Seeing that Jinxun was watching her with confusion, Song Yixiao didn't mean to explain to her, saying, “Bring me the medicine for wounds offered by the doctor!”

She had got changed before seeing the doctor. Her wound also stopped bleeding. Now she needed to change fresh dressing for the wound.

Jinxun hurried to go outside and asked a maid to fetch a basin of hot water. When she returned inside to wait for the water, she scrutinized Song Yixiao's pale countenance, saying, “Madam, you are so blessed! The wound is only as big as rice. Supposedly, it will not leave a scar. The Chief House Steward is too crazy!”

“Madam, before the wound is healed, the dishes that are colored should be avoided. You shall have a bland diet, or you may have a scar.”

Song Yixiao was depressed at the moment. No matter what Jinxun talked, she just kept silent.

Jinxun didn't notice at first, but after a while, she sensed Song Yixiao's silence and couldn't help feeling embarra.s.sed.

Luckily, hurried footsteps came outside the door now. She felt relieved and hastily got up, saying, “The water must be ready!”

Unexpectedly, Jinxun just stood up when the door was pushed open first. Jian Xubai, dressed neatly, strode into the room.

On the evening, the moon was rather bright, which cast silver light over the yard. As such, the dim light on the hallway seemed to be coated with a silver color of coldness.

With golden crown and jade hairpin on his head, Jian Xubai was wearing a dark-blue banded collar garment with cloud embroidery and a pair of black shoes with brocade ribbons. When he went across the threshold, the moonlight on him gradually faded away. Under the bright candlelight in the room, his gloomy face with a slight frown was well shown.

“Leave us alone!” After going into the inner chamber, he looked at his wife first and yet talked to Jinxun.

Jinxun, who always feared him, replied in terror, “Madam wants to change the dressing for her wound. I have asked a maid to fetch the water and it is not ready yet.”

Instantly, footsteps came again from the yard. Then a little maid who was 11 or 12 years old ran onto the hallway with a basin of water out of breath. When she saw that the door was not closed, she hastened to slow down her footsteps. “Here comes the water.”

“Let me change the dressing for her. All of you just leave first.” Jian Xubai hinted at Jinxun to fetch the water and then let her leave again.

After all the doors were closed, he rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands outside the basin before wetting the silk handkerchief. He went to the bedside and wiped away the medicinal powder on the wound, which had scabbed. The scab was like a bit of zinn.o.ber embedded in her white neck, which didn't ruin the perfectness of her appearance and instead, granted her a kind of unique beauty.

However, they both stayed silent tacitly without any romance at all.

“You must be careful with your wound these two days and keep it from water.” Jian Xubai changed the dressing for her and put the wet handkerchief into the basin. Then he fetched another handkerchief from the shelf to wipe his hands. He stood in situ for a while and turned around to talk to Song Yixiao in a soft voice.

Song Yixiao replied indifferently, “You are going to court tomorrow. Go to sleep early.”

“I'll take a day off tomorrow.” Song Yixiao was leaning against the bedside now. Through the curtain that was put down, Jian Xubai could see half of her face. She seemed to smile after hearing him. Under the circ.u.mstance, her smile looked like a sneer somehow.

Jian Xubai lowered his head to conceal his complicated countenance, saying, “Your wound is not serious but you've bled anyway. You had better go out only after you are recovered. As to the birthday parties of Ping'an and Madam Bai, and Miss Sikong's wedding, I think you don't need to attend these three occasions. What do you think?”

“That's my plan too.” Song Yixiao said in a calm voice, “But I had better not be absent from Yiyou's wedding ceremony next month.”

“By then you are supposed to be fully recovered.” Jian Xubai said, “If not, your health is the first priority!”

Song Yixiao slightly nodded her head and said, “If you don't have other things to say, go to sleep then!”

Jian Xubai obviously had something else to say but as she lay down, he clenched his fists and still said nothing. He went to the shelf and took off his outer clothes.

They didn't sleep well this night.

The moonlight cast through the window, as cold as water and frost, dyeing the red quilt into purple one. The quilt appeared eye-catching and yet resembled a dried bloodstain, reflecting a feeling of coldness and queerness.

After turning around, Song Yixiao looked up unconsciously to see that Jian Xubai sleeping next to her happened to be facing her. His body was outlined by the moonlight but his face was hidden in the darkness, which couldn't be seen clearly. He was just staring at her calmly with his bright eyes.

Song Yixiao didn't know how long he remained the posture.

Song Yixiao and he looked each other in the eye for a while. Then she just stopped thinking about it after looking aside, pulled up the quilt and then turned back around.

She didn't fall asleep until it was almost dawn.

When she woke up again, it was noon now. There was no one sleeping beside her. She touched the bed and found it cold. Obviously, Jian Xubai had got up early.

Song Yixiao sat up. After putting on the inner garment, she summoned the maids to serve her. It was still Jinxun who came into the chamber, so Song Yixiao asked about Wei Chan and Qiaoqin. Jinxun dried the hot handkerchief and pa.s.sed it to her, saying, “Just now the doctor checked on them and said that they had taken in too many knockout drops so they couldn't get up until this afternoon.”

Then she added, “Miss Wei has a cold but the doctor has prescribed for her. She will be okay after taking the medicine.”

Song Yixiao sensed her disgruntlement for Wei Chan. After all, as far as Jinxun learnt, she must think that if Wei Chan didn't jump into the lake, Song Yixiao wouldn't be hurt then. In this case, how could she not nurse a grievance against Wei Chan?

