Chapter 89

Yan Yiming was fairly satisfied with her acting skills in today's heartfelt performance. As for what exactly had happened, even Yan Yiming didn't know, and Little A was even more clueless.
Logically speaking, everything could have been brushed aside, but both the system’s warning that Jiang Yi remained on the edge of danger and the fact that Jiang Yi hadn’t lost interest after today’s test indicated that something had indeed gone wrong today.
What terrified Yan Yiming the most was that shortly after returning to the estate, Jiang Yi sent someone to deliver a food box.
Upon opening it, she found an assortment of exquisite pastries. Each portion was small but exceptionally tempting, and unlike the meal earlier, every single one was her favorite. The largest portion was the one she usually ate the most, fuling cakes.
Yan Yiming: …
After forcing down so much unpalatable food earlier, she had genuinely wanted something she liked to settle her stomach. But now, staring at the snow-white, translucent fuling cakes, she felt a little uneasy.
Wei Xiongjie had followed Yan Yiming in silence all the way back. Recalling the look in Jiang Yi’s eyes before they parted, he felt unsettled and hesitated over whether he should ask for clarification. Just as he was wavering, he noticed the delivered pastries. His eyes dimmed, and he finally decided to seek out Yan Yiming.
As soon as he entered, he saw an array of pastries laid out on the table, their colors enticing and their sweet fragrance filling the air.
After a moment of silence, Yan Yiming decided not to torment herself. It would be a waste not to eat them, after all, they were already here, and whether she ate them or not, Jiang Yi wouldn’t know. She picked up a fuling cake, slowly sipped her tea, and glanced at Wei Xiongjie, her eyes questioning.
Is there something?
That day, he had indeed told Jiang Yi many of Yan Yiming’s favorite flavors, but certainly not this comprehensively. Wei Xiongjie stared at the assortment of pastries, a bitter feeling stirring in his heart.
Did the princess tell Jiang Yi? Why had she sent him away when meeting Jiang Yi today? He could understand her closeness with Jian Yuyan, but what was going on with Jiang Yi?
Wei Xiongjie pursed his lips slightly and said to Yan Yiming with a hint of melancholy, “Princess, regarding Lord Jiang, are you…”
Yan Yiming looked up. “What?”
“It’s nothing,” Wei Xiongjie shook his head gently. “Princess, you previously sent someone to find that actress Jian Yuyan once kept outside, but you never mentioned what she looked like. How are they supposed to find her?”
Yan Yiming took a slow sip of tea and picked up a small piece of begonia puff pastry. “It was just a pretext to stall the young master and deal with Chancellor Jian. Just let them search. If Chancellor Jian is uneasy, he’ll surely notice this matter. It’s a good opportunity to test how much he trusts us. If he asks about it, we can tell him the truth to reassure him.”
Wei Xiongjie quickly grasped Yan Yiming’s meaning.
By agreeing to help Jian Yuyan find the woman, they temporarily gained his trust. Using the search as an excuse, they could stall him and draw him to their side. Meanwhile, they could inform Chancellor Jian that the princess wasn’t actually trying to help Jian Yuyan find the woman, which would reassure him and allow Yan Yiming to get closer to Jian Yuyan.
Still, Wei Xiongjie was a bit uneasy. “What if the young master finds out?”
“If we don’t say anything and Chancellor Jian doesn’t say anything, how would he know? Besides, finding someone who’s been missing for four years without a trace is difficult to begin with. If the woman is deliberately hiding, it’s even harder. The young master understood this when he made the agreement with me.”
The ones Yan Yiming truly needed to deceive were Wei Xiongjie and Chancellor Jian. But given her current identity, even if she spun wild tales, no one would suspect her.
As for Jian Yuyan, after Wei Xiongjie left, she took out paper and brush and sketched a few casual strokes. Soon, the delicate features of a woman appeared vividly on the page. Anyone who had seen Jian Yu'er would recognize her at a glance, but unlike Jian Yu'er, this portrait bore an indelible scar on the right cheek, and a small mole adorned the outer corner of her almond-shaped eyes.
