Chapter 52 Don't touch her!
She acted as if nothing had happened, sitting quietly by the window, applying makeup and drawing her eyebrows.
It wasn't until dusk, when Jiang Zhengting returned from his official duties, that Wang Yuru went out to greet him with an anxious expression.
"My lord, you're finally back! The young lady has been gone all day and hasn't returned yet. I was so worried about her."
Jiang Zhengting was currently preoccupied with the upcoming scientific expedition, and when he saw Wang Yuru bothering him with such a trivial matter, he couldn't help but frown.
“Zhi’er is a steady person, she must have been delayed by something. Why don’t you send someone to Puzhao Temple to ask?”
“I have already sent someone to inquire, and the news that just came back says that the eldest young lady did not go to Puzhao Temple at all today,” Wang Yuru said with a worried look. “Now that the eldest young lady is in charge, I dare not say anything more and can only wait for the master to come back and make a decision.”
"This is utterly absurd!" Jiang Zhengting's face darkened. "How dare an unmarried young lady run around like this? It seems I've been too lenient with her."
"Could it be that the young lady encountered some accident on the way and was unable to reach the mountain?" Wang Yuru speculated on the surface. "The capital has not been very peaceful lately. If she encountered bandits or mountain brigands, it would be bad."
Jiang Zhengting was also somewhat worried, and immediately instructed his attendants, "Take a few people up the mountain to search along the way, and report back immediately if you find any clues."
Just as the attendant was about to take his leave, Jiang Zhengting stopped him again, "Wait, this concerns the reputation of the Jiang family. Remember, you must not make a fuss about it. Just investigate secretly."
He then gave the others in the room a cold look, "Before the young lady returns to the manor, no one is allowed to leak this matter even a little bit. Otherwise, they will be sold off to the Jiang family immediately, without any mercy!"
Everyone immediately agreed.
Seeing everyone around her leave, Wang Yuru finally exhaled the pent-up frustration she had been holding in for days because she had been stripped of her power as housekeeper, and felt refreshed.
"Give the order to have someone secretly spread the news outside the manor that the eldest daughter of the Jiang family has been kidnapped by bandits and her whereabouts are unknown," she said with a smile. "I'll make sure she can never recover."
"Yes, this old servant will take care of it right away."
“Granny, I haven’t felt this happy in a long time,” she said, her eyes and brows beaming. “Quickly, heat up a pot of wine and call Yun’er over. I want to share this good news with her.”
Because of her loss of power, Yun'er's life in the mansion was also difficult.
Although that bitch Jiang Zhi didn't dare to openly deduct money, those sycophantic servants were extremely opportunistic, and Yun'er also suffered a lot because of them.
She wanted to tell her that those days were over.
Wang Yuru waited and waited inside the house, but Jiang Yunqian did not come over.
Just as she was about to send someone to urge her, the old nanny rushed in in a panic, her voice trembling, "Madam, Madam, something terrible has happened! The Second Miss is not in Xia Yin Garden!"
“Where else could she be if not in her own room? What about Taozhi? Has the old lady asked her?” Wang Yuru asked.
"I've asked around and she's not here. As for Taozhi—" The old woman brought Taozhi, who was rubbing her eyes and still looked drowsy, to Wang Yuru. "She slept for a whole day. I had to go over and wake her up!"
"What exactly happened?!" Wang Yuru's good mood vanished instantly. "How dare this lowly servant slack off and not even know where her mistress is? Is she looking to replace us now that we've lost power?"
Taozhi was startled awake and knelt on the ground with a thud. "Madam, please spare me! Taozhi would never have such a thought. This morning, I drank a cup of tea that the Second Miss gave me and then fainted and lost consciousness. I would never dare to betray my mistress even if I had a hundred lives!"
Wang Yuru's heart sank. "Tell me everything Yun'er said and did this morning, without missing a single thing!"
Taozhi thought about it carefully, and suddenly her expression changed.
"Yes, it was this morning when Miss heard that Eldest Miss was going to Puzhao Temple to secretly meet Prince Xie, so she insisted on going with her. I followed Madam's instructions and tried to dissuade her, so Miss handed me a cup of tea... Miss, could she have gotten into Eldest Miss's carriage...?"
With a soft "bang," the teacup in Wang Yuru's hand shattered.
Her vision went black, she lost her balance and stumbled back a few steps before collapsing into a chair, her face turning deathly pale!
"Madam, please take good care of yourself!" The nanny hurriedly went to help her up.
Wang Yuru grabbed the nanny's hand with terrifying force, her eyes bloodshot, and shouted hoarsely, "Quickly stop the news! We can't let the rumors get out of the Jiang residence, otherwise Yun'er will be unable to face anyone!!"
*
There weren't many people coming to offer incense at Puzhao Temple today, and the entire temple was unusually quiet, with only the sounds of insects and birds adding to the tranquility.
Jiang Zhi was helped by Lu Yuan to the Hall of Rebirth.
The innermost altar on the left is her mother's memorial tablet.
The incense and offerings were left on the carriage, and all that remained on Jiang Zhi's person was a scroll of scripture kept close to her body.
She spent several days copying this scripture by hand. In the last two years of her life, her mother was a devout Buddhist and commissioned the creation of gilded statues of many bodhisattvas in Puzhao Temple.
Jiang Zhi offered the scriptures before her mother's spirit tablet, lit three incense sticks, and bowed deeply in reverence. She also donated a considerable amount of money to the temple for incense oil, asking them to recite scriptures and make offerings on behalf of her mother.
Lu Yuan simply watched quietly from the side.
When she got up, she saw incense ash on her shoulder, so I couldn't help but reach out and brush it off for her.
The moment his hand touched her, a deep, cold voice rang out from the doorway, "Stop! Don't touch her!"
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and looked up.
But Xie Qi stood at the door with his sword in hand, half of his face in shadow. The flickering candlelight swept across his taut, hard jawline, casting a long shadow of him.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Lu Yuan withdrew his hand expressionlessly.
Jiang Zhi also saw him. "What brings Young Master Xie here?"
Xie Qi's footsteps were low and clattering as his tall figure gradually emerged from the solitude. His once sparkling peach blossom eyes were now as dark and icy as ice.
“I received a message from the Jiang family saying that you were kidnapped by bandits at Puzhao Temple, so I rushed up the mountain to look for you. I heard from a young novice monk in the temple that you were in the Rebirth Hall.”
Xie Qi's gaze fell on the hand that Lu Yuan was using to support Jiang Zhi, his eyes growing even darker.
When did the two of them become so intimate?
Then he noticed that Jiang Zhi was wearing the temple's everyday clothes that were meant for distinguished guests to change into, and his expression immediately changed. "Are you alright?"
Jiang Zhi said, "Thank you for your peace of mind, Your Highness. I also want to thank Lord Lu for passing by and saving me from this calamity."
"It was Miss Jiang's quick thinking that allowed her to escape from the bandits, which is why I was able to arrive in time to rescue her." Lu Yuan looked at Jiang Zhi with admiration in his eyes.
He had long known that this Miss Jiang was not as weak and dependent on others as she appeared.
However, being able to remain calm in the face of danger and snatch a chance of survival from the clutches of vicious bandits is not something that ordinary people can easily do.
"Lord Lu is too kind."
Xie Qi watched the two of them enjoying a pleasant atmosphere as if they were in their own world, not allowing any outsiders to intrude. A sudden, indescribable anxiety rose in his heart, and he just wanted to destroy this scene.
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