Chapter 19 Not Crying Hard Enough "Quick, quick, bring out what I chose yesterday..."

"Quickly, quickly, bring me the clothes I chose yesterday, and Xiangxing too. Hurry up and fix the scars on my arm."

As Xiangyue helped her wash and change, she couldn't help but complain, "Isn't this Second Prince your nemesis? Why did he have to come back to the villa at this time?"

"I'm sorry you didn't get a good night's rest last night, and you'll have to get up early this morning..."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded in agreement: "You're right, but there's one thing you're wrong about. Even if it is, I'm his nemesis!"

Xiangyue blinked. Is there a difference?

Jiang Zhuoying hurriedly tidied herself up in a chaotic but orderly manner, with the help of two maids.

Before leaving, she made sure to make proper arrangements for her identity, since that person was so suspicious that he would definitely have someone verify her identity!

In addition, she instructed Wujiu to go and guard the Second Prince's villa every three days at the hour of Si (9-11 AM), starting tomorrow.

If she comes out, then come to see her; if she doesn't come out, then go back to the manor.

Wu Jiu naturally agreed unconditionally. He looked at the petite and frail figure in front of him and paused for a moment before saying, "Miss, please take care."

Jiang Zhuoying had already passed him, but she paused in her steps and looked back at him.

Why did she always have a bad feeling whenever Wujiu spoke...?

"Yes, of course."

She nodded slightly and led Xiangyue out the door.

Just like last time, Xiangyue saw her off, but this time time was tight and a carriage was not convenient, so she could only ride a horse with Xiangyue.

Jiang Zhuoying carried her carefully prepared cloth bundle on her back and followed Xiangyue as they mounted their horses and headed towards Luojing City.

If the second prince wants to return to the villa, he must also travel in this direction.

She needed to arrive early at the road the Second Prince would inevitably take back to his villa, and then wait for him to come to her...

Everything happened exactly as she had predicted.

Xiangyue escorted her to a tea stall in the suburbs, and then bid her a reluctant farewell: "Miss, I wish you a safe journey and that you will soon achieve your goals."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded: "Don't worry, you just wait here, I'll keep walking forward."

"If anything unexpected happens, I will come back to find you. But if I haven't returned after the Second Prince passes by here, then it's done, and you can go back without worry."

Xiangyue nodded earnestly: "This servant has remembered."

"good."

Jiang Zhuoying walked along the official road, confident that if that person returned to the villa, he would pass through this place.

Zhuozhuo had to stay in the water vat at all times, and the water vat had to be transported by horse-drawn carriage, so they had to travel on the official road.

Jiang Zhuoying walked slowly forward with a small bundle on her back. The bundle was mostly filled with handkerchiefs embroidered by Xiangyue and Xiangxing, which was also part of her plan.

After walking about five miles, Jiang Zhuoying's feet ached, her legs were stiff and painful, and her kneecaps seemed unable to bend, making her wish she could just collapse to the ground.

Where has she traveled such a long distance?

Why hasn't the Second Prince arrived yet?

The girl frowned and bent down to massage the muscles between her legs.

As she bent down, she caught a glimpse of a line of people gradually appearing behind her through the gap in her arms.

The leader, riding a sturdy horse, resembled Pei Yun in stature.

Where is Guard Xie?

Jiang Zhuoying was slightly puzzled, but she didn't delve into it; she had to act according to the plan as soon as possible.

...

A slender, thin girl walked along the edge of the dirt road.

From behind, she looked unsteady and staggered, as if she had reached her physical limit and might fall at any moment.

Pei Yun glanced at it only once before turning his gaze straight ahead and riding forward.

Beside him was his bodyguard: "Boss, that girl looks like she's about to faint."

"Um."

"Boss, aren't we going to help?"

Pei Yun glanced at him: "Your Highness does not like women."

"But we can't just stand by and do nothing!"

