Chapter 166 Where Did You Go?
Meng Yushan injured his leg several times on the battlefield in his early years and now he can't do without a cane.
Although he used a cane, he still took bigger and farther strides than the average person.
Jiang Xingyao said, "General Meng, my surname is Jiang, but my sister can't even have the surname Jiang anymore."
"She's been through so much, and she and her child finally have a stable life."
"Now, I've been ruined by a so-called identity and have lost my home, and am now hiding in various places."
Meng Yushan kept walking, seemingly unaware of the trouble he was causing the brother and sister.
"This is something that children born into the Meng family must face."
"Your mother is the same, and so is your sister."
When his mother was mentioned, Jiang Xingyao suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His voice turned cold. "So, do you want Lan'er to go through what my mother went through?"
Lan'er.
This is my sister's original name.
The name he called his sister before she was born, and the name his mother murmured before she died.
Meng Yushan paused, tightening his grip on his cane.
He didn't move or turn around.
“I have five sons and one daughter. Your mother is my youngest daughter. She grew up in luxury, which even the princesses in the capital cannot compare to!”
"As my daughter grows up, my feelings are just like He Wenting's today."
He slowly turned around. "But she fell for someone who had nothing."
Jiang Xingyao knew that this was referring to his father.
He sneered, "I have nothing either. Lord Meng thinks Uncle He shouldn't have agreed to my marriage proposal today."
Meng Yushan's eyes fell on his grandson's face, which bore a striking resemblance to that man.
“It’s different. You are a descendant of the Meng family. In the imperial court, others will look up to you.”
"Only then will your talent not be buried! Only then will you be able to reach a more suitable position!"
"Lan'er is the same, and so is your mother. They are descendants of the Meng family, which is why they are so sought after."
"Only by standing upright beside me do you have the right to say no to all injustice!"
"Your mother gave up that qualification, which is why she ended up like this!"
Jiang Xingyao hung his hands at his shoulders, his eyes growing increasingly cold. He looked at the deep scar on Meng Yushan's brow bone, which divided his brow, which was beginning to turn white, in two.
He took two steps back. "Lord Meng may have immense power, but the world has changed now."
"I can protect my sister myself."
After saying that, he gave him one last look and turned to leave.
Meng Yushan watched his departing figure for a long time without moving or speaking.
Guo Fang then stepped forward and said, "General, the young lady has arrived in Jinzhou, and the heir of the Duke of Ying is also in Jinzhou."
Meng Yushan turned around and said, "Compared to Lan'er, Jiang'er's personality is more like her mother's."
“Zhou Congxian is better than Yao Zhengliang, and Lan’er is smarter than her mother.”
"Now Xiao Shu is probably laying a trap for this fool."
Guo Fang: "Should we send someone to clean it up?"
Meng Yushan shook his head, "No need. You won't know your place until you suffer a little."
"Besides, the He family girl can't bear to see him suffer, so she'll bring people with her when the time comes."
Guo Fang: "General, shall we return to Shuozhou now? The army doctor said we can't travel any further."
Meng Yushan gazed at the distant horizon.
"Go back to Beijing."
"If His Majesty wants to negotiate, we have to go there in person."
*
"Zhou Congxian".
A soft voice came from the alley entrance.
Zhou Congxian's head and shoulders were covered in snow, and his nose was red from riding a horse in the wind and snow.
He searched for more than an hour.
Start with the long escape rope by the window.
He pressed Constable Cheng for details and learned that Yang Shuyue had seen the portrait at the governor's mansion, which prompted the governor to send men to search the entire city!
But the person seemed to have vanished into thin air.
He sat on his horse, gripping the reins tightly.
She just stared at the person who seemed to have suddenly appeared in front of her.
It was as if he had suddenly appeared before him in Yuzhou.
"where have you been."
Zhou Congxian dismounted and walked towards her with uneven steps.
His voice was a little hoarse, as if he were asking her now, and also asking her in the past.
Yao Shisan felt a bit cold, and she hunched her shoulders. "If someone suddenly came looking for us, I was afraid it was one of Xiao Shu's men, so I ran down from the window."
"We dared not wander around, so we hid in the carriage in the backyard of the inn."
"I heard your voice, so I quietly came out to see."
Zhou Congxian looked at her small face huddled in her collar.
He twitched his fingers, but after a long while, he still didn't extend them.
"Master Zhou."
A sound came from not far away.
Zhou Congxian turned his head and glanced at the person who had come in, his eyes darkening slightly.
He took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here. I'll take you out of the city in a bit."
"Did you bring the road permit?"
Wrapped in a warm cloak, it seemed as if all the cold and unease had vanished.
Yao Shisan nodded, both in response to the latter and the former statement.
The eyes of Gao Yu, the governor of Jinzhou, were fixed on Yao Shisan at the alley entrance.
"This lady looks familiar."
Zhou Congxian smiled and said, "Lord Gao used to know Madam Yao."
"Madam Yao?"
Gao and De got only one portrait; they didn't even have a name, only that their surname was Meng.
Zhou Congxian said, "Madam Yao is the sworn sister of Magistrate Jiang of Ding County."
