UFRMDD 09

Chapter – 09

Leaking Out

So it must have been First Aunt who drove the concubine to her death!

Jiang Rou felt as if she had uncovered a huge secret. Her heart raced with excitement, and she felt a surge of energy course through her entire body.

Cuiping asked quietly, “Miss, what are you going to do? Why don’t we go back and tell the Third Madam first?”

“No rush. Let me go meet my new ‘good sister’ first!”

Jiang Rou passed through the east courtyard garden and arrived at Tongxin Residence, the guest hall.

There wasn’t much activity there, but she heard voices coming from the warm chamber in the yard.

“From yesterday until now, no one has come to handle Mother’s funeral arrangements, and no one has looked after us. Would anyone even care if we died here with Mother? Are we just supposed to watch Mother lie here?”

Jiang Yue knelt on the floor, her eyes red, her anger mixed with helplessness and grievance. Even the others aside, her father hadn’t come at all either, and he hadn’t even bothered with Mother’s funeral.

Jiang Xuan knelt upright, his eyes closed, his expression blank. Beside him, Jiang Yue continued to mutter.

They had had servants attending them before, but after entering the east courtyard, those people had been settled elsewhere.

Jiang Xuan saw the situation clearly.

Grandmother was old and likely no longer managed the household. With so much happening, her energy was limited, and she couldn’t attend to them immediately.

The second and third branches naturally couldn’t interfere in the first branch’s affairs.

Now that Xia Shi was still in conflict with his father, and his father was busy dealing with her, he had no time for them. And Xia Shi certainly wouldn’t care for them either.

So they were currently being neglected. They could only hope someone would remember to arrange things for them soon. As for his mother, he didn’t know when she would be buried.

Seeing Jiang Xuan ignore her, Jiang Yue grew even angrier.

“If I’d known returning would be like this, we shouldn’t have come back at all! Mother was hounded to death, and we can’t even burn a single sheet of spirit money for her…”

They had tried to go out and find someone, but the servants the Old Madam had posted at the entrance wouldn’t let them wander around freely.

It was partly to protect them—since Xia Jinzhi hadn’t yet accepted them, they were afraid she might try something.

And partly because the situation hadn’t stabilized yet, and they hadn’t sorted things out properly, to prevent the other two branches from asking questions and spreading the first branch’s affairs all over.

“Third Miss, you can’t go in. Otherwise, we won’t be able to answer to the Old Madam!”

Jiang Rou frowned, clearly displeased. Just as she was about to scold the old woman, Cuiping advised, “Miss, you really shouldn’t disobey the Old Madam’s orders. She’ll be angry again!”

The two matrons blocked the entrance. Jiang Rou felt a knot of frustration in her chest; she was unwilling to leave just like that.

Hearing the commotion at the door, Jiang Yue stood up curiously and walked over.

She looked at Jiang Rou, and Jiang Rou looked back at her.

Jiang Rou’s gaze was aggressive, making people uncomfortable as she sized them up, as if trying to see right through them. Unlike Jiang Li’s composure, reserve, and cool nobility, Jiang Rou was arrogant, brash, and bright.

Looking at her, Jiang Yue felt a sense of kinship—they were of the same type. Even though Jiang Rou’s clothes and adornments were more noble-looking, Jiang Yue didn’t feel that sense of unattainability.

Unlike Jiang Li, who, the moment she met her gaze, made Jiang Yue inexplicably feel inferior. Even though Jiang Li seemed softer than Jiang Rou, there was still a sense of unreachability—that disdain, that indifference—which made Jiang Yue very uncomfortable.

Jiang Rou curved her lips into a smile, looking at the girl before her in outdated clothes with a harmless expression. Suppressing the contempt in her heart, she said sweetly,

“You’re older than me, so I’ll call you Second Sister! I’m your cousin, from the third branch. I used to be the third in line, but now I’m the fourth!”

Yesterday at the front gate, Jiang Yue and Jiang Xuan had stated their ages.

Jiang Yue composed her expression, putting on an innocent and pitiful look. Her voice choked as she said,

“Fourth Sister, could you pass a message to my father for me? Ask him to come quickly and handle Mother’s funeral arrangements. Also, my brother and I haven’t eaten anything…”

Jiang Rou feigned surprise. “Ah, your mother…”

Seeing this, the two matrons quickly interrupted their exchange.

One went to close the door, while the other said cautiously, “Fourth Miss, you’ll make the Old Madam unhappy if you do this.”

“Alright, I’ll be going then.”

Unable to suppress a smile, Jiang Rou turned and hurried away with Cuiping.

Jiang Yue listened to the sounds outside, her heart pounding.

Jiang Rou had clearly come with ill intent, probably to probe for information.

She still wasn’t clear on the situation in the household.

But if Jiang Rou could help her pass a message to her father, then her mother’s funeral would be arranged, and she would definitely be given a place to stay.

Besides, if news of her mother’s death got out, Xia Jinzhi and Jiang Li would also suffer.

She wanted everyone to know that Xia Jinzhi was jealous and couldn’t tolerate her mother, nor the three of them.

That would damage Xia Jinzhi’s reputation and also affect Jiang Li’s marriage prospects.

She remembered what they had mentioned yesterday—that Jiang Li’s fiancé was a marquis’s heir.

She had only said a few words to Jiang Rou; the rest had nothing to do with her.

Jiang Rou, however, hadn’t left the east courtyard. She wound her way around to the back of the warm chamber in Tongxin Residence.

Cuiping was timid and whispered, “Miss, if the Old Madam finds out, she’ll surely punish you again…”

Jiang Rou ignored her completely. Stepping on a rock, she gripped the slight protrusion at the corner of the wall, grabbed the windowsill, and struggled to climb up.

Breathing heavily, she peered inside the inner room.

What she saw, at a glance, was Su Jingwan lying on the daybed by the window.

The blood on Su Jingwan’s face and forehead had already dried. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes slightly open, with a large, gaping hole in her forehead.

She had died such a miserable death!!

Jiang Rou’s eyes widened in shock as she gasped, her hand loosening as she fell backward.

She had come prepared to see what was inside, knowing Su Shi was dead.

But she hadn’t expected the first sight to be so horrifying.

With a thud, Jiang Rou fell into Cuiping’s arms.

“Miss, Miss, are you alright?”

Cuiping was in pain but still prioritized her mistress’s safety.

“Shh!”

Jiang Rou scrambled up hastily, her heart pounding and her face pale.

“Let’s go, quickly—let’s get out of here.”

Jiang Yue and Jiang Xuan heard the noise outside the window.

Jiang Yue rushed over and looked out, catching only a glimpse of a pink skirt hem disappearing around the corner of the wall.

It looked like… Jiang Rou?

She didn’t say anything, only pretended nothing had happened and returned to the daybed.

…

Qingluan reported gravely, “Miss, Fourth Miss went to the warm chamber but was stopped by the matrons. She spoke a few words with Second Miss. Second Miss said her mother was dead and asked Fourth Miss to pass a message to the Eldest Master to come and handle the funeral. Fourth Miss later went around to the back window, climbed up, and saw the corpse inside. She ran off, pale with fright…”

Jiang Li gently stroked the box on the table, a dark glint flashing in her eyes.

Qingtuan said uneasily, “Miss, what do we do now? Fourth Miss will definitely spread malicious rumors about this everywhere. Soon everyone will think Madam forced Su Shi to her death. This will be extremely damaging to your and Madam’s reputations!”