"How can we save him? He didn't faint, did he?" Pei Yun glanced again at the staggering figure beside him.

Before the words were even finished, the petite figure not far ahead slowly collapsed to the ground with a "plop"...

Jiang Zhuoying held her breath and chose a slightly cleaner spot.

However, this was, after all, loess soil, and a layer of dust was still raised because of her fall.

Jiang Zhuoying suppressed the urge to cough and forced herself to endure the gust of dust that was kicked up.

...

"Boss! That girl has fainted!"

The sound was so loud that even Jiang Zhuoying, who had fallen to the ground, heard it.

Pei Yun: "..."

He frowned: "Do not act rashly. Allow me to report to His Highness."

"yes!"

The man spurred his horse and headed towards the carriage behind him.

Not long after, he rode back and nodded slightly to the piercing eyes of his subordinates.

The two dismounted and, one in front of the other, headed toward the small, thin figure lying on the roadside.

The young guard was about to help the fallen girl up when Pei Yun suddenly blocked his way.

He was confused: "Boss?"

Pei Yun stared at the delicate face pressed against the yellow earth, his voice much more serious than before: "Don't touch her."

Little Guard: "?"

Jiang Zhuoying: "??"

"Ahem, let me go and report this again."

The young guard looked bewildered: "Ah... oh, yes."

Pei Yun turned around, took two steps, then suddenly looked back, her voice sharp and stern: "Don't touch her."

The young guard nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I understand."

Not long after, the young guard saw His Highness lift the curtain and get off the carriage.

He stood respectfully to the side, then glanced sideways at the girl on the ground, secretly marveling at her, his face revealing his curiosity and astonishment.

Jiang Zhuoying, on the other hand, kept her eyes closed and waited quietly.

She collapsed to the ground, and because her ears were close to the ground, she could clearly hear a series of footsteps coming from the ground.

At the same time, the smell of dust she breathed in became increasingly strong.

As the crowd arrived, the dust kicked up on the ground became noticeably denser.

Jiang Zhuoying secretly regretted her decision; she had miscalculated. She should have leaned against the tree trunk and fainted...

The footsteps stopped a few steps in front of her.

"Sir, is this Miss Jiang? Wasn't she sent back? How did she end up fainting here?"

Qi Fan glanced at Pei Yun, who immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness, I did indeed escort Miss Jiang back, and I even saw her enter the gate with my own eyes."

Jiang Zhuoying listened to their conversation with her eyes closed, and felt that it was about time for her to wake up.

She slightly opened her eyes, and before her were dozens of white-soled black boots, except for one pair in the middle, which was embroidered with light silver cloud patterns.

Upon suddenly seeing such a dense, dark mass, even though she was prepared, Jiang Zhuoying was still startled and felt a strong sense of oppression.

She then inhaled sand and dust from the air, and was choked and coughed without warning: "Cough cough... cough cough cough..."

Clearly, the girl on the ground had woken up, and all eyes were now on her.

Jiang Zhuoying coughed violently, and tears welled up in her peach blossom eyes.

"Who, who are you people?"

The girl curled up in a small ball, half-lying on the ground, her eyes filled with tears, her voice extremely panicked.

Upon closer inspection, her petite body was trembling uncontrollably, as if she were terrified.

"Is it Miss Jiang? Don't be afraid."

These words came from Chu Yixin, and his tone was gentle.

The girl, curled up on the ground, was startled for a moment, then raised her head again.

Her peach blossom eyes, brimming with tears, quickly shifted from fear to a glimmer of hope, and then back to despair...

She knelt obediently on the ground, biting her lip tightly, as if using all her strength to hold back her tears: "This servant...this servant greets His Highness the Second Prince, sob sob..."

The surroundings were completely silent, unlike what Jiang Zhuoying had expected.

Why don't you ask her?

She's crying so pitifully, don't you even ask her why she's crying?

Jiang Zhuoying sobbed a few times, then pressed her legs together, lowered her head, and sat on her heels, feeling puzzled.

