The Young Marquis Regrets Too Late - Chapter 62

Jiang Jingchun didn’t put much force into her kick, so it didn’t hurt Gu Huaisheng much.

However, her own body was already sore and aching all over. After throwing out that kick, she couldn’t keep her balance and nearly tumbled off the bed. Thankfully, Gu Huaisheng quickly reached out and pulled her back.

She ended up landing squarely on top of him.

Gu Huaisheng couldn’t help the muffled groan that escaped his throat, but he didn’t say anything.

Jiang Jingchun, on the other hand, was even more annoyed that her kick had failed and that she had almost fallen. She turned to look at him and saw him staring back. His lips curled into a faint, teasing smile.

Gu Huaisheng found her antics amusing. She’d tried to kick him but almost fell on her own instead.

But to Jiang Jingchun, his smile looked like mockery and ridicule.

Her anger flared up instantly. She turned around and straddled him.

Gu Huaisheng was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered. His smile deepened. “Isn’t this a bit bad? First thing in the morning…”

He claimed that it was bad, but his gaze clearly suggested otherwise.

Jiang Jingchun had no idea what nonsense was running through his mind. Was it because he’d experienced certain things before that his thoughts had become so twisted? Did she look like she wanted to do that sort of thing right now?

She glared at him and suddenly leaned down to bite his shoulder.

Her body was aching all over; she wasn’t about to let him off easy.

Gu Huaisheng frowned slightly at the sudden bite, but he still didn’t push her away.

She had a tendency to bite and scratch. If not for the bandages on her fingers yesterday, Gu Huaisheng was sure his face would have been marked with scratches by now.

It hurt.

However, he knew she wasn’t feeling well either and was trying to make him share in her discomfort.

He had, admittedly, overdone it last night. Watching her feel pleasure had made him lose control, and he’d forgotten that she’d surely be sore the next day.

He let her bite him. When Jiang Jingchun finally released him, he even asked if she wanted to bite the other side as well.

Jiang Jingchun climbed off him and snapped, “Stop pretending to be so considerate.”

He might act kind and gentle now, but did he really think she’d forget how he’d bullied her in bed last night?

She remembered. 

She remembered everything.

Gu Huaisheng knew what she was referring to. He sat up and looked at her, then said, “Cousin… you were the one who kept asking me for it yesterday.”

“Stop spewing nonsense, will you?”

Wasn’t he afraid his tongue might get twisted when he told lies like that?

There was no way she would have…

Wait.

Jiang Jingchun was fully awake now. She might have been drugged yesterday, so…

What exactly had she done under the influence of the aphrodisiac…?

Hearing Gu Huaisheng’s words, she froze for a moment.

She began to suspect he wasn’t lying.

After all, how much rationality could a person under the effects of such a drug really have?

Moreover, large chunks of her memory from the first half of the night were missing.

When she came to her senses, all she could recall was how they’d been entangled. Everything else was a complete blur.

She tried hard to piece things together but couldn’t remember a thing. 

Her head started to hurt just thinking about it.

In the end, she didn’t bother anymore and gave up.

No matter how hard she tried, whatever it was couldn’t have been anything good, anyway.

She figured there might be some truth to Gu Huaisheng’s words.

Perhaps she really had done something she shouldn’t have.

Gu Huaisheng could tell what she was thinking from her expression. After some thought, he said, “I’m sorry for hurting you. I’ll be gentler next time.”

Jiang Jingchun scoffed. “What next time are you talking about?”

After saying this, she got out of bed.

The soreness in her body felt unbearable, and yet he had the nerve to talk about a ‘next time.’ The moment he got into bed, his true colours came out. Who would want a ‘next time’ of that with him?

“Did you not feel pleasure?” Gu Huaisheng’s voice persisted from behind her. “But yesterday, you were clearly—”

It might have been his first time last night, but he didn’t think he’d been that bad…

Jiang Jingchun clearly also remembered what happened last night. She knew exactly what she’d done yesterday and didn’t need him to remind her.

