Chapter 69 An Eye for an Eye
A single, casual remark caused the pearl to tremble slightly.
"It...it fell over?" Baozhu was stunned.
Yu An remained calm and said, "Yes, it's fallen over."
Seeing that Baozhu remained motionless for a long time, she asked again, "You can't bear to part with it?"
Baozhu: ...
Yu An put down the embroidery stand. "Are you going to listen to me, or to him?"
"Of course I'll listen to what you say, young lady."
She was just a little reluctant to throw away the food; it was such a waste.
"Then hurry up and pour it out, the smell is making me dizzy."
Once those harsh words were uttered, the person in front of her seemed completely unfamiliar; Baozhu had never seen Yu'an speak like that before.
But she understood. She had personally witnessed the girl's homemade food being fed to the dogs. Now, at most, it was their own fault, and they were in the right.
Baozhu steeled her heart and immediately took the food down. She knew that Ji Jinghe was standing somewhere watching, and despite feeling guilty, she still poured the food into the filth bucket.
In that instant, my heart was completely at peace...
Standing in front of the stove, she calmed herself down, then stepped into the doorway, where the figure hiding in the shadows had vanished.
Ji Jinghe was not nearby; he had already returned to the house.
The first figure that came into view remained unchanged. Seeing her normal expression and movements, his chest tightened again, making him forget to breathe.
"Don't look at me, sir. You treated me the same way before. I'm just retaliating in kind."
silence.
Ji Jinghe took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and although he had a thousand words to say, his throat felt dry and he couldn't speak.
He reaped what he sowed.
His retribution.
He lowered his head and glanced at the table. "I didn't promise my uncle anything, and I don't intend to listen to him."
"My mother said you came to see me that day, I should have known..."
He was about to speak in detail when he heard a noise above him, so he had to swallow his words back down.
At this moment, Yu An looked up and said, "I don't want anything. I just want to know, since we chose to trust each other in the first place, why didn't you tell me the truth and explain it to me in detail, instead of just telling me the result?"
"You said you would respect me, or are you going to remain silent like before, thinking there's no need to tell me anything?"
Ji Jinghe gently shook his head, in a way that was almost imperceptible to others.
His eyes seemed to hold a wealth of emotions, yet he remained silent.
"I need to go out for a few days. Take good care of yourself."
Since their last gathering and meal, Yu An's relationship with the Shen family has plummeted. She doesn't want to deal with it anymore, and when Shen Qinyue comes to see her again, she politely declines. Her daily life consists of taking care of Shen Qiulan, and when there's nothing else to do, she stays in her room.
When Shen Qiulan asked her about her relationship with Ji Jinghe, adhering to the principle of providing more explanations the more she talked, she simply said yes.
"You're talking nonsense again, child. Did Jinghe bully you again?"
Baozhu muttered to herself, "He's bullied my girl so much..."
Shen Qiulan: ...
Yu An stirred the medicine in the bowl and said calmly, "Don't listen to her nonsense, we just exchanged a few words."
These days, after taking her medicine and eating on time, Shen Qiulan's complexion has mostly recovered, and she even has the strength to sit upright on the edge of the bed.
"Don't keep your anger inside. Just say what you have to say. Jinghe is a quiet person. If you are like that, even a god can't make you two be together."
“Jinghe owes you too much. If you just tell him, he will definitely do something. I watched this child grow up. He is not a heartless person. On the contrary, he is loyal and righteous. That’s why he seems indifferent. He keeps many things to himself.”
"He will only speak when he is pushed to the limit. Just like before, he came to me about your matter and even threatened me, telling me not to make things difficult for you. If you don't believe me, you can ask Granny Cao."
Yu An raised her eyelids and glanced sheepishly at Granny Cao, suppressing her surprise, and handed the dried medicine to Shen Qiulan.
Yesterday's scene flashed before her eyes, and Yu'an seemed to see those deep, dark eyes again...
"We're already divorced, so there's no need to care about these things anymore..."
"You don't care, yet you call me mother-in-law? You don't care, yet you've come to take care of me for over ten days? Even my own family doesn't visit me, but you come to see me?"
