Chapter 6: My Brother's Observation Diary
After saying goodbye to her father, the prime minister who only wanted to stuff money into his daughter's pockets, Jiang Mianmian followed behind Shen Jin with her sleeves full of silver notes, her feelings quite complicated.
On the one hand, the joy of sudden wealth made her want to rush out of the mansion and go on a shopping spree; on the other hand, Shen Jin's words about "caring" for Liu Shi forced her to be on high alert.
As the two passed through the hanging flower gate and were about to head towards the backyard, a chilling, biting wind suddenly rose from the ground, swirling up a few withered leaves that flew past in a whirl.
The surrounding temperature seemed to drop ten degrees instantly.
The chirping of birds suddenly stopped, and even the servants passing by instinctively held their breath, lowered their heads, and hurriedly took a detour.
Jiang Mianmian instinctively shuddered, her hair standing on end.
This is a sense of crisis stemming from biological instinct, much like a herbivore being targeted by a top predator.
At the end of the corridor ahead, a tall, gloomy figure appeared out of nowhere.
The man wore a crimson robe, the color of which was as vibrant as blood, yet it only made his face appear even paler and more sinister. He was extremely thin, with deep-set eyes, and his narrow pupils held no emotion, only a stagnant stillness. A strangely shaped short knife was tucked into his waistband; it was a special tool used by the Dali Temple for bone-dissection torture.
Jiang Li.
The eldest son of the Jiang family, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and the second "Living Yama" who is feared by everyone in the capital.
Legend has it that he was sinister and perverse, had a penchant for dissecting corpses, and used extremely cruel interrogation methods. No one who fell into his hands ever came out unscathed.
The moment Jiang Mianmian saw this cheap older brother, her legs started to cramp.
[Holy crap! It's Jiang Li! It's that perverted older brother!]
[Oh no, I've run into the boss! This guy's a torture expert from the Dali Temple, his eyes are sharper than an X-ray! He knows the original owner's cowardly personality better than anyone. Even though my acting is on point now, some of my subconscious little movements are definitely different!]
Could he have figured out I'm an imposter? That knife at his waist... is he ready to perform a live craniotomy to see if I've had a brain transplant? Help! I'd rather face Aunt Liu's bird's nest attack than this human dissection machine!
Jiang Mianmian turned pale with fright and involuntarily shrank back behind Shen Jin.
Although Shen Jin is also a dangerous person, he is still a human being. Jiang Li, on the other hand, looks like a vengeful ghost that crawled out of hell!
Shen Jin stopped in his tracks, feeling the woman behind him tugging at his sleeve, her small hand trembling slightly.
[You scoundrel, stop me! Use your regent's aura to suppress this monster! If you keep me alive, I'm willing to give you... ten taels of silver! No more!]
Chen Jin's lips twitched slightly.
Ten taels? She had tens of thousands of taels in her pocket, and she only gave him ten taels?
However, upon hearing how terrified she was of Jiang Li, and even how worried she was about being exposed, Shen Jin became intrigued.
He turned slightly to the side, not only failing to block Jiang Mianmian, but deliberately stepping aside to expose her completely to Jiang Li's view.
"Isn't this Jiang Shaoqing?" Shen Jin said calmly. "You don't need to go to the Dali Temple today. Do you have time to come home and visit your family?"
Jiang Mianmian: [Shen Jin, you bastard! You betrayed your teammate! You're sending a little white rabbit into the mouth of a big bad wolf!]
Jiang Li slowly raised her head, her lifeless eyes first glancing at Chen Jin, then landing on Jiang Mianmian with extreme slowness and repression.
That gaze was like a cold blade scraping across skin, scrutinizing and probing.
Jiang Mianmian felt as if she had been stripped naked and placed on an autopsy table.
She braced herself, gave a trembling curtsy, her voice shaking like a leaf: "Brother...brother..."
The air was deathly silent.
Jiang Li didn't speak, but took heavy steps, approaching step by step.
One step, two steps.
Every step felt like stepping on Jiang Mianmian's heart.
[Don't come any closer! I'm calling the police if you do! Oh wait, he's the police chief... Waaah, I'm doomed! Did he realize how professionally I handled splashing Liu's bird's nest earlier? Did he smell the blood of a post-apocalyptic zombie hunter on me?]
[Calm down, Jiang Mianmian, you need to calm down. As long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed. Play dumb, I'm an idiot, I'm sickly...cough cough cough...]
To hide her fear, Jiang Mianmian pretended to cough, her whole body swaying precariously.
Finally, Jiang Li stopped three steps away from her.
He stared at Jiang Mianmian for a long time with a blank expression, and then his pale, unnaturally white hand slowly reached into his bosom.
Jiang Mianmian's pupils dilated.
[Here he comes! He's going to pull out his knife! He's going to attack! Is he going to kill his own family for the greater good? Shen Jin, you dead man, are you just going to watch your wife get killed by your brother-in-law?]
Shen Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingertips twitching, ready to strike at any moment. Although he wanted to watch the show, if Jiang Li really dared to make a move in the Prince's mansion, he would definitely not stand idly by.
