Caiyan was shocked. "Miss, why are we running away? Is someone trying to harm us?"
"Is it Aunt Chen?"
In Caiyan's heart, the person in the Prime Minister's mansion who couldn't stand seeing her young lady doing well was Aunt Chen.
Once inside, Jiang Jiaojiao grabbed Caiyan and rushed to the wardrobe. "Quickly pack your clothes! If it weren't for Aunt Chen, the old woman might be detained in the Ministry of Justice. The Prime Minister's mansion is in chaos. We must leave tonight!"
Jiang Jiaojiao opened the wardrobe door, pushed Caiyan forward, and turned to rush towards the dressing table.
Although she didn't have a dowry, when she returned to the Minister's mansion last time, Aunt Yang secretly gave her a few pieces of valuable jewelry.
Madam Wei was adept at putting on a show, and after she became pregnant, she also bestowed two pieces of jewelry upon her. Although the styles were not the most fashionable in the capital, they were both made of real gold and silver.
The gold bracelet that Old Madam Wei gave her was made of solid material.
Jiang Jiaojiao's words were like a thunderclap in a clear sky, leaving Caiyan's mind blank.
"Second, Second Miss, if we go out at this hour, will the gatekeeper let us go?" Caiyan quickly recovered her senses, her heart trembling, and asked stammeringly.
"Stop nagging, quickly pack your clothes. I have my own way of getting out. Don't bring any of your dresses." Jiang Jiaojiao opened the drawer and took out a jewelry box.
She picked up the makeup box and put it down again; it was too heavy.
Jiang Jiaojiao said without turning her head, "Quickly give me a piece of cloth. The makeup box is too heavy. Just bring the jewelry box instead."
Her jewelry now amounts to less than a tenth of what it used to be.
Caiyan hurriedly took out an inconspicuous piece of cotton cloth from the wardrobe and handed it over.
This cotton fabric was something she had asked the housekeeper for to make underwear for her unborn son.
The master and servant quickly packed up the two bundles.
Caiyan reached for the fruit in the food box, but Jiang Jiaojiao grabbed her arm. "What are you doing taking fruit at a time like this? I only asked for pastries to lull the Madam into a false sense of security. Come on, let's move the table to the backyard together."
Caiyan then realized that the second young lady was deliberately pretending to be humble in front of the first madam. She said that the way out was not through the main gate, but by climbing over the backyard wall.
Apart from the maids, no one usually comes to the Wangchun Courtyard area, so even if they make a commotion, no one notices.
In her nervousness, Caiyan forgot that the second young lady was pregnant. The two of them worked together to move all the tables and chairs in the house to the fence in the backyard.
Jiang Jiaojiao acted like a shrew, showing none of her usual fragility. She grabbed two bed sheets and quickly tied a tight knot.
Caiyan climbed onto the table and gently shook the chair on it. Seeing that it didn't move, she reached out and pulled Jiang Jiaojiao up as well.
"Miss, wait a moment. I'll climb up, throw the bundle over the wall, and then help you up."
As Caiyan spoke, she stepped onto the wall. The wall of the Prime Minister's residence was a foot higher than the walls of ordinary people's homes, and the top of the wall was covered with golden roof tiles.
There was a table and a chair, with about half a person's height above them.
Caiyan, holding onto the roof tiles, threw the two bundles down.
"Miss, please go ahead, I'll help you." Caiyan squatted down and then stepped back onto the table.
Without hesitation, Jiang Jiaojiao wrapped one end of the bed sheet around her arm several times and then held it in her palm.
She handed the other end to Caiyan, saying, "Wrap it around your arm, and hold on tight."
"Don't worry, Miss, I'll risk my life to make sure you don't fall."
The faint candlelight shone through the straight-lattice window, and two figures climbed over the wall one after the other.
Outside the wall, two dark figures squatted on the ground for a long time, unable to straighten up.
"How is it? Can we still leave? If we don't leave before dawn, we'll definitely be caught and taken back." Jiang Jiaojiao paused for a moment, stood up, and asked Caiyan in a low voice.
When Jiang Jiaojiao got down, Caiyan was holding up the bed sheet so that she could land safely.
But Caiyan jumped straight down from the high wall.
She twisted her ankle when she landed, and Caiyan was in so much pain that she grimaced but didn't dare to utter a sound.
Caiyan rubbed her ankle with her hands, and the moment her fingers touched it, she felt a sharp pain.
She used one hand to support herself against the wall and stood up. "No problem, this servant can walk."
"Second Miss, where are we going?" Caiyan casually slung her bundle over her shoulder.
Jiang Jiaojiao picked up the bundle containing the jewelry and held it in her hand, gazing at the myriad lights of the homes in the distance.
Yes! Where to?
If she returns to the Minister's Mansion, will her father think she has disgraced the Jiang family and expel her from the mansion like he did to her older sister?
If I were to seek refuge with my aunt, she would certainly not take me in, since I caused my cousin's disability years ago.
It's the middle of the night, and if two women were to run into bad guys while walking down the street, things would be terrible.
After weighing the pros and cons, Jiang Jiaojiao gritted her teeth and said, "Let's go back to the Minister's mansion. Father can decide whether to kill me or not."
It is said that even tigers do not eat their cubs, so her father would not send her back to the Prime Minister's mansion.
She has already retrieved the imperial edict. As long as she insists that she has no connection with the Prime Minister's residence, even the Emperor can't do anything to her.
Under the cover of night, the two limped toward the Minister's residence.
Just as dawn was breaking, an inconspicuous carriage drove out of the Minister's residence and headed straight out of the capital.
Soon after, news that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had surrounded the Prime Minister's residence spread throughout the capital.
...
Jiang Shuyue and Qiu Ju returned home, and Nangong Zeyue came out to greet them from the front hall.
"Shuyue, have you heard? The scholars at Qingyunzhai are all talking about it."
"I've heard about it. Your Majesty is wise. The Wei family is the biggest cancer among the old ministers. Without the Wei family, the air in the capital is much fresher."
Jiang Shuyue handed the food in her hands to Qiuju: "Go prepare a jar of wine and send it to the flower hall. We'll have a drink together in a bit."
"Shuyue, I'm not talking about the Prime Minister's mansion being raided. The poem you had hung up at Qingyunzhai is causing all the scholars to be asking around about who Yueniang really is."
Jiang Shuyue smiled calmly: "Since I dare to sign my name, I'm not afraid of people knowing me. As a woman, do you think scholars would come to me to become my teachers?"
Nangong Zeyue opened her mouth, but swallowed back what she was about to say.
Today, the Prime Minister's residence was raided, and the scholars who were preparing for the exams at home gathered at their study as if by prior arrangement.
It's been a long time since we've all met. From the prime minister's imprisonment to this year's imperial examination questions, the scholars have been expressing their opinions and engaging in heated discussions.
When a scholar saw the poem hanging on the wall, he read it aloud.
“Look how familiar this script looks to you all.”
“I remember now, this calligraphy was done by the same person.”
"The signature is Yue Niang. I always thought this calligraphy was written by a woman, with plenty of delicacy but lacking strength."
"Who is Yue Niang? Does Young Master Nangong know her?"
The scholars turned their questioning gazes toward Nangong Zeyue, who was sitting by the window.
Nangong Zeyue smiled faintly and joked, "Who cares who she is? Anyway, she's not going to compete with you for the top scholar title, is she?"
A scholar puffed out his thin chest: "Young master, you are mistaken. Once I pass the imperial examination, I will definitely go to Yue Niang's house to propose marriage and ask to marry Yue Niang."
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