Chapter 13 Chapter 13 He slowly took off her veil...
When Pan arrived deep into the woods, the criminals had already fled. Yang was holding Jiang Ran and crying loudly. Jiang Ran was curled up like a shrimp. Pan took a quick look and found that most of Jiang Ran's clothes had been torn, and his white skin was covered with red marks, which hurt his eyes.
After this incident, the second wife of the Jiang family’s life is over.
Pan's throat tightened and her brows furrowed. She held banquets in the villa every year, but this was the first time she encountered such a situation. She was the host and could not let other people's girls be defiled for no reason.
Pan Shi didn't bother to comfort Yang Shi and her daughter. She hurried out of the forest and said to the women outside, "I'm so sorry. It's my fault for not taking precautions. A wild beast rushed into the crape myrtle forest and hit you, my lady."
"Everyone, go to the cool terrace in the front yard and have a cup of tea first. After the servants have driven away the wild beasts, I will invite you all inside to enjoy the flowers."
Everyone present was a smart person. The sound of the cloth being torn was still ringing in their ears. When they thought of the sound of Yang rushing into the forest, what was there that they did not understand?
I'm afraid that the Jiang family's second young lady is not taking a nap in the house, but...
It was all her fault for being restless. If she had just been peacefully following her mother to the garden, such a thing wouldn't have happened.
Everyone looked at each other, and finally cast their eyes on Jiang Shu, comforting her sympathetically: "Madam, we are reasonable people. We have just seen that Mrs. Jiang has not treated you with the tolerance and tenderness that a mother should have.
No matter what happens, we will never link you to Mrs. Jiang or Miss Jiang. Just put your mind at ease."
Sisters in a family are all of the same blood. If one of them loses her chastity, the others will also look down on the other sisters. The women spoke tactfully, but they were telling Jiang Shu that they would not look down on her because of what happened in the crape myrtle forest.
Everything was as Jiang Shu expected. She was happy in her heart, but she looked worried. "I don't know how my second sister is doing now. After something like this happened, how will she live in the future... Oh, how will she live in the future?"
After she finished speaking, the others offered their comfort. Mrs. Situ patted her shoulder and said softly, "Good girl, we all know you have a kind heart. Go see your sister soon. After all, we are family. If you go too late, I'm afraid your stepmother will blame you again."
Jiang Shu nodded, but seemed a little worried. She hesitated for a while, turned around, and respectfully saluted everyone, and said, "It was my second sister who had bad luck today. She was attacked by wild beasts. I hope the elders can clear her name.
As long as her reputation remains intact, I will repay you all with a generous gesture in the future."
She spoke with such sincerity that everyone could not help but sigh again: "The Crown Prince's wife is kind-hearted. Not only does she not hold grudges against her stepmother and sisters, she also repays evil with kindness. It is not an exaggeration to say that she is noble and virtuous.
It's no wonder she was able to marry into the Xinyang Marquisate. God is watching over us, and even Heaven favors those with virtue."
Jiang Shu shook her head repeatedly: "Sister Ran and I are sisters, blood is thicker than water, I should take care of her."
Talking too much would be too much, so Jiang Shu said no more, acted anxiously, and hurried into the crape myrtle forest.
Pan had her maid lead the guests to the front yard, then called the guards and ordered in a low voice, "Quickly surround the garden. Don't let even a fly out."
This scandal happened in her family's villa, and she must catch the criminals.
After giving instructions to the guards, Pan called for a sedan chair and asked the maid to carry it into the forest.
Pan and Jiang Shu entered the crape myrtle forest one after another. At this time, Yang had stopped crying and was covering Jiang Ran with her coat. Jiang Ran was sitting on the ground, hugging his knees with his hands, his eyes dull, and he looked dazed, as if he had lost his mind.
Such a good girl, but now she looks like this, she will never have a good future.
Pan looked at the maids at the side and whispered, "Hurry up and lift Second Sister Jiang onto the sedan chair and take her to the bedroom in the backyard."
The old woman was used to rough labor and had great strength. She easily carried Jiang Ran to the sedan chair by herself. Yang followed closely behind her and got on the sedan chair. She sat next to Jiang Ran, hugged him tightly, and covered his face with her clothes.
