Chapter 109 Night Visit to the Jiang Residence
Cold sweat poured down her face, and her rosy cheeks turned deathly pale. Shang Yuji was not in a good state. Jiang Xi dropped the needle and thread in her hand, got up and walked to her side, touching her cheeks with both hands and calling out Jia Changtian's name.
Seeing that she didn't react, he moved closer, pressed his forehead against hers, and anxiously whispered "Aji".
Xuanming, who had been observing from the side, also got up out of concern and came over to take her pulse.
Coming together from her jumbled thoughts, she heard the call and reached out to grasp the hand on her cheek, reassuringly saying, "It's nothing, I was just lost in thought and didn't notice."
Xuanming stopped beside the two of them. Jiang Xi worriedly gave up his seat. Only after Xuanming confirmed that everything was alright and that he had just been overthinking things did he feel relieved.
The Heart-Sharing Gu could only relieve his pain, but it couldn't relieve Aji's worries and troubles. Jiang Xi pursed her lips, feeling once again that it was useless.
Shang Yuji had no idea that the Tongxin Gu, which was powerful enough to stir up conflict in the martial arts world, was occasionally considered useless by Jiang Xi.
His nervousness hadn't subsided, so Shang Yuji gave him something to do to distract him: "Qiushui, go ask your aunt what Aunt Yue usually dresses like. Wear it for me to see."
He responded, but hesitated. Shang Yuji smiled and said, "I'm really fine, go ahead."
"……good."
Before the emperor falls ill, they must obtain A-Yue's belongings before Prince Qi does.
The alliance between the Second Prince and Prince Qi was not entirely solid; at least the Second Prince was unaware of A Yue's existence or the man in black from last night.
King Qi was hiding something, and although we don't know what he was hiding, their intervention in getting what he wanted ahead of time was a blow to him.
Unfortunately, the same things he wanted were also what they wanted; it was a matter of who had the best resources.
As for having Jiang Xi dress up as A Yue... Hui Gu said that Jiang Xi looks very much like A Yue. If some makeup is added, the resemblance can be increased from seven parts to nine parts, making her look just like A Yue.
He resembles an old friend, and is indeed the son of an old friend.
The fate of the stand-in literature remains to be seen; it's uncertain whether it can deceive Madam Jiang, who harbors some feelings for A-Yue.
However, the Jiang residence has spies from Prince Qi, who have even investigated her sending of the visiting card. Therefore, it would be best to sneak into the Jiang residence at night to avoid the spies discovering their conversation with Madam Jiang. Fortunately, the spies are not as sensitive to the presence of strangers as experts, so she doesn't need to use a concealment gu this time.
As for the person to whom Madam Jiang said the belongings belonged... well, let's take a gamble. She'll bet that the belongings actually belonged to Jiang Xiqu.
Those connected to A-Yue are nothing more than old friends and relatives. If Hui-Gu and A-Cuo don't work, then try A-Yue's child, Jiangxi. If that doesn't work either, then it goes without saying that Qi-Wang's side is also out of the question.
Never mind, God help me, quickly trigger the "wish fulfillment" buff on her! She designated Jiang Xi as the recipient of the relic!
"Oh God, I acknowledge your authority," Shang Yuji said softly as she collapsed.
It really was Jiangxi.
"Ah Yue?" The woman approached excitedly, scrutinized her closely, and then looked away after realizing it wasn't Ah Yue. "It's Xi Qu. Are you two here for the keepsake?"
His hair was half-tied up at the back of his head, with several long braids hanging down in front of him. He wore a dark blue-purple ceremonial robe, and to conceal his identity, he had removed all the silver bells and ornaments from his body to avoid making any noise. Hearing Madam Jiang's question, he lowered his head in confusion and looked at Aji.
"Yes," Shang Yuji replied.
"Come with me."
She seemed unwilling to talk to them much and walked ahead in silence.