“As to what happened last night, actually Chan is the unfortunate one. She turns to me because she doesn't want to die. Now that the problem is solved, she can never jump into the lake herself!” Song Yixiao knew that as her trusted subordinate, if Jinxun expressed her disgruntlement against Wei Chan, the other servants would inevitably cold-shouldered Wei Chan. Therefore, she had to explain a bit, “Probably she was thrown into the lake. Otherwise, how could I be tricked into going to Jiangxing Villa at such a late time?”

Jinxun was shocked to hear that, saying resentfully, “The Chief House Steward is such an evil!”

“He held a malicious intent indeed but this time, he fell into others' trap too!” Song Yixiao stayed silent and only thought to herself with a sneer, “After Princess Changxing and Jian Yiyou's wedding date was confirmed, I guessed the Chief House Steward's anxiety to ask for those servants should have something to do with it. He had always supported me in setting against the Chief House Steward and those servants before, but why did he tell me that he had his own plan and that I didn't need to worry about it?”

Immersed in anger only, she didn't find out Jian Xubai's contradictory reactions at that time.

Then she finally came to her senses. Maybe Jian Xubai didn't intend to let go of the Chief House Steward from the very beginning!

Yet, Jian Yiyou was his brother and the eldest son of the second branch of the Jian Family. Jian Xubai inherited Duke of Yan skipping his elder generation. If he refused to give hundreds of servants to his brother, how could Jian Pingyu and other seniors agree on it?

Even Jinguo Grand Princess didn't support him, or why did she ask him for the servants on behalf of Jian Yiyou?

“Moreover, if he refuses to give up on the servants, he has to come up with a way to dispose of them. They have been indoctrinated by his grandfather for years, so they never regard Jian Xubai as their real master. Moreover, his grandfather is still alive. How hard will it be if Jian Xubai wants to subdue them?”

“He cannot subdue them anyway. If he still keeps them in the mansion, they are not good helpers or a.s.suring! If he sends them away, they will probably work for Jian Yiyou in secret!”

Hence, “There is only one way out—to kill them!”

However, duke as Jian Xubai was, he couldn't kill so many servants at will, especially some of whom were old and veteran!

At least he must come up with a reasonable excuse!

For example, they abducted and a.s.sa.s.sinated the mistress.

“Therefore, he must marry a girl of ordinary origin of birth, not only because he doesn't want to become a threat to the emperor!” Song Yixiao touched her wound softly. The winter's sun cast light through the window on her, making her feel so warm and comfortable.

However, she was cold inside her heart, “He must have considered that if the rescue didn't come in time and his wife got killed or serious hurt by the Chief House Steward in desperation, her maiden family would never dare to mess with him!”

The best choice would be Song Yixiao then. She was beautiful and talented enough to marry into the purple, so it wouldn't arouse suspicion for Jian Xubai to marry her. Besides, her father was contemptuous and her mother was selfish. No matter how miserable she became, no seniors would step up and fight for her.

“No wonder he claimed to marry me for sure whether I agreed or not!” Song Yixiao looked into the mirror and saw the Snake Bun that Jinxun made for her. Suddenly, she felt disheartened. “Just as Mother says, there are so many ladies who are not high-born but sensible in the imperial capital, but only I am the uncared lady with a sheltered upbringing.”

What a perfect choice for Jian Xubai's plan!

How could he let go of Song Yixiao?

Absurdly, she really believed that they started to fall in love!

“On the wedding night, he held back his anger and didn't storm out. Instead, he managed to show respect for me in front of the servants. After all, he did so not to help me establish high prestige before the servants but to hoodwink the Chief House Steward and the other ill-intentioned old servants!”

“Otherwise, how would the Chief House Steward believe it useful to abduct me?”

It was not only to deceive the Chief House Steward but also a preparation for last night's slaughter!

After all, as a good husband, it was understandable to take revenge for his beloved wife on a lot of related people in a cruel way!

“What a good plan he has carried out! How ridiculous I was to ponder about disposing of these people and proving myself to him?” After the Snake Bun was finished, Jinxun opened the jewelry box for Song Yixiao to select hairpins. Yet, Song Yixiao still didn't pick one. Staring at the jewelries, she was bitterly disappointed. “What he needs is never my capability but a wife only!”

She thought that young man who was upset about being cold-shouldered by his father must be openhearted and upright regardless the past hards.h.i.+ps.

However, even the purest soul could hardly resist the contamination of wealth and power?

Moreover, she met with Jian Xubai for a few times only six years ago. It was until today that Song Yixiao realized that she didn't know much about her husband at all, in terms of temperament, power or means.

“I'll take this pair!” She lowered her head to choose hairpins and blinked off the tears. When she was living in Prince of Hengshan's mansion, regardless, she could still count on marriage.

But now?

“I'll find a way out somehow!” As a pair of malus-spectabilis pearl hairpins was inserted through the hair, Jinxun stepped backwards, which indicated that the make-up was over. Song Yixiao stood up and stretched out her arms to let her help put on the outer garments. Looking at the lively plum-blossom on her clothes, she gradually became determined instead of mocking herself, “When Mother was tortured by Grandmother in the Song Family for bearing no son, she lived a miserable life back then! However, now she is a princess consort now!”

“This time, the Chief House Steward is dead and other servants can't get away then!”

“The manpower of the mansion must be refilled. I only hope that Jian Xubai keeps his words!”

“Even if I have to subsidize with my dowries, I must manage the household affairs well!”

“Regardless, I must cultivate loyal and useful subordinates of my own!”

“I will never recommit the same error as previous life!”

She lowered her head to see Jinxun adjust the dress for her, and felt like asking about the situation in the mansion. Meanwhile, Liyu lifted her skirt hem and rushed inside, “Madam! Here comes the imperial decree from the Ministry of Rituals that your t.i.tle has been officially granted!”