Yu-An: "I don't want people talking behind my back, that's all."
Shen Qiulan was taken aback. "Fine, so you're saying all of this is for your own sake? What about your feelings for Jinghe before? Have they all disappeared?"
Yu An shook her head: "It's gone."
Shen Qiulan: ...
“My relationship with Ji Jinghe is complicated, and even I can’t explain it clearly. My taking care of you may be partly due to Ji Shu. You are her mother, and if she saw you so sick, she would definitely be heartbroken.”
Yu An tucked the blanket around her feet and said, "Just take care of yourself and don't worry about us."
Shen Qiulan was speechless, unable to offer any words of advice.
She is partly to blame for this situation, but it seems there's no chance to make amends now.
Ji Jinghe has been gone for ten days without a word.
Shen Qiulan's illness had greatly improved, and she should have waited for Ji Jinghe to return, but she insisted on leaving early. Yu An had no reason to stay, so she set off as well.
The carriage traveled slowly, and they only passed through two counties in a day. Before dark, they found an inn along the way and stayed there.
When Shen Qiulan looked around, they just wandered around, staying wherever they happened to be. If the scenery was nice, they would take the opportunity to go and see it. They had spent half their lives in the capital and had never been to any faraway places.
Yu'an doesn't object; she's willing to go out more often to relax.
Some counties are far apart, and by nightfall they still hadn't found an inn to stay in, so they had to decide to travel overnight without stopping.
Yu'an slept for half an hour with her head on Baozhu's lap. When the coachman got tired, Yu'an took over driving the carriage.
Coachman: "You are the master, how could I ask you to do such a thing..."
Yu An: "Of these people, I'm the only one who knows how to drive. If I don't help, are you suggesting we sleep in the wilderness?"
In special circumstances, there's really no need to worry about these things.
The driver, not wanting to say anything more, leaned against the carriage wall and closed his eyes to sleep.
With Baozhu by Yu'an's side, the journey was no longer boring, and Yu'an thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of having the carriage under her control.
“The road ahead is long. Try to learn it during the day,” Yu’an encouraged.
Baozhu smiled and said, "Sure, you know how, I'd like to learn too."
Su Mu led a few people to scout out the way and see if there was an inn nearby where they could rest for the night, while the rest of the people followed behind their two carriages.
The journey wasn't slow, and with the roads wide and deserted at night, Yu'an felt even more relaxed.
About fifteen minutes later, Shen Qiulan, who was behind her, sent a message saying that she wanted to find a spacious place to park and rest.
The group stopped the car, lit a campfire, and warmed themselves up for a while.
This ordeal left her wide awake. While it wasn't exactly pleasant, it was a rare and unexpected experience, especially for Shen Qiulan.
"Girl, please put on this cloak. It's cold now, be careful not to catch a cold."
Shen Qiulan looked at it and said, "That's right, put it on."
Yu An turned to catch it, when suddenly a cold arrow grazed her face—
Before he could react, another arrow shot into the campfire next to Yu'an's feet.
"Be on guard! There's an assassin."
Looking around in a panic, Yu'an quickly protected Shen Qiulan and hid behind the carriage.
With the enemy in the shadows and themselves in the open, they could only try their best to defend themselves to avoid being injured. After hearing the crisp sounds of swords clashing and countless arrows whistling through the air, silence fell immediately.
The cold air around her seemed to freeze. Yu An glanced up and down at Shen Qiulan beside her, then looked for Baozhu.
Unfortunately, not long after, the sounds of fighting rang in my ears again.
With a muffled groan, the assassin fell to the ground, the knife landing at her feet.
Without time to think, Yu'an immediately bent down to pick it up, and seized an opportunity during the fight to run towards the pearl lying on the ground.
"Go, stay with the madam..."
Before she could finish speaking, a cold light flashed towards her. Yu An released her grip, dodged to the side, and swung her knife in the process. Unfortunately, she was kicked away as soon as she made her move.
"Baozhu, get out of the way quickly!"
