The news that the Eldest Master of the Xia family had been made a cuckold by his second younger brother spread throughout the capital the next day. Xia Cheng himself felt humiliated and reported his illness to the Emperor and did not attend court. Even so, the censors' accusations flew to the Emperor's desk like snowflakes. All of them said that the inner courtyard of the Xiahou fu was in chaos and that he could not even manage his own wife and children. How could he be an official in court?
The Xiahou fu had originally been discredited by Xia Yan's adultery. After the incident with Second Master Xia, the common people suddenly realized why the Jiang furen was like this. If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked.
Outside, there were all sorts of rumors, but when they reached Xia Cheng's ears, he could not listen. Ever since the incident, Xia Tian Yi stayed in his room all day, instructing the maidservants to buy wine. Every day, he drank himself into a stupor and no longer had his original serious and self-disciplined appearance. He was no different from a drunkard on the street. Xia Cheng said it a few times, but it only made Xia Tian Yi more and more agitated. In a fit of anger, he simply stopped talking and only wanted to say that it would be fine after a few days.
Shen Rou's paternal family came to visit once. They knew that such an incident had happened and that the paternal family had lost face. They said that since Shen Rou had married into the Xia family, she was a member of the Xia family. Even if she died, it had nothing to do with the paternal family. They actually left Shen Rou in the Xia family's care.
However, at the moment, everyone in the Xia fu was busy with Xia Jiaojiao's injuries and no one cared about Shen Rou's life or death. Ever since the day Xia Jiaojiao was kicked by Xia Tian Yi and her face had been disfigured by scalding soup, Xia Furen had invited many physicians to treat her, but they were all helpless. Xia Jiaojiao's face was destined to have a large burn mark. With such a burn mark on her face, it would be difficult to marry into an ordinary family, much less enter the palace. However, now that Xia Jiaojiao had become the child of her uncle and sister-in-law, even the hedonistic sons of the capital would disdain marrying her, not to mention marrying into a good family.
Xia Jiaojiao had always loved to look good and valued her face more than anything else. Knowing that she had been seeking death all day after her disfigurement, Xia Furen had a headache.
As for Yu Ya and Xia Tiancai, it was unknown whether it was due to the stimulation of this incident, but Yu Ya's temperament had changed greatly. She didn't even need to pretend to be obedient on the surface anymore. Every day, she would quarrel with Xia Chen and turn into a female bug. That was why Xia Chen's face would be scratched red every day. Yu Ya's body was also covered in patches of green and purple. It was a shocking sight to see.
Currently, Xia Hou fu could be considered to be in a complete mess of internal and external troubles. The common people outside were all waiting to watch the show. When Lu Zhu told Jiang Ruan about these matters, she naturally laughed so hard that she couldn't even straighten her back, "This time, the Xia family is reaping what they sow. Let's just let them rebel against each other."
Lian Qiao also laughed, "Isn't there a saying that goes, 'Reincarnation is part of the Heavenly Dao'? The First and Second Branch of the Xia Family committed such a shameful act. One day, they will be exposed."
The sky outside was already dark. Bai Zhi took a pair of scissors and cut the wick of the lamp a little shorter. The light became much brighter and no longer flickered. Bai Zhi draped a thin cloak over Jiang Ruan and said, "Miss, it's late at night and it's cold outside. Be careful not to catch a cold."
It was already the beginning of autumn. During the day, there wasn't much to feel, but at night, she could already feel the coolness of autumn. Jiang Ruan closed the book in her hands and inadvertently caught a glimpse of a whistle on the table. The whistle was exquisitely made. She couldn't help but reach out to pick it up and hold it in her hand, carefully examining it.
This was the whistle that Xiao Shao had given her that day in prison. At that time, she had been in a hurry and hadn't had time to examine it carefully. Now, she saw that this whistle was made of an unknown material and had a faint fragrance. The whistle's body was engraved with a golden Qilin treading on fire and Fengfeng. Jiang Ruan moved a little closer and could smell the cool and refreshing smell.
Xiao Shao had not been seen for about twenty days. Something must have happened. Jiang Ruan put down the whistle and was about to walk towards the edge of the bed when she suddenly saw Tian Zhu, who was sitting in the outer room, suddenly stand up with a very solemn expression.
Jiang Ruan was slightly startled, but she saw that the slightly swaying candle flame contained a shallow layer of warm yellow light. Gradually, a slender, tall, and thin figure flashed out from within. That person took a few steps forward before his features became clear. Clear, cold, and elegant, who else could it be but Xiao Shao?
