"Is your mother still alive?" Ling Xiao heard someone ask her.
She covered her face with her sleeve and turned her head slightly away, seemingly not wanting to reveal her disheveled appearance: "Mother... she died protecting me."
Her trembling body seemed to be suppressing her grief. Yan Xun didn't know if he believed her or not, and didn't ask any more questions.
A servant whispered that the Prefect of Jinling was from the Zhao clan, a powerful family, and was indeed quite a womanizer. However, his wife was a princess of the imperial clan, and it was common knowledge that women of the imperial clan in this dynasty were rather fierce…
Yan Xun saw that everything matched up and carefully observed this Miss Zhao. Even in her tattered clothes, he could see that she had a different manners and demeanor than ordinary women.
Alas, Miss Zhao is crying so pitifully. He felt sorry for her. Such a fine daughter of an official, suffering so much because her stepmother wouldn't tolerate her. It's truly pitiful.
So he said, "In that case, young lady, come with me to the governor's mansion."
He instructed the servants to find a carriage for Ling Xiao to ride in.
In the carriage, Ling Xiao, no longer appearing weak and helpless, sat with her legs crossed like a boss.
This governor surnamed Zhao certainly didn't have a mistress.
The Zhao family is the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, and is one of the most prestigious families. Governor Zhao is the third son of the eldest branch of the Zhao family. He is not particularly talented, but he has been friends with the current emperor since childhood.
More importantly, there were no concubines with the surname Zhao in the harem. With the death of the Empress Dowager, the Zhao family had become less close to the royal family.
Hey, what a coincidence!
Here's a golden thigh you've snagged for free.
Ling Xiao closed her eyes to rest, thinking about how to respond in a way that would steer the outcome in the direction she desired.
Bang, bang, bang! The carriage window was knocked on. When the window was opened, it was the servant from before. He looked disgusted and threw in a dress.
"Here, our young master kindly bought this for you. Hurry up and put it on, or you'll smell bad." With that, the man rode away.
He was furious. "What kind of snobbish bastard is this? Even a lackey can be so arrogant!"
Ling Xiao examined the skirt; it was brand new, the fabric was decent but not bad, probably bought from a clothing store. She casually replied:
"She's just a servant of the Duke's heir. Even a seventh-rank official is only in the presence of a prime minister. How could I possibly take a fourth-rank prefect's mistress seriously?"
That's why Zhao Ruyan suffered so much humiliation from these lackeys, both openly and secretly, in the original timeline.
Ling Xiao's hands were itching to do it, but he wasn't in a hurry. Too many people had bullied the original owner of this body, and he could get revenge on them one by one for a long time.
"Host, don't you think Yan Xun is actually a pretty good person?" the system probed. Seeing Ling Xiao looking at him dangerously, the system quickly explained:
“Look, he is so considerate of people he just met, afraid that you might be looked down upon by the people in the governor’s mansion if you are not dressed well.”
Ling Xiao chuckled and said, "A tiny little thing can show his kindness and make me grateful."
Upon arriving at the governor's residence, needless to say, my attire will demonstrate Yan Xun's thoughtfulness and kindness to the governor. After all, how could a woman so destitute that she can't even afford to eat possibly afford such clothing?
The system opened its mouth, but didn't know what to say.
The horses pulling the carriage moved swiftly, and in less than half an hour, the group arrived at the gate of the Jinling Prefectural Governor's Mansion.
Yan Xun got off the carriage and saw that Miss Zhao hadn't come down yet. He guessed that she was afraid, so he considerately sent someone to invite her.
A soft voice came from inside the carriage: "Young Master Yan, my legs are weak, I need someone to help me down."
The servants' expressions changed, wondering if Miss Zhao had ulterior motives and wanted the young master to help her.
Yan Xun had also thought of that, and a wave of disgust washed over him. His voice turned cold as he asked, "Miss Zhao, who would you like to help you up?"
“Of course… he’s a servant by the young master’s side.” The person inside the carriage seemed somewhat surprised that he hadn’t thought of that.
When Yan Xun realized he had guessed wrong, he felt a little embarrassed and waved his hand to let his attendant help her up.
The attendant's face lit up with joy. He strode forward, lifted the curtain, and was about to pull the person away. The governor's daughter—he wondered if her skin was delicate...
Ah! A sharp pain shot through his hand, and the attendant clutched his hand, collapsing to the ground in agony, kicking up a cloud of dust...
"What's going on?" Yan Xun asked in surprise.
Others tried to help the attendant up, but he rolled too fast and they couldn't find a way to help him.
Ling Xiao casually put the box of chili peppers back into her personal space and replied nonchalantly, "Young Master, I don't know why he suddenly acted like this, what happened..."
The attendant felt pain in every part of his hand, as if hundreds of needles were pricking him.
Finally, his eyes rolled back and he fainted from the pain.
Others checked and found no wounds on the hand, but it had inexplicably swelled up.
A group of people who grew up in secluded courtyards had no idea about such a powerful weapon as the spicier caterpillar, so they all said they couldn't find the reason.
Yan Xun felt quite embarrassed and had someone carry him to a clinic to see what illness he had.
Anyone who has been stung by a caterpillar knows that once the venomous hairs of the caterpillar enter the skin, they must be removed with tape or washed with soapy water; otherwise, if you're unlucky, it may fester and swell, or even rot away.
As for whether the ancient medical clinic knew the solution, Ling Xiao could only wish his attendant the worst of luck.
In the short time that has passed, the people from the governor's mansion have already made a move.
Governor Zhao was in his study discussing with his staff how to deal with the refugees in Nanjing. He was very agitated, knowing that he would not receive a good evaluation in the next three years.
Damn it, why are they only heading towards Nanjing? There's money to be made south of Suzhou!
Just then, someone came to report that the heir of the Duke of Dingguo had come to visit.
"What does he want to visit me for?" Governor Zhao was surprised, as the Zhao family and the Yan family had never had any dealings.
The fact that Prince Yan had been in Jinling for many days without ever sending a formal visiting card speaks volumes about their relationship.
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