She cut him off and told him to shut up.

She suddenly had an idea of how to deal with this shameless man. She was about to pass out from his endless indecent remarks. Since Gu Huaisheng insisted on bringing up last night, she had no choice but to fight fire with fire.

She glared at him and bluntly said, “Don’t get any ideas. I was drugged last night; that’s the only reason I acted so out of character. And you…”

He was the one who kept pestering her first. Just the mention of last night and recalling her own state was enough to make her feel like crawling into a hole.

Since Gu Huaisheng insisted on bringing it up, she wouldn’t hold back her punches if it’d make him shut up.

While glancing at his face, her gaze accidentally drifted downward. She paused briefly, then added with a perfectly straight face, “You’re actually pretty mediocre. You just blindly fumbled around—there’s really nothing special about you.”

As expected, her words left Gu Huaisheng completely speechless. His face darkened visibly.

Jiang Jingchun maintained an air of utmost seriousness. After delivering her blow, she turned away and headed to the washroom, ignoring the stunned Gu Huaisheng.

‘Pretty mediocre…’

‘You’re actually pretty mediocre…’

‘You just blindly fumbled around—there’s really nothing special about you’?

Jiang Jingchun’s words kept echoing in Gu Huaisheng’s mind and refused to fade.

This was the first time in Gu Huaisheng’s life that he’d been dealt with such a blow.

If Jiang Jingchun claimed he was mediocre in any other aspect, Gu Huaisheng wouldn’t believe her. He could usually discern whether her words were spoken out of anger or genuine intent, in other matters. For example, if she called him ugly or stupid, he wouldn’t take it to heart—after all, one should have at least a modicum of self-awareness regarding one’s looks and intelligence.

However, Gu Huaisheng had never slept with anyone else, so he had no reference point regarding his ‘performance.’ He couldn’t tell what kind of ‘performance’ was great and what was just mediocre.

He thought that, from her reactions yesterday, she had been quite satisfied.

Yet now, she was telling him he was quite average. She claimed her passion was entirely due to the effects of the drug.

This left him doubting himself—had he done something wrong?

Even after Jiang Jingchun had left for quite some time, Gu Huaisheng was still sitting on the bed, deeply mired in self-doubt.

Nevermind.

He didn’t want to dwell on it anymore.

With a frustrated rub of his hair, he shook off the thoughts and got up. After washing up and changing his clothes, he found Jiang Jingchun still sitting at her dressing table.

Her complexion appeared weary, as if even after sleeping for so long, she still hadn’t gotten enough rest.

Gu Huaisheng pulled over a chair and sat beside her.

This time, he refrained from bringing up the matter from earlier. Instead, he broached the subject of what had happened yesterday when someone had led her away from the banquet. 

“Was it Jiang Jinghui who took you away yesterday?” he asked.

Seeing that he was trying to discuss serious matters, Jiang Jingchun put aside other thoughts and answered, “Yes, it was her. She said Li Wanning was slitting her wrists with porcelain shards and that she was dying. She told me to go see her…”

Jiang Jingchun’s gaze dropped, and Gu Huaisheng couldn’t discern her emotions. 

After a pause, he heard her continue, “I was worried she might have done something impulsive because of what happened yesterday. I couldn’t just stand by and let her die, so I agreed to go with her. But halfway there, I realised something was off. There were hardly any people around, and she wasn’t leading me toward the Jiang family’s camp. That’s when I suspected something was wrong. I tried to escape but was knocked unconscious. After that… I guess I was drugged.”

Jiang Jingchun didn’t know how to feel regarding Li Wanning. Li Wanning had indirectly caused her mother’s death, yet she had also raised her for more than ten years. Even if she had been treated like a dog during those years, fed nothing but scraps, when something happened to Li Wanning, she would still instinctively run to her side to check on her upon hearing it.

The best way for her to deal with Li Wanning should have been with indifference.

