Chapter 38: Taking It Out on Others

As the saying goes, if others do not offend me, I will not offend them; but if others offend me, I will repay them a hundredfold.

Jiang Jin clenched her fists, her eyes filled with fierce determination.

The news of Aunt Zhao’s poisoning quickly reached Jiang Wanqing’s ears.

She had been sitting leisurely on the couch, sipping tea with a hint of smugness. Upon hearing the maid’s report, the teacup in her hand slipped and shattered on the floor.

The maid who delivered the message knelt down trembling. “Second Young Lady.”

Jiang Wanqing frowned at her. “Why are you kneeling for no reason? My mother isn’t dead yet. What do you mean by this?”

Hearing this, the maid grew even more frightened.

She was merely a messenger, not Jiang Wanqing’s personal maid, and was unfamiliar with her temperament.

In that moment, she had no idea what to do to please Jiang Wanqing.

“Second Young Lady, would you like to go see your mother?” After asking, the maid dared not look at Jiang Wanqing again, fearing further blame.

This diversion tactic proved effective. Just as Aunt Zhao cared for Jiang Wanqing, Jiang Wanqing cared for Aunt Zhao.

She hurriedly prepared to leave for Sweet Osmanthus Courtyard.

But just as she stepped out of her courtyard, she hesitated.

Her mother was in Sweet Osmanthus Courtyard, which meant that was where she had been poisoned. Moreover, since Jiang Jin remained unharmed, it implied…

Jiang Wanqing staggered a few steps, nearly falling if not for the maid beside her who quickly steadied her.

Sweet Osmanthus Courtyard.

Jiang Jin!

“No, it can’t be!” Jiang Wanqing whispered to herself. Leaning on the maid’s arm, she took a moment to calm down before heading toward Sweet Osmanthus Courtyard.

Upon arriving, she saw Jiang Jin’s maid waiting for her outside.

Following the maid to where Aunt Zhao was recuperating, she entered to find Jiang Jin feeding medicine to Aunt Zhao.

Seeing this, Jiang Wanqing frowned and wanted to snatch the spoon and bowl from Jiang Jin’s hands. But then she caught sight of Aunt Zhao’s pale, almost bloodless face, and the thought instantly vanished.

Now was not the time to dwell on such trivial details; Aunt Zhao’s recovery was what mattered most.

Jiang Wanqing stood to the side, waiting silently, afraid that speaking might startle Jiang Jin and cause her to spill the medicine on her mother.

However, once Jiang Jin finished feeding the medicine, Jiang Wanqing stepped forward to the bedside and glared fiercely at her.

Jiang Jin had no intention of arguing with her. Jiang Wanqing’s reaction was already better than she had expected.

After all, within the household, Jiang Wanqing’s only remaining support was Aunt Zhao and the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor.

In this world, no one cared for Jiang Wanqing more than Aunt Zhao, so her anxiety and tendency to take her anger out on others were understandable. Jiang Jin would not argue with her over it.

Jiang Wanqing took Aunt Zhao’s hand, her voice filled with heartache. “Mother, you must recover. Your daughter has no one else to rely on or trust now. If something happens to you, what will I do?”

Her words carried not only concern for Aunt Zhao but also resentment toward the Jiang family.

She resented that, aside from Aunt Zhao, no one in the Jiang family treated her with genuine sincerity.

But was that truly the case?

Clearly, it was not.

If Jiang Wanqing hadn’t done those things to harm the Jiang family and hurt Jiang Heng and Jiang Jin, how could the rest of the Jiang family have turned against her?

“Second Sister, Auntie Zhao still needs to rest. You can keep watch by her side.”

After saying this, Jiang Jin left with Furong.

She gave Jiang Wanqing space, hoping that Auntie Zhao could rest peacefully.

If she stayed, given Jiang Wanqing’s attitude, they would surely end up arguing.

If Auntie Zhao woke up and saw such a scene, she would feel terrible.

Since Auntie Zhao had taken the poison meant for her, Jiang Jin naturally couldn’t let her feel uncomfortable.

…

That evening, Auntie Zhao woke up.

Due to the poisoning, she continued to rest in Jiang Jin’s courtyard that night.

The distance between Jiang Jin’s courtyard and her own was quite far, and traveling back and forth would do her health no good.

While Auntie Zhao had no choice but to stay in Jiang Jin’s courtyard, Jiang Wanqing was unwilling to linger there for long.

As dusk fell, she returned to her own courtyard.

But as soon as she closed the door to her room, she swept everything in front of the bronze mirror onto the floor with a furious gesture.

“Jiang Jin, how much virtue did you accumulate in your past life to have escaped this time!” she hissed venomously, staring at her reflection in the bronze mirror with sharp eyes, her expression slightly distorted by emotion.

If Wei Shuli saw her like this, he would surely be shocked!

But…

Jiang Wanqing laughed mockingly: “He gave up on me!”

He gave up on her!

At this thought, she couldn’t help but slump onto a stool.

Her grandmother refused to help her, her father only allowed her to stay in the Jiang family without giving her much consideration, and now even her aunt was bedridden from poisoning.

Why had her life turned out this way?

Jiang Wanqing suddenly felt lost. She slowly touched her right cheek, the spot where she had once been slapped.

This happened before she married into the Wei Guogong Residence, during a banquet where she was slapped by the niece of the Wei Guogong’s wife.

That woman had mocked her for being merely a concubine’s daughter, so Jiang Wanqing made sure she would never bear children again.

Although she was expelled from the Wei Guogong Residence, that woman was also destined to have no future.

A concubine who couldn’t bear children was nothing but a plaything for the main wife to trample upon!

If she had been a legitimate daughter, why would she have had to become a concubine, subject to the whims of the main wife?

She looked into her own eyes and saw that, besides hatred, there was now something else.

At that moment, Jiang Wanqing thought of someone.

Having made up her mind, she rose and went to the writing desk to compose a letter.

She then summoned her trusted maid and instructed her to secretly deliver the letter to someone.

She believed that person would surely help her.

She wanted to rise above her station, and he wanted to avenge the woman he loved.

They shared a common goal—he would agree!

…

The next day, Jiang Jin took Furong to see the head cook in the kitchen.

Furong knew many people. After asking the head cook about those who had handled the food the previous day, Furong told Jiang Jin about each person’s character and background.

Then, the two of them separately questioned each person in different rooms, one by one.

They made sure the individuals had no opportunity to meet or exchange information, ensuring the information they provided was relatively truthful.

Although this method was time-consuming and laborious, Jiang Jin had no choice but to do it to uncover the truth.

Moreover, they had chosen the timing perfectly, ensuring it wouldn’t interfere too much with meal preparation, so it wasn’t overly burdensome.

In the afternoon, the two of them gathered all the information and reviewed it together, then called Nanyou over.

They identified the suspicious individuals from the list and had Nanyou lead a team to investigate them.

They weren’t concerned about how long it would take; they only sought the truth.

Thus, after several days, Nanyou finally brought back utterly astonishing news.