At half past five in the afternoon, the carved window lattice of Roujia Courtyard reflected the sunset, dyeing the indoor furnishings in a warm orange glow. Yet Jiang Rou felt ice all over; she fiercely slammed the gilded hand warmer she was holding onto the ground, and glowing charcoal embers splattered onto her brocade skirt hem, burning several charred holes.
"I'm furious to death! That bitch Jiang Wan!" she stamped her foot and screamed, the red gemstone hairpin on her chignon shaking as if it would fall out. "She merely checked some wretched account book, and Father is already so amiable toward her? How can this be!"
Madame Li sat before the mirror, leisurely twisting the pearl tassels, her peripheral vision glancing at her daughter's stomping figure while a fire also choked her own heart. Yesterday, Jiang Zhenshan had actually allowed Jiang Wan to participate in managing the household finances—what did this mean? It meant that her power as stepmother was being divided!
"Enough," Madame Li said coldly. "What kind of spectacle is all this tossing and turning? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the servants?"
Jiang Rou whipped around, her eye rims burning red. "Mother! You can still sit there? Jiang Wan's prestige is at its peak right now, and Father has almost forgotten he has a daughter like me! If this goes on, everything in the Marquis's Mansion will be hers!"
Madame Li put down the tassels, walked over to Jiang Rou, and gently patted her back, though her gaze held not a shred of warmth. "What are you panicking about? That girl Jiang Wan merely had a stroke of blind luck and solved a couple of minor troubles. When it comes to real methods, she is still far behind."
"But..." Jiang Rou bit her lip. "Father's gaze when he looks at her is different now! In the past he always thought her foolish, but now..."
"Hush—" Madame Li suddenly clamped a hand over her daughter's mouth, looking toward the door with vigilance. "Paper walls have ears!"
Mother and daughter exchanged a glance, seeing deep jealousy and hatred in each other's eyes. Madame Li pulled Jiang Rou down to sit on the soft couch, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you think Mother is willing to let this go? The more influence Jiang Wan gains, the more we must find ways to suppress her. Otherwise, once she firmly plants her feet, we will be the very first ones she cleans house with!"
Jiang Rou shuddered, recalling the calm and sharp gaze Jiang Wan had worn when solving the procurement deficit, and a creeping chill passed through her heart. But more than that, she felt unreconciled. "Mother, think of something quickly! You must let Father know that Jiang Wan is still that stupid good-for-nothing!"
A sinister glint flashed in Madame Li's eyes. She picked up her teacup and took a small sip, letting the tea swirl around the tip of her tongue before setting it down with disdain. "It's not that there's no way; it all depends on whether you dare to do it."
"I dare!" Jiang Rou immediately straightened her back. "As long as it makes Jiang Wan a laughingstock, I'll do anything!"
"Good." Madame Li nodded with satisfaction, leaned close to Jiang Rou's ear, and murmured a few instructions.
The more Jiang Rou listened, the brighter her eyes grew, and an excited flush bloomed on her face. "Mother, this plan is brilliant! It will surely ruin Jiang Wan's reputation completely!"
"Keep your voice down!" Madame Li glared at her. "This matter must be done seamlessly, without letting anyone suspect us. Especially your father—he's just starting to see Jiang Wan in a new light. If this traces back to us..."
"This daughter understands!" Jiang Rou clenched her fists. "I'll go make the arrangements right now!"
When the third watch drum sounded, the Marquis's Mansion was wrapped in profound silence. Nanny Liu, Madame Li's trusted wet nurse and servant, walked in carrying a bowl of bird's nest soup, steam still rising from the rim.
"Mistress, the night is deep; have some bird's nest to warm yourself," Nanny Liu said in a low voice.
Madame Li waved a hand, gesturing for her to close the door. "How was it handled?"
Nanny Liu drew closer, pulling an oil-paper parcel from her sleeve containing an exquisite piece of jade bracelet. "Reporting to the Mistress, it was all done according to your instructions. This was 'borrowed' from the storehouse, and the accounting room has already been taken care of. We're just waiting for tomorrow..."