As the knife came hurtling towards her head, Yu An closed her eyes tightly. A groan reached her ears, and a wet drop splashed on her face. When she opened her eyes again, Su Mu came into view.
"Young Madam, we are outnumbered. Let me take you and Madam and run first."
No sooner had he finished speaking than one or two more thieves pounced on Yu An.
Su Mu swiftly dispatched two enemies with his knife, but was then entangled in another fight.
Yu An glanced back at Shen Qiulan, who was safely hiding beside the carriage, and became certain of her suspicions. "Baozhu, these people are after me. You should stay close to Madam and don't move."
"Then what will you do?"
"Never mind that."
Yu'an quickly mounted the nearest horse, spurred it on, and galloped forward.
"That woman ran away, hurry and chase her!"
In an instant, Yu An looked back and saw three or four people on horseback chasing after him, with bows and crossbows in their hands.
Yu An couldn't help but curse, pulled on the reins, and plunged headlong into the nearby woods.
She clung tightly to the horse's neck, resigned to her fate, following wherever the horse ran. Suddenly, a cold arrow flew by, the horse paused, and a piercing neigh rang out.
The horse fell to the ground, and she fell heavily to the ground as well.
"The master said he only wants your head, so hurry up and move along."
Before Yu'an could even react to the pain, a scolding voice reached her ears.
They didn't bring any lamps, but they still managed to identify their surroundings by the faint moonlight.
As the footsteps drew closer, Yu'an had no choice but to play dead and crawl into the grass, trying to hide herself as much as possible.
She clenched her teeth, her whole body was numb to the point of exhaustion, and she could hardly muster any strength.
He pulled out the dagger from his pocket and was about to stand up and run out when muffled groans rang out one after another.
"Chu Yu'an!"
A familiar voice.
She froze on the ground, then heard another sound.
She got up and looked up. The light was dim, but she immediately met those familiar eyes.
"Ji Jinghe".
She braced herself against the ground and struggled to her feet. Before she could react, she was pulled headfirst into his arms.
The cool air rushed into her nostrils, instantly putting her at ease.
Are you alright?
She shook her head.
Ji Jinghe released her and looked her up and down several times. The urgency in his expression was obvious and needed no further explanation.
He opened his mouth as if he had a lot of words to scold someone, but when he spoke, his voice was still gentle.
"You're not allowed to wander off anymore. Tomorrow, I'll give you more help."
"You must have hurt yourself when you fell. Can you still walk?"
Yu looked at him quietly, stunned for a long time. Just as she was about to speak, he picked her up and put her on the horse.
He put his arm around her and led her out of the woods by the reins, with his bodyguards following on either side.
"I haven't gone anywhere else these past two days. I went back to the capital and met with His Majesty to investigate the Shen family's smuggling case. I just ran into Su Mu's team on the road and followed them. I'll tell you the rest after I've settled in."
She hadn't ridden her horse very far when she returned; all the people who had fought with Su Mu were either dead or wounded.
It was getting late, so Ji Jinghe quickly settled her and Shen Qiulan in, taking them to a nearby inn.
As Yu An guessed, this group of people came for her. Apart from being frightened, Shen Qiulan was unharmed.
If Ji Jinghe hadn't arrived by chance, Yu An would have almost lost her life.
“I’ve taken good care of Mother. Go to sleep. I’ll stay with you.” Ji Jinghe turned off the bedside lamp and drew the curtains for her.
Yu'an grabbed his robe, "You haven't finished speaking yet."
Ji Jinghe paused, then had no choice but to sit down on the edge of the bed.
Yu An looked at him and asked, "Who sent these people? The Shen family?"
Ji Jinghe placed her hand under the blanket, nodded, and said, "Yes."
"I have received the imperial decree to investigate the smuggling. The Shen family is smuggling salt and iron. In the meantime, I have had people find several iron mines in Jiangling, and I will go there tomorrow."
"I'll send someone to escort my mother back to the capital first. As for you... I'll do as you say."
"Do you want to go back with your mother, or come with me to Jiangling?"
