Jiang Baichuan suddenly grabbed Jiang Yuyao's wrist and asked, "Who did you see at the west corner gate at 3:30 yesterday?" He increased the force in his palm. "Do you need me to ask the Peng family's coachman to come and identify him?"
Jiang Yuyao's wrist bones cracked slightly, and tears welled up in pain: "Second brother, you hurt me."
"Do you feel the pain now?" Jiang Baichuan shook her hand off. "Why didn't you show any mercy when you added something to Song Yi's tea?"
Jiang Qingmo jumped up and clapped his hands: "Second cousin is wise! This black-hearted guy should be slapped ten more times!"
"Ten?" Jiang Songyi chuckled, her jade earrings gleaming with a green glow. "Didn't Sister Yuyao just say that she was willing to be punished to atone for her sins?" She suddenly leaned closer, her armor lifting Jiang Yuyao's chin. "How many are you counting now?"
Jiang Yuyao was forced to look up and saw her own distorted face reflected in Jiang Songyi's eyes. Suddenly, the old lady coughed in the distance. She felt as if she had been pardoned: "Grandma is calling me."
"What's the hurry?" Jiang Shu came over, fanning herself with a round fan. "Mother just said her headache has subsided." She tapped Jiang Yuyao's shoulder with her red-haired fingertips. "The show is going strong."
Liao Xianxian suddenly knelt down and kowtowed: "Please, Lady County, have mercy! Our girl caught a cold the other day and couldn't stand it anymore."
"You still have the energy to frame someone after catching a cold?" Jiang Qingmo yelled at the top of his lungs, "Madame Liu! Go get a doctor! Cousin Yuyao is so sick she's delirious!"
Jiang Yuyao trembled all over, the pearl hairpin in her hair rustling. She suddenly caught sight of the new jade pendant with a dragon pattern on Jiang Baichuan's waist. She remembered seeing him and the Peng family's illegitimate son having a secret conversation in the teahouse yesterday, and a fierce look flashed in her eyes.
"Brother, are you really going to force me to death?" She slammed into the pillar, "Then let me die to prove my point!"
Jiang Baichuan instinctively tried to stop her, but Jiang Songyi grabbed his sleeve. Jiang Yuyao couldn't stop herself in time, and her forehead just brushed against the red lacquer pillar, scratching a patch of oily skin.
"Tsk, Mingzhi's strength isn't enough." Jiang Songyi shook off his brother, his armor scraping against the red paint on the pillar. "How about another try?"
The cicadas' chirping suddenly exploded, jarring the eardrums. Jiang Yuyao slumped to the ground, watching her own shadow distort under the sun. She finally realized that this situation had been seen through long ago. The copper bells on the eaves tinkled in the wind, as if someone were sneering.
The sound of Jiang Yuyao's slap was particularly clear in the private room. Jiang Bochuan was scooping chilled bayberries for Jiang Songyi with a gilded spoon. Drops of water on the edge of the porcelain bowl dripped onto Jiang Yuyao's newly cut moonlit skirt, leaving a dark mark the size of a copper coin.
"Songyi, look, this ice jelly has osmanthus honey added to it." Jiang Qingmo had already snatched the glass bowl before Jiang Baichuan finished his words, "Second cousin is partial! Why don't I pour brown sugar juice on mine?" As she spoke, the pearl hairpins on her temples brushed against Jiang Songyi's jade earrings, and the tinkling sound was mixed with Jiang Yuyao's sobs.
Jiang Songyi stirred the ice jelly with a silver spoon. The translucent gelatin, coated with crushed hawthorn, was exactly the same as she remembered her master making. Her fingertips traced the cracks on the jade pendant at her waist—the same jade pendant that had been cracked by boiling water when the Crown Prince had taught her how to make ice jelly last month.
"Second brother." Jiang Yuyao came closer with a red and swollen face, "I want to eat too."
Jiang Baichuan seemed to have just seen her. He was so startled that his hand trembled and the bayberry rolled to the ground: "Why are you still here?" The purse on his waist was embroidered with the words "delicacies". The gold thread shone in the sun, making Jiang Yuyao's eyes hurt.
Jiang Qingmo suddenly sneered: "Some people just like to make themselves bored." She scooped up a spoonful of ice jelly and handed it to Jiang Yuyao's mouth, "Here, a reward for you." There was a mint leaf wrapped in the ice jelly, which was exactly the taste that Jiang Yuyao hated the most.
The bamboo curtain of the private room was suddenly lifted, and a waiter came in with sour plum soup: "Boss, the kitchen said that the ice jelly is almost gone." The jade pendant on Jiang Baichuan's waist hit the corner of the table, and the side engraved with the word "Zhen" happened to be facing Jiang Songyi - it was a pair with the prince's jade pendant with the word "Xiu".
"Songyi, what do you think of the taste?" Jiang Baichuan rubbed his hands nervously. "I spent a lot of money on this recipe."
"It's exactly the same as what I ate at my master's." Jiang Songyi suddenly interrupted him, "Second cousin, do you know how long to knead the ice powder seeds?" She dipped her fingertips in some brown sugar juice and drew the number "three" on the table - it was the time when the prince taught her.
Jiang Yuyao suddenly threw a porcelain bowl: "You are going too far!" The broken porcelain splashed on Jiang Qingmo's embroidered shoes, and she kicked it away: "Hey, you didn't show any toughness when you pawned your jewelry?"
There were bursts of cheers coming from downstairs. It turned out to be a circus troupe performing a fire-breathing show. Jiang Baichuan took the opportunity to pull Jiang Songyi to the window and said, "Look at that fire-breathing thing. Doesn't it look like the Crown Prince is angry?" Before he could finish his words, Jiang Qingmo twisted his ear and said, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Jiang Yuyao watched the three people laughing and joking, then suddenly grabbed a piece of broken porcelain and slashed her wrist. Blood splattered into the bowl of ice powder, frightening the waiter so much that he spilled his sour plum soup. "Boss! Someone's dead!"
When Jiang Baichuan turned around, Jiang Songyi had already taken off her handkerchief and bandaged Jiang Yuyao. The corner of the handkerchief was embroidered with bamboo leaves, a pattern often used by the prince. "If Sister Yuyao wants to commit suicide, she should find a quiet place."
"You!" Jiang Yuyao was about to explode when the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from downstairs. Jiang Qingmo looked over and saw the Prince's carriage parked in front of the Zhenxiu Pavilion. The dragon pattern embroidered in gold thread on the black curtains shone brightly in the sun.
The jade pendant on Jiang Songyi's waist suddenly felt hot—it always felt that way when the prince was near. She hurriedly stood up and said, "I suddenly remembered."
"Remember to send ice jelly to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Jiang Qingmo pushed her back to her seat with a wicked smile, "Second cousin, why don't you quickly serve a bowl of the best?"
As Jiang Baichuan frantically fiddled with the bowls and dishes, he heard steady footsteps on the stairs. Jiang Yuyao suddenly ripped open her bandage, letting the blood stain her collar. "Your Highness, help me!"
The moment the beaded curtain was lifted, the silver spoon in Jiang Songyi's hand clanged to the ground. The prince's dark brocade robe was stained with ice powder. His phoenix eyes swept across the mess in the room, finally stopping at the red tip of Jiang Songyi's ear. "I heard someone stole my skills?"
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