Chapter 044: Changes

Xiao Shu, who held the highest status among the group and had a good relationship with Yao Xi, questioned her for a long time. Seeing that Yao Xi only cried and didn’t answer, Xiao Shu’s brows furrowed even more tightly.

She decided to stop asking and directly took the letter from under Yao Xi’s arm.

After reading it, she understood everything.

It was clear that this letter was not originally written for Yao Xi, but for her father, the Crown Prince’s tutor, Yao Qingyu.

After reading it, Yao Qingyu passed the letter to Yao Xi.

But there was no other word, nor did it explain the purpose of the letter.

“This Zhang Zhe is quite a character…”

Xiao Shu murmured softly after reading the letter.

She was actually a strong-willed person and didn’t have much patience for listening to people cry, so she said to Yao Xi, “Stop crying, isn’t it embarrassing enough?”

Yao Xi’s crying softened a bit.

Only then did Xiao Shu ask, “A few days ago, you said you didn’t want this marriage. Now that Zhang Zhe has taken the initiative to write a letter to break off the engagement, saving you the trouble of scheming, isn’t that good?”

Yao Xi kept her head down, and no one could see her expression.

But the previously softened crying, now suppressed, gradually became uncontrollable again.

Xiao Shu exchanged a glance with Chen Shuyi, both knowing that this matter was no longer suitable to discuss in public, and guessing Yao Xi’s thoughts, said, “Let’s talk inside.”

After saying this, the two helped Yao Xi up and went to her room.

Leaving the others looking at each other in confusion.

Fang Miao, with a strange expression, watched the three leave, the needle of the compass in her hand gently swaying with her movements, and couldn’t help but mutter, “She got what she wanted and still isn’t happy, how strange…”

Jiang Xuening, however, smirked mockingly.

What Xiao Shu and Chen Shuyi could guess, she naturally could too, but she wasn’t particularly happy about it.

With the main characters gone, she didn’t want to stay in the hall any longer, so she excused herself to tidy up her room and left for her own quarters.

Fang Miao pondered for a moment and then followed along.

Jiang Xuening turned to look at her.

Fang Miao gave an embarrassed smile, seeming a bit shy, but she continued to follow Jiang Xuening without stopping. She said, “Back then, Miss Yao Xi almost believed You Yue’s words and wanted to ruin Zhang Zhe’s reputation. Second Miss Jiang even had an outburst. Now that the engagement has been called off, Second Miss Jiang doesn’t seem to care at all. Well, I’m a bit slow, why is Yao Xi crying, and what are they going to talk about?”

From the first day she entered the palace, Fang Miao had decided that Jiang Xuening was someone with “good fortune.” Whether it was true or not, Jiang Xuening couldn’t figure out.

But since she had entered the palace and had to stay for half a year, she naturally couldn’t be without friends like before. Fang Miao was a bit mystical and had her own way of surviving. In her previous life, she was one of the few who managed to leave unscathed. Although she was somewhat sycophantic, she wasn’t a bad person.

Jiang Xuening thought for a moment and then smiled, “Why do you think Tutor Yao sent the letter?”

Fang Miao said, “Isn’t it for Yao Xi to see?”

Jiang Xuening said, “That letter was originally written to Tutor Yao by a man. It’s not appropriate to pass it to a young lady. Besides, if it was just to inform her about Zhang Zhe calling off the engagement, he could have written a new letter. Why include the original letter?”

Fang Miao blinked in surprise.

She couldn’t help but scratch her head, “What do you mean, Second Miss Jiang?”

Jiang Xuening lowered her eyes, the smile on her lips gradually fading, and said calmly, “This letter should have just arrived in Tutor Yao’s hands, and he hasn’t had time to reply. Zhang Zhe comes from a humble background, yet Tutor Yao agreed to this marriage, which shows he values Zhang Zhe’s character. Yao Xi wants to call off the engagement, but Tutor Yao may not agree. We, as bystanders, can see Zhang Zhe’s noble character from this letter. Yao Xi isn’t foolish; she can see it too. Tutor Yao hasn’t replied yet but passed the letter to his daughter, probably wanting her to reconsider.”

Fang Miao was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses, “Second Miss Jiang, are you saying that Yao Xi is crying because… after reading the letter, she changed her mind and now wants to marry Zhang Zhe?”

Jiang Xuening had reached her room.

She paused, looking at the shadow between the two doors, and said, “Who knows?”

With that, she pushed the door open and went inside, not caring about Fang Miao’s reaction, and casually closed the door behind her.

Fang Miao stood outside her door, not minding. She recalled Jiang Xuening’s words and became very curious about what Yao Xi, Xiao Shu, and Chen Shuyi would talk about.