Tian Zhu called out in a low voice, "Young Master!" His expression was one of rare anxiousness. Only then did Jiang Ruan smell the strong smell of blood coming from Xiao Shao's body. She looked at Xiao Shao again. Although his expression was calm, his complexion was much paler than usual. Even his lips were slightly white.
"You're injured?" She frowned.
"I'm fine." Xiao Shao pursed his lips. Just as he finished speaking, he fell head first onto the soft couch in Jiang Ruan's outer room.
Tian Zhu did not dare to say anything else. She only said anxiously, "Miss, Master …"
Jiang Ruan stared at the person who had fainted on the bed for a moment. Finally, she said, "Close the door and windows. Call Lian Qiao and Baizhi to fetch a pot of hot water. Lu Zhu, guard the door. Tian Zhu, do you know medicine?"
Tian Zhu shook her head, "This subordinate only knows how to identify some poisons."
Jiang Ruan felt a headache coming on, "Then what do you do when you're injured in the past?"
"Endure," Tian Zhu said, "Endure until we return to the building. There will be a doctor to see."
It was impossible for an assassin to always pay attention to injuries. If they really cherished their lives so much, then they would not do such dangerous work. Jiang Ruan lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "Carry him to my bed. It's easy to leave traces in the outer room."
"This …" Tian Zhu was somewhat surprised. Letting a man lie on her bed, wasn't that tacit … but Jiang Ruan did not seem to be particularly intimate with her Young Master.
"Move faster." Jiang Ruan did not give her time to be in a daze, "If you're any slower, your Master will bleed to death."
Only then did Tian Zhu restrain the conjectures in her heart and help Xiao Shao to Jiang Ruan's bed.
Outside the room, Lu Zhu stood at the entrance of the courtyard, dutifully guarding the door in case anything unexpected happened. However, in her heart, she was constantly concerned about the situation inside the room. She kept urging Jin Er, who had landed on the roof to look inside, "What's going on?"
Jin Er lazily sat on the roof and lifted a tile to look inside. He clicked his tongue and said, "Nothing much. It's just that your Miss has carried the Young Master to her bed."
"Ah — —" Lu Zhu covered her mouth, "How can a Miss casually let a man climb onto her bed?"
"I think it's your Miss who wants to molest my Master while he's unconscious." Jin Er spoke clearly and logically, "It's a dark and windy night, and it's the best time. You see, she even put down the mosquito net. Isn't this … "
"Shut up!" Seeing that his words were getting more and more out of hand, Lu Zhu became angry and said, "You lecher with a mouth full of feces, you don't have to slander my Miss' innocence. What's so great about your Master? My Miss is exceptionally beautiful and intelligent, is there a need to do such a thing? On the other hand, your Master didn't go anywhere else to faint, but instead chose to faint in my Miss's courtyard. What are his intentions? "
Lu Zhu was eloquent, and Jin Er was stumped by her questions. However, the reason behind this could not be revealed to outsiders, so for a moment, he could not think of a good reason.
On the other hand, Jin San, who was sitting on the tree and watching the show, snickered. He felt that Jin Er and Lu Zhu were really a pair of clowns. It was quite interesting to watch this pair of clowns put on a show.
…
In the room, Tian Zhu had already examined Xiao Shao. He was injured, and his wound was poisoned. Only Xiao Shao himself knew medicine, and after taking some antidote, he was feeling better. However, the wound on his body still needed to be treated.
Tian Zhu's method was to randomly tear open the wound and bandage it to stop the bleeding. Although this was convenient for the time being, the wound could easily rot after a long time. Seeing that Tian Zhu could not be relied on, Jiang Ruan could only do it herself.
After asking Tian Zhu to help support Xiao Shao to the bed, Jiang Ruan sat on the edge of the bed. There were no traces of blood on Xiao Shao's black clothes. Under the light of the lantern, a large patch of wetness could be seen, but it could not be distinguished whether it was blood or sweat. Jiang Ruan's hand covered the black clothes, and when she took her hand away, her palm was full of shocking bloodstains.
Lian Qiao, who had just returned from fetching hot water, gasped and said in a panic, "Miss, Xiao Wangye has suffered a serious injury!"
Jiang Ruan's gaze fell on the face of the youth on the bed. Even though he was injured, his expression was as cold and indifferent as ever, as if this was not a very important matter. Because his eyes were closed, his long eyelashes drooped down, creating a deep shadow under the light. The paler his face was, the lighter the color of his lips. His entire person seemed to be made of jade, and he gave off a cold aura. Only his thin lips were tightly pursed. In the end, he could feel that this was not a very comfortable matter.
