Chapter 033: A Fine Windy Day

Jiang Xuening never denied that she was a very selfish person: deep down, she had despicably hoped that the familiar You Fangyin would come instead of this one.

But such despicability was ultimately limited.

She couldn’t stand by and watch this You Fangyin be harmed, nor could she imagine becoming friends with another You Fangyin after letting this one suffer. So she saved her, but couldn’t stand her timidity, couldn’t stand all the ways she was different from the other You Fangyin.

But why should this You Fangyin become another You Fangyin?

She was just living her own life.

And although Jiang Xuening saved her, she had no right to dictate her life, nor to express disappointment in any of her choices—especially since she had actually followed her advice, bought raw silk, learned bookkeeping, stepped out of the back courtyard that ordinary women dared not leave, and put all her gratitude into this small box…

It took Jiang Xuening a while to calm down. She looked at her and asked, “So, what are your plans now?” You Fangyin, seeing that she had finally stopped crying, felt a bit relieved.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, “Make money, make more money to make you happy, Miss!”

Such silly words.

Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but laugh through her tears, thinking that this You Fangyin was really too stubborn. But then she thought, wanting to make more money wasn’t a bad thing, regardless of the reason.

For her current situation, there was no better choice.

However, there were problems that needed to be solved first.

She remembered hearing Shen Jie mention in the palace that the investigation found that the silk boat capsized on the Cao River due to collusion between officials and merchants to inflate silk prices for profit.

Jiang Xuening asked, “Did you hear any unusual news before or after selling the raw silk?”

“Yes.” You Fangyin nodded quickly, with a bit of fear in her expression. “Just the day before yesterday, many soldiers came to the guild halls and arrested six or seven big merchants. Boss Xu said they were all prominent merchants in the business world. Several of them had previously asked him to sell his boatload of raw silk at a low price. But he thought the price was too low, not even enough to pay his villagers, so he didn’t agree. Unexpectedly, just after we sold our silk, they got into trouble. I heard it was because of price inflation. Boss Xu and I were very scared, but no one came to arrest us after two days. But last night, a steward from our mansion was taken away. It seems his relative knows an official on the Cao River. I don’t know if it’s related…”

Jiang Xuening was fine with the first part, but when she heard that a steward from the Qingyuan Earl’s Mansion was arrested, her scalp tingled.

If it was a major case of collusion between officials and merchants to inflate silk prices by deliberately capsizing boats, there was no reason to question the small fry in the Qingyuan Mansion. The officials and merchants already arrested would be enough to deal with for a while.

But even the steward was arrested?

She slowly raised her hand to press her forehead. Although she had no evidence, she was now certain: someone was secretly investigating You Fangyin! Or rather, investigating herself through You Fangyin…

Jiang Xuening didn’t know how much You Fangyin earned from this business in her previous life or whether she told Xu Wenyi about it. But she knew that since You Fangyin dared to borrow money to do business, she must have known the exact information in advance, which gave her the confidence to take the risk.

Looking back, it made sense that someone in the Qingyuan Mansion would be investigated.

Because You Fangyin had just arrived and couldn’t have had any connections to get this information.

So, she must have learned it by chance.

In this life, You Fangyin got the information from Jiang Xuening, but she did the same thing as in her previous life. Her kindness might have drawn attention to the matter, leading others to investigate her.

They must have investigated everyone she had contact with.

That’s how they found the steward.

If this was true, the steward was likely taking the blame for her.

Seeing Jiang Xuening’s changing expression, You Fangyin grew increasingly uneasy and asked nervously, “Is someone investigating this matter, and could I implicate you?”

Jiang Xuening let out a soft breath.

She felt someone was secretly watching her, but if someone else was taking the blame, they might not have traced it back to her yet. After all, who would think that a young lady with no connection to the Cao River would know such information?

It was an illogical situation.

So even if her name was on the investigation list, it might be subconsciously overlooked.

Therefore, although the situation seemed tricky, it was still possible to remedy it.

Jiang Xuening said to her, “No matter what you do in the future, you must be careful. You haven’t mentioned me to Boss Xu before, and you shouldn’t mention me again, especially my identity. I don’t know if anyone followed you today. But whether they did or not, you should act as if you don’t know about this, and I am just your savior whom you are very grateful to. Tomorrow, buy some things, then sneak out of the mansion and visit me at the side gate of the Jiang Mansion. I have a few things to tell you.”

You Fangyin’s face turned serious, showing unprecedented determination.

She nodded vigorously but then frowned, “If I come sneakily, won’t that make others more suspicious?”

“That’s exactly what we want,” Jiang Xuening’s eyes darkened slightly. Although she didn’t know who the hidden opponent was, she had to be extra cautious. She explained to You Fangyin, “First, wealth should not be flaunted. If you made money and openly bought things to thank me, it would be strange. And you are cautious in the Earl’s Mansion. Sneaking out to see me might seem suspicious, but upon closer examination, it is the most reasonable way given your situation.”

