That night, the Mei family pawnshop was surrounded by soldiers. When Yuan Tong emerged from the dog hole with the account book in his arms, he bumped into Jiang Songyi, who was carrying a lunch box.
"Chicken in lotus leaf!" His eyes lit up. "How did you know?"
"Hush." Jiang Songyi pulled the cobwebs out of his hair. "When the matchmaker comes to your house tomorrow to propose marriage, remember to give her a red envelope."
Half a month later, on the day Mei Weixing was exiled, Jiang Qinghe was at a teahouse listening to an opera. During the performance of "The Unfaithful Man," the young man, with dark circles under his eyes, cried, "I only painted a portrait of Miss Hongyu."
Jiang Shu chuckled as she peeled pine nuts: "Although the boy from the Yuan family is a little fat, he is actually a very honest person."
Jiang Qinghe looked downstairs at the sugar painting stall. Yuan Tong was holding up a dragon-shaped sugar painting and waving at her. He didn't care that the sugar syrup dripped onto his brocade robe, and smiled like a Maitreya Buddha.
"Mom," she suddenly said, "Songyi said the peach blossoms on the west hill are blooming."
Jiang Shu's pine nuts scattered all over the floor. She looked at the new coral hairpin in her daughter's hair and suddenly felt that perhaps the marriage could be settled without waiting until next spring.
Turning the corner of the corridor, Jiang Songyi saw Princess Linchuan walking towards them from afar, surrounded by a crowd of people. She quickly fell silent and followed her aunt to pay her respects.
The gilded hairpin with pearls swayed gently as the eldest princess personally helped Jiang Songyi to her feet. Her delicately painted phoenix eyes looked her up and down, "My dear, are you hurt anywhere?"
Jiang Songyi took a half step back without leaving any trace. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I'm just a little dizzy from the sun."
"That's good." The princess turned to look at Jiang Shu, "Look, can I let Song Yi suffer any injustice in this peony garden of mine?"
Jiang Shu gently stroked the jade bracelet on her waist and said, "Your Highness is very considerate in governing us, but..." She looked towards a certain place in the garden, hesitant to speak.
Everyone followed her gaze and saw Jiang Yuyao peeking out from under the shade of the flowers. The eldest princess's expression suddenly turned cold, and the jade bracelet on her wrist jingled. "This year's invitation was originally sent to her out of respect for the Marquis's family. Pass on my words: Jiang Yuyao is not allowed to set foot in the Peony Garden from now on."
As soon as these words came out, the noble ladies following behind the eldest princess immediately understood. Lady Dingguo was the first to speak: "I heard that Miss Jiang was weak, but she looks better today."
"Isn't it?" Chen Ruyi sneered, shaking her Xiang Fei bamboo fan. "She's even more delicate than her aunt."
Jiang Shu knocked the teacup onto the table with her backhand: "It's better than some people treating their daughter-in-law like a maid."
Cai, the wife of the Duke of Dingguo, who was named, hurriedly lowered her head, the jade-emerald hairpins on her temples trembling: "My mother-in-law treats me very well..."
"That's enough!" The princess said, trying to smooth things over. "You two old enemies, you loved to quarrel when you were my study companions. Now you are both going to be grandmothers, why are you still so childish?"
Suddenly, a round-faced woman squeezed out of the crowd and pulled Jiang Songyi with a smile on her face: "Is this the Princess Jiaqing? She is truly the most beautiful flower in the peony garden." Next to her was a girl in a lilac skirt. Although she was plump, her eyebrows and eyes were seven points similar to the woman.
Jiang Shu introduced with a cold face: "This is the wife of Marquis Jingkang."
Jiang Songyi looked at the girl in feigned surprise: "Madam, you are so lucky that even your maid is dressed so elegantly."
"I'm not a maid!" The girl blushed.
Madam Mei hurriedly grabbed her sleeve and said, "Zi Han, don't be rude!" Turning to Jiang Songyi, she smiled apologetically, "This is my distant niece, Wu Zi Han. She has been raised by you since she was a child, so it's inevitable that she's a little spoiled."
Jiang Songyi nodded in sudden realization, her eyes flicking to the red-gold lotus hairpin in Wu Zihan's hair—it was clearly the item Madam Mei had taken from the Jiang Mansion's treasury a few days ago. As if casually, she stroked the pearls on her temples. "I was thinking, such precious jewelry would only belong to our Jiang family..."
"Ouch!" Madam Mei suddenly exclaimed, and the jade bracelet on her wrist fell to the ground with a "clack". "Look at how clumsy I am." She bent down to pick it up, and pushed Wu Zihan towards Jiang Songyi. "Zihan is very good at painting. If the county lady is interested..."
Before he could finish his words, Wu Zihan had already stumbled towards Jiang Songyi. In a flash, Jiang Songyi tapped her toes, and the hem of her goose-yellow skirt spun out like a lotus flower, barely avoiding the clumsy collision.
"Miss Wu, be careful." She smiled and held onto the porch pillar. "This bluestone road is very slippery."
The princess frowned as she watched the farce, tapping her fingertips on the gilded armor. "If Madam Mei is not feeling well, I will send someone to escort you back home."
"No need, no need!" Mrs. Mei's forehead was covered with cold sweat. "Zi Han, why don't you apologize to the county lady?"
Wu Zihan bit her lip and was about to speak when she heard a commotion in the distance. Several maids came running over in a panic: "Oh no! There's something going on over there... over at the Lakeside Pavilion!"
Jiang Songyi and Jiang Shu exchanged a glance, each seeing a solemn expression in the other's eyes. Today's Peony Banquet was likely to involve bloodshed.
The string on Mrs. Mei's wrist suddenly snapped, sending the sandalwood beads clattering to the blue brick floor. She stared at the beads that had rolled to the edge of Jiang Songyi's embroidered shoes. The twined branches on the hem of the girl's skirt coincidentally matched the pattern on Wu Zihan's skirt.
"The county lady is joking." Madam Mei forced a smile and went to pick up the Buddhist beads. "Zi Han is from my mother's family."
"Oh!" Jiang Songyi suddenly squatted down, and the pearl hairpin on her temples brushed across the back of Madam Mei's hand, "This bead is engraved with the mantra of rebirth." The inner wall of the sandalwood bead she picked up was clearly engraved with "Daughter of the Wu Family", which was Madam Mei's maiden name.
In the silence that filled the room, Princess Linchuan tapped the lid of her teacup against the rim. Jiang Shu was so stifled she was practically tearing her handkerchief, but she said solemnly, "Songyi, please don't disturb His Highness's peace."
Jiang Songyi tilted her head and handed the beads back, her fingertips tracing the character "Wu" across her forehead. "Madam, this one is quite special. I'll go to Daxiangguo Temple and ask for one someday."
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