Chapter 80 Lord Shen holding her like this
Jiang Zhi almost thought she was seeing things.
Xie Qi lightly touched the rooftop with his toes and leaped down, enveloped in a burst of flames. His sword rang out from its sheath with a clang, its gleaming tip pointing directly at Shen Ci'an.
"You bastard, who gave you permission to hug her? Let go right now!" His bright eyes were burning with anger, fixed on the arm that was holding Jiang Zhi, as if he wanted to burn it through.
Seeing Xie Qi's raging anger, Shen Ci'an didn't loosen his grip on Jiang Zhi's arm; instead, he instinctively tightened it, holding her even closer in his embrace.
"General Xie, are you trying to take advantage of my misfortune by pointing your sword at me?" His voice had lost its usual coldness.
However, a lingering doubt remained in my heart.
Xie Qi and the young lady actually know each other?
Judging from how much he cares, the two must have a close relationship.
Xie Qi almost laughed out of anger, but when he saw Shen Ci'an's face clearly, he was stunned for a moment, followed by an even more raging anger and jealousy.
"Chen Ci'an?" He squeezed out these three words through clenched teeth, his wrist suddenly sinking, and the sharp tip of the sword was instead placed in front of Shen Ci'an's neck.
When he first rushed into the fire, all he could think about was Jiang Zhi. When he saw her being held by a man in the distance, he assumed it was some scoundrel of a servant trying to take advantage of her.
But I never expected it would be Shen Ci'an.
Although the two had never met at Chuntang Garden, Jiang Zhi's subconscious trust and intimacy towards Shen Ci'an made her extremely wary.
However, he later gained the Emperor's favor and moved out of the Jiang residence, and had no further entanglement with Jiang Zhi, so he stopped paying attention to it.
Now that they have met again at Chuntang Garden, it is as if they are enemies meeting, and they are extremely hostile.
"I knew you had ulterior motives," Xie Qi sneered. "Taking advantage of someone's misfortune? That's exactly the kind of person I'm talking about."
With a flick of his sword, he knocked the bedding off Jiang Zhi's body and said in a gentle voice, "The fire at the courtyard gate has already started. I'll take you out through the wall."
He gave Shen Ci'an another cold glance, raising his chin slightly, "Lord Shen, why don't you let go quickly?"
He then reached out to put his arm around Jiang Zhi's waist.
Shen Ci'an took a step back with Jiang Zhi, meeting Xie Qi's dangerous gaze, his pupils as deep as an icy pool, "No."
"Right now, there are people outside the courtyard fighting the fire. General Xie and Miss are not related. How can they act so intimately in front of everyone? Even if General Xie doesn't care about his own reputation, he should at least think about Miss."
His face was expressionless, as if he were simply stating a fact.
Xie Qi's hand missed its target, and he ground his back teeth as he sneered, "Then, Lord Shen, aren't you afraid of ruining her reputation by hugging her like that?"
Shen Ci'an glanced down at Jiang Zhi, whose brows were furrowed, and smiled. "I am her cousin and her teacher. Moreover, the Jiang family has been kind to me, so it is only reasonable for me to rush into the fire to save her. If General Xie has the time and inclination, please help take Qingxing out."
Qingxing, who had been holding the brocade box and staring blankly at the two men, was suddenly brought up and immediately waved her hands in a panic, "No need, no need, you two can take good care of Miss, I'm fine."
She wouldn't dare get involved in such a thing.
Xie Qi was almost driven mad by his shamelessness.
It has long been rumored that this newly appointed top scholar was pure and aloof, refusing all the powerful and wealthy men who wanted to marry him, and was highly praised for his integrity.
It's clear from his current appearance that he's no longer the refined and cultured scholar he once was; he's utterly shameless and shameless, seeking fame and fortune!
"Lord Shen is too weak to even kill a chicken, you should protect yourself first." He sneered, took off his cloak and draped it over Jiang Zhi's shoulders, intending to forcefully take her away.
Shen Ci'an showed no intention of backing down, saying, "General Xie, please show some respect."
Jiang Zhi had deliberately made herself look disheveled earlier, and now she looked even more disheveled.
Waves of heat rose around them, spreading toward them.
Instead of rushing to put out the fire, the two men were still arguing about how to get her out of the fire.
She took off her cloak and returned it to Xie Qi, then stepped back from Shen Ci'an's embrace, her voice calm, "You two can keep arguing, I'm going out first."
After all, Wang Yuru's matter cannot be delayed.
She and Qingxing shared a quilt as they headed out of the courtyard gate.
The remaining two had no choice but to follow.
Shen Ci'an took off her outer garment and covered her head with it. Xie Qi walked to the courtyard gate and kicked open the heavy wooden door that was being engulfed by the fire.
A loud "boom" resounded.
The servants outside were still frantically trying to put out the fire, and they cheered when they saw Jiang Zhi come out.
"She's out! She's out! Thank God, the young lady has been rescued!"
Ignoring her disheveled state, Jiang Zhi raised her head in the night wind and looked at the Chuntang Garden, which was now unrecognizable after being engulfed by the firelight. A pang of reluctance flashed through her heart.
But once a decision is made, there is no turning back.
She quickly composed herself and asked the servants who were putting out the fire in a hoarse voice, "I heard that the main courtyard and the storeroom were also flooded. How are they now?"
"Miss, there's no need to worry. The fire isn't big, and the butler has already led people over there."
Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Qingxing, go check on the storeroom. I don't know how Aunt Ru is doing. I have to go over there."
He then took a step to leave.
But Xie Qi stopped him, frowning in disapproval, "You just escaped death yourself, you're still in shock, why are you worrying about so many things?"
Jiang Zhi's stepmother is no good person; there's no need to take her so seriously.
Before Jiang Zhi could speak, Shen Ci'an said, "General Xie, you may not know this, but since Lady Jiang is not here and the eldest young lady is in charge of the household, she should go and see what's going on in the main courtyard. Please do not stop her."
Xie Qi looked at him as if he wanted to devour him.
"I'm talking to Miss Jiang, what right do you have to interrupt?"
How dare a mere compiler in the Hanlin Academy point fingers at him?
Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhi nodded in agreement, "The teacher is right, I should indeed go and see. Thank you very much for your help today, Your Highness. If there is nothing else, Your Highness, please return now."
Xie Qi stared at Jiang Zhi in disbelief.
She actually sided with Shen Ci'an?
This is enough to make him faint with anger!
But he was worried about leaving Chen Ci'an by Jiang Zhi's side, so he could only let go of Jiang Zhi's hand and say, "I have nothing to do anyway, so I'll go with you."
The fire in the main courtyard was indeed small, and it was quickly extinguished after Butler Liu and his men arrived.
But even after all the maids and servants serving inside and outside the main courtyard had run out, they still hadn't seen Wang Yuru.
Steward Liu sensed something was wrong and immediately sent a maid in and out to check.
A moment later, the little maid came stumbling out, looking flustered and terrified, as if she had seen a ghost.
"Steward Liu, something terrible has happened! Madam, she... Madam..."
"How is Aunt Ru? Is she alright?" Jiang Zhi was helped over.
She hastily threw on an outer garment and rushed over without even washing her face.
To outsiders, it seemed as if she was extremely concerned and attentive to Wang Yuru.
"This servant...this servant dares not say, Miss, you should go and see her quickly." The little maid said, her voice trembling with tears.
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