The rabbits in the cage huddled together in shock. Jiang Songyi looked at the girl's smiling face reflected on the dagger, and suddenly remembered the day when the city was broken in his previous life - Bai Linxi also smiled like this, and stabbed the poisoned dagger into the heart of the Nanzhao spy.
As dusk deepened, wisps of green smoke rose from the crane-beak incense burner in the main hall. Old Madam Jiang sat at the head of the table, clutching a dove-shaped cane, her jade headband reflecting the candlelight. "Now that Yihuan has returned, it's time to arrange his marriage."
Jiang Yihuan's silver chopsticks clanged against the edge of a celadon bowl. Xue Xin handed him a handkerchief just in time, her fingertips seemingly carelessly brushing against the old scar on his wrist. "General, be careful of the burns."
Jiang Songyi suddenly reached out her chopsticks and took the lotus cake in front of Xue Xin. "This cake looks fresh." She broke the pastry in front of everyone, revealing the scarlet filling inside. "Oh, it's red bean paste."
Bai Linxi came over with a scoop of iced sour plum soup: "Can I have a taste?" The silver spoon suddenly knocked over on Xue Xin's sleeve, and the dark water stain quickly spread. "Oh, I'll help Miss Xue change clothes."
"No need." Xue Xin clutched his sleeves and stood up. The silver bracelet on his wrist made a clear sound when it collided with the porcelain bowl. "I'll go by myself."
Madam Jiang slammed her cane on the ground. "Everyone, sit down!" Her cloudy eyes swept over the imperial jade pendant on Jiang Songyi's waist. "Since the emperor has conferred the title of county lady on you, you should be more cautious in your words and actions." She looked at Jiang Yihan and said, "The girl from the Bai family has known you since childhood."
"Madam," Jiang Songyi suddenly interrupted with a smile, "Is this golden filigree phoenix hairpin in your hair a style made in the previous dynasty?" She tapped the jade hairpin on her temples with her fingertips, "The Empress specifically instructed me to do so when she gave it to me in the palace last month."
The room was completely silent. Jiang Shu's spoon fell into the bowl, splashing a few drops of soup onto the back of Xue Xin's hand. Jiang Yihuan frowned and saw that the skin there was a strange purple hue.
"What's wrong with Miss Xue?" Bai Linxi suddenly grabbed her wrist. "This scar looks like..." Before she could finish her words, Jiang Songyi pressed her shoulder and said, "Cousin, try this cherry biro, a craftsmanship taught by the royal chef."
Madam Jiang narrowed her eyes as she studied Xue Xin. The emerald dove eyes on her staff shone faintly in the candlelight. "Miss Xue, since you are Yihuan's benefactor, ask the accountant to give you two hundred taels of silver tomorrow to make you some new clothes."
Jiang Songyi lowered her eyes as she stirred the icy yogurt in her bowl, listening to Xue Xin's soft voice of thanks beside her. Suddenly, a strange fragrance reached her nose. She leaned forward while picking up some food, and sure enough, she caught a glimpse of several cinnabar-colored Gu eggs in the sachet on Xue Xin's waist.
At three quarters past midnight, Jiang Songyi, carrying a sheep-horn lantern, headed for Langhua Garden. Passing by a peach grove, she heard the clang of metal. Two figures engaged in a fierce battle under the moonlight. Jiang Yihuan, still in his silver armor, used his red tasseled spear to knock Xue Xin's short blade away. "You're quite skilled, young lady!"
"General, please forgive me!" Xue Xin fell to the ground, his clothes untied, revealing a bloody bandage. "I saw a figure flash by."
Jiang Songyi suddenly threw the lantern into the bushes, startling a few night crows. "What a coincidence! I also saw a sneaky figure heading towards the ancestral hall." She smiled and helped Xue Xin up. "Why don't we go and take a look together?"
The bamboo chopsticks made a crisp sound when they hit the rim of the blue and white porcelain bowl. Jiang Yihuan suddenly put down the bowl and asked, "Why haven't I seen my second brother all day?"
The main hall suddenly became so quiet that one could hear the dripping sound of water melting in the ice jar. The old lady paused in turning her Buddhist beads. The third daughter, Jiang Qinghua, began to cough violently as if she had a fishbone stuck in her throat. Madam Xu lowered her eyes and gave Jiang Songyi a spoonful of crab meat tofu.
[That gambler lost everything and was kicked out long ago!]
A vein on the back of Jiang Yihuan's hand throbbed. He looked up to see Jiang Songyi scooping tofu elegantly, her cherry lips stained with crab roe, looking very well-behaved. If he hadn't heard the sarcasm, he would have been fooled by her.
"Brother Yihuan, you don't know?" Bai Linxi looked up, holding a spicy rabbit head in her mouth, her amber eyes reflecting the candlelight. "When I entered the city this morning, I saw a beggar with disheveled hair and a dirty face." She suddenly choked and smiled awkwardly, "Of course, Second Brother Jiang is rich, so the beggar must look like him."
"That's him." Jiang Songyi interrupted, the silver spoon making a clear sound on the edge of the bowl. "Second brother is now making a living at the City God Temple. He even asked me for steamed buns yesterday."
The silver bell on Xue Xin's wrist jingled: "How could the young master of the Marquis' Mansion do that?"
"Pah!" Xu slammed her jade chopsticks onto the agate chopstick rest. "Baichuan lost everything at Zhenxiu Pavilion, even his ancestral jade pendant, to the gambling house." She glanced at the newly changed Dongzhu hairpin in Jiang Songyi's hair. "Thanks to Songyi's idea, he was able to experience the suffering of the people."
"This is a brilliant idea!" Bai Linxi clapped his hands, the silver bracelets on his wrists jingling. "Tomorrow I'll go get the copper coins back and make sure Second Brother Jiang learns to be self-reliant!"
Jiang Qingzhi pinched her handkerchief and chimed in, "Although my second cousin is suffering, Songyi is doing this for his own good."
Jiang Songyi concentrated on picking the bones out of the squirrel fish, but inwardly she was smiling broadly: [Reform him? I don't have that kind of heart. Just thinking about him chewing on cold steamed buns makes me want to eat half an extra fish.]
"Ahem!" Jiang Dinglian's hand trembled as he held the glass, spilling amber wine onto his curly beard. The old lady closed her eyes and chanted a Buddhist prayer, while Madam Xu silently helped her daughter with a piece of roasted venison.
Jiang Yihuan's temples throbbed. He knew this girl had bad intentions! But then he thought about his second brother's gambling addiction in the past and felt that it was deserved. If he had been so strict with himself, why would it have come to this?
"Mother, don't you think this is odd?" He suddenly tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. "My second brother used to win or lose only a few hundred taels, so how could he suddenly owe over a hundred thousand taels? I'm afraid someone must have set him up."
Finally, someone who understands. Jiang Songyi swallowed the venison. "Shengfeng Commercial Bank has been eyeing Zhenxiu Pavilion for a while now, and yet that idiot still thinks they're a confidant." She scooped a spoonful of iced bayberry soup and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. "The casino deed is in my dressing box now. Zhenxiu Pavilion rakes in three hundred taels of silver every day, which is Jiang Baichuan's money. Naturally, we all have the surname Jiang—my Jiang."
"Dang!" Jiang Yihuan's sword knocked over the teacup. He stared at the oriental pearl in Jiang Songyi's hair—the pearl was as big as a longan and was originally a tribute from a foreign country.
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