Jiang Wan wore her hair in a simple bun, her black hair tied up with a plum blossom hairpin.
Simple yet elegant.
Pei Xuan's dark eyes narrowed.
I felt a strange sense of relief and secretly realized I had been overthinking things.
How could he associate a woman as noble and pure as Qingwu, like a secluded orchid in a valley, with Jiang Wan?
Perhaps that jade hairpin... just looks somewhat similar, or perhaps he's mistaken.
Pei Xuan glanced at her, then left with his hands behind his back.
"How inexplicable," Jiang Wan thought to herself.
Song Tingyue was carried back to Cuizhu Hall.
The imperial physicians treated her for three days and barely managed to save her legs.
Although his leg was saved, his right ankle suffered permanent damage, causing him to walk with a slight limp and losing his former noble and dignified demeanor.
Inside the Xingzhi Courtyard, Jiang Wan was pondering this matter.
"There were several soft cushions piled up on the other side of the stage. I guess Song Tingyue wanted to land there, but things happened so suddenly that she didn't have time to get there."
Sitting across from her, Aru peeled an orange and put a segment in her mouth.
"She never expected that Gu Yurong behind her would go crazy and suddenly push her."
"Thanks to you, you put camphor powder in Gu Yurong's wine, causing her to lose her mind."
Jiang Wan smiled faintly.
"Gu Yurong probably still doesn't know what happened, but she knows she's in trouble, otherwise she wouldn't be so guilty as to not dare to look at Song Tingyue."
"She deserved it."
Aru spat out an orange seed and gave a soft snort.
"They actually tried to trick me with something like safflower pills! I wasn't a pushover when I was a courtesan; I can tell just by the smell."
On the very day Gu Yurong and Song Tingyue came to her door, she secretly told Jiang Wan about it.
With Jiang Wan's help, Aru replaced Yanzhi.
Everything that followed was nothing more than a performance put on by the two of them.
Jiang Wan shook her head and chuckled, then asked Biluo to bring out something else.
Aru's eyes lit up, and she happily accepted it: "Thank you, Madam!"
This is the real Nine Treasures Pill.
With it, she had hope for the rest of her life.
"But Madam... are you really not bothered that I will give birth to the General's child?" Aru asked softly, holding the pill. "If..."
If it's a son, he will also inherit a share of the general's estate in the future.
Perhaps, she will even compete with Song Yu and become Jiang Wan's enemy.
Jiang Wanquan lazily nestled on the tatami mat, casually raising her eyes to look at her: "Aru, you're a smart person."
Aru's heart trembled.
Yes, what does she have to fight against Madam Jiang?
Even disregarding Jiang Wan's background, her intelligence and resourcefulness far surpass his own.
She then said that her adopted son, Song Yu, was an extremely terrifying person.
This time, her scheme with Jiang Wan was carried out in private, unknown to others, including Song Yu.
However, he somehow realized that he and Song Tingyue were having an affair.
On the day of the winter solstice, before going to the Moon Gazing Tower, Song Yu warned himself not to do anything harmful to Jiang Wan, and even threatened her with his mother and brother, whom he had settled outside the city.
She kept her mother and brother's affairs very secret, never even mentioning them to Jiang Wan.
She didn't know how Song Yu found out.
Moreover, at that time, the boy's expression was cold, unlike his usual obedient and gentle demeanor.
Aru was truly frightened.
She couldn't help but wonder what kind of monster son she would have to give birth to to be able to fight Song Yu.
Aru sighed.
It's best to just stick with Jiang Wan.
“Madam, the Third Prince has arrived. He just visited Princess Anyang and is now at the door, saying he wishes to see you,” Biluo announced from outside.
Aru got up to say goodbye, but was stopped by Jiang Wan at the door.
"Qingqing".
Jiang Wan called out towards the courtyard.
"Meow."
A snow-white cat came running and pounced straight into Jiang Wan's arms.
Jiang Wan handed Qingqing to Aru and instructed, "Go out through the side door. Leave the cat with you for now, and I'll send someone to pick it up tonight."
Aru, confused, hurriedly left with the cat in her arms.
Pei Xi entered the room, glanced at Jiang Wan, and crossed his arms.
"I came from Sister Anyang's place and stopped by to see you."
"Are you afraid that the Crown Prince will make things difficult for me again?" Jiang Wan nodded and smiled. "Thank you."
Pei Xi pouted: "You should thank me for not telling the truth that day."
Jiang Wan poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of Pei Xi: "I think the Third Prince doesn't want to protect me, he's just a little disappointed."
At the same time on that day at Wangyue Tower.
She met Pei Xuan on the first floor. Shi Xu disguised herself as her and listened to the opera and gave tips at the geisha's place. The person lying in the room was Bi Luo.
When Song Tingyue and the others entered the room, Biluo was dozing off.
Then, taking advantage of Gu Yurong and the others turning away, she ambushed Song Tingyue's maid and escaped through the window with the maid.
Pei Xi witnessed this scene.
He knew Jiang Wan wasn't in the room, and he also saw Song Tingyue with her maid, which was exactly what he wanted to do to frame Jiang Wan.
In the end, Song Tingyue brought it upon herself, falling from the first floor and losing her child.
Pei Xi frowned, realizing his thoughts had been exposed, and downed his tea in one gulp.
"These past few days I've been tossing and turning, but I still can't understand it. To frame you, she... she even abandoned the child in her womb?"
His voice trailed off.
“Even my elder brother was depressed for many days because of this, yet she could be so heartless.”
Feeling distressed, Pei Xi even thought of Jiang Wan.
Although he saw Jiang Wan as a ruthless woman, he always felt inexplicably calm when he was with her.
Pei Xi sat for a while, then prepared to leave.
"The Third Prince."
Jiang Wan suddenly called out to him.
"There are many things to do these days, so you'd better not go to the princes' places, lest you add to the trouble."
Pei Xi didn't understand, but nodded nonchalantly.
Jiang Wan watched his retreating figure, her eyes growing increasingly intense.
“Tell Shi Yin that Pei Feng is just a decoy. Song Tingyue has other allies in the capital. Perhaps she never intended to have this child in the first place…”
"Maybe... we've all been deceived."
Just then, Butterfly suddenly ran in, her face full of surprise.
"Madam, the old lady of the Rokuhein Temple just... went to visit Song Tingyue!"
Song Ziyu's grandmother, the wife of General Song, was Madam He.
Madam He secluded herself to worship Buddha for many years, never caring about the troubles in the inner quarters. She did good deeds and accumulated virtue throughout her life, and the people of the capital called her a Bodhisattva.
Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow, a cold sneer flashing across her face.
Is it truly the heart of a Bodhisattva, or a wolf in sheep's clothing?
It seems... someone is finally about to get restless.
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