Chapter Thirty-Three: Little Uncle

Jiang Lan had no inkling of the thoughts churning in the mind of the man before her, her focus fixed solely on her grand plan.

“How about helping you get rid of someone, first?”

Min Zhe gazed at the young master seated before him, a sly glint in his eyes. A moment ago, he’d been all smiles, yet now he spoke of eliminating a man as easily as one might pluck a scallion from a field. Once, he’d thought this person was merely a spoiled scion of an influential family, but now—he realized he was facing a cold-blooded demon who thought nothing of killing.

Jiang Lan furrowed her brows. “Or is it that you only mean to teach Liu Heng a lesson?” When Min Zhe remained silent, Jiang Lan sighed. So he still held some measure of kindness, but she found it unappealing.

“No, no, I would devour his flesh and drink his blood if I could!”

Jiang Lan slammed her hand on the table. “That’s more like it. For a beast like him, vengeance must be swift and thorough!”

A twitch flickered across Min Zhe’s left cheek. Was this truly an attempt at redemption, or was it incitement?

“Tsk, tsk—there is, however, one more matter.”

Min Zhe’s nerves rang with alarm. As expected, the wild ambitions of this prodigal were about to be revealed. He just knew the other’s devious schemes reached even further...

“You should sever ties with your former master.”

“What?” Min Zhe’s mind suddenly snapped.

“I mean, you should cut ties with your previous master. That person was the true orchestrator behind this affair. Anyone can see it—a spectator who delights in chaos. Liu and Qian may have bullied the people, but they never dared offend the powerful at court, even helping some high ministers with their dirty work. That’s why no one has ever stepped forward to punish them. Whoever has the power to move against them must themselves be a person of great wealth, power, and leisure!”

Jiang Lan all but spat out those last words. After all, that person had tried to lay hands on her as well. But now was not the time to deal with such idle troublemakers.

She looked over at Min Zhe, still kneeling on the ground. “You must have plenty of free time as well. Why not come help me?”

Min Zhe was shaken to the core, sweat beading on his brow. What sort of ploy was this?

“You must enjoy exacting revenge with your own hands, don’t you?”

A tremor ran through Min Zhe’s heart. Had he misread the situation before? Why did he sense a faint glint of blood?

Without further ado, Jiang Lan brought Min Zhe to Xi Chi, and the two set about gathering evidence of the misdeeds Liu and Qian had committed over the years.

By day, Jiang Lan hid away in the study, secretly reading novels.

Suddenly, someone knocked at the door. After a couple of polite coughs, she called, “Come in.”

Xi Chi entered, carrying a tray of tea and refreshments. She cast a quick glance at the “Zuo Chronicles” in her master’s hand—it had been an entire day, and her master’s diligence spurred her own.

Jiang Lan carefully eyed the book of hidden wonders in her hands, catching Xi Chi still standing nearby out of the corner of her eye.

“Is there something you need?”

“How should we deal with the other scholar you apprehended, young master?”

Jiang Lan slapped her forehead. “Oh, I completely forgot!”

She considered. That fellow had only been innocently caught in this mess and should be released. But with Liu and Qian looking for someone to vent their anger upon, releasing him now would be like setting a tiger free to roam the mountains. Yet, keeping him wasn’t ideal either. He was an outsider, and there were still unmarried young ladies in her household; housing him long-term would be improper. Keeping him tied up in secret would be hard to explain if questions arose later.

Better to give him something to do, let him stay for a while.

Having thought it through, she asked, “Xi Chi, is there anything in the household you think he could do?”

Though puzzled by her master’s wish to keep an unrelated man around, Xi Chi knew not to meddle in such matters.

“He could serve as a tutor.”

“A tutor?” Jiang Lan was surprised. There were only herself and Jiang Si, hardly enough to require a teacher.

Seeing her master’s astonishment, Xi Chi realized Jiang Lan had misunderstood. “Though our lineage is thin, there are still many children among our kin, all currently attending schools in other households.”

At this, Jiang Lan was thoughtful. Founding a school for the clan’s children—surely a good deed.

“Come, let’s stroll through the clan.”

The Jiang family’s rise was recent; this was the peak of their prosperity. As the maternal family of the young emperor, they had flourished thanks to the Empress Dowager and the Duke’s manor. Yet, many old noble families sneered at them behind their backs, calling them upstart farmers, mere brutes adept at accounting.

Despite splitting into branch families over generations, the Jiangs had never scattered. Their kin lived clustered together, such that nearly the entire street occupied by the Duke’s residence was home to Jiang relatives. In the capital, where every inch of land was precious, this was a rare sight—one only possible for families long-rooted in the city.

Jiang Lan, acting on a whim, did not ask Xi Chi to inform the elders of her visit.

They walked along the street and turned into the back alleys, where several children were kicking a ball. At such an innocent age, a single ball brought endless joy.

Jiang Lan leaned against a white wall, watching quietly.

Suddenly, the ball rolled to her feet. The children hesitated, seeing her fine clothes, and stood awkwardly, lips pouting in distress.

Jiang Lan noticed the nearest child, about to cry, his lips trembling, tears threatening to spill. Her heart ached. She bent down and picked up the ball. “Watch me, little brother.”

With a flick of her foot, the ball seemed enchanted, dancing in dazzling patterns along her leg.

At the entrance to the alley, the children gathered, wide-eyed with wonder, all shyness forgotten.

“You’re amazing, big brother!”

“Amazing! So amazing!”

Jiang Lan saw the awe in their little faces and could not help but smile. This was nothing—in her past life, she...

She returned the ball to the children, then produced a handful of sparkling candies from her sleeve. The children laughed as they accepted the treats and pulled Jiang Lan into their game.

The original owner of this body had always been frail, and after several serious illnesses, she could hardly match the children’s energy. Less than half an hour later, she collapsed, breathless, onto a large stone in the alley.

Xi Chi hurried over with a damp cloth and fetched a bowl of cool well water from a nearby house.

“How refreshing!”

Jiang Lan drank the free water with such gusto that it seemed the nectar of the gods, winning the favor of many neighbors.

Most who lived here were distant branches of the Jiang family, too far removed to benefit from the family’s immense wealth. Besides, the Duke’s household was not of the main royal branch, so kinship was tenuous.

“Are you here looking for someone, young master?” an old woman, busy sewing shoe soles, approached.

Jiang Lan nodded with a gentle smile. “Not entirely.”

Seeing the young master’s reticence, the old woman wisely did not press.

“Auntie, your stitching is exquisite—few can match your skill.”

The compliment brought a rare blush to the hardworking woman’s face, her tone proud. “Not to brag, but among all our relatives, my handiwork is among the best.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Do you know the Duke’s heir?”

Jiang Lan started and nodded dully.

“At the start of the year, my boy delivered New Year’s gifts to his manor, and the young duke himself praised my shoes.”

The old woman’s face lit with joy, pride in her son making her seem decades younger.

“Gifts? Auntie, are you related to the Duke’s household?”

The woman’s expression was honest and rustic. “Oh, nothing so close—he’s a distant relation. But if you trace the family tree, the young duke is my son’s uncle. How could we skip the annual gifts? He’s an elder, after all.”

A cold sweat broke out on Jiang Lan’s back. Her own position in the family was higher than she’d thought!