Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

When Jiang Sese had some free time, she had someone hitch up a carriage and went to visit Aunt Sun at the Xie family's second branch.

Although the Xie family's eldest and second branches have separated now, with a brick wall separating them, the side gate remains, making it convenient for them to visit each other during festivals.

Now that Jiang Sese has a different status, every time she comes to the Xie family's second branch, Madam Wang has to personally come to the hanging flower gate to welcome her.

This time was no exception.

As soon as Jiang Sese's carriage came to a stop outside the side gate, Madam Wang was already waiting inside the hanging flower gate with her maids.

"The princess has arrived." Madam Wang stepped forward, gave a proper bow, and smiled without any sign of reluctance, "Knowing that the princess was coming to see Consort Sun, I waited here for her."

Jiang Sese quickly stepped forward and offered a helping hand, saying, "Second Madam, there's no need for such formality. You're always so polite; it makes me feel embarrassed to come."

While reading the book, I felt that Wang was no ordinary person; she was indeed flexible and adaptable.

However, if Lady Wang were truly simple-minded, Xie Jue wouldn't have trusted her to manage the Xie family's household affairs. Although it was Princess Anning's idea to put Lady Wang in charge of the Xie family's household affairs, it would never have happened without Xie Jue's tacit approval.

The Xie family is not without capable matrons. Even if Princess Anning and the matrons cannot manage affairs, they can select older women from the clan to help manage the household. Now that the family has split up, the second branch is still managed by Wang Shi, while the first branch is managed by the matrons from Princess Anning's side.

As Wang Shi smiled, she accompanied Jiang Sese inside. After a few steps, she suddenly said softly, "I hope the princess doesn't mind me bothering you. I feel ashamed whenever I think about those things from the past. Back then, I really couldn't have been as attentive to the princess."

Jiang Sese paused slightly and glanced at Wang Shi.

Wang's words were subtle, but the meaning couldn't be clearer—she was apologizing for what happened back then.

At that time, she was just an orphan living in the second branch of the Xie family. She was actually grateful that the Xie family took her in; otherwise, if the Xie family had kicked her out, she would have had nowhere to go.

This was also why Jiang Sese initially planned to please Xie Jue and have him protect her. At least if she were ever kicked out and had to live alone, she wouldn't be bullied by any thugs.

Wang disliked her for being from a merchant family, for being an orphan, and for not being good enough for her son. According to the concept of marrying someone of equal social standing in that era, this was not wrong.

"Second Madam, you flatter me." Jiang Sese's tone was calm, without any intention of making things difficult for Madam Wang.

"Sese lives in the second branch of the Xie family. Although she can't say she lives in luxury, she's never lacked food or clothing. As for other things—who can say for sure about fate? Second Madam, you don't need to think about the past anymore."

As Wang listened, she felt increasingly uneasy.

The more casually Jiang Sese described it, the more she felt that she had personally pushed the best daughter-in-law to the first wife.

Qi Yun's affair has caused a great stir in the city, and Xie Huaizhang has no intention of discussing marriage to this day.

If she hadn't stopped her back then, this girl who had been granted the title of princess and opened a pharmacy should have been her daughter-in-law!

Wang lowered her eyes, suppressing the surging regret, before speaking with difficulty again: "Your Highness is kind. I will leave you here. Concubine Sun is waiting for Your Highness inside."

Jiang Sese smiled slightly and nodded.

Wang stood there, stunned, watching Jiang Sese's figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

If there's one time in her life when she made a mistake, it was this one.

This one misjudgment not only cost the second branch of the family a chance to overpower the first branch, but also caused Xie Huaizhang...

Wang rubbed her aching chest, sighed, and turned to walk back, her steps a little slower than when she came.

As soon as Jiang Sese arrived, Xie Xun clung to her, constantly glancing at her with his eyes. Back then, who was it that said they didn't want to be his sister-in-law!

Hearing the sound, Aunt Sun came out of the house to greet her. While telling the maid to make tea, she scolded Xie Xun for bothering Sister Se Se and told her to let her sit down and have some tea first.

Xie Xun wouldn't listen. He stayed close to Jiang Sese, chattering about how he had recently memorized three chapters of the "Thousand Character Classic" and boasting that his teacher had praised his good memory.

As Jiang Sese listened, she walked inside, then took a paper bag from Hongdou and handed it to him, whispering that it was her newly made cotton candy and that he should hide it and eat it slowly. Xie Xun immediately covered his mouth and nodded vigorously, then grabbed the paper bag and ran away in a flash.

