Chapter 32

Ling Jingchu didn't see anyone for the next few days.

Jiang's parents were busy packing Jiang Yunshu's things, wishing they could give her half of the Jiang family to take with her.

When Jiang Yunzheng came to find her, she was telling Qing Shuang to lighten her luggage to avoid any accidents on the way.

"Yun Shu, are you going to Kyoto?"

Jiang Yunshu turned to look at him only after hearing his voice: "Yes."

Her eyes were resolute, and Jiang Yunzheng took two steps forward somewhat anxiously.

"Yun Shu, I know you went because you were worried about A Yao, but you and Ling Jingchu were alone together. Do you know what people will say about you?"

"You could drown in that spittle."

Jiang Yunzheng frowned and coaxed her gently, "Yunshu, I assure you, Ayao will not be harmed in the capital. The Third Prince likes her very much and will not let Ayao suffer any injustice."

He earnestly advised, "You should stay in Jiangzhou. If you go, your family will worry."

Jiang Yunshu asked Qing Shuang, who was tidying up the things, to leave first. She looked at Jiang Yunzheng seriously and said, "Jiang Yunzheng, you'd better know what you're doing."

"If you implicate the Jiang family, you know what the consequences will be."

Jiang Yunzheng looked at her silently. The two stared at each other for a long time before Jiang Yunzheng finally said helplessly, "Of course I know."

"Would I possibly harm the Jiang family?"

Jiang Yunshu really wanted to crack open his head and see what was inside.

"You'll regret this sooner or later."

Neither of them had much to say to each other, and the meeting ended on bad terms.

After Jiang Yunzheng left, she felt as if she had missed something important.

"Miss, should I go...?"

She pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then nodded.

Based on Jiang Yunzheng's behavior, she felt that Mo Yanzhou had probably been eyeing the Jiang family for a long time.

Mo Yanzhou, being the kind of person he is, wouldn't easily let go of Jiang Yunzheng, this big fish.

Because of A Yao's matter, she hadn't paid much attention to Jiang Yunzheng lately. Thinking of Jiang Yunzheng's anxious appearance just now, she was afraid that Mo Yanzhou had secretly arranged some task for Jiang Yunzheng.

With her permission, Qing Shuang quickly sent Qing Ye away.

While Jiang Yunshu was busy and overwhelmed, Ling Jingchu was surrounded by people congratulating him.

"Master Ling, remember us when you pass the imperial examinations!"

"Then I wish you success in the imperial examination."

Among the group of hypocritical people, there were also some who were particularly guilty and did not step forward to speak.

Ling Jingchu pretended not to see it, and left after bidding farewell to the county school.

Su Ye scoffed, "Young Master, these people are so hypocritical. They clearly disliked you so much before, but now they're saying these things!"

"Hmph, if they hadn't gone to such lengths to cause you trouble, we wouldn't have bothered the Jiang family and waited for you..."

Ling Jingchu felt a headache coming on from his words and said in a low voice, "Noisy."

"The journey to Beijing is long, so please prepare plenty of things for the trip."

Su Ye responded softly, thinking to herself, "They don't need to prepare anything; Master Jiang prepared everything for the two of them long ago."

When they returned, Ling Jingchu suddenly discovered that Li Chuan was gone.

“Young Master, I asked,” Su Ye hurriedly ran up to him and said, “Miss Baizhi said that Young Master Li took his leave early today, saying that he was going to the capital with his classmate. The person was urging him, so he didn’t say goodbye to everyone.”

Ling Jingchu narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything more.

Jiang Yunshu, however, rushed over to talk to him about something else.

After hearing about this from Aono, her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Knowing that Jiang Yunzheng wouldn't listen to her, she finally decided to discuss it with Ling Jingchu.

She pulled the man's sleeve and went into the room. Qing Shuang and Su Ye stood guard at the door and kept it tightly closed.

After a chaotic day, her complexion was not good, and her eyes showed urgency, fear, and a hint of despair.

Because she was flustered, she didn't realize how close she was to Ling Jingchu.

Her faint fragrance lingered around his nose, her neck was long and slender with fair skin, and the hairpin on her forehead swayed with each step she took, as if it were constantly scratching at his heart.

She suddenly turned around, unable to wait to sit down and have a cup of tea, her crimson lips parting slightly.

"Did you hear that, Ling Jingchu?!"

Ling Jingchu was jolted back to his senses when she punched him hard in the chest.

Jiang Yunshu rolled her eyes at him, already feeling uncomfortable, and now she was even angrier.

"My brother is making weapons for the Third Prince! What are we going to do? He'll be beheaded!"

She lowered her voice and cursed angrily, wishing she could throw Jiang Yunzheng into the water to feed the turtles. This man has really lost his mind; he dares to do such a thing!

Thinking about it carefully, it's no wonder that the reason the Jiang family was raided in the previous life was so absurd; it was probably because Mo Yanzhou didn't want the matter to come to light.

She couldn't stand idly by in this lifetime; she had to find a way to stop it before things escalated.

Ling Jingchu was also shocked when he heard this. He did not expect Jiang Yunzheng to be so audacious. Privately forging weapons is a capital offense!

The two remained silent. Jiang Yunshu thought and thought but couldn't come up with a solution. After all, this matter couldn't be completely exposed, as that would be even more detrimental to the Jiang family.

Jiang Yunzheng wouldn't listen to her, and there was no use in trying to persuade him.

"Tell your second uncle about this; we'll probably need their help with this matter."

Her eyes lit up; she thought it was feasible.

