A soft laugh escaped her ears, and Song Yansi appeared in front of her, reaching out to pull her off the bed and casually stuffing a soft pillow behind her back. "Yeah, you should be the one to bring me bad luck."
After not seeing her for a long time, Jiang Yuan had lost a lot of weight. Her big eyes shone brightly in the night. Song Yansi couldn't help but reach out and touch her face. Her once round chin was now so sharp it was almost painful.
Jiang Yuan tilted her head, avoiding his touch, her voice weary, "Why?"
"Why what?" Song Yanji didn't try to hide anything, looking like he had something to ask.
"What do I have that you would want from me?" Jiang Yuan looked him straight in the eye and said, "My father has no real power, and my brother and brother-in-law are all mediocre." In this life, without her father who held military power and without her infatuated love, what else did Jiang Yuan have that would make Song Yansi plot against her like this?
Touching the tip of his nose, Song Yansi's expression was inscrutable. "These things are better for me if I have them, but it doesn't matter if I don't."
Jiang Yuan scoffed inwardly, her eyes displaying a half-smile. Meeting her probing gaze, Song Yanji also abandoned his usual gentleness, revealing the expression Jiang Yuan was most familiar with from her past life—a contemptuous look, a contempt that emanated from within.
“I knew it the first time you saved me.” Ignoring Jiang Yuan’s expression, Song Yansi’s slender fingers traced the back of her hand. “Such a decisive, ruthless, and astute woman is like a pearl in the East China Sea. How can she be buried in the inner quarters like those fish eyes?”
"Does marrying you mean I'll no longer be confined to the inner quarters?" Jiang Yuan's voice was filled with sarcasm.
“Of course not.” Song Yansi exuded a pleasant scent of rice wine. He brought his lips close to Jiang Yuan’s ear, and although she couldn’t see his expression, his voice was full of seduction. “I need to find someone intelligent to stand shoulder to shoulder with me.”
Jiang Yuan reached out and pushed him away. Song Yanji's nose was just above her eyelashes. She raised her head slightly, as if trying to look into his heart through her eyes. Song Yanji did not flinch and just let her look at him.
"When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away." He looked so much like Song Yanji, who held great power. Jiang Yuan didn't know why, but these words almost came out without thinking. "If there really was someone who could rival you, would you have let that person go?"
Just as she finished speaking and was about to lower her eyes, Song Yanji grabbed her chin, forcing Jiang Yuan to meet his gaze. His lips were thin, and his words were full of suspicion and defensiveness, "I'm just a mere third-rank lieutenant. I don't understand what Miss Jiang is saying at all. It's Miss Jiang who's been so wary of me from the very beginning."
Jiang Yuan's heart trembled slightly, and she instantly realized she had said the wrong thing. She could only try to make amends, "I just felt that you think too highly of me..."
Before she could finish speaking, her neck was gripped tightly. Jiang Yuan stared at Song Yansi in disbelief, desperately trying to pry open the restraint on her neck, but the hand was as unyielding as a rock. Song Yansi just watched her silently, his fingers tightening little by little. Jiang Yuan was like a dying fish, her mouth agape but unable to utter a sound. After a long while, she managed to squeeze out three broken words from her throat, "Song Yansi!"
The sound was so faint it was almost inaudible. Just when Jiang Yuan thought she was going to die again, her throat was suddenly released, and a large amount of air rushed into her nostrils. Jiang Yuan quickly clutched her chest and leaned over the bed, gasping for air. Her originally flushed face gradually turned pale. Jiang Yuan's lips were pale, and her eyes were filled with tears from the previous struggle. She pointed at Song Yanji incredulously and said, "You want to kill me?"
“If I hadn’t heard what you said earlier, I might have just thought that Miss was dissatisfied with me. Now, I’m afraid you have no choice but to marry me. Besides, what’s wrong with being with me? Lord Jiang is old and can’t support the Jiang family forever. If you don’t believe me, you can try.” Song Yanji stroked the finger marks left on Jiang Yuan’s neck, seemingly realizing that he had been too harsh. But with each movement, Jiang Yuan’s heart grew colder. Song Yanji still maintained the demeanor of a gentle young master. “But when the time comes, even if you kneel and beg me to marry you, I might not agree.”
