Worry

Jiang Yi nodded to her: "Miss Yang."

Yang Ningyan smiled and said, "I have long heard of Miss Jiang's great reputation. Meeting her today, I can confirm that she is indeed extraordinary."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"I have been physically weak since childhood and do not like to go out. I have been confined to my house in the attic for many years. However, I like to read some storybooks when I have nothing to do. Mingyuelou is the most famous bookstore in the capital. They recently published a few volumes, so I asked them to send me some. I did not expect that the story in them was about Young Master Lin and Miss Jiang."

Jiang Yi was stunned, opened her mouth wide and exclaimed "Ah!"

Fearing that she might misunderstand, Yang Ningyan quickly explained, "Miss Jiang, please don't misunderstand. It's just about the interesting things you and Young Master Lin did together, like venturing into Lingnan, fighting rebels, battling bandits, crossing the Ul River, and entering the Southern Frontier. There are many other interesting stories as well. You two are a loving couple with such wonderful experiences; you must be the envy of many..."

"Hahaha... Is that so?"

Shangguan Muya and Xia Zhi chuckled softly, clearly aware that such a storybook had appeared in the capital.

Upon hearing her say that, Jiang Yi suddenly remembered what kind of books Xia Zhi had been flipping through behind her back a few days ago. No wonder she hesitated and wouldn't explain clearly; it turned out the little girl was looking at this!

What puzzled her, however, was who had leaked those experiences and even written them into a storybook!

Yang Ningyan was very kind to Jiang Yi and unknowingly talked so much, but standing in the wind for a long time still made her feel a little uncomfortable; her body was really letting her down.

"Cough cough..."

Shangguan Muya gently patted her back a few times and said worriedly, "Ningyan, it's already spring, why is your illness still not getting better?"

She waved her hand: "It's alright, you know I've been like this since I was a child, I can't stand the slightest bit of cold air, and I've gotten used to it over the years. Muya, you and Miss Jiang should go in quickly, don't keep His Highness waiting. I'll go back first."

"Alright. Qingming, you come and help your young lady."

The maidservant behind her hurriedly stepped forward to help Yang Ningyan walk out. Jiang Yi watched her receding figure and couldn't help but say, "If Miss Yang weren't sick, she must be a lively person."

Even though she was confined to her home due to illness and unable to go out, she could still find ways to amuse herself. In Jiang Yi's mind, young ladies from prominent families like Shangguan Muya and Yang Ningyan were either proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, or skilled in embroidery and needlework. It was rare to find someone who liked reading storybooks, which showed that she still longed for the outside world. In their conversation, she was also very talkative, so she was probably not an introverted person.

Shangguan Muya smiled slightly: "You've always been good at judging people. Ningyan is indeed a person of strong character. She looks calm and gentle on the surface, but she's actually stubborn. Once she's made up her mind, she won't easily change it."

Jiang Yi joked, "Oh? That includes feelings for Qi Junxu too?"

Shangguan Muya shook her head helplessly. She was used to Jiang Yi calling her cousin by his full name. At first, she was a little nervous and worried for her, but later she got used to it and no one reminded her to be careful. Anyway, no one else dared to do it except her.

"You don't know, Ningyan was sickly when she was young. Once, she was bullied by a group of spoiled young men in the palace. It was her cousin who came to her rescue. From then on, she never looked at another man again. Isn't that stubborn?"

"Sounds like another hero rescuing a damsel in distress story!"

Jiang Yi's use of "again" is quite clever. Shangguan Muya fell in love with He Lin because He Lin saved her life.

"Alright, stop making fun of me. I genuinely wish you and Young Master Lin all the best now."

"I know, I know! I was just kidding!"

"..."

The two walked hand in hand and soon arrived at Qi Junxu's room. Before going in, Jiang Yi took out a small roll of white gauze to wrap the wound from somewhere, wrapped it around her neck a few times, and asked Xia Zhi to help her tie it.

"Miss, what are you going to do with this?"

Jiang Yi smiled and subconsciously touched the spot where Qi Junxu had stabbed her, saying, "It'll be much easier to talk to you with this! Let's go!"

Shangguan Muya was completely baffled. Although she didn't understand, she didn't say anything and just knocked on the door twice.

"Cousin, are you there?"

"cousin……"

A short while later, the door was opened.

"Feng He, where is my cousin?"

He stepped aside to make way, and when he saw Jiang Yi behind Shangguan Muya, he was unconsciously surprised and his eyes widened slightly.

"His Highness is inside; his dressing has just been changed."

"I'll go in and check on him."

Shangguan Muya stepped in first, followed closely by Jiang Yi. Feng He stared at Jiang Yi, hesitant to speak, opened his mouth but didn't utter a word for a long time.

After passing a screen, you can see Qi Junxu lying on the bed, wearing only a pure white undergarment. Because his injuries below the waist are horribly gruesome and he has just been treated with medicine, he is not covered with a blanket.

"Cousin! How are you? Are you feeling any better?"

"Much better, you..."

Qi Junxu stopped mid-sentence, staring blankly at Jiang Yi who came in behind him. His pupils were practically dilated. Two seconds later, with lightning speed, Jiang Yi suddenly pulled the blankets from the bed to cover his bottom, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow imperceptibly. How rare! She could actually see the word "shy" on his face?

He asked curtly, "Why are you here too?"

"I came to see you, what? You're not welcome?"

