Chapter 328: This isn't me, is it?

The next day, Qiao Mai arrived at Penglai Pavilion.

"Grandmother, I went to see Jiaru last night. She's in that state, but her temper still hasn't changed."

"Sigh, once she sets her mind on something, even knowing it's bad, nine oxen can't pull her back. I've put you through a lot. Forget it, let it be."

"A thirty-year-old who looks fifty—if we don't save her, she might pass away early."

The old lady grew anxious at once. "Then what do we do? What do we do? No matter how bad she is, she's still my own granddaughter."

"I gave her a Forget Dust Pill and erased all her memories."

"Ah?"

"That means she won't remember anything from her past, just like a newborn. You can take her in and retrain her—maybe there's still hope?"

Old Madam Pang was stunned for a moment, then thumped to her knees before Qiao Mai.

"Girl, this old woman thanks you!"

The old master also looked at her with red-rimmed eyes. "Child, thank you."

Truly, an old hand is worth two rookies. The couple hadn't been gone long before they brought Jiaru back, arriving just before the noon meal.

"Why only then? Couldn't it have been today?"

When Lady Wang saw her daughter, she hugged her and wept with joy, startling Wang Jiaru into staring straight at the old lady.

"You are a good child, with great kindness to our Wang Family."

"How can I be this ugly? This isn't me, is it?"

Wang Jiaru stared blankly at Lady Wang and tentatively called out.

Fortunately, the servant girl attending her didn't scold her and was quite kind. Seeing her like this, after comforting her for a while, she quickly reported the matter to the old princess.

"Hmph, they must have been bribed by the people from the Wangfu."

But no matter how hard it was, she had to teach her personally. She absolutely did not want Jiaru to go back to how she was before, and she firmly refused to hand her over to her daughter-in-law to raise.

"Shut up. Just now, without knowing the situation, you casually slandered the Shun Qin Wangfu—this alone proves you haven't changed."

"Then why has my daughter aged like this and lost her memory?"

"Mother?"

"She wouldn't eat, just lay around all day, and woke up one morning like this."

Several days passed in a flash. The fifth of May was Zihan's wedding. On the fourth of May, the chefs and ingredients from Jixiang Yuan had still not arrived at Bichun Garden.

"No one bullied her. She got three meals a day—no one shorted her."

Lady Wang was a bit displeased. Who did they think they were looking down on? Your family has an ice kiln, and mine does too—just not as big as yours.

The couple quickly changed clothes, ordered a carriage, and rushed off to Shun Qin Wangfu.

Letting her stay at Jixiang Yuan was already good enough; they dared not ask for anything more. In their hearts, they knew that Qiao Mai's kindness to them was greater than the kindness of teaching their children.

They even specifically instructed the chef, "It must be the same banquet spread as when Hai Chuan got married."

"Mother."

The old princess hurried over with the mansion physician. After examining her, the physician dared not make a conclusion, so the old princess summoned an imperial physician from the palace.

"She's lost her memory. She doesn't remember anyone."

"Grandmother, who is she?"

"Who are you?"

"It's too hot. If the ingredients were brought over too early, they wouldn't be fresh."

The servant girl brought a mirror. "Miss, take a look—maybe you're sick."

As she left, she shot the chef a glare, making him roll his eyes and mutter complaints.

More than a dozen people came, including chefs and helpers. After Lady Wang settled the old couple, she went to the kitchen to check.

Qiao Mai quickly helped her up. "Alright, my skills are limited; this is the best I can do."

"Lady Wang, my princess told me to inform you that the people and ingredients will arrive before dawn tomorrow. Please remember to have someone open the gate."

"Mother, your daughter-in-law has already changed. Please let—"

In the west wing of Penglai Pavilion in Jixiang Yuan, Wang Jiaru sat on a chair, staring blankly at the old master and old lady.

The mansion physician and the imperial physician both gave the same conclusion: the young princess had lost her memory.

Lady Wang covered her face. "I!"

