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Madam Jiang was the first to rush over and embrace Jiang Xi, holding her tightly as she asked with concern, "Have you been wronged these days? Has the Regent bullied you? Where are you hurt? Let me see."
Jiang Xi gently patted Madam Jiang's back, soothing her softly, "Mother, I'm fine. Please don't worry."
Huo Xingwen looked at Jiang Xi in shock, unable to find his voice for a moment. Finally, he managed to say, "Sister Xi, how did you come back?"
Releasing her mother, Jiang Xi turned to Huo Xingwen with calm eyes. "I heard that Father is bringing Jiang Yue and her mother into the residence. Of course, I had to come back and see what was going on."
Jiang Xingzhi was also puzzled about Jiang Xi's sudden return. Upon hearing this, a mix of embarrassment and anger crossed his face.
"How did you know about this?"
As a prime minister, it was disgraceful enough to have numerous wives and concubines in the household while openly keeping a mistress outside. Now he was planning to bring the mistress and her daughter into the residence; it was truly scandalous.
Jiang Xi smiled faintly and raised her head slightly. "Originally, I didn't know, but yesterday Jiang Yue came to the Regent's Palace under the pretense of visiting me and boasted about it. When I argued with her, she actually stabbed me with a dagger. Fortunately, the Regent saved me; otherwise, I would have been in grave danger."
Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang immediately flew into a rage, her eyes wide as she shouted, "What? That little wretch Jiang Yue dared to stab you? I will not let her off easily!"
Jiang Xi interrupted her with a smile. "Mother, Jiang Yue was sent away by the guards of the Regent's Palace this morning."
At this point, Jiang Xi turned to Huo Xingwen. "Xinwen, since Jiang Yue is at your place now, please take good care of her."
Huo Xingwen feigned seriousness and innocently replied, "Sister Xi, it's inappropriate for men and women to be too close. What does it mean to send her to my residence?"
But Jiang Xi immediately countered, "Where else would you send her? She won't be allowed through the gates of the Jiang Family as long as I am here; she will always be just a mistress."
Huo Xingwen's expression changed drastically as he looked at the suddenly different Jiang Xi with uncertainty. "Sister Xi, what's wrong with you?"
Madam Jiang also looked at her daughter in surprise, not understanding why she was so firm in front of Huo Xingwen, completely losing her previous admiration.
However, this version of Jiang Xi reassured her. As someone who had been through much herself, Madam Jiang could see that Huo Xingwen and Jiang Xingzhi were cut from the same cloth; they would eventually abandon their wives for new conquests.
Jiang Xi paused for a moment before speaking again. "I'm fine; the news about Jiang Yue stabbing me has already spread outside. I came back for a few days so that Father and Mother wouldn't worry." She gestured towards Han Yue and Han Shuang standing outside. "The Regent even specially sent people to protect me."
Huo Xingwen felt a stir in her heart and thought, "Protection? I see it as supervision. No wonder Jiang Xi's tone and attitude today are different from before; she must be saying this on purpose for the maid outside to hear."
She then feigned a deeply affectionate demeanor, saying, "Sister Xi, I have wronged you these days; it's my fault for being useless."
Jiang Xi calmly responded, "You are indeed useless. Father, let's annul our engagement."
Huo Xingwen still fantasized about using Jiang Xi to rise in power and bring down Regent Fong Yang. She couldn't believe that Jiang Xi wanted to break off their engagement. Looking at Han Yue and Han Shuang beside Jiang Xi, she thought it must be the Regent threatening Jiang Xi.
Jiang Xingzhi and Madam Jiang were also taken aback. Wasn't their daughter madly in love with Huo Xingwen?
How could she take the initiative to propose an annulment? Huo Xingwen sensed that Jiang Xi was serious and pretended to show gentle concern, "Sister Xi, I know everything is forced upon you by the Regent; this is not your fault. I don't mind."
Jiang Xi watched Huo Xingwen's performance with calm eyes, unable to help but think how good of an actor he was, playing the role of a devoted man so convincingly.
In the past, Jiang Xi would have been moved and would have embraced him in tears.
But now, as a spectator, she remained indifferent and resolute.
"Huo Xingwen, my mind is made up; do not harbor any illusions about me." She then turned and assisted her mother back to the Listening to the Rain Pavilion.
Huo Xingwen, unwilling to give up, tried to plead once more, but Jiang Xi acted as if she didn't hear him and left with Madam Jiang.
Han Yue and Han Shuang shot Huo Xingwen a warning glare filled with hostility, leaving him frozen in place.
Jiang Xi was difficult to deal with. Huo Xingwen turned to Jiang Xingzhi, saying, "Father-in-law, Sister Xi must have been threatened by the Regent. She and Yue'er have such a good relationship; how could Yue'er possibly hurt her?"
Jiang Xingzhi looked thoughtfully in the direction where Jiang Xi had left. Suddenly hearing Huo Xingwen refer to Jiang Yue so intimately as 'Yue'er,' he couldn't help but ask, "Xinwen, you wouldn't be trying to play both sides, would you?"
Huo Xingwen explained nervously, "Father-in-law is joking. I only love Sister Xi; my feelings for Yue'er are merely out of affection for her sister."
Meanwhile, Jiang Xi helped her mother return to the Listening to the Rain Pavilion and turned to instruct Han Shuang, "Find someone to spread the word about what I just said to Huo Xingwen. Just say that I have canceled our engagement and that Huo Xingwen agreed as well. Make sure not to involve anyone from the Regent's Palace."
Han Shuang hesitated and asked, "Young Master Huo doesn't seem to have agreed, does he?"
Jiang Xi let out a cold laugh. "Feng Yang's Eldest Daughter is calling off the engagement; it’s not up to him to disagree."
With that, Han Shuang said no more and took her leave to handle the matter.
Earlier at Songhe Garden, Jiang Xi had accompanied Huo Xingwen in a performance, struggling to suppress the urge to stab him.
She thought it would be best if the engagement were dissolved, so that no one could ever tie them together again.
Now, just hearing Huo Xingwen's name made her feel nauseous.
The mother and daughter dismissed the servants and sat down. Madam Jiang looked thoughtfully at Jiang Xi. "Xi'er, do you want to break off the engagement? I won’t oppose it. But why so suddenly?"
She was puzzled; her daughter had only been at the Regent's Palace for a little over a month. How could her attitude change so drastically? After all, she had witnessed her daughter’s unwavering devotion to Huo Xingwen for four years.
Jiang Xi took a deep breath and smiled with relief. "It's a long story. Don't worry, Mother; I'm neither being forced nor do I have any hidden troubles. I truly loathe Huo Xingwen to the bone; I wish he were dead right now. Unfortunately, he can't die yet; there aren't enough reasons for that."
Jiang Xi felt a sense of superiority. The words she had just spoken to Huo Xingwen would be hard for his self-righteous mind to accept. He would likely concoct various scenarios in which Jiang Xi was coerced by the Regent or was merely putting on an act for the Regent's maid, believing that she could never truly let him go.
However, what Jiang Xi wanted was precisely his self-deception. The more he disbelieved her, the more she could repay him for everything he had done to her in their past lives, piece by piece.
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