However--
What Jiang Li pulled out was not a knife.
Instead, it was a small booklet, about the size of a palm, with a black cover, and a specially made charcoal pencil.
Under Jiang Mianmian's horrified and bewildered gaze, Jiang Li opened the booklet, lowered his head, and began to write something down with focused and fervent concentration.
As he wrote, his lips moved very faintly.
Jiang Mianmian couldn't hear what he was saying, but she felt that he was chanting some kind of vicious curse.
What is he doing? What is he writing? Is it my death sentence? Or is it "Observation Record of Suspect Jiang"? My God, this sense of ritual is too perverse! Writing a diary before committing murder?
However, Shen Jin, standing to the side, clearly heard Jiang Li's fervent, volcanic screams from within, thanks to his mind-reading abilities—
[Ahhh! Mianmian! It's Mianmian! My little sister is still so cute! That "brother" she called melted my heart! Why is she trembling? Oh my god, the way she trembles is just like a frightened little hamster, so adorable! I just want to protect her!]
This is my frail, helpless little sister! Looking at her pale face, I want to offer her the best of everything in the world! Who? Who made her so afraid? Did that bastard Shen Jin bully her? Unforgivable! Unforgivable!
Shen Jin: "..."
His perpetually unchanging icy face finally cracked at this moment.
He glanced at Jiang Li, whose face was gloomy and who exuded murderous aura, and listened to the infatuated thoughts of a lovesick man swirling in his mind.
Isn't this contrast a bit too much?
Is this the legendary... perverted siscon?
While screaming inwardly, Jiang Li quickly scribbled in the booklet:
"On the twelfth day of the twelfth month of the third year of Xuanhe, at noon. Mianmian returned to her parents' home. She was wearing a red cloak and looked like a glutinous rice ball. She trembled when she saw me, her eyes were wet, and she was adorable to five stars. Note: Shen Jin standing next to her is extremely conspicuous. Assassination is recommended (crossed out). Close surveillance is recommended."
After finishing this section, Jiang Li closed the booklet and tucked it back into her bosom.
He raised his head, his deadpan expression returning, and said to Jiang Mianmian in a hoarse, chilling voice:
"You've lost weight."
These three short words carried a chilling, sinister feeling.
Jiang Mianmian almost burst into tears.
[Lost weight? Is this a hint that I'm going to be turned into a specimen? Is it because I'm thinner that my skin is easier to peel? Waaah, I'm not thin, I'm actually quite fat, I'm all fat, I don't taste good!]
"Thank you so much for your concern, brother..." Jiang Mianmian stammered, "The food at the Prince's residence is quite good..."
Jiang Li's gaze swept coldly over Shen Jin, her eyes instantly turning sharp as knives.
He roared inwardly: "Good food my ass! Mianmian's face is so pale, she's definitely been abused! That bastard Shen Jin, not only does he look like a womanizer, he definitely doesn't feed Mianmian! Daring to starve my sister, the 108 cruel tortures of the Dali Temple are waiting for you!"
On the surface, Jiang Li merely gave a sinister twitch at the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace:
"Your Highness, the Dali Temple has recently developed several new instruments of torture. I've heard that Your Highness is also knowledgeable in the art of interrogation. If you have some free time another day, you might as well go to the Dali Temple... and exchange some ideas."
This is a blatant threat.
It means: If you dare to bully my sister, I'll let you taste the new torture device.
Jiang Mianmian felt a chill run down her spine.
[Oh no, this is terrible! They're at each other's throats! When gods fight, mortals suffer. One is the Regent, the other the Minister of Justice. If they fight, will the Jiang family still be able to survive? Should I take advantage of the chaos and run away?]
Looking at Jiang Li's protective demeanor, Shen Jin felt a strange sense of superiority rising within him.
Only I in the whole world know that you are a perverted siscon.
This feeling of being the only one sober while everyone else is drunk is really quite nice.
“No problem.” Shen Jin smiled faintly, his eyes glancing casually at the spot on Jiang Li’s chest where the diary was kept. “I am also quite interested in Jiang Shaoqing’s… ‘recording habits’.”
Jiang Li's pupils suddenly contracted.
He discovered it?
Impossible. His "Diary of Observing My Sister" was kept extremely secret; no one knew this secret except himself.
Jiang Li gave Shen Jin a deep look and judged that this man was extremely dangerous.
"Mianmian".
Jiang Li suddenly turned to look at Jiang Mianmian, took out a heavy brocade pouch from his sleeve, and handed it to her.
The brocade pouch was also black, embroidered with unknown runes, and looked like it contained some kind of highly poisonous substance.
Jiang Mianmian stood frozen in place, not daring to accept the answer.
[What is this? Corpse-dissolving powder? Arsenic? Or some kind of Gu worm? Brother, I didn't offend you, you don't need to give me this weapon of mass destruction, do you?]
"Take it." Jiang Li's tone left no room for argument.
Jiang Mianmian tremblingly reached out her hands and took the "hot potato".
“If anyone bullies you…” Jiang Li glanced meaningfully at Shen Jin, her voice low and hoarse, “Open it. What’s inside can save your life.”
