Wen Qiao said without hesitation.
"Well, I was born from your uncle."
Jiang Xuesui never valued lifeless objects more than people, so she couldn't understand why Wen Qiao treasured that qin so much.
"I understand. Next time something like this happens, I'll do my best to save both the qin and you," Wen Qiao said.
"Who needs you to save me? Better save your qin."
Jiang Xuesui got up on her own. She was a bit annoyed and wanted to give the qin case a light kick, but she thought better of it. The antique qin was indeed fragile; if she broke it, she'd ruin this precious instrument, which even money couldn't replace.
"Give me back my book."
Wen Qiao extended his hand, palm up.
Jiang Xuesui took the opportunity to slap the book hard into Wen Qiao's hand, hoping the force would hurt him enough to vent her anger.
Her childish action made the corners of Wen Qiao's mouth lift, revealing two small, shallow dimples.
"Why are you smiling? Doesn't your palm hurt at all?"
Jiang Xuesui was bewildered.
"With that strength of yours, my hand will hurt for three to five days and I won't be able to hold a brush," Wen Qiao said seriously.
Seeing him speak nonsense with such a straight face, Jiang Xuesui stuck out her tongue at him. "I won't be fooled by you."
"Second sister has fled from the marriage."
Wen Qiao dropped this bombshell, fully piquing Jiang Xuesui's curiosity, but he was measured—after saying those six words, he pressed his lips shut.
"How do you know?"
"Then how will this be resolved?"
"Have they sent people to look for Second Sister?"
"What else do you know?"
...
Jiang Xuesui fired off a dozen questions in one breath.
Wen Qiao said nothing.
Jiang Xuesui was nearly frantic. She called him "good brother" repeatedly, vowed not to tell anyone, and promised all sorts of benefits to Wen Qiao.
Wen Qiao still said nothing.
Jiang Xuesui hugged the qin case to her chest. "If Brother doesn't speak, I'll smash this antique qin right now."
Only then did Wen Qiao speak.
"I've been keeping people watching Second Sister. I discovered that over the years, she's been corresponding frequently with her birth mother, Miao Shi. And today, the reason she successfully fled the marriage is that Miao Shi sent people to assist her."
"Since you know where Second Sister went, why didn't you tell everyone? That way, people wouldn't be so anxious about her escape," Jiang Xuesui asked.
"I don't want to get involved in her karma," Wen Qiao said, taking three copper coins from his sleeve. "This morning I cast a King Wen hexagram. The reading indicated that her escape wouldn't cause much trouble for the family, so I decided not to intervene."
"Is this divination accurate?"
Jiang Xuesui was very skeptical.
* * *
That King Wen hexagram Wen Qiao cast was too accurate.
It was said that on the way to pick up the bride, Xu Ye's horse inexplicably went mad. Not only did it throw Xu Ye off its back, but it also kicked him several times until he vomited blood.
After Xu Ye was carried back to the Duke of Wei's Mansion, several doctors were summoned. They all said he was beyond saving.
Just a little past noon, Xu Ye breathed his last.
The Duke of Wei's Mansion replaced the festive red silk and lanterns with white ones for mourning.
The guests who had come to the Duke Xiangguo's Mansion to observe the ceremony sighed in sympathy. As they bid farewell to Old Madam Wen, they offered words of comfort.
Only after the last guest had left did Old Madam Wen breathe a sigh of relief, glad that they had weathered this disaster today.
She then instructed Lady Zhu and Lady Yu to quickly inventory the betrothal gifts sent by the Duke of Wei's Mansion and secretly return them that very night.
She also took Lady Sang aside to warn her: in the future, when arranging marriages for Wen Yuan'ai and Wen Yuanle, she must first consult the grandmother before making any decisions.
Old Madam Wen had very little confidence in Lady Sang's judgment.
This made Lady Sang increasingly melancholy and gloomy.
Jiang Xuesui was also melancholy and gloomy.
She had initially thought Wen Qiao's hexagram result was just luck.
She first tested him with the weather, asking him to predict when it would rain, when fog would form, when it would be clear, when the wind would blow... Wen Qiao cast the hexagrams, and every prediction came true.
Jiang Xuesui became half-convinced but still doubtful. She then tested him with the pouch matter.
Wen Qiao cast a hexagram, indicating that the lost pouch could be found in the southeast direction.
Sure enough, a few days later, a pregnant doe died in the southeast corner of the garden. Thinking the fawn might still be alive, the servants had a boy cut open the doe's belly. They not only found a live fawn but also pulled out a pouch.
That pouch was exactly the one Wen Qiao had lost.
Jiang Xuesui was completely convinced. She pestered Wen Qiao to teach her how to cast hexagrams.
Wen Qiao knew that she hated reading and writing the most, and always slacked off in these areas.
Although she had managed to get by over the years, thanks to her high talent and quick comprehension, her literary talent was not inferior to other young ladies.
But reading more books and writing a good hand wouldn't hurt.
Therefore, Wen Qiao wrote out a reading list. Every time Jiang Xuesui finished a few books, he would teach her some insights into casting hexagrams.
He also urged her daily to copy calligraphy.
This strict teaching style from Wen Qiao forced Jiang Xuesui to not only learn how to cast hexagrams but also become one of the top talented women in the capital.
For the sake of this reputation, Jiang Xuesui lost a lot of weight and grew much taller. With her snow-white skin and rosy cheeks, her slender willow-like waist, and her smiling face like a blooming flower, she truly blossomed into a stunning beauty.
Even Jiang Shaohua, upon receiving his daughter's letter, noticed her improvement in calligraphy.
The gratified father waved his hand generously. Knowing that his daughter always missed the food of Sui Garden, he bought it and moved it to Xuanjing City.
Sui Garden became one of many properties under Jiang Xuesui's name.