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Chapter 084: Bad Temper
It’s naturally a joy to recover a lost item.
However, since the person returning it was Xiao Shu, it felt a bit strange, and Jiang Xuening wasn’t very comfortable with it. Fortunately, Xiao Shu didn’t seem to want to talk to her and left after returning the sachet.
So, Jiang Xuening continued to watch Zhou Baoying and Fang Miao play chess.
This time, they were playing Go.
Fang Miao was deep in thought, unable to make a move for a while.
Zhou Baoying, looking bored, started peeling peanuts and glanced at Yao Xi and You Yue, curiously asking, “Did you two also go to admire the plum blossoms?”
Yao Xi, relieved after Xiao Shu left, forced a casual smile and said, “Yes, but we didn’t stay long. We spent most of the time talking with the concubines.”
Zhou Baoying responded with an “Oh.”
She seemed about to say something, but just then, Fang Miao made a move with a “snap,” and Zhou Baoying’s attention shifted immediately. She clapped her hands and laughed, “I knew you would play there, Sister Fang Miao! Watch me capture half a point!”
Fang Miao, seeing where she placed her piece, exclaimed anxiously, “You! How can you play there? No, no, I haven’t decided yet. I won’t play there!”
“Once a piece is placed, it can’t be taken back, Sister!”
Zhou Baoying, eager to win another game, wouldn’t let her take back the move, and the two started playfully arguing over the board.
Yao Xi, having just experienced a scare, felt exhausted. She pretended to be fine and watched for a while in the Liushui Pavilion before claiming she was tired and leaving.
You Yue, noticing this, followed her out.
When Jiang Xuehui came out of her room, she saw the two returning one after the other and greeted them lightly. However, perhaps because she had previously rebuked them, their expressions were not very friendly, appearing somewhat strangely cold.
She didn’t pay much attention to it at the time.
Later, after dinner, she noticed a scratch on Jiang Xuening’s sachet and asked, “What happened to your sachet?”
Jiang Xuening glanced down and said, “I must have dropped it accidentally. Xiao Shu found it and returned it to me, but it was already like this, probably scratched somewhere.”
Sachets and handkerchiefs are personal items for women.
Jiang Xuening, used to being outside, didn’t care much about such details, but Jiang Xuehui, raised in a noble household, frowned slightly and asked, “When did you lose it?”
Jiang Xuening and Jiang Xuehui were not close and rarely spoke unless necessary.
Now, Jiang Xuehui took the initiative to ask.
Jiang Xuening thought for a moment and realized what she was worried about. After all, if such a personal item ended up in someone’s hands in the palace, it could easily lead to rumors about relationships, causing a big scandal.
She didn’t reply, just took off the sachet and opened it.
Inside were still dried flowers and incense pieces, nothing else.
But the original delicate scent of the dried flowers now had a faint, refreshing cold fragrance…
Very faint, but still detectable.
Jiang Xuening’s heart skipped a beat, and she thought of the plum blossom viewing banquet in the palace today, which she hadn’t attended. From the time she left in the morning until dinner, she had only been from Yangzhi Zhai to Fengchen Hall and the palace paths in between, with no contact with any plum blossoms. Moreover, the tiger’s claw plum was the earliest to bloom…
Unless Xiao Shu used plum blossom fragrance.
But as far as she knew, she didn’t.
Jiang Xuehui just wanted to ask when she lost it, worried that someone in the palace might use the sachet to cause trouble. She didn’t expect Jiang Xuening to frown deeply after smelling it.
She couldn’t help but worry, “Is something wrong?”
Jiang Xuening’s eyes darkened as she looked outside the gate of Yangzhi Zhai and the palace path beyond. Without answering, she tied the sachet back on and, seeing no one around, walked down the steps, carefully inspecting the area.
When she reached the gate of Yangzhi Zhai, she suddenly remembered something and stopped.
The palace gates were made of wood.
At this time, the two doors were still open, with round brass rings hanging on either side. On the left door, at about waist height, a wooden splinter protruded, with a few extremely fine moon-white silk threads caught on it.
Jiang Xuening looked closely and noticed it.
She gently plucked the threads off with her fingers and opened the sachet in her hand. The scratch on the sachet was fresh, and the moon-white base color matched the fine silk threads exactly.
Thinking back, she remembered that she had indeed leaned against this door to look back when she returned from Fengchen Hall to Yangzhi Zhai.
It must have been then that she lost it.
At that time, she had encountered You Yue and Yao Xi but had not seen anyone else. Yet the sachet was eventually found by Xiao Shu, and it had traces of plum blossom fragrance on it…
Jiang Xuehui, seeing her actions, knew something was wrong.
But Jiang Xuening seemed to know what she wanted to say and simply said, “It’s none of your concern.”
