Chapter 14: A Tale Too Complex for Words – Yan Chaonian

"Why did you send people to waylay me?"

Seeing Jiang Wencheng in such a sorry state made Yan Zhaonian feel much better. She had no intention of answering his question. "I'm very busy. Speak your mind if you must."

Seeing her maintain such a haughty attitude, Jiang Wencheng frowned deeply. "Since you could chance upon me in the street, you must naturally know which inn I am staying at. Yuan'er is your own son; can you not come to see him?"

Yan Zhaonian sneered. She knew this man was always prone to wishful thinking, speaking as if she had painstakingly plotted to 'run into' him. Where did he get such confidence?

"You think too much. Seeing you was purely accidental. I never dreamed I would see you here again, to the point where I didn't even sleep well last night."

Because she was disgusted.

However, Jiang Wencheng interpreted her reaction as overwhelming excitement. Thinking that exposing her little schemes would be futile and that she would never admit to them anyway, he said, "It has been three years. Do you not care at all whether Yuan'er is doing well?"

"He has a grandmother who dotes on him, a stepmother he likes, and you, his father. Where is the need for my concern?"

Yan Zhaonian sniffed, finding the air in the inn unpleasant; it smelled of mildew. "He is the eldest grandson of the Earl's mansion; his status is noble. Surely you wouldn't let him suffer any grievances."

"Of course, if you were to cast him out of the house and leave him with nowhere to go, I would take him in."

"But would you ever cast him out of the Earl's mansion?"

Jiang Wencheng was dissatisfied with Yan Zhaonian's attitude. She used to be gentle with him, but now her words were sharp and barbed. Without her noble status, she seemed to have lost all sense of decorum.

"Regardless of where he is, he is your own son after all. You should consider him more."

Yan Zhaonian laughed. "Isn't it a bit late to be saying that now?"

"Back then, I wanted to consider him. Who was it that said I was reeking of money and couldn't raise a child properly? Who was it that called me vulgar, claimed my background was low and that I lacked vision, and said I was unfit to raise a child?"

He had said it all back then; was she to be the villain in every scenario?

"Enough. I didn't come here today to bicker over these trivial matters." She took a deep breath. "If you wanted to reminisce, there is no history left between us. If you want me to return to the Earl's mansion to be a beast of burden for your entire family, you can put that thought to rest. Only after leaving the mansion did I realize how vast the world is. Who would want to live a life trapped in the backyard, constantly being nitpicked? Whoever wants that life can go live it."

She felt she had made herself clear enough, but Jiang Wencheng only frowned, looking her up and down before saying, "You are still resentful?"

Every word she had spoken was filled with resentment. "Mother spoke that way to teach you, for your own good. You failed to appreciate her good intentions; how could you hold a grudge?"

Yan Zhaonian felt it was impossible to reason with him. Coming here today had been entirely superfluous. "Let's talk about the matter at hand. Why did you send people to shadow me?"

Of course, it was because he needed her to provide money, but how could Jiang Wencheng bring himself to say that?

An attendant named Cui Yong bowed and spoke politely, "Ma'am... Lady Yan, the Master and the young master have been thinking of you for these past three years..."

"I don't believe that."

Yan Zhaonian glanced at him sideways. "Don't beat around the bush. If you have something to say, say it. If not, I am leaving."

Cui Yong, who had intended to appeal to her emotions, laughed dryly and had no choice but to mention that Jiang Wencheng had been robbed, going to great lengths to emphasize the villainy of the thieves. Yan Zhaonian interrupted him. "I didn't steal it."

Cui Yong was even more embarrassed. "Naturally, not you, Lady Yan."

Playing dumb, Yan Zhaonian feigned relief. "I thought you were going to pin it on me. It felt strangely familiar—as if after three years, you were trying to frame me again. Since you know it wasn't me, why tell me?"

"Have you reported it to the authorities?"

Cui Yong bit the bullet and continued, "We did. It was the work of flying thieves. It will take the magistrate some time to solve the case. The Master and the young master were robbed of everything, even their clothes. We..."

"More nonsense."

Interrupting him at the perfect moment, Yan Zhaonian pointed to the clothes carelessly tossed at the end of the bed. "Aren't those right there? They look quite new to me."

Cui Yong's eyelid twitched. Of course they were new—they had just been bought. But the Master and the young master refused to wear them, complaining they were of poor quality. What could they do?

"The Master has a noble status and has always worn silks and satins. I fear it is inappropriate for him to wear such plain cloth."

He had been as blunt as he could be; surely Lady Yan understood what he meant now?

Yan Zhaonian looked at him with disapproval. "Then you don't understand your own master. Your master once said that as long as he could be with the one he loved, he would be happy even in coarse cloth and simple meals, and would be content to live as a farmer."

"So... you are overthinking it. Besides, your master is of high character; silks and satins are but shackles to him, keeping him from being at ease. He has never set much store by worldly possessions, so why would he mind such things?"

These were the exact words Jiang Wencheng had used when he was determined to marry Jia Ruzhen. Giving them back to him now was, in a way, letting him 'get what he wished for.'

"Enough!"

Jiang Wencheng was boiling with rage, staring daggers at Yan Zhaonian. "And you say you aren't resentful? If you weren't, could you remember those words until now?"

"I thought you had turned over a new leaf. I didn't expect you to be even more insufferable than three years ago. I see there is no need for you to return to the Earl's mansion."

Yan Zhaonian was at a loss for words, having no idea where she had given the impression that she wanted to return to any mansion. "You really need to be cured of this habit of talking to yourself."

"You..." Jiang Wencheng’s face flushed red with anger. "You are truly unreasonable."

Seeing him like this, Yan Zhaonian felt inexplicably good. "In any case, there is no longer any relationship between us, so how I am is none of your business."

"Alright, since there is nothing else, I won't stay any longer."

She turned to leave, then paused and looked back over her shoulder. "They say a gentleman's word is as good as his bond. Although you fall somewhat short of being a gentleman, words spoken are like spit on the ground—it isn't fitting to lick them back up."

"I already said we should never meet again, so let's really not meet again."

"If you send people to lurk outside the Jin Workshop again, trying to ruin my livelihood, I won't be so polite if I catch you. I will treat you as common thieves."

She turned and walked away, feeling a sense of refreshing liberation.

Seeing her leave without a hint of reluctance, Cui Yong sighed inwardly. What a mess this all was.

"Master, Lady Yan is gone."

He was met with a glare from Jiang Wencheng. Cui Yong shrank his neck. "I... I will go check on the young master."

Once he was gone, Jiang Wencheng hammered the bed frame heavily. The Yan woman was smarter than before; she even knew how to put on airs at the critical moment. She must have realized he had sent people to find her and become arrogant. It seemed he would have to leave her to cool her heels for a while.

Her wild spirit after three years needed to be properly broken.

Jiang Chongyuan was in his room reading, though in reality, he was observing the goings-on in the next room. Unfortunately, he was being watched and could not leave. Seeing Cui Yong enter, he asked, "Well? Did that woman go to buy me clothes?"

"Did you tell her I only wear clothes made of the finest silk?"

Cui Yong regretted coming here; he had no choice but to tell him the truth. Upon learning she had just left, Jiang Chongyuan was stunned. "Did she ask about me at all?"

Cui Yong could only tell the truth, which made Jiang Chongyuan throw his book aside in a rage. "She did it on purpose! She's just stingy!"