However, if Li Wanning had really planned to do something drastic, how could Jiang Jingchun remain indifferent?

Her actions last night were clearly at odds with this sentiment.

When Jiang Jingchun thought about Cen Yin, her poor mother, she felt a pang of guilt.

It was rather indecent.

She thought to herself, she really wasn’t much of a decent person.

If only she could simply stop being a decent person altogether and become a dog instead. Then, she wouldn’t have the shame or guilt that comes with being human. She wouldn’t be plagued by these exhausting, headache-inducing thoughts. She could simply act on the most primal instincts of a dog, free from pain or regret.

The thought made Jiang Jingchun’s head start to hurt. She let out a heavy sigh, and, as if talking to herself, said, “I really am despicable, aren’t I?”

Even after everything, she was still like this.

Gu Huaisheng was momentarily stunned by her words, but it didn’t take long for him to piece together what she meant.

She was thinking of her concern for Li Wanning’s life as a betrayal of Cen Yin.

Seeing her in this state made Gu Huaisheng feel a pang of sorrow. He said, “No, don’t think like that. You were worried about her because you’re human, because you have a heart. That’s all. It has nothing to do with anything else.”

She was overthinking everything. Because Cen Yin had died so tragically, she felt as though nothing she did would ever make up for it.

Jiang Jingchun looked at him and asked, “After everything she’s done to us, isn’t it despicable for me to care whether she lives or dies?”

“Don’t say that about yourself,” Gu Huaisheng said with a slight frown on his face. “You don’t need to overthink it. You’re not cold-hearted—it’s only natural that you can’t just watch someone die in front of you, even if it’s a stranger.”

In truth, being kind to everyone could be its own form of cruelty. But this was simply who she was—soft and kind-hearted. While others might see it as foolish or even malicious, Gu Huaisheng only saw it as pitiable.

Gu Huaisheng wasn’t a very empathetic person. He didn’t think that having too much empathy for other people was a particularly good thing, either. Besides, there were so many people and problems in this world. How could he empathise with everyone?

But this was Jiang Jingchun, so he had to try thinking from her perspective.

And the more he thought, the more pitiful he found her.

Nothing she could do could be the perfect solution.

So, all he could say to her was, “Don’t feel upset. You’re pitiful, too—just do whatever you want. It’s fine.”

If nothing could be the best solution, then anything would be the best solution.

Jiang Jingchun was momentarily stunned by his words. Her gaze froze, and her mind wandered to places unknown.

Gu Huaisheng could tell she was troubled. After saying what he had to say, he didn’t press her further. He stood up, ruffled her hair, and said, “Don’t overthink. I’m heading out to take care of something. Wait for me to return for lunch.”

Jiang Jingchun’s hair, which she had just neatly combed, was messed up by him again. Normally, she’d immediately blow up, but perhaps because she was lost in thought, Gu Huaisheng didn’t hear her curse him out, even after he left the tent.

After piecing together the events from Jiang Jingchun, Gu Huaisheng carefully analysed the situation.

Jiang Jinghui had tricked Jiang Jingchun into leaving the banquet hall and even drugged her.

She had placed her in Song Xuan’an’s tent, likely hoping for some kind of scandal to occur. But what was her goal? To force an affair between the two? And then what?

Yesterday, Gu Huaisheng had carried Jiang Jingchun out of Song Xuan’an’s tent, but he had no idea what had happened afterwards. If Jiang Jinghui had led people to catch them in the act, then her plan was likely to ruin their reputations.

Moreover, Wang Shun had delayed him under the guise of Emperor Taihe’s orders—clearly to buy time on purpose.

Was Wang Shun helping Jiang Jinghui?

But what kind of relationship could Wang Shun have with Jiang Jinghui?

The more Gu Huaisheng thought about it, the more it seemed like a massive conspiracy was unfolding in the shadows. He had always felt Jiang Jinghui’s background was suspicious, and now it seemed she had ties to Wang Shun.

Could Jiang Jinghui be a spy that Wang Shun had planted in the Jiang family?