"Lady Wang, rest assured. We brought the menu from that day. Our princess prepared more than enough ingredients—nothing will go wrong with your event."

Seeing her daughter so dependent on her mother-in-law, Lady Wang could only wipe her tears and go arrange their lodgings.

"She's your mother. Look how much you two resemble each other."

The old lady slapped her across the face. "Wake up! Forget her character for now—tell me, would the Shun Qin Wangfu need to bribe anyone? If they wanted her to disappear without a sound, would you dare say anything?"

This wasn't something that could be faked. A person's eyes always give them away, no matter how well they pretend. With so many people surrounding Wang Jiaru, seeing a crowd of strangers, she screamed in fright.

"It's already good enough. You agree to let us take her in?"

"How could it be impossible? If you don't believe me, ask Jiaru's maid."

She was like a child now, needing to be taught everything from scratch. For an old lady of her age, the pressure was immense.

"Ai, ai!"

"So that's how it is. Understood."

"Sick? Am I sick?"

Lady Wang paced anxiously. Just then, someone from Jixiang Yuan arrived.

Qiao Mai heard about it but didn't go to see her. The old couple didn't hold it against her.

"No, I'm her mother. Taking care of her is naturally my duty."

When Wang Jiaru saw herself in the mirror, she instinctively threw it to the ground.

"They at Shun Qin Wangfu are far too oppressive; how could they torture my perfectly fine daughter like this."

"This matter is settled then; if you still want Jiaru to attend Zihan's wedding, say nothing; if you don't, we'll take her and leave."

"Is just eating properly enough?"

"Ah, ah, young lady, what's wrong with you?"

The old lady gently soothed her, "Because you're ill, that's why; you must eat well to regain your former beauty."

The next day, Jixiang Yuan kept its promise; before dawn several chefs arrived at Bichun Garden with a few carts of ingredients.

Wang Jiaru woke up from a nap, recognized no one, and was so frightened she burst into tears.

Accompanying them were a few elderly who had previously served by her side; Penglai Pavilion is spacious, so the old lady settled them here.

"I am your Grandmother, I am your Zu Fu!"

"How could that be?"

"Of course, you fell ill, so we brought you back to nurse you."

"We were so kind to her, never expecting she'd turn out to be a White-eyed Wolf; who knows what's right."

As for how they negotiated with Shun Qin Wangfu, that's their own business; she will no longer involve herself.

"Go quickly,"

"Go to Shun Qin Wangfu to deliver the note, strive to retrieve her soon; Zihan's wedding is imminent, hoping we can take her along."

The old couple, upon seeing Ru'er, used nursing her back to health as a pretext and asked the senior princess consort to bring Jiaru out.

"You care for her? To make her become her former self again?"

Upon arriving at the kitchen, the original chefs were dismissed, because the recipes are involved here, they cannot stay.

Only those that feel familiar to her will make her calm down a little.

"Really?"

And she sees everyone as strangers; this cannot fool the senior princess consort's eyes. At that moment the old lord and his wife arrived at Shun Qin Wangfu.

"That's about right."

"Of course!"

They never mentioned Qiao Mai's involvement at all, fearing the petty‑minded Madam Wang would misunderstand Qiao Mai.

"From now on, Jiaru will live with me; the environment there is good, and I will take care of her meals and daily life."

"She doesn't remember anything now, and won't argue anymore; why should I still hold a grudge against her?"

That night, the old lord took the old lady and Wang Jiaru back to Bichun Garden.

"Exactly; if the princess consort hadn't spared face for the old lord and the old lady, she would definitely ignore her—what kind of virtue is that?"

Several chefs, along with those assisting, secretly berated Madam Wang; at that moment Madam Wang was greeting guests in the front hall together with Wang Zongsheng.

The Wang Family held a wedding celebration; many guests arrived, all aware of their connection with the Fu Wang Family.

Thus many of the guests came specifically because of the Yuan Family; a small portion were their own relatives and friends.

(End of chapter)