The light from the wall lamp illuminated the faint path ahead. The rain stopped around 3 PM. After a spring rain, everything was damp, even the air was humid.
A few chirps of insects, the rustling of treetops, and the creaking of wooden planks underfoot created a stillness in the Jiang residence at night.
When they encountered the servant on duty, Madam Jiang stepped forward and sent him away. Only then did the two people hiding behind the corner emerge and continue to follow her.
The woman in front of us, Madam Jiang, was rather thin. The wrinkles around her eyes were the marks of time. She seemed to dislike smiling or speaking; her brow was furrowed, and the corners of her mouth were always downturned…
Shang Yuji didn't have a deep impression of her. Although she was Master Jiang's second wife, she had little presence in the mansion. Occasionally, it would make people feel as if there was another mistress in the mansion.
She and Jiang Xi had only met her a few times when they were still at the Jiang residence.
Under the illumination of the wall lamps, the surrounding environment appeared even more dilapidated. After passing the artificial hill and pavilion, and stepping onto the wooden corridor, one could see that not only were there no guards on duty, but there were also no wall lamps for illumination. With the help of the dim moonlight, one could barely see the path ahead.
Because she was so familiar with her surroundings, the unclear road ahead did not slow her pace—this was the road to Hongyun Garden.
The three stopped in front of the dilapidated gate of Hongyun Garden, and Madam Jiang pushed the door open and entered.
A piercing creak suddenly rang out, momentarily drowning out the soft rustling sounds.
After they left the Jiang residence, the uninhabited Hongyun Garden became desolate. The ground was uneven and overgrown with weeds. Hongyun Garden, which had not been cleaned up, remained in the state of being badly damaged before they left. Tables, chairs, wardrobes, and beds were scattered all over the place, covered with a thick layer of dust, and their original colors were no longer visible.
A few rays of moonlight shone into the room through the wooden window with its paper paper falling off. Madam Jiang stood in the narrow space and pointed to the central beam, saying, "Inside that piece of wood, she said that when you come to get it, you will naturally know how to take it down."
Shang Yuji looked up at that beam... During their year at Hongyun Garden, they had glanced at it countless times, yet they had ignored it as if it were nothing. Now, a year later, upon their return, they discovered that this relic, which was intertwined with the changes in the imperial court and the turmoil of the martial world, had long been placed before them.
Overwhelmed by a jumble of emotions, she released his fingers, which she had been holding since entering the garden, and turned to him, saying, "Go."
Jiang Xi quickly grabbed her loosened hand, and after hearing her words, squeezed it twice more before letting go. Using the wooden planks of the bed and the top of the wardrobe for leverage, she climbed onto the central beam.
He was fiddling with it when Shang Yuji tilted her head and asked, "What if he doesn't know how to take it off?"
"Of course you can't take it away." Madam Jiang chuckled softly, turning to look at her. "I remember you. You're Xiao Shang, aren't you? When no one else wanted to serve Xi Qu, you were the one who volunteered to come to Hongyun Garden to be his maid."
After secretly checking that her disguise was still intact, Shang Yuji asked in confusion, "How did Madam see through it?"
"Hehe... In the past, you were the only one who was willing to get close to him, and you are probably the only one who has stayed with him without complaining until now." Madam Jiang continued, "They say that you offended the Princess and were punished, and that he offended the Princess in order to keep you. I don't believe it. You are a smart maid and would not do such a stupid thing."
"May I ask you a few more questions, Madam?"
"Whatever." It had been a long time since she had spoken so casually with anyone; perhaps it stirred up some emotions within her.
"How did you recognize Xi Qu, Madam?"
"Hmm... Sister Yue did something to me. I can sense her whenever I get close to her." So after she met "Jiang Xiqu" at the Princess's residence once and found out it wasn't the real person, she stopped worrying about it.
"Then what does Madam mean by saying that if the belongings cannot be retrieved, they will not be taken?"
