Chapter 26 — Ningning Is Not Worthy of the Jiangs
The moment Jiang-shi heard those words, how could she not understand what Xue Ning meant?
Someone had clearly colluded with that Heir Cao and aimed directly at Xue Ning’s marriage prospects.
Jiang-shi grew even more furious. Her pale, delicate face flushed red with anger.
“So they actually dared scheme against you?”
Xue Ning smiled softly and wrapped her small hand around Jiang-shi’s icy fingers, gently soothing her.
“Mother, don’t anger yourself too much. Thankfully, nothing happened to Ningning today. I only wished to remind you of one thing… Nurse Hao… was personally assigned to Qiyun Pavilion by you back then.”
Jiang-shi had managed the inner household for years. One sentence was enough for her to understand everything.
“So even this manor isn’t as peaceful as I thought.”
Xue Ning lowered her eyes slightly. “Ningning is young and inexperienced, but Mother has seen far more than I have. Since Nurse Hao’s intentions were impure, you should be more careful with the people around you in the future as well.”
As she spoke, she opened her palm, revealing a small black pill hidden inside.
Jiang-shi looked from the pill to Xue Ning’s delicate face.
“This is—”
“It’s the tonic Second Aunt gave you. Before I went to Zhen’guo Temple, I secretly asked about it at a pharmacy outside the estate.”
“And?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it.”
Those four words should have been reassuring, yet they only made alarm bells ring louder in Jiang-shi’s mind.
That old servant had been one she personally promoted and tested over many years before finally entrusting her to Xue Ning.
Yet the woman had secretly worked with Heir Cao to drug her own mistress.
Which meant there was very likely another hand behind all this—someone manipulating everything from the shadows.
Perhaps someone was even plotting against her, the mistress of the household herself.
The more Jiang-shi thought about it, the colder her heart became.
And looking at the obedient girl before her, she only felt deeper pity. This child had followed her and suffered grievance after grievance.
A thousand emotions gathered in her chest, but in the end, only one sentence remained.
“This child… you’ve truly suffered.”
Xue Ning lifted her bright eyes and smiled.
“Ningning is fine.”
But the more sensible and understanding she acted, the more Jiang-shi’s heart ached.
Eyes reddening, Jiang-shi pulled the girl tightly into her arms.
“Thank heavens nothing happened to you. Otherwise, how could I ever face your birth mother?”
Xue Ning smiled faintly. “If my mother’s spirit truly watches from heaven, then she must know how kindly you’ve treated me.”
Jiang-shi wiped away her tears, as though finally making up her mind.
“It seems staying in the Su residence is no longer a good thing for you.”
She gazed tenderly at Xue Ning’s porcelain-pale face and sighed softly.
“When you were younger, I couldn’t bear the thought of you drifting alone outside. But now that you’ve come of age… don’t worry. I’ll begin making plans for your marriage as soon as possible. Originally, I had hoped that once you were old enough, I could arrange a match between you and Zhan’er…”
Xue Ning was no longer surprised to hear this.
But what did Jiang-shi’s wishes matter?
Su Zhan never liked her. Even if she married him, all she would receive was indifference—discarded like a worn-out shoe.
That great fire had burned away whatever bond once existed between them.
In this lifetime, she no longer wished to be entangled with him.
A trace of bitterness spread through the girl’s chest, yet the smile on her lips never faded.
“Mother needn’t trouble herself. Ningning knows her place. A man like Brother Su… is someone Ningning could never deserve.”
Jiang-shi’s eyes reddened again. With a long sigh, she hugged Xue Ning even tighter.
“A girl must marry someday. Perhaps leaving the Marquis Manor is for the best. If you can find a family that truly treats you well, then I can finally rest easy.”
The day after Xue Ning returned from Qiushui Courtyard, Nurse Hao was removed from Qiyun Pavilion and reassigned to work in the main kitchen.
Jiang-shi had originally intended to punish the old servant severely, but after thinking for a moment, Xue Ning quietly shook her head and stopped her.
The next morning, before dawn had even broken, Xue Ning rose as usual to attend on Old Madam Xie.
Just after turning down a corridor, she ran into the Su sisters, Su Xi and Su Qing.
