Song Er was quietly sent out of the capital when she was seven years old.
Song Er died the year she turned eight.
In the capital, Song Er was the apple of the Duke of Dingguo's eye; a frown from her could make the entire household tremble.
Before the turmoil arrived, before Song Er was sent far from the capital, she had never known hardship, let alone such abuse.
Therefore, the painful memories that still made her tremble when she recalled them could only have occurred in the year Song Er left the capital.
And in that year, Song Er was sent to the Qian family in the southeast.
Given the circumstances at the time, neither Song Er's maternal grandfather's family nor her second aunt's family were safe.
The Qian family in the southeast, however, was far from the capital and not particularly conspicuous. Old Master Song and Old Master Qian had decades of friendship, so sending Song Er far away to the Qian family was the safest option.
There was another important consideration.
That was that the Qian family commanded the Great Yu Navy. If anything were to happen, the Qian family navy could send Song Er out to sea.
Later, the Qian family did indeed send Song Er out to sea.
That's not quite right.
According to Xie Jiang's fragmented memories, the Qian family did not send Song Er out to sea. After a full year of tormenting the young Song Er, the Qian family cruelly drowned her.
The unfortunate Song Er died alone in the vast ocean, and then Xie Jiang came to life within Song Er's body.
"Ugh..."
Yi Yanteng paused, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Her head rested on his shoulder, and she felt a bit dizzy. Suddenly, she let out a low hum and rubbed her forehead against his shoulder with unusual force.
Xie Jiang said, "My head hurts."
Yi Yanteng's heart ached, "Are you still thinking about things you can't remember? Can we not think about them? Let's forget all the unpleasant things."
With that, he quickened his pace, wanting to take her back to the Marquis of Nanhai's manor. The physician Qian Qiu in his manor had told him that she had many old injuries and hidden wounds.
He would only feel a little at ease if Lou Yi'an was looking after her.
Xie Jiang gasped, "Some things are fine to forget, they don't affect me, but there are some things I want to remember."
It was only right for her to avenge Song Er.
For some matters and enemies that were out in the open, even if she hadn't experienced them, she could still investigate. However, some things were done in secret, and only the deceased Song Er herself would know.
She wanted to piece together some things from the remaining memories, to piece together as much as she could.
They didn't even spare a child of seven or eight. Such deep-seated hatred could not be overlooked, yet the Qian family had been wiped out.
Who did it?
Yi Yanteng turned to look at her, "Are you trying to remind yourself all the time? Why trouble yourself like this?"
Xie Jiang said, "How can this be considered troubling myself? It's not troubling."
Compared to what Song Er had experienced, this was just a headache for a while.
When Yi Yanteng reached the ferry crossing with Xie Jiang on his back, Wen Feng, who had been missing for a long time, suddenly appeared from somewhere, waved away the palace maids who were rowing the boat, and took the oars himself.
"The palace banquet has only just begun, and Young Master Xie is already drunk?"
"I didn't even think about it until you mentioned it. I might be a bit drunk. That's why I'm still feeling dizzy." Xie Jiang leaned into Yi Yanteng's embrace, looking at her hands in front of her. Her fingers weren't seeing double, but her head felt a bit muddled.
She hadn't even realized she was drunk, which was a classic sign of intoxication. Wen Feng was amused to see her like this, "Who were you drinking with to get like this?"
"The Duke of Qian and the Marquis of Yongxin. These old men are so annoying!"
Yi Yanteng placed his palm on her forehead, intending to massage it to relieve her headache, but as soon as he touched her, he knew something was wrong. Her forehead was a bit hot.
"You have a fever?"
Yi Yanteng was reluctant to believe it. He touched his own forehead. The temperature difference between them was huge, and he had no choice but to believe it.
"Ah?" Xie Jiang was still a bit dazed herself.
Yi Yanteng frowned and urged, "Row faster."
Wen Feng's smile vanished, and he quickly increased the speed of rowing.
Xie Jiang hooked her arms around Yi Yanteng's neck, pulling him down so their foreheads touched. Xie Jiang sighed with comfort.
"Yi Yanteng, you're so cool!"
Xie Jiang greedily wanted more, pressing her face against his. "It seems I really have a fever."
"I was fine just a moment ago. I even treated Minister Hou for a parasitic disease. How did I suddenly get a fever?" Xie Jiang couldn't figure it out.
Yi Yanteng's brows were tightly furrowed, "I pushed you into the water, and you caught a chill."
Seeing the deep guilt in Yi Yanteng's eyes, Xie Jiang burst into laughter, "Although I really wish I could attribute my fever to you, so I could have whatever I wanted from you..."
"But this really isn't your fault. I'm not made of mud that would dissolve just by being thrown into water. Besides, you didn't throw me into the water. Just washing my face would cause a fever?"
She pointed at Wen Feng, "Wen Feng, wash your face and show your master, see if you get a fever."
Wen Feng said, "Perhaps it's because Young Master Xie drank alcohol, then touched water, and then felt the wind, which is why..."
Xie Jiang retorted indignantly, "Am I that delicate?"
Wen Feng tried to cover for her, "It's also possible that you contracted some illness in the Shun Tian Prefecture prison?"
Xie Jiang chuckled, "Then let's go find Master Fang and have Shun Tian Prefecture pay for the medical expenses!"
Wen Feng knew she was joking, "Do you believe Master Fang would jump into the river overnight?"
"Yi Yanteng, you're so comfortable..."
Xie Jiang rubbed all over his face and neck, and her two restless paws also slipped into his wide sleeves.
Yi Yanteng noticed that she was getting hotter, and wherever her paws touched, his skin felt a burning sensation.
Yi Yanteng's worry deepened. He took out a handkerchief from his purse, soaked it in the lake water, wrung it out, and wiped her face and neck. He then took out her paws and wiped her hands, trying to cool her down and make her a little more comfortable.
Wen Feng stopped the boat steadily.
Yi Yanteng carried Xie Jiang down on his back and hurried towards the Marquis of Nanhai's manor.
"Will master return to the palace later?"
Wen Feng asked as they were about to exit the palace gate.
Wen Feng felt that his master would most likely not return to the palace. With Young Master Xie sick, how could his master still care about matters in the palace?
Yi Yanteng replied without hesitation, "Send someone to inform the Third Prince."
Not at all surprised by his master's choice, be it power or Miss Xie, his master would definitely choose Miss Xie.
Even if it were his master's own life versus Miss Xie, Wen Feng believed his master would choose Miss Xie.
Wen Feng stopped a palace maid, gave her instructions, and then hurriedly jumped onto the carriage to be the coachman.
Xie Jiang rested her head on Yi Yanteng's lap, holding his naturally cool hand and rubbing it against her burning face again and again. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and sat up abruptly as if on the verge of death.
"No, no, no, don't go back to the Marquis of Nanhai's manor! Wen Feng! Turn around! Go directly to your manor!"