Madame Li picked up the bracelet, held it against the candlelight to inspect it closely, and a cold sneer curved the corner of her mouth. "Doesn't Jiang Wan like checking accounts? Then let her check carefully how her own possessions went 'missing'."
"The Mistress is brilliant!" Nanny Liu offered a flattering smile. "Tomorrow's flower-viewing banquet will give her quite a show to watch."
"Hmph, the good show is yet to come." Madame Li put the bracelet back into the oil-paper parcel. "Tell our people below to proceed according to plan tomorrow. If any mishaps occur, they had better guard their skins!"
"Yes!"
The next day at the fourth hour, the peonies in the Marquis's backyard were blooming in all their glory. Madame Li had specially hosted a flower-viewing banquet, inviting several titled matrons from the capital. Outwardly, it was to appreciate the peonies, but covertly, it was designed to trap Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan wore a moon-white ruqun as she sat under the veranda sipping tea. She knew Madame Li and Jiang Rou would not let the matter rest easily, and today's banquet was bound to harbor hidden pitfalls.
"Elder Sister, why are you hiding here?" Jiang Rou wore a bright red pomegranate skirt, darting over like a ball of fire. "Mother is calling for you. She said there is a matron who wishes to make your acquaintance."
Jiang Wan lifted her gaze and caught a flicker of hard-to-detect triumph in Jiang Rou's eyes, understanding the situation instantly. She set down her teacup and said indifferently, "Understood."
Just as they stepped into the garden, they heard a plump matron exclaim in shock, "Oh my! My jade bracelet is gone! It's the one with the exceptional water clarity..."
Hearing this, the crowd gathered around. Madame Li also feigned surprise. "Madame Wang, do not be anxious. Think carefully—where was the last place you saw it?"
Madame Wang slapped her thigh. "Just a moment ago, I took it off and placed it on the stone table to admire it, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished!"
Madame Li looked at Jiang Wan with a meaningful gaze. "Speaking of which, just now only Younger Sister Wan was wandering around that vicinity..."
All eyes focused on Jiang Wan. Jiang Rou immediately leaped forward, pointing straight at her. "Elder Sister! Did you take Madame Wang's bracelet? You were the closest to the stone table just now!"
Jiang Wan sneered inwardly while maintaining a look of utter bewilderment. "What nonsense is Younger Sister spouting? I have been drinking tea under the veranda the entire time; when did I ever go near the stone table?"
"You clearly went there!" Jiang Rou refused to let up. "I saw you go over with my own eyes!"
"Oh?" Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow. "When did Younger Sister see this? And who else can testify to it?"
Jiang Rou choked on the question. How could she have a witness? She was merely parroting what Madame Li had told her to say.
Seeing this, Madame Li hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "All right, all right. Perhaps Madame Wang simply misremembered where she left it. Everyone can just help look for it."
At that moment, Nanny Liu let out a sharp cry. "Oh! Isn't this Madame Wang's bracelet? How did it fall under the Eldest Miss's skirt hem?"
Following the sound, everyone looked over and saw Nanny Liu picking up a jade bracelet from beneath the hem of Jiang Wan's skirt—it was precisely the one Madame Wang had lost!
Jiang Rou immediately shouted, "Look! She's the one who took it! Caught red-handed!"
Madame Wang's face turned livid, and she pointed at Jiang Wan, too angry to speak. The other matrons also began whispering among themselves, their gazes toward Jiang Wan filled with suspicion.
Looking at the bracelet, Jiang Wan's inward sneer grew colder. She had long anticipated that Madame Li would pull this stunt; when passing the stone table earlier, she had noticed Nanny Liu acting suspiciously. She had deliberately slowed her pace precisely to give Nanny Liu the opportunity to drop the bracelet under her skirt.
"Nanny Liu," Jiang Wan said calmly, though her voice carried a trace of chill, "just because this bracelet fell under my skirt hem, does that automatically mean I took it?"
Nanny Liu felt a jolt of panic under her steady gaze, but she forced herself to maintain composure. "Eldest Miss, besides you, who else even came near?"
