“No… Impossible!”
In the inner hall of the main courtyard of the Marquis' Mansion, Xu suddenly stood up from the armchair, her face as pale as paper, and her fingertips dug deeply into her palms.
Before the Marquis left, he said that Zhao'er was injured and was recuperating, and he did not allow them to go to the enclosure to cause trouble, saying only that there was no danger to their lives.
But now this rumor is spreading...
Her heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an ice-cold hand, and the suffocating pain made her shaky.
Jiang Songyi supported her mother. She knew a little more than her mother. On the way back to the capital, the Crown Prince had sent a close attendant to quietly pass on a message, saying that her brother was seriously injured, with a broken arm, and his life was not in danger.
But the word "broken arm" is cruel enough, and at this moment, the outside world is cursing her brother to death!
"Mom, don't believe those rumors!" Jiang Songyi said calmly and firmly, each word spoken, as if to drive it into her heart. "Brother is recovering in a safe place in the paddock. Didn't Father say before he left that his life was no longer in danger? Let's wait for him to come back!"
With the support of her daughter's calm gaze, Mrs. Xu barely managed to stay from collapsing, but her temples seemed to have grown a few more strands of white frost overnight.
She nodded reluctantly, sat back dejectedly, and stared blankly at the glaring sunlight in the courtyard outside the door, as if she had exhausted all her strength.
Just when the Yongding Marquis' Mansion was filled with gloom and sadness, the doorman came with a message: Madam Sang and her eldest daughter Sang Wenyin came to visit, specially to see the injured prince.
The Sang family? The family that had an engagement with the Marquis's Mansion, but whose relationship with them had always been delicate due to a previous conflict between Jiang Songyi and Sang Wenyin at the Princess's Mansion?
A hint of cold anger instantly formed in Xu's eyes.
The thought of breaking off the engagement had been on her mind countless times since she learned of Sang Wenyin's arrogance and provocation towards her daughter. However, due to the family's reputation and the fact that her son was already engaged to Sang Wenyin, she could only suppress her dissatisfaction.
Now that their son is seriously injured and rumors are spreading, his future is ruined, and this mother and daughter come to visit him... Ha!
She slowly stood up and took a deep breath. "Songyi, follow me out to greet the guests."
Her voice returned to the calmness that a lady of the Marquis's mansion should have, but there was no warmth in her tone.
The atmosphere in the main hall was subtle.
Xu sat in the main seat with a decent but distant smile on her face.
Jiang Songyi stood beside her mother, wearing plain-colored casual clothes, with a simple bun and her back straight.
Mrs. Sang was seated at the first table, dressed in gorgeous brocade clothes, surrounded by pearls and jade, with a smile on her face.
Standing behind her was Sang Wenyin.
Sang Wenyin obviously put a lot of thought into her outfit today.
She abandoned the bright colors she had previously favored and put on a light blue silk dress with a simple and elegant color, with only a few sparse branches of black orchids embroidered on the cuffs and hem.
Her hair was also in a simple side bun, with only a simple silver hairpin in an ancient style inserted. Her face was lightly made up, and the corners of her eyes and eyebrows were deliberately flattened, trying to create a sense of simplicity that was not chaotic.
However, all this seemed particularly deliberate and artificial on her.
What made Xu's mother and daughter sneer in their hearts was Sang Wenyin's attitude.
She kept her head slightly tilted, her eyes wandering almost the entire time, rarely looking anyone in the eye, especially avoiding the gazes of Xu and Jiang Songyi.
Her carefully painted face held a stiff expression. It wasn't so much a visit out of concern for her fiancé's injury as a forced one, her whole being radiating impatience and a condescending look of disdain.
After exchanging pleasantries and sitting down, the atmosphere was as depressing as the low pressure before a rainstorm.
The teacup brought by the maid was steaming, but it couldn't warm the coldness in the hall.
"Sister Xu," Madam Sang said, smiling and breaking the silence, her voice deliberately soft, "It was so scary! The enclosure is such a dangerous place. When our Wen Yin heard the news that the prince was injured, she burst into tears at home and couldn't eat. This child, although she has a cold personality, is very loyal and righteous in her heart.
So, she insisted on asking me to bring her over to see Nephew Jin Zhao in person before she could feel at ease. If it weren't for... well, if it weren't for the palace rules that say it's not appropriate to disturb guests immediately after the nobles return to the capital, we would have come here two days ago!"
As she spoke, she glanced at Sang Wenyin next to her with the corner of her eye, with a deliberately exaggerated expression of heartache on her face.
Sang Wenyin was caught by her mother's gaze and frowned very slightly with a hint of barely perceptible annoyance.
She barely managed to raise her eyes, quickly scanning the Xu family mother and daughter before quickly dropping them again. The term "tearful person," coupled with her current indifferent expression, was piercingly ironic.
Xu picked up the teacup, her fingertips almost crushing the warm porcelain.
Loyalty? Crying like a tearful child? What a joke!
She maintained a gentle expression, but her tone was as cold as ice: "Thank you, Madam Sang and Miss Sang, for your concern. Jin Zhao is a child..."
She paused, seeming to be struggling to control her emotions, "It's true that he suffered a great disaster. The muscles and bones of his right arm were injured. The doctors in the army took great pains to save his life. I'm afraid that his foundation has been completely damaged, and it will be inconvenient for him to move in the future..." She sighed at the right time, and the rest of her words turned into a heavy silence. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, but she observed the reactions of the two people opposite her sharply.
Completely injured? Impaired mobility? Military doctors desperately trying to save his life?
The smile on Mrs. Sang's face froze for a moment, and her eyes flickered quickly several times.
She laughed dryly, trying to hide her feelings. "Those who survive a great disaster will surely be blessed in the future! My dear nephew Jin Zhao is blessed by heaven. As long as he is alive, it is better than anything else. Sister Xu, you should also be at ease. You must take good care of yourself."
Sang Wenyin's reaction was more direct.
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