CHAPTER 388: CHAPTER 388 REFLECTION

Xie Jingchuan was in pain all over.

Xie Jingchen had been beaten, poisoned, vomited blood, and not just on the steps in front of the Buddhist hall, but also on the ground in the garden, where he lay unconscious all night.

The fact that two young masters were injured or poisoned overnight was bound to raise suspicion.

Xie Jingchen insisted that someone ambushed him in the garden, and he was poisoned while fighting back, with the injuries on his face as proof. Xie Jingchuan had no choice but to go along with Xie Jingchen’s story.

Then everyone figured out what actually happened.

The Second Young Master mistook the Eldest Young Master for an assassin and tried to capture him.

The Eldest Young Master thought he was being attacked by an assassin and fought back vigorously.

It was the unfortunate moonlight that caused the two brothers to fight each other fiercely.

Of course, with the explanation from the Eldest and Second Young Masters, the servants could only believe it.

Actually, everyone knew the truth.

It was just Princess Nanzhang’s misfortune, the Second Young Master’s anger, thinking the Eldest Young Madam brought bad luck to the Commandery Princess. The Eldest Young Master and the Eldest Young Madam loved each other deeply, so the Second Young Master took it out on the Eldest Young Master.

Although the Eldest Young Madam was a bit vicious and domineering, the Eldest Young Master was poisoned, and the Second Young Master treating him this way was indeed excessive.

Moreover!

You shouldn’t hit someone in the face!

The Eldest Young Master still had to go to the Ministry of Justice for work, and people outside praised him for his intelligence, solving several unjust cases.

The Second Young Master definitely didn’t want the Eldest Young Master to go to the Ministry of Justice, so he hit him in the face.

Since Xie Jingchen pretended to be poisoned, he naturally had to keep up the act, sending Hidden Guards to the Ministry of Justice to take leave, only saying he would help once he felt better.

Without Xie Jingchen, the Vice Minister of Ministry of Justice felt regretful.

He regretted not being able to use Xie Jingchen and regretted that such a talented person was poisoned and wouldn’t live long.

The Vice Minister of Ministry of Justice felt a bit guilty, thinking that he had worked him too hard recently and wondered if he had exhausted him.

Su Jin had to take care of Xie Jingchen, so naturally, she had no time to attend to Princess Nanzhang, nor did she need to go pay her respects to her and the Old Madam.

Xie Jingchen "fell ill" for one day.

The next day happened to be a rest day.

So he conveniently "fell ill" for another day.

Fortunately, fainting from spitting blood usually takes two to three days to recover, so no one suspected anything.

On the third day, Xie Jingchen was back to full vigor, with only a faint bruise at the corner of his mouth that was hard to notice unless looked closely.

He went to the Ministry of Justice, while Su Jin went to Qihao Hall to pay her respects to the Old Madam.

The last time she saw the Old Madam was that night, in front of the Imperial Physician, and the Old Madam was unprecedentedly kind to her.

Today, she returned to her usual demeanor, calm and indifferent.

Even her concern for Xie Jingchen was perfunctory.

The Old Madam glanced at Su Jin and asked, "How is Chenchen?"

"My husband’s poison should be under control, and he’s gone to the Ministry of Justice to help," Su Jin replied truthfully.

"Chenchen hasn’t fainted from poisoning for a while, but this time after exchanging blows with Chuanchuan, he fainted for two days before recovering. Could he have overworked at the Ministry of Justice?" The Old Madam sipped her tea and said.

"The Duke Mansion doesn’t expect him to bring glory to the family but should prioritize his health."

The Third Madam looked at Su Jin and said, "Even the Marquis Dongxiang knows about Chenchen’s frail health. Why does he still ask him to help at the Ministry of Justice? If he falls ill from exhaustion, the one suffering will be you."

"So?" Su Jin blinked and asked.

"Have Chenchen give up the Ministry of Justice’s duties early and focus on recovery," the Third Madam said.

These people truly have an unusual concern for Xie Jingchen.

Since their own son isn’t making an effort, they don’t want others to shine.

Su Jin said, "My father will soon return to the capital after dealing with bandits. My husband won’t be at the Ministry of Justice for long, and these days he has been going out frequently and looks very healthy. If it weren’t for the Second Young Master mistaking him for an assassin and attacking him, he wouldn’t have been poisoned and fainted."