Jiang Mianmian's hand trembled, and she almost threw the brocade pouch away.
[To save our lives? So this really is poison? Used to kill each other in a critical moment? Brother, you're too ruthless! Is this the Jiang family's tradition? Always wiping out entire families?]
In reality, Jiang Li's inner thoughts were: 【This is a jar of pine nuts I stayed up all night shelling, a few pieces of milk candy from the Western Regions, and a piece of warm jade. Mianmian has always loved snacks and is afraid of the cold. Putting them in this brocade pouch makes it easy for her to carry with her and eat whenever she's hungry. Ah, I'm such a thoughtful older brother.】
Shen Jin almost burst out laughing when he heard this completely misplaced thought process.
Pine nuts? Milk candy?
To describe snacks as if they were biological weapons, Jiang Li is quite a character.
"Thank you so much, brother." Jiang Mianmian clutched the brocade pouch tightly in her hand, deciding to find a hole to bury it when she got back, and absolutely not to open it, lest she accidentally hurt innocent people.
"Go."
Jiang Li waved her hand, adopting a forlorn posture like a lone wolf, and said, "Don't stay out in the wind, you'll easily catch a cold."
[Waaaa, Mianmian is leaving, I'm so reluctant to let her go. I really want to shrink her down and put her in my pocket to take her to the Dali Temple. But I can't, the Dali Temple has too much yin energy, it would offend her. I'd better let her go back to her room. Watching her back as she walked away, I had a new inspiration, I'm going to write a poem tonight to praise my little sister's back.]
Jiang Mianmian felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She grabbed Shen Jin's sleeve and turned to leave, moving so fast it was as if a ghost was chasing her.
Only after walking quite a distance and turning into the garden did Jiang Mianmian finally let out a long sigh of relief, and her whole body went limp.
"That scared me to death...that scared me to death..."
She patted her chest, still shaken.
[That was terrifying! That look, that tone of voice, and that black brocade pouch! I felt like I just walked through the gates of hell! The Jiang family truly is a den of dragons and tigers; this brother is a million times more terrifying than that stepmother!]
Looking down at her cowardly appearance, Shen Jin finally couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, aren't you going to open it and see what your brother gave you?"
"I won't watch it! Absolutely not!"
Jiang Mianmian shook her head vigorously, "That must be poison! Or some kind of cursed artifact! I'm going to seal it away!"
Shen Jin raised an eyebrow: "What if I say it's a good thing?"
"Your Highness, please don't joke around. What good stuff could that pervert possibly have?" Jiang Mianmian pouted.
He remained calm and composed, only smiling and silent.
Just then, because Jiang Mianmian moved too much, the loosely tied brocade pouch suddenly came undone.
"Rolling around—"
A few plump, round pine nuts and two beautifully packaged milk candies rolled out of the brocade pouch and fell onto the bluestone pavement.
Jiang Mianmian was stunned.
She blinked, looked at the pine cones on the ground, and then at the brocade pouch in her hand.
【Huh? Pine nuts? Candy?】
She crouched down, picked up a pine nut, and smelled it.
It smells very good; it's a roasted, open-mouthed pineapple.
[No poison smell... Is this really a snack? That serial killer Jiang Li gave me a bag of snacks?]
Jiang Mianmian's worldview collapsed.
[This is illogical! Could this be some kind of new poison, the kind that causes you to bleed from all seven orifices but die peacefully?]
Looking at her conflicted little face, Shen Jin finally took pity on her, picked up a piece of milk candy, unwrapped it, and stuffed it directly into Jiang Mianmian's still-muttering little mouth.
"Hmm!"
The rich milky aroma explodes in your mouth instantly, sweet but not cloying, with a comforting taste.
Jiang Mianmian's eyes widened.
Is it really just sugar?
[Delicious! This candy is so good! It's even imported! That perverted older brother... turns out he's a repressed pervert?]
Watching Jiang Mianmian chew the candy with her cheeks bulging, the fear on her face was gradually replaced by the joy of the food, and her calm mood also became pleasant.
The Jiang family is a family where the father is a brainless doting father, the brother is a repressed siscon, and the daughter is a two-faced, lazy bum.
Each one is more of a "surprise" than the last.
"Let's go." Shen Jin patted the icing sugar off his hands in a good mood. "Aren't we going to see my mother-in-law? We'll need some sugar to have the energy to watch the show."
Jiang Mianmian nodded vigorously, her eyes instantly turning sharp.
[That's right! With the sugar replenishment, my fighting spirit is back! Aunt Liu, tremble! I can't wait to admire your face covered in bird's nest again!]
The two walked side by side toward Liu's courtyard, and the cold wind behind them seemed less biting.
Meanwhile, Jiang Li, who was still standing in the same spot, was hiding behind a large tree, holding a small booklet in her hand, and tearfully recording:
"Chen Jin fed Mianmian candy. Although I'm jealous, seeing how happy Mianmian is eating it, I'll forgive him a tiny bit. Sigh, the way my little sister eats candy is like a little squirrel gnawing on a pine cone, so cute! Today's mood: Sunny to partly cloudy to sunny."
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