“Ugh~”
With a swift chop of the side of his hand, Gu Jianshen struck Jiang Yuan霜, sending her eyes rolling back as she fainted instantly.
Gu Jianshen carried Jiang Yuan back to the bed, tucked her in, and turned to leave.
His mind was in a turmoil. He didn’t know whether he truly harbored reservations about Jiang Yuan’s past experiences, causing his body to unconsciously reject her.
When Jiang Yuan reached out to touch him, an inexplicable sense of revulsion washed over him, his mind involuntarily picturing how many men had touched her and just how many times.
In the present era, life was harsh and unforgiving for women; she had her unavoidable hardships, and she was a victim too.
Yet…
Perhaps it was simply that having found the person so abruptly, he hadn’t yet adjusted to the reality.
Stepping out of the bedchamber, Gu Jianshen intended to head to the martial arts training ground for some extra training when Yingyue hurried up to meet him.
“Master, it’s bad! Something has happened on the Madam’s side.”
“Concubine Jiang, you should really let your anger go. Besides, the Master has already started helping look for people; sooner or later, they will be found.”
There was nothing wrong with that logic. As long as Gu Jianshen was willing to search, he could dig people up from the ends of the earth—and this was precisely why Jiang Ning refused to hold back any longer.
If she played the submissive card, Gu Jianshen would still help look because of Jiang Yuan; if she railed against heaven and earth, Gu Jianshen would still help look because of Jiang Yuan. Naturally, venting her pent-up fury came first.
Between her and Jiang Yuan, any possibility of a reconciliation was utterly nonexistent.
First the original owner, and later herself—both had fallen into Jiang Yuan霜’s trap once. To fall for it a second time would make her an absolute fool!
Once Jiang the Fourth’s family returned safely, Jiang Ning planned to volunteer herself to serve as Wenya’s personal maid. Whoever wanted to be Gu Jianshen’s concubine could have the position; she was done with it.
Chuntao blew out the candles in the room and kept vigil by Jiang Ning’s bedside. “Concubine Jiang, please sleep. If you need anything during the night, just tell me directly.”
One of a maidservant’s duties: night watch.
In the past, Jiang Ning had never made Yan’er keep watch at night, nor had she required it of Chuntao when she first arrived. This time, seeing Jiang Ning’s mobility impaired, Chuntao had volunteered to take the night watch.
In the dim room, Jiang Ning grabbed Chuntao’s hand. “Come sleep on the bed; the floor is cold.”
“That’s not according to the rules…”
“To hell with the rules! Get up here right now, or go back to sleep in your own little room.”
Yielding to Jiang Ning’s insistence, Chuntao climbed onto the bed with mixed feelings and lay down right beside Jiang Ning.
Chuntao sighed softly, “Concubine Jiang is truly different from others.”
Jiang Ning chuckled, her smile carrying a hint of bitterness as she replied, “Because I am not the daughter of some noble and wealthy family; I’m just an ordinary commoner. What qualifications do I have to put on airs or throw tantrums?”
“Not everyone retains an ordinary mindset after climbing to high positions,” Chuntao continued. “Concubine Jiang, can you tell me about your family?”
Family, huh.
Jiang Ning had grown up in an orphanage without any family, only gaining a family upon arriving in this world.
Jiang the Fourth possessed severe chauvinistic tendencies, reserving whatever sliver of tenderness he had almost exclusively for his sole niece; Jiang Ning felt entirely indifferent toward him.
Lady Liu was kind-hearted yet lacking in backbone, never daring to defy Jiang the Fourth, but her love for the original owner and her younger brother was genuine. However, Jiang Ning had never truly spent time living alongside her.
The only family member she had personally met here was Little Stone, Jiang Lei.
Chuntao’s eyes lit up as she eagerly jumped in. “Ah, I’ve heard about that! A young man traveled thousands of miles to the capital to find his family. Who knows what was going on in his head—he sneaked into the estate in the middle of the night and took quite a beating from the patrolling guards. It was only when he shouted Concubine Jiang’s name that the guards finally stopped.”
Jiang Ning couldn’t help but chuckle as the scene of that night flashed before her mind’s eye.
Back then, she had been half-asleep when Yan’er woke her up, saying someone from her maternal family had arrived and asking her to go identify them.
Upon arriving at the drawing room, she saw a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth, covered in dirt and nursing various injuries.
