Chapter 22: A Sleepless Night

“Miss, what are you thinking about?”

Furong asked curiously, noticing Jiang Jin’s gaze fixed on the food box.

Jiang Jin shook her head: “I’m just wondering what Ning Wang actually wants to do?”

“Everyone says Ning Wang is cold, arrogant, and unapproachable. But recently, you’ve seen him several times with me, and his words and actions are quite different from the rumors. Yet I don’t believe that one brief encounter could make him go to such lengths!”

Jiang Jin sighed deeply: “But then I think again, Furong, what could I possibly have that he would want?”

Unable to figure it out, Jiang Jin pondered for a while before giving up.

“Furong, heat up the food. We won’t go to the main kitchen to fetch any.”

After saying this, Jiang Jin walked toward the sitting couch.

She pulled out a book and held it in her hands, reading.

Jiang Jin had never been particularly fond of reading before, mostly indulging in light novels.

While in Jingzhou, under the supervision of her grandparents, she had learned many things.

After returning to the capital, Mother, pitying her frail health, did not force her to study.

Eldest Sister often sent her books, frequently reminding her, “Reading more and learning more is never wrong!”

Back then, young and naive, she listened but didn’t take it to heart.

Later, after suffering many setbacks in the Yong’an Marquis Mansion, she wanted to learn… but no longer had the opportunity.

Lady Yong’an disliked her. Once, when a thief was reported in the marquis estate, Lady Yong’an seized the opportunity to search her courtyard.

At the time, Jiang Jin was still recovering from a cold and was startled awake by the commotion outside.

After a quick wash, before she could even eat, Lady Yong’an summoned her.

She wore only a thin, plain cloak, her lips pale and her face devoid of color.

Lady Yong’an looked at her, her disdain unconcealed.

“If you’re sick, don’t come out. Be careful not to infect me.”

Lady Yong’an was unreasonable—she had sent people to search early in the morning with great fanfare, yet now she accused Jiang Jin of lacking manners.

Jiang Jin stood farther away, coughing, and could only watch helplessly as Lady Yong’an’s people turned her room upside down.

The chaotic mess looked less like a “search” and more like a burglary!

In the end, they found a banned book under a cabinet leg. Using this as an excuse, Lady Yong’an punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for ten days and copy scriptures for a month.

Initially, Lady Yong’an forbade her from using a cushion, claiming she lacked sincerity.

Later, after Jiang Jin cried out in pain several times and had to call for a physician, Lady Yong’an, fearing her knees might be permanently damaged and not wanting to answer to the Jiang family, finally allowed her to use a cushion for the last two days.

But by then, her knees were already numb from the cold…

When she finally left the ancestral hall and returned to her courtyard, she found all her books burned to ashes!

Including—the ones Eldest Sister had given her!

At that moment, looking at the ashes scattered on the ground, her legs weakened, and she nearly fainted.

It was her sixth year of marriage into the marquis estate. After six years of torment, she had already lost the courage to resist Lady Yong’an.

She knew that even if she pleaded with Brother-in-law Song Linyuan, he would only watch coldly and say—”You were in the wrong. Mother did it for your own good!”

But she had never seen that book before, let alone bought it.

Moreover, such a concealed place could only be discovered by someone with deliberate intent.

Everything was merely the machinations of Lady Yong’an!

She despised her, and by extension, everything and anything associated with her.

Jiang Jin lowered her gaze, taking deep breaths as she slowly pulled herself away from the memories of the past…

“Young lady, the food has been reheated. Please come and eat something!” Furong called out.

Jiang Jin set down the book in her hand, raised her eyes, and stood up, walking toward the round table.

Looking at the dishes on the table, Jiang Jin’s expression froze momentarily.

Five dishes and a soup, with a mix of sweet, spicy, meat, and vegetarian options.

Perhaps unsure of her preferences, they had prepared a little of everything.

Most importantly—none of the dishes contained scallions!

Jiang Jin bit her lip. It seemed like a long time… since she had been treated with such consideration.

Even the main kitchen, which prepared meals daily, would carelessly serve her leftover scraps sprinkled with scallions!

Furong noticed Jiang Jin’s concealed excitement and smiled, saying, “Young lady, please eat quickly. It won’t taste as good once it cools.”

With that, she moved the dishes Jiang Jin favored closer to her.

Jiang Jin picked up her chopsticks and placed a piece of fish into her mouth.

The fish was tender, sweet, and refreshingly delicious.

She tried several more dishes. She herself preferred spicy flavors and wasn’t particularly fond of sweet dishes.

Yet, the chef who prepared these meals was exceptionally skilled. Even the sweet dishes had a unique flavor, far surpassing anything the Jiang family’s main kitchen could produce!

After eating her fill, Jiang Jin had to admit that Xie Chengzhi’s assessment that day was indeed accurate!

But beyond satisfaction, there was also a hint of disappointment.

After all, such delicious meals would likely be hard to come by in the future!

After a brief moment of disappointment, Jiang Jin returned to her usual composure.

Thinking of the next day, Jiang Jin retrieved a small box. She took a hairpin from her head, pried it open to retrieve a key, and unlocked the box.

She picked up the jade pendant inside and held it in her hand, examining it carefully.

This pendant was the one she had taken from Xie Chengzhi’s waist that day.

After obtaining it, she had hidden it away in this box. The one she had brought to see Xie Chengzhi that day was not the original but a similar-looking pendant she had chosen from her own collection.

Fortunately, Ning Wang was not a rude or unreasonable person and had no intention of forcibly seizing it.

The Dragon and Phoenix Double-Ring Jade Pendant was exquisitely carved and felt light in her hand.

At first glance, it didn’t seem like something a man would typically wear.

Jiang Jin recalled a dream from her previous life, in which someone had said, “Consort Yu had a favorite item during her lifetime, which she wore constantly and never parted with.”

She thought… the pendant in her hand was very likely Consort Yu’s relic!

This was also why Xie Chengzhi valued it so highly.

Jiang Jin also remembered that Xie Chengzhi had lost his mother at the age of seven. Now, more than a decade later, only these cherished items from Consort Yu’s lifetime could, to some extent, soothe his longing for her.

Tomorrow, she must return this item!

The pendant was too precious. Keeping it for even one more day would only add to her worries.

Jiang Jin sighed softly and gently placed the pendant back into the box, locking it away and hiding it.

This night was destined to be sleepless.

Jiang Jin lay in bed, unable to close her eyes for a long time.

The wind howled, and rain began to fall in the night, growing heavier and heavier, much like that day on the mountain, in front of her elder sister’s tombstone…

For some reason, Jiang Jin felt increasingly uneasy. She pressed a hand to her chest, her breathing growing heavier.

“Creak.”

The door was pushed open.

Jiang Jin’s eyes widened. She rose from the bed, intending to go down and check the situation.

But the next moment, the candlelight in the room blazed brightly.