Family Law
When Jingwan went to the morning market again, an old man next to her told her that Chunlai had not appeared for three days.
"Customers love her noodles and often wait for her to set up her stall here," the old man said, pointing to the spot where she often lingered. "Look, those are her regular customers."
Feeling something was amiss, she went to the small courtyard Chunlai had rented. The door was locked, and peeking through the crack, she saw no one inside, only the small car sitting quietly in the yard.
Jingwan straightened up and stood in front of the door. She sensed something was wrong and quickly got into the carriage, instructing the driver to go to the Cui family.
The gatekeeper, seeing her elegant demeanor and extraordinary attire, went in with a smile to announce her arrival. When he returned, his face had turned as cold and arrogant as the master of the house: "My master will not see you. You may go back!"
Jingwan lifted her skirt, intending to force her way in, but seeing the two tall and burly guards in front of the Cui family's gate, she stopped and gave Fangjuan a meaningful look.
Fangjuan took a silver ingot from her purse and placed it in the gatekeeper's hand. The gatekeeper's face changed again, and he smiled somewhat embarrassedly and politely declined, "Oh, oh, oh... what are you doing..."
Fangjuan forced the money into his hand and then retreated behind Jingwan.
The gatekeeper quickly hid the silver in his sleeve pocket, and then asked Jingwan, "Is Miss Chunlai in the mansion?"
The gatekeeper nodded, his hand still inside his sleeve, feeling the heavy weight of the silver. He was naturally happy to say more: "Yes, yes, she came back a few days ago." He cautiously glanced back at the mansion and continued, "She left the mansion without permission. I heard that the young master had someone find her. Last night, she spoke disrespectfully to the eldest young lady, and the master even disciplined her!"
Upon hearing the words "family law," Jingwan felt a chill run down her spine. The Gao family's law was whipping; the night she left the Gao family, her back had been brutally beaten by Gao Yun.
After careful treatment, she thought she was completely cured, but her cousin still had someone keep it from her. Once, after taking a bath, she looked in the mirror and saw that the middle of her back had been severely ulcerated, and there were still faint scars left.
So-called family law is nothing more than using private punishment in the name of the family. Even the government has not convicted anyone, so why should private grudges be dealt with in the name of family law?
Jingwan didn't know what the Cui family's rules were, only that they weren't good. She immediately got into the carriage and told the coachman to return to the mansion right away.
Fangjuan sat next to her, watching her sit angrily in the car, and found that the domineering aura between her eyebrows and eyes was seven-tenths similar to that of her own young master.
Just when I thought Jingwan would keep sulking, she asked, "Do we have anyone in our household like the gatekeeper of the Cui family?"
Fangjuan understood her meaning, and her words were even more respectful and cautious than before: "The steward governs the household with military discipline, and he never shows mercy to anyone who has a disloyal heart. Besides, the master is generous, and the servants' monthly wages and the master's rewards are already quite substantial, so he would not risk his life for such a small amount of money."
"What if others give enough?"
Fangjuan said, "Don't worry, Miss, this kind of person will never stay in the manor."
Jingwan felt ashamed, and the air of Lu Chang that she had previously exuded vanished. She looked down and asked Fangjuan, "Have I been too negligent in my family affairs? We've been living here for years, and only now am I starting to care about this?"
Fangjuan knew that she was pure and kind, and knew that her young master had always doted on her, so she smiled and said, "Young master only wishes that you be happy and have less worries. He never allows the servants to bother you. The steward also obeys your orders and manages the household in an orderly manner. You have just followed your wishes and don't have to worry about anything."
She rested her cheeks on her hand, her anger dissipating, and began to miss Lu Chang again.
Before Fangjuan could even help her off the carriage, Jingwan jumped down, lifted her skirt, and ran towards the mansion, shouting as she ran, "Master Xiaozhou, grab your weapons and come with me!"
Shen Xiaozhou was someone Lu Chang specifically summoned to Jin Ning before he left, instructing him to guard the Lu residence and stay by Jing Wan's side to protect her.