Jiang Ruan took the clean handkerchief from Bai Zhi's hands and soaked it in the hot water. Then, she reached out and picked up a pair of scissors that had been scalded with hot wine. With one hand holding Xiao Shao's collar, and the other holding the scissors, she carefully cut along the part of his clothes that was soaked in blood.
Although her hands were steady, she still held her breath and concentrated on her task. Seeing this, Tian Zhu's expression changed slightly.
With great difficulty, she managed to cut open the clothes. Jiang Ruan pulled open Xiao Shao's clothes, revealing his chest.
Seeing this, Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao's faces flushed bright red. Although they knew that their Miss would not be bashful over such matters, and had always been indifferent to women's sensitive reactions, they were still startled to see their Miss pull open the clothes of a strange man so openly. In any case, Jiang Ruan was still an unmarried girl. Looking at a man's body like this, Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao did not know whether to cry or laugh. However, looking at Jiang Ruan's indifferent expression, how was it that she was moved by this?
However, the woman holding the scissors was not as calm as the two servant girls thought. Normally, Xiao Shao looked thin, but after pulling open his clothes, his body was lean and well-defined, and his whole body contained a kind of wild power. His skin was the color of jade, but upon closer inspection, one could see that it was covered with tiny scars. Some of the scars were old, while others were new.
As expected of an assassin, Jiang Ruan thought. She heard Lian Qiao, who was beside her, suddenly cough incessantly. Jiang Ruan raised her eyes and met Xiao Shao's thoughtful gaze.
She did not know when this person had woken up, but she was holding the scissors in her hand. Looking at his body in a daze, she looked like a rapist. Jiang Ruan glared at Xiao Shao and asked, "How did you do it?"
"On the way back to the capital, I met with an ambush," Xiao Shao replied. Looking at Jiang Ruan, his gaze softened.
Jiang Ruan paused, took out a handkerchief that had been soaked in hot water, wrung it dry, and carefully cleaned the scars on Xiao Shao's wound. At this time, she could see clearly that there was a Mitsubishi thorn on it, the sharp point piercing into Xiao Shao's chest. The thorn was very deep, making it difficult to deal with. In her previous life, Jiang Ruan had often been bullied in the palace, so she was most skilled at simple bandaging, but she did not know how to deal with such a wound.
Xiao Shao noticed her gaze and said, "Let me do it." Reaching out to pull out the Mitsubishi thorn, Jiang Ruan said, "If you want to die, no one will stop you. Don't die in my room."
Xiao Shao was stunned. Jiang Ruan pushed her hand away and carefully cleaned the blood stains on the side of the Mitsubishi thorn. Xiao Shao's disregard for anything just now was frightening to her. Even if an assassin did not regard his own life as his own, this was really too casual. Jiang Ruan looked for a while, found an angle, and reached out to hold the part of the Mitsubishi thorn that was left outside. After a slight hesitation, she exerted force and pulled it out from the side.
Xiao Shao groaned, and Jiang Ruan quickly picked up the handkerchief and pressed it on the wound. The blood stains instantly soaked the handkerchief, and Jiang Ruan ordered Bai Zhi to change two basins of water. There were three gashes on the wound, so it was impossible to directly bandage it. Jiang Ruan thought for a while and asked Lian Qiao to bring the needle and thread.
Lian Qiao brought the needle and thread and asked, "Does Miss want to stitch Xiao Wangye's wound?"
Jiang Ruan looked at Xiao Shao and asked, "Are you afraid of pain?"
Xiao Shao was slightly startled, and then he shook his head.
"Even if it hurts, I will endure it." Jiang Ruan took the silver needle and examined it in the candlelight, and found a clean thread. Although she was somewhat hesitant, in the end, she still did it. She did not use Xiao Shao's skin as a cloth to embroider, but she embroidered very seriously. Since many years ago, when she made embroidery for Zhang Lan to exchange for money, Jiang Ruan's embroidery skills were actually considered outstanding, but she had never been as solemn as she was now. Lian Qiao looked at the beads of sweat on Jiang Ruan's forehead, and her heart also tightened.
Xiao Shao did not say a word as he allowed Jiang Ruan to stitch up the wound. Without anesthesia, he endured the pain and did not make a sound. He just pursed his lips and watched Jiang Ruan. No one knew what he was thinking, but his eyes seemed more and more like stars.
Even though Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao were quite critical of the matter of Xiao Shao fainting in their own lady's courtyard, seeing him like this, they could not help but admire him. In this world, there were not many men who could endure pain, and those who could endure it to the extent that Xiao Shao did were even rarer.
