The Jiang grandmother and granddaughter walked around the large mica and sandalwood screen, only to see four maids—Shu Ran, Xiao Juan, Ling Qing, and Xue Ning—standing at the bedroom door with their hands respectfully at their sides. Hua Shan led the two of them inside, where Xianglan was sitting upright on the bed. Her phoenix hairpins were half-removed, and a few Longevity hairpins adorned her bun. She wore a lotus-root-colored gauze blouse with green-gold and emerald embroidery of the Eight Treasures, paired with a light golden cloud-patterned dark green skirt. She did not appear as someone lying ill in bed, weak and listless.
As soon as Jiang Xiyun entered the room, she was struck by the strong smell of medicine and couldn’t help but frown. Upon seeing the two of them enter, Xianglan made to rise, but Hua Shan hurried over to support her. Mother Jiang said, “Don’t trouble yourself, don’t trouble yourself. Please, sit.”
Xianglan sat back down and instructed Xiao Juan to serve tea. A light sweat had already formed on her forehead, and Hua Shan quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe it, but Xianglan stopped her, shaking her head. “You may leave. I’d like to speak with Yi Lao Taitai and Fifth Miss Jiang.” Hua Shan then withdrew with Xiao Juan.
The room fell silent. Xianglan first glanced at Mother Jiang, then turned her gaze to Jiang Xiyun. The girl was indeed exceptionally beautiful—her skin as white as snow, her dark hair like clouds, with a few strands loose at her temples. Her face resembled a flower bud, and her eyes, red from crying earlier, only added to her pitiable charm.
Jiang Xiyun, in turn, scrutinized Xianglan closely. Her face was free of makeup, looking haggard and pale, with a sickly sallow tinge to her cheeks and a faint bluish hue. Yet her eyes seemed all the more strikingly bright, and her lips, devoid of any color, were pressed tightly together. On either side of her were placed Headrests and other items like an ornate python robe and embroidered pile in autumn fragrance colors, but she did not lean against them.
Mother Jiang closed her eyes and remained silent. After observing Xianglan for a while, Jiang Xiyun said quietly, “I wonder why Sister Xianglan has invited us grandmother and granddaughter here? How is your health? Have you taken your medicine?”
Xianglan replied indifferently, “Fifth Miss Jiang, have some tea first. You’ve been crying for so long outside—you must be thirsty. It’s truly remarkable how you can turn your tears on and off so effortlessly.”
Mother Jiang abruptly opened her eyes. Jiang Xiyun detected the sarcasm in her words but showed no anger. Instead, she picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, saying, “Dragon Well tea from before the rains. It’s quite good.”
Xianglan gave a faint smile. After Jiang Xiyun set down the tea bowl, she said slowly, “The commotion outside was quite loud earlier. Stuck in this room, I couldn’t help but overhear a few things. I must say, I truly admire Fifth Miss Jiang. You perform and sing even better than an actress on stage. You understand everything perfectly, yet you pretend to be a child, acting cute and charming. I truly feel inferior.”
Jiang Xiyun had never expected Xianglan to speak like this and was momentarily stunned. Her expression then turned inscrutable. Chen Xianglan had always been like a deaf person’s ears—feigning ignorance and playing dumb, enduring even the worst offenses without a word, like soft tofu. But now, every word she spoke was sharp, pressing Jiang Xiyun step by step. Under normal circumstances, Jiang Xiyun would never tolerate being slighted by a mere concubine, but now she was in Lin Jinlou’s courtyard... Suppressing her anger, she put on a look of confusion and innocence, asking Xianglan, “Sister Xianglan, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Xianglan let out a derisive laugh and glanced at Jiang Xiyun. Her gaze held three parts disdain, six parts pity, and one part something indescribable. With a calm expression, she said, “You don’t understand? Very well. Since Fifth Miss Jiang still refuses to be honest, I’ll have to ask someone to come out and speak with you properly.” With that, she turned her head slightly and said, “Come out now.”The beaded curtain rustled as a girl of twelve or thirteen emerged, looking clever and lively with her hair tied in double buns. She wore a half-new, half-old silver-red sleeveless jacket. Approaching Xianglan, she knelt and kowtowed, addressing her as "Concubine."
