Chapter Thirty-One: She wasn't fleeing famine at all!

Chen Jiao gritted her teeth inwardly.

She sneered inwardly, thinking that her father was the most short-sighted and greedy person who valued profit over righteousness.

In his previous life, Chen Zhenyan refused to make his mother his principal wife, even though she was a noble concubine and there was an empress above her, Chen Qing. Chen Zhenyan stubbornly refused to budge until later when Chen Jiao gave birth to one child after another for Pei Xuan, while Chen Qing had no children. Chen Zhenyan felt that the future hope should be in the children born to Chen Jiao, so he finally made Zhang Shi his principal wife.

Chen Jiao understood that simply persuading Chen Zhenyan with words would be useless; she had to come up with a way to gradually persuade him.

Now that everyone has escaped from Qibao Town, they still don't know whether Liu Wei is dead or alive. It's somewhat different from the previous life. After two days of panic, Chen Jiao came to her senses. There's no need to stick to the trajectory of the previous life. As long as she can ensure that Pei Xuan becomes emperor, she can be his empress.

Nothing else matters.

As for how to make Pei Xuan the emperor, Chen Jiao set her sights on the Zhao family.

The Zhao family of Cangcheng in the North is far more powerful than Liu Wei. If she could marry into the Zhao family, she might be able to use their strength to help Pei Xuan. As for her... Pei Xuan probably wouldn't mind if she remarried.

Who can blame her for making such a huge contribution!

Chen Jiao was lost in her thoughts when suddenly a scent wafted into her nostrils. She had enjoyed wealth and luxury in the palace for many years and had never smelled such a wonderful aroma before.

Before she could even react, Chen Jiao had already stretched her neck and was sniffing hard, trying to find the source of the scent.

"What's that smell? It smells so good!"

"Yes, I've never smelled food that smells so good before, I'm so hungry!"

"Gurgle, gurgle."

The stomachs of everyone in the room were rumbling. After traveling for several days, they could only eat cornbread with snow. Even Chen Zhenyan and the others who were in charge were not eating well.

Now that they smelled that aroma, everyone's stomachs were rumbling with anticipation!

"It sounds like it's coming from the young lady's room. They're having dinner!"

The servants were extremely sad. If they had known that the young lady was such a kind person, they would have followed Steward Wang's example and stayed to wait for her, instead of suffering like this with the master.

But it's too late to regret it now.

Zhang's mouth watered. She wondered what kind of food Chen Qing had prepared. Could it be dragon liver and phoenix gall? Otherwise, how could it smell so good?

Chen Zhenyan said angrily, "This unfilial daughter, she doesn't even know to share the good food with her father!"

Zhang's eyes darted around, always remembering to sow discord between Chen Qing and Chen Qing, and she said, "Master! If we marry her off to the Zhao family, she'll probably forget about you even more!"

Ever since Zhang was caught by Chen Zhenyan having an affair with Wang Er, Chen Zhenyan has disliked her very much. If it weren't for the fact that she was still outside and there was a somewhat useful Chen Jiao, given Chen Zhenyan's nature, he would have dumped Zhang long ago.

Even so, upon hearing Zhang's mutterings, Chen Zhenyan angrily slapped her: "You wretched woman, hurry up and beg me for some food! Do you really want me to go hungry?"

Zhang sobbed and covered her face as she hurriedly fled the room.

Once she could no longer see Chen Zhenyan outside, she lowered her hand and spat, "Useless old man! Once I marry my daughter off to the Zhao family, I'll kick you to the curb! You damned old man!"

These days, Chen Zhenyan often beats and scolds Zhang Shi for no reason. Zhang Shi and her daughter had long been secretly in cahoots, deciding to endure it for now and find a way to marry Chen Jiao into the Zhao family.

Then Chen Jiao will find a way to bring Zhang Shi to the Zhao family, so she won't have to put up with Chen Zhenyan's temper anymore.

If she couldn't get any food, Chen Zhenyan would definitely beat and scold her again when they got back.

Zhang's eyes darted around, and she immediately came up with a brilliant idea to shift the blame elsewhere.

"Open the door! Open the door! Qing'er, I know you're eating something delicious inside, but your father is starving and sent me to beg for some food. Please open the door!"

A large pot of instant noodles was simmering in the pot, with lots of beef slices sprinkled on top. For health reasons, some bok choy was also added. The noodles were bubbling away, steam rising, and the whole house was filled with the aroma of instant noodles.

Hearing the noise outside the door, Wang Zhong felt a pang of reluctance; after all, it was his master.

"Miss, should we open the door for him?"

Wang Zhong finally spoke up and asked a question.

Now that he has acknowledged the young lady as his master, he consults Chen Qing on everything.

Chen Qing raised his eyes indifferently and pointed to the others, saying, "This pot of rice is only enough for a few of us."

The implication was that if Chen Zhenyan was given the opportunity, some of them would go hungry.

