Chapter 50

Second Lady Jiang had always believed that Yan Yiming, who had long been overlooked, would either delay marriage until she became an old maid despite her good looks, or have no choice but to marry into a family of lower status. In her view, there was no third outcome.
She never imagined that Yan Yiming would one day catch the eye of the son of a magistrate.
Although the news of the magistrate’s wife personally visiting the Jiang residence hadn’t spread, Old Madam Jiang couldn’t keep it to herself.
Having scorned Yan Yiming for so many years, Old Madam Jiang now found her granddaughter somewhat pleasing for the first time. After all, Lord Jiang was her own flesh and blood. In the past, Second Lady Jiang had often used Yan Yiming to mock their branch of the family. Now, seeing the situation shift, as soon as Second Lady Jiang arrived at the main house, Old Madam Jiang seized the opportunity to praise the first branch incessantly.
At first, Second Lady Jiang didn’t understand, but once she did, her face turned purple with rage. Unable to hold back, she snapped, “Nothing’s settled yet!”
If anything went wrong from here on, that little hussy would never marry well.
Returning home still in disbelief, she discreetly sent someone to investigate and confirmed that the magistrate’s wife had indeed visited the Jiang residence. Rumor had it that the third young master of the Jiang family had encountered the girl while boating on the lake and had taken a liking to her at first sight.
Second Lady Jiang stewed for a long while before spitting out, “That seductive little minx!” She spat in disgust, then turned to see her own daughter, dressed in gaudy finery, entering the room, which only deepened her frustration.
“All you care about is dressing up! No matter how well you adorn yourself, you still can’t compare to that little hussy!”
The young Miss Jiang felt wronged and pouted, complaining, “If I look like this, it’s because of you and Father...”
Furious, Second Lady Jiang grabbed her daughter and pinched her hard. Still unsatisfied, she waved her away impatiently.
Last year, she had hoped her third son would pass the preliminary imperial exams, allowing her to finally look down on the first branch. But he failed last year and again this year, while that little bastard staying with the first branch was already preparing for the provincial exams.
Second Lady Jiang snorted disdainfully, thinking to herself that the provincial exam was far more difficult than this preliminary one. Passing it would make one a provincial graduate. She prayed daily for her son to pass quickly and begged the Bodhisattva to prevent that little bastard from succeeding.
Having Jiang Yi overshadowing her son already displeased her greatly, and now even Yan Yiming, whom she had long mocked, had stumbled upon good fortune.
Second Lady Jiang fumed until her chest felt tight, and she lay in bed for two full days before mustering enough energy to rise.
While the second branch of the family seethed with jealousy, the main branch had been overjoyed every day recently.
Upon returning home and hearing the good news, Lord Jiang was also elated. However, being naturally reserved, he felt it was best not to celebrate prematurely until everything was settled.
Lady Jiang understood this reasoning, but these days, Madam Jing often sent gifts over. What delighted her even more was that the third young master of the Jing family had personally visited their home yesterday.
The third young master had just reached the age of twenty, which was the perfect age. Though he couldn’t compare to Jiang Yi in looks, he was tall and well-proportioned with regular features. Despite being the legitimate son of the prefect, he was very respectful and did not hide his admiration for A’Ming.
Lady Jiang was absolutely thrilled.
Old Madam Jiang came by to join in the excitement. Seeing how the third young master longed for Yan Yiming, she wanted to summon Yan Yiming to meet him. However, Yan Yiming sent word that she was unwell and unable to receive guests.
The third young master couldn’t conceal his disappointment but still politely paid his respects to Old Madam Jiang and Lady Jiang before taking his leave.
After he left, Old Madam Jiang couldn’t help but complain about Yan Yiming again, “She always claims to be unwell when there’s something important. How useless!”
Lady Jiang glanced at Old Madam Jiang but said nothing. Although she also felt it was a pity, adhering to propriety wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Madam Jing appreciated women who understood and followed etiquette.
The third young master lingered in the rear garden of the Jiang residence for a while, hoping to catch a glimpse of Yan Yiming. However, he never saw the enchanting figure that had captivated him at first sight. Instead, he spotted the tall, slender young man who had been with Yan Yiming that day.
Upon inquiring, the third young master learned that he was the younger brother of the Jiang family’s main branch, who had already passed the preliminary exam at a young age, a remarkable achievement.
Since he had been out with Yan Yiming that day, they must be very close.
Thinking it wouldn’t hurt to get acquainted with his future brother-in-law early, especially since this young master Jiang was so distinguished, the third young master cleared his throat, adjusted his smile, and stepped forward to greet Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi calmly sized up the third young master from head to toe, suddenly recalling a casual conversation he once had with A’Ming. He had asked her what kind of man she would marry if she ever did.
Yan Yiming had said that since she wouldn’t know the other’s character, she might as well be shallow and judge by appearance. After saying this, she looked him up and down and remarked that the man should at least be better-looking than him.
The maids had burst into laughter, saying one shouldn’t judge people solely by looks, and besides, finding someone more handsome than the young master would be extremely difficult.
It had been a joke at the time, but this third young master clearly did not meet Yan Yiming’s preferences.
Jiang Yi nodded slightly and said indifferently, “Young Master Jing.”