Jiang Xiyun fixed her gaze and immediately turned deathly pale—this was the very maid who had been kicking a shuttlecock nearby while Chunling was brewing medicine! Jiang Xiyun’s eyes widened, her heart leaping into her throat as if she might vomit it out any moment. A cold sweat broke out on her back.
Xianglan said, "Tell Yi Lao Taitai and the young lady exactly what you witnessed."
Chaolu straightened up and said crisply, "This servant was kicking a shuttlecock outside the tea room today. Sister Chunling was inside brewing medicine for the Concubine. Not long after, Miss Dan and Miss Xi arrived. They chatted warmly with Sister Chunling and went into the tea room to sit. Sister Chunling served them tea. Miss Xi drank only a few sips before stepping outside, facing the tea room window and engaging Sister Chunling in conversation at the doorway. Sister Chunling stood with her back to the door. Then Miss Dan stood up and went over to the medicine-brewing stove, lifted the lid, and shook a few pills from her sleeve. Though I stood off to the side, I saw it all clearly. Miss Xi watched Miss Dan shake the pills into the pot but pretended not to see, laughing and talking with Sister Chunling while occasionally glancing quickly into the room. I grew anxious, not knowing what had been added to the brew, so I kicked the shuttlecock through the window, startling Miss Dan. One pill rolled from her sleeve under the five-drawer cabinet. Later, Sister Shu Ran ordered me to find it and give it to the physician, who identified it as a 'sterilization pill'—meant to destroy one’s ability to bear children."
Xianglan’s face remained calm and unreadable as she stared at Jiang Xiyun, slightly raising her eyebrows. "And then?"
"Then I thought since the medicine had just been brewed, it wouldn’t be served to the Concubine immediately, so I hurried to find Sister Shu Ran. But by the time I returned, the Concubine had already taken the medicine..." She prostrated herself and kowtowed again. "Heaven, earth, gods, and spirits bear witness—if I’ve spoken a single false word or fabricated any of this, may my throat fester with sores, and may I suffer endless calamities and die a wretched death!"
Listening to this, Jiang Xiyun’s heart pounded like a drum, her legs growing weak. She had always been exceptionally clever, her strategies flawless, never imagining a moment of miscalculation or exposure. Panic seized her. Suddenly, she heard violent coughing—Mother Jiang’s face had flushed crimson as she coughed uncontrollably. Jiang Xiyun hurried to soothe her grandmother, thinking, "Grandmother is old and frail. I must not let her worry like this for my sake. No matter what, I must smooth this over perfectly." She steadied herself, murmuring comforting words and feeding Mother Jiang a few sips of tea before turning to look at Xianglan.
Xianglan’s expression remained placid as she said to Chaolu, "Understood. You may withdraw."
Chaolu kowtowed once more and left.
Tear stains still marked Jiang Xiyun’s cheeks, her bright eyes welling up again. Her voice was mournful, but her demeanor had turned guarded. She said to Xianglan, "What do you mean by this, Sister Xianglan? I never conspired with Fourth Sister to harm you. Do you want me to cut open my heart and show you? I..."Before the words had fully left her mouth, Xianglan stood up, swaying slightly. A sharp pain gripped her lower abdomen, and she felt fresh blood trickling down her legs. Suppressing the agony, a fine layer of sweat beaded on her forehead. Step by step, she advanced, her back ramrod straight. The pearl pendants on her phoenix hairpin swayed with each movement, while the golden embroidery on her robes shimmered faintly. Gone was her usual cautious demeanor, replaced by an innate, awe-inspiring authority that was anything but feigned.
Jiang Xiyun felt her heart pounding wildly.
