According to residents of Yong'an Lane, they heard various screams, shouts, and roars that night, as well as a woman's crying, as if two women were pulling each other's hair.
Only the siblings living in the second courtyard knew that it wasn't hair-pulling, but rather the plump mistress being unilaterally beaten.
The ones who took action were not the daughters of noble families, but rather the maids and servants who accompanied them.
Even the one who jumped off the carriage and got angry was just a head maid.
The true lady of a noble family remained seated in the carriage the entire time, without uttering a sound.
At the end of Yong'an Lane, five heads were stuck out on the high wall, staring intently at the commotion at the alley entrance.
Everyone says Fengjing is prosperous and its natives are noble, but I never expected them to be so fierce when they fight, no different from the old lady at the entrance of Shili Pu Village.
A long time passed.
Jiang Sheng turned her head in surprise. "Fifth Brother said that the Fengjing family loves to scheme and fight, but it seems that we accomplished the task without much effort."
Zheng Ruqian and Wen Zhiyun, who were standing to the side, both nodded in agreement.
They were all prepared for a big battle, but Gao Yan took care of everything. Seeing Zhu Zhi and his mistress being beaten and running away in fear, the marriage was bound to fall through.
Where is the scheming and intrigue, the complex plots and complexities, the hardships and obstacles we were promised?
The task was completed so easily that the siblings felt a sense of unreality.
Chang Yan chuckled, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, "The only family I've ever been wary of is the Zhu family, not Zhu Zhi."
A man who conceals his past and seeks to marry a lady from a prestigious family, yet still keeps a mistress and even fathers a son out of wedlock, poses no threat to Chang Yan.
Finding a servant to set up the scheme wasn't difficult; the real challenge was that the Zhu family would investigate and insist on finding the servant, then follow the clues to discover the siblings.
"The power of aristocratic families is beyond your imagination," Chang Yan sighed softly.
As the commotion at the alley entrance drew to a close, Zhu Zhi and his mistress were knocked down and unable to move, lying on the ground in a sorry state.
Chang Yan jumped down from the rock and looked up at Jiang Sheng, "Have you prepared the things for Third Brother? Gao Yan can leave now."
The Zhu family is very powerful, but Gao Yan has an unremarkable face that no one can remember, which greatly increases the difficulty of finding him.
Just in case, Changyan also arranged for him to go to the northern frontier to deliver some things to Fang Heng, while avoiding the investigation of the Zhu family in Fengjing.
Jiang Sheng's eyes lit up when this was mentioned.
She tried to jump off the rock like Chang Yan, but lost her balance and landed on her bottom.
The brothers, still on the rock, were all horrified, but the little girl didn't care at all and continued to say excitedly, "The northern frontier is far away, so I prepared some pastries that don't take much water and keep well for my third brother, as well as sausages, cured meat and cured fish, a new padded jacket made by my aunt, and new cloth shoes, trinkets I bought on my way through Huizhou County, and... what else is there?"
She sat on the ground, deep in thought, afraid of missing anything.
Xu Mo jumped down from the rock with a stern face, helped his sister up with both hands, brushed the dust off her bottom, and then looked at Chang Yan, "Don't do such dangerous things again."
Long banquet, "..."
You all jumped down like that too!
But considering that he was the one who started it, and Jiang Sheng liked to follow suit, he chose to obediently bow his head.
Wen Zhiyun leaned closer, wanting to comfort his only younger brother like an older brother would, but unfortunately he was tongue-tied and could only manage to say, "From now on, your fourth brother will dance for you."
...
The journey to northern Xinjiang is long and arduous, taking at least two months round trip.
Considering that Gao Yan did not know Fang Heng, Chang Yan arranged for Jiang San to go over as well.
Jiang San jumped and shouted excitedly at this, and even boasted to Jiang Si, who had a bitter face, "I'm going to see the young master."
In contrast, Gao Yan's face was filled with confusion, clearly fearing the unknown journey ahead.
Gao Dawang remained calm, holding the two taels of silver in his hand, and said, "Little brother, you did all of this by yourself, and these two taels of silver are all yours. I'm not after your money, but you must come back safely. If anything happens, listen to the brother next to you, understand?"
Gao Yan nodded timidly and put the money into his pocket.
Soon the carriage was brought to the door, and Jiang Sheng put all her effort into putting things inside. If it weren't for the need to lie down for someone, she could have filled the entire carriage.
"New clothes, new shoes, food, drinks, and trinkets..." She counted on her fingers, then suddenly blurted out, "Can we bring Jiang Sheng along too?"
She hadn't seen her third brother for more than half a year, and she was eager to know if he had grown taller, if he had any new wounds, if he was still practicing martial arts hard, and if he was eating well.
It's just a two-month trip. Jiang San can do it, Gao Yan can do it, and so can she.
The little girl's eyes shone with anticipation; the more she thought about it, the more excited she became.
Xu Mo sighed beside him, and after a moment's consideration, asked, "Then are you willing to separate from us?"
Going to the northern frontier is certainly an option, but what about the four older brothers in Fengjing?
Jiang Sheng's hopes came to an abrupt end.
She not only had brothers, but also workshops, businesses, and the Zhu family to be wary of, and she also had to accompany her eldest brother to the provincial and imperial examinations.
She missed her third brother very much, but she couldn't let her other brothers be sad or worry about her.
The little girl looked up, smiled, and urged, "When you see Third Brother, be sure to tell him that we all miss him very much."
Jiang Sanzheng nodded.
Only those who came from Xieyang County know how close the siblings are and how they've come this far.
"Alright, you can go now." Jiang Sheng released her hands from the carriage shaft.
Gao Yan and Jiang San tightened the reins and whipped their horses northward.
The carriage grew smaller and smaller in sight until it became a black dot and then disappeared.
Jiang Sheng still had a smile on her face, her eyes wide open, looking north.
Only when Xu Mo gently hugged her did the little girl cling to her older brother's narrow waist, her nose stinging and her throat dry.
Will our third brother know that we're thinking of him?
Yes, it will.
The next day.
The news of Zhu Zhi and his mistress being brutally beaten spread throughout Fengjing, and the family of the noble lady directly demanded the return of the betrothal letter and declared the marriage annulled.
Enraged, the Zhu family, while desperately suppressing the rumors, began investigating the mastermind behind them.
The investigation quickly led to a servant boy from the Zhu family. In order to find this boy, all the men in the Zhu family were brought out and identified by the gatekeeper, a young lady from a prominent family.
Once we find that person, we can uncover the truth and catch the real culprit.
But this person was not found among the servants.
Undeterred, the Zhu family expanded their search area, starting with the east of the city, then the west, and even the outskirts of the city, leaving no stone unturned. They practically dug up the ground.
Even Xu Mo, who lived in the second courtyard, was identified by knocking on the door because he was close in age to the servant.
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