With that, she took the sachet and returned to her room.
After the previous incident of being framed during the search of Yangzhi Zhai, Jiang Xuening had become much more cautious. She was no longer the Empress of her previous life, and even a small scheme could put her in danger.
Whether there was something suspicious about this matter remained to be seen.
The important thing was, if there was something suspicious, what could it be connected to?
She lit a lamp in her room, placing the sachet and the silk threads under the light, and sat at her desk, pondering for a long time.
It was late at night.
Soon, the sounds of laughter and chatter from the Liushui Pavilion quieted down, followed by the voices of Fang Miao and Zhou Baoying bidding each other goodnight, likely having finished their game and planning to continue tomorrow.
At this moment, Jiang Xuening thought: Instead of sitting here doubting and speculating, it would be better to confront Xiao Shu directly tomorrow and ask her. After all, if she hadn’t done anything, she hadn’t done anything. If someone wanted to frame her, there would inevitably be flaws and inconsistencies that would reveal the truth.
Moreover, Xiao Shu was not foolish.
Having made up her mind, she planned to wash up and rest.
Unexpectedly, just as she stood up, there was a knock on the door.
“Knock, knock.”
Someone gently knocked on her door, followed by Zhou Baoying’s soft, sweet voice: “Sister Ning, are you asleep? I’m out of pastries in my room. Do you have any?”
Jiang Xuening was momentarily stunned.
In both her past and present lives, Jiang Xuening didn’t have much interaction with Zhou Baoying. She vaguely remembered that this girl later married Prince Yanping, lived a carefree life, and spent her days indulging in food and drink. But seeking food in the middle of the night?
She went to open the door and said, “I have some left. Do you want me to get you some?”
Zhou Baoying, having just finished playing chess with Fang Miao, stood outside the door, looking a bit embarrassed as if asking for food was quite awkward. Seeing Jiang Xuening open the door, she beamed and hopped inside, saying, “Thank you, Sister Ning.”
The palace provided pastries regularly.
Zhou Baoying loved to eat and was constantly snacking, so it was common for her to run out of pastries in her room.
Jiang Xuening, on the other hand, was the opposite.
Since entering the palace, she ate very little and was not satisfied with the palace chefs.
She put her remaining pastries into a food box and said, “I don’t like them much either. Why don’t you take them all?”
Zhou Baoying bit her lip, “Ah, that’s not very polite…”
Despite her words, her hands instinctively reached for the food box Jiang Xuening offered, gripping it tightly, her eyes curving into crescents with joy.
Anyone who gives food is a good person.
So, she showered Jiang Xuening with compliments: “I knew Sister Ning is not only beautiful but also kind and caring! I saw Sister Xiao return your sachet today. I was on the porch at the time, and Sister Yao Xi and Sister You Yue were at the door. They picked it up first, and I thought they would return it to you, so I didn’t go over. When they came back without mentioning the sachet, I was puzzled. Luckily, Sister Xiao brought it out. Really, if I had picked it up, it wouldn’t be a waste to eat your pastries now…”
Her brows furrowed, looking a bit troubled.
She spoke softly and sweetly, but her speech was not slow, like a rhythmic flow of beans.
It took a moment for Jiang Xuening to process what she said.
When she realized, she looked up at Zhou Baoying, slightly stunned and deeply shaken!
Zhou Baoying seemed unaware, holding the food box with a troubled expression, as if making a difficult decision, and said to Jiang Xuening, “How about this! Since I took your pastries this time, next time the palace servants bring pastries, I’ll give you half of mine. I won’t go back on my word!”
Jiang Xuening: “…”
Zhou Baoying took her silence as agreement: “Then it’s settled! Thank you, Sister. I’ll go back now?”
Jiang Xuening finally smiled faintly and said, “Go ahead, rest early.”
Zhou Baoying hopped out the door, waving, “You rest early too, Sister!”
She then happily carried the food box back to her room, unable to resist opening the lid halfway and taking an almond pastry to eat, clearly very hungry.
Jiang Xuening watched her disappear around the corridor corner, then lowered her gaze and slowly closed the door.
Her mind was in turmoil.
So it was Yao Xi and You Yue…
But she had suspected this earlier, so hearing it from Zhou Baoying wasn’t surprising. What surprised her was Zhou Baoying sneaking over to talk to her.
It seemed unintentional, but if she hadn’t noticed the strangeness of the situation before, Zhou Baoying’s words were enough to alert her and make her cautious.
This little girl…
Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but smile. Although Zhou Baoying loved to eat and drink, she was a chess enthusiast who could defeat Fang Miao completely. She wasn’t as simple as she appeared. This cleverness was rare.