Gu Huaisheng had discovered, based on previous events, that Wang Shun seemed to be greatly hostile towards the Jiang family.

There must be a deeper agenda behind Jiang Jinghui’s return, and it must be related to the Jiang family.

Could her supposed kidnapping and disappearance back then also be related to him?

If so, Wang Shun might have been plotting this for over a decade.

How terrifying.

Gu Huaisheng couldn’t help but wonder what kind of grudge could drive Wang Shun to invest such immense effort and energy.

With these thoughts, Gu Huaisheng went to find Jiang Nan.

Unfortunately, Jiang Nan wasn’t in his tent. After asking a servant, Gu Huaisheng learned that Jiang Nan had gone to the hunting grounds.

The servant offered, “I’ll go fetch the master immediately. Young Marquis, please wait here for a moment.”

Gu Huaisheng raised a hand to stop him. “No need. I’ll wait a while.”

It was almost noon when Jiang Nan finally returned. He was dressed in hunting attire and sweating heavily, and momentarily surprised to see Gu Huaisheng in his tent.

“Fuyan? What brings you here? Why didn’t you send someone to call me? Have you been waiting long?”

As Jiang Nan spoke, he set his bow on the rack and walked to the table. Then, he poured himself a cup of tea.

Gu Huaisheng replied, “I haven’t been here long. I only waited a little. Uncle, you were hunting earlier—did you catch a lot?”

Jiang Nan smiled and replied, “Yesterday, Xiaohui casually mentioned wanting a sika deer, so I thought I’d go early and hunt some for her.”

The day before, Jiang Nan had offered to hunt something for her and persistently asked Jiang Jinghui what she wanted. Although Jiang Jinghui had grown tired of his pestering, she didn’t show it and casually mentioned a sika deer to brush him off.

Jiang Nan headed straight to the hunting grounds after waking up at dawn.

Sika deer were not easy to hunt. They were small in size, swift in movement, and adept at darting through the forest, which meant they were also hard to spot.

Jiang Nan had spent nearly the entire morning hunting and managed to catch only two. As soon as he returned, he sent them to Jiang Jinghui.

Hearing this, Gu Huaisheng fell silent and didn’t comment further. Jiang Nan noticed his silence and asked, “By the way, what did you come to talk about today?”

Gu Huaisheng sat across from him and got straight to the point. “Uncle, have you ever offended Wang Shun?”

Jiang Nan froze mid-movement upon hearing this. His expression turned strange for a brief moment before he quickly regained his composure. His face returned to normal as he replied, “Offend? How could there be anything like that? Our views just differ, so naturally, we don’t see eye to eye. And he’s narrow-minded—you know that. He’s always finding something or someone to be unhappy with.”

He shifted the topic to Shen Changqing, saying, “Look at your teacher. His death was so suspicious. Wasn’t it because the New Policies, which he proposed, harmed Wang Shun’s interests? Wasn’t that why he met such an end?”

Jiang Nan brought up their political differences, but Gu Huaisheng didn’t let himself be diverted.

Gu Huaisheng said, “My teacher offended the entire conservative faction because of his reforms. But Uncle… it seems like you’ve only offended Wang Shun personally.”

The two situations were clearly different.

Gu Huaisheng could distinguish the difference between political infighting and personal revenge.

Shen Changqing’s New Policies threatened the interests of the entire conservative faction. His death was the result of a conspiracy orchestrated by the entire conservative faction, which Wang Shun headed. However, Wang Shun’s hatred towards Jiang Nan seemed personal. 

If it was because of political differences, why didn’t Wang Shun target Secretariat Elder Song as well? Why did he have to spend so many years plotting something that focused solely on Jiang Nan?

He couldn’t quite understand.

What kind of hatred could last more than a decade?

When Jiang Nan heard Gu Huaisheng’s words, his expression faltered. He could no longer maintain his composure, and his face turned visibly grim.