His tone carried a hint of threat. In their more than a decade of close companionship, Jiang Yuan had witnessed Song Yansi's gentle aloofness, experienced his respect and hatred, but never had he ever threatened her. He was always a man of his word; if he couldn't have something, he would destroy it. Threats were something his pride would never stoop to. But this time, Jiang Yuan knew that Song Yansi was giving her a chance.
Seeing that Jiang Yuan remained silent, Song Yansi's eyes flickered slightly. "How about we make a deal? You marry me, and I'll grant you a request. What do you say?"
Jiang Yuan lay on the bed, looking up at Song Yansi, her mind in turmoil. Her wariness and rejection of him had piqued his interest. He was a man who wanted to control everything, and the more incomprehensible something was, the more he wanted to peel back its layers. Jiang Yuan didn't know what Song Yansi was planning, or what he wanted to gain from her. But given her current situation, she was given two choices: marry or die. And this promise was undoubtedly a tremendous temptation for Jiang Yuan.
Song Yanji's fate was sealed. Such a patient and powerful man, unless he died, that position was only a matter of time for him. Her life wouldn't be easy after offending Song Yanji. If she were to return to Song Yanji's side… Jiang Yuan bit her lip slightly. She had placed a pair of eyes beside him; as long as she was cautious in everything she did and persuaded her father not to provoke him again, perhaps she could preserve the Jiang family's prosperity for generations—it wouldn't be a bad strategy.
Jiang Yuan pondered the pros and cons repeatedly, but Song Yanji was not in a hurry. He got up, poured a cup of tea, and didn't forget to hand one to her as well.
"Anything is fine?" Jiang Yuan asked, taking the teacup.
“As long as it’s not that excessive.” Song Yanji’s wording about “excessive” was vague, but Jiang Yuan knew exactly what it meant.
This was Song Yansi's bottom line for her. The die was cast, and Jiang Yuan decided to take another gamble. "No matter what, you must ensure the safety of my whole family and not harm them in the slightest."
The person in front of him spoke with utmost seriousness. He paused slightly, then nodded and said, "Okay."
Song Yansi looked at Jiang Yuan's hand raised in mid-air, which shimmered with a pearly halo under the candlelight. He reached out and tapped her hand three times. After the last tap, he directly grasped Jiang Yuan's fingertips, but his brows furrowed. "Too thin."
"A true man keeps his word." Jiang Yuan quickly pulled his finger out and rubbed it behind his back without leaving a trace.
"Oh, right." Seeing him about to leave, Jiang Yuan suddenly remembered something and grabbed Song Yansi's sleeve. Seeing him turn his head in confusion, she asked, "Did you do something about Feng Xiuyuan and the Princess of Qingping?"
He seemed to have heard something amusing, his eyes softening with amusement. "A handsome man and a beautiful woman, neither is at a disadvantage." As if seeing through Jiang Yuan's thoughts, he turned and sat on the edge of the bed, a light, misty veil draped behind him. Song Yansi helped Jiang Yuan lie down, tucking the blanket around her, and chuckled, "There are only a handful of eligible young men from prominent families in Lin'an. Although Qingping only has one, there are plenty of young ladies from the Li and Wang families."
Jiang Yuan shivered under the covers, half-closing her eyes to cover her lips, then turned over and stopped looking at him. "I'm sleepy."
This was clearly a way of getting rid of her, but Song Yanji didn't mind her little actions. Before leaving, he even extinguished the candles on the table for her.
The room fell silent instantly, as if nothing had happened. Jiang Yuan heard her own breathing rise and fall. She pressed her chest, her heart pounding in her chest.
With Jiang Yuan relieved, Song Yanji also felt relieved. As soon as he entered the inner courtyard of the mansion, he saw the candlelight flickering inside. He sighed inwardly, thinking that Mu Qie was the only person who would be in his room at this hour.
As soon as the door opened, Mu Qie jumped out from behind the screen, a playful look on his face. "Zhong Li, you're finally back. How did things go?"
What do you think?