"At this point, is Fifth Miss Jiang still performing 'The Injustice to Dou E'?" Xianglan's voice was icy as she looked down at Jiang Xiyun. "I know exactly what you're thinking. It's nothing more than using someone else to do your dirty work... True, you didn't conspire with Fourth Miss Jiang. Let me guess... You knew Fourth Miss had this poison, and you knew how she envied and resented you. So you devised a plan, subtly provoking her until her jealousy grew unbearable, making her want to plant the poison and frame you. Then you went along with it, accompanying Fourth Miss to the Hall of Flourishing Spring and deliberately engaging Chunling in conversation so Fourth Miss could administer the poison. Earlier in the hall, when Fourth Miss implied you were behind this, it actually cleared you of suspicion of collusion with her. Am I right?"
Jiang Xiyun's face turned deathly pale. She sprang to her feet, lips trembling, but before she could speak, Xianglan took another step forward. Slightly taller, she looked down into Jiang Xiyun's eyes. "Fifth Miss Jiang, what exquisite calculations you've made. Today, the Eldest Master and your brother personally visited to ask Duke Zhenguo to arrange the marriage. Once the official matchmaker is settled, this marriage will be set in stone. Unless the Lin family wants to sever ties with the Jiang family, there's no chance the engagement will be broken. You believe your peerless beauty and ingratiating ways will win your husband's heart after marriage. Moreover, you've thoroughly assessed my character, convinced that I'm weak and prone to compromise. By going along with this scheme to destroy my chance of bearing children, you ensure I'll have to depend on your mercy in the future—forced to flatter and please you at every turn, lacking the courage to erupt in fury or the leverage to confront you. I'd have no choice but to endure humiliation and swallow my pride, living a life of submission. Isn't that right?"
Here, Xianglan fell silent. Suddenly, she couldn't hold back a soft, bitter laugh. The laughter sent fresh waves of pain through her lower abdomen, and cold sweat mingled with tears streamed down her face.
Jiang Xiyun was utterly stunned. She never imagined Xianglan could deduce everything so accurately. Struggling to maintain composure, she insisted, "I didn't... It wasn't like that..." She felt a tug on her sleeve and glanced sideways to see Mother Jiang breathing heavily, watching her with a barely perceptible shake of her head.
Instantly, Jiang Xiyun steadied herself, collected her emotions, took a deep breath, and said coldly, "Preposterous nonsense. You've gone mad." But then she saw Xianglan's smile vanish. Her peach-blossom face was expressionless, yet those limpid, liquid eyes narrowed slightly, fixed intently on her!
Jiang Xiyun suddenly realized the gaze in those eyes was terrifying—like a finely honed sword, its deadly edge unsheathed and gleaming with lethal intent. Startled, she involuntarily retreated half a step.Xianglan stepped forward until she was nearly nose-to-nose with Jiang Xiyun. She raised a hand and slowly tucked the stray hairs at Jiang Xiyun’s temple behind her ear, causing Jiang Xiyun to instinctively shrink back. "Fifth Miss Jiang, your schemes are truly masterful. You’ve accounted for nearly everything—eliminating your rivals, preserving your pristine reputation without lifting a finger, pinning the blame on Chunling and Miss Dan. As for me, you’ve manipulated me so thoroughly that even if I uncover the truth someday, I’d still owe you a lifetime of gratitude for your 'magnanimity' in allowing me a foothold in the Lin family… To harbor ten thousand cunning thoughts at such a tender age, with methods so ruthless—I’ve lived two lifetimes and never seen a woman in the inner quarters who could surpass you. Tsk, tsk. What a pity, what a pity. You’ve miscalculated one thing."
Jiang Xiyun jerked her head up. Suddenly, Xianglan took a step back, a hint of triumph in her faint smile. "Your miscalculation lies in this: you plan to marry into the Lin family someday, expecting to bestow favors upon me as Da Nǎinai. But I! Don’t! Give! A! Damn!"
Jiang Xiyun stared, dumbstruck, gaping at Xianglan as if she were looking at a madwoman.
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