Chapter 67's return home naturally caused a huge uproar. Jiang...

Naturally, it caused a huge uproar.

Last night, Jiang Zhuoying folded the two letters into squares, and now they are neatly placed on her desk.

The man opened the letter to Ah Liu and Chu Yixin pleading for mercy first, reading it quickly. By the time he finished, his face was ashen.

Two people were kneeling before the desk. Chu Yixin glanced at A Liu and asked in lip-reading what was on the paper.

Ah Liu shook her head. She didn't know either; she had simply handed it over to His Highness to check, as written on the letter.

But there is one thing she knows.

This time, Miss Jiang walked away by herself.

After reading the letter pleading for leniency, the man immediately opened the second sheet of paper...

After reading it, the veins on his forehead throbbed, his gaze fixed on the paper, and his aura was chilling.

She was hiding something from him, how could he not know?

He turned around with an icy expression, but the next moment he suddenly stumbled.

"Master!"

Chu Yixin immediately stood up in a panic and supported him from behind: "Master, please don't panic. With Jiang's pace, how could she possibly go far?"

"This servant will immediately arrange for a search party, and will surely find her before nightfall!"

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a few moments, when suddenly Ah Liu's steady voice rang out from behind.

"But I think that Miss Jiang's departure this time was premeditated. Since she left under the guise of that group of sons escorting the bride, she may be difficult to find."

Chu Yixin turned her head and glared at her. How could you talk like that?

He seems quiet most of the time; if you can't talk, then don't talk!

Ah Liu immediately shut his mouth: "..."

Her conclusion was reached after careful observation and analysis.

Qi Fan pushed Chu Yixin's arm away, holding the letter in his hand. The delicate and elegant calligraphy on it could not possibly have come from an illiterate person.

The man's eyes were deep and intense as his gaze lingered on the few lines of text.

His gaze shifted from coldness to relief, then back to stubbornness. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with gloom.

His voice was chilling, sending shivers down one's spine: "Even if it means tying them up, we'll bring them back."

Chu Yixin immediately accepted the order, marveling at Jiang Yatou's prowess. This man before her was no longer the aloof and cold master she once knew.

*

Jiang Zhuoying didn't expect that Chu Yixin would arrive even faster than her aunt's people.

When Xiangyue came to report, she was still leaning against the window, lost in thought. Upon hearing this, she was startled and immediately confirmed it.

"Eunuch Chu, who serves the Second Prince? Are you sure?"

Xiangyue nodded without hesitation: "That's right. I saw this person before. I can't be wrong about his voice and appearance."

She tentatively asked in a low voice, "That eunuch Chu seems very anxious, saying he wants to see you, young lady. What do you think?"

“Then of course we won’t see him!” Jiang Zhuoying frowned. “How can we see him in the current situation?”

Xiangyue nodded knowingly: "That's it then. I've already sent someone to inform him that you're busy and unable to see him, Miss."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded absentmindedly, her heart pounding, a sense of unease rising within her that her secret was about to be exposed...

Sure enough, before Xiangyue could even leave, Xiangxing rushed over in a hurry.

"Young lady, Eunuch Chu outside says he's here to ask you for someone back!"

"Are you asking for trouble?"

Jiang Zhuoying looked on in surprise. Could it be that he knew her identity?

But then she thought again, that can't be right. When she left in the morning, Eunuch Chu didn't show any signs of anything amiss. How could he have found out her identity in such a short time?

"Who are you asking for?" the girl asked, frowning.

Xiangxing nodded gently: "Jiang Zhuo is the same person you are with the Second Prince, Miss."

“This servant has already spoken to that eunuch and told him that Jiang Zhuo left our manor a long time ago and his whereabouts are unknown.”

Jiang Zhuoying pursed her lips: "So how did he answer?"

Even the usually composed and calm Xiangxing couldn't help but frown: "That eunuch looked extremely anxious, he just said..."