"In the future, tell the Second Young Master to be more careful at night. My husband will surely live well!"

It’s perfectly normal for a wife to be angry and lose her temper when her husband gets beaten up.

If she acted as if it were nothing, it would not do justice to the affection she previously showed.

So Su Jin directly expressed her dissatisfaction with Xie Jingchuan.

Although he was in even worse condition.

Not only was he severely injured, but others also said he deserved it.

The Third Madam was displeased with Su Jin and also with Xie Jingchuan. She said, "This time, it really was Chuanchuan’s fault."

Xie Jinyu walked in just in time to hear the Third Madam say this, her face full of displeasure.

However, the Third Madam didn’t take Xie Jinyu’s displeasure to heart. As an elder, she didn’t need to consider the feelings of a younger person when speaking.

She looked at Xie Jinyu’s face and said, "Your face has finally healed completely."

Xie Jinhuan stood behind the Second Madam and said, "Not only healed, but the skin seems to have improved a lot. Yesterday, Big Sister’s face was still swollen; how did it suddenly get better?"

Xie Jinyu looked at Xie Jinhuan and said, "Yesterday, my mother applied Bihun Ointment, and I took some for my face. I didn’t expect it to reduce the swelling."

If she had known that Bihun Ointment worked, she wouldn’t have needed to take all those bitter medicines.

Thinking of those medicines, Xie Jinyu glared at Su Jin.

Last time she was embarrassed in front of others, and her mother was frightened by a snake, knocking over a lamp that burned the house. Although she knew who was behind it, she couldn’t catch them red-handed, which felt quite frustrating.

When she’s in a bad mood, her words can be sharp. She looked at Su Jin and said, "Wasn’t the Eldest Young Madam punished to copy house rules and reflect in the Buddhist hall for seven days? Isn’t it less than seven days?"

Su Jin looked at her face and said, "At the Prince Yu Mansion, the big girl disrupted the Lotus Appreciation Banquet and was punished to kneel for three days. Now that her face is better, isn’t it time to kneel?"

Xie Jinyu’s face turned ashen.

The two stared at each other, their eyes were like sparks flying, igniting flames.

Needle against needle, every meeting ends in a quarrel.

If it were only face-offs, that would be a relief, but they constantly clashed and fought.

The Old Madam sighed in exasperation and said, "Alright, everyone calm down."

Xie Jinyu turned her face away.

Su Jin’s face remained with a soft smile like a flower.

The Old Madam placed her teacup down and said, "Yuyu, you should attend to your mother’s illness."

"The Eldest Young Madam is excused from the house rules, she will copy a hundred times of Buddhist Scripture to pray for the Commandery Princess."

Su Jin’s eyebrows furrowed.

The Old Madam favored Xie Jinyu, and Su Jin didn’t object.

But she had much to say when being suppressed like this.

She had only two or three days left to suffer in the Buddhist hall.

Staying two days in Agarwood Pavilion, she wasn’t going to have time to copy a hundred Buddhist Scriptures.

There were things Su Jin didn’t want to say, but if the Old Madam forced her, she wouldn’t hold back.

Su Jin moved her wrist and said, "I twisted my wrist yesterday, and it still hurts, so I probably can’t copy Buddhist Scriptures for mother."

She looked at Xie Jinyu’s face and said, "Mother is injured; as the daughter-in-law, it’s unreasonable for me to do nothing."

"Since Bihun Ointment is so effective, and mother needs it for her hand burns, the Emperor has always been fond of me, so I’ll go to the palace to ask for a box for mother and also visit my younger brother."

A faint sense of threat filled the room.

Mrs. Wang couldn’t help but twitch her lips.

To deliver a threat so lightly, only the Eldest Young Madam could do it.

The Old Madam tightened her grip on the Buddha Beads, a fleeting hint of shadow darting in her eyes.

"The Commandery Princess has already requested two boxes of Bihun Ointment from the Emperor. If we ask for more, the Emperor may think the Duke Zhen Country Mansion is dissatisfied," the Old Madam said.

"Since your wrist hurts and it’s inconvenient to copy Buddhist Scriptures, then go to the Buddhist hall to recite the Buddhist Scripture a thousand times to pray for the Commandery Princess."

"...."