"That's definitely going to work! Young Master Song is as handsome as jade; winning over a young lady like him is a piece of cake!" Mu Qie guessed pretty accurately from his appearance, and secretly praised himself as he chattered on, "You have no idea how much effort I put into this. From the Feng residence to Qingfeng Tower, I laid a whole line. Even if he manages to evade it along the way, I have a backup plan in the tower! Hehe!"
Chapter 15 Miss Gu
Seeing him boasting so enthusiastically, becoming more and more exaggerated, Song Yanji quickly interrupted him, "You're not here to take credit for me, are you?"
"Oh dear, look, I forgot to mention the important matter." Mu Qie patted his head, only realizing he hadn't mentioned something important when Song Yansi asked. "Something happened in Huaizhou."
The news came tonight. Mu Qie was stunned for a long time when he saw it. He felt that he should inform Song Yansi in advance, so he quietly came to the Song residence. He cleared his throat, looked at Song Yansi's face, and then continued, "The Gu family got the selection certificate, and Si Jun ran away!"
Mu Jie believed he understood Gu Sijun better than Song Yanji and Fu Zhengyan, so when he heard that Yanji was interested in Jiang Yuan, he almost wholeheartedly supported it, offering advice and support. Although Gu Sijun was already engaged to Song Yanji, Mu Jie was quite disgusted by her. He had unintentionally witnessed Gu Sijun's methods once or twice, and there were some things he couldn't say to Song Yanji, but he also deeply felt that any woman in this world was far better than Gu Sijun.
"She's come to Lin'an?"
“I don’t know. Once we leave Huaizhou, your spies are better than mine.” Mu Qie felt that, given Gu Sijun’s personality, she was most likely going to Lin’an. “You should prepare early and see how to comfort Sister Gu.”
After glancing at Song Yansi, Mu Qie ultimately swallowed the words "Take care of yourself" back down his throat.
The days passed in an orderly fashion. In March, the emperor held a grand selection of concubines. Since the date could not be chosen, Jiang Yuan's wedding date was set for the eighth day of the fourth month, which was only two months away. It was a bit too rushed, but the date was set by Song Yansi. He said that he had consulted a high monk and found that the eighth day of the fourth month was an extremely auspicious day. If they missed it, they would have to wait until next year.
Jiang Yuan didn't care, but Madam Jiang was unhappy when she heard it. There were too many things that could happen in a year, and Song Yanji was at the prime of his life. If he were to be bewitched by some vixen in the next year, who knew how much effort it would take for her daughter to clean up the mess later? So she discussed it with Jiang Zhongsi and decided that two months later would be fine.
With the wedding date set, Jiang Yuan was completely confined to the mansion. Madam Jiang wished she could teach Jiang Yuan all her skills in managing the household. Although Jiang Yuan was well aware of her mother's methods, she still took it all seriously and made rapid progress, which amazed Madam Jiang, who praised her as a natural-born matriarch.
That day, Jiang Yuan was idly cutting out flower patterns with Luo Nuan when Bi Fan rushed in, covered in sweat, "Miss, something terrible has happened! A vixen has come to the manor!"
Jiang Yuan exchanged a glance with Luo Nuan, then pushed the teacup on the table away. "Who taught you to say such things? It's rare that you're not saying a word today, but when you do, it's all unpleasant to hear."
"Oh dear, Miss, I know I was wrong!" Bi Fan looked furious. "Please listen to me first. That fox... girl was at the Jiang residence this morning without making a sound. The madam and master didn't dare tell you, Miss. It was only because that brat Ping An let it slip that I found out!"
Seeing that Bi Fan's story was quite detailed and convincing, Jiang Yuan suddenly thought of someone and asked, "Do you know what that woman's name is?"
"It seems his surname is Gu, but I don't know his name. Ping An didn't say either." Thinking of Ping An, Bi Fan was furious. "That little brat, he even dared to keep it from his sister! He's gone too far!"
As expected, it was her. Jiang Yuan sighed inwardly. "Go to Madam and invite Miss Gu here."
Green tiles and blue walls, a beautiful woman like jade.
Jiang Yuan sat in the pavilion in the courtyard, looking at the woman in front of him. Her skin was as white as snow, her lips as black as lacquer, and she wore a brocade dress of phoenix green and rosy clouds with silver threads outlining auspicious clouds. There was a scholarly air between her brows and eyes, and her black hair was neatly tied up with a jade hairpin. Her whole person was like a lotus flower on the green waves.