This change did not escape Gu Huaisheng’s notice and further solidified the assumptions in his mind.

Gu Huaisheng’s words stirred memories in Jiang Nan. Jiang Nan recalled the past and thought of Wang Yu. His face grew pale, as if the recollections themselves carried a heavy burden.

Years ago, Secretariat Elder Song had sent him south to handle the matter of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields. The Song faction naturally sought to gain control of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas. After all, with the Wang faction’s immense influence, allowing Jiangsu and Zhejiang to fall into their hands would be disastrous for the Song faction.

That year, Wang Yu went south with him.

Even before setting out, Jiang Nan had already heard of Wang Yu’s reputation in the capital.

Wang Yu was Wang Shun’s only son. He was a kind-hearted man who frequently entered the palace, who was so close with the emperor that they were almost like brothers.

People described Wang Yu as pure and good-natured.

For Jiang Nan, this was good news. If Wang Yu was truly as mild-tempered as people said, it would improve his chances of securing Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

At first, Jiang Nan deliberately drew closer to Wang Yu, and sure enough, Wang Yu was as approachable as everyone described. Wang Yu showed no guard towards Jiang Nan. Even though their political stances and affiliations differed, Wang Yu was genuinely willing to befriend him.

Initially, Jiang Nan had no intention of harming Wang Yu.

However, he gradually noticed something troubling: Wang Yu seemed deeply attached to the Jiangnan region. He was determined to gain control of it. Jiang Nan had subtly probed him in an attempt to understand his reasons. In a moment of unguarded honesty, Wang Yu revealed that he wanted to accomplish his task so he could bring his wife and daughter home to meet his father.

Wang Yu was simply too trusting. He assumed that Jiang Nan, with his warm smile, was a good person. Wang Yu, who was younger than Jiang Nan, liked to call him ‘Brother Jiang’ with a genuine smile on his face.

If Jiang Nan had to compete with Wang Yu for territory, Jiang Nan knew that he’d find it to be a hard fight.

Even though Wang Yu was naive, he was still the senior grand secretary’s only son. This meant he had privileges and advantages that smoothed his path in nearly everything he did.

Watching Wang Yu work enthusiastically every day to promote the rice-to-mulberry initiative, Jiang Nan couldn’t help but entertain a dark thought.

If Wang Yu were gone, everything would be so much easier.

At first, it was just a fleeting notion. But over time, the idea took root and refused to leave his mind.

Letting the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions fall into the Wang faction’s hands would undoubtedly spell disaster.

Wang Shun had committed numerous misdeeds. Wang Yu was his son.

So, Jiang Nan reasoned that the sins of the father should be repaid by the son.

He convinced himself that his actions were righteous. If anything, he was… carrying out the will of heaven.

One night, Jiang Nan invited Wang Yu out under the pretence of discussing urgent matters related to the rice-to-mulberry transition.

Wang Yu believed him.

He went out.

However, Jiang Nan had leaked Wang Yu’s whereabouts to farmers who opposed the conversion policy. 

These farmers were already seething with rage and filled with resentment.

It was easy to imagine what they’d do if they discovered Wang Yu out around late at night.

Jiang Nan had actually liked Wang Yu. In a court as corrupt as a murky cesspool, Wang Yu was an anomaly. He was so clean, so pure, that he hardly seemed like Wang Shun’s son.

But it couldn’t be helped. They were on opposing sides. Taking Wang Yu’s life would secure Jiang Nan’s success in this critical matter and pave the way for the Jiang family’s rise.

Jiang Nan had lived through the Jiang family’s former glory and their subsequent downfall. His family had supported him through difficult times and brought him to where he stood today. Yet, even after becoming the first place scholar in the imperial examinations, what did it matter? A first place scholar title held no real value in a capital dominated by powerful noble families. Even after entering Hanlin Academy, he was merely a scholar with a prestigious-sounding title.

At this point, Jiang Nan could spare no room for mercy. 

Step by step, he could only keep pushing forward.

