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Jiang Yan sighed inwardly and said, "We originally went to visit relatives, but we hadn't been there for many years and our relatives were no longer there. We got lost on our way back and ended up here by chance. Thank you for saving us, elder sister." As she spoke, Huang Ying helped her to bow to her elder sister.
The older sister quickly replied, "No need to thank me. But what are your plans next? If you're not in a hurry, why don't you stay here and recover before you continue your journey?"
Jiang Yan felt a surge of warmth in her heart and quickly thanked her, "Thank you so much, elder sister."
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying settled down. Not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble for their eldest sister's family, they did whatever they could after they were able to work in the fields.
On that day, the weather was fine and sunny, and the temperature was a bit higher than before. The eldest sister took her son to the market, and Jiang Yan and Huang Ying went along as well.
It was supposed to be a market day, but because it was a remote town, there weren't any unusual items on the market; they were all ordinary daily necessities. However, there were a lot of people, and everyone seemed very happy.
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying were caught up in their emotions and became cheerful as well.
The two women followed behind their elder sister. Huang Ying held the elder sister's son's hand, while Jiang Yan carried some of the things her elder sister had bought. They chatted and laughed as they walked from one stall to another.
As Jiang Yan passed by a rather stylish fabric store, she noticed a large crowd gathered at its entrance, so she curiously went to take a look.
She was terrified when she saw it, so much so that she didn't dare to breathe. She quickly lowered her head and followed Huang Ying.
Huang Ying noticed her unusual behavior and seized the opportunity to ask in a low voice, "What's wrong, Master?"
Jiang Yan used what she was carrying to block her eyes, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "There are portraits! There are portraits of the two of us!"
Huang Ying immediately turned pale with fright: "What... what's going on?"
"I don't know! The portrait looks newly posted. I don't know if it was Chen Run's idea or someone else's."
"What should we do? Should we run away right away?"
Jiang Yan didn't know what to do next either. After thinking hard for a while, she said, "Let's find out first." After saying that, the eldest sister's son forcefully broke free from Huang Ying's right hand and ran towards his mother.
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying were afraid the child would get lost, so they hurriedly chased after him. Before they could catch up, the child was already in his mother's arms.
Just as Jiang Yan and Huang Ying breathed a sigh of relief, they heard a mysterious old man's voice beside them: "Is there any need to say anything? They're obviously master and maid! This must be the person the new king has been looking for!"
"She's just an ordinary woman, is it really necessary to search for her for so long?"
"That's not right! As the saying goes, 'one man's meat is another man's poison.' You're not the king, how could you possibly know what the king likes? Don't talk nonsense!"
"But sir, do you think our analysis was correct? Is this king 'that' person?"
The old man slowly sipped his tea, glanced at the young man, and said, "I don't know. We're far from the capital, how would we know about this? Don't listen to people's nonsense!"
"That's what a passing merchant said. He said he came from the capital and that the news had spread throughout the capital, so how could it be false?"
The old man was reluctant to discuss the matter and, not wanting to sit any longer, stood up.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Yan quickly pulled Huang Ying towards the direction her older sister was heading.
Jiang Yan didn't understand what the old man and the young man were talking about, nor did she intend to delve into it. In any case, she had no desire to return to the capital and didn't care about anything happening there.
As we walked back with my older sister, she suddenly said, "Hey, tell me, we're both women, why are our fates so different? It's so frustrating!"
Jiang Yan guessed that his elder sister must have been traumatized, and said with a smile, "Elder sister, you have a very happy life! Your elder brother takes good care of you, never letting you do any heavy or tiring work, and always trying to create surprises for you. This has already made countless women envious!"
Upon hearing this, the eldest sister smiled shyly and said, "That's true. Your older brother is very good to me and very good to Mingming. He is indeed a good father and a good husband. I really have nothing to be upset about!"