"If Miss Jiang returns to your estate, please immediately send someone to inform her. Our Highness will surely reward you handsomely in the future."

These are Chu Yixin's original words.

Where are they?

"They've already left."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded gently: "Okay, let's leave it at that for now."

She looked at Xiangyue beside her: "Is everything prepared?"

The latter nodded earnestly: "Yes, everything has been prepared according to Miss's wishes, so you can rest assured!"

"Alright, today is extremely crucial, we must not make any mistakes."

...

At the beginning of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), the people sent to meet Jiang Zhuoying arrived. There were five people in total: two unfamiliar guards, two maids, and a nanny.

Jiang Zhuoying recognized the old woman; she knew that she was one of her aunt's confidantes, named Cui Huan.

It seems that my aunt also disliked having too many people and too much gossip. With just a few people, it saved a lot of trouble.

As soon as she arrived, Jiang Zhuoying took the initiative to greet her at the door. With her oval face and peach-like eyes, her eyes sparkled with joy as she called out loudly, "Granny Cui? You've finally arrived!"

As the backbone of the group of five, Cui Huan walked at the very front in the middle.

Upon seeing the bright and beautiful face of the girl surrounded by servants, even this woman nearing fifty years old was amazed, let alone the other, younger servants.

Three years have passed, and the once graceful young girl has grown into a beautiful young woman whose beauty is so striking that it is almost unbearable to look directly at her.

Cui Huan frowned subconsciously, then seemed to realize something and breathed a sigh of relief.

She walked up to Jiang Zhuoying, curtsied, and said, "Second Miss, it has been three years since we last met. This old servant is truly relieved to see how well you have grown up."

Jiang Zhuoying smiled and helped her up: "Granny Cui, please get up quickly. Come inside and have a cup of tea. Have you had lunch yet?"

Cui Huan stopped her from turning back. Jiang Zhuoying paused slightly, then turned around, feigning confusion, and asked, "What's wrong, Granny Cui?"

Before she could finish speaking, Cui Huan grabbed her hands and suddenly knelt down, his expression both anxious and sorrowful: "Second Miss, this old servant... this old servant has something urgent to report."

The girl's peach blossom eyes widened, her pupils slightly dilated: "Granny Cui? What are you doing? Just say what you want to say."

The old woman held the girl's hands tightly, her face full of worry: "Second Miss, the Duke suddenly fainted last night. The imperial physician from the palace had not arrived before I left. I was worried all the way here."

"If the Second Miss is willing, she should quickly return to the manor with this old servant! The Duke dotes on you and often mentions you!"

Upon hearing the news that her grandfather had suddenly fainted, Jiang Zhuoying's heart sank, but she quickly suppressed her panic.

"Then shall we set off immediately? With my aunt's earlier message, I have already packed everything here in advance."

Cui Huan nodded, wiping away his tears: "This old servant knows that the Second Miss is a good person. If we take a carriage back to Luoyang by official road, it will be late at night by the time we get back to the manor, if we are delayed even a little."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhuoying's initial panic completely vanished.

Her expression grew cold, and she raised an eyebrow slightly: "Then what should we do? Do you think I can fly back?"

Although her tone was flustered, a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

Cui Huan, who had lived for nearly half his life, noticed her unusual expression and couldn't help but feel uneasy.

But in the blink of an eye, the girl's expression changed; her brows furrowed, and her small face lost all color.

The fleeting chill she felt just now seemed to be merely a hallucination.

“Granny Cui is very knowledgeable, unlike my ignorant maids. Does Granny Cui have any good ideas?”

Jiang Zhuoying grabbed the woman's wrist, trembling with anxiety.

Cui Huan's hesitation vanished. After all, she was a young girl who had lived a secluded life in her boudoir for many years. How could she withstand such a thing?

Such a trivial matter, yet they panicked so much, showing none of the composure and poise of their eldest daughter.

She completely let her guard down and patted Jiang Zhuoying's hand: "Second Miss, don't worry. This old servant does know of a small path leading back to Luoyang from here."