"Is that so?" Jiang Wan suddenly raised her voice. "Younger Sister just said she saw me approach the stone table, but did anyone else see it?"
The crowd looked at one another in dismay; not a single person had seen it.
Jiang Wan turned to Jiang Rou. "Younger Sister, you said you saw me take the bracelet, but did you see when I took it? And how I took it?"
Jiang Rou stammered, "I... I just saw you go close..."
"Words alone carry no weight." Jiang Wan turned to Madame Wang and offered a slight curtsy. "Madame Wang, if this bracelet were found on my person, I would willingly accept punishment. But since it was merely found under my skirt hem, it does not necessarily follow that I stole it. After all, with people coming and going in this garden, who knows if someone deliberately planted it to frame me?"
Madame Li's expression shifted. "Wan'er, what do you mean by that? Are you accusing someone in my household?"
"I am merely speaking based on the facts." Jiang Wan looked at Nanny Liu. "Nanny Liu, you claim this bracelet was found beneath my skirt hem, but when did you see it? And how did you see it?"
Pressed by these questions, Nanny Liu broke out in a cold sweat, her eyes darting away nervously. "I... I was just passing by and happened to see it..."
"Passing by?" Jiang Wan gave a cold laugh. "As Second Mistress's personal servant, instead of properly attending to her, why were you passing by my skirt hem? And why did you 'accidentally' spot the bracelet at precisely this moment?"
The barrage of questions left Nanny Liu speechless and pale-faced.
Jiang Zhenshan had arrived in the garden at some point and had heard the entire exchange. His expression complex, he looked at Jiang Wan, then turned his gaze to Nanny Liu and demanded sternly, "What on earth is going on here? Confess the truth!"
Terrified, Nanny Liu collapsed to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly. "Marquis, spare my life! It was... it was Second Mistress and Second Miss who instructed me... They told me to drop the bracelet under the Eldest Miss's skirt to frame her..."
"What?" gasps echoed through the crowd.
Jiang Zhenshan's face turned livid, his glare at Madame Li and Jiang Rou freezing and harsh.
Madame Li trembled all over and hastily dropped to her knees. "Master, listen to my explanation, I..."
"Enough!" Jiang Zhenshan slammed his hand violently against the stone table. "Madame Li! As the mistress of the Marquis's Mansion, you actually stooped to such frame-ups and conspiracy! What kind of behavior is this!"
Terrified as well, Jiang Rou fell to her knees and wailed, "Father, this daughter was wrong! This daughter was only muddle-headed for a moment..."
"Muddle-headed for a moment?" Jiang Zhenshan laughed out of fury. "Someone come! Confine Madame Li to Roujia Courtyard; without my command, she is not allowed to step outside a single step! Jiang Rou, as punishment, copy the *Admonitions for Women* one hundred times and reflect on your misdeeds behind closed doors!"
Ashen-faced, Madame Li and Jiang Rou were dragged away by the servants.
Seeing this, Madame Wang quickly picked up her bracelet, curtsied to Jiang Wan, and said, "Eldest Miss, I misunderstood you. My apologies, truly."
Jiang Wan smiled faintly. "It is no matter. I am glad Madame Wang has cleared the matter up."
The crowd's gaze toward Jiang Wan shifted instantly—gone was the suspicion, replaced by admiration. This eldest daughter, once dismissed as a simpleton, was now so remarkably astute and composed that she easily unraveled Madame Li's plot.
Jiang Zhenshan looked at Jiang Wan, true appreciation shining in his eyes for the very first time. He stepped up to her and said in a deep voice, "Wan'er, regarding today's affair, it was your father who wronged you."
Jiang Wan curtsied. "Father speaks too heavily; this daughter understands your difficult position."
Sunlight filtered through the flowering branches, casting dappled light over Jiang Wan as she lowered her gaze, masking the cold gleam deep within her eyes.
Madame Li, Jiang Rou—this was only the beginning. Everything you inflicted upon me in my past life, I will take back piece by piece.
The storms of the Marquis's Mansion had only just begun to unfurl. And she would surely carve out a smooth, triumphant path of her own amidst this tempest.