People tended to selectively forget unpleasant memories.

For a long time, Jiang Nan had chosen to bury this memory.

Every time he thought of Wang Yu, he would become tortured by the pain and guilt he felt.

There were many nights that he’d awoken from dreams of Wang Yu, transformed into a vengeful ghost, demanding his life.

Jiang Nan feared it. He didn’t dare revisit those memories. But today, Gu Huaisheng’s questions forced him to confront the past he had long suppressed.

Jiang Nan understood why Wang Shun hated him so much. He knew Wang Shun had guessed the truth—that Jiang Nan had been the one who killed his son.

He must know Jiang Nan had killed his son.

Gu Huaisheng was now sitting across from him and pressing him about those old events, but what could he say to him?

How could he possibly admit to something so disgraceful?

Jiang Nan finally decided to change the subject. He said to Gu Huaisheng, “It’s nothing, just some old matters. There’s no need to bring them up again. We didn’t get along back then, and adding one more grievance or leaving one out makes no difference.”

Seeing that Jiang Nan still didn’t want to talk about it, Gu Huaisheng stopped pressing him. He could only surmise that Jiang Nan must have done something disgraceful in the past.

If it was truly disgraceful, then, naturally, he wouldn’t want others to know. No matter how much Gu Huaisheng asked, it would be pointless.

Out of respect for Jiang Nan as his maternal uncle, Gu Huaisheng gave him one final reminder. “Jiang Jinghui might be someone sent by Wang Shun.”

This was no simple warning. Now, whether Jiang Nan chose to trust Jiang Jinghui or Gu Huaisheng depended on himself.

Jiang Nan could choose to heed his words today or not.

Anyhow, Gu Huaisheng didn’t care much about it.

There existed cause and effect—karma, to everything, and retribution spared no one.

Gu Huaisheng wasn’t a deity. If Jiang Nan had indeed done something so grievous that someone could harbour hatred for him for over a decade, the consequences were beyond his ability to intervene.

After Gu Huaisheng left, Jiang Nan sat alone for a long time, lost in thought.

The cold wind howled outside the tent. It sneaked through the cracks and chilled him to his bone. He snapped back to reality and eventually got up to look for Jiang Jinghui.

The attendants had already delivered the sika deer he had hunted earlier and left it outside Jiang Jinghui’s tent. 

Jiang Jinghui hadn’t even glanced at it.

After failing to frame Jiang Jingchun the previous day and dragging Song Xuanjing into the mess instead, Jiang Jinghui was in an awful mood.

Indeed, if you wanted to harm someone, you must strike a decisive blow. Otherwise, they’d grow wise to your schemes, and it’d become much harder to trap them again.

She lay on the bed and ignored the news that Jiang Nan had sent over the sika deer. Her expression remained indifferent until someone reported that Jiang Nan himself had arrived. Only then did she get up.

She composed herself. She looked at Jiang Nan as he approached and asked, “Father, what brings you here?”

Jiang Nan had managed to calm his emotions while making his way here. However, his face still betrayed traces of weariness and hardship that he couldn’t completely hide.

Hearing Jiang Jinghui’s question, he forced a casual smile and sat on a chair nearby. “The one sika deer I hunted for you—do you like it?”

Jiang Jinghui lied without batting an eye. “I like it. Since you hunted it, Father, how could I not?”

In truth, she hadn’t even looked at it.

Jiang Nan’s gaze dimmed briefly at her words, but he quickly smiled again. “Do you remember anything from when you were little?”

To Jiang Jinghui, his question felt like yet another test. 

She assumed he was doubting her origins again—had he noticed something amiss and come to interrogate her?

Seeing the guarded look in her eyes, Jiang Nan quickly added, “Father doesn’t mean anything by it. I’m not asking about what happened after you went missing, just whether you remember anything from our home back then.”

Jiang Jinghui’s face darkened further. She said, “I was three. Just three years old. What could I possibly remember?”

What could she have remembered? What did he want her to remember?