He was recognized by Jingwan as soon as he arrived in Jinning. He was the brave man who fought off the thieves for her at the Dongqiao Night Market.
Her heart now leans entirely towards Lu Chang, and she no longer talks about monitoring him. Instead, she is moved to think that her cousin was by her side for those three years.
Shen Xiaozhou felt very aggrieved. He originally wanted to follow Lu Chang to fight the Hu people, but his master transferred him to this mansion, where he guarded this small place every day. Meanwhile, Dongfang Wuxia was transferred to Daguanling to guard the pass leading in and out of Lingnan.
Before Jingwan could finish speaking, Shen Xiaozhou didn't appear, but a familiar voice rang out: "Grabbing your weapons? Where are you going, young lady?"
Jingwan turned her head to look, and found it to be flawless!
I used to think of Wuxia as a chivalrous knight-errant who lived a carefree life, but now that I've met her, I feel that she is a general who gallops on horseback.
In a daze, Jingwan seemed to see the heroic princess holding a red-tasseled spear again.
Wuxia came over and asked Jingwan again, "Where are you going, Miss?"
Jingwan didn't reply, but smiled with surprise, "Weren't you stationed at Daguanling? Why are you back?"
Wuxia smiled and said, "Young Master instructed that Shen Xiaozhou go to Daguanling, and I will come back to replace him." She took out a letter and handed it to Jingwan, saying, "Young Master asked me to give this to you personally."
Jingwan received the letter, opened it, and quickly glanced at it. It was the same boring, utterly boring stuff they always talked about, but at least she knew he was safe. She put the letter back in the envelope, intending to read it carefully, word by word, that evening.
Wu Xiao asked her a third time, "Where are you going, young lady?"
Jingwan then suppressed her smile and looked at Wuxia seriously: "The Cui family is bullying my friend, forbidding her from seeing anyone, and even forbidding me from going in to see her. I'm going to force my way in."
Without a second thought, Wu Xia simply said, "Okay, wait for me."
She strode away, and when she returned, she held a long sword in her hand—her weapon, Qiu Shui.
After taking two steps, Wuxia stopped and asked Jingwan, "Should we take another fifty soldiers?"
Jingwan hesitated, "But is it too much?"
Wu Xia nodded: "Indeed, one of me is enough." Even so, she still brought a few guards from the household, only having them wait in front of the carriage.
Standing in front of the Cui family's gate, Jingwan took a deep breath. Wuxia, unaware of her timidity, said, "Young Master has your back, so don't be afraid, Miss!"
Jingwan made up her mind and walked into the Cui family's gate. The gatekeeper who came to stop her was grabbed by the collar and thrown aside by Wuxia. When the guards saw this, they chased after her. Wuxia just used the hilt of her knife to strike the two men in the abdomen and chest a few times, and they fell to the ground.
Jingwan went to the small courtyard where Chunlai lived to search for her. Any servants or guards who came up to stop her either ran away when they saw the tall and strong Wuxia behind her, or were knocked to the ground with a few slashes. This commotion startled the eldest daughter of the Cui family. When Gu Qingchen hurriedly came out of the courtyard, she saw Jingwan searching for people room by room like a bandit sweeping through the house.
The quiet house instantly erupted into chaos. Gu Qingchen wasn't afraid of her, but her anger intensified because she dared to trespass on her property: "Gao Jingwan, what do you want to do?!"
When Jingwan saw her, she stepped forward and asked, "Where is Chunlai? Where is she?" With a flick of her wrist, the flawless longsword behind her blade pointed upwards and the hilt fell to the ground. The weapon made a clear, booming sound as it was swung, which startled the previously arrogant Gu Qingchen, who hurriedly took two steps back.
Gu Qingchen, being the eldest daughter of the Cui family, wouldn't be easily intimidated. She angrily asked Jingwan, "You trespassed into the Cui family's residence. If my brother finds out, have you considered the consequences?"
Jingwan laughed: "The entire Jinning belongs to my cousin. What does it matter if he breaks into your Cui family? Don't forget, this is Jinning, not Jianchuan!"