This is Gu Sijun at the age of seventeen, the Gu family's young lady who was forced to drown herself in the lake in her previous life.
Gu Sijun stood outside the pavilion, intently watching the bright and clean flowers and plants on the side of her skirt.
Jiang Yuan touched his nose, instantly feeling a pang of tenderness and pity for the beautiful woman before him. If she were a man, no amount of power or ambition could compare to the beauty before him.
Jiang Yuan coughed lightly, breaking the quiet atmosphere, and said with a smile, "May I ask what brings you here, young lady?"
"My daughter is Lieutenant Song's betrothed since childhood." Gu Sijun didn't want to exchange pleasantries with Jiang Yuan and went straight to the point. This directness surprised Jiang Yuan for a moment.
“I have never heard Lord Song mention this matter before.” Jiang Yuan directly brought up Song Yansi. “What use is it for you to come to me, young lady?”
"Miss Jiang, don't you think it's shameful to steal someone else's husband?" Gu Sijun stared directly at Jiang Yuan. She and Song Yansi were childhood sweethearts. He wanted to make a name for himself, so she waited for him. Four years passed, but what she got in return was news that he was getting married. She kept it a secret from her parents and spent a month or so to get to Lin'an. However, instead of looking for Song Yansi first, she came to Jiang Yuan to ask him what was going on.
To be fair, Gu Sijun was indeed a tough woman. Jiang Yuan must have owed her something in her past life, but in the end, she got her comeuppance. When she committed suicide, Gu Sijun was already married with many children and living a much better life than her.
"It was Lord Song who proposed to me before the Emperor. I knew nothing about Lord Song before, so I naturally didn't know he was engaged." This time, Jiang Yuan dared not provoke her again, fearing that she might try to commit suicide again. So she simply went all the way and pushed all the blame onto Song Yanji.
"You're lying, Zhong Li isn't that kind of person!" Gu Sijun frowned and accused.
"How can you speak like that?" While her young mistress could hold back, Bi Fan couldn't. She immediately jumped out from behind Jiang Yuan and said, "Our Jiang family's young lady is sought after by a hundred families. If it weren't for that Song guy begging the Emperor, would our dignified daughter of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat have married a merchant's son? Bah! He's just trying to make himself look good."
Bi Fan spoke with great passion, and Jiang Yuan couldn't help but applaud inwardly: Bi Fan! Miss didn't raise you for nothing! Thinking this, she even gave him an appreciative look, but this praise turned into: Don't say anymore, forget it.
"Miss, don't look at me like that. Can't you speak up even if you've been wronged?" Bi Fan snorted twice, looking Gu Sijun up and down. "Our young lady fell ill the moment she heard she was to marry that man surnamed Song. Everyone in Lin'an knows about this. If it weren't for the Emperor's decree, do you think we wanted to marry him?!"
Gu Sijun was speechless after being choked by Bi Fan's words. Jiang Yuan was also afraid that something might happen to her in her own residence, so she quickly stopped Bi Fan, who was about to continue scolding, and gently wiped the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. "Bi Fan, some things are better left unsaid."
This statement was her way of making her stance clear: she knew nothing about the marriage; it was all orchestrated by Song Yansi, and she didn't want to marry him! If anyone wanted to scold him, they should do so; she was also a victim.
Jiang Yuan, holding a handkerchief, secretly peeked at Gu Sijun through her fingers. Gu Sijun's face was as white as rice paper.
"I don't believe it, you're lying to me! I'm going to find Zhong Li and ask him clearly." Gu Sijun's eyes were brimming with tears, and her lower lip was bitten until it was bloodless. With resentment and grievance, she gave a slight bow and turned to leave Chunnuan Pavilion. Jiang Yuan watched her figure and clicked his tongue. How wonderful it would be if she could stay away from Song Yansi!
"You still have the mood to sleep." That night, an uninvited guest arrived in Jiang Yuan's boudoir. Ignoring his voice, Jiang Yuan continued to keep her eyes closed and remained silent.
"What, still want to keep sleeping?" A warm sensation brushed against her earlobe. Song Yansi's voice carried a slight hint of displeasure. Jiang Yuan's long eyelashes trembled slightly, but her eyes remained tightly closed.
