Jin Xun looked at herself in a daze, but Song Yi smiled and didn't intend to explain, only saying: "Bring over the wound medicine that the doctor left behind!"

  She had changed into clean clothes before seeing the doctor and had roughly stopped the bleeding from her wound, so she said this to change the dressing.

  Jin Xun hurriedly went to the outer room to instruct the little maid to bring a basin of hot water, and when she returned to the house waiting for the water, she carefully examined Song Yi's pale face and pitied: "Fortunately, Madam has great fortune and a strong life, this wound is only as big as a grain of rice, I'm afraid it won't leave a scar - that steward is simply ruthless!"

  "Also, Grandma said that before the wound heals, dishes with strong flavors are not good to eat, and we should focus on light flavors, otherwise there might be scars after it heals."

  Song Yi is now feeling very depressed, no matter how much she talks, she just doesn't speak.

  Jin Xun didn't notice at first, but after talking for a while, she realized it and couldn't help feeling embarrassed.

  Fortunately, at this moment, a hurried footsteps came from outside the door, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, and said while standing up: "It must be Shui who has arrived!"

  Just as Jin Xun was getting up, the door was pushed open and Jian Xu Bai walked in with big strides, dressed neatly.

  The moonlight was good that night, flowing like mercury across the courtyard, casting a frosty sheen on the originally dim yellow lanterns under the corridor.

  Jian Yu Bai was wearing a dark blue shirt with cloud patterns, a golden crown and jade hairpin, brocade belt and black boots. As he stepped across the threshold, the cool moonlight slid off his body like a tide, leaving regret scattered all over the corridor - the bright candlelight in the room illuminated his slightly furrowed brow and eyes that were deeper than any moment of the past.

  "Go down first!" He looked at his wife after entering the inner room, but his words were directed at Jin Xun.

  Jin Xun's voice trembled as she said, "Grandma wants to change the wound medicine given by the doctor. I sent someone to fetch water, but it hasn't arrived yet."

  No sooner had the words fallen than there was another sound of footsteps in the courtyard, and a little maid of eleven or twelve years old, panting for breath, ran up to the corridor with a basin of water. When she saw that the door was not closed, she hastily tiptoed: "The water has arrived."

  "I'll change the dressing, you all go down." Jian Yu Bai signaled Jin Xun to go out and get water, then let her retreat again.

  The doors inside and outside were all closed, he rolled up his sleeves, first scooped some water to wash his hands outside the basin, then wetted the silk handkerchief, took it to the bedside, and gently wiped off the original medicinal powder. Song Yi's wound had already formed a thin layer of scab, like a small patch of cinnabar on a snowy neck. Looking at her in the canopy bed, not only did it not ruin her beauty, but it also added a different kind of charm.

  It was just the two of them in unspoken silence, and no tender feelings were born between them.

  "Be more careful these two days, don't get wet." Jian Yu Bai helped her change the medicine, threw the wet cloth back into the water basin, took another cloth from the shelf to wipe his hands dry, stood still for a moment before turning around and softly reminded her.

  Song Yi smiled faintly and responded with a soft voice: "You still have to attend court tomorrow, go to sleep early."

  "I'll take a day off tomorrow." She leaned back on the couch, with half of the mosquito net hanging down, and from Jian Yu's position, he could only see half of her face. It seemed that she had heard his words, and her originally pursed lips were slightly curled up, looking as if she was mocking him.

  Jian Yu Bai lowered her eyelids, covering up the complex emotions in her eyes, and continued, "Although your injury is not serious, you did see blood, so it's better to rest well before going out again. Ping An Er's birthday, Second Aunt's birthday, and the marriage of the Si Kong family's daughter - these three recent events, I think you don't need to attend any of them, what do you think?"

  "I think so too." Song Yi smiled with a calm tone, "However, next month is Third Brother's wedding, such a big event can't be missed."

  "It should be fine by then." Jian Yu Bai said, "If not, we'll have to prioritize your body after all!"

  Song Yi smiled slightly and nodded, saying: "If there's nothing else, then let's settle down!"

