Chapter 125 You have neither power nor money, how can you compare to the young masters of noble families in the capital?
As night fell, a lithe figure nimbly vaulted over the wall at the west corner of the He residence.
He Ran turned around and saw his father and elder brother standing ten steps away.
A dozen or so soldiers lined up between them, completely blocking her path.
He Wenting raised his hand, "Take the Third Miss back."
He Ran untied the bundle from his body and slowly drew the red-tasseled spear from his back.
She gripped the gun barrel tightly with both hands, stepped back, and drew deep marks on the ground, assuming an offensive stance.
"Who dares!"
The dozen or so soldiers hesitated for a moment. They had all fought the Third Miss before, and none of them were her match.
Looking at his sister, He Xun felt a pang of pity.
He Wenting: "Let's go together."
The soldiers on the battlefield were all armed with real weapons. He Ran swept his red-tasseled spear with a strong wind towards the attacking officers and soldiers.
“Father!” He Xun was sixteen years older than his sister, and he had practically watched her grow up.
"Ran'er was also raised with love and care by you and Mother. She's just not quite there yet. Aren't you hurting her feelings by doing this?"
"Ran'er!" Madam He rushed over with her two daughters-in-law.
"Stop!"
The dozen or so soldiers immediately sheathed their swords and retreated.
One person can't beat He Ran, but if more than a dozen people attack together, He Ran will have a hard time dealing with them.
But no one dared to really hurt her. Now that the lady had spoken, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Large beads of sweat dotted He Ran's forehead. She clenched her teeth and her nostrils flared.
Madam He cried with heartache, "He Wenting! If you hurt even a finger of Ran, don't ever come back!"
"It's all because you spoiled him!" General He angrily stretched out his hand, but in the end, he could only point it in mid-air.
"Wielding swords and spears is one thing, but now you even dare to climb over the wall to escape!"
Madam He ignored him and took her daughter's hand, ready to walk back.
"Why do you insist on arguing with your father? Why don't you come to your mother for help?"
The eldest daughter-in-law of the He family, with her pregnant belly, stepped forward and took her sister's hand, not even sparing a glance for her husband.
"Ran'er, what did your sister-in-law tell you? Have you forgotten so quickly?"
He Ran felt very wronged, and tears streamed down her face.
The second daughter-in-law of the He family also stepped forward and took the red-tasseled spear from her hand. "Sister, didn't your second sister-in-law say that if you need support, go to your mother; if you need a strategist, go to your eldest sister-in-law; and if you need money, go to your second sister-in-law?"
The three of them escorted He Ran, who was usually carefree but was now crying hysterically, as they left.
He Wenting watched the backs of the four women from the He family, wanting to open his mouth but then closing it again, his restless hand rising and then falling.
Finally, trying to save face, she looked at her eldest son and said, "It's all their fault for spoiling him!"
He Xun glanced at his mother and wife, who hadn't gone far.
I can still hear it.
So he responded softly, "Mm."
The He family had a fight at home.
The main fighting force was still General He and Madam He, with the eldest and second daughters-in-law serving as Madam He's assistants.
General He's eldest son was He Xun, and his second son was He Xuan.
Well, let's not talk about it.
He Zhuo, the third son of the He family, is four years older than He Ran and is not yet married, nor does he want to get married.
He was sitting next to He Ran at that moment, keeping her company.
"Ran'er, I've already inquired about Jiang Xingyao. He's the newly appointed top scholar, but he's only been appointed as a county magistrate. Can you endure such a hard life?"
He Ran glanced at him sideways. The newly appointed top scholar and county magistrate, and you still need to inquire about such a small amount of information?
"Then give me more money."
He Zhuo, “…”
"Don't you hate those pedantic, pretentious people who talk a good game? How come you're going to suppress bandits and you've already set your sights on the county magistrate?"
He Ran said, "He's not a pedantic person at all!"
She couldn't help but smile. "He's not only incredibly talented, but also as handsome as Pan An!"
He Zhuo's face twitched involuntarily. "What kind of man could possibly force my illiterate sister to speak so eloquently?"
He Ran stepped on his foot, "You dare make fun of me! Don't think your parents will let you off the hook. Whether I get married or not won't stop you from getting married!"
He Zhuo, “…”
He took a note from his pocket and gave it to her. "Here, take a look."
It was an invitation to the grandson's one-month celebration of the local governor's family.
"What do you mean?" He Ran threw the invitation at him. "I'm not going."
He Zhuo clicked his tongue softly, "Calling you a blockhead is really not an exaggeration."
Seeing that his younger sister was about to jump up in a fit of anger again, he quickly continued, "At this time, your parents, eldest brother, second brother, and two sisters-in-law are not at home, so you can leave openly and legitimately."
"Why would you climb over a wall so late at night? Aren't you afraid of encountering ghosts?"
He Ran looked at his third brother, who was usually unreliable, and narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You won't betray me, will you?"
He Zhuo picked up the post and smacked her on the head. "I'm your third brother, not your enemy!"
Her eyes crinkled with a smile. "Thank you, Third Brother!"
He Zhuo waved his finger lightly, "You're my sister. If I don't side with you, who else can I side with?"
At this moment, Madam He had finished arguing with her husband. She glanced at her third son, He Zhuo, who crossed his arms and tapped his right arm twice.
He Ran eagerly awaited the day her parents would attend the banquet.
She had no idea that her third brother had used her name to swindle a lot of money from her mother and two sisters-in-law.