The next morning, Jiang Xuening went to Fengchen Hall for lessons, looking as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Shu also appeared as usual.
However, Yao Xi seemed to have not slept well, looking a bit listless and lacking energy.
Chen Shuyi teased her, “You look so tired. What were you thinking about last night? Oh, I forgot, our Yao Xi is different. She’s already engaged, so of course, she has more to think about.”
In the past, such words would have made Yao Xi blush.
Then everyone would have had a playful banter, creating a light and joyful atmosphere.
But unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Yao Xi’s expression changed drastically, becoming very uncomfortable. She looked up at Chen Shuyi with a hint of anger.
Chen Shuyi immediately noticed.
Her smile froze, and she stopped laughing, hesitating for a moment before saying, “What, did you call off the engagement with Zhang Zhe?”
Everyone in the hall knew about her engagement to Zhang Zhe. Initially, they heard she wanted to break off the engagement, but later, for some reason, she didn’t. After unexpectedly meeting Zhang Zhe in Kunning Palace, she seemed very satisfied with him.
A talented man and a beautiful woman, though not a perfect match in terms of family status, could still make a good couple if the woman had no complaints.
Logically, this engagement should have been settled.
Even with Zhang Zhe’s letter requesting to break off the engagement, no one thought it was a big deal.
Including Xiao Shu, everyone’s eyes turned to Yao Xi.
Yao Xi’s fingers clenched tightly on the table.
She felt that these curious gazes were filled with malicious scrutiny and even a hidden anticipation of seeing a good show. She had already seen Zhang Zhe’s firm letter to break off the engagement and had been coldly reprimanded by her father for a casual remark in Fengchen Hall!
Thinking about it made her angry.
What made her even angrier was that Zhang Zhe dared to break off the engagement with her!
As a noble lady, how could she maintain her dignity in the future?
At this moment, the concerned gazes of everyone did not alleviate her embarrassment but intensified her anger.
But she absolutely did not want to speak about such matters.
Which girl would willingly admit she had been rejected?
Yao Xi gritted her teeth and smiled at Chen Shuyi, speaking bluntly, “That Zhang Zhe doesn’t know what’s good for him. Coming from a humble background, no matter how talented he is, he still seems shabby. Moreover, a fortune teller said he has a ‘Heavenly Lone Star’ fate. So, after thinking it over, it’s better to call it off.”
Everyone gasped in surprise.
Jiang Xuening, having heard Zhang Zhe personally say he wanted to break off the engagement, found Yao Xi’s words surprising. It sounded as if she had initiated the break-off, and she even claimed Zhang Zhe had a ‘Heavenly Lone Star’ fate!
How was this different from what she had discussed with You Yue that day?
Her expression turned slightly cold.
Yao Xi, however, deliberately gave her a provocative look and said, “But the people I don’t care for, those from humble backgrounds, are probably eager to have. So even if the engagement is broken, Zhang Zhe might still find someone decent. Although they may not compare to me, who knows, maybe they’ll be a perfect match!”
Everyone else was confused by her words.
Only Jiang Xuening understood that this was an insult directed at her, causing her chest to swell with anger. But wanting to retaliate would only play into Yao Xi’s hands, making it seem like she had some unspeakable relationship with Zhang Zhe.
Just then, the teacher arrived for class, and she forcibly suppressed her anger.
However, the more she suppressed it, the stronger it grew.
During the entire lesson on calligraphy and etiquette, her expression remained sour.
The teachers, having heard of her reputation for driving away two previous instructors, were cautious, fearing they might be next, and thus didn’t dare to trouble her.
After class, as Jiang Xuening was about to leave the hall, Yao Xi approached.
Neither wanted to give way.
They jostled each other.
Jiang Xuening, her temper flaring, frowned and pushed Yao Xi, saying bluntly, “I’m walking in front, why are you pushing? In a hurry to be reborn?”
Yao Xi, still upset from being questioned about her engagement by Chen Shuyi and suspecting Jiang Xuening’s involvement in Zhang Zhe’s decision to break off the engagement, instinctively opposed her. She forgot that Jiang Xuening was not one to back down easily.
The push nearly made Yao Xi stumble and fall!
The teachers were still in the hall, and the palace servants standing by were stunned, unable to believe someone could lose their temper so openly in front of everyone!
Even Yao Xi herself was taken aback.
She was helped up and, once she regained her composure, angrily demanded, “Jiang Xuening, what do you mean by this!”
Jiang Xuening sneered, “I mean to mess with you.”
Shen Zhiyi, who hadn’t left yet and was unaware of the previous conflicts between the two, was taken aback by the scene.
Others quietly observed her reaction.
