Life is so tiring.
Wei Ran ignored Jin Xiaoxiao, nudged Zhou Wen's shoulder, and said to him, "Come back to camp with me."
Zhou Wen took a step, then stopped when he heard footsteps behind him.
Jin Xiaoxiao ran a few steps to Zhou Wen's other side, looked up at him and asked, "Why did you take me hostage this morning?"
Zhou Wen was beaten and stood for a long time. If he hadn't been physically strong, he would have given up long ago.
Hearing Jin Xiaoxiao's question, out of guilt towards her, he forced his aching and tired body to bow his head and apologize to Jin Xiaoxiao: "I'm sorry. I was confused this morning. I apologize to you, please forgive me."
Before Zhou Wen could finish speaking, Wei Ran had already dragged him to the front of the horse.
Wei Ran raised his chin and commanded, "Mount up."
Wei Ran's arrogant attitude completely ignited the anger that had been building up in Jin Xiaoxiao's chest.
She ran up to Wei Ran, her dark eyes fixed on him. "You heard that! He admitted that he kidnapped me!"
Wei Ran's patience had run out. Hearing Jin Xiaoxiao's questioning voice, he said calmly, "He has already been punished. What more do you want?"
Jin Xiaoxiao's eyes widened slowly, and she let out a cold laugh. "What do I want?"
She pointed at Zhou Wen and said coldly, "He kidnapped me in front of my parents. My parents begged him to let me go, but he ignored them and only cared about taking me hostage and escaping over the wall. My parents chased after him all the way, and were so frightened that they were injured and bled. Did my parents deserve it? Ji Jun, despite being seriously injured and ill, rescued me before he took me out of the Jin family. Now he is lying at home on the verge of death. Does Ji Jun not want to live?"
A profound silence enveloped the area in front of the Jin family's house.
A moment later, Wei Ran turned around, his gaze falling on Zhou Wen, and asked calmly, "Is it really as she said?"
Zhou Wen lowered his head in shame, not daring to look at Wei Ran, and stammered, "Yes."
Wei Ran paused for a moment, then slowly released his grip on Zhou Wen's clothes and kicked him in the back of the knee.
Zhou Wen's knees slammed heavily onto the ground with a dull thud. A sharp pain shot from his knees to his brain, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. But instead of struggling, he took the opportunity to kowtow to Jin Xiaoxiao, humbly apologizing.
“Miss Jin, I was a bastard, I apologize to you.”
Jin Xiaoxiao was caught off guard by Zhou Wen's sudden, large bow. She was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped aside to avoid it.
Jin Xiaoxiao looked at his disheveled appearance and pursed her lips, "What are you doing?"
Wei Ran stepped to the side and bowed to Jin Xiaoxiao. "Don't worry, Miss Jin, I will not let him off easily for such a mistake."
Zhou Wen's attitude in admitting his mistake was excellent, and Wei Ran also stated his position, but Jin Xiaoxiao looked at Zhou Wen kneeling and suddenly felt an indescribable sense of annoyance.
She looked away from Zhou Wen, her face tense, and left with the words "That's enough" before running home.
Wei Ran watched her figure disappear through the door, then grabbed Zhou Wen and threw him onto the horse.
After setting Zhou Wen down, he nodded to the guards of the Prince's Palace who were watching from the side, then mounted his horse and rode away with Zhou Wen.
Just as the guards were about to leave after watching the play, they were stopped by Lu Qing, who had returned.
"Please wait a moment, both of you."
Lu Qing handed a money pouch to the guard, saying, "You two have worked hard. My young lady would like to treat you to some wine. Please accept this."
The guards exchanged a glance, and one of them reached out to take the money pouch. "Please thank Miss Jin for us. Farewell."
After instructing Lu Qing, Jin Xiaoxiao ran back to her room. After washing up, she lay in bed, and as soon as she closed her eyes, her mind began to wander uncontrollably to recent events. She tossed and turned for a long time, unable to fall asleep, so she simply got dressed and went to see Ji Jun.
As soon as she moved a stool and sat down in front of Ji Jun's bed, she noticed that someone was watching her.
Jin Xiaoxiao looked up and met Ji Jun's eyes. Her face lit up with surprise and delight. "You're awake!"
Ji Jun carefully examined her under the moonlight. "Why are you unhappy?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Xiaoxiao's smile vanished as quickly as ice meeting the blazing sun. "How do you know I'm not happy?"