But then she added, "Women, they all love to dream! They all want to be liked by capable men! Hahaha, now that you mention it, it seems like you're shameless! Haha!"
My older sister is a straightforward person; she speaks her mind directly.
Jiang Yan didn't think there was anything wrong with this. She used to fantasize that the most handsome man in the world couldn't be anyone but her!
But ultimately, everyone knows that dreams are dreams, and reality is reality.
Jiang Yan asked, "Big sister, from what you're saying, does it mean your sister has a story?"
Jiang Yan was just curious and wanted to pass the time, but she didn't expect that this question would end up on her.
“My sisters are just like me, they married farmers from the same village at a young age. How could they possibly meet a capable man? I only heard about this at the market just now.”
At the market? Jiang Yan had a vague feeling that this matter seemed to have something to do with her, but then she thought again, no way, it can't be such a coincidence, right?
The eldest sister continued, "I wonder if either of you sisters has heard of 'Prince Duan,' who is none other than the Great General Shangguan Zeyu..."
How did this get involved with Shangguan Zeyu?
Jiang Yan was puzzled and exchanged a knowing glance with Huang Ying.
The eldest sister continued, "...He really is a great philanthropist. Even the heavens protected him, allowing him to escape danger and regain power. But do you two sisters believe it? Such a powerful man is devoted to only one woman, I heard she's his concubine, named Ruyi. Yes, Ruyi. I've forgotten her surname, but Ruyi is an easy name to remember, and it's auspicious."
When did Shangguan Zeyu start liking only her? Are people misunderstanding him, or are the rumors romanticizing him?
He is actually a very lustful person!
He has seven or eight women!
"Elder sister, these are all rumors, don't take them seriously! Think about it, how could someone as capable as him, who survived the emperor's clutches and could intimidate everyone, possibly fall in love with a woman? No one would believe it!"
"Yeah! I'm curious too! Men are all fickle, always thinking about one another while holding another's hand. They always crave something new, so how can they be so focused? Take eating, for example. Even the best food gets boring after a while, let alone when you like someone."
"However, I'm just curious, how come the concubine wanted to run away when she was living a life of luxury and endless riches with him? And why couldn't she be found hiding there?"
Jiang Yan couldn't help but smile wryly: "I guess she can't adapt to life in a grand mansion! It's all about scheming and backstabbing every day, and you can't do anything freely. She probably doesn't like it."
"Who knows? We're just farmers, ordinary people. We can't imagine that kind of life."
They talked about other things on the way back, and then quickly returned.
After dinner, Jiang Yan and Huang Ying finished helping their older sister with her chores and went to their room early in the morning.
Jiang Yan was preoccupied, and Huang Ying was also anxious.
Huang Ying: "My lady, could it be that the prince has been looking for you?"
Jiang Yan, lost in her thoughts, said, "It does sound like that, but why is he looking for me? Is it to settle scores because I abandoned him and ran away for my life?"
Huang Ying's face turned extremely pale: "If it's really because of this, then Master, we're probably doomed!"
"This Shangguan Zeyu, he clearly wants my life, yet he tells the world how much he can't bear to part with me, how deeply he's in love with me! Not a single word he says is true!!"
"Master, what should we do next? Staying here indefinitely is not a good idea."
This place is definitely not safe to stay in. That older sister didn't see their portraits today. If she had, they would probably have been caught by now!
Jiang Yan made a decision: they would leave early tomorrow morning before her eldest sister's family got up, and as for where to go, they would see how things went.
Jiang Yan left her eldest sister a gold hairpin, the same one that Huang Ying had cleverly taken when they fled from the Chen residence. It was a way of thanking her eldest sister for saving her life.
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying didn't dare take the main road, but instead followed the small path worn smooth by passersby. Having no sense of direction, they walked in the direction the sun was rising, resting when tired, drinking water from the river when thirsty, and snacking on fruit they had secretly picked from farmers along the way when hungry. In this way, the day passed.
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