The old woman carried the two of them slowly out of the forest. When they were almost at the exit, Jiang Ran, who had been silent all this time, suddenly broke free from Yang's arms. She stared straight at Pan, her eyes emitting a bright and frightening light: "Madam, I am still a virgin, still a virgin. You must clear my name for me!"
"Those thieves did tear my clothes, but before they could do anything, before they could... you came. I wasn't raped. I, I..."
The more she spoke, the softer her voice became. Gradually, her throat seemed to be torn apart and she could no longer make a sound, only painful sobs.
Pan sighed helplessly. After such an experience, who would care whether Jiang Ran was virgin or not.
When your reputation is ruined, your luck is ruined too.
Jiang Ran could never turn over again.
As a woman herself, Pan didn't want to extinguish Jiang Ran's last hope. She raised her hand, placed it on the edge of the sedan chair, and cupped Jiang Ran's hand in her palm. She said softly, "I'll take care of it for you. I'll definitely bring those thieves to justice."
Jiang Ran did not understand the meaning of Pan's words. She nodded as if she had met a savior, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
When the sedan chair reached the inner courtyard, Jiang Ran seemed to remember something and turned her head to look at Jiang Shu. Like a nimble cheetah, she jumped off the sedan chair with endless hatred and threw Jiang Shu to the ground.
A sharp pain came from under her body, and Jiang Shu felt as if her body had been run over by a wheel. She instinctively wanted to sit up, but Jiang Ran grabbed her collar and pushed her down.
Jiang Ran sat down between Jiang Shu's waist and abdomen, raised her arms, and slapped Jiang Shu twice. She used all her strength, and Jiang Shu's fair cheeks immediately swelled up.
Jiang Ran's actions were too sudden. It took Pan a few seconds to react before she could focus and call out, "Someone, the Jiang family's second daughter has gone berserk. Tie her up quickly so no more innocent people can be harmed."
The manpower in the villa was not as abundant as that in the mansion. Upon hearing this, the maids carrying the sedan chair quickly put the sedan chair to the ground, grabbed Jiang Ran's arms and tied her up.
Even though she was tied up, Jiang Ran kept talking. She shouted, "It was Jiang Shu! It was that bitch Jiang Shu who set me up. Madam Pan, please let me go quickly! I'm going to beat that bitch Jiang Shu to death."
Seeing Jiang Ran's bloodshot eyes, the pity that had risen in Pan's heart disappeared.
She looked at Jiang Ran and lowered her voice, "Second Miss, please keep your voice down. The front yard is full of people. Do you want to make a big fuss before you stop?"
"I know you feel wronged, but you can't throw all the dirty water on the Crown Prince's wife."
Yang was eager to protect her daughter. While Pan was talking, she rushed to Jiang Ran's side and untied her. She said to Pan, "Why did you tie up Sister Ran for no reason? Those who know said that you didn't keep an eye on the yard, which gave the criminals an opportunity to take advantage of it. You have brought my sister Ran into disrepute.
If someone didn't know, seeing the ropes tied around Sister Ran'er, they would think she had committed some serious crime."
What do you mean by "perfectly okay"? Yang almost made Pan laugh. She pointed at the palm print on Jiang Shu's face and said unhappily, "It's bad enough that your daughter took her anger out on the Crown Prince's wife, but she even nearly cut her face. Such a cruel act is actually fine in the eyes of Mrs. Jiang. I've really broadened my horizons today."
The position of the governor was much higher than Jiang Wenhuan's. Pan had not argued with Yang before for Jiang Shu's sake. Now that Jiang Shu had been beaten, she naturally had no need to worry about it anymore.
Yang was speechless. She no longer paid attention to Pan and just silently untied Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran squinted at Jiang Shu with hatred, then turned to Pan and said, "Madam, you've probably been deceived by that bitch Jiang Shu. She appears kind on the outside, but she's more vicious than a snake or scorpion."
After she finished speaking, she no longer cared about her shame and told everything that happened at noon and her thoughts on marrying Lu Changji.
Pan stared at Jiang Ran in shock. It was true that one cannot judge a book by its cover. Although Jiang Ran was pretty, she was not stunningly beautiful. With her family background and status, how could she dare to covet Lu Changji?