"Literally, let it rot here and become something that doesn't exist."
"So, when the young master and I left the manor, was it for this reason that Madam concealed the matter? Then why bring us here now?"
“…That’s really perceptive.” Madam Jiang lowered her lips and calmly explained, “Because Sister Yue said that if Xi Qu doesn’t mention it, then we won’t give it to him. We’ll tell him when he wants it.”
“Sometimes being ignorant is a kind of happiness, isn’t it? He didn’t know the secrets involved in the relics, so he didn’t have to bear the truth behind them and could just be an ordinary, carefree person. But he found out, and not only did he find out, he also came back to take the relics. This is the path he chose, and I won’t stop him.”
Shang Yuji said in a deep voice, "If he doesn't come..."
Madam Jiang continued, "Then let Sister Yue's secret be hidden forever, becoming a secret unknown to anyone, and buried in history with the passage of time."
Her words reminded Shang Yuji of the speculation that "the relics were eventually forgotten and disappeared without a trace" when she took Senior Yi to visit Aunt Hui.
If Jiang Xiqu leaves the Jiang family mansion and the capital with her, finds a peaceful place to live, doesn't get involved in the power struggle between the eldest princess and the second prince, nor does she concern herself with the love and hatred of passing martial arts figures, and simply lives as an ordinary citizen, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, then these secrets that could stir up bloodshed will naturally stay far away from them. Jiang Xiqu will never know her origins, and the secret treasure belonging to A-Yue, hidden in the Jiang family mansion in the capital, will remain unclaimed and eventually be lost to the river of time.
...such an ending is not impossible.
After saying so much, Shang Yuji still had one more question to ask: "Madam, could you tell me what kind of person Xi Qu's mother you know is?"
The person opposite was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I don't know."
"?!" Shang Yuji was taken aback.
Madam Jiang shook her head: "If you are referring to the Sister Yue you know, then I really don't know. In Sister Yue's words, as long as you don't know her background, even if she were captured, she would never be able to reveal her past."
"Aside from what I don't know... she is my eldest sister-in-law."
Shang Yuji exclaimed in surprise: "!"
“Jiang Moliu, my elder brother, and she, is my elder brother’s wife.” As if lost in memories, she began to recount, “We were just a down-on-his-luck gentry family in Hebei Province. My elder brother was born weak and needed many herbs to keep him alive. In order to treat his illness, our family’s already tight finances became even more difficult.”
"One day, my brother told me that he had a girl he liked, but unfortunately he was weak and his family was poor, so he dared not tell her his feelings. Through my brother, I met Sister Yue a few times. She was such a beautiful and interesting person that anyone would like her."
"Later, the two fell in love, and that angelic woman became my sister-in-law."
"Unfortunately, my brother's body couldn't hold on any longer. Sister Yue said she had a way to try and then left. But my brother's condition was too bad, and he only managed to hold on until Sister Yue returned before passing away. Sister Yue couldn't save my brother. After my brother was buried, he said he would come to the capital in disguise."
“I gave her some advice. Jiang Jinfu’s ex-wife is dead. I went into the Jiang family mansion and asked him to bring Sister Yue into the mansion with me. Originally, she was supposed to be my elder sister, but it turned out that she became Jiang Jinfu’s concubine. But it doesn’t matter. We’ve arrived in the capital.”
Having finally found someone to share her long-buried memories, Madam Jiang murmured, her expression softening as she spoke, unlike her initial coldness.
Shang Yuji looked up at Jiang Xiqu on the beam. In the hazy moonlight, only a vague outline could be seen. She asked softly, "Xiqu, is he your brother's and Aunt Yue's child?"
"Of course, why do you ask such a question, little merchant?"
"Then why was he so thin and weak when I first saw him, even worse off than a beggar?"
Thin and bony, dressed in rags, unable to speak, crawling on all fours, like a mentally challenged child.
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