  Jian Yu Bai obviously still had something to say, but seeing that she had already pulled open the quilt and lain down, her hands clenched tightly in her sleeves, in the end she didn't say anything, walked to the clothes rack, raised her hand to take off her clothes.

  That night, neither of them slept soundly.

  The moonlight shines in from the window, clear and cold like water or frost, turning the bright red brocade quilt into a heavy, rich purple, with an intense, almost eerie quality that's like dried bloodstains, exuding a sense of desolation and eeriness.

  Song Yi Xiao turned over once, and unconsciously looked up to see Jian Yu Bai sleeping on the outside, who happened to be facing her side, with a circle of bright silver edges outlined by the moonlight around his body. His face was hidden in the darkness, and it was unclear - only a pair of phoenix eyes were looking at her brightly and quietly.

  Nor did he know how long he had been staring like this?

  Song Yi smiled at him for a moment, then withdrew her gaze. Only after that did the thought occur to her, but she cut it off, pulled up the quilt and turned over again.

  It wasn't until almost dawn that she fell into a daze and slept for a while.

  When I opened my eyes again, the red sun was already high in the sky. The space beside me was empty and cold to the touch, it was clear that Jian Yu Bai had gotten up early.

  Song Yi laughed and sat up, put on her inner clothes after calling in the maid to attend to her. Seeing that it was still Jin Xun who came in, she asked about Wei Zhuang and Qiao Chen. Jin Xun handed her a hot towel while saying: "Just now the doctor came to take a look and said that you inhaled too much of the anesthetic incense, probably won't be able to wake up until after noon today."

  She also said, "Miss Biao has caught a cold, but the doctor has prescribed some medicine. I think she'll be fine after taking it."

  Song Yixiao heard the dissatisfaction in her tone towards Wei Cui - after all, based on what Jin Xun knew about last night's events, it was inevitable that she would think that if Wei Cui hadn't been reckless, their own master wouldn't have gotten hurt, so how could she not have an opinion about this cousin of hers?

  "Last night's incident, actually, my cousin was wronged. She didn't want to die and came to find me. Now that the matter is resolved, it's even more impossible for her to jump into the lake herself!" Song Yi smiled, knowing that Jin Xun, as her trusted confidant, would not be pleased with Wei Yan if she showed dislike towards her. The people below would find it hard not to neglect the Hongyan Pavilion, so she had to explain a few sentences: "It's very possible that she was actually thrown in - otherwise, how could I have been deceived into going to the Hongyan Pavilion at such a late hour?"

  Jin Xun heard this and was taken aback for a moment, then immediately said with hatred: "The Great Manager is simply not human!"

  "Although the steward indeed had ulterior motives, wasn't he also being manipulated this time?" Song Yi smiled upon hearing these words but didn't say anything, only silently sneering in her heart. "No wonder when the marriage between Changxing Princess and Jian Yiyou was confirmed, I suspected that the steward was anxious to get someone involved with this matter - it's said that previously he had always supported me against the steward's people, so why did he come up with a phrase saying he had his own plans after I told him this, telling me not to worry?!"

  She was so angry at the time and didn't notice the contradiction in Jian Yu's attitude.

  It suddenly dawned on him: perhaps Jian Yu Bai had never intended to let off the big shots from the very beginning!

  But Jian Yi was after all his elder brother and the eldest son of the second branch of the Jian family. Jian Xu Bai had already inherited the title of Duke of Yan State, bypassing their father's generation. If even several hundred servants were not willing to give in to their elder brother, how could Jian Ping Yu and other elders agree?

  It was just the Princess of Jin State, and she wouldn't have supported him in doing so, otherwise why would she personally speak up to ask for Jian Yi's life?

  "Moreover, if they don't surrender, there's another problem - how to deal with these people. These people have been trained by their grandfather for many years and have never considered Jian Yu Bai as their true master. Now that their grandfather is still alive, it would be extremely difficult for Jian Yu Bai to subdue them."

  "Can't get used to it, if I continue to stay in the mansion, I won't be able to use it smoothly and I won't feel at ease! Send it away, who knows, it might secretly do things for Jian Yi!"

