nucmednet Chapter 54 You're just someone who's been used.
Chapter 54 You're just someone who's been used.
Jiang Mian immediately guessed that he must have deliberately cut his palm last night to use the pain to control himself.
She could recall some of the embarrassing moments she had experienced after taking the medicine the day before.
Feeling a little guilty, I said, "I'm so sorry, I must have startled you yesterday..."
Xiao Hengzhi smiled instead. Other girls would be extremely embarrassed after such an incident, but Jiang Mian seemed completely unfazed and didn't blush at all.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. With the age she's accumulated across her past and present lives, what hasn't she seen? This kind of thing should just be a trivial matter.
Jiang Wan rubbed her sore shoulders, thinking—
Only the current Xiao Hengzhi would tolerate it; if it were that madman from her previous life, he would probably have stripped her bare, leaving not even bones behind.
She then asked, "If you are not feeling well, shall I send someone to fetch a doctor?"
Xiao Hengzhi saw the concern in her eyes, smiled, and said, "It's just a minor injury."
He withdrew his hand and stood up, using the table as a support.
"Last night, the water was filled with Spring Scarlet Powder. Does the Second Miss know who did it?"
Jiang Wan snorted coldly: "Who else could it be? Speaking of this matter, I'd like to go and find out the truth."
She strode aggressively toward Aunt Wan's room and kicked the door open.
Aunt Wan had just finished dressing when she saw it was Jiang Wan. She rolled her eyes at her, somewhat displeased.
"Why did you come in without knocking, Second Miss? You have no manners at all."
"Rules? My aunt tricked me into going to Xiao Heng's room and then put aphrodisiac in the water. Now she wants to talk to me about rules?"
"Heh, what? Didn't you say you and Xiao Hengzhi had already been having an affair? Why pretend to be a virgin?"
Aunt Wan adjusted her hairpin and glared at her disdainfully.
If she was only pretending with Xiao Hengzhi to break off the engagement, then after last night, the two of them must have already gotten together.
If Jiang Li is going to have a hard time, then she shouldn't expect to be happy either.
Jiang Wan's eyes turned cold, and her tone was like a knife: "No wonder Jiang Li is so despicable, it turns out she learned it all from you."
Aunt Wan didn't back down at all, staring at her with great pride and saying, "It's no use for you to argue with me here. Now that you're unclean, you have no choice but to marry Xiao Hengzhi. Second Miss, just accept it. You were born to be a commoner and serve others."
Jiang Mian stepped closer, her gaze making Aunt Wan's heart flutter with unease.
She sneered, "What a pity, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Auntie."
Aunt Wan was stunned, looking at her with great confusion.
"You don't believe me?" Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow, her smile as sharp as a knife. "Then go ask her yourself."
Seeing her nonchalant demeanor, Aunt Wan's nails almost dug into her palms: "The effects of Spring Scarlet Powder, how could it be... how could it be..."
Jiang Wan smiled faintly: "Disappointed, aren't you? But Jiang Li should satisfy you; she and Young Master Xie have already consummated their marriage."
Aunt Wan trembled with anger upon hearing this: "Even if nothing happened! You're a young woman, alone with a man and a woman all night, who would believe nothing happened? A woman who has lost her chastity is nothing!"
"Innocence?" Jiang Wan's smile became even more mocking. "When you entered my Jiang family back then, why didn't you speak of your innocence?"
Aunt Wan's expression changed, her pupils contracted slightly, and she choked up for a moment.
What she finds most difficult to talk about is her background—
Born in a war-torn land, she possessed only beauty but no skills. To survive, she entered the imperial kiln and was later given to Jiang Xun as a gift.
In fact, Jiang Xun did not want her. In those years, when he had just become a general, many people came to curry favor with him, but he turned them all away with all kinds of gold, silver and beautiful women.
She really didn't want to return to the official kiln, so she used the Spring Scarlet Powder to keep Jiang Xun.
When she first entered the Jiang family, she humbled herself and would go to comfort and show concern whenever Madam Jiang and Jiang Xun quarreled.
