Jiang Wuyan’s father had fallen gravely ill, and he had summoned his eldest daughter, Jiang Wuyan, back to the Jiang Estate to attend to him.
The He Estate had no objections to this. They considered Jiang Wuyan a harbinger of misfortune and were eager to see her as far away as possible. However, while they wanted her gone immediately, they also feared she might make off with the estate's belongings. They therefore "specifically" instructed the maids to help the young mistress "pack her things" thoroughly.
As a result, the baggage Jiang Wuyan had managed to pack with great difficulty was ripped open again. Several of her garments and small valuables were tossed haphazardly onto the bed and floor, some even stepped upon.
That was not the end of it. The two maids gossiped openly:
"It truly is the bad luck of eight lifetimes to be assigned to serve a mistress like this. I haven't gained a single benefit, just suffered right along with her."
"Didn't she reward you with a hairpin a while back?"
"Don't even mention it. How much could that cheap thing be worth? Besides, taking anything from her brings terrible luck. I only touched it; I didn't even keep it, and guess what? The very next day I ran into a thief who stole the hairpin I bought with my own savings! Tell me, isn't she bad luck?"
"It’s true! Last time, I only ate a bit of her snacks and ended up vomiting and having diarrhea for ages before I got better!"
"Sigh, if only the Second Miss had married into the family instead. The Second Miss of the Jiang family is a woman of immense fortune. They say that anyone who comes into contact with her is blessed with good luck!"
"Hush, don't say such things. The Second Miss is destined to be the Crown Prince's consort; she is not someone we can discuss so casually... We must be careful every moment, or we might suffer a stroke of bad luck ourselves!"
Though Jiang Wuyan was blind, her hearing was sharp. The two maids did not lower their voices, clearly unconcerned whether she heard them or not.
Yet she acted as though she heard nothing. Indifferent to them trampling on her belongings, she sat calmly by the table, holding a few ancient coins, and earnestly cast a divination for herself.
Returning now spelled great misfortune, yet within that misfortune lay a glimmer of promise—a sign of survival amidst desperation, as if the turning point she had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Unfortunately, her unique fate was heavily restricted. Having already exhausted her vitality—and even sacrificed her vision—to save He Yunxuan, she could only manage a simple reading; any deeper insight was beyond her reach.
She did not regret what she had done for He Yunxuan. There was no point in looking back at a path already walked. She needed to plan carefully for the road ahead.
When the time came, the Jiang Estate sent people to collect her. Jiang Wuyan put away her coins and rose to leave, fully intending to return empty-handed.
But the two maids would not let her be. They hurried over to block her path. "We’ve checked the luggage, but we haven't searched you yet!"
Jiang Wuyan lowered her head, her expression calm, her tone soft. "Enough is enough."
"Hmph, I have orders from the Old Madame. I must search you thoroughly!" Qingyue, emboldened by her mistress's authority, saw the young mistress’s frail, useless appearance and reached directly for her.
Even though Jiang Wuyan was blind, just as Qingyue’s hand was about to brush her shoulder, Jiang Wuyan reached out and gripped the maid’s wrist.
She offered a faint, "concerned" warning: "Be careful. If you touch me... you might meet with bad luck."
The soft, gentle words inexplicably sent a chill through Qingyue. Qingxin, standing nearby and feeling timid, pulled at Qingyue, urging, "Let it go, let it go. It won't be good if we miss the hour."
Qingyue stepped down reluctantly. She snorted, snatched her hand back, and watched as the mistress leaned on her cane and slowly walked out.
"Pah, what trash..." Qingyue cursed, but suddenly, Qingxin screamed:
"Ah! Qingyue, your hand—"
The wrist Qingyue had let Jiang Wuyan touch was rapidly turning red, swelling, and beginning to fester.
***
Jiang Wuyan walked slowly and steadily out of the gates, where a carriage was waiting. Just as she was about to board, someone grabbed her from behind and yanked her back.
She was pulled against a chest. A familiar yet alien scent enveloped her, and He Yunxuan’s voice sounded above her head. "I am too busy with official business to return and attend to my father-in-law myself. Please, my dear, explain the situation to him for me. When I have time, I will certainly visit him in person."
Jiang Wuyan remained silent.
She stiffened as He Yunxuan half-dragged, half-carried her to the side. She realized he must have something to say that he didn't want others to hear, and he clearly wanted to perform a display of "deep affection" in front of the witnesses. She cooperated without struggling.
*Just pretend it’s a stray dog brushing against me,* she told herself.
Once He Yunxuan saw that there was no one around, he let her go. He looked down at her. She kept her head bowed, revealing only the simple bun she wore. Her clothes were plain, and she had a gray cloth wrapped around her face. She stood there quietly, her entire being so dim and dull that one could easily look right past her.
In the past, she had been merely quiet and thin. She didn't know when her colors had faded into this grayness, like a dull, lifeless stone. Being around her was not only boring and insipid, but one also had to worry about being cursed by her presence.
If it were Huanhuan, she would have kicked up a fuss; she would never suffer such indignities. Thinking of Huanhuan, so vibrant and colorful—the polar opposite of Jiang Wuyan—He Yunxuan couldn't help but let a smile touch his lips. He quickly suppressed it, his expression turning solemn. "You should know what you can and cannot do while you are back there."
Jiang Wuyan remained silent with her head bowed.
He Yunxuan took her silence for consent. "Just in case..."
When her face veil was suddenly ripped away, Jiang Wuyan realized something was wrong and tried to back away, but it was too late. He grabbed her by the mouth... or rather, he forcibly shoved something into her throat.
She instinctively resisted, shaking her head and trying to spit it out, but he clamped down on her head and mouth with the iron grip of a soldier. She could not budge an inch.
"This is a special poison. Don't worry, as long as you behave and do what is required, I will naturally provide the antidote. Wuyan, don't blame me. I have to ensure you won't say anything you shouldn't."
Terrified that she might spit it out if she hadn't swallowed it, he held her mouth shut and pulled her head against his chest in a tight embrace.
It should have been an intimate moment between a husband and wife, but as Jiang Wuyan was pressed against He Yunxuan’s chest, that familiar scent served only as a reminder of his destruction and persecution of her life.
Knowing she could not break free, Jiang Wuyan stopped struggling and went rigid.
Only when he was certain she had swallowed the medicine did He Yunxuan release her and look at her again.
Without the veil, Jiang Wuyan’s beautiful features were exposed, though her complexion was poor—white to the point of transparency. Her lips were pressed so tightly together they barely showed a hint of pink. She looked as though she might shatter at any moment.
She was, after all, a woman he had once loved and sought to marry. He Yunxuan’s heart softened slightly. "A-Yan, I will remember everything you have done. And I promise, you will always be my wife!"
Jiang Wuyan kept her entire body taut. She was a cat that had been persecuted; it was a testament to her immense self-restraint that she didn't attack him, let alone relax.
She did not answer him. She could not. A husband who demanded his wife "handle" another man and then poisoned her—what was she to say? Should she say thank you?
*Ha!*