How could Tang Yingying really be trying to kill herself?
Her apricot-colored eyes stared wide, as if she had gone stupid.
But Jing Yun had one thing right—everything Tang Yingying said and did was to make Jing Yun forgive Du Yuanran and reconcile with him.
That way, the mother and son would not resent her.
She knew that Du Yuanran's current glory and wealth were all paved by Jing Yun. Without Jing Yun, Du Yuanran's future would be uncertain. She had chosen to marry Du Yuanran to attain status through her son and enjoy a life of comfort. If Du Yuanran lost everything, would all her hopes not be dashed?
So even though she knew coming here would bring her much humiliation, she gritted her teeth and endured it.
But what she never expected was that the Sixth Miss of the Marquis Manor, who was always gentle, would be so difficult to approach—her words were either sharp or sarcastic, and she carried an air of unattainable arrogance. Not only toward her, but even the Du mother and son seemed to have become clowns in the Sixth Miss's eyes…
"Xiangxing, see Concubine Tang out!" Seeing that she still would not act, Jing Yun gave the order impatiently.
Watching Tang Yingying's awkward, helpless expression, Xiangxing was no longer afraid. Her face shifted to disdain as she stepped forward to pull the person away. "Concubine Tang, you'd better go back and take good care of your pregnancy. Try to give General Du a big, healthy boy. Who knows—for the sake of your son, General Du might just promote you to the official wife of the General's Manor!"
At these words, Tang Yingying's eyes flickered unnaturally, then she gazed deeply at Jing Yun and Xia Yanli.
Was the Sixth Miss of the Marquis Manor breaking off her engagement with Du Yuanran not because of the wrong bride?
But because of Prince Yu?
Ten years of support, ten years of care, ten years of sincerity… the Sixth Miss was casting it all aside?
Tang Yingying found it hard to believe that Jing Yun had a 'change of heart.' But at this moment, Prince Yu was right in front of her. She had seen with her own eyes that he and Jing Yun were in the same room. Though she had not heard Prince Yu say anything, she had clearly seen the 'exchange of glances' between him and Jing Yun…
What could be more convincing than seeing it with one's own eyes?
After the shock, a sudden joy welled up in Tang Yingying's heart. Just as Xiangxing had said, if Jing Yun no longer married Du Yuanran, then when she gave birth to a son in the future, could she not attain status through her son and become the official wife of the General's Manor?
At this thought, she no longer had the heart to stay. She quickly took the opportunity to climb down, letting Xiangxing pull her out of the rice shop.
The room fell silent.
Though Tang Yingying had left, Jing Yun's anger had clearly not subsided. She could not help but curse, "What a lunatic!"
"The Sixth Miss loved Du Yuanran for ten years—can you really let go just like that?"
The teasing voice by her ear made Jing Yun look over irritably. "It's getting late. I have important matters to attend to, so I won't entertain Prince Yu any longer."
But the man did not move at all, only watching her with a smile. "Didn't the Sixth Miss say earlier that the rice from Jihong Rice Shop would also be delivered to Jinrong Rice Shop? It just so happens that I am free today, so I will stay and help count the silver."
Looking at his charmingly handsome face—like a reincarnated demon—Jing Yun could not help but frown.
To others, this man could charm the soul with just a casual smile, but in her eyes, it was a sign of immaturity. Of course, she could understand—after all, he was only in his early twenties. At that age in the twenty-first century, he would just be a fresh graduate new to society. Why would she bother arguing with a rash young man?
After that, she stopped trying to drive him away and threw herself into the rice shop's business.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Tang Yingying returned to the Residence of the Fuyuan General and knelt before Yao Zhuhua and Du Yuanran, tearfully recounting her visit to Jing Yun.
Jing Yun's words had already been sharp and heartless enough—there was no need for her to embellish them. Of course, she also made sure to tell the mother and son about Prince Yu, Xia Yanli, being present.
Du Yuanran, seated above, kept his face dark the entire time, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair tightly, his suppressed fury seeming as though it might self-detonate at any moment.
It wasn't just him who was furious—even Yao Zhuhua, after hearing Tang Yingying's account, jumped up from her chair in disbelief and said, "Jing Yun is with Prince Yu? Impossible! She gave her heart and soul to my Ran'er—how could she say such things? How could she be so fickle?"
Tang Yingying wept, "Old Madam, every word Yingying speaks is true, not a single lie. If you don't believe me, send someone to investigate. Prince Yu is still at Jinrong Rice Shop right now, and the two of them—a man and a woman alone—have been in the same room all this time…"
Crack! The sound of an armrest snapping rang out.
"Enough!" Du Yuanran rose furiously from his seat, roaring, "Get out!"
With that, he stormed out of the hall without looking back.