The initially stubborn youth instantly turned red-eyed with grievance the moment he laid eyes on Jiang Ning, crying out, “Where on earth did you run off to! Do you have any idea how close Mother was to crying her eyes blind?! Do you know how worried sick we were about you…”
Choking back sobs until he couldn’t speak further, the boy threw his arms around Jiang Ning and wept bitterly.
That feeling of being deeply cared for struck a chord in Jiang Ning’s heart; how wonderful it felt to have family.
That night, neither of the siblings slept. They kept each other company, recounting everything that had happened since Jiang Ning was abducted.
They talked about how Jiang Yuan霜 had rushed back to the village in a panic, claiming Jiang Ning had gotten separated from her. When Jiang the Fourth led people to search the county town, naturally, they found nothing.
Jiang Yuan霜 had wept and threatened to take her own life, claiming she wanted to pay with her life for Jiang Ning’s and blaming herself for failing to watch over her properly.
Restrained by Jiang the Fourth, she naturally couldn’t carry out the suicide.
Lady Liu blamed Jiang Yuan霜. For the first time in her life of enduring submission, she acted like a shrew, cursing openly on the streets, only to be snapped back to reality by a harsh slap across the face from Jiang the Fourth.
Jiang the Fourth had said that Jiang Yuan霜 was already blaming herself so bitterly, and since she hadn’t done it on purpose, what more did Lady Liu want from her!
Lady Liu wept for days and nights on end, her health on the verge of collapsing.
It was only when Little Stone returned from his travels to study that he learned of Jiang Ning’s disappearance and found Lady Liu looking half-dead with grief.
He told Lady Liu that he was going to a very distant place to find his older sister and would not stop until he found her, telling Lady Liu to stay home, take good care of her health, and wait for the two siblings to return home together.
Clutching Little Stone, Lady Liu wept throughout the night, handing over the family’s meager savings to Little Stone the very next morning.
Unaware of this, Jiang the Fourth simply assumed his son was heading back to the academy.
Little Stone secretly tucked that money back where it was; he knew that if the money went missing, Jiang the Fourth would fly into a rage, making Lady Liu’s life even more unbearable.
Relying on writing family letters for others and begging along the way, Little Stone traveled the length and breadth of the country for over half a year, finally reaching the capital at the end of the year and finding Jiang Ning.
—She’s a wealthy young lady of high status, telling me that coming here would grant my wish. And sure enough, she was right.
—Elder sister, let’s go home. Mother will be overjoyed to see you.
Little Stone had spoken foolishly of encountering a noble benefactor, but based on his description of the man’s appearance, it was highly likely to be Prince Jing.
In private, Handong had warned Jiang Ning that if she didn’t behave and obey orders, Little Stone would be killed. Sending Little Stone here in the first place was meant to serve as a wake-up call for her to toe the line.
Knowing that Handong was Prince Jing’s subordinate, and realizing that Prince Jing was a ruthless monster who meant what he said, they didn’t even have room to resist.
Jiang Ning refused to return with Little Stone. Instead, she handed over her monthly stipend accumulated over the past year along with some hairpins and trinkets, telling him happily, “Your sister has made it big and doesn’t want to go back to a life of hardship. You go back by yourself. Study hard, earn your official rank as soon as possible, and… tell Mother that I am doing well, so she doesn’t need to worry about me. When I have free time, I’ll go back to visit you all.”
Entrusting Wenya with the task, Jiang Ning had people escort Little Stone back safely. In the capital, Wenya was the only person she truly trusted.
Without asking unnecessary questions, Wenya had instructed her trusted confidant to send Little Stone home.
On the day of his departure, Little Stone had looked at her with such earnest sincerity, carrying himself like a reliable young man.
—Elder sister, one day, I, Jiang Lei, will definitely come to fetch you home and never let you suffer any more grievances.
Those words had moved Jiang Ning to tears for an entire afternoon, and it took a whole table of dishes prepared by Wenya to coax her tears back inside.
Over the past two years, Jiang Ning had continued to send items back home during every festival to convey news of her safety.
Yet in the end, she had still dragged them down, plunging them into mortal danger.
Lying beneath the covers, Jiang Ning stroked the shattered jade pendant hanging around her neck—a New Year gift she had once sent back to Little Stone. Now, all that remained