"They say if you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. Miss Jiang, have you perhaps done something wrong?" Qiu Ju asked, glaring fiercely at Jiang Jiaojiao.
"You lowly servant girl, how dare you insult me! Guards! I'll tear your mouth apart!"
A maidservant tugged at Jiang Jiaojiao, reminding her that they were outside, not in the Minister's residence.
Then he gave her a wink and said to Jiang Jiaojiao, "Second Miss, please calm down. Don't bother with a crazy girl. This young lady just looks a bit like the deceased eldest young lady."
Jiang Jiaojiao quickly composed herself and nodded slightly to Jiang Shuyue: "I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else. You do look somewhat like my deceased older sister."
Jiang Shuyue raised an eyebrow, looking at Jiang Jiaojiao with interest, "May I ask how your eldest sister died? Where is she buried?"
After getting angry, Qiuju saw that her mistress was calm and composed. Knowing her mistress well, she knew that Jiang Jiaojiao was about to be tricked.
Seeing Jiang Jiaojiao's face turn red and she couldn't utter a single word, Qiuju felt extremely pleased.
She played along perfectly, asking with an exaggerated expression, "Oh my! Was your older sister wrongly killed?"
Jiang Jiaojiao's personal maid scolded, "You rude girl! Everyone says the dead should be respected, how can you speak like that?"
"What did I say? Miss Jiang, don't be a coward, explain yourself!" Qiu Ju shouted back defiantly.
When it comes to having a loud voice, Qiu Ju has never lost to anyone.
Jiang Jiaojiao's mind was completely blank.
Mother said she sent people to chase after them for over a hundred miles. The people in the village said that things were not peaceful outside. Perhaps the robbers entered the village and kidnapped Jiang Shuyue and her servant.
She and her mother had considered several possibilities.
They thought Jiang Shuyue was so beautiful that she might be taken away and abused by villains, and then sold to a brothel after they got tired of her.
Yang also sent people to Jiang Shuyue's uncle's house to investigate, but they couldn't find her anywhere.
She didn't return to the capital for several years afterward, leading many to speculate that she had most likely been tortured to death.
what to do?
Jiang Jiaojiao's gaze involuntarily drifted towards the direction of the meditation room.
This small gesture caught Jiang Shuyue's eye, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"Jiang Jiaojiao, stop pretending. Now that I have been expelled from the family and removed from the family tree, I have no connection with the Minister's Mansion anymore."
With that, he held his head high and strode towards the meditation room.
Jiang Jiaojiao was shocked to see the direction Jiang Shuyue had gone.
"Jiang Shuyue, since Father has declared you dead, you should get far away from us and not come back to get in our way."
In desperation, Jiang Jiaojiao stopped pretending and chased after Jiang Shuyue, blocking her path.
"Pah!"
"Who do you think you are? Does the capital belong to Jiang Zhengming? How can you still be so shameless? Why don't you drive the emperor out of the capital and let Jiang Zhengming be the emperor, so you can be a princess?"
Jiang Shuyue is not the original owner of this body, and she has no fatherly affection for Jiang Zhengming whatsoever, so she can argue with him without any pressure.
"You...you deserve to be beheaded for such disrespectful words."
Jiang Jiaojiao was so angry that she was trembling all over.
Jiang Shuyue of the past would never have uttered such rogue words. Caught off guard, she was speechless for a moment.
She had just spoken recklessly and was rebuked by Jiang Shuyue. If this got overheard and reached the palace, her father would have even more trouble in the future.
It's entirely possible that the Emperor might find a pretext to confiscate the Minister's residence.
The Emperor was furious that taxes weren't being collected, and Jiang Jiaojiao had overheard her father complaining about it when he got home.
“Miss Jiang, my young lady has nothing to do with your Minister’s family. Even if she is beheaded, it will not implicate your family. Similarly, if the Minister’s family is disrespectful to the Emperor, your family being raided and exterminated will have nothing to do with my young lady.”
As Qiu Ju finished speaking, Jiang Shuyue smiled faintly, "Miss Jiang, please make way. We have nothing to do with each other. What do you mean by blocking my way repeatedly?"
As he spoke, he was about to leave Jiang Jiaojiao's side.
Qiu Ju rolled her eyes. "A good dog doesn't block the way!"
Jiang Jiaojiao watched helplessly as Jiang Shuyue and Qiuju walked towards the meditation room.
"Second Miss, what should we do? At this time, Old Madam Wu is still in the meditation room. She recognizes the Eldest Miss."
Jiang Jiaojiao was at a loss, and a sense of powerlessness welled up inside her.
She shook her head and said, "I don't know what to do either. She went back to the capital and attended so many banquets. She knows far more officials' wives and daughters than I do. This matter will be impossible to keep secret sooner or later."
Jiang Jiaojiao thought of Old Madam Wu's reaction when she learned that Jiang Shuyue was still alive, and her legs felt like lead, making it difficult for her to take a step.
"Caiyan, help me up quickly. Let's go back. The only way now is to have Father talk to her and get her to smooth things over about her coming back from the dead."
Jiang Jiaojiao swayed precariously, and Caiyan quickly supported her.
If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have tried to snatch the makeup box from her when she was kicked out of the manor. Jiang Jiaojiao regretted her actions deeply.
If she had continued to pretend to be close friends back then, and had said some nice things to Jiang Shuyue now, Jiang Shuyue would definitely have obediently followed her lead, given her past personality.
Jiang Jiaojiao came to offer incense today, but her real purpose was to find out what Master Huiyuan had told the Wu family.
She saw that Madam Wu followed Master Huiyuan into the meditation room. There were young monks serving outside the meditation room, so she could not get close. She could only leave in a hurry before Madam Wu saw her.
Little did I know that I hadn't checked the almanac before going out today. There was no good news, but I was still scared half to death.
With Caiyan's help, Jiang Jiaojiao hurriedly descended the mountain.
When Qiuju turned around and saw Jiang Jiaojiao leaving in a disheveled state, she said angrily, "If we weren't in a sacred Buddhist place today, I would have given her a good scolding!"
"Don't worry, it's not worth it. Look how flustered she was just now, she'll definitely be restless when she gets back." Jiang Shuyue's lips curled slightly, and she continued walking forward without stopping.
Inside the meditation room, an elderly man in a monk's robe, a slender monk, sat on a futon.
Sitting opposite him was an elderly woman with silver hair; she was none other than Madam Wu.
Madam Wu was dressed in fine clothes and jewels. Although she was old, perhaps because she had lived a successful life and took good care of herself, she looked radiant and did not appear old.
Master Huiyuan glanced at the two birth charts in front of him, clasped his hands together, and uttered professional jargon that was incomprehensible to most.
After hearing this, Madam Wu clasped her hands together and asked fervently, "Please tell me, Master, is this woman's destiny truly auspicious for her husband? Does it clash with my grandson's birth chart?"
The eldest daughter-in-law told her most about how good Jiang Jiaojiao's fate was, how dignified and virtuous she was, and how she was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
The eldest daughter-in-law has a very good character, but she is too soft-hearted and often makes mistakes in managing the household.
Madam Wu did not entirely believe her eldest daughter-in-law's words, so she came to ask Master Huiyuan in person today.
Master Huiyuan twirled his prayer beads. "Amitabha, a monk does not lie. This woman's fate seems good, what a pity..."
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