Chapter 519 Spoiled and Willful Wife VS Cowardly and Fearful Husband 11
Jun Yu lowered his eyes and looked at the water in the copper basin that was gradually cooling down. The water reflected Jiang Zhiyi's reddened ankles.
His throat bobbed slightly. After a moment of silence, he reached out and picked up a neatly folded handkerchief from the side, gently covering the back of her feet to wipe them.
“Our family’s ancestral rules forbid taking concubines.” His voice was still hoarse, but each word was clear, echoing in the quiet room. “My mother would not allow me to do such a thing.”
As the handkerchief brushed against the soles of her feet, Jiang Zhiyi couldn't help but shrink her feet... they felt a little itchy.
"Hmph!" Seeing his calm demeanor and no sign of being fooled, Jiang Zhi couldn't help but snort in annoyance and purse her lips before getting down to business. "My mother has found her a good marriage, saying it's with the second son of the Yang family in the west of the city... I'm too lazy to care. Since she's your cousin, you can go talk to her yourself."
After saying that, she turned her face away and stopped looking at Jun Yu, but her ears perked up involuntarily, waiting for his response.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the scar on Jun Yu's neck, a mark left from being cut by a wooden beam during the firefighting, which had not yet healed.
Junyu released her hand, got up, took a thin blanket from the side, and draped it over her shoulders.
Jiang Zhiyi smelled the faint scent of medicine on his sleeve and then remembered that the doctor had told him to rest. However, he had been dealing with business as usual these days, busy from morning till night, and even took the time to bring her some snacks.
"The second son of the Yang family in the west of the city..." Jun Yu sat down again, his voice softer than before, "He is indeed a gentleman. I remember he was extremely good at poetry and prose..."
He paused, and seeing Jiang Zhiyi raise her eyebrows slightly, he added, "However, since your mother wants you to go, then go. It's not convenient for me to talk to her about this."
Jiang Zhiyi swung her foot, which was wrapped in a silk handkerchief, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Why is it inconvenient? Since you say that the second son of the Yang family is a gentleman, why don't you rush to facilitate this marriage? Could it be that you can't bear to part with your cousin?"
"Nonsense." Jun Yu frowned slightly.
Although his tone was stern, it did not show anger; instead, it carried a hint of indulgence.
Seeing his calm expression and complete lack of response, Jiang Zhiyi couldn't help but speak up again: "Let me tell you, I actually went to see Li Rou'er today, but she insisted on not marrying me. I talked until my lips were sore, but it was no use."
Upon hearing this, Jun Yu's eyes sharpened. "Why? Have you found out the reason?"
Jiang Zhiyi suddenly leaned closer, almost touching his face, the fragrance of her hair lingering around his nose, "Because she loves you!"
Having said that, she straightened up, deliberately drawing out her words, mimicking Li Rou'er's coquettish tone, "Brother Yu..."
Then, she looked at him with a half-smile, "Do you enjoy hearing others call you that? Why don't you let everyone in the manor call you 'Brother Yu'? You'd probably be very happy then..."
Jun Yu was well aware that Jiang Zhiyi was deliberately teasing him, and he was both angry and amused. "It seems I didn't hit you hard enough just now. You don't learn your lesson?"
Jiang Zhiyi immediately pulled her foot back to prevent him from hitting her again.
Junyu noticed that she dodged quite quickly.
Even though she knew that saying these things would make him angry, she still liked to deliberately provoke him every time.
He repeated, "From now on, do not confuse me with her... Now that we are husband and wife, I will not have anyone else."
...
Half a month later, Jiang Zhiyi was enjoying the cool air in the backyard when she suddenly heard a commotion coming from the front yard.
Feeling bored, she took her maid and went to see what was going on.
As soon as I got there, I saw a maid kneeling on the bluestone slab, her hair disheveled, and blood-soaked strips of cloth wrapped around her wrist, clearly indicating that she had just been injured.
That maid was Xia Guo from the manor, who was usually responsible for cleaning the storeroom.
"What happened?" Jiang Zhiyi asked as she approached.
The butler, wiping the sweat from his brow, came forward. "Young Madam, this maid has been caught red-handed stealing a jade bracelet from the storeroom!"
Before she could finish speaking, Xia Guo suddenly began to struggle wildly: "I didn't! Someone framed me..."
Her eyes, red and swollen from crying, were filled with terror. She hesitated, looking towards the back of the crowd.
"A frame-up?" the steward's voice rang out. "This is what we found in your bedroom today. Still trying to deny it?"
The servant stepped forward carrying a jewelry box, inside which was the jade bracelet that had gone missing from the storeroom three days prior, worth a fortune.
Steward: "Xia Guo, do you have anything else to say?"
Xia Guo suddenly turned her head sharply, staring intently at Granny Li in the crowd, "Granny Li! Please save me..."
Granny Li looked flustered and quickly lowered her head.
Seeing this, Xia Guo didn't care about anything else, "It's all because of Granny Li, she framed me! She also instigated Chun Tao to steal things!"
These words caused an uproar, and the maids and servants watching immediately erupted in a frenzy.
Granny Li's face turned deathly pale instantly, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to fall.
Jiang Zhiyi paused in her gentle fan-waving motion, her eyebrows slightly raised.
Chun Tao had long been sent to a country estate, and Li Rou'er would go to look after her from time to time. Unexpectedly, there was something strange about her situation.
"Shut up! You wretched girl, stop spouting nonsense! This old servant has served in the Jun family for twenty years, how dare you, a little hussy, try to bite me!" Granny Li tried to remain calm and shouted shrilly.
The steward stepped forward and said, "Granny Li, you'd better explain this to me clearly."
The way she looks now clearly shows that she's anxious.
Xia Guo collapsed to the ground, continuing to sob, "Granny Li is always dishonest, but we dare not say anything. If we show the slightest dissatisfaction, she'll beat and scold us. Chun Tao may sometimes have hysteria, but she's kind-hearted and would never steal. It was Granny Li, she instigated Chun Tao to steal! She lied to Chun Tao, saying she knew the peddler, that the peddler was in trouble and urgently needed money, otherwise his life would be in danger..."
She seemed to remember something else, "Granny Li was punished by the young master before, and she always cursed him! Saying things like, 'Sooner or later I'll teach that heartless, stupid thing a lesson.' Chun Tao's arson that day was probably instigated by Granny Li! She had secretly hidden a tinderbox in the room long ago..."
Suddenly, Granny Li sprang to her feet, staggering as she lunged at Xia Guo, yelling, "You little slut! I'll tear your mouth apart!"
"Take her down!" the manager's shout rang out.
Two burly servants rushed forward and grabbed her.
Just then, Junyu also heard the commotion and came out of his study.
His gaze swept over the restrained Granny Li, then fell on the kneeling Xia Guo, his brows furrowing slightly: "What is the matter?"
Jiang Zhiyi twirled the tassel of the fan with her fingertips, a smile playing at the corners of her eyes: "This old nanny said you're heartless and stupid."
She deliberately dragged out her words, her tone tinged with schadenfreude, as if what Granny Li said was the truth.
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