It had been over half a year since she last painted, ever since the battlefield days, and her hand felt a bit rusty. Still, the result was passable.
She ordered someone to use this sketch as a reference to create another painting, one that didn't need to be an exact likeness, just seventy to eighty percent similar would suffice. When the new painting was delivered, she tossed the one he had personally drawn into the fire, then folded the newly painted version and stored it away.
Jian Yuyan naturally had his suspicions, but she always had a way to handle them.
Sure enough, a few days later, when Chancellor Jian casually brought up the matter during a conversation with Wei Xiongjie, Wei explained with a laugh that it was merely the princess's delaying tactic, those sent out to search for the girl didn't even know what she looked like.
Chancellor Jian felt relieved. He had indeed been worried that the woman might have too great an influence on Jian Yuyan, but his deepest concern remained her striking resemblance to Yu'er.
Hearing Wei Xiongjie's explanation, he thought Princess Ming had made a clever move.
Over the years, Jian Yuyan had grown distant from them because of that actress, who had become a taboo subject for everyone. But upon reflection, wasn't that actress precisely the opportunity to reconcile with Jian Yuyan?
He had initially worried that Princess Ming might resent the actress, leading to difficulties in her interactions with Jian Yuyan. To his surprise, the princess was magnanimous and wisely chose this clever approach.
A couple of days earlier, when Jian Yuyan returned to the estate to visit his mother, Chancellor Jian had mentioned Princess Ming in his presence. Jian Yuyan didn't seem as resistant as he had been with other women before, a good sign.
Yan Yiming seized the opportunity to send a message to Chancellor Jian, expressing her desire to get to know Miss Jian of the household, which would give her a legitimate reason to enter and exit the Jian residence and interact openly with Jian Yuyan.
Chancellor Jian hesitated.
All his dealings with the Prince of Jiangxia were currently conducted in secret, but Princess Ming intended to bring everything into the open.
Princess Ming was already highly conspicuous, and such behavior would only draw more attention. What if it aroused suspicion?
Wei Xiongjie recalled Yan Yiming's words and advised Chancellor Jian, “The princess has always conducted herself this way. If we deliberately conceal things, it would only raise more suspicion. Moreover, the emperor still has people monitoring her, making it difficult for her to meet with Young Master Jian. I hope you will consider this.”
His reasoning made sense.
The emperor distrusted Princess Ming and had assigned people to watch her. If they continued to hide their actions, flaws would inevitably emerge over time. Being open and aboveboard, on the other hand, would be more reassuring.
Chancellor Jian nodded in agreement. In a private conversation with Jian Yu'er, he mentioned Princess Ming, describing her as an interesting and distinguished figure. He suggested that if Jian Yu'er was interested, it might be worthwhile to befriend her.
Princess Ming was the rising star of the moment. Jian Yu'er didn't find anything particularly significant in Chancellor Jian's words. While serving in the palace, she often heard people mention this Princess Ming, and now that the Chancellor brought her up again, she felt genuinely intrigued.
Since it was a deliberately arranged acquaintance, a few days later, a “chance encounter” took place. Yan Yiming, looking at Jian Yu'er, who years later would still be kept in the dark by Chancellor Jian, her boyfriends snatched away one after another yet remaining naively pure, thoughtfully ordered the dishes and tea she liked.
Jian Yu'er's almond-shaped eyes sparkled with surprise as she exclaimed, “How did you know I liked these, Princess?”
Yan Yiming feigned astonishment. “I just picked them randomly. So, Miss Jian likes them too?”
Jian Yu'er remained in high spirits even after returning to the Jian residence. During dinner with Chancellor Jian and his wife, she brought up Princess Ming, praising her lively personality and how easy she was to get along with. Though younger, the princess was remarkably considerate. Chancellor Jian smiled and said, “Since you've grown close, why not invite the princess to visit our home sometime?”
Jian Yu'er nodded in agreement. However, Madam Jian felt something was amiss. After Jian Yu'er left, she asked the Chancellor if he had intentionally encouraged Yu'er to befriend Princess Ming.