Didn't they say they liked gentle and timid women? Isn't she gentle and timid enough? Doesn't she cry hard enough?

Why are you here?

The man finally spoke, his voice as cold as ever.

Jiang Zhuoying breathed a sigh of relief, quickly sniffed, and said in a pitiful voice, "Your Highness, this servant... is on the way to Luojing City."

Another silence followed.

Jiang Zhuoying kept her head down, staring at the folds in her skirt, which were now covered in sand.

Does this man have to think so long before he speaks?

It's both annoying and frustrating.

Chu Yixin turned around and glanced at her master, who was again pursing his lips with an indifferent expression.

After a moment's thought, he thankfully asked on behalf of his master, "Didn't your young lady arrange a carriage to take you there? How long would it take to get there on foot?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl kneeling on the ground trembled all over.

Chu Yixin frowned and tried to recall if he had threatened the girl earlier.

Jiang Zhuoying was bent over, making her look even thinner and more vulnerable. She had tears in her eyes and her voice was hoarse.

"It was my fault, Miss... In short, I will no longer be by Miss's side from now on."

After she finished speaking, she seemed to be so heartbroken that she could no longer suppress her sobs and began to wipe away her tears.

Chu Yixin frowned; the meaning of these words was already very clear.

Although the girl didn't say it explicitly, it was clear that she had been kicked out of the manor by the Jiang family's young lady.

He glanced at his master again, who remained cold-hearted...

Chu Yixin coughed lightly.

"Ahem, Miss Jiang, what are you going to Luoyang for? Why don't you hire a carriage yourself?"

Since his master didn't speak, he could only continue making small talk.

But after he asked the question, the girl on the ground did not answer for a long time.

"Miss Jiang, what's wrong...?"

A sudden whirlwind arose from nowhere, blowing open the bundle beside Jiang Zhuoying, and the handkerchief inside was suddenly swept out by the wind.

The girl was startled and quickly got up to chase after them and pick up the items.

But how could a weak woman, no matter how fast she moved, outrun a whirlwind?

The handkerchief was scattered by the wind, eventually ending up on the ground...

The girl hurriedly chased after him for a few steps, then knelt on the ground, crying as she picked up her handkerchief.

A crack finally appeared on the man's face, which resembled an iron mask. He frowned and asked, "What is this?"

But before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the girl who suddenly turned around.

Jiang Zhuoying seized the opportunity, suddenly turned around, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Seemingly overwhelmed with grievance and shame, she finally couldn't bear it any longer and cried out in a delicate voice.

“I’m going to the city to sell these handkerchiefs. I have nowhere to go if I leave the estate, and I’m very short of money.”

"If I don't sell these handkerchiefs, I won't even have the money to pay for a carriage, let alone a hotel!"

After she finished speaking, she seemed to finally lose all her strength. She mustered her courage and raised her red eyes to meet those indifferent eyes, her voice soft and pitiful.

"Your Highness, please take a step closer."

The man's brow twitched, and he took a step back. The girl kneeling on the ground picked up the handkerchief that he had accidentally stepped on earlier and cried even more bitterly than before.

She murmured to herself, "These handkerchiefs are dirty too..."

Qi Fan turned his gaze to the bundle that had been blown open to the side, which contained a few taels of loose silver.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, as if he wanted to say, "Isn't she already engaged?"

Given this situation, could it be that her fiancé is indifferent?

The girl was crying so hard that she was hoarse and exhausted, as if she was about to faint at any moment.

There were too many people around, and the girl kept her face down, refusing to look up, as if she felt regret and shame for the accident.

Qi Fan gestured for the people surrounding them to step back.

Before long, only he and Jiang Zhuoying on the ground remained in that place.

The man glanced at the little girl on the ground, his voice no longer as indifferent as before: "Get up."

A note from the author:

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Qi Gou: She's engaged.