Chapter Twenty-One: Pei Xuan was stunned.

Chen Jiao forced herself to sit up despite the excruciating pain. Memories flooded back into her mind like a tidal wave. She remembered how she and Zhang Shi plotted to drug Chen Qing, but Wang Er took advantage of the situation, and they were caught red-handed by her father...

Thinking of all this, Chen Jiao's expression changed drastically, becoming extremely ugly, as if a palette of paint had been overturned.

"How could this happen? Why did it change?"

She remembered that it wasn't like this in her past life!

In their previous life, when they entered Qibao Town, Chen Qing offered Liu Wei a treasure in exchange for their rest in Qibao Town. During this time, Pei Xuan grew rapidly, gained Liu Wei's trust, and was the first to acquire power and status.

Why has everything changed?

Why was she sent to marry the young master of the Liu family? Wouldn't that mean she would lose her innocence? How could Pei Xuan possibly care about her then?

"No, no!" Chen Jiao cried out urgently, her voice hoarse and unpleasant. She tried to calm herself down and think about why this was happening.

Perhaps she misremembered? After all, it's normal to misremember a few dates from the past few decades.

Calm down, they are indeed in Qibao Town now, and Chen Qing will definitely offer up the treasure again. Although Chen Jiao doesn't know where she got the treasure, it is precisely because of that treasure that Pei Xuan is valued by Liu Wei.

Having lived a second life, she has decades more experience than Chen Qing, and she also knows what will happen next and has a chance to turn things around!

The most urgent matter is Pei Xuan!

Her memories told her clearly that the future ruler of the world was now just a down-and-out, helpless boy, living under someone else's roof! And in this life, he was actually in Chen Qing's courtyard!

"We must snatch him away as soon as possible!" A determined glint flashed in Chen Jiao's eyes. In her past life, she managed to win Pei Xuan's favor after Chen Qing; in this life, with the upper hand, she was even more confident that she could make Pei Xuan devoted to her! As long as she captured Pei Xuan, Chen Qing and Commander Liu would be nothing more than ants in the future!

As for Chen Qing… Chen Jiao's lips curled into a vicious sneer. Once she had Pei Xuan firmly in her grasp, she'd have plenty of time to slowly deal with that fat pig! Perhaps, she could make her die even more miserably than in her previous life!

Thinking of this, she endured the pain and called out loudly, "Someone come here!"

Zhu Yue entered timidly.

Chen Jiao forced a gentle smile, mimicking the tender and understanding demeanor she had when she was most favored in her past life. However, given her current bruised and swollen face, it looked rather strange: "Go and find out if there's a young man named Pei Xuan in my sister's courtyard. See what he does on a daily basis, whether he lacks food or clothing. If he finds out and asks you about it, give him this handkerchief."

As she spoke, Chen Jiao took out her personal handkerchief, which still carried the warmth of her body and was imbued with fragrance.

After all, she had let him off the hook. A strange look appeared on Chen Jiao's face. Pei Xuan was still just a pitiful beggar. He probably hadn't even touched a woman's hand before! If he tasted her favor, she didn't believe he wouldn't be tempted!

Although Zhu Yue was puzzled as to why her mistress would give such an order, she still obediently went to do so.

Chen Jiao leaned against the headboard, plotting how to bump into Pei Xuan, how to bestow favors upon him, and how to show her goodness so that Pei Xuan would be devoted to her and dote on her alone!

"My dear, Mother has cooked the porridge. Drink it while it's hot."

Zhang brought in the porridge, interrupting Chen Jiao's thoughts.

She then noticed that Zhang was also covered in injuries. Chen Jiao suddenly remembered that her father still hated her and her mother because of what happened with Wang Er!

No, even though Chen Zhenyan is stupid, there are still ways to use him. We must change his attitude!

Thinking of this, Chen Jiao hurriedly said to Zhang Shi, "Mother, please go and invite my father over. Tell him that I have something important to tell you about the life and death of the Chen family!"

She must reverse the decline before Chen Zhenyan is completely drained by Liu Wei or makes an even more foolish decision.

Using her memories from her past life, she can at least foresee some things that will happen in the short term, and that is her biggest bargaining chip!

Meanwhile, Chen Qing was in his courtyard, listening to Li Yi's report.

"Young Miss, Liu Wei has indeed not let the Chen family head off easily."

Li Yi whispered, "He forced the head of the family to donate five thousand taels of silver, plus the deeds to three estates in Qingzhou, on the grounds that the Third Miss had behaved improperly and humiliated the garrison commander's office. The head of the family has already signed and sealed the deed."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing scoffed, showing no surprise whatsoever.

Where is he now?

"I lock myself in my room and won't see anyone."

Chen Qing nodded.

