Chapter 99 – What’s Going On? Tell Me Clearly!

Now that the Liu family no longer needed her around, Xia Tian started spending her time over at Shen Ning’s courtyard.

She wasn’t close with the other young ladies, so aside from preparing a bit of food and drink, there wasn’t much else she needed to do.

Mu Chen had sent people to tail those two men all the way until the banquet ended, but they still didn’t show up. With no other choice, they came back to report.

Shen Nian knew right away—those two were likely dead or in deep trouble by now.

He recalled the people he’d sent and left the rest to keep an eye on Madam Li and Shen Ke.

The entire day passed without any movement from their side. It seemed the Liu family wouldn’t make any more moves for now.

Still, they didn’t dare let their guard down, and kept up a show of being relaxed on the surface while staying sharp underneath.

Three days after Shen Ning’s return to her family home, she stopped by Jinglan Courtyard to visit for a bit.

That was when Xia Tian finally told her what had happened the day before her wedding—the drug that had been slipped into her tea.

“You had someone test it?” Shen Ning asked in shock.

“Mm. I soaked a handkerchief in it and had your big brother take it to a doctor for testing.”

Shen Ning’s expression changed. “What kind of drug was it?”

“A sterilizing one,” Xia Tian replied calmly.

Clang!
The teacup in Shen Ning’s hand fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and came to a stop.

Her lips trembled, her hands shook, and for a long time, she couldn’t say a single word.

Xia Tian took her hand—it was icy cold, and only slowly began to warm after a while.

“How… how could she dare…” Shen Ning’s lashes trembled, but she couldn’t get a full sentence out no matter how she tried.

Seeing how shaken Shen Ning was, Xia Tian hurried to comfort her. “It’s okay now, it’s already in the past. Just be more careful from now on, and don’t come back too often.”

Shen Ning wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, then gripped Xia Tian’s hand tightly. “Thank you, Sister-in-law. If it weren’t for you, I might have…”

“It’s fine. Just live your own life well from now on. You’re already married, she can’t touch you anymore—don’t be afraid.”

Shen Ning’s birth mother had died two years ago. She was the only child her mother had. Now she was married to the legitimate second son of a third-rank official, who seemed quite refined and decent.

Shen Ning was a smart girl—so long as she put in the effort, she’d have a good life ahead of her.

“Mm. From now on, I’ll only have Big Brother and Sister-in-law to rely on. You have to be careful too.”

“I will, don’t worry.”

Once Shen Ning’s mood had calmed, Xia Tian had Ning Xiang call someone to clean up the broken teacup and bring in a basin of water so Shen Ning could wash her face before seeing her out.

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The next morning, after the morning greetings, Madam Liu told Xia Tian that she had fully recovered and no longer needed her help.

She had taught Xia Tian for a while already, and said from now on, Xia Tian should pay more attention on her own—there was no need to continue following her around to learn.

Xia Tian thanked her and happily returned to Jinglan Courtyard.

She’d been wondering what excuse she could use to stop going—turned out, Madam Liu gave her the perfect out herself.

That night, when Shen Nian returned from duty, Xia Tian told him she no longer needed to assist Madam Liu with household management.

Shen Nian nodded. “That’s good. No need to go over there and see her face every day—who knows what tricks she might try again.”

The next day, Mu Feng brought more good news – he’d found the house they were looking for and wanted Xia Tian to go check it out.

So she happily took Ning Xiang and Ning Xue along with Mu Feng to see it.

The house Mu Feng found was in Yuxiu Alley. It used to be a two-story teahouse. The surroundings were elegant, and although it wasn’t very large, the neighborhood was full of scholars and refined people. In the capital where every inch of land was precious, this was a rare find—only available because the original teahouse business hadn’t done well.

The asking price was twelve thousand taels of silver, which Xia Tian thought was reasonable. She’d hoped to haggle it down a bit more, but the owner wouldn’t budge, and in the end, only gave her a discount of two hundred taels.

She bought it on the spot. As for what she’d do with it, she hadn’t quite decided yet.

Mu Feng then took them to see a second property—a two-entry courtyard not far from the teahouse, about a half-hour walk away.

The courtyard was tucked deep inside Linglong Alley. The alley was narrow, and as they walked in, the surroundings felt quaint and charming. Though the area was lively and bustling, the courtyard itself was quiet and peaceful—a little oasis in the midst of the noise.

There were quite a few buildings inside—about 80% still in good condition. The owner wanted four thousand taels for it. Xia Tian bargained and eventually got it for 3,500.

With this purchase, she finally had a place to call her own in the capital.

Between the two properties, she’d spent a total of 15,300 taels. The money she’d earned from selling paintings wasn’t enough, so she ended up using some of the silver Shen Nian had given her.

Just like that, she was back to being a broke woman.

With the property settled, Xia Tian took a few people to Yayizhai to deliver the two paintings she’d finished to Manager Xiao.

Seeing Xia Tian personally show up, Manager Xiao was overjoyed. Ever since the new year began, Lady Xia hadn’t come in at all and had only accepted one custom order the whole month. He’d been worried she didn’t want to work with him anymore.

But seeing her bring two paintings today, he was finally relieved. Ever since the Wen family ordered the Pine and Crane for Longevity piece, more and more wealthy clients had been coming to him for commissions.

Too bad Lady Xia only produced one painting in all of the first month, and these two had only come about because he’d begged and pleaded.

Xia Tian couldn’t help but laugh at his pitiful expression. Sure, she wanted to make money—but she still had to work within her limits.

The emperor’s birthday celebration was on the 28th of March, and she hadn’t even started working on anything for it yet.

She took on two more painting commissions this time, but made it clear she wouldn’t be able to deliver until early April.

Manager Xiao had no choice but to agree.

By the time they left Yayizhai, it was already getting late, so the group headed straight back to the estate.

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That evening, after Shen Nian learned that she’d bought a teahouse and a courtyard and had spent all her silver, he sent her another two thousand taels in banknotes.

Xia Tian was already numb to it—rich people really were just built different.

Next, she focused on painting at home. By the end of February, she’d finished the two pieces for Manager Xiao, but hadn’t delivered them yet. She planned to wait until the agreed time.

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In early March, the “Wenjin Trio” invited her to go enjoy the spring scenery outside the city. She brought Ning Xiang and the others along for the outing.

Shen Nian happened to be out on an assignment from the emperor and wouldn’t return until mid-March.

The last time the group had met was during the Lantern Festival. This time, Wenjin and Lin Sanyu were much more enthusiastic than before.

Hu Mengyao, as always, still carried herself with that haughty air, and the moment they met, she and Xia Tian were bickering again—neither willing to give an inch.

“I’m telling you, in a few days, Princess Yunying will be back in the capital. Let’s see how smug you are then!” Hu Mengyao snorted, full of glee.

Xia Tian was completely confused. “Who’s Princess Yunying? I don’t even know her.”

“You don’t know Princess Yunying? She’s the most favored daughter of Princess Ruihua—the emperor’s cousin!” Hu Mengyao widened her eyes in disbelief.

“So she’s famous too, like Wenjin?” Xia Tian was even more puzzled now.

“Wait—has Shen Nian never mentioned Princess Yunying to you?” Hu Mengyao asked, shocked.

Wenjin quickly tugged on Hu Mengyao’s sleeve. “Enough, don’t scare her.”

“How am I scaring her? I’m helping her! Giving her a heads-up!” Hu Mengyao insisted, completely unwilling to admit she just wanted to stir the pot.

“What the heck is going on? Just tell me clearly already!” Xia Tian was getting more and more irritated—this whole time, they’d been dancing around the topic without ever getting to the point.