"But if we take this side road, it will be inconvenient to take a carriage. Second Miss, you only need to choose two people to accompany you. We can ride back to the manor on horseback through this side road first, so that we can see the Duke as soon as possible, right?"

"The Duke misses you, and everyone in the household knows that. If you can hurry back, the first thing the Duke will see when he wakes up from his illness is you, whom he hasn't seen for many years. Wouldn't that fulfill your filial duty?"

Having said that, the girl's eyes lit up, and she was about to agree, but then, for some reason, her face fell, and she looked flustered.

"But... if Xiangyue and Xiangxing aren't by my side, who will take care of me in the manor?"

She bit her lip lightly, looking hesitant and embarrassed, perfectly portraying a naive and dependent young girl.

"Second Miss, you're overthinking it. Why don't you just have your other servants take the official route?"

Cui Huan patted her hand gently again, looking like she was thinking of her, and lowered her voice.

"Now that you've returned to the Duke's mansion after all these years, everyone in the mansion is watching you closely! As for Second Master Jiang... well, you're his only son now, so you'll have to rely on the Duke for your future prospects."

The girl was completely flustered and kept nodding. She hurriedly agreed and held the girl's hand tightly, her eyes filled with tears: "Granny Cui, you are so good to A-Zhuo."

After saying that, she turned her head and glanced at Xiangyue, who immediately took out several silver notes from her purse and stuffed them into Cui Huan's hand.

To those around him, he appeared panicked and easily swayed.

Since riding a horse was required, Jiang Zhuoying immediately asked Wujiu and Xiangyue to accompany her.

The group was busy preparing to set off immediately, and it was at this moment that Xiangxing stepped out of the door carrying a pot of tea.

She curtsied to Cui Huan: "Granny Cui, everyone must be thirsty after the long journey. Why don't you have some tea before you go? We'll leave our young lady in your care."

Cui Huan hesitated for a few moments. Before coming here, his wife had instructed him not to eat here.

She had used up a lot of her breath and was quite thirsty.

In her opinion, the young lady of the second branch of the Jiang family is still the same as before.

She was spoiled before leaving the manor, too pampered and out of touch with reality. In the past three years, her temperament has been tempered and she is no longer as pampered as before. Instead, she has become timid.

They are nothing to fear.

Thinking of this, she nodded and accepted the teacup that Xiangxing had prepared.

Seeing that she had drunk the tea, the other two maids and guards also took the teacups one after another. In particular, the two tall and strong guards drank several cups in a row.

Cui Huan handed the empty teacup back to Xiangxing: "The tea here, Second Miss, has a unique flavor."

Xiangxing smiled and said, "Our young lady has been living a secluded life these past few years, and this tea was just something we servants bought casually. It can't compare to the fine tea from the Duke's mansion. We have really been disrespectful to Granny Cui."

Cui Huan waved his hand casually, his eyes crinkling with laughter: "Miss Xiangxing is still as eloquent as ever."

After saying that, she immediately looked at Jiang Zhuoying: "Second Miss, are you ready? Shall we set off now?"

The girl nodded timidly: "Okay."

The eight men mounted their horses, and with two guards brought by Cui Huan leading the way, they traveled along a small path towards Luoyang.

Xiangyue embraced Jiang Zhuoying, and the two rode together on a horse.

She had never felt so terrified before, her heart filled with mixed emotions, both relieved and distressed.

Thinking that their pampered young lady had changed so much after only staying at the Second Prince's villa for a few days.

The young lady's predictions made in the sedan chair today have all come true.

First, the number of people sent to fetch the young lady back to the manor will certainly be small. Then, they will trick her into taking this narrow path that crosses the cliff back to Luoyang. And then...

Xiangyue's heart was pounding, unable to hide her anger. It seemed that these were the same people who had put her young mistress on the brink of death!

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Author's Note: The plot will be getting a little more developed from here~