Chen Zhenyan was in dire straits, both internally and externally, and was at her most vulnerable. After a moment of contemplation, she said to Li Yi, "Let our men add fuel to the fire between the refugees and the people in the city. Say that Commander Liu has received a huge sum of money from the Chen family, but still refuses to open the granaries because he wants to hoard grain and prepare to amass power. In that case, the people inside and outside the city will be implicated and will not escape the death penalty."

Li Yi's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Yes! I'll go right away!"

Liu Wei was already in a mess due to the major and minor events inside and outside the city, and Chen Qing's plan was undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire.

Li Yi accepted the order and left. Chen Qing walked to the window; Pei Xuan was still practicing his stance in the courtyard.

He was taken in by Li Yi, who said he would teach him kung fu, but he could only start with the most basic standing meditation, which required him to stand for two hours every day.

The boy's eyes were focused, and his thin clothes were soaked with sweat. When he saw Chen Qing walk to the window, his eyes sparkled like stars, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

Clearly, Pei Xuan's words about protecting her were entirely sincere.

Chen Qing's gaze softened slightly.

Just then, she caught a glimpse of a furtive figure loitering outside the courtyard. Seeing Chen Qing standing by the window, she hurriedly lowered her head and quickly left.

Chen Qing frowned slightly. Wasn't that Chen Jiao's maid?

With the Eye of Insight activated, Chen Qing clearly saw that Zhu Yue's face not only showed the panic of being discovered, but also a hint of frustration at not completing the mission.

What was she going to do? A warning bell rang in Chen Qing's mind.

As she expected, Chen Jiao was divorced by the Liu family and returned battered and bruised. Instead of tending to her wounds and complaining, she sent people to spy on her in her courtyard.

Something unusual must be going on.

Chen Qing remained calm and waved to Pei Xuan, who had just finished practicing her stance and was panting as he looked at her.

Pei Xuan immediately jogged over, his face still flushed from exercise, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her: "Sister Qing?"

“Xuan Nu, I just saw Zhu Yue spying outside the courtyard. I wonder what kind of trouble Chen Jiao is up to now. Go and find out what she did after she woke up.”

Pei Xuan was taken aback at first, and when he heard Chen Jiao's name, his face showed obvious disgust. Then he said seriously, "Okay, I'll go and find out right away."

Chen Zhenyan was pleaded with by Zhang to leave the study, his face full of anger. He felt completely like he had been taken advantage of by Liu Wei!

They demanded more than ten thousand taels of silver from him one after another, asking him to marry off his daughter. The next day, they sent Chen Jiao back and beat her until she was covered in bruises!

This isn't just hitting Chen Jiao, it's clearly slapping Chen Zhenyan in the face!

But when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Now that Chen Zhenyan's life is in Liu Wei's hands, he can't think of a better way than to obediently hand over his family fortune.

Just as he was throwing things and getting angry, Zhang asked to see him. Chen Zhenyan felt nauseous whenever he thought of the way Zhang had straddled Wang Er and writhing on his back that day. He ordered Wang Zhong to send Zhang back.

If it weren't for the fact that Chen Jiao had been beaten half to death and had no one to take care of her, Chen Zhenyan would never have released Zhang Shi.

After a short while, Wang Zhong returned with a troubled expression and said to Chen Zhenyan, "Master, Madam Zhang said that the Third Miss has something to discuss with you. It concerns the life and death of the Chen family. What do you think?"

Chen Zhenyan frowned upon hearing this. What could Chen Jiao possibly know about the life and death of the Chen family?

Could it be?

Chen Zhenyan's heart stirred, and after much hesitation, he finally got up to see Chen Jiao.

Perhaps Chen Jiao really does know something, otherwise she wouldn't have been beaten so badly by the Liu family.

As soon as he stepped out, Zhang's face lit up with joy, thinking that he still had feelings for her. The weather was cold today, and Zhang had specially worn a seductive, light gauze dress. Kneeling in the snow, she looked delicate. When she saw Chen Zhenyan come out, she quickly went limp and called out in a sweet voice, "Master."

Unexpectedly, Chen Zhenyan didn't even glance at her, brushed past her, and walked straight into Chen Jiao's room.

"Third Miss, Master has come to see you!"

The maidservant's reminder from outside startled Chen Jiao, who was deep in thought.

She was only thinking about getting Chen Zhenyan to stop blaming her and her son, but she didn't think deeply about how to please Chen Zhenyan. She wasn't the future Imperial Noble Consort yet, so would her father listen to her?

A short while later, Chen Jiao, supported by her maid, limped out. Her face was pale, her hair disheveled. Upon seeing Chen Zhenyan, she knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face before she could utter a word: "Father! Your daughter knows she was wrong!"

Chen Jiao looked miserable, and Chen Zhenyan couldn't bear to look at her. His anger intensified, and he said irritably, "You still know you're wrong? This is all the trouble you caused!"

"Father, I have a great idea that can solve our current predicament," Chen Jiao said urgently, raising her eyes. "Please trust me one more time!"

Chen Zhenyan's expression softened slightly. "Oh? What good ideas do you have? Tell me."