Chancellor Jian chuckled and explained, “A while ago, the princess happened to meet Zi'an while enjoying the scenery at Silver Lake. It seems she might have taken a liking to him.”
Madam Jian suddenly understood and nodded. “So that's it.”
Unaware of the private dealings between Prince of Jiangxia and Chancellor Jian, Madam Jian only knew that the princess was of noble status and, from Yu'er's description, had a pleasant and amiable personality. Over the years, Zi'an had stubbornly refused to marry, and the young ladies of the capital had gradually stopped discussing potential matches with him. If the princess had feelings for Zi'an, Madam Jian was more than willing to let Yu'er assist her.
When Princess Ming first arrived in the capital, though Prince of Jiangxia hadn't explicitly stated it, everyone understood she was there to choose a husband. Many assumed it would be one of the imperial princes. Yet, two months passed without any movement among the princes. Instead, rumors spread that the princess had taken a fancy to the capital's former most handsome man, Jian Yuyan.
Young Master Jian was exceptional in both family background and appearance, with countless admirers. If not for his vow never to marry because of an actress, many young ladies would still be eager to wed him. No one expected the princess to set her sights on him.
Now, people often saw the princess visiting the Jian residence, and she frequently went out for tea and outings with Miss Jian. Even the Emperor in the palace heard about it and once questioned Jian Yu'er.
The Empress complained regretfully to the Crown Prince, “Such a fine daughter-in-law, and you didn't want her. Now she's going to someone else.” Nan Gongxuan, recalling the princess's forwardness that day, snorted disdainfully.”
“Two months ago, she was all over me, and now she's eyeing Zi'an. So fickle, I don't see anything good about her.”
On the other hand, although Jian Yuyan knew Yan Yiming would find a way for them to meet without secrecy, he hadn't expected her to make such a public spectacle of it. His heart belonged to one person alone, and being entangled with another woman displeased him. What troubled him more was that so much time had passed, yet there was still no news of A'Ming.
Jian Yuyan had asked several times, but Yan Yiming always replied that she was still searching.
Gradually, Jian Yuyan began to suspect that Yan Yiming might just be placating him.
Now that the two were meeting openly and honestly, Yan Yiming leisurely sipped tea and said, “Everything takes time. How could a young lady who has been missing for so long be found so easily? Perhaps you should allow a little more time. Whether she is alive or dead, there will surely be an outcome.”
Once again, she deliberately kept Jian Yuyan in suspense. Just when he could bear it no longer, Yan Yiming finally chose a day to hand over the portrait that had been sitting on the bookshelf for nearly two months.
Jian Yuyan took it from her hands with confusion, slowly unrolled it, and his peach-blossom eyes suddenly lit up with vitality.
“I sent people to search for her in five different directions. It was the scout heading northwest who finally found her,” Yan Yiming glanced at Jian Yuyan, sighed, and said with a touch of melancholy, “You only told me the girl had a red mole at the corner of her eye and a scar on her cheek, but you never mentioned she looked so much like Yu'er. If you had told me she resembled Yu'er, wouldn't it have been easier to find?”
Jian Yuyan studied the portrait over and over before replying, “She doesn't like people saying they look alike.”
“So that's how it is,” Yan Yiming nodded. “No wonder Yu'er always seemed hesitant when talking about this girl.”
Jian Yuyan fell silent for a moment before saying, “She has nothing to do with Yu'er.” Now that he finally had news, his anxiety made him unwilling to explain further and he directly asked where A'Ming was.
“That girl is far away in the northwest, a great distance from here. The scout sent this portrait by carrier pigeon. However,” Yan Yiming paused for effect, “that girl is quite unwilling to return. So I wanted to ask for your instructions, should we force her to come back?”
“No,” Jian Yuyan blurted out. His heart ached with bitterness; he had long expected her unwillingness to return, but hearing it again still pained him deeply.
A flicker of light passed through Yan Yiming's eyes. She set down her teacup and said slowly, “Since you are unwilling to force her, why not write her a letter and explain everything that happened back then? Let her understand that you had your reasons.”
Jian Yuyan said nothing. After a long while, he shook his head resolutely and declared, “No, I will go fetch her myself.”