Your eyes tell me you're unhappy.
Jin Xiaoxiao rested her chin on her hand and looked at him. "Ji Jun, if you..." She stopped mid-sentence. Ji Jun's priority was to recover from his injury. She shouldn't have come to disturb his rest.
Ji Jun sensed her thoughts and said softly, "I woke up before you arrived. Are you worried about your aunt?"
Jin Xiaoxiao met his gaze for a moment, then nodded, "Yes. I wonder how Aunt is doing now."
Ji Jun comforted her, "She'll be alright."
“I’m not worried about my aunt’s safety. I’m just afraid that Yue Xiao will use the Gu worms to control her again.”
"If you are worried, you can send someone to investigate."
“Alright, I will deliver Aunt’s message to General Han tomorrow.”
Jin Xiaoxiao felt much better after talking with Ji Yun.
Seeing that her eyes were dark circles, Ji Jun told her to go back to sleep.
The next day, Jin Xiaoxiao had just woken up when her maid, Pearl, brought her a letter and said, "This letter seems to be for you, Miss."
Jin Xiaoxiao took the letter and casually asked, "Where did this letter come from?"
"It was found in the outer garment the girl wore yesterday."
Jin Xiaoxiao tore open the envelope, read the letter, and asked, "What time is it now?"
"One quarter past the hour of Wei".
"Have Chief Guard Lu prepare himself. He will come out with me in a quarter of an hour."
At three quarters past noon, Jin Xiaoxiao arrived at Fuxing Restaurant.
The guards standing at the door saw her and quickly opened the door for her.
"Please come in, Miss Jin. Your master is inside."
Yue Jia was standing at the window gazing at the lake when he heard the noise. He turned to Jin Xiaoxiao and said, "Xiaoxiao's here. Have a seat."
Jin Xiaoxiao sat opposite him. "Young Master, did you invite me here to discuss something important?"
Instead of answering, Yue Jia asked, "I heard that you and General Wei had a rather unpleasant argument yesterday?"
"Is he also involved?"
Yue Jia smiled. "You can't hide anything from me." Yue Jia's smile faded. "I've received news that the noble lady of Fanghua Palace will suffer a bloody disaster."
Jin Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment before realizing that the "noble person" he was referring to was Zhao Wanniang, who had entered the palace.
"Is Senior Sister in danger?"
Yue Jia said solemnly, "His Majesty only had a son after he had passed the age of fifty. Do you know how many eyes in the harem are watching Consort Xuan's belly?"
Jin Xiaoxiao assumed that Zhao Wan Niang would become a Noble Consort in this life, since she knew Zhao Wan Niang had risen to that position safely in her previous life because she had no children. But now, she was pregnant with the Emperor's child, which would attract not only the attention of the harem but also that of the court officials. The transfer of imperial power had always come at a bloody price, and history is replete with cases of mothers being sacrificed for their children! After Yue Jia's reminder, Jin Xiaoxiao understood the danger and felt a chill run down her spine.
Jin Xiaoxiao looked at Yue Jia with a pale face, "Is there a way to save Senior Sister?"
Hearing her words, Yue Jia knew that Jin Xiaoxiao had understood his scheme. He looked up at Jin Xiaoxiao with approval in his eyes, "Xiaoxiao, what do you think is the way to get to that position?"
Jin Xiaoxiao blurted out, "Military power."
Yue Jia smiled but remained silent, quietly sipping her tea.
Jin Xiaoxiao quietly added, "And money." She seemed to have guessed Yue Jia's thoughts.
Yue Jia looked up and praised her: "Xiaoxiao is indeed very clever."
Recalling everything that had happened in the past two days, the turning point in her falling out with Wei Ran was precisely when she was kidnapped by Wei Ran's men, and then those men were forced to apologize to her under the supervision of Yue Jia's guards. Jin Xiaoxiao didn't believe it was all a coincidence. She cursed him inwardly, calling him an "old fox." She had thought he was a gentleman, but it turned out he was just a cunning politician.
Jin Xiaoxiao didn't show what she was thinking on her face. She sincerely asked Yue Jia for advice, "Young Master, you must know how to save Senior Sister, right?"
Yue Jia put down his teacup and said softly, "If Xiaoxiao wants to save people, she only needs to cooperate with me."