Yao Xi wanted to compete with Jiang Xuening, but when she glanced at Shen Zhiyi, who was watching the situation unfold, she hesitated and withdrew her finger, saying angrily, “Only those who have a guilty conscience get angry when accused of being a villain.”
Jiang Xuening sneered, “No need to beat around the bush. I advise you to behave yourself. If you’ve been rejected, just accept it quietly. After all, it’s better to part on good terms, and no one will spread it around. But if you insist on saving face and making things difficult for others, they will have countless ways to make things difficult for you. If you dare to spread any rumors, I’ll make sure everyone in the capital knows why you were rejected!”
Rejected!
So Yao Xi was the one who got rejected?
Wasn’t she the one who confidently claimed that Zhang Zhe wanted to break off the engagement to protect her, and that as long as she refused, the engagement would be secure?
Everyone was stunned by Jiang Xuening’s words.
Their gazes towards Yao Xi became nuanced, with a mix of sympathy and something indescribable.
Yao Xi never expected Jiang Xuening to be so blunt and reveal this in front of everyone. Under their gazes, her face turned red and white with anger, and her body trembled.
Tears streamed down her face.
As a young lady, being humiliated in public was extremely distressing.
Jiang Xuening, having vented her anger, didn’t bother to look at her again and walked away towards the side hall.
She was known for her domineering nature, and others could say what they wanted.
But she was a person who kept her word. If Yao Xi dared to do what she did in the previous life, slandering and oppressing Zhang Zhe, Jiang Xuening would stay in the capital and fight her to the end, making her pay the price!
The side hall was warm, with the floor heating already on and the water for tea already on the stove.
Xie Wei had arrived early.
A small food box with a plate of peach blossom cakes was placed on the corner of the tea table, but he was staring at the golden-red tea in front of him, lost in thought.
When Jiang Xuening pushed the door open and entered, he turned and saw her.
But compared to usual, her face was cold and stern, as if she had a grudge against someone.
Xie Wei raised his eyebrows slightly.
He wanted to ask: Who upset you again?
But remembering he had asked this yesterday, he didn’t say anything.
Jiang Xuening, still fuming, walked over, bowed to Xie Wei, and seeing him observing her expression, realized she was showing her emotions. To avoid misunderstanding, she said, “I just had an argument with a despicable person. Please don’t mind, sir.”
Xie Wei: “…”
Using such strong words, she was clearly very angry. Ning’er never spoke like this before. For her to call someone a “despicable person,” it must be serious.
He considered her anger and thought she wouldn’t be able to focus on playing the zither, so he pointed to the seat opposite him and said, “Sit.”
Jiang Xuening walked over and sat down with her head down.
Xie Wei saw her sitting there with a look of deep resentment, not moving, and lowered his eyes, taking a sip of tea. He said calmly, “Are you waiting for me to pour tea for you?”
The tea had been brewed before Jiang Xuening arrived and was poured into the tea sea.
Jiang Xuening then realized.
In the past, Xie Wei had poured tea for her as a courtesy of the tea brewer, and she hadn’t paid attention the two times it happened. His remark made her feel a chill down her spine. She quickly picked up the tea pot, saw that Xie Wei had put down his tea cup, and obediently poured tea for him first before pouring herself a cup.
She didn’t dare speak, holding the tea cup with both hands and taking a small sip.
Today’s tea was Monkey King (Hou Kui).
It was clearly an imperial tribute tea, smooth and sweet, with a lingering fragrance in the mouth.
Hmm, sweet?
Was Monkey King supposed to taste like this?
Jiang Xuening was momentarily stunned, her eyes darting around, and she noticed the plate of peach blossom cakes nearby.
Just like yesterday.
She didn’t like the taste and didn’t want to try it again.
After a glance, she looked away and continued drinking her tea.
Xie Wei said, “In the palace, it’s best to be restrained. Why are you always making enemies and getting into conflicts?”
Jiang Xuening mumbled, “I know my temperament isn’t suited for the palace, but you didn’t give me a choice.”
As she spoke, the sweet fragrance wafted over again.
She couldn’t resist looking at the plate of peach blossom cakes again: They tasted awful, but the fragrance was so enticing. What was going on? The palace chefs were just flashy and deceitful! One must have principles and not reach out for them! Otherwise, she’d have to force herself to eat them in front of Xie Wei, which would be too embarrassing!
Xie Wei raised an eyebrow, “Are you blaming me?”
Jiang Xuening, distracted, didn’t remember what she had just said and instinctively replied, “No, no.”
Xie Wei’s gaze shifted to the peach blossom cakes.
He had noticed Jiang Xuening looking at them more than once and said, “If you want to eat, go ahead. No one is stopping you.”
“No, no, I’m not hungry.”
Jiang Xuening immediately shook her head, refusing.
Xie Wei: “…”
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