Volume One, Chapter 13: Past and Present Lives, Utterly Meaningless

Jiang Yutang remained silent, then looked up and asked, "Why did you send someone to erase my name?"

Xie Yihe paused at her words, then scoffed coldly.

"You still have the nerve to ask?"

He continued, "The entire household is in chaos; even my formal court robes have gone missing. As the one managing the An Guogong residence, you neglect your duties and instead cause a scene at the Imperial Medical Bureau. Yutang, tell me, is this appropriate?"

The air inside the carriage was stifling, mixed with a faint sweet fragrance, suffocating Jiang Yutang.

Now, Madam Xie was the one in charge of the household.

Xie Yihe had blamed the wrong person.

"You should have fully understood the household affairs before blaming me. Besides, rest assured, my visits to the Imperial Medical Bureau are not for Yun Qianqian. I just wanted to find something to occupy myself with. Aren't you annoyed by me always hovering around you every day?"

Jiang Yutang was no longer hovering around him inside the residence, but she could still be encountered outside!

Xie Yihe's narrow eyes grew colder. "I never begged you to manage the household in the first place."

On the contrary, he had been opposed to it.

"If you insist on running the household, then do it properly. Don't be so hypocritical; it’s unbecoming. Also, don't go to the Imperial Medical Bureau anymore."

Jiang Yutang felt a wave of helplessness and refused, "Unless something unexpected happens, I passed the written exam. I plan to continue."

However, as soon as she said this, Xie Yihe’s gaze turned suddenly sarcastic.

Sensing something wrong, Jiang Yutang asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"No matter how close your relationship with Jiang Huaian is, he shouldn’t have used his authority to leak exam questions to you, helping you cheat on the medical bureau's written test."

Xie Yihe’s face was cold. "This isn’t fair to Qianqian or the other candidates."

Such an outstanding test paper, which even the medical officers could not produce, how could an outsider like Jiang Yutang have fabricated it?

He didn’t believe it!

Jiang Yutang's eyes trembled with disbelief.

"I did not."

Xie Yihe met her gaze, paused briefly, then gave a dismissive hum.

Whatever she said, so be it.

He had already ordered someone to suppress Jiang Yutang’s results.

The top scorer would be Yun Qianqian.

The atmosphere suddenly stiffened.

Jiang Yutang stared at him in a daze.

Her eyes were filled with profound pain, making it impossible for Xie Yihe to ignore her as he had before. Moreover, lately, she had indeed been acting somewhat strangely...

After a moment of silence, Xie Yihe said, "It’s good to have personal connections. I do not blame you for that."

Jiang Yutang looked at the face before her—the one she had once deeply loved—and suddenly found it laughable.

Though they were so close, it felt as if they were worlds apart.

He neither needed nor wanted to hear her defense.

Jiang Yutang recalled how countless times, in this life and the last, she had tried to justify herself to Xie Yihe, but to him, it was all just meaningless chatter.

Completely futile.

Suddenly losing heart, Jiang Yutang gave a faint hum and turned to look indifferently out the carriage window.

Outside, twilight was settling, shrouded in a beautiful peacock blue; inside the carriage, it was dim.

Seeing Jiang Yutang finally acting sensible, Xie Yihe said no more.

The carriage smoothly returned to the An Guogong residence, where the two parted ways—one heading to the Pear Blossom Courtyard, the other back to Dream Garden.

Jiang Yutang walked toward Dream Garden.

Along the path, Chun Tao followed closely, cautiously watching Jiang Yutang’s expression, her feelings shifting between confusion and worry, unsure how to speak up.

Jiang Yutang noticed and asked, "What’s wrong?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Chun Tao’s eyes before she hesitantly asked, "Young Madam, does the Young Master misunderstand your relationship with Lord Jiang?"

At that moment, she had been walking beside the carriage, unaware of what had transpired inside.

Jiang Yutang couldn’t help but smile.

"No, he doesn’t."

How could Xie Yihe possibly be jealous because of her?

Chun Tao silently sighed in relief, then felt uneasy again. She had heard from the housemaids that only someone who truly cares would feel jealousy, so what did the Young Master’s reaction mean?

She fell silent.

The two returned to Dream Garden.

The courtyard was no longer as clean and orderly as before. No lights were lit in the main house; the peeling, broken windows remained as they were. The maids and servants were either slacking off or hiding in corners gossiping.

Dinner had yet to be prepared.

No wonder Xie Yihe was dissatisfied.

Though the maids and servants belonged to the Duke’s household, they still needed to be disciplined.

When Jiang Yutang was in charge, such neglect had never occurred.

"Come inside with me."

Jiang Yutang’s gaze swept over the guilty servants as she addressed Zhi Lan, the head maid of Dream Garden.

Zhi Lan inwardly grumbled but reluctantly followed Jiang Yutang to a side room. The other maids and servants in the courtyard exchanged knowing looks.

What was this? They had thought the Young Madam had truly relinquished her authority and no longer intended to manage the Young Master or the household.

But it turned out, after barely a day, she had no spine and was already commanding Zhi Lan to prepare the main house before the Young Master’s return, hoping to win his favor.

The servants did not believe Jiang Yutang would willingly give up her authority.

They firmly believed she would seek Madam Xie’s help to regain control.

However...

After some time, Zhi Lan joyfully ran out of the side room, but instead of rushing to tidy the Young Master’s main house as expected, she dashed into the tea room, busily tinkering with the recipe Jiang Yutang had given her.

It seemed the Young Madam was passing down her excellent tea-making skills to Zhi Lan.

What was going on?

They could not make sense of it.

Inside the side room, the candlelight flickered.

Chun Tao’s face showed displeasure. "Young Madam, are you really willing to teach that tea-making skill to that maid, Zhi Lan?"

Jiang Yutang buried her head in a medical book, reviewing the subjects for tomorrow’s examination, and replied calmly, "Zhi Lan wanted to learn it anyway. There’s nothing to be stingy about."

She no longer wanted to be disturbed by anything related to Xie Yihe.

Chun Tao said no more.

The night passed quietly.

The next day, Jiang Yutang and Chun Tao returned to the Imperial Medical Bureau.

This time, the practical exam was underway.

Inside the examination hall, curtains were set up to create separate cubicles, each with a patient brought in for the candidates to diagnose and treat through observation, inquiry, and pulse-taking.

Candidates emerged one by one as they finished.

Time slipped quietly by.

Jiang Yutang stood in line, anxious but focused on the exam, unaware of when Xie Yihe had arrived.

The hall was silent.

An inspector politely approached the examination hall’s entrance.

"Sir Xie, are you here to pick up Miss Yun?"

Xie Yihe responded with a light hum.

The inspector sighed inwardly. The Duke truly valued Miss Yun.

North Ming’s court convened every five days. Although the Duke had no official duties today, he still had a mountain of paperwork and had squeezed out time to come early—likely because he missed Yun Qianqian yesterday.

Xie Yihe was in a sour mood.

Firstly, because Jiang Yutang was still neglecting her duties, causing chaos in the An Guogong residence.

Secondly...

The test paper that Jiang Yutang had been suppressed for was openly displayed!

At that moment, Jiang Huaian inside the examination hall turned back as if sensing something and smiled broadly at Xie Yihe.

On his turf, there was no way anyone could mistreat Yutang!