Chapter 374 The Strange Woman
Madam Liu also glanced at the large red lanterns hanging on Huo Ran's door. There were still half a month left, so why was Huo Ran so impatient? He really didn't respect her daughter at all.
“Good daughter, Huo Ran is no good either. You won’t be happy if you marry him. I’ve already discussed it with your aunt. Even if Jiang Mi marries Huo Ran, we won’t let them have an easy time.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Zijun lowered the curtain. She was afraid that others would see her face, and even more afraid that they would point and whisper about her. All of this was thanks to Jiang Mi and Huo Ran.
"Huo Ran really likes Jiang Mi that much? I want to see if they'll be happy after they get married." Liu Zijun lowered her head, hiding the hatred in her eyes.
She used to be someone who wore her heart on her sleeve, saying whatever came to mind. But after what happened that day, she realized that even her parents couldn't help her. Since that was the case, then they might as well go to hell together. If she couldn't have a good time, then Huo Ran and Jiang Mi wouldn't have a good time either.
"Mother, I'm marrying Jiang Zhihai, but you need Father's support. Although I don't think much of him either, I'm already married to him. I can't keep my head down in front of Jiang Mi and Huo Ran. You must ask Father to help me."
Madam Liu quickly said, "Don't worry, as long as your husband is obedient and treats you well, your father will do his best to promote him in the future. He will definitely not let you be inferior to Jiang Mi."
Liu Zijun sneered: "But I'm already at a disadvantage now. After marrying Jiang Zhihai, I'm no longer the high and mighty daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, but the wife of a playboy. How am I supposed to face people in the future? If he were even slightly higher in status, I would at least have some face to show in public."
"Alright, your father said that he is only a minor official of the sixth rank now. After you get married, your father will promote him to the fifth rank of Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. What do you think?"
Liu Zijun frowned and said unhappily, "How come it's only a fifth-rank official? What can such a low-ranking official do? It should at least be a third or second-rank official, right?"
Madam Liu said helplessly, "Good child, those second and third-rank officials are all veterans. Even if they have such high ranks, Jiang Zhihai doesn't have the ability. He can only climb up step by step. After he has served for a year or two, he can be promoted to the fourth rank. This can't all depend on your father. He has to work hard himself."
Liu Zijun sneered, "If he were any more promising, he wouldn't still be a lowly sixth-rank official. Even the top scholar who just finished the exam is better than him. He has his father's support, yet he's still so useless. Wouldn't it be shameful and humiliating for me to follow him?"
Madam Liu sighed, "Yes, even a noble title would have been fine. Forget about marquises or earls. We should have just not chosen him in the first place..."
She quickly shut her mouth, noticing that Liu Zijun's face was growing increasingly grim. She knew she couldn't say anything more. They had chosen this man to frame Jiang Mi, but it turned out he was the husband Liu Zijun had chosen for herself. If they had known it would turn out like this, they would have chosen a better one.
"Stop talking about this, I don't want to hear it."
Mrs. Liu quickly stopped talking, afraid that her daughter might have suffered some kind of shock. As long as her daughter was alright, she was grateful to God.
Upon arriving at the foot of the temple, Madam Liu and Liu Zijun alighted from the carriage. To avoid being recognized, Madam Liu wore a veil. However, the carriage clearly belonged to the Liu family, and people who had come to offer incense and pray for blessings couldn't help but peek over to take a look.
Today is an auspicious day for pilgrimage, and many people have come to the temple. Zhao Zhilan has also come to pray for a good marriage. Although she also wants to marry Huo Ran, Huo Ran is now going to marry Jiang Mi, so she can only come to the temple to pray for another good marriage.
"Oh, isn't this the Liu family's carriage? Is Miss Liu inside?"
Zhao Zhilan naturally noticed Liu Zijun's figure. Having followed Liu Zijun for so long, she could tell at a glance. Now she was deliberately asking to attract attention. Wasn't the Liu family afraid of losing face? She wanted to make the Liu family even more embarrassed.
The coachman shut his mouth and dared not speak. Just as Madam Liu was about to leave with her daughter, Zhao Zhilan deliberately came over and said, "Oh, isn't this Wan'er, who is with Miss Liu? Could this lady wearing the veil be Miss Liu?"
Liu Zijun was trembling with anger. She knew that she had embarrassed Zhao Zhilan several times in front of everyone, and this time Zhao Zhilan was definitely retaliating against her on purpose.
"What are you going to do?" Madam Liu shielded her daughter behind her and glared at Zhao Zhilan. It seemed that the Zhao family had been living a peaceful life lately.
"Oh, it's Madam Liu. Please forgive me for not recognizing you. My apologies."