Then she turned to go back to her room.

But after taking only a few steps, she suddenly exclaimed, “Hey,” and looked back at Jiang Xuening’s closed door, muttering, “Did they say the letter was written by Zhang Zhe?”

She couldn’t remember at all.

She had only seen the handwriting.

Maybe her memory was bad, and she had been distracted by calculating feng shui and missed the key part?

Fang Miao scratched her head again, unable to figure it out, so she simply put the doubt aside and wandered back to her room.

On this day, the last person to arrive at Yangzhi Zhai was You Yue.

It was said that something in the mansion delayed her, and she barely made it into the palace before the gates were locked.

By this time, Yao Xi had already finished talking with Xiao Shu and Chen Shuyi and had calmed down. Apart from her red eyes, there was no sign of anything unusual.

Previously, You Yue had advised Yao Xi on how to break off her engagement with Zhang Zhe. Although Jiang Xuening had pushed her into a fish tank because of it, her relationship with Yao Xi had naturally become closer.

That evening, as usual, she wanted to sit next to Yao Xi and talk.

But unexpectedly, Yao Xi seemed like a different person. Although she still talked to her, her attitude was much colder compared to the last time she entered the palace, making You Yue feel like she had hit a wall. She didn’t know whether to stand or sit, smile or frown, and could only sit awkwardly beside her.

That night, Princess Leyang, Shen Zhiyi, sent many gifts, and Su Shangyi from the Shangyi Bureau personally came to explain the arrangements for the companion reading starting the next day.

According to palace rules, princes had to get up before dawn to study.

But considering that the princess was a girl, and the companions were all pampered young ladies from noble families, the rules were relaxed. They only had to attend classes at Fengchen Hall every morning.

Five teachers were invited.

There were two classes a day, mostly in the morning.

The afternoons were left for the princess and her companions to study or play on their own.

Only Xie Wei was an exception. While other teachers only taught one subject, he taught two and often had to go to the Wen Yuan Pavilion for lectures, so one of his classes had to be in the afternoon.

If the schedule couldn’t be adjusted in the future, he would make the adjustments himself.

When Su Shangyi left, she said, “The six arts of a gentleman are rites, music, archery, charioteering, writing, and mathematics. Only ‘archery’ and ‘charioteering’ are not required for you ladies. The other teachers will teach the rest, along with literature and painting. Master Xie will teach ‘qin’ and ‘literature,’ which require special attention. The brushes and books you need have been prepared and placed on the desks in Fengchen Hall, but you must bring your own qin. Tomorrow, the teachers will come to the hall to explain what and how you will learn. The princess will also be there. I hope you will study diligently with the princess, respect your teachers, and not disappoint the emperor’s grace.”

Everyone took note of this.

After Su Shangyi left, they couldn’t help but excitedly speculate about what they would learn the next day and what the teachers would be like, looking very much forward to it.

However, Jiang Xuening was not happy.

Just thinking about going to school, thinking about Xie Wei, and thinking about learning the qin made her fingers ache, and she wished she could leave the palace immediately.

But the next morning, she still had to get up on time.

After washing up, she took her qin and joined the others to go to Fengchen Hall.

Everyone knew that Xie Wei taught the qin, and during the time they were home, they had spent a lot of effort choosing their qins. The qins they brought were either made by well-known qin makers or were old qins with some history, all carefully placed in qin bags.

Jiang Xuening’s was the same.

But unexpectedly, as they were leaving Yangzhi Zhai, Xiao Shu’s gaze fell on her qin and she said, “Second Miss Jiang, this qin bag looks familiar.”

Jiang Xuening was startled and looked down at the dark blue qin bag: this was the “Jiao’an” qin that Yan Lin had taken her to buy at Youhuang Pavilion, and the qin bag had not been changed; it was the one that Lu Xian had put on the qin when he handed it to them.

She didn’t know why Xiao Shu found it familiar.

So she just said, “It’s just an ordinary qin bag, you can see them everywhere.”

“This is not something you can see everywhere. I heard that recently Youhuang Pavilion had an ancient qin named ‘Jiao’an.’ I sent someone to buy it, but the owner said it was reserved for the Young Master Yan and wouldn’t sell it to anyone else. I regretted it for a long time, but I didn’t expect to see it with Second Miss Jiang today.” Xiao Shu, dressed in a deep purple palace outfit that made her look dignified and noble, smiled at Jiang Xuening, “It seems that the qin was not for the Young Master Yan himself, but specially sought for Second Miss Jiang.”

Everyone’s eyes immediately fell on the qin Jiang Xuening was holding.

Chen Shuyi, Fang Miao, and Zhou Baoying were just curious.

