"What wind blew you to my place, Second Sister?" Jiang Yu looked at Jiang Yingxi with a smile, though her tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
Never before had Jiang Yingxi been subjected to such treatment from Jiang Yu, who had always fawned over her and never dared to speak to her in such a manner.
Consequently, for a moment, Jiang Yingxi's originally dignified and graceful smile stiffened somewhat.
Mother had said that Jiang Yu had returned to the Capital from the countryside safe and sound, yet the bandits they had hired had clearly sent word this morning that they had already killed her.
Not only that, but Jiang Yu had somehow managed to get in the good graces of Lord Zhou, the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
Just moments ago, when Madam Zhao relayed this news to Jiang Yingxi, she had been so angry her face turned red.
To comfort her mother, Jiang Yingxi had then declared that she would go see Jiang Yu herself.
However, Madam Zhao did not want her precious pearl of a daughter mixing too much with a country girl like Jiang Yu.
Yet Jiang Yingxi remained extremely confident in her ability to handle Jiang Yu, so she came anyway.
Never had she expected that upon arrival, she would witness Jiang Yu disciplining the servants in her own courtyard.
This was hardly ideal. A little wretch like Jiang Yu was supposed to be exploited to help her mother strike down that woman reeking of copper coins.
At this thought, Jiang Yingxi immediately forced her smile to return, and spoke to Jiang Yu with the utmost warmth: "What is Third Sister saying? Of course I was worried about you. You suffered so much out at the estate, and now that you're back, I wanted to see what you lacked and bring you some things to use. We have always been as close as sisters; in my heart, you have always been just as important as Xueshu."
With that gentle and benevolent smile hanging on her face, Jiang Yingxi looked utterly sincere, with not a trace of pretense.
In her past life, it was precisely this facade that had completely deceived her.
What a consummate actress. Well then, let's see how long you can keep up the act.
"Then what is Second Sister planning to give me?" Jiang Yu asked, blinking her wide, sparkling eyes as she stared straight at Jiang Yingxi, putting on an appearance of pure innocence.
Jiang Yingxi's face stiffened for a fraction of a second. In the past, it was always Jiang Yu who offered her things she had begged from that mother of hers.
Since when had Jiang Yu ever asked her for anything?
Primarily because the Marquis Manor was poorly managed, their family coffers were meager.
The food and clothing budgets for the daughters of the Jiang Family had been cut down time and time again.
That was why Jiang Zhiping coveted Lady Li's dowry so greedily—resenting Lady Li for her vast wealth while simultaneously looking down on her as the daughter of a merchant.
He never stopped to think: if not for marrying Lady Li, how could the Marquis Manor maintain its current glossy, outwardly prosperous appearance?
"What is it that you lack right now?" Jiang Yingxi smoothed over her stiff expression in an instant, her tone softening with a touch of indulgence as she questioned Jiang Yu, looking for all the world like an older sister dealing with a willful younger sibling.
Jiang Yu pretended to ponder the question seriously for a moment before replying, "Now that I've just come back, I'm lacking all sorts of clothes and jewelry. Eldest Sister, wouldn't you mind returning those pieces of jewelry I lent you before? You know how Mother favors Eldest Sister—coming back this time, I don't even have any jewelry to wear."
As she spoke, Jiang Yu's eyes instantly reddened, making her look as though she had suffered a grievous wrong.
Jiang Yingxi never imagined Jiang Yu could be so utterly shameless as to ask for the return of items she had already given away.
She truly was a wild girl raised in the countryside—so utterly devoid of shame that she didn't even want her face anymore.
Carefully nurtured by her parents since childhood to become someone above others, to fly up to the branches and turn into a phoenix, Jiang Yingxi honestly could not bring herself to flatly refuse Jiang Yu's request.
Yet the truth was that those few gorgeous and expensive accessories she owned had all been gifts from Jiang Yu.
Whenever she wore them to attend banquets or meet distinguished guests, those pieces helped her hold her own and save face.
"Third Sister, how can you take back something that has already been given away? Besides, those were all tokens of your affection for me. How about this: I'll pick out a few of my own accessories and give them to you instead, all right?" Jiang Yingxi still could not bear to part with the jewelry Jiang Yu had given her, especially since those were the only truly valuable pieces she had in her possession.
"Second Sister, how can you be like this? I am merely taking back my own things, yet you insist on keeping them and refuse to return them!" Dropping her pitiful act entirely, Jiang Yu suddenly pointed an accusing finger at Jiang Yingxi.
At these words, Jiang Yingxi's face drained of color. What did she mean by saying she was hoarding Jiang Yu's belongings and refusing to return them? That made it sound as though the jewelry Jiang Yu had freely given her in the past was something she had gone out and robbed.
"Third Sister, what nonsense are you spouting? You gave me all of these things yourself!" Jiang Yingxi said with an extremely ugly expression.
"When I was young, I was coaxed into giving you all my most precious jewelry, and now you won't even return them when I ask. And you call yourself the Capital's number one talented woman? You're nothing more than a rogue who bullies others by seizing their jewelry and refusing to give it back," Jiang Yu said coldly, staring right at Jiang Yingxi.
"You—" Jiang Yingxi was so infuriated by Jiang Yu that she choked out words. A country bumpkin was always a country bumpkin, knowing nothing except how to act like a shameless rogue.
"If Eldest Sister won't return my jewelry, you'd best stay out of my sight. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that one day my mouth won't run wild and I'll start babbling nonsense in front of the nobles of the Capital," Jiang Yu scoffed.
For Jiang Yingxi, nothing mattered more than her reputation.
Sure enough, upon hearing Jiang Yu's threat, she immediately conceded: "I'll return them to you, then."
If word of such a scandal got out, Jiang Yingxi would likely lose every last shred of face she had.
If she had known beforehand, she never would have come to meddle in Jiang Yu's affairs. The jewelry Jiang Yu had given her was worth a fortune; returning it would cause her heart to ache for a long time.
"Then I shall wait for Eldest Sister. I won't see you out!" Jiang Yu wanted to see whether Jiang Yingxi would actually follow through and return the items.
If she failed to return them, she had plenty of other methods to force Jiang Yingxi into handing them back willingly.
Instead of leaving, Jiang Yingxi looked toward Mother Liu—who was still kneeling on the ground and being held down by the coarse servants—and asked, "Third Sister, what are you doing? Isn't this Mother Liu, your favorite maid?"
Here it came. After beating around the bush for so long, she was finally getting to the point.
"This ungrateful wretch dared to steal my things. Naturally, she must be taught a lesson." Jiang Yu stared right back at Mother Liu, her tone chillingly cold.
And under that gaze, Mother Liu felt a deep, creeping chill run down her spine.
"Steal your things? Do you have proof?" Jiang Yingxi assumed the mantle of a benevolent soul who simply could not bear to see an innocent servant wronged, a sight that brought an internal smirk to Jiang Yu's face.
"As for proof..."
Before Jiang Yu could finish speaking, Qing'er hurried back in a rush.
"Milady—" She started to make her report, but catching sight of Jiang Yingxi standing nearby, her voice cut off abruptly.
"What is it? Did you find any evidence? My Second Sister is waiting," Jiang Yu asked, turning her head to look at Qing'er with a half-smile.
Jiang Yingxi also turned her gaze to Qing'er and chimed in immediately: "That's right, what evidence did you find? We mustn't wrong an innocent servant."
That expression truly made her look as benevolent and pure as Guanyin herself.