Chapter 24 You Seduced Me

The old lady of the Marquis of Wuyi sat upright on the gilded soft couch. Although she was over sixty years old, her back was still straight. Her eyes were kind, but she exuded a dignified and noble air of authority.

"These young ladies are all so beautiful and charming, they're dazzling to behold."

The noblewoman next to her immediately said, "Our ancestor is now as beautiful as a flower. If you were standing among these young ladies, I wouldn't recognize you."

"You're so glib," the old lady laughed and playfully punched her. "Do you think I'm some kind of old monster? Don't keep these young people in check. Take them to the backyard for some snacks and to admire the flowers."

Jiang Zhi then followed a group of people to the pavilion in the garden.

Since her mother passed away, she rarely left the manor and had no close female friends. Jiang Yunqian would never take her with her. While the others gathered in twos and threes to talk, Jiang Zhi sat in a corner eating snacks and enjoying the scenery, quite leisurely and carefree.

Seeing that Jiang Zhi was being ignored, Jiang Yunqian couldn't help but feel smug. She deliberately pulled her friend aside and told jokes to Jiang Zhi, making Jiang Zhi seem even more neglected.

A moment later, a maid came to serve tea. Jiang Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced over without making a sound.

Upon seeing this maid, Jiang Zhi recalled that in her previous life, she had also been at the old lady's birthday banquet at the Marquis of Wuyi's mansion, where this maid deliberately poured tea on her and led her to a side room to change clothes, resulting in her being harassed by Yan Wenkang.

Jiang Zhi sat there calmly, watching as the maidservant finished serving tea to the other young ladies and then walked towards her.

At this moment, Jiang Zhi suddenly stood up and moved closer to Jiang Yunqian.

As Jiang Yunqian turned around with her teacup in hand, the tea spilled onto Jiang Zhi without her noticing.

"Oh dear, little sister, how could you be so careless and get my clothes dirty?" Jiang Zhi exclaimed.

Jiang Yun frowned slightly. "I didn't do it on purpose. Why did you suddenly lean in like that?"

"So it's my fault after all?" Jiang Zhi retorted, not to be outdone.

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel over such a trivial matter, the young ladies nearby hurriedly came to persuade them and smooth things over.

"It's just a small matter, don't let it ruin the harmony between sisters," someone said. "Miss Jiang should go down and change her clothes quickly, otherwise it would be inappropriate to be impolite at the banquet."

The maid who served the tea originally intended to deliberately spill the tea on Jiang Zhi before taking her to a side room.

At this moment, she immediately volunteered, saying, "Miss Jiang is not familiar with the layout of the mansion. Let me take Miss Jiang to the side room to change her clothes."

Jiang Zhi reluctantly nodded, exchanged a glance with Qingxing who was standing not far away, and then followed the maid.

Seeing that the maid was leading her further and further astray, Jiang Zhi stopped and asked her, "Where are you taking me?"

“Miss Jiang, the side room is not far ahead. If you are not familiar with the roads of the Marquis’s residence, just follow me.”

The maid comforted her.

But at this moment, Jiang Zhi refused to move, and instead looked at her with a smile and said, "Go and call him over."

The maid pretended to be stupid, "This servant does not understand what Miss Jiang means."

"Didn't he tell you to deliberately lure me there? Go tell him I'll wait for him by the lotus pond. If he doesn't make it within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, I'll leave."

The maid was about to argue when Jiang Zhi waved her hand, "I said I wouldn't wait any longer. Are you sure you want to waste your time here with me?"

The maid's expression hardened slightly, knowing that she must have noticed something. Without saying anything more, she curtsied and hurriedly withdrew.

Jiang Zhi began searching for a suitable object in the woods beside the lotus pond.

Just as the time it takes to drink a cup of tea was up, a familiar figure hurried over from afar.

"Miss Jiang, it's been a long time. It's been a long time."

The newcomer was dressed in fine clothes, and his face, though heavily made up, still bore unhealed wounds; it was indeed Yan Wenkang.

Jiang Zhi knew there must be something fishy going on. Xie Qi wouldn't use such low-level methods to lure her to meet him, so it couldn't be anyone else but Yan Wenkang.

"Young Master Yan, you weren't satisfied with bothering me last time, what do you want to do this time?" Her voice was cold.

Upon hearing Jiang Zhi recount her experience at Linglongzhai, Yan Wenkang became furious.

He was beaten unconscious for an unknown period of time before a servant found him and took him back to the Earl of Zhongqin's mansion. He was treated by a doctor for a long time before he was finally able to get out of bed.

What he couldn't figure out was who hired people to beat him up, and what grudge they had against him.

Although he had his suspicions about Jiang Zhi, she was a young lady from a respectable family, and he had only gone to Linglongzhai on a whim that day. It was impossible for her to have known in advance and sent people to guard the alley.

As for the others, Yan Wenkang had done many things like bullying men and women on a regular basis, so they couldn't be identified all at once and could only accept their bad luck.

"Miss Jiang, why be so cold? I was so badly injured because of you last time, so this time I'm going to get my due." He said as he moved closer to Jiang Zhi.

Jiang Zhi took a few steps back, her eyes wary. "This is the old lady of the Marquis of Wuyi's birthday banquet. How dare you act recklessly?"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Yan Wenkang laughed. "Even if someone finds out, just say you seduced me. Do you think anyone would blame me? Anyway, your Jiang family has long intended to marry you off to me. What difference does it make if it's sooner or later?"

"Besides, if you really didn't want to get close to me, why would you wait for me here? It's clear that you also have feelings for me."

Yan Wenkang couldn't contain himself any longer and eagerly went up to take her hand.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhi suddenly raised her hand and threw a handful of red powder at his face. He felt a sharp pain in his eyes and screamed in agony.

"Ah—you bitch, what poison powder did you use on me!?" The stinging and excruciating pain brought tears to Yan Wenkang's eyes, making it impossible for him to see.

Jiang Zhi sneered, "Don't worry, it's just some chili powder, it won't blind your dog eyes."

As soon as she finished speaking, she kicked Yan Wenkang into the lotus pond.

The chili powder was something she had hidden in her purse for self-defense; it was unexpected and extremely effective.

With a "plop," Yan Wenkang struggled to climb out of the lake, but just as he grabbed onto the water plants on the shore, a tree branch as thick as a forearm poked him back into the water.

"Jiang Zhi! Are you trying to kill me? Pull me up now, or I'll see how you explain this to the Earl's Mansion!" Yan Wenkang shouted angrily as he struggled to surface.

The only response he received was the tree branches that kept poking him, preventing him from getting ashore.

Yan Wenkang was beaten so badly that he had to run away with his head in his hands. His injuries had not fully healed, and he could not exert much strength in the lotus pond. In addition, his eyes were irritated, so he could only groan in pain while dodging the branches on the bank and the stones that were thrown down from time to time.

Yan Wenkang's struggling strength quickly diminished.

Jiang Zhi was having a great time poking around on the shore when a hesitant voice suddenly came from behind her, "Are you... Miss Jiang?"

Jiang Zhi thought to herself that it was just in time.

After what happened with Jiang Yunqian, Xie Qi would definitely be unable to resist coming to find her. Even if he didn't come, she had already told Qingxing before leaving the pavilion that she had to lead Xie Qi to the backyard no matter what.

Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, but when she turned her head, her face showed unexpected panic.

The newcomer had ink-black hair tied with a jade crown, and a dark gold brocade robe that accentuated his imposing figure. His captivating peach blossom eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight. It was Xie Qi.