Yao Shisan is now nominally Jiang Xingyao's sworn sister.
"I have been in Ding County for nearly a year and have become very familiar with Lord Jiang and his sister. I thought I was seeing things when I saw them just now. I never expected to meet my friend's sister in Jinzhou."
Gao Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, "What brings Madam Yao to Jinzhou?"
Yao Shisan curtsied and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency. I am passing through Jinzhou and will soon be setting off for the capital."
Gao Yu glanced at Zhou Congxian, "You can bring the travel permit."
"I brought it." Yao Shisan pulled out a travel permit from his sleeve.
The travel permit included the name and place of origin.
She is indeed surnamed Yao, divorced for three years, and has a son and a daughter.
Divorced and with a child, this doesn't seem like the status a princess should have.
If Zhou Congxian weren't around, he wouldn't care whether it was real or not; as long as they looked similar, he would just tie them up and send them to Yuzhou to report.
Now that Zhou Congxian is clearly protecting her and has even claimed she is a friend's sister, the travel permit clearly doesn't match, so he can't just kidnap her.
"Since he is a good friend of Lord Zhou, and there is a banquet at his residence, please join us."
Zhou Congxian refused outright, saying, "The aftermath of the snow disaster is not yet over, and His Majesty's request has not been fulfilled. I have no mood for drinking."
Gao Yu's face darkened, then he curled his lips into a smile, "My lord, you misunderstand. This is just my daughter's birthday celebration, a small family banquet."
"Since Lord Zhou is busy, I will take my leave now."
Zhou Congxian clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please take care, Lord Gao. Remember to drink a couple more cups for me."
Gao Yu's face twitched uncontrollably.
He flicked his sleeves and got into the sedan chair.
After walking a distance, Gao and his steward approached the sedan chair.
"Sir, the portrait looks exactly like the woman from earlier."
"People may look alike, but there are very few people in the world who are exactly the same. Should I send a letter to His Highness, sir?"
Gao Yuyin's voice, laced with anger, rang out, "A messenger? A messenger saying that I released someone who looks exactly like the portrait?!"
“It’s her own ability that a woman can run this far. It’s the Prince’s Palace’s fault for not keeping an eye on her.”
"What does this matter have to do with me? Are you just asking for a scolding?"
"If you can't use your pig brain, then hurry up and take it off!"
Yao Shisan peeked out of the alley and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the person had already gone far away.
"Luckily I met you, otherwise even if my travel permit says I'm a man, he would still have kidnapped me and taken me to Yuzhou to report."
Zhou Congxian, “…”
"Let's go, I'll escort you to the capital."
Yao Shisan led him toward the backyard of the inn. "Don't you still have snow disaster affairs to attend to? If you send us to the capital, isn't that dereliction of duty?"
Zhou Congxian: "It's alright, it's almost over now."
"I'll come back tomorrow, I'll make it in time."
Under the lantern, the shadows of the two people stretched long.
The crunching sound of snow underfoot seemed to linger for a long time.
Yao Shisan looked at the shadow on the ground and pursed his lips slightly.
Zhou Congxian seems different now.
"Mother! Father!"
Fu'er remained pressed against the car window, only her round eyes visible.
She jumped out of the car as soon as she saw the two of them.
Zhou Congxian lifted his daughter up, exclaiming, "Fu'er!"
Danniang held the sleeping little chubby boy in her arms, and when she saw Lord Zhou, she breathed a sigh of relief.
With Lord Zhou's help, they can enter the capital and then they won't have to live in fear.
Two fast horses and a carriage left Jinzhou City that very night.
Ji Xiaoman rode behind on horseback.
Even now, he still can't believe that Sister Jiang is actually alive!
And there's also the older sister, Shuangjiang, who always brings things to him and his younger brother.
They are all alive and well!
His gaze involuntarily drifted towards Lord Zhou in front of him.
Even if Sister Jiang changed her name, is she still Sister Jiang? Is she still Lady Jiang from the Duke of Ying's mansion?
The adults love Sister Jiang so much.
For so long, he has neither married nor taken a concubine.
It seems his heart is still stuck in the past.
Now that Sister Jiang is back, is she going back to the adults' side?
Ji Xiaoman dared not guess.
He didn't understand before, but now he realizes that social status in the capital is an insurmountable barrier.
It was destined from birth.
A man can still study and join the army, thus changing his fate.
The woman, however, could not.
A deep sense of guilt suddenly welled up in Ji Xiaoman's heart.
Sister Jiang helped him, and he got a chance to change his fate.
But he couldn't do anything for Sister Jiang.
The carriage traveled all night.
As dawn broke, the majestic walls and gates of the capital city came into view.
"arrive."
Dan Niang woke up and poked her head out of the carriage.
Looking at the towering city walls on both sides that seemed to stretch endlessly.
She sighed, "This is the capital city, it's like a fairyland."
"Madam Yao! We've arrived!"
She turned around and saw Yao Shisan huddled in the corner, his face pale.
I reached out and touched it; it was terribly hot!
"Lord Zhou, Madam Yao has a fever!"
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