Later, she gained favor with the emperor, but Lady Jiang died in despair.
She thought she could smoothly become the mistress of the house, but Jiang Xun said, "Your background is not good. If you become the mistress of the house, people may criticize you. If the civil officials impeach you, it will be detrimental to my Jiang family."
So over the years, she tried every means to move up the social ladder, but her background always kept her at a disadvantage.
Jiang Wan's words stung her and angered her.
Aunt Wan gritted her teeth: "Jiang Wan, you shameless..."
"What?" Jiang Wan interrupted her. "Did I make you break down? My mother has been gone for so many years, and you still haven't been able to take her place. Don't you feel pathetic?"
Aunt Wan's expression changed drastically, and she raised her hand to slap her.
Jiang Wan reacted swiftly, grabbing her wrist and speaking in a cold voice: "Try touching me! Let me tell you, I can make Jiang Li marry into the Marquis's mansion, and I can also make her get kicked out!"
Aunt Wan trembled with anger, but she couldn't break free from her grip. She could only grit her teeth and glare at her: "Jiang Wan, don't think you can prove your innocence by saying a few words to me here! Soon everyone will know that you, Jiang Wan, are someone who has been used!"
Jiang Mian glanced at her indifferently, her eyes full of disdain: "Used? My innocence, Jiang Mian's innocence, has nothing to do with men. If we really have to talk about it, then it should be me who used him!"
Aunt Wan stood there, her chest heaving violently, her face deathly pale.
Jiang Mian walked out, her voice drifting in from outside the door: "What you care about most is nothing to me. I will not tolerate these despicable methods from now on. You may use them all, but you will bear the consequences."
She slammed the door shut, leaving Aunt Wan standing alone in the room, her eyes glazed and her face ashen.
However, Jiang Wan was not finished yet. She knew that what happened yesterday could not possibly have been done by Aunt Wan alone.
There must be someone condoning her and tacitly approving of her, allowing her to use a pretext to set a trap.
Jiang Mian walked briskly to the study.
He pushed the door open and called out, "Father."
Jiang Xun was reading a book when she saw her burst in. He frowned and asked, "What is it?"
"Doesn't Father have anything to say to me?"
Jiang Xun's eyes darted around, knowing that she had come to demand an explanation, and she slowly said, "Didn't you say that you and Xiao Hengzhi had already taken action? Your aunt is in a bad mood, let her vent her anger, it won't affect you."
"Doesn't Father know whether this has any impact? Why does he always indulge his aunt to this extent?"
Jiang Wan sneered, her hands clenched tightly in her sleeves, suppressing the anger in her heart.
She took a step closer and asked again, "Was it really her decision to use the Spring Scarlet Powder yesterday that she made all by herself?"
Jiang Xun frowned even deeper, put down his book, and said in a calm tone, "She just lost her temper for a moment. I'll punish her a little. Why are you being so aggressive?"
Jiang Wan suddenly sneered: "I was tricked by her, how am I the one who was aggressive?"
Jiang Xun's expression changed slightly, and her tone became somewhat authoritative: "Alright, you and Xiao Hengzhi were going to get married anyway, when did you learn to be so unreasonable?"
Jiang Wan felt a tightness in her chest upon hearing this. She was very surprised that her father, who was always reasonable and polite, could not distinguish right from wrong in this matter!
"Ha." She sneered. "No wonder Mother said that you were not the person she used to know. I also noticed that ever since Aunt came into the family, Father has been flattered by her to the point of being arrogant, ambitious, and warlike, completely unaware of the importance of humility and modesty."
Jiang Xun frowned, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Jiang Wan approached step by step, her eyes icy cold: "Outsiders say that after my aunt entered the family, my mother died of depression. But I know that she couldn't go on living because she saw through my father's heart!"
"shut up!"
Jiang Xun slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his voice deep and thunderous.
Jiang Wan, however, did not back down at all, and sneered, "Is Father so angry because I said something wrong, or because I said something right?!"