"Ran'er…" Yao Zhuhua called out worriedly, but seeing her son quickly disappear from view, she could only let it go. Seeing Tang Yingying crying pitifully, she signaled to the maid by the door, "Chun'er, help Concubine Tang up."
The maid acknowledged and stepped forward to help Tang Yingying up from the ground.
Yao Zhuhua was seething with anger, but glancing at Tang Yingying's belly, she ultimately didn't take her anger out on her. She still refused to believe that Jing Yun would betray her son and turn to another man's embrace.
"Yingying, tell me again in detail about Jing Yun and Prince Yu—what exactly is going on between them!"
Tang Yingying replied while dabbing her tears with a handkerchief, "Old Madam, Yingying truly did not see wrong, nor did I lie. Jing Yun not only said those things in front of Prince Yu, but also kept exchanging flirtatious glances with him the whole time. From the looks of it, they must have been involved long ago."
Yao Zhuhua let out a heavy breath and cursed, "What a fickle and promiscuous wretch! I knew it—when Ran'er went to the Marquis's residence to apologize, how could she suddenly change her attitude? So she had already been carrying on with Prince Yu! Now that I think about it, that wedding day was probably tampered with by them—how else could there have been a 'wrong bride'?"
Jing Yun's transformation was something they had never anticipated, and even less could they accept. Such a 'great Buddha' who had 'blessed' the mother and son for ten years—now she had turned her back on them just like that. Who in their place could accept it?
Listening to Yao Zhuhua's curses, Tang Yingying was overjoyed inside. Despite the humiliation she had suffered at Jing Yun's hands, things had developed far better than she had imagined.
After all, as long as this mother and son were convinced that Jing Yun was fickle and promiscuous, then the matter of Jing Yun breaking off the engagement would not be blamed on her!
"Old Madam, I heard that the matchmaker responsible for the wedding escort mysteriously disappeared. Anyone who hears this would find it suspicious. Now that I think about it carefully, it seems that Sixth Miss had long intended to break off the engagement, which is why such a mistake occurred on the wedding day." She seized the opportunity to elaborate, "Sixth Miss has always been very devoted to the General. If she hadn't fallen for someone else and betrayed him, how could she bear to let the General be humiliated in front of so many guests on his wedding day? If it truly was a case of getting the wrong bride, she could have easily reminded the matchmaker in time, but she didn't. She let the matchmaker take the wrong person, and then brought the Marquis along in a great commotion to cause trouble at the General's residence…"
This was precisely what the Du family mother and son had been most puzzled about. Now, hearing it spoken so bluntly, Yao Zhuhua was so furious that the veins on her forehead bulged.
Even if she was unwilling to accept it, she had to admit that Tang Yingying made a valid point. If not for a change of heart, why would Jing Yun let her son suffer such humiliation on his wedding day, becoming the laughingstock of the entire capital?
No!
She had to go ask Jing Yun herself and see what that damn girl was thinking!
…
At Jinrong Rice Store, the promotion of "buy one stone, get one dou free" had not only attracted the city's commoners, but even wealthy households outside the city had sent people to rush and buy rice.
Jing Yun had anticipated a booming business, but not one this explosive. Their Jinrong Rice Store's stock was completely cleared in just a day and a half. Fortunately, Jihong Rice Store had transferred their rice in time to replenish supplies. Still, the combined rice of both major stores sold out completely in just two and a half days.
Watching the stream of flatbed carts coming from outside the capital to haul rice, Jing Yun couldn't help but ask Zhou Xing, "Manager Zhou, these wealthy households outside the capital should have their own farmland and shouldn't be short of grain. Why are they all coming here to join the commotion?"
Zhou Xing covered his mouth and leaned in close, speaking in a low voice, "Sixth Miss, in the capital, only our Jinrong and Jihong are the two major rice stores. Some people know the ins and outs of both stores. Our buy-one-get-one promotion took them by surprise. Some have even privately speculated whether something major is about to happen—worried about a grain shortage, they're desperately trying to stockpile more rice."
"…" Jing Yun didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She had simply run a casual promotion, and it had people acting like they were in a state of panic over shadows!
Suddenly, a carriage stopped at the entrance of the rice store. The servant A Li called out from atop it, "Sixth Miss, the Marquis has sent me to escort you back to the residence."
Jing Yun nodded, then turned to Zhou Xing with a gentle smile. "Manager Zhou, I'll leave the rest to you. Once you're done with today, I'll give you half a month off. Go home and spend some time with your family."
Zhou Xing's face broke into a smile so wide his wrinkles blossomed. He quickly clasped his hands and bowed, "Thank you, Sixth Miss!"
Before long, Jing Yun returned to the Residence of the Marquis of Anqi with Xiangxing and headed straight to Jing Liangyu's study.
Seeing his daughter return, Jing Liangyu laughed heartily, praising without reservation, "My Yun'er's brilliant idea has made both rice stores a fortune!"