Madam Liu could naturally tell that Zhao Zhilan was doing it on purpose, but she couldn't lose her temper in front of so many people.
"Are you here to offer incense too? What are you praying for?"
Zhao Zhilan said shyly, "Girls my age naturally need to find a husband. I don't have the good fortune of Sister Liu, who can choose her own husband. I have to come here to offer incense to the God of Marriage and pray that he will give me a good husband. As long as he's not too fat or ugly, that's fine. And if he's ambitious, that's better than anything else."
"You..." Liu Zijun heard her being mocked both openly and subtly, and reached out to hit her, but was stopped by Madam Liu.
"Be careful, we're outside now," Madam Liu said in a low voice. She also wanted to teach Zhao Zhilan a lesson, but now was not the time.
"Is that so? Then I wish you find the husband you desire." After saying that, Madam Liu took Liu Zijun away. Having experienced so many little vixens, she was naturally able to remain calm in such a situation. However, Liu Zijun still needed more experience and training.
"Mother, she just humiliated me like that, in front of so many people. Why don't you let me teach her a lesson?"
Seeing that no one was around, Madam Liu said, "Good daughter, I'm not telling you to suffer injustice, but we can't be too conspicuous at this time, otherwise people will only laugh at us. Just bear with it for now, and we'll slowly pay them back later."
Hearing this, Liu Zijun finally calmed down. She was already feeling terrible, and to be mocked by someone inferior to her was just too unbearable.
Madam Liu could see through it, and she comforted her, "Daughter, your parents used to spoil you when you were at home, but now that you're getting married, you'll have to take care of yourself. We can't be by your side all day to protect you. You have to protect yourself from being bullied. If anything happens, don't act impulsively. You can come back and tell your parents, and they'll help you come up with a solution. Do you understand? Don't be reckless."
Liu Zijun's current marriage is the consequence of their recklessness, and this lesson will be enough for Liu Zijun to learn for the rest of her life.
"I understand, Mother. I'll bear it for now, but I'll make sure Jiang Mi and Zhao Zhilan pay a terrible price later." They continued walking up the mountain when suddenly a woman appeared. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, and she looked as thin as a rake, no different from a beggar.
"You must be the Liu family's daughter?"
Liu Zijun was startled and quickly hid behind the maid. Wan'er mustered her courage and scolded, "Who are you? Don't come near my young lady."
The woman's face was filthy, making it impossible to discern her features. Her smile was terrifying: "I heard everything. You're trying to get back at Jiang Mi, aren't you? I'm an old acquaintance of Jiang Mi's. I know her better than anyone. You've come to the right place."
Liu Zijun stared at her in shock, her face full of disgust: "You've tried to fool me? You're asking for it."
Madam Liu stopped Liu Zijun, looking puzzled: "You said you know Jiang Mi very well, who are you? What kind of person are you?"
The woman laughed maniacally: "I'm the person Jiang Mi is afraid of. Don't worry, if I'm not doing well, I won't let her do well either. She actually managed to marry such a high-ranking official; I will absolutely not let her get married."
Upon hearing the woman's words, Madam Liu and Liu Zijun exchanged a glance, then smiled knowingly: "Is that so? In that case, you can come with us."
While Jiang Mi was still working hard on her career, Mo Hua advised her from the side, "Miss, you are getting married in just over ten days. Other girls would dress up nicely and take their wedding seriously, but what about you? You're still fussing over these things. It's not too late to do that after you get married. After all, getting married is the most important thing for you right now."
Jiang Mi smiled and said, "What do I need to prepare for the wedding? Huo Ran has definitely prepared everything, so I won't worry about it. I'm a little thirsty, could you go and get me some tea?"
Mo Hua obediently left, and Jiang Mi then asked Si Qin, "How's that Xue Lian doing lately? Has she been behaving strangely?"
Siqin shook her head: "I asked Zhuqing to keep an eye on her. Zhuqing said that apart from going to the front yard often recently, she hasn't done anything else. I also kept an eye on her a few times myself, but I didn't find anything unusual."
Jiang Mi was a little confused. Was she overthinking things?
"Shall we continue?" Siqin asked.
"Let's continue. Better safe than sorry. It's better to be careful. This girl isn't very honest. We'll marry her off when she's a bit older."
Speaking of marriage, Jiang Mi glanced at Si Qin and said, "You and Mo Hua are not young anymore. Do you have any plans for the future? Do you want me to make the decisions for you, or do you want to choose your own husbands?"
Siqin blushed: "This servant does not want to get married, and even less does she want to leave Miss."
Just then, Mo Hua returned and, seeing the two of them laughing, asked with displeasure, "What little secrets are you two sharing behind my back? I didn't see you laughing like this when I was here."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
