Volume 1, Chapter 7: Third Brother Seeks Self-Improvement

Once they arrived at Biluo Courtyard, Nanny Yun could no longer contain herself. "It was clearly his doing! Why does the Master believe a concubine’s son over his own wife?"

"And that slot for Xia Ziyi—it was the Madam who begged for it in the first place..."

Xia Qianqian strained her neck, spitting in frustration. *Shameless! Always trying to gild their own faces.*

Xia Ziyi not only lacked the pedigree, but she also lacked the brains. She was a complete dunce who consistently ranked last. If it weren't for the system carrying the female lead’s soul back to three years ago, allowing her to "dream" the answers in advance, she would have been kicked out of the Imperial Academy long ago!

In the original novel, at this point, the third brother was already addicted to Five-Stone Powder. To obtain the drug, he was forced to provide poems and essays to Xia Ziyi unconditionally. At the Grand Poetry Competition, Xia Ziyi’s stolen works won first prize before the emperor and all the officials, earning the Emperor’s praise and a position as the Crown Prince’s study companion.

Xia Ziyi’s reputation soared, eclipsing every legitimate noble child in the capital, and she became the idol of countless concubines' sons. It even solidified the narrative that Xia Yangyang was a "blessing" to the family!

*Shameless! I want to catch them and feed them to the bugs!*

Xia Qianqian squealed in rage. The crow, "Ah-Ah," stomped its feet in agreement.

Watching her lively daughter, the pain in Lady Jiang’s heart eased slightly. "You may all leave. I wish to be alone."

After everyone departed, Lady Jiang walked to the window and gazed at the withered peach tree in the courtyard. She had planted it with Huai'an when they were first in love. She still remembered his vow under that tree: "I shall love only Wan'ning for the rest of my life, never take a concubine, and we shall be the only pair for all time..."

Once lush and vibrant, it was now withered and decaying. She had tried everything to save it, but failed. It was just like her relationship with Xia Huai'an. In his heart, there was no longer any room for her or their children. She should have realized this the moment he suggested taking a concubine.

Fortunately, Qianqian and the crow had intervened in time to stop the trap, but what about next time? Xia Huai'an didn't care; he ignored the children, and there was no one to stand up for them.

Lady Jiang clenched her hands. "Children, what is Mother to do..."

Xia Qianqian reached out toward her. If only she could walk, she would definitely hug her mother and comfort her. In this ancient time, a husband was heaven, and a widow had to rely on her sons. But now, her husband’s heart leaned toward his concubine, her son had been led astray by villains, and the concubine was constantly plotting against them. With no one to help her, how desperate must her mother be?

Watching her mother’s back, Xia Qianqian gritted her gums until they were red. *I will definitely protect Mother!*

***

A soft knock sounded at the door. "Mother, it’s me," came the muffled voice of Xia Ziheng.

Lady Jiang quickly composed her sorrow. "Come in."

Xia Ziheng pushed the door open, his face indignant. "Mother, why did Father ground you? It was clearly Xia Ziyi who tried to frame me!"

Lady Jiang was startled; Nanny Yun must have spilled everything to Ziheng.

"Father is too biased!" Xia Ziheng’s face was flushed, his eyes filled with lingering confusion. He couldn't understand why his father had suddenly stopped loving him. Seeing him like this, Lady Jiang felt a pang of heartache. "I’m sorry. I have not been a worthy mother."

Xia Ziheng shook his head, hanging his head in shame. "You often told me to study hard, but I wouldn't listen. I haven't been a worthy son."

After what had just happened, he finally understood. It was no wonder that Li Shaoqing, who had never paid him any mind before, had suddenly started trying to hang out with him. It was all orchestrated by Xia Ziyi to corrupt him. Yet, even with clear evidence, his father had turned a blind eye to favor her. He also knew about how his father and grandmother had tried to send his sister off to be a child bride for that brain-damaged boy. His father was bullying his mother and sister because he, as a son, was useless.

If he could pass the imperial examinations and become a top scholar, no one would ever dare bully his mother and sister again!

"Mother, I want to participate in the Grand Poetry Competition," he said, looking up with great seriousness.

Xia Qianqian was stunned. Her good-for-nothing third brother had actually turned over a new leaf! She had been agonizing over how to set him straight, but now it wasn't necessary.

Lady Jiang was equally shocked, though her shock was outweighed by joy. Her eyes grew moist. "Good! Mother will find a way to add your name to the list!"

Xia Ziheng nodded firmly, though his confidence faltered. His father and grandmother often called him slow and said that once Xia Ziyi passed the exams, he should be her assistant. Could he really beat her?

Seeing his dejected expression, Lady Jiang understood his thoughts. "Mother believes in you. I have always known how brilliant you are. You could call 'Mother' and 'Father' at six months, speak in complete sentences at one, recite the Four Books and Five Classics at two, and were well-versed in poetry and prose by three. You were always the star pupil at the Imperial Academy; there were so many who envied your talent."

"You’ve only fallen behind by three years. With your mind, you can catch up in no time."

It had been a long time since anyone had praised him. Xia Ziheng nodded vigorously. "I will! I will definitely beat Xia Ziyi!" Whether or not he could, he had to give it his all!

"Mother, I’m going to study now." He went back to his room and buried himself in his books. He studied through the entire night.

After he left, Lady Jiang walked over to the cradle and rocked it gently. "Little darling, I begged the Emperor for help last time. Do you think he’ll find the Jiang family children to be ill-behaved?"

Xia Qianqian shook her head slowly, the flesh on her cheeks trembling. *Absolutely not!*

Grandfather Emperor was surely still looking for ways to compensate Mother. Lady Jiang opened her eyes wide in shock. *Can a newborn baby understand human speech? Surely not... the shaking of her head must just be a coincidence.*

"Never mind. For Ziheng’s sake, even if it is seen as ill-behaved, so be it."

The next day, Lady Jiang summoned Nanny Yun to help her dress. Looking at her pale face in the mirror, she felt a complex mix of emotions. Having just given birth, Shen Qi'er had looked radiant yesterday, clearly being pampered and well-cared for.

Nanny Yun felt a pang of bitterness and picked up some rouge to apply, but Lady Jiang stopped her. "Madam, a little color would make you look better," the nanny said.

Lady Jiang shook her head. "No need. Let it be."

For years, she hadn't uttered a single complaint to the Emperor, wanting him to believe she was living well. She had feared that if he knew the truth, he would make things difficult for Xia Huai'an. But now, it no longer mattered.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard Nanny Li’s voice outside. "Madam, Eunuch Pei is here. He is waiting for you in the main hall."

Lady Jiang froze. Such a coincidence. She picked up Xia Qianqian and walked out. She saw Nanny Li, who was missing one eye, peeking into the courtyard, clearly terrified of losing the other one. On the path, she only dared to follow from a distance.

Lady Jiang sneered inwardly. *Good. That means fewer people trying to harm Qianqian.*

As they neared the hall, Nanny Li was forced to step forward. She whispered a threat: "Madam, you should know what to say, right? You and the Emperor aren't actually related; it’s easy for the Master to spread rumors. You should think more of the Master."

*Think more of him? Had she not thought of him enough?* She had kept her distance from her own kin, encouraged him to take concubines, and allowed the concubine’s children to be treated the same as the legitimate ones. And what was the result? He hadn't hesitated to let her and their daughter die in childbirth.

"If you dare speak another word, watch out for your other eye," Lady Jiang said coldly before walking inside.

Nanny Li shuddered, hurriedly covering her remaining eye in terror.