Jing Yun glanced at Jing Xiao, who was beside the desk.
This time, Jing Xiao had shed the anger of the past few days. He looked at her with a smile and echoed Jing Liangyu's praise, "Indeed, I never expected Sixth Sister to be so clever as to come up with such a fine strategy, allowing both our rice stores to sell out all the old stock in the warehouse in just three days!"
Jing Yun said modestly, "Thank you for the praise, Third Brother."
Jing Liangyu laughed again, "I never imagined Yun'er would have a talent for business either. In your father's eyes, you're no less capable than your eldest brother!"
Jing Yun observed Jing Xiao's reaction from the corner of her eye, and sure enough, Jing Xiao's expression visibly turned somewhat ugly.
The corners of her lips curved slightly. She saw through Jing Xiao's thoughts at a glance.
As a son born of a concubine, he was never taken seriously in terms of status. On ordinary days, he only ran errands for his elder brother Jing Xuan. Now that she, the youngest daughter who once only knew how to hover around Du Yuanran, had become clever and capable, and had even earned such praise from their father, wouldn't he, a concubine's son, be pushed even further down in status?
Fortunately, she had no intention of stirring up resentment, so she did not accept Jing Liangyu's praise either. Instead, she changed the subject. "Father, your daughter has been feeling much more at ease these past few days. It's just that Du Yuanran still hasn't given up and keeps sending people to disturb my peace. Your daughter truly cannot bear the harassment. Father, I wish to go out and clear my mind, to put some distance between myself and the Du family, so they will finally give up completely."
Hearing this, the smile on Jing Liangyu's face instantly cooled. After pondering with a grim expression for a moment, he nodded and said, "It's fine for you to go out and get some fresh air. I don't want them coming to the marquis estate every few days either—it's truly maddening! How about this: go back to your room and rest first. You've worked hard these past few days over the rice shop. Rest for a few more days, and have Nanny Fu and Nanny Liu prepare everything for you properly. Once you've recovered your strength, I'll have someone escort you to Lu Tong, to your maternal grandfather's home."
Jing Yun curtsied. "Thank you, Father. I'll leave the arrangements to you."
Where she went did not really matter to her. What she needed to do was leave the capital. First, she could escape Du Yuanran's pestering. Second, she wanted to seek out unorthodox paths.
Since she had been able to transmigrate into this otherworld, she firmly believed there must be a way to transmigrate back as well…
And such matters were mysterious and fantastical. She could not possibly ask ordinary people about them. As for those who dealt in the mysterious and fantastical, most of them hid themselves away from the world and would never come knocking on her door. She had to go find them herself.
Even if there were only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, she would not give up.
After leaving Jing Liangyu's study, Jing Yun returned to her boudoir.
The original body's residence was exquisite and elegant. Compared to her former grand mansion, there was no difference in terms of luxury. The only difference was that this era had no electronic devices whatsoever. Once she returned to her bedroom, she had no idea what to do with herself—it seemed only sleep could pass the time.
She had verbally agreed to rest at home for a few more days, but in truth she had already made up her mind to find an opportunity to leave within the next day or two, taking only some silver and not even bringing Xiangxing.
That night, the weather suddenly changed. The night wind howled, piercing as ghostly wails.
A bolt of lightning exploded, and Jing Yun sat up in bed, all traces of sleepiness gone.
Thud!
The sound of something heavy hitting the ground came from outside the window.
She heard it with exceptional clarity and could not help but frown.
Xiangxing, Nanny Fu, and Nanny Liu had long since been sent away. She was not the original body and was not used to having them standing guard outside the door, so at this moment she could only go out herself to check the situation.
By the light of the lightning, she clearly saw a person lying beneath the window. Judging by the figure, it was a man.
Seeing that the person had not moved at all, she lifted her foot and walked over. Just as she was about to nudge him with her foot, another bolt of lightning struck in the distance, instantly illuminating the person's appearance—
Prince Yu?!
Her beautiful eyes widened in shock. Especially when she saw the large amount of blood staining his body, she immediately crouched down and patted his face. "Prince Yu! Wake up! Wake up!"
She did not know what had happened. She only knew that this person could not die here in her room!
Perhaps because she was hitting harder and harder, the man finally reacted, and with a muffled groan, he laboriously lifted his eyelids.
Jing Yun let out a breath of relief, then immediately said, "Are you okay? Do you want me to call the mansion physician for you?"
Hearing this, the man suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Don't… don't let anyone… find out…"
Before he even finished, Jing Yun felt a surge of irritation. "Not tell anyone? If I don't tell anyone and you die at my place, what am I supposed to use to compensate?"
"You…" Xia Yanli nearly rolled his eyes and passed out from her words.
Seeing this, Jing Yun didn't dare talk to him anymore. She immediately helped him up from the ground, then, swaying with every step, brought him into the room.