Jin Xiaoxiao was well aware of her own limitations; she knew she couldn't outmaneuver the person in front of her. As things stood, Yue Jia harbored no hostility towards her or the Jin family, and their interests aligned. With that in mind, Jin Xiaoxiao agreed without hesitation, "I will definitely cooperate fully with the young master."
Yue Jia received Jin Xiaoxiao's affirmative answer, and the smile in her eyes deepened.
After discussing matters with Yue Jia, Jin Xiaoxiao saw that it was still early and headed towards the manor outside the city.
Before long, Jin Xiaoxiao arrived at the manor.
As soon as Jin Xiaoxiao entered the front yard, she was surrounded by a group of children.
"Sister Jin is here!"
"How is Sister Jin?"
"Does Sister Jin miss us?"
"Sister Jin, I've learned a new ancient poem. Shall I recite it to you?"
"Sister Jin, I have a new toy, would you like to see it?"
Jin Xiaoxiao was healed by them, and the depression in her heart was swept away.
She held a little girl's hand and said with a smile, "I'm fine. I missed you all. You can recite it, I'm listening. I'll go see the toys later."
The children jumped for joy at her response. One child started reciting poetry, and the others joined in, as if in a competition, shouting their own poems.
After listening, Jin Xiaoxiao distributed a bag of candy to them, praising them repeatedly, "You're all amazing. Here, this is your reward."
He Nanxing heard the commotion in the courtyard and went out to check. When he saw Jin Xiaoxiao surrounded in the middle, he smiled and said, "I guessed it was you."
"I have something to discuss with the Master. You guys go have fun," Jin Xiaoxiao said, then walked over to He Nanxing's side.
He Nanxing led her into the inner room. "You haven't been here for quite a few days. Have you run into some trouble?"
Jin Xiaoxiao then talked about everything from the assassination attempt outside the city to her performance at Yuejia Teahouse, and finally she casually complained, "Life is so tiring."
He Nanxing listened quietly, and when she heard her sigh, she looked at her with heartache, "Xiaoxiao, you've worked hard."
Jin Xiaoxiao popped a candy into her mouth to cover up her embarrassment, and changed the subject by asking, "Sister Nanxing, do you want to go back to Beijing to live?"
He Nanxing shook his head. "With the children around, I feel that this place is much better than the capital."
"Ah! Wild boar!" Suddenly, the children's screams came from the yard.
Jin Xiaoxiao and He Nanxing hurriedly went out to investigate.
A group of wild boars charged into the yard, squealing loudly.
The guards stood ready, swords and halberds in hand.
Jin Xiaoxiao and her three guards each held down one wild boar, while the guards from the manor worked together to stop the rest of the wild boars.
He Nanxing pushed Jin Xiaoxiao into the room, saying, "Xiaoxiao, don't come out."
A wild boar darted out from the gap and headed straight for the child hiding behind the pillar.
"ah!"
The children were so frightened that they fell to the ground and remained motionless.
Without a second thought, He Nanxing grabbed a stick, ran over in a few steps, and stood between the wild boar and the children.
The wild boar drew closer and closer, so close that He Nanxing could clearly see its rough brown fur and the white mist rising from its breath.
He Nanxing endured the stench emanating from her nose and gripped the wooden stick tightly. When she was only two steps away from the wild boar, she precisely shoved the stick into its mouth.
The wild boar let out a piercing squeal and thrashed its body incessantly.
He Nanxing's strength was too weak for the wild boar; in just one breath, the wild boar shook off the stick in her hand.
The wild boar's eyes gleamed red as it charged straight at He Nanxing. He Nanxing instinctively closed her eyes.
Upon seeing this, Jin Xiaoxiao broke out in a cold sweat. "Guard Lu, hurry and save them!"
Lu Qing also wanted to save the person, but he was too far away from He Nanxing, and even if he rushed over now, it would be too late to save them.
The wild boar's tusks were less than a finger's width from He Nanxing's abdomen. At this critical moment, a gleaming arrow streaked through the air, piercing the wild boar's throat. The blood droplets it drew stained He Nanxing's green dress red.
"Sister Nanxing."
Jin Xiaoxiao's call, accompanied by a dull thud, reached her ears. He Nanxing slowly opened her eyes and met the gaze of the man riding a horse outside the courtyard gate.
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