Jiang Nan saw her unwillingness to speak and swallowed the words he wanted to say. In the end, he only managed to say, “Back then… back then, it was our carelessness that allowed someone with ill intentions to abduct you. I’ve been searching for you ever since—for more than ten years. You are my daughter, and I have never, not once, abandoned you.”

If Jiang Jinghui could recall her childhood, remember how happy their family had been, and how deeply Jiang Nan treasured his youngest daughter, she might not have doubted his words.

Back then, everyone knew how much Jiang Nan doted on his little daughter. He’d even let her ride on his shoulders without complaint.

However, Jiang Jinghui remembered nothing from those days.

All she remembered were the words Wang Shun had drilled into her and the years she spent barely surviving as a wandering beggar.

Jiang Jingchun felt disgusted and sickened after hearing what Jiang Nan said. She asked coldly, “Then why, even after I’ve returned, does Mother still refuse to let go of Jiang Jingchun?

“You claim I’m your daughter, yet why did I suffer for so many years? Why was she dressed in silks and brocades while I had to scavenge for the scraps she discarded?”

They always said they never abandoned her, but she couldn’t see any proof of that.

Perhaps it was because of her foul mood that day, but Jiang Jinghui’s words were especially cutting.

She looked at Jiang Nan and coldly said, “Father, was my life just worth less than hers?”

And was her suffering something she deserved because of that?

Jiang Nan was rendered speechless by her questions.

Suddenly, he regretted coming to see her today. Because even if she were somehow connected to Wang Shun, what could he do?

Would he disown her?

How could he?

Her words pierced him deeply and filled him with heartache.

Perhaps her life truly had been far too cruel over the years.

For the first time, Jiang Nan felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. Even knowing the terrifying things that might lie ahead, he realised he was utterly incapable of stopping them.

All he could think was to be kinder to her. To treat her better. And better still.

There were some things that were simply beyond one’s control, and even if one knew the solution to such a problem, one might still not choose it.

Just like Jiang Nan. Now, he’d found himself in such a predicament with no other way out.

His only option was to treat her well—so well that she might let go of what has happened over the past ten-plus years.

There was nothing else he could do.

After Jiang Nan left, Jiang Jinghui rose and went outside to check the sika deer he had hunted.

Seeing the two deer, Jiang Jinghui fell silent.

Earlier, Jiang Nan had said he hunted one for her. Yet now, she saw two.

But she hadn’t corrected him earlier.

That should be enough to prove she had lied to him.

From the very beginning, he had been testing her…

Jiang Jinghui let out a cold laugh and ordered someone to take the two sika deer far away and dispose of them.

***

When Gu Huaisheng returned to his tent from Jiang Nan’s place, he discovered that Jiang Jingchun was not in the tent. After questioning a servant, he learned that Chen Muqing had come by in a hurry earlier, and Jiang Jingchun had gone out with her.

Gu Huaisheng asked someone to investigate and found out that the two had gone to Song Xuan’an’s tent.

Apparently, Song Xuan’an was injured by Song Xuanjing yesterday…

Gu Huaisheng pondered for a moment before heading toward Song Xuan’an’s tent himself.

He arrived quickly. The events that had unfolded there the previous day replayed vividly in his mind.

Everything else aside, now that things had calmed down, Song Xuan’an’s actions seemed understandable to him. He likely guessed someone intended to scheme against them, which was why he had been so desperate to carry her away from that place.

So Song Xuanjing had hit him? That must have happened after he took Jiang Jingchun away.

Before Gu Huaisheng could think any further, he was already at Song Xuan’an’s tent. Seeing him approach, the guards at the entrance wanted to salute and announce his arrival, but he stopped them with a wave of his hand.

He lifted the tent flap and saw Jiang Jingchun sitting by the bedside and feeding porridge to Song Xuan’an. Her voice was full of concern as she asked, “Is it too hot? Should I blow on it more?”