"Then don't blame me for being impolite." With a chill, Jiang Yuan opened her eyes wide in terror under Song Yansi's gaze. The blanket had been thrown to the ground by Song Yansi at some point.
Jiang Yuan was wearing a light-colored undergarment. The girl's figure was still developing, but she already had a shapely figure. She quickly hugged the pillow to her chest to cover her heaving breasts and glared at the calm man in front of her. "What's wrong with you in the middle of the night!"
Unmoved, Song Yanji walked directly over the sleeping Zhu Chuan on the footrest, and with a flick of his hem, sat down at Jiang Yuan's feet. Jiang Yuan quickly shrank back, but Song Yanji pressed him down and pulled him back.
"Let me go!" Jiang Yuan struggled with all her might, but still couldn't break free. In the end, she had no choice but to give up and asked in an unfriendly tone, "It's getting late, what are you doing here?"
"I heard someone saw my fiancée during the day and came to inquire about the situation." Song Yansi lightly tapped Jiang Yuan's nose.
"You already know everything perfectly well, so why are you asking me?" Jiang Yuan was somewhat frustrated. These past few days, she had really been trying to see through Song Yansi's spies, but to no avail.
As if he had read Jiang Yuan's mind, Song Yansi smiled like an old fox, "I advise you not to waste your time."
Jiang Yuan glanced at him, a smile playing on her lips. "I didn't know you were engaged. Miss Gu's pitiful appearance made my heart ache, but..." Jiang Yuan deliberately hit Song Yansi's sore spot, "You'd better clean yourself up. As the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family, I cannot tolerate my husband taking a concubine the moment I enter the door."
Sure enough, when Gu Sijun was mentioned, Song Yanji's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. This small detail naturally did not escape Jiang Yuan's eyes. She yawned, pointed to the quilt on the ground, and gestured for Song Yanji to pick it up for her. "Miss Gu dared to come to see me, so she must be a strong-willed person. The strong are easily broken."
Thinking of Gu Sijun, who was driven to suicide by her in her past life, Jiang Yuan felt it was necessary to remind Song Yansi of a few things. However, before she could speak, Song Yansi spoke first.
"I told her." Song Yansi casually tossed the quilt on the ground onto Zhu Chuan, then turned to the chests and trunks to pick out a new bed for Jiang Yuan, his movements as practiced as if this were his own room.
Although she was mentally prepared, Jiang Yuan still couldn't help but feel shocked. This was her boudoir, yet Song Yanji knew everything about it. In her past life, how big of a heart must she have been to think she could fight against him?
Chapter 16 Ten Miles of Red Makeup
Song Yansi seemed to realize that he had done it too easily. Meeting Jiang Yuan's shocked gaze, he smiled apologetically at her and easily placed the thick quilt in his arms. "It's freshly aired."
What is this? A provocation? Jiang Yuan felt a little embarrassed and quickly snatched the blanket from his arms. A scent of sunshine wafted over her. Jiang Yuan huddled under the blanket, leaning against the corner of the wall to create some distance between herself and Song Yansi.
She didn't want to talk about how Song Yansi knew so much about her private affairs, since he wouldn't say anyway, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "What did you say?" Could he be trying to pin all the blame on her again?
“I’ll say it,” Song Yansi leaned forward, and Jiang Yuan couldn’t understand his thoughts, “I fell in love with Miss Jiang at first sight.”
Heh, Jiang Yuan forced a smile, but in his heart he was full of contempt. If his childhood sweetheart was like this, what about others? But he said, "I see, I see. I wonder how Miss Gu is doing now."
Could she have drowned herself again? Jiang Yuan thought about it, but then felt that this time it really had nothing to do with her. Even if she did die, she should be looking for Song Yansi as a ghost.
“It’s acceptable.” Song Yansi recalled Gu Sijun’s resentful gaze and shook his head. “However, the Gu family has a document regarding the selection in March.”
"Huh?! What?!" Jiang Yuan was stunned for a moment before she reacted. Her eyes seemed to glare at Song Yanji. How could there be a document? The Gu family was from a small county. How could they be qualified for selection?