What will Wang Zhong choose?

Wang Zhong was a shrewd person, and naturally understood what Chen Qing meant.

He immediately knelt before Chen Qing and said, "Young Miss, please allow this old servant to share my food with Master! Master once saved me, and this old servant swears to repay his kindness..."

Chen Qing did not refuse.

"The food that is given to you is yours, and you have the right to decide how to distribute the food that belongs to you."

As long as Wang Zhong can endure the discomfort of hunger, that's fine.

"yes!"

Wang Zhong ran over to open the door for Zhang.

They saw Zhang was about to turn and leave.

Zhang never thought she could open the door. She had already planned that when she got back, she would speak ill of Chen Qing to Chen Zhenyan, so that he would give up on Chen Qing and send Jiao'er to the Zhao family for a marriage alliance.

Just then, Wang Zhong opened the door.

“Aunt Zhang,” Wang Zhong called out to Zhang Shi, holding a steaming bowl of noodles in his hands. The noodles were glistening with oil, golden in color, and topped with a thick layer of beef slices, garnished with some scallions and cilantro. It looked incredibly tempting. “Aunt Zhang, the eldest young lady asked me to take the noodles to the master. I’ll go with you.”

Zhang hardened her skin. If she took this bowl of noodles back, how could she say bad things about Chen Qing?

With a quick glance, Zhang said, "Only one bowl! Jiao'er and I haven't eaten either! Qing'er, how can you be so heartless? Can you bear to watch your sister and me go hungry?"

Wang Zhong's forehead veins throbbed. He quickly grabbed Zhang Shi and pulled her aside, lowering his voice to say, "Aunt Zhang! You left the eldest young lady alone in Qibao Town, and she was already being more than kind by sharing her food with the master. Do you really want to force her?"

Madam Zhang frowned and put her hands on her hips: "It was Master's order to abandon her, not mine. Why are you taking it out on me? If she were truly filial, she wouldn't have waited for me to come knocking on the door. She should have obediently delivered the food to her father long ago. What are you pretending for!"

Wang Zhong could no longer bear it. He shoved Zhang Shi away and cursed, "You're too greedy! The young lady barely escaped Qibao Town alive. Has anyone thought about her hardships?"

He had witnessed firsthand the suffering Chen Qing had endured—being misunderstood, insulted, and abandoned—and this was the second time!

Although Wang Zhong was somewhat blindly loyal, he was kind-hearted; otherwise, he wouldn't have sympathized with Chen Qing and would have preferred to stay in Qibao Town to wait for her even at the cost of his life.

This time, he truly broke Chen Zhenyan and Zhang's hearts.

She stormed back, carrying the food she hadn't delivered.

After closing the door tightly, Wang Zhong returned to Chen Qing's side. Seeing her calm expression, he felt even more annoyed.

He knelt down before Chen Qing again, kowtowed and admitted his mistake, saying, "Young Miss, it was this old servant who meddled. Please punish me, Young Miss!"

Chen Qing laughed and said, "You are loyal and grateful. If you have made any mistakes, it's that God made you go down the wrong path and end up with such a foolish master. Now that you're with me, these are no mistakes. Get up and eat properly, there's still food in the pot."

Wang Zhong was so moved that tears streamed down his face. He secretly vowed never to remember the past kindness again, and from now on he would only be the young lady's butler!

Instead of being angry when pushed, Zhang was beaming with joy, thinking that now she could go back and play the victim.

Before entering the room, Zhang even wiped some saliva from the corner of her eye and tore her clothes open a bit.

"Waaah, my lord! I am useless. I couldn't even get you some food to fill your stomach. Instead, I was humiliated by Qing'er's wicked servant and kicked out of the house. Look! He pushed me to the ground, and even my hand is broken!"

Zhang's acting skills are at least ten years old, and her crying scenes are so moving that they bring tears to the eyes of those who hear them.

Even though Chen Zhenyan had long since lost all pity for her, he couldn't help but feel furious.

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! She really doesn't respect me as her father!"

"Master, Qing'er is so disrespectful to you, how can you expect her to think of you when she marries in the future?"

Chen Jiao understood her mother's meaning and quickly stepped forward to try and soothe Chen Zhenyan.

"Mother, please don't say that. My sister is probably still blaming my father for abandoning her in Qibao Town. It's good enough that she hasn't retaliated against him!"

Chen Zhenyan's heart was wavering. If he really married Chen Qing off to the Zhao family, wouldn't that be a waste of money?

Separated by a room, the doors and windows of the room where Chen Qing and the others lived were tightly closed. Occasionally, sounds could still be heard from not far away, but they were no longer of any importance.

After eating and drinking their fill, Chen Qing and the others found places to rest in their rooms.

The bed was naturally reserved for Chen Qing alone, and Pei Xuan devised a way to put up a bed curtain for her to protect her privacy.