Finally, Jiang Ruan finished the last stitch, tied a knot on the thread, and threw the silver needle into the needle and thread box. She then took some medicinal powder to stop the bleeding and sprinkled it on Xiao Shao's wound. Tian Zhu handed over a clean and refreshing strip of white cloth. Jiang Ruan lowered her head and looked at it. Xiao Shao, with his bare chest, glanced at the white cloth.
Jiang Ruan picked up the white cloth and said to Tian Zhu, "Help him sit up."
Tian Zhu did as she was told. Jiang Ruan threw Xiao Shao's blood-soaked clothes to one side and made Xiao Shao lower his head.
Xiao Shao was stunned at first, but then he seemed to realize something. His handsome face slightly reddened, and he turned his head away uncomfortably.
Jiang Ruan did not notice his expression. She wrapped her hands around his back and wrapped the cloth around his back to his chest. It looked like Xiao Shao was holding Jiang Ruan in his arms. If Jiang Ruan raised her head, she would be able to touch his chin.
Jiang Ruan lowered her head to tie the cloth. Xiao Shao pursed his lips and looked down at Jiang Ruan, who was very close to him. The unique fragrance of a young girl filled his ears, and that strange feeling floated up again. He had an impulse to pull the young girl in front of him into his arms.
Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao silently looked away, not knowing whether to advance or retreat. Jiang Ruan finished bandaging the wound, thought for a moment, and asked Lian Qiao to boil some brown sugar water. Brown sugar water was used to replenish the blood. Although it was used by women, it could not arouse suspicion. Instead, it made Xiao Shao's expression somewhat stiff.
After these things were done, Jiang Ruan breathed a sigh of relief. She felt that bandaging Xiao Shao's wound was surprisingly tiring. She sat down on the bed and asked, "Why did you faint here?"
"There were ambushes along the way, and this place was the closest." Xiao Shao replied. After leaving the capital to handle some matters, the people of Nanjiang had become increasingly rampant. He was already injured, but there were also ambushes along the way. The people of Nanjiang were good at using poison. Tonight, those people had used miao-gu, which confirmed his suspicions. Those people in the capital had long been in cahoots with the people of Nanjiang. There were many ambushes along the way to Jinying Wang fu. He was afraid of beating the grass and alerting the enemy. Seeing that the Jiang fu was right in front of him, he did not think twice and went to Jiang Ruan's courtyard.
In fact, his whereabouts could not be revealed to outsiders, but he did not know why he felt that Jiang Ruan was someone he could trust, so he felt at ease and boldly fainted in her room. In fact, his injury was not that serious, and he would be fine after a short rest. However, seeing Jiang Ruan earnestly bandaging his wound, he simply pretended not to know.
At this time, Xiao Shao still did not know why he was acting so differently from his usual self, nor did he know the meaning of that peculiar feeling. He was a precocious youth, but when it came to matters of love, he was like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth, allowing that sour and astringent feeling to ferment in his heart.
Jiang Ruan looked out of the window, and then looked at the hourglass beside her. It was already the third watch of the night. After supervising Xiao Shao to finish drinking the bowl of brown sugar water, she put down the mosquito net and said, "You sleep, I will go outside."
Xiao Shao was about to get off the bed, "No need, I will be fine outside."
Jiang Ruan glanced at him, "If you are not afraid of implicating me, you can sleep outside. I have a lot of spies in this courtyard, and my younger sisters are all hoping to catch hold of my weakness. If you want to push your weakness in front of others, I will owe you a few favors, so naturally, I have nothing to say. "
Xiao Shao was a little embarrassed by Jiang Ruan's rebuke, and if he continued to decline, it would seem that he was being too calculative. However, it was somewhat inappropriate for a man to occupy a woman's bedchamber, and since Jiang Ruan had not done anything wrong, he could only drop the matter.
After Jiang Ruan left the room, Tian Zhu, who had been silent all this while, came forward and gave Jiang Ruan a deep bow of thanks, "This subordinate thanks Miss for saving my life."
Jiang Ruan did not speak, but Tian Zhu continued, "From today onwards, this subordinate's life belongs to Miss." Perhaps Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao did not understand how dangerous today's matter was, but as a member of the Brocade Guard, she understood it very well. Jiang Ruan dared to brave the hidden powers in the capital, hide Xiao Shao in her bedchamber, and treat his injury. This required enormous courage. However, from beginning to end, Jiang Ruan appeared very calm, as if this was an extremely ordinary matter.
Tian Zhu said, "From today onwards, this subordinate's life belongs to Miss."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