You Fangyin listened, half understanding and half not.

Jiang Xuening smiled and said, “If you ever want to completely dispel someone’s suspicion of you, you must first let them suspect you, then let them deny their own suspicion. People are used to doubting others but always trust themselves. Remember, the clever people hiding in the shadows are the hardest to deal with.”

You Fangyin lowered her head, deep in thought.

Jiang Xuening then handed the box of silver notes back to her and said, “Take the money back.”

You Fangyin was stunned. “I brought it to give to you! The money for the business was given by you, the way to make money was taught by you, and even my life was saved by you. If you don’t take this money, I, I…”

Her eyes reddened, and she was about to cry.

Jiang Xuening only picked up the moon-white sachet from the box and asked, “Did you knock over someone’s stall last time for this?”

The moon-white base was embroidered with peonies in dark blue thread.

There were also a few strands of dark gold, stitched with gold thread.

The embroidery was very delicate.

You Fangyin didn’t expect her to know about the incident where she clumsily knocked over a stall. Her cheeks turned red, and she placed her hands on her knees, feeling awkward. She stammered, “I saw it on my way back from the store and thought the embroidery on the sachet was very special. I can’t do much, and the first time I met you, I knocked over and stained your sachet, so I wanted to embroider a better one for you…”

Jiang Xuening stared at the sachet in her hand without speaking.

You Fangyin, however, was talking about something she was good at, and her eyes brightened again. “I learned this embroidery technique for a long time, and this fabric was given to me by a silkworm farmer from Nanxun when I was at Boss Xu’s place. He said it was silk woven by his family, and he had a small piece left, so he gave it to me. I thought this was my first business, taught by you, so I used it to embroider a sachet. Is it pretty?”

“Yes, it’s beautiful.”

Jiang Xuening felt warmth in her heart and almost cried again.

She held the sachet tightly in her hand and said, “I don’t need the money, but I will accept this sachet.”

You Fangyin looked up, as if she wanted to say something, “But—”

Jiang Xuening reached out and hugged her, holding her gently. She whispered, “What you brought me today is more important than this money.”

You Fangyin was stunned.

Jiang Xuening’s embrace was warm, even tender.

Her voice floated like a dream, “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

Sorry for misunderstanding you;

Thank you for showing me that I can.

No one knew that she had been on the verge of collapse several times that day.

That day, Xie Wei told her: You cannot escape;

On this day, You Fangyin told her: You can change.

Although many things in this life seemed to follow the same trajectory as in the previous life, each event had its differences.

Especially You Fangyin.

She had thought that saving her would still result in a timid, unsuccessful You Fangyin. Her disappointment in You Fangyin was more about her own inability to change anything.

But she did it.

And she succeeded.

In fact, strictly speaking, she was more successful than You Fangyin in the previous life.

Although there were some loose ends, what did they matter compared to what she had gained today?

You Fangyin didn’t know why she cried today, nor did she understand the meaning of her words. But from this embrace, she felt an unprecedented softness.

The box she brought was placed back in her hands.

Jiang Xuening simply said to her, “Come see me tomorrow.”

You Fangyin, holding the box, nodded blankly. She got off the carriage, couldn’t help but look back at her, then hid the box in her sleeve and slowly walked down the long street.

Jiang Xuening watched her walk away.

Farther and farther.

Finally, she got out of the carriage and stood on the shaft, watching her figure until she could no longer see it.

When Xie Wei walked out of the palace along Zhuque Long Street with a few exam papers, he saw this scene. The carriage was parked by the roadside, and she stood on it, gazing into the distance.

In the rare clear autumn sky, the evening glow was already blown by the wind, and she stood in the twilight. When Jiang Xuening turned to get back into the carriage, she saw him standing not far away.

She should have been afraid.

But perhaps because she was so happy to see this You Fangyin today, even the usually detestable Xie Wei seemed much more agreeable.

She curved her lips into a smile, nodded at him, and said, “Good day, Master Xie.”

Xie Wei did not respond.

He only felt that the smile on her lips, like the sky, suddenly dispelled all the gloom that had been weighing on him, bringing a rare clarity.

Just like today’s sky.

Jiang Xuening didn’t need him to respond. She just greeted him and then got back into the carriage, instructing the coachman to head towards the Jiang Mansion.

It was almost time for the palace gates to close.

Many ministers who had been summoned to the palace for discussions were also leaving.

Seeing Xie Wei standing there, someone asked, “What is Master Xie looking at?”

Xie Wei withdrew his gaze and looked at the sky.

The evening was exceptionally beautiful.

The highest point of the sky was a clear deep blue, gradually turning to deep purple, crimson, then golden red, sinking into the west, and finally merging into the dark with a golden edge.

For some reason, he smiled and replied, “The weather is really nice.”