Aunt Sun brought over some tea and looked at the two of them whispering to each other. She shook her head with a smile: "I bring him snacks every time we come back. What if we spoil him?"

Aunt Su did not approve of giving Xie Xun so many snacks.

"He's just a kid, what's wrong with spoiling him a little?" Jiang Sese took the teacup and sat down on the edge of the couch. She took a sip to moisten her throat before letting out a comfortable sigh. "It's so much more comfortable here with Auntie. I've been so busy these days, running around everywhere—the palace, the mansion, the pharmacy. I finally have some free time today, so I quickly came over to mooch a cup of tea from Auntie."

Aunt Sun sat down opposite her, carefully examining her complexion, and her brows furrowed slightly: "You've lost some weight. Haven't you been eating properly at the Princess's residence? No matter how busy you are at the pharmacy, don't ruin your health. Your aunt knew you were coming, so she had someone make you some nourishing soup. Drink a couple more bowls later."

Jiang Sese obediently agreed and then told him about the recent situation of the pharmacy.

Penicillin has been officially included in the prescriptions of the Imperial Medical Academy, and orders from the military have also been placed. Emperor Jingyuan has ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds and space, and she is busy expanding the workshop. Although Aunt Sun doesn't know much about penicillin, she feels reassured by the spirited look in her eyes when she speaks.

As the two were talking, Jiang Sese suddenly remembered something, put down her teacup, and asked, "By the way, Aunt, how is Yu Jiao doing lately? Last time she ran away from the Second Prince's residence, she came to me crying and sobbing, and I persuaded her to go back. I haven't heard from her these past few days, I wonder what happened to her afterwards."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Sun whispered, "Fifth Miss is also impulsive, but thankfully she's gotten better. I don't know why, but when that concubine saw the Second Prince, she knelt down and confessed everything."

Jiang Sese paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow slightly: "You confessed everything?"

Aunt Sun nodded and moved forward slightly, saying, "I heard that the concubine was originally afraid to speak, but the Second Prince got very angry... Isn't he known for his temper? Who isn't afraid of him when he gets angry? The concubine was so frightened that she trembled all over, knelt on the ground and cried uncontrollably, and only then did she reveal the truth. It turns out that the child wasn't caused by the Fifth Miss."

Jiang Sese paused, her hand still: "If it wasn't Yu Jiao who hit you? Then how did it disappear?"

"It is said that—" Aunt Sun's voice lowered even further, and she hesitated, "That day, before Fifth Miss rushed into the courtyard, that concubine had already started bleeding. The day before, the concubine accidentally slipped on the steps, but she didn't think anything of it at the time, just that she had a miscarriage and that she would be fine after lying down. Who knew that the next day Fifth Miss rushed in and slapped her, and she fell to the ground."

"In this way, the blame for the child in her womb falls on Fifth Sister. Although Fifth Sister shouldn't have hit her, she didn't kill the child."

As Aunt Sun finished speaking, she sighed softly, "What kind of mess is this? Although Fifth Miss is a bit arrogant, it's really unfair to make her bear the blame for a murder."

Jiang Sese frowned slightly.

At first glance, this seemed reasonable, but she always felt that something was wrong.

The concubine knew the day before that she might miscarry, but how could she have predicted that Xie Yujiao would come over and beat her the next day?

Or was it a spur-of-the-moment idea to frame Xie Yujiao?

But what's the point of all this?

She was merely a concubine who came from a humble background; her maternal family had no power or influence, and her only support was her child.

Using this child to frame the principal wife is far too risky. If the matter is exposed, Chen Jingxuan will never forgive her. Even if the matter is not exposed, she will have lost her only child, and what will she rely on to maintain her position in the mansion afterward?

A dog that bites doesn't bark; if this concubine really wanted to harm someone, she shouldn't have used such a stupid method.

Jiang Sese remained silent for a moment, not voicing her doubts, but simply asking Chen Jingxuan how he handled the situation.

Aunt Sun said that after Chen Jingxuan investigated, he first apologized to Xie Yujiao, saying that she had been wronged. Xie Yujiao and Chen Jingxuan, however, benefited from the misfortune; both of them knew they were wrong and became much more harmonious than before.

Jiang Sese nodded and said nothing more.

If there is anything suspicious about this, it is a family matter of the Second Prince's residence, and it is not appropriate for her, an outsider, to investigate it.

As long as Xie Yujiao stops causing trouble and Chen Jingxuan calms down, it will be a good ending.