  "So, 'Kill them all!'".

  Even if it's just a matter of expelling the useless and worthless officials, think about getting rid of so many subordinates at once, and many of them are old servants who have been accumulated over the years, it's also worth considering!

  At least, find a reasonable excuse!

  For example, holding and assassinating the hostess.

  "So he must marry a girl with a humble background, actually it's not just considering 'the high achievement shakes the master'!" Song Yi smiled and gently stroked the scar on her throat that had already healed, winter sun shone through the window frame, sprinkling on her body, warm and comfortable.

  But in her heart, a chill ran down her spine, "It's also possible that if the arranged rescue is not timely, and she really gets killed or seriously injured by the ruthless manager, her family won't even dare to make trouble for him!"

  The most typical candidate is her: talented and beautiful, with a good reason to marry well, and marrying her won't raise any suspicions; her parents are selfish, no matter how miserable the situation gets, there's no elder willing to fight for her.

  "No wonder he said at the beginning, no matter whether I was willing or not, he would marry me anyway!" Song Yi smiled as she looked in the mirror at the intricate hairstyle that Jin Xiang had carefully combed into a snake-like bun. Suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine, "Indeed, as Mother said, there are many young ladies from humble backgrounds who know how to curry favor in the imperial capital - but as for those who were raised in luxury and yet have no one to rely on, I'm probably the only one."

  How well does it fit into Jian Yu Bai's plan?

  How could he bear to let go?

  It's laughable that I thought there were genuine feelings growing between us all this time!

  "On the wedding night, he suppressed his anger and didn't storm out, instead trying every way to give me face in front of others. Ultimately, it wasn't to help me establish my prestige among the lower people, but rather - to deceive the big shots!"

  "Otherwise, why would the Grand Steward think it useful to hold me?"

  It's not just for the big deal, "it's also for last night's cleansing!"

  After all, as a good husband, taking revenge for his "deeply loved" wife with harsher means and a wider range of anger is understandable!

  "He really made a long-term plan, thinking about how I used to think about how to deal with these people and how to prove my ability to him, how ridiculous!" Ling She finished her hair, Jin Xiang opened the box full of hairpins, and asked Song Yi Xiao to choose one, but she couldn't pick one for a long time, just staring blankly at the sparkling decorations, thinking, "He never needed my abilities, he only needed me as his wife!"

  She thought that the little boy who was troubled by his father's coldness six years ago, no matter how much he changed in the baptism of time and war smoke, would still have a sense of integrity.

  How can an innocent soul resist the influence of wealth and power?

  It's just that six years ago, her intersection with Jian Yu Bai was only a few times - Song Yi Xiao didn't realize until today that she actually didn't understand her husband at all, whether it was his temperament or his power and means.

  "Let's just use this pair!" She said, bowing her head to choose hairpins and blinking away the moisture in her eyes: At King Wang's mansion in Hengshan, no matter how difficult it was, there was still the hope of getting married.

  How about now?

  "The road is ultimately walked out by people!" A pair of hairpins with sea-pearl inlays were inserted into her temples, and Jin Xun stepped back, indicating that the dressing was complete. Song Yi smiled as she stood up, opening her arms to let Jin Xun help her put on her outer garment. Looking at the vibrant plum blossoms on her jacket, the self-mockery in her eyes gradually turned into determination. "What good situation was it when Mother was in the Song family and was bullied by her mother-in-law for having no children? And yet isn't she now a noble queen?"

  "This time the big shot is dead, and I guess the others won't be able to escape either!"

  "The people of Fucheng must be replenished, but I hope the officials will keep their promises and not speak empty words!"

  "Even if it's a dowry in reverse, we must still manage our own backyard well!"

  "No matter what, I must have truly loyal and useful people by my side!!!"

  "I will never repeat the mistakes of the past!!!"

  She lowered her head to see that Jin Xun had already tidied up her skirt, and was about to ask about the situation in the mansion today. But Li Yu suddenly rushed in with a fluttering skirt: "Madam! The Ministry of Rites has sent someone to deliver an imperial edict, saying that your title has been conferred!"