Chen Jiao hurriedly said, "We can ask our eldest sister to plead with Commander Liu!"

Yes, that's right, this is the perfect plan that Chen Jiao came up with.

In his previous life, it was Chen Qing who negotiated with Liu Shoubei, which not only secured Pei Xuan's freedom but also earned him Liu Wei's favor.

This is how it should be in this lifetime!

Chen Zhenyan frowned upon hearing this, his face showing hesitation. He stammered, "Her? That unfilial daughter of hers, she's grown up now, does she still listen to her father?"

“Father, times have changed!” Chen Jiao grabbed Chen Zhenyan’s sleeve, analyzing rapidly with an almost naive calculation in her eyes. “No matter how capable my eldest sister is, she’s still a woman, and such a fat woman at that. She was able to persuade Commander Liu to let us into the city before, maybe Commander Liu saw something special in her? Or, maybe she has some kind of advantage that we don’t know about?”

She paused, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of secret excitement, "Father, think about it, Eldest Sister is so fat, Commander Liu definitely wouldn't be interested in her. But if she's willing to humble herself and beg Commander Liu, even if... even if she offers him a large reward or agrees to do something for him, maybe Commander Liu will relent? It's better than us sitting here waiting to die!"

Chen Zhenyan frowned, feeling that his daughter's words were crude and vulgar, but... they seemed to make some sense?

Chen Qing did seem quite resourceful during her last trip to the city. What if she really does have some tricks up her sleeve?

"But in her current state, would she listen to us?" Chen Zhenyan asked hesitantly.

"Father! You are her biological father!" Chen Jiao raised her voice, "How dare she disobey her parents' orders? You go and talk to her. As long as she can get Commander Liu to let us go, we'll wipe the slate clean. When we get back to Qingzhou, she can also get a share of the family property!"

Chen Jiao, in her naiveté, made empty promises, attempting to lure Chen Qing with benefits.

"Not only that, but seeing that my elder sister seems to trust Pei Xuan a lot, I will personally go to see Pei Xuan and ask him to help my elder sister see Commander Liu!"

She thought to herself, as long as Pei Xuan is valued by Commander Liu, once we escape and return to Qingzhou, won't she and her mother still be in charge? At that time, she can easily find some excuse to control Chen Qing. The most important thing right now is to leave Qibao Town!

Moreover, if she could stand up for Pei Xuan, he would be eternally grateful to her!

After much hesitation, Chen Zhenyan finally decided to give it a try, following Chen Jiao's suggestion.

Letting Chen Qing take the lead has no cost of trial and error; what if it works?

Thinking of this, Chen Zhenyan called Wang Zhong over, "Go and invite the young lady here, and tell her that I have something to discuss with her!"

Chen Zhenyan went back to his study, and Chen Jiao hurriedly called a maid, "Quickly find me some clothes and help me put on makeup!"

She needs to find Pei Xuan now!

Although Zhu Yue didn't understand, she obediently did as she was told. Chen Jiao's injuries were too severe; she had almost finished a whole box of goose egg powder, but it still couldn't completely cover them up.

Chen Jiao was hesitant to touch her face, as it hurt whenever she did. She asked Zhu Yue, "Am I beautiful?"

Zhu Yue didn't dare to look at her multicolored face, which was swollen like a pig's head.

She lowered her head and said softly, "The Third Miss is as beautiful as a fairy."

Chen Jiao smiled smugly.

She was always satisfied and confident in her appearance, not to mention that compared to that fat pig Chen Qing, Pei Xuan would definitely fall in love with her.

"Let's go! We'll rescue Pei Xuan!"

Just now, Zhu Yue went to Chen Qing's courtyard to inquire and came back to tell Chen Jiao that in this cold winter, the young lady was really heartless, actually making Pei Xuan stand in the courtyard as punishment in only thin clothes.

Chen Jiao was secretly delighted; her chance had finally come!

Just then, Pei Xuan arrived to inquire about the situation in Chen Jiao's courtyard, and he ran into Chen Jiao, who was walking gracefully with her maid. The two bumped into each other, and Pei Xuan, unperturbed, called out, "Third Miss."

Chen Jiao never expected it to be such a coincidence.

Her eyes were delicate and her voice was soft and sweet as she said, "Oh, it's Pei Xuan. Get up quickly."

She had previously angrily called Pei Xuan Chen Qing's dog, but suddenly her attitude towards Pei Xuan changed. Pei Xuan was startled and thought that this woman must have some bad intentions again.

He remained calm and composed, saying, "I heard that the Third Miss is unwell, and the Eldest Miss specially sent me to visit her. How is the Third Miss?"

Chen Jiao's eyes darted around, and tears immediately streamed down her face.

"She still cares about me? She'd rather I were dead!" Chen Jiao cried, "Xuan Lang, don't you know her character? If she were a kind-hearted person, why would she let you stand in the courtyard as punishment?"