Just as she was about to run out in a panic, Ling Jingchu grabbed her and stopped her.

She looked at him with a puzzled expression.

It's already dark outside.

"This matter should be done sooner rather than later, and besides, the Third Prince is urging me to leave. I want to see A Yao a little longer."

She broke free from Ling Jingchu's grasp and quickly walked out.

She had to go personally to handle this matter, and she also needed to make sure her second uncle persuaded Jiang Yunzheng to come back.

It was already the end of the month, the time for settling accounts, and Jiang Mingzhi didn't return until it was completely dark, looking utterly exhausted.

When I saw her, I smiled and offered her a sip of tea first.

"What brings you here, A-Yun? I heard you were going to Kyoto. Your second uncle was planning to visit you after finishing the accounts tomorrow!"

Jiang Yunshu mysteriously said that she had something important to tell him. Jiang Mingzhi smiled helplessly. He had originally planned to eat something first, but he could only lead her to the study.

Only after closing the study door did she whisper the whole story.

"Second Uncle, this matter is of utmost importance. If anything goes wrong, the Jiang family will definitely be..."

Jiang Mingzhi found it unbelievable, but at the same time, he vaguely felt that what she said reflected the truth of the matter.

Because Jiang Yunzheng's recent behavior has indeed become stranger than before.

His face darkened. If he really dared to do such a thing, the Jiang family would surely be destroyed by Jiang Yunzheng!

"I'm going to find him!"

After saying that, he stormed out, and Jiang Yunshu's tense nerves relaxed a little.

After returning, Manman came over.

“Miss, A-Yao hasn’t eaten anything all afternoon and hasn’t said a word. I was thinking, how can she not eat? A-Yao is already weak…”

She quickly walked into Ayao's house.

Ayao sat blankly by the window, staring at the hibiscus flower on the windowpane, lost in thought. Her round eyes had lost their vitality, leaving only sadness.

She walked over and gently pulled Ayao into her arms. Ayao nestled against her without saying a word.

But soon she felt a dampness on her chest.

Ayao didn't even tremble slightly; she just silently shed tears.

At this moment, she wished she could tear Mo Yanzhou apart into five pieces and shred his body into ten thousand pieces.

But in the end, she just patted Ayao's shoulder and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Mother will go too. Mother will definitely protect Ayao."

Ayao didn't say a word, she just silently shed tears.

That night, she let Ayao sleep with her, knowing that Ayao hadn't slept all night.

The hatred and fear in her heart reached their peak when Mo Yanzhou took A Yao away.

She originally intended to keep Ayao with her and send her to the palace when they arrived in Kyoto.

"Miss Jiang, do you not trust me?"

Mo Yanzhou's eyes held a hint of disdain, but he smiled and said, "I just want to spend more time with A Yao. Miss Jiang, are you worrying too much?"

"Could it be that in Miss Jiang's mind, I am such a vicious and wicked person?"

Looking at Mo Yanzhou's disgusting face, she knew he wouldn't agree.

She bit her lip and didn't speak. Ayao obediently stepped forward and said, "Mother, don't worry about me."

"Your Highness," A Yao bowed to Mo Yanzhou, "I am deeply grateful for Your Highness's kindness, and I will repay it with my life."

Mo Yanzhou looked at A Yao with great interest, and smiled slightly: "A Yao is really sensible."

He turned his gaze to Jiang Yunshu meaningfully and said, "Miss Jiang has truly raised a good child."

Then Ayao was pulled out, and she looked at Ayao and smiled at her: "Mother, I'm fine."

Jiang Yunshu clenched her fists; she was determined to win Ayao back.

After returning to her room, she immediately grabbed paper and pen to write a letter.

"Send it to the Gu residence, and make sure Miss Gu opens it carefully; it must not be handled by anyone else."

Qing Shuang naturally nodded in agreement.

She knew how complicated the ancient mansion was.

——

The Jiang family had prepared too much, so they had no choice but to hire bodyguards to escort the two to the capital.

Looking at the dozen or so carriages behind him, Jiang Yunshu sighed, "We've already lost so much stuff, how come there are still so many..."

Jiang Yunshu and Ling Jingchu rode in separate carriages, one in front of the other. She had been living in fear these past few days, and she quickly fell asleep in the carriage. Soft bedding was laid out inside, and she slept soundly with her body turned to one side.

With the help of the escorts, they were safely transported to Yujing City.

As soon as Jiang Yunshu entered the city, she received a letter from Gu Hanyu.

[Go to the west of the city]

She sensed a dangerous aura from those three simple words.

They immediately stopped the carriage and headed to the west of the city.

Although Ling Jingchu in front was unaware of the situation, he followed along.

When she arrived at the west side of the city, she saw two people waiting there. When they saw Qing Shuang, they went up to ask her something.

"Are you Miss Jiang?"

Qing Shuang nodded, and the two gestured for them to walk forward.

Their carriages were a grand procession, but it wasn't a big deal in Yujing, since merchants often came to Yujing like this.

The western part of the city was not a prosperous area; the high-ranking officials and nobles of the capital usually lived in the northern part of the city.

The man led them to a secluded spot, and after walking along a pebbly path, they saw the large mansion inside.

"This is a residence under my young lady's name. Although it's a bit out of the way, it's very large, and..."

The man paused, then didn't continue.

The other person quickly said, "Miss Jiang, please come in. My young lady is waiting for you inside!"

Jiang Yunshu had some doubts when a cheerful voice suddenly rang out from outside.

"Jiang Yunshu, when did you become so timid?"