Apart from Ye Caiping and her entourage who were leaving, Prefect Qin, along with his wife, son Qin Lei, and daughter Qin Miaoyu, traveled to Beijing by boat.

Prefect Qin is returning to the capital to report on his duties.

The large ship slowly left the shore, sailing with the wind.

Even at the fastest speed, it would take more than half a month to travel from Nanzhou to the capital.

Every few days, the large ship would dock at the pier to replenish supplies.

Ye Caiping and her group took the opportunity to go ashore for a stroll and some food, experiencing different local customs and culture. Although they were tired along the way, they were happy.

......

The capital city, the Duke of Pingguo's mansion—

Li Jiaojiao leaned back in her chaise lounge, a maid kneeling before her, holding up a mirror. Li Jiaojiao was trying on a newly bought hairpin.

“Miss…” At this moment, another maid came in, “Da Han said he wants to see you.”

Li Jiaojiao's face darkened, and she threw the hairpin in her hand onto the mirror: "Will he ever stop?!"

Li Jiaojiao was furious.

When she left Yue'an County, she didn't know where to settle down.

Unexpectedly, she was kidnapped by human traffickers! By some incredible luck, she actually ran into Gu Han at the traffickers' place.

They were taken to Beijing together by human traffickers and sold.

The two relied on each other for survival and poured out their hearts to one another on their journey to the capital.

It was only then that Gu Han told her about his background, saying that he was originally the heir of the Ningguo Marquis's mansion, but he was framed and persecuted by his stepmother. Not only was he stripped of his title as heir, but he was also expelled from the clan and banished from his home.

After recounting his background, Gu Han said, "Even after I was kicked out of my home, my stepmother still wouldn't let me go and chased me all the way. Jiaojiao, I'm so grateful to you! If you hadn't saved me and brought me home, I would have not only lost a leg, but I would have lost my life."

"So, once we're in the capital, no matter where we go, we shouldn't contact each other again. Let's pretend we don't know each other..."

Li Jiaojiao asked anxiously, "Why?"

"Because my stepmother won't let me go! I originally planned to go back after I'd accomplished something great. But now... not only am I a cripple, but I've also achieved nothing..."

Everyone in the capital knows me... but I'm afraid I'll implicate you. So, from now on, we're strangers...

"No! I won't allow it!" Li Jiaojiao hugged him tightly. "No matter what, I will stay with you. Whatever awaits me, I will face it with you. We'll live together, we'll die together!"

She had long since lost everything; she had nothing left but him!

"Jiaojiao... okay!" He hugged her back. "We'll face it all together. If things don't go well, we'll die together. With you by my side on the road to the underworld, my life, Gu Han, will have been worthwhile."

"If Heaven does not abandon me, and I avenge my great grudge, I will surely marry you, make you my wife, and make you my wife, the wife of a marquis! I, Gu Han, will never fail Li Jiaojiao!"

Hearing his vow, Li Jiaojiao was moved to tears.

The two embraced tightly, their hearts in perfect harmony.

He liked her, and she liked him too.

They went through hardships together, encouraging and supporting each other.

This world is full of suffering, but we are each other's only light.

Upon arriving in the capital, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, they were both chosen by the Duke of Pingguo's mansion to become servants.

Gu Han had thought he would be recognized, so he covered his face with black paint. To his surprise, no one recognized him.

The two were preparing to continue their life together.

After some time, ask your master for a favor and get married first.

Unexpectedly, just a few days after entering the manor, Li Jiaojiao had some incredible luck and found the valuable item that the Duchess had lost. That item was a gift from the Emperor and couldn't be lost.

Li Jiaojiao returned the items.

The Duchess was overjoyed and was about to reward her when she looked at her face. For some reason, she felt that the girl was very pleasing to the eye and looked good no matter how she looked at her.

On a whim, he took her in as his goddaughter.

From then on, Li Jiaojiao went from being a maid to a young lady.

But Gu Han... is still a servant!

Thinking of this, Li Jiaojiao's face turned ugly.

On the way to the capital, she truly wanted to stay with Gu Han forever, even if it meant dying together.

But now...

She didn't want to!

She is now a young lady from a noble family, and has finally achieved the good life she has always dreamed of. How can she be with a servant?

Li Jiaojiao reluctantly arrived at a deserted little garden.

Gu Han, his face smeared with black grime, walked over and asked, "Jiaojiao, why haven't you come to see me for so long?"

Li Jiaojiao frowned: "Uh...you know, I still have a lot of etiquette to learn. The nanny who teaches etiquette is very strict."

"Then you should study hard and quickly establish yourself in the Duke's mansion. That way, you can help me overthrow my father and stepmother and reclaim my position as heir apparent. When that happens, I will definitely welcome you into the house in grand style to be the heir apparent's tutor—no, the Marquis's wife!"

He held her shoulders, looking at her with hope.

He was already somewhat ready to give up because he had a limp and had accomplished nothing.

Unexpectedly, Li Jiaojiao became the adopted daughter of the Duke's mansion. This was simply a stroke of good fortune, as if even the heavens were helping him!

Li Jiaojiao forced a smile: "Well... I've only been a godmother for a few days, and I haven't settled in yet. Let's talk about this later. Also, don't bother me too much, just pretend you don't know me. It's getting late... I have to go back."

"Okay." Gu Han believed Li Jiaojiao.

Although he had been a servant in her family for more than half a year, Jiaojiao had already taught him a lesson about this matter. He was not a member of the Li family, and if he wanted to stay in the Li family, he naturally had to work.

Jiaojiao is the kindest and most sincere girl in the world; otherwise, she wouldn't have rescued him when he was seriously injured.

Li Jiaojiao turned and left, feeling pressured and annoyed by Gu Han's gaze behind her.

She's a duke's daughter now, why would she not enjoy her good fortune and offend the Ningguo Marquis's mansion?

She was destined to be the wife of a noble family.

But now that she has the Duke's mansion as her backing, why doesn't she find a ready-made heir to a marquis's family, someone who has been expelled from his home?

Is she some kind of despicable person? She deliberately seeks out suffering when there is none!

Li Jiaojiao returned to her room with a worried look on her face.

Logically speaking, everyone knows that she was originally a maid, and now that she's a young lady, no one would say anything if she distanced herself from the servants.

Unfortunately, Gu Han and she were from the same place. On their way to Beijing, she told Gu Han about all her later experiences.

Gu Han knew she had been to prison!

Furthermore, she told the Duchess that she was originally the daughter of a scholar, but her parents had died. She sold herself into servitude to bury her father and became a maid in a brokerage firm.

She couldn't let the Duke's mansion know that she had been imprisoned, especially for a cheating case in the imperial examinations that nobles were extremely wary of.

By then, she won't be able to marry into a higher social class.

Therefore, she cannot afford to have a falling out with Gu Han.