Qiu Ju was so frightened that she trembled all over.
"Miss, have we been robbed again?"
Jiang Shuyue grabbed Qiuju's hand and said, "Don't be afraid. We're not far from the city gate. It won't be bandits; at most, it'll just be a few petty thieves."
Just as Jiang Shuyue was about to reach for the medicine packet under the small couch, she heard someone talking outside the carriage.
"Great hero, what a coincidence, we've met you again. Don't draw your sword, we mean no harm."
"No malicious intent? Why are you blocking our way?" Cang Yun drew his sword and questioned angrily.
"Please, girl in the carriage, show us the way. We've finally made it to the capital, but the city guards won't let us in."
Hearing the conversation outside, Jiang Shuyue lifted the carriage curtain a crack.
A large group of people were standing on both sides of the official road, holding sickles and wooden sticks. They were the same villagers they had encountered at Jiulianpo.
Jiang Shuyue sighed and rubbed her forehead.
I've seen stupid people, but I've never seen anyone this stupid. They went to the city gate looking like they were about to fight. If the prison cell in the capital hadn't been so small, this group of people would have had a place to eat.
She said through the carriage curtain, "You need to split up and pretend to be people coming into the city to sell vegetables. There are only about two hundred of you stuck together. It's already a favor that the city guards don't arrest you."
The leader cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, young lady. I am only going to the capital to ask for some disaster relief grain and will not disturb the people."
The carriage started moving again, and Qiuju breathed a long sigh of relief. "Miss, my heart is about to stop from being scared by these idiots. Should I take my pulse?"
Qiuju felt palpitations and shortness of breath, her face turning deathly pale.
"puff……"
"Look how scared you are! With Gao Mu and Cang Yun here, what are you afraid of?" Jiang Shuyue couldn't help but laugh out loud when she saw Qiu Ju's appearance.
Gao Mu took over the conversation from outside the carriage, saying, "Miss is right. With Cang Yun and me here, those villains won't be able to harm a single hair on your head."
To reassure Qiuju, Gao Mu added, "Before the young master sent us to Miss, the Dark Guard Camp held a competition, and Cangyun and I won first place."
"real?!"
Qiuju knew that the secret guards' skills were definitely not bad, and those who could win first place were even more so.
"How could it be fake?"
"With your words, I won't be afraid of being robbed again next time." Qiu Ju's face regained its blush.
Jiang Shuyue: "..."
Is this girl even worth keeping? I haven't been hoping for anything good from her.
...
Jiang Jiaojiao rushed back to the manor and went straight to the main courtyard, where she told Madam Yang about meeting Jiang Shuyue.
Startled, Yang plopped down in her armchair, pounding the armrests with a mournful expression. "It's over, it's over! That bitch is incredibly lucky; she actually came back alive!"
Jiang Jiaojiao stamped her foot anxiously, "Mother, this is not a simple matter. She must have powerful backers. It won't be easy to really kill her. Please think of a way!"
"It's all because I didn't think things through. If I had known she was coming back and would ruin your marriage, I should have made her die on the estate without anyone knowing."
There was no hint of malice in Yang's eyes, but her words were incredibly vicious.
She glanced at the hourglass in the room and said to the maid behind her, "Master will be back soon. Quickly, call him over."
The maidservant hurriedly left.
Jiang Jiaojiao said with red eyes, "Mother, that bitch will never believe me again. The only thing we can do now is to have Father call her back so we can discuss this further."
"Oh well, that's all we can do. Once she's back in the manor and you've successfully gotten married, I'll give her a good dressing down."
“Mother is right. Anyway, you have control over her marriage. She’s not a virgin. Just have the matchmaker find her a widower, prepare some dowry, and that’ll be the end of it.”
Jiang Jiaojiao felt incredibly happy when she talked about marrying Jiang Shuyue to a widower.
So what if she's prettier than me? In the end, she'll still be overshadowed by me.
Thinking that she would become a proper official's wife after marrying Young Master Wu, and that Jiang Shuyue, a commoner, would have to bow to her when she saw her, Jiang Jiaojiao couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.
Jiang Zhengming, who had just returned home from his shift, hadn't even had time to change out of his official robes when a maid from Yang's room came over to invite him over.
The maid didn't explain why she invited him over, but he assumed it was because the Wu family had matched the horoscopes and sent a message to prepare for the auspicious betrothal ceremony.
Jiang Zhengming walked lightly and with a beaming smile towards the backyard.
Even when he passed by the garden, he found the flowers on the branches that were about to wither to be extremely beautiful.
If it weren't for the maid following behind him, he would have liked to hum a few tunes he learned from the concubine.
"My dear, has the Wu family sent a message? On which day did they send the betrothal gifts? When they asked for the child's name, Father wasn't home. This time, Father..."
Jiang Zhengming couldn't wait to ask questions before even entering the door. When he reached the door, he was taken aback to see that both Yang and her daughter had gloomy faces.
"What... what's going on here?"
"Father! Your daughter doesn't want to live anymore." Jiang Jiaojiao burst into tears as soon as she said it, and the tears fell down her face as if they were free.
Jiang Zhengming said anxiously, "Jiao'er, please don't cry. What happened? Is it because our horoscopes don't match?"
Madam Yang sobbed, "There are plenty of couples in the capital whose birth dates don't match, yet they still get married. If it were just a matter of incompatible birth dates, I could shamelessly say that I forgot my darling's birth date, but this... sob sob sob..."
Madam Yang thought that if her daughter's engagement was rejected by the Wu family, no other high-ranking family in the capital would dare to propose marriage to her again. The more she thought about it, the more heartbroken she became, and she was devastated.
Seeing his most beloved woman and daughter crying uncontrollably, Jiang Zhengming was in a state of utter confusion.
He pressed urgently, "What happened? Crying won't help!"
Caiyan, with her keen sense of propriety, stepped forward and curtsied, saying softly, "Master, please don't be in a hurry, allow me to explain in detail."
After listening to Caiyan's account, Jiang Zhengming swayed. Caiyan, who was closest to him, quickly caught him.
“Master, please sit down. The Second Miss sincerely invited the Eldest Miss to return to the manor today, but the Eldest Miss not only ignored the Second Miss, but also said that even if the Minister’s manor were beheaded by the Emperor, it would have nothing to do with her.”
"Master, don't you think Miss's words are too vicious? She still has your blood flowing in her veins!" Caiyan's little mouth kept chattering, adding fuel to the fire with her wild and distorted words.
Jiang Zhengming's forehead veins bulged.
"You wretched child! If I had known she hated me so much, I should have had my clansmen throw her into the pond!" Jiang Zhengming was furious.
Yang was born with a foxy look, and when she cried, her face was like a pear blossom in the rain, making her pitiful and lovable. Jiang Zhengming was even more annoyed by his eldest daughter, who was like a persistent ghost.
Seeing that the time was right, Madam Yang raised her hand to wipe away her tears. "Master, please don't say such hurtful things. Although Yue'er is unfilial, she is still your flesh and blood. How can you let her be drowned in the pond by the clan? Those sisters-in-law will insist that I instigated it!"
"Rest assured, Madam, I will never let such a wretched girl set foot in my Minister's residence again!"
Seeing that her father had misunderstood, Jiang Jiaojiao quickly said, "Father, let's not dwell on the mistakes my eldest sister made. She's been wandering outside for several years. Why don't you go and call her back so she doesn't embarrass herself in public!"
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