jiang Chaoyu with a mocking smile. She leaned closer to Jiang Chaoyu and whispered in her ear, "Don't tell me you think I did this for you. Don't dream."

After saying this, Jiang Yuyao smiled, ignoring Jiang Chaoyu's expression, and led the servants to her resting place.

Jiang Chaoyu walked alone in the courtyard, having shed her disguise. She was exhausted, even her older sister seemed to be constantly targeting her. She felt like she had forgotten why she had come here; it was as if a part of her memory was slipping away, something she couldn't grasp anymore.

The rain had stopped, and the air was filled with the fragrance of earth and grass. Moonlight spilled onto the ground, like a layer of silver frost. Her mood, however, was as heavy and oppressive as the night.

“Miss,” Cui Cui’s voice came from behind, “Why are you here alone?”

Jiang Chaoyu turned around and looked at Cuicui's concerned eyes, a warm feeling welling up in her heart. "Cuicui, I'm a little upset and want to be alone for a while."

Cui Cui walked to Jiang Chaoyu's side and took her hand: "Miss, has the master made things difficult for you again? Don't worry, no matter what happens, Cui Cui will always be with you."

Jiang Chaoyu held Cui Cui's hand tightly, as if grasping at her last straw. "Thank you, Cui Cui. With you here, I feel much more at ease."

Unable to sleep under the cover of night, Jiang Chaoyu looked out the window. A carrier pigeon flew to her, and the contents of the letter made her even more unable to sleep.

She changed her clothes and went somewhere else, but less than an hour later, Jiang Chaoyu returned, soaking wet.

Back in her room, after changing into dry clothes, Jiang Chaoyu lay on the bed, but couldn't fall asleep. Her shoulder still ached, and when she looked at her wrist, it was red again. It seemed she really needed to get some hand cream next time.

Feeling a bit tired, my upper and lower eyelids were drooping, and I drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Chaoyu finally drifted off to sleep. In her dream, she returned to the modern world. The familiar streets, the noisy traffic, and her parents' warm smiles—everything felt so real. She ran and shouted, trying to grasp this long-lost happiness. However, just as she was about to touch her parents, everything suddenly vanished, and she was back in this unfamiliar world.

"No—" Jiang Chaoyu jolted awake from her dream, drenched in sweat. She gasped for breath, her eyes filled with despair. It turned out it was all just a dream. Gradually regaining her senses, Jiang Chaoyu forgot what she had dreamt about.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the familiar bed curtains again. Everything was so familiar, so familiar that she was truly exhausted.

A father forcing her into marriage, a difficult sister, and now this man proposing to marry her. Jiang Chaoyu has truly had no peace in this world.

As dawn broke, sunlight streamed through the window into the room.

Jiang Chaoyu went straight to You Zhenghong's door, and just as she was about to knock, You Zhenghong opened the door.

"Xiaoyu?"

"Master, I'll do it..."

Before Jiang Chaoyu could finish speaking, You Zhenghong interrupted:

"Since you're here, let's have a friendly spar."