Pan Shi couldn't bring herself to say these harsh words, so she just stuck to the facts. "One should speak with facts and solid evidence. How can Second Miss be so sure that the servant who summoned you was ordered by the Crown Prince's wife? Second Miss's reputation is very important, and the Crown Prince's wife's reputation cannot be tarnished. Second Miss, you must not jump to conclusions before the criminal is caught."
Pan's question hit the nail on the head. Not to mention Jiang Ran, even the experienced Yang couldn't answer her question.
Although Yang was certain that it was Jiang Shu who was behind the incident, she had no evidence and had to keep her words to herself.
She said to Pan, "Madam, please get my daughter a change of clothes. The truth will eventually come out. Right now, the most important thing is to take good care of my daughter."
Pan did not comment, but asked the servants to fill the bathtub in the house with hot water, and then got a new set of clothes for Jiang Ran.
She was a considerate person. She made thorough arrangements for Jiang Ran and then took care of Jiang Shu. "The Crown Prince's wife has suffered an unexpected disaster. Your family is not yours to rely on, but fortunately you married into a wealthy family, which means you can finally turn your misfortune into good fortune."
At this point, she sighed and said, "Your face is horribly swollen. Why not apply some ice wrapped in a towel to it?"
Jiang Shu waved her hands. After a whole day of noise and commotion, she just wanted some peace and quiet, to get away from the trouble as soon as possible. "Madam, could you lend me a veil? I can't face people like this."
Pan Shi thought she was negligent and hurriedly asked someone to get Jiang Shu a veil hat. Jiang Shu put on the hat and said goodbye to Pan Shi gently: "The prince is not feeling well. I have to go back early to take care of him. I am sorry to trouble you today."
Thinking of Jiang Shu's face, Pan felt embarrassed to keep her, so she exchanged a few more words with Jiang Shu and then went into the house to check on Jiang Ran's condition.
The backyard was quiet, but the front yard was already abuzz with activity. The people on the terrace were talking about something.
"That girl just now looked strange. I haven't seen her before."
"That's the second daughter of the Jiang family. Her father is only a seventh-rank county lieutenant. In the past, he wouldn't have been eligible to attend the banquet at the Governor's wife's house. But now that the eldest daughter of the Jiang family has married into the Xinyang Marquis's mansion, her status has risen, and the whole family is here to attend the banquet."
"It's true that wild boars can't handle fine bran. Madam Jiang probably wanted her little girl to broaden her horizons, but she never imagined something like this would happen."
"Isn't it? I don't know if Miss Jiang Er is married or not. If she isn't engaged, she will probably have to stay at home and be an old maid in the future.
After something like this happened, how could she have the face to go out? Naturally, no one from a respectable family would dare to marry her. If she were really married, the door would be covered with spit.”
The more people spoke, the more unpleasant it became. Jiang Ran's reputation was completely ruined. Jiang Shu achieved her goal, but she was not as happy as she had expected. Instead, she felt a little disappointed.
If a man had such an experience, he would only be laughed at and people would say it was just a young man's romantic affair and the matter would be over. But if a woman had such an experience, she would be labeled as shameful.
It is so much harder for women to live in this world than for men.
Jiang Shu did not talk to the women. She walked along the fence to the gate and returned to the Xinyang Marquis Mansion.
The setting sun shone obliquely into the high walls, giving the objects in the courtyard a golden hue and making people's shadows thin and long.
Jiang Shu reached the Chuihua Gate and spotted Lu Changji feeding fish by the lakeside beside it from a distance. Lu Changji was too sharp, his dark eyes seemingly able to see through people at a glance. Jiang Shu didn't want to deal with him unless it was absolutely necessary.
She lowered her head, pretending not to see Lu Changji, and walked quickly towards the inner courtyard. Just as she reached the porch, she heard Lu Changji say, "Sister-in-law, please stay!"
Jiang Shu paused where she was. She sighed silently, walked slowly to Lu Changji's side, and bowed to him, "How are you, uncle?"
Lu Changji nodded, threw the remaining fish food in his hand into the water, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, pinched the edge of the veil, and slowly took off the veil on Jiang Shu's head.
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