***

Jiang Jingchun only knew that Song Xuan’an had been beaten up after Chen Muqing found her and told her.

She actually couldn’t recall much about what had happened yesterday. She only knew someone had drugged her. She wasn’t even aware she’d been brought to Song Xuan’an’s bed, nor could she remember calling out his name.

That morning, when Chen Muqing came rushing in to tell her Song Xuan’an had been injured by Song Xuanjing, she immediately ran with her to check on him.

Song Xuan’an’s face was covered in bruises, and his eyes were swollen. There was a deep, nasty gash at the corner of his mouth. It was a frightening sight.

Song Xuan’an lay in his bed. He couldn’t move at all.

Seeing him like this made both Jiang Jingchun and Chen Muqing wince with sympathetic pain. They rushed to his bedside, and Song Xuan’an turned his head to look at them.

Even the small movement of turning his head caused him severe pain.

However, when Song Xuan’an saw that Jiang Jingchun looked well, he felt somewhat better.

Jiang Jingchun looked at him and asked, “How did you end up like this?”

Even though she knew there was tension between him and Song Xuanjing, she hadn’t expected that Song Xuanjing would beat him like this.

Song Xuan’an shook his head. The motion caused him to grimace in pain, so the two women immediately urged him to stop moving.

He complied and, while enduring the pain, said, “It’s nothing. We just had a little disagreement, and he lost his temper and hit me.”

Word of the incident quickly spread to the ears of Secretariat Elder Song and the rest of the family.

The fact that Song Xuanjing had publicly beaten Song Xuan’an, with a group of other young masters as witnesses, infuriated Secretariat Elder Song. He felt like Song Xuanjing had aired the family’s dirty laundry and scolded Song Xuanjing harshly. He decreed that after the autumn hunt, Song Xuanjing would be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days.

Madame Song was equally enraged after seeing how injured Song Xuan’an was. She wanted to use ‘family discipline’ to punish him but had to wait until they returned home to address the matter.

Song Xuanjing’s actions this time were indeed a serious offence.  He created such a scandal in public and then beat someone into such a state, which left even Song He with no way to defend him.

Song Xuan’an didn’t dwell further on the matter of Song Xuanjing. Instead, he asked Jiang Jingchun, “Do you remember what happened yesterday?”

Jiang Jingchun looked puzzled. “What happened?”

Had something else transpired between her and Song Xuan’an after she had been drugged? 

She couldn’t recall anything at all.

Seeing her confusion, Song Xuan’an realised she didn’t remember.

So be it. Perhaps it was better this way.

If she did remember, it would only bring unnecessary trouble.

Song Xuan’an replied lightly to her. “Nothing. It’s no big deal.”

Jiang Jingchun didn’t dwell on the matter further upon hearing this.

The two women, seeing him lying there so pitifully, stayed to chat with him for quite a while.

As lunchtime approached, Madame Song sent over some porridge.

Upon seeing Jiang Jingchun and Chen Muqing there, Madame Song hesitated briefly, then left the porridge and gave them space to talk by quietly stepping out.

Later, Song Xuan’an looked at the porridge, then at Jiang Jingchun. He said he was hungry.

Chen Muqing noticed his expression and guessed what he was thinking.

However, seeing how badly beaten he was, she said nothing.

Jiang Jingchun didn’t overthink it either. With Chen Muqing’s help, she propped him up, picked up the porridge, and began feeding him.

Jiang Jingchun was quite skilled at caring for others. When the old madame frequently suffered from stomach ailments in the past, Jiang Jingchun often looked after her.

She scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and then brought it to Song Xuan’an’s lips. “Is it too hot? Should I blow on it more?”

Just as Song Xuan’an was about to shake his head and say it wasn’t, he caught a glimpse of someone entering through the doorway out of the corner of his eye.

He averted his gaze and, while acting as if nothing had happened, ate the porridge Jiang Jingchun had offered.

However, just as Jiang Jingchun was about to feed him a second spoonful, the bowl of porridge was taken from her hands.