Young Master Jing San was surprised by his dignified demeanor and even more impressed that he had already earned the xiucai title at such a young age. After chatting for a few moments and glancing southward a few times, they prepared to part ways. Just then, as if remembering something, Jing San took a long box from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Yi. “I saw this a few days ago and immediately thought it would suit Miss Jiang perfectly. It’s just a small token of my regard. Though I haven’t had the chance to meet Miss Jiang, since I’ve run into you, Young Master Jiang, I’d appreciate it if you could pass this along to her.”
Jiang Yi accepted the box with a thin, insincere smile, replying, “It’s no trouble.” His deep, dark eyes held not a trace of warmth as he watched Jiang San depart. Only then did he open the box.
Inside lay a white jade hairpin, simple in design yet elegant and refined.
Jiang Yi lowered his gaze, lost in thought. After a long while, he closed the box, smiled faintly, and headed toward Yan Yiming’s quarters. As he passed the small pond in the estate, he casually tossed the wooden box, along with the jade hairpin, into the water.
The hairpin slipped out of the box and quickly sank to the bottom of the pond, disappearing without a trace.
Since this marriage was destined to be anything but perfect, there was no need to show the hairpin to A’Ming. She had mentioned feeling unwell today, so he decided to check on her.
It was noon when he arrived. Lan Xiu and a few young maids were sitting in the shade of the courtyard, speaking in hushed tones as they played. When they saw him enter, they hurriedly greeted him. Jiang Yi, noticing their quiet demeanor, asked softly, “Is A’Ming taking a nap?”
He glanced toward the room and added, “I heard she wasn’t feeling well again?”
Lan Xiu pouted. Because Yan Yiming was close to Jiang Yi, the maids who served her weren’t intimidated by him, unlike others in the estate who found the young master and fifth young lady equally stern and intimidating. She even dared to chatter a bit in front of him.
“She wasn’t feeling unwell. She was perfectly fine this morning,” Lan Xiu explained. “Just now, the old madam sent someone to summon her to meet Third Young Master Jing, but she didn’t want to go, so she made up an excuse to decline.” Lan Xiu couldn’t quite understand Yan Yiming’s reasoning and muttered under her breath, “She’s going to marry him eventually anyway. What’s the harm in meeting him a little earlier…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Yi had already turned and headed toward the room. “I’ll go check on her. You all can keep playing, but keep your voices down so you don’t disturb her.”
“Oh,” the maids nodded quickly. After he entered, one of them whispered, “The young lady is sleeping. What is the young master going in for?”
“Who knows?” Lan Xiu shook her head. “Maybe he just wants to take a look?”
Jiang Yi tiptoed into the room, which was much cooler than outside. Lord Jiang and Lady Jiang, concerned she might overheat, had granted her special permission to keep ice in her room.
Yan Yiming was fast asleep, her light-colored eyes closed, her long, delicate eyelashes fluttering occasionally like tiny fans. Just below her lashes was a small, exquisite red mole.
Her beauty was truly unparalleled.
Even if his initial affection for her hadn’t been because of her appearance, he couldn’t deny that she was stunning, so stunning that a single glance could captivate someone’s soul.
Jiang Yi sat on the small stool beside the bed, gazing intently at her. Her complexion remained a translucent, jade-like white, and due to her delicate health, even her lips were paler than most unless she wore rouge.
Yet the shape of her lips was exquisite, the corners slightly upturned, with both the peaks and valleys perfectly defined.
Concealed yet fervent youthful emotions stirred within him. Jiang Yi reached out, his thumb gently stroking her lips. They were warmer than he had imagined, far softer than he had anticipated, and the sensation was unbelievably pleasant.
His fingers lightly traced the red mole at the corner of her eye, then moved across her beautifully sculpted cheeks before slowly descending to clasp her hand. Compared to the warmth of her face, her fingers were icy cold.
Their hands intertwined intimately, fingers laced together, and Jiang Yi found immense delight in it.
He cherished this undisturbed tranquility, the serene passage of time, and every single moment spent with her.
Jiang Yi sat there for an indeterminate length of time, until a soft gasp from behind prompted him to leisurely release her hand. He then slowly leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of Yan Yiming’s lips as she remained in deep slumber.
Rising again, he saw Lan Xiu standing behind him, her eyes wide with disbelief and her hand covering her mouth. Yet Jiang Yi showed not a trace of panic.
He even curled his lips in a satisfied smile, as if he had done the most ordinary thing. As he brushed past Lan Xiu, he spoke softly, “You can pretend you saw nothing.”
“But...” Lan Xiu was too stunned. She had only come in out of curiosity, wondering why the young master had stayed so long, perhaps the young lady had awakened? Who could have imagined she would witness such a disconcerting scene upon entering.
So this was how the young master had always felt about the young lady!
“Young master, you!” Lan Xiu couldn’t help but think him foolish. “The young lady is about to be betrothed...”
“I will personally inform her and the lady. For the sake of her reputation, you must act as if you saw nothing,” Jiang Yi said, then chuckled softly as if hearing something absurd. “Betrothal? How could she be betrothed while I am here? If you truly can’t hold it in, you can tell her what I did in a few days. But for now, I must trouble you... to keep it a secret for a few more days.”