"Sister Qing, you should rest. I'll stay by your bedside and make sure no one disturbs you."

Once Li Yi left, Pei Xuan became quite shrewd.

After a long day of traveling, Chen Qing was quite tired. She didn't eat much, and even when she was very hungry, she insisted on reducing her food intake.

If it weren't for the fact that he exchanged for a Five-Colored Cloud Robe yesterday, which has a warming effect, Chen Qing probably would have already succumbed to the cold and started eating.

After lying in bed for a short while, Chen Qing closed her eyes and fell asleep comfortably.

The accident happened in the middle of the night. It started snowing again in the middle of the night. The room where Chen Jiao and the others lived collapsed because no one went to the roof to clear the snow. Two servants were hit by the snow while they were sleeping and died on the spot.

Screams and cries filled the air, and before long, someone was banging on Chen Qing's door.

"Qing'er! Open the door quickly! Help! It's so cold outside!"

Chen Qing was woken up by the noise and frowned as she asked, "What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"

Wang Zhong went to inquire about the situation and learned that the room next door had collapsed under the weight of the snow.

"Young Miss, what should we do?"

Wang Zhong asked Chen Qing.

Through the bed curtains, Chen Qing couldn't see Wang Zhong's expression, so she instead threw the question at Wang Zhong.

"Uncle Zhong, do you think we should open the door?"

Without a second thought, Wang Zhong said, "If we let them in, they'll definitely cause trouble again. There are carriages outside, so they can rest in the carriages."

I've finally learned to be ruthless.

Chen Qing smiled, a slight upturn to her lips.

"Let them in, give them a corner to rest in, don't let them freeze to death, I still need them."

After Chen Qing finished speaking, he yawned casually. Chen Jiao's voice was really noisy. If he didn't let them in, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep.

As soon as Wang Zhong left, Pei Xuan couldn't help but ask, "Sister Qing, they were so mean to you, why did you let them in?"

He disliked Chen Zhenyan and his group, and wished they were dead sooner rather than later.

Chen Qing couldn't very well say that he pitied those servants who suffered.

It's pitiful to work for someone else and then lose your life for nothing.

As soon as Wang Zhong opened the door, Chen Jiao rushed in, shivering, exclaiming, "It's so cold!"

The firewood pile in their room was crushed by the collapsed roof. It was at least minus twenty degrees Celsius outside, enough to freeze a person to death!

Zhang helped Chen Zhenyan into the room, and they were now accompanied by only one attendant.

Only this one was left, and he escaped death because he didn't keep watch at night.

Even at this point, Chen Zhenyan still ordered people to stay and keep watch by the woodpile, otherwise those two poor people wouldn't have been crushed to death.

Chen Zhenyan was close to the fire and was lucky enough to survive, but he was also injured in the calf by falling bricks and tiles, and he kept crying out in pain.

At this moment, Chen Zhenyan and his entourage, including his followers, were reduced to only four people.

On Chen Qing's side, all five of them were intact.

Even if Chen Zhenyan is arrogant, he has to admit the truth: he has no choice but to act according to his eldest daughter's wishes.

The room was lit with golden charcoal, a type of charcoal that burns at high temperatures and is long-lasting. Once it's lit the night before, no one needs to watch over the fire all night.

It was minus ten or twenty degrees Celsius outside, but the room was warm as spring. The four people who came in from outside felt their bodies warming up rapidly.

At the same time, Chen Jiao also noticed the cozy atmosphere of the room.

Chen Qing wasn't fleeing famine; he was clearly just trying to make ends meet!

The room was cleaned spotlessly by several servants, so she didn't have to lift a finger. And these servants even brought an iron pot!

No wonder we were able to get hot meals!

And there was that pink bed canopy, where Chen Qing slept. It looked clean and tidy, and also gave off a sense of privacy and security.

Not to mention, Chen Qing also has two handsome young men on her side.

In contrast, the servants in his own quarters were incredibly perfunctory. They couldn't even keep the rooms clean. The fire smelled like smoked pork. They were ugly, not smart, and didn't know how to work.

Zhu Yue also died in the collapsed house. Chen Jiao didn't even try to find her. She had long forgotten about this clueless maid. In her second life, she even felt that she was not a useful maid.

If he's dead, he's dead.

Chen Jiao even thought to herself, "It's a good thing they're dead, otherwise I wouldn't be able to live with Chen Qing!"

It's warm and there's food here, plus I get to see Pei Xuan! This is wonderful!

"Qing'er, are you asleep? Your father is injured. Quickly give up your bed so your father can lie down and rest!"

Zhang also couldn't stand Chen Qing's comfortable life, and sourly raised the banner of moral blackmail.

How could Chen Qing tolerate her being so presumptuous on his turf? He said coldly, "If you want to stay, then behave yourself. If you want to die, it's easy, just get out of here."

They showed Zhang no mercy whatsoever.