You Yue, however, easily recalled the scene at the Chongyang Banquet where she was publicly humiliated, and her face didn’t look good. Her gaze at Jiang Xuening carried a hint of contempt.

Yao Rongrong stood silently behind the others, observing.

Since the Chongyang Banquet at the Qingyuan Earl’s Mansion, the news of the close relationship between the Young Master Yan Lin and the Second Miss Jiang had spread in the capital. Those with some information knew about it. Moreover, Yan Lin was to have his coming-of-age ceremony next month, so everyone guessed that the Yan and Jiang families had secretly arranged the marriage. Therefore, no one criticized the relationship between the young couple.

Few people gossiped outside.

Firstly, neither family had said anything, so it wasn’t for outsiders to comment; secondly, the Yongyi Marquis Mansion was powerful, and others didn’t dare to speak much.

But now Xiao Shu openly mentioned it.

Jiang Xuening thought that in her previous life, she had conflicts with Xiao Shu because of the empress position, and neither would give in, leading to a deadly struggle with no good outcome for either. In this life, she didn’t want to be empress, nor marry Shen Jie, so there was no conflict of interest between them. Given Xiao Shu’s pride and intelligence, she shouldn’t actively provoke any disputes.

In other words, logically, Xiao Shu wouldn’t target her.

So, not knowing whether Xiao Shu was intentional or not, Jiang Xuening could only assume she was unintentional and responded with a casual smile, “Although ‘Jiao’an’ is good, it is probably only among the lower ranks of famous qins. Even if Miss Xiao missed this one, I’m sure you can easily find a better one.”

Xiao Shu smiled but didn’t respond, nor did she explain anything. She just called the maid holding her qin to follow her and continued towards Fengchen Hall.

Everyone’s eyes naturally fell on her qin.

But no one could recognize its origin, only guessing from the Hetian jade pendant on the qin bag that it was not ordinary.

A group of eight walked along the palace wall.

At this moment, the sky had not fully brightened.

The palace lanterns on both sides cast light where the dark blue sky met the dark red palace walls. Jiang Xuening had walked this path countless times in her previous life, so familiar that she could walk it with her eyes closed, and she absentmindedly fell to the back.

Yao Xi was walking at the front but kept looking back.

Seeing Jiang Xuening at the back, she slowed her pace.

Soon, she naturally reached Jiang Xuening’s side.

Jiang Xuening noticed her and frowned slightly in the dim light, thinking that Yao Xi must have something to say, so she asked, “Does Miss Yao have something to say?”

Yao Xi looked at her seriously.

After a moment, she lowered her voice and smiled, “I suddenly became very curious about Second Miss Jiang. If it weren’t for your kind advice a few days ago, I might have made a big mistake, ruining someone’s reputation and missing a good marriage. Thinking back, I feel I should thank you. But I also have some unresolved doubts. You told me to do nothing and wait. I didn’t understand at the time, but after seeing the letter my father passed on yesterday, I understood what you meant. If I didn’t know you and Young Master Yan were a pair, I might have thought you had a close relationship with Zhang Zhe. But Second Miss Jiang, you seem to know Master Zhang very well?”

Jiang Xuening looked down at the road and didn’t respond.

Yao Xi felt a bit uneasy.

But thinking of the letter yesterday and what Xiao Shu and others had said to her, she felt a rare sweetness and shyness.

A blush quietly appeared on her cheeks, and her voice carried unusual hesitation and nervousness as she said to Jiang Xuening, “Now I understand why my father appreciates him. Although he wrote to my father to break off the engagement, he was worried that his future career might not go well and that I would suffer if I married him. But isn’t the most important thing for a girl to find a good husband? After reading the letter, I thought that if I could marry him, I wouldn’t be mistreated in the future. And my father would support us, so it might not be that bad. I want to write to my father and tell him I’ve changed my mind. What does Second Miss Jiang think?”

“……”

The east was already showing the first light of dawn, and the Forbidden City was shrouded in thick fog. The eaves of Fengchen Hall protruded through the mist, giving Jiang Xuening a strange sense of confusion.

For a moment, malice surged like a tide.

A voice in her mind screamed: Be a bad person, Ning Ning, be a bad person. Don’t care what others think, go and take Zhang Zhe! He was meant for you!

But she couldn’t.

It was as if a pair of eyes were watching her through the mist, reminding her of her promise to be a good person in the future.

Eventually, those voices faded away.

Jiang Xuening blinked, feeling as if she had fallen into the mist, looked at Yao Xi, and heard her own calm voice without a trace of flaw, “Miss Yao did not make a big mistake, realizing one’s errors and correcting them is commendable. If you can marry Master Zhang, your father will surely be pleased.”