“Well, if it isn’t Sister Xue.” Su Xi stopped her with a smile. “Out so early again? Going to curry favor with Grandmother?”
Xue Ning lowered her head obediently. “Elder Sister jests. Ningning only wishes to spend more time with Old Madam.”
Su Qing let out a cold laugh. “Don’t think we don’t know what’s really going on in that little vixen head of yours.”
Xue Ning lifted her gaze.
Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were dark as polished obsidian.
Not to mention men—even Su Xi, who had disliked Xue Ning since childhood, felt momentarily shaken by that glance.
“And what exactly do you think I’m plotting, Fourth Sister?”
Su Qing gritted her teeth. The sight of that face alone irritated her.
“Obviously trying to seduce men!”
Xue Ning blinked innocently.
“Why is Fourth Sister constantly thinking about seducing men? Grandmother established the family school so the sisters and brothers could study together. Yet instead of learning propriety and virtue, the only thing you seem to have learned is how to talk about seducing men.”
“I said you’re seducing men!” Su Qing snapped furiously.
Xue Ning looked even more puzzled.
“And which eye of yours saw that? Who exactly have I seduced? If Fourth Sister can name someone, I’ll drag you with me to Grandmother right this instant and confess our sins together.”
“You—!”
Su Qing’s face turned crimson. Xue Ning had cornered her so completely she couldn’t say another word.
This dull little mute who normally couldn’t force out a single sentence had become increasingly arrogant lately.
“Enough. We’re all sisters here. What’s the point of bickering like this?” Su Xi stepped in smoothly to mediate.
She was destined to marry into the Lu family someday, so naturally she had to treat Xue Ning a little better now. Though in truth, it was only surface-level politeness.
“Ningning, shall we walk together?”
Su Qing ground her teeth in frustration, but there was nothing she could do besides argue. It was infuriatingly pointless.
What she hated most was that the trip to Zhen’guo Temple hadn’t succeeded in utterly ruining Xue Ning’s reputation.
And now even Nurse Hao—the informant she’d planted—had been removed, making her despise Xue Ning even more.
The corners of Xue Ning’s lips curved upward. Just as she was about to needle Su Qing a bit further, she spotted Su Zhan approaching with several of the Su brothers.
Her smile vanished instantly.
“No need.”
All interest in teasing a barking dog disappeared at once. She turned and left toward Wanshou Hall with Baochan beside her.
“Big Sister, look at how smug she is!” Su Qing bit her lip unhappily. “What right does she have? She’s not even a legitimate daughter of the Marquis Manor!”
Su Xi smiled faintly, expression unreadable.
“She may not be a true noble daughter of the manor, but she’s still the orphaned child of a military family. Grandmother has no intention of giving up such a valuable prize.”
Su Qing scoffed. “What valuable prize?”
Su Xi pressed her lips into a smile.
“My dear sister… you still haven’t realized?”
“Realized what?” Su Qing asked irritably.
She had been too busy secretly buying drugs from the pleasure quarters, too busy arranging for Xue Ning to be drugged, too busy plotting ways to sabotage her. How could she care about anything else?
The failure at Zhen’guo Temple yesterday had left her so furious she hadn’t slept all night. She cursed Cao Jin endlessly for being useless.
Her mind had been consumed with only one thing—how to regain the upper hand.
Su Xi smiled meaningfully.
“The First Madam has been preparing Xue Ning’s recognition banquet lately. Invitations have already been sent to the wives, daughters, and sons of nearly every powerful noble and high-ranking official in the capital. And you still don’t understand what she intends?”
Among the sisters, Su Xi was the eldest, yet her marriage had still not been settled.
If she said she held no resentment over that, it would have been impossible.
And now Xue Ning’s recognition banquet was being handled with such extravagant fanfare.
Jiang-shi’s affection for Xue Ning made Su Xi increasingly unhappy as well.
Just like Su Qing, she only wanted to see Xue Ning humiliated. The last thing she wanted was for her to live well.
But earlier that morning, she had learned from her mother that Jiang-shi had actually invited Madam Lin—the wife of Grand Scholar Wei—to the manor for Xue Ning’s banquet.
