Chapter 23: Look at the Trouble You’ve Caused

After Chancellor Xia returned from court, he invited two guests to his study for a lengthy conversation. According to the news brought by Green Vine, the Chancellor had just acquired a new landscape painting and had called upon scholars in the court who were well-versed in art to appreciate it together. Xia Jiujiang smiled indifferently; it seemed the Xia household was fated to be anything but peaceful today. That Xia Wentao had even brought witnesses indicated his preparations were thorough—soon, the real show would begin.

As expected, by the afternoon a servant by Xia Wentao's side arrived at the Guest Courtyard, saying, “Princess, Master invites you to the front hall.” Upon hearing these words, Xia Jiujiang knew that Xia Wentao was about to act.

Entering the front hall, she found Xia Wentao sitting upright, his face fierce and stern. At the side sat Lin Baixue, Xia Yue’er, Concubine Wei, and Xia Chan—all summoned to the hall, though it was unclear what had transpired.

Xia Jiujiang stepped forward and greeted him, “Daughter greets Father.”

She indeed seemed like a different person—poised and composed—yet she was, after all, Jiang Ruan’s daughter. Besides, she had never truly shown Xia Wentao any deference; no matter how high one’s status, a chess piece that no longer fit had no value.

The moment Xia Wentao saw her, he slammed the table in fury. “Look at what you’ve done!”

With no Prince Junwu present, Xia Wentao wasted no time revealing his ugly side.

But Xia Jiujiang showed not the slightest fear or weakness. She smiled sweetly and retorted, “I’m not sure what Father means. What good deed have I done?”

Just then, two men entered from the rear courtyard—a man in dark robes, finely embroidered, the fabric shimmering softly in the light, clearly expensive. He was slender and upright, his movements graceful, ink-black hair tied high with a jade belt, his bearing exuding both elegance and innate nobility. Beside him was an elderly man, hair streaked with white but stride steady and eyes bright with intelligence.

The two approached and said, “What has happened in Chancellor Xia’s household?”

Xia Wentao, looking deeply aggrieved, bowed to them. “Your Highness the Seventh Prince, Censor Zhou, please uphold justice for me—my household is in chaos… in chaos!”

The Seventh Prince of Li Kingdom, Jun Qianye, and the outspoken Censor Zhou, who dared to speak frankly even before Emperor Zongkang.

Xia Jiujiang bowed to Jun Qianye and Censor Zhou. “Greetings, Your Highness, Censor Zhou.”

The Seventh Prince and Censor Zhou returned the gesture. “Greetings, Princess Jin.”

Ever since Jun Qianye appeared, Xia Yue’er’s demeanor instantly changed to that of a bashful maiden, all her attention fixed upon the prince, every gesture intentionally delicate.

Jun Qianye inquired, “What has happened here, Chancellor, that you are so angry with Princess Jin?”

Xia Jiujiang replied with a look of bewilderment, “I’m not sure what has happened. Other than going to Qinlin Court this morning to treat Third Sister’s illness, I have been in the Guest Courtyard all day. I don’t know what I could have done to upset Father.”

Xia Wentao, trembling with rage, pointed at her. “How dare you feign ignorance! I only wish for harmony in our household. Seeing you and your sister at odds, I did my best to foster more interaction between you. And this is how you repay Chan’er?”

“What happened to Sister Chan? Didn’t I stay in the Xia manor as Father wished and even treated Chan’er’s illness and prescribed her medicine? What do you mean by this, Father?” Xia Jiujiang asked innocently.

Xia Chan, eyes red and filled with pain, spoke up, “Sister, I trusted you completely. You took my pulse and diagnosed me, and I took the medicine you prescribed. But why did you do this to me? The medicine wasn’t suited to my illness, and after taking it, my face ended up like this!”

With that, Xia Chan pulled aside her veil to reveal a face swollen and inflamed from the wounds.

Xia Jiujiang feigned surprise. “What did you eat, Sister Chan? How did your face become like this?”

Though her expression was startled, Xia Jiujiang had anticipated this. Concubine Wei and Xia Chan, bitter over their failed scheme yesterday, had insisted Xia Jiujiang remain at the manor merely to have her treat Chan’er, then use her injuries to turn the tables on her.

Jun Qianye, seeing Xia Jiujiang’s reaction, felt a trace of disdain. The Chancellor had specifically brought him here because of her and even invited Censor Zhou, expecting her to be difficult to handle. But now she seemed hardly worth the fuss.

Xia Chan burst out angrily, “You… you still try to deny it! I ate only bland food, and only after taking the medicine you gave me did my face become like this!”

Xia Jiujiang paused in surprise. “How could that be? The medicine I prescribed was for cooling the blood, reducing swelling, and clearing heat. How could your face have ended up like this?”

She spoke the truth; the medicine indeed had the intended effects and was quite effective for Chan’er’s injuries. If someone chose not to use it properly just to ensnare her, that was no longer Xia Jiujiang’s concern.

Xia Wentao roared, “Would Chan’er joke with her own face? What woman does not care for her appearance? Yesterday, her face was slashed by a vase—she fainted from pain and desperation. Why wouldn’t she want her appearance restored as quickly as possible? Why would she allow her face to become so swollen and unsightly?”

Xia Jiujiang hesitated for a moment before replying, “Didn’t Chan’er faint yesterday from shame after her affair with Zhang Fu became public knowledge? How did it become a vase injury?”

She deliberately brought up yesterday’s incident in the Guest Courtyard, making Xia Wentao’s face darken. Everyone there had heard of what happened, and now the entire capital knew the third miss of the Chancellor’s household had been caught in an illicit affair with a servant—a disgrace indeed.

Xia Wentao, shaking with fury, exclaimed, “You… you bring up old scandals before His Highness and the Censor! Must you humiliate the Xia family?”

Xia Jiujiang sneered, “How amusing, Father. Instead of blaming Chan’er for shaming the family, you blame me for speaking of it, as if words alone could disgrace us. Truly laughable.”

Blame should fall on those who commit wrongdoing, not those who speak of it. Would the Chancellor silence Xia Jiujiang’s tongue? Could he silence the whole world’s?

Her words made Xia Wentao’s face turn black. “You’ve grown bold now, Jiang’er. As Princess Jin, you no longer give your father any respect.”

Jun Qianye interjected, “Calm yourself, Chancellor. Though these are family matters, perhaps Princess Jin bears some longstanding grievances against the Xia family, which is why she speaks so sharply.”

Even with her eyes closed, Xia Jiujiang could see that Jun Qianye was a pillar Xia Wentao had brought to support him; his words made it seem as though Xia Jiujiang was targeting her own family.

She looked at Jun Qianye and said, “Your Highness acknowledges these are Xia family matters. On what grounds, then, do you presume to meddle?”

Her words caught Jun Qianye off guard. He was well-liked by women, rarely encountering any who would speak harshly to his face—most would at least feign gentleness and civility. Yet Xia Jiujiang, with a cold expression, had retorted bluntly, leaving him momentarily speechless.