Qi Junxu's face turned even redder, and he couldn't say a word for a long time. He could only glare at his guard Feng He. He hadn't even informed Jiang Yi of her arrival, which allowed Jiang Yi to see him like this. Feng He touched his nose sullenly and deliberately avoided her gaze.

After a pause, Qi Junxu, his voice choked with sarcasm, reprimanded, "Jiang Yi, what kind of behavior is it for a married woman to barge into my inner room like this! Besides, I'm not in a position to receive guests in this state. Now that you've seen me, you can leave."

"Hey! Qi Junxu! I considered you a friend! Don't you have any conscience? I came to see you out of kindness and you chased me away?"

Qi Junxu was stunned, but also a little surprised. He couldn't believe his ears; Jiang Yi said she considered him a friend!

Shangguan Muya couldn't stand it anymore and chimed in, "Yes, cousin! Jiang Yi came to visit you out of kindness, how could you talk to her like that!"

Qi Junxu turned his face away and remained silent.

Jiang Yi glanced at him and said to Shangguan Muya, "Muya, can I be alone with him for a while?"

Shangguan Muya nodded. From the moment Jiang Yi offered to come with her to visit her cousin, Shangguan Muya had guessed that Jiang Yi must have something to ask him.

"You two chat, I'll go to the kitchen to see how their meal preparation is going."

"Xia Zhi, you go with Mu Ya."

"Yes, miss."

After the two left, Feng He also tactfully withdrew.

Jiang Yi walked over and yanked off the blanket covering him. Qi Junxu was shocked. His eyes widened instantly, and he tried to get up by bracing himself on the bed with his hands. However, his injuries below the waist were too severe, and he groaned and obediently lay back down.

"Jiang Yi! What are you doing?!"

Jiang Yi sighed, "I heard from your guard that you just had your dressing changed, so you shouldn't cover yourself with a blanket right now, as it's not good for the wound to heal."

"you……!"

Qi Junxu was both ashamed and angry. The two of them, a man and a woman, were alone in a room. Jiang Yi was a married woman, which was already inappropriate. Yet she dared to touch a man like him and directly pull off his blanket. Did this woman have no sense of shame?

"Okay, okay, don't get agitated! I'll help you lower the cornfield, and I won't look at you, is that alright?"

Qi Junxu gritted his teeth, staring at her resentfully and warily, fearing that Jiang Yi might do something outrageous again.

After Jiang Yi helped him lower the green gauze curtain, she brought in a stool for herself and sat by the screen, about three or four steps away from his bed, maintaining a reasonable distance that did not cross the line.

He thought to himself, "Now he should be relieved, right? It's like I took advantage of him so much."

"What did the imperial physician say? Is your injury very serious?"

"I don't know. Even if I become disabled and can't walk anymore, it's what I deserve."

"What do you mean by crippled or useless? Just focus on getting better, you'll definitely get better! I heard from He Lin, why do you have to argue with His Majesty? Wouldn't it be better to bring it up later? Maybe he'll listen to you more after he calms down a bit."

Qi Junxu said in a deep voice, "You don't understand. As long as Father Emperor sends people to whip Shen Jianqing's corpse for one more day, my mother's reputation will be damaged for one more day. How can I just stand by and do nothing!"

When Jiang Yi thinks of his mother, she pictured the fierce woman who smashed her head against the Taiji Hall and died, preferring death to living under Emperor Liang's control—a resolute yet tragic figure.

Jiang Yi lowered her eyes, seemingly lost in thought. Qi Junxu asked, "Did you come to see me today because you have something to discuss? Or did He Lin send you?"

"No, He Lin didn't know I was coming; I didn't tell him."

"What's up?"

Qi Junxu's mother had just passed away, and he himself had been beaten into this state. Although it was a bit unkind to bring it up at this time, He Lin was also an innocent victim, and she had to speak out.

"No one could have predicted such an end for your mother. I know you're heartbroken, but we all..."

Jiang Yi used to say whatever she thought and was always straightforward, but now she's learned to beat around the bush. Qi Junxu frowned and interrupted her, asking, "Jiang Yi, what exactly do you want to say?"

"...I hope you won't blame He Lin for the death of the Imperial Concubine. You don't know what kind of life he lived in Yu Ling Pavilion. He was pitiful and innocent. Back when Consort Su was murdered, he—"

"Jiang Yi!" Qi Junxu was furious, but he tried his best to suppress his anger. He cracked his neck, making a snapping sound. "You mean to say that my mother deserved to die, right?!"

"No! That's not what I meant, I..."

Qi Junxu chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Back in the Southern Frontier, I asked He Lin if he ever discovered that my mother had done something to betray him. I hoped that he would at least spare my mother for the sake of me finding medicinal herbs for him, and not drive her to the brink of extermination. Do you know how he answered me?"

Jiang Yi pursed her lips. She knew that she had been eavesdropping outside the door and had heard every word of their conversation.

The emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, and it is only natural that murderers should pay with their lives. These are He Lin's original words.

“…He Lin said that it is only right to pay for murder with one’s life. At that time, I knew that he had the intention to kill. My mother could not escape this time. But as her son, everything she did was for me. I am willing to bear any punishment for her, even if He Lin wants my life!”

Jiang Yi sighed softly: "Qi Junxu, the grudges of the previous generation shouldn't involve you. You and He Lin are blood brothers!"

Qi Junxu laughed: "You came to see me today because you're afraid I'll retaliate against He Lin, right?"

Jiang Yi nodded honestly: "That's possible."

"..."