Yu An: "Why go to Jiangling? Shouldn't we go back to Lizhou?"
Ji Jinghe: "Jiangling has abundant iron ore deposits. Although it is within the territory of Jingzhou, it is only fifty miles away from Lizhou. Compared with the iron ore deposits within the territory of Lizhou, it is much closer to Lizhou and Fulin. If I were a merchant, I would definitely choose Jiangling."
"However, these are all just my guesses, and there may not be any results. Once my uncle knows that I am investigating this matter, he will definitely not act as recklessly as before. With a set of procedures to cover things up, it will definitely be difficult to investigate."
"So if you decide to go, be prepared to come away empty-handed."
He was wearing a royal blue lining and white armor, and his cloak had just been removed, so he still felt a slight chill.
Hearing what he said, Yu'an understood his determination.
"I managed to appease my uncle for the time being that day, but I suspect that he will soon realize that I will continue my investigation."
Ji Jinghe said, "Let me tell you, you should go back to Beijing with your mother."
"I'll send more people on the road to avoid them spending the night on the road, and then there won't be any more problems."
Seeing that she had nothing to say, Ji Jinghe got up and added more charcoal to the fire in the room. "You don't need to answer me now. Give me your answer tomorrow morning."
"I'll go."
Ji Jinghe turned to look at him.
“Jiangling is my hometown. Even if the case can’t be solved, I still want to go back and see my maternal grandparents.”
...
After a good night's rest, Shen Qiulan felt much better.
So many things are stuck in my heart, I want to ask but I can't find the opportunity.
Before Yu An came downstairs, Shen Qiulan stood by the carriage and called out to Ji Jinghe.
"You got it after begging?"
Ji Jinghe nodded, "Mother, please try to travel slowly and be careful not to catch a cold again."
Shen Qiulan didn't take it seriously and said in a low voice, "You must be careful in everything you do, be ruthless when necessary, and don't be too sentimental."
Her words were loaded with meaning, and Ji Jinghe understood her unspoken message perfectly.
“I didn’t see your grandfather one last time, but I know his personality. Just do what you want and don’t worry about your mother.”
Ji Jinghe took the hot water bottle handed to him by his subordinate and put it into Shen Qiulan's hand.
"Mother, don't worry, your son knows what he's doing."
Hearing a commotion in the distance, Shen Qiulan patted him on the shoulder and said, "You and Yu'an need to be careful. Take good care of her and yourselves. Communicate more if you have any problems, and don't keep them bottled up inside."
"Know."
As Yu An approached, Shen Qiulan naturally took her hand. "Tell Jinghe to send you more men. Towards the end of the year, bandits in the nearby mountains tend to appear more often, and you might run into them if you're not careful."
She readily agreed, "My mother-in-law should also be careful on the road."
She hadn't forgotten how he protected her last night. Shen Qiulan understood this and felt indebted to him. She gave him many detailed instructions before finally leaving.
They were still in Jingzhou, and it took them only half a day to reach Jiangling.
Although they had kept in touch by letter, it had been more than a decade since they last visited each other. Looking around at the streets, he felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. In the end, Ji Jinghe asked someone to find out where the Li family lived.
Yu An stood to the side, and when the half-white-haired old man opened the door and stood in front of her, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"Maternal grandfather".
Li Baozhong squinted and stood behind the door for a long time. When he saw the expression and features that resembled his daughter's, he choked up.
"Yu Niang?"
Yu An nodded repeatedly.
"Oh dear." Li Baozhong stepped forward and grabbed her arm. "Child, what brings you here? Didn't Zhuo'er just leave? Why are you here again? Has something happened?"
"No, it's just that I haven't visited my maternal grandparents in a long time, so I came to see you all."
Li Baozhong held her hand, "Oh my, you've grown so much! The last time I saw you, you only came up to my knees..."
Concealing his excitement, the old man noticed the man still standing at the bottom of the steps.
Yu An hurriedly explained: "He is Ji Jinghe, my husband."
Li Baozhong glanced at him up and down. "Is he that kid from the Ji family?"
"I have a score to settle with him..."
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