Even so, she still felt a little guilty. She used to hate people who bullied others by taking advantage of their power, but she never expected that today she would act like such a swaggering little person.
He was guilty, but why did he also feel a bit of exhilaration?
"Bring Chunlai here, I need to see her!"
Gu Qingchen has never been ordered around by anyone in her life, so she stormed forward a few steps. Wuxia quickly stepped in front of Jingwan to block her way.
Gu Qingchen could only swallow her anger. Just as she was about to refuse, she heard a voice say, "Jingwan, you've arrived."
The group turned to look and saw that it was Chunlai.
She stood quietly on the steps of the central courtyard, watching them, her face bearing that unchanging faint smile, like a mask deeply embedded in her features.
She looked frighteningly haggard.
Jingwan rushed over and looked her over carefully from head to toe, even touching her back to make sure she was alright before she felt relieved. The commotion in the mansion had already spread, and it was the steward who went to find Chunlai first. The steward took out the key, unlocked the door, and told her that a young lady had come to the mansion with a group of people to cause trouble, saying she was looking for Chunlai.
Spring arrived, and I guessed it was Jingwan who had come.
She reassured her, "I'm fine, don't worry."
What's so good about it? I only gained a little weight, but it all went away in just three days.
Jingwan reached out and pulled her hand, which was hidden in her sleeve: "Come with me, let's go back!"
"Hiss—" Chunlai cried out in pain, suddenly breaking free from Jingwan's grasp and hiding in her wide sleeve.
The pain on her face was still there, and it was all reflected in Jingwan's eyes. Jingwan looked at the long sleeves and asked carefully, "Chunlai, what's wrong?"
Chunlai hurriedly took two steps back, even hiding her hands behind her back. She forced a smile, her face pale: "Jingwan, you can go back now. You don't need to come looking for me anymore."
Jingwan stepped forward: "Let me see."
Chunlai shook her head frantically, backing away to prevent her from looking. She was on the verge of tears: "I'm fine, you don't need to worry, I'm fine..."
But Jingwan had already lifted her sleeve, and her once slender and beautiful hands, as delicate as jade, were now swollen and bluish-purple, with each finger hanging limply, looking not only horrifying but also utterly helpless.
Spring came and with a flick of her sleeve, she covered them up again. She lowered her head and finally couldn't help but cry out.
Jingwan was so shocked that she couldn't speak. She stared at the sleeve, unable to come back to her senses for a long time. After a while, she turned around and asked Gu Qingchen blankly, "What are the rules of the Cui family?"
Before Gu Qingchen could answer, she said in shock, "What did she do wrong that you would hurt her like this?"
Gu Qingchen sneered: "Want to take her away? No way. The government has already sent the documents. She is now my brother's concubine, a member of the Cui family. Gao Jingwan, so what if Jin Ning is Lu Chang's? Does he want to offend my brother for your sake? Right now, Lingnan needs my brother's protection!"
Wuxia didn't know Chunlai, and seeing the woman's tragic situation, she couldn't feel much sympathy. However, after hearing Gu Qingchen say this, she became unhappy.
Before leaving, her master left her to garrison troops at Daguan Ridge, instructing her to kill Cui Dongchi of Jianchuan immediately if he showed any intention of attacking south. Unexpectedly, this Cui family man was quite upright; after driving away Li Ling's troops, he returned. So how did the credit for protecting Lingnan fall to Cui Dongchi?
Before leaving Lingnan, the young master had already made preparations for defense, so why would he need Cui Dongchi to protect him?
She was still angry when Jingwan stepped forward and slapped Gu Qingchen hard across the face. Gu Qingchen covered her face, in disbelief.
"Then you guess whether Cui Dongchi would dare to offend my cousin for your sake!"
Jingwan helped Chunlai up, saying, "Let's go."
Chunlai was still crying, her eyes blurry with tears. She shook her head in distress, "Don't do it for me... I'm not worth it..."
Jingwan wanted to cry, but she held back: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
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