"Ran'er has always been stubborn. If we don't go along with her, she might run away when we're not looking, which would be even more of a loss!"
"I'll go with her. Whether Jiang Xingyao is good or bad, he won't escape my discerning eye!"
"Don't worry, Mother, I will definitely take her there safely and bring her back safely."
"Don't worry, sisters-in-law. With me here, I'll make sure Ran'er doesn't suffer any injustice."
"It's just... could you give me a little more money?"
He Ran sneezed several times in her own bedroom!
*
Dingxian has been experiencing continuous rain recently, and the already precarious county government office is teetering on the brink of collapse in the wind and rain!
Finally, on a rainy night, most of it collapsed.
A loud "boom" resounded throughout the county, and those unaware of the situation thought something terrible had happened.
He Ran and He Zhuo, dressed in straw raincoats, stood in front of the ruined county government office, remaining silent for a long time.
It was raining heavily in Dingxian at that time, and the streets were deserted.
He Zhuo looked around. "Did they abandon the county and flee?"
"Didn't they say the bandits had already surrendered?"
He Ran rolled her eyes at her third brother. "I told you long ago that the county government office is dilapidated and will collapse sooner or later. I wonder if the bookworm got hurt?"
She grabbed a passerby and asked, "Uncle, where are the people from the county government?"
A passerby pointed towards the east end of the city and said, "The county government office has collapsed. Now the county magistrate is holding court at the City God Temple. If you have any grievances, just go to the City God Temple and beat the drum."
The two mounted their horses.
The City God Temple was newly built in recent years, and Jiang Xingyao temporarily held his office in a side hall.
He didn't expect that there would be some unexpected benefits at the City God Temple.
Some petty theft cases basically didn't require much interrogation; under the watchful eye of the City God, they confessed everything on their own.
It's raining heavily today, so there are hardly any people on the streets, and even the county government office is deserted.
Jiang Xingyao stood with his hands behind his back, watching the rain dripping from the eaves.
Two horses galloped in from the rain.
His gaze fell on the figure of the white horse in front of him.
He couldn't see her face clearly, but he did see the red-tasseled spear on her back.
He Ran dismounted, took off her raincoat, and, still damp from the rain, ran towards the man she had only been separated from for two months, the man who had caused her to fall into lovesickness.
"bookworm!"
Jiang Xingyao's dark eyes sparkled, and he stretched out his hands that had been behind his back.
He Ran beamed a big smile and was about to pounce on his beloved.
"Uh, cough cough!—"
When she was only three steps away, someone grabbed the back of her neck, almost choking her until she saw stars!
"He Zhuo! You're trying to strangle me!"
She looked at her third brother with a face full of anger.
He followed her all the way, and his mother and sister-in-law gave him so much money, yet he didn't give her a single penny!
She doesn't even have the money to buy a set of women's clothes to dress up!
He Zhuo grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, saying, "Don't think that just because you're separated from your parents, you can do whatever you want."
"Why not? We've already done it anyway," He Ran muttered.
Jiang Xingyao looked at the two people's similar faces, clasped his hands in a fist and bow, "Young Master He, Miss He".
He Zhuo released his hand, "You are the Lord Jiang who makes Ran'er dream of you."
Jiang Xingyao's ears turned red, and then he bowed again. "Young Master He, Miss He is so straightforward, and I am also captivated by her. However, I was born into a poor family, which is worlds apart from Miss He's. I have made a six-month agreement with Miss He, and if she has no regrets, I will propose marriage."
He Zhuo chuckled lightly, "Propose marriage? What will you use to propose?"
"Without power or money, do you think you can compare to the young masters of prominent families in the capital?"
He Ran immediately stepped forward to protect him, "Third Brother, what are you doing!"
"He comes from humble beginnings, but he's the top scholar in the imperial examination. You yourself are nothing! You can't compete with a bookworm in literature, and you can't even beat me in martial arts!"
He Zhu clicked his tongue and immediately exposed his weakness, "You brat, who am I doing all this for!"
Jiang Xingyao clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Young Master He, I, Jiang Xingyao, swear to heaven that if I were to marry Miss He, I would cherish and protect her for the rest of my life."
He Zhuo: "Didn't you hear what she said? I can't even beat her. You're protecting her? It'll be her protecting you, won't it?!"
"He Ran!!"
Before he could finish speaking, the soft flesh around his waist was pinched hard!
He glared at his sister, whose eyes were now fixed on other men, and said fiercely, "If you get bullied in the future, don't come back to me!"
He Ran stuck out her tongue triumphantly, "It's clearly you who's been bullying me since we were kids! A bookworm would never bully me!"
Jiang Xingyao pursed his lips and glanced at He Ran, then said, "Please forgive me, Young Master He, for not visiting you sooner."
"Marriage is a union between two families, a matter of lifelong importance. Miss He is a bit impulsive, so I would like to wait until she has thought things through before visiting her, so as not to put any pressure on her."
Seeing his cautious look, He Zhuo said, "It's not enough for just my sister to think it through. She has three older brothers, two sisters-in-law, and finally, her parents. There are many challenges ahead."
Jiang Xingyao glanced at He Ran, who had a big smile on his face, and said, "Don't be afraid."
He Zhuo had no prejudice against social class, but the rest of his family did not think that way.
Especially the father, who was eager to find a good husband for his younger sister in the capital.
"Master Jiang!"
Several more people rushed in through the rain.
"My lord, something terrible has happened! The rain upstream is getting heavier and heavier!"
"Flooding is possible!"
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