"It must be him causing trouble again, day after day."
“Mother, is this how you see your son? If you keep this up, I’m going to run away from home right now.” Chen Shiyu stood behind them, seething with anger.
Jiang Wei recounted the events of the day to Madam Yu.
Madam Yu laughed heartily, "It's good that the engagement is annulled, it's good that the engagement is annulled."
Yu wanted nothing more than to beat drums and gongs and celebrate.
"We'll celebrate by having dinner here tonight, Wei'er." She looked at Chen Shiyu with a kind smile, in an extremely good mood, full of a mother's loving care for her child. "What would you like to eat for dinner, Yu'er? I'll have the kitchen prepare it."
"Hmph... My son has already eaten." Chen Shiyu shook his folding fan, turned around angrily, and left.
He had just turned around when he had a triumphant smile on his face. Luckily, he hadn't gotten a beating.
My cousin has really grown up; she's reliable now.
Madam Yu kept Jiang Wei company for a while longer before smilingly seeing her off, and finally placing a purse in her hand.
She touched the inside and found it was full of banknotes; her aunt was worried that she wouldn't have any money to spend!
She couldn't refuse, so she gently put the purse in her arms. Her maternal grandparents had treated her very well. She got into the carriage and went home.
………………
Inside the Marquis of Chang'an's residence, a young eunuch was reading aloud from a booklet, item by item.
Every time a servant from the Marquis's mansion brought an item, the eunuch would cross it off. A group of people went in and out, carrying various things.
A large crowd had gathered at the entrance of the Marquis of Chang'an's residence, and people were talking amongst themselves.
"Was the Marquis of Chang'an's residence raided?"
"I don't think so. It doesn't seem like these people would be the ones raiding the house."
"I never expected that such a dilapidated marquis could find so many good things," someone remarked.
A disdainful "tsk" rang out from the side, "How could a dilapidated noble family have such things?"
Don't you know? After the heir of the Marquis of Chang'an got engaged to Miss Jiang of the Jiang family, Miss Jiang would send things over from time to time.
The shopkeepers outside all know this.
The crowd looked on with suspicion, not quite believing her words.
"How could that be? Is Miss Jiang stupid? Giving away so many nice things before even getting married." Some people expressed disbelief.
"What if someone tries to coax her?" the woman added.
"You don't believe me?" She beckoned to the people around her, and they all gathered around her. "One of my cousins works as a maid in a wealthy family. Once, when she went to buy jewelry, she overheard the young lady from the Marquis's mansion, who is also the sister-in-law of Miss Jiang, asking Miss Jiang to give her a complete set of the latest jewelry."
She even mentioned wanting to buy her a sandalwood dressing table made of rosewood. Considering that a legitimate daughter of a noble family would need Miss Jiang to buy her a dressing table, it's not surprising she buys such things.
Everyone suddenly realized and raised their heads, nodding in understanding.
Someone else asked, "I heard that Miss Jiang is just the daughter of a sixth-rank official? Where did she get so much money?"
"You wouldn't know this, would you!" The man said knowingly, and the others huddled together again. "This Miss Jiang's father is indeed only a sixth-rank official, and his salary certainly wouldn't be enough to buy these things."
But this Miss Jiang's maternal grandfather's family is the richest in the world; they have plenty of silver. Think about it, otherwise, why would a noble family like theirs marry the daughter of a sixth-rank official as their mistress?
Everyone nodded again, "So this Marquis's mansion is also a rival."
Ever since they coaxed Jiang Wei and added many nice things to the Marquis's mansion, they no longer cared about the old and worn-out items.
Those old things were thrown away, and now that Jiang Wei's things have been moved away, the Marquis's mansion is left with only four walls, standing desolate in the wind.
The old lady of the Marquis of Chang'an sat on the only chair, her hands trembling with anger. All those precious tonics, those medicines that could prolong her life! The old lady of the Marquis of Chang'an tried to soothe her, her eyes filled with hatred.
Song Fangfang walked around the empty room. All the expensive furniture was gone. She jumped up and down and screamed.
Song Tingxuan's face turned pale and then red. Why was he so unlucky lately? He had not only lost the deputy commander position he had secured, but he had also lost his captain position.
I was stuffed into a sack and beaten up again last night...
Jiang Wei returned to Breeze Courtyard, and Dewdrop happily came over. "Miss is back. Princess Shen just sent an invitation to invite you to her plum blossom appreciation banquet."
Sister Chen Hui also sent a letter. "Dewdrop handed the invitation and letter to Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei opened the invitation, glanced at it, and put it aside. She then took the letter that Chen Hui had brought back.
Jiang Wei's heart trembled as she read the letter Chen Hui sent back. She knew her brother wasn't doing well, but she didn't know he was doing this badly.
He was given only half a bowl of watery porridge a day, and no other food. In such cold weather, he was made to live in the cowshed, sleep in the haystack, and wear tattered, thin cotton clothes that barely covered his body.
In such cold weather, they still made him herd cattle, where he was not only hungry but also beaten.
No wonder he didn't survive this winter in his previous life and died in this winter.
Jiang Wei's heart was throbbing with pain, as if it were about to burst, but thankfully the engagement had already been called off.
"Dewdrop, get your things ready. We'll leave the city first thing tomorrow morning." Jiang Wei couldn't wait to see her younger brother, whom she hadn't met yet.
We can't let him suffer anymore.
The next morning, before the sun rose, the sky was overcast and Kyoto was shrouded in a cold wind.
Jiang Wei, carrying dewdrops, left the city, and the carriage headed towards Qingnan.
After a day's journey, the carriage finally arrived at Qingnan City. Neither Jiang Wei nor her servant had ever traveled far from home.
Adding to the discomfort, the carriage had been traveling at a high speed that day, making both master and servant feel unwell.
Lian Sang suggested that Jiang Wei and the others find an inn in Qingnan City to rest, and she went to check it out first according to the address given by Chen Hui.
Jiang Wei didn't want to wait for her. Just thinking about the little girl being tortured, beaten, and humiliated was unbearable for her.
She insisted on going with Lian Sang, compared to the suffering her brother had endured.
What's a little discomfort like hers?
She had already missed one opportunity; this time, she was determined to take good care of her younger brother and prevent anyone from hurting him.
Jiang Wei and her companions rested briefly in Qingnan City, fed the horses some hay, and then headed back to the manor.
After leaving Gyeongnam Castle, it was already dark, and the carriage slowed down.
Jiang Wei was looking forward to seeing her younger brother, and her anxiety made the journey seem longer.
Jiang Wei nervously clasped her hands together, closed her eyes to rest, and quietly listened to the roars of wild beasts and the calls of birds outside.
The carriage passed through a grove of trees, where there were no birds or animals to be heard. The silence on both sides of the road was eerily quiet, which made Lian Sang alert.
Jiang Wei opened her eyes and exchanged a glance with Lian Sang; both of them understood each other.
Lian Sang quietly got up and climbed out of the carriage.
Such quietness suggests that there are people in the woods, and quite a few at that.
Lian Sang calmly sat down outside the carriage, took the reins from the driver, and told him not to speak.
Lu Zhu woke up groggily and was about to ask where Lian Sang had gone when Jiang Wei stopped her with a look.
Dewdrop shut her mouth, noticing that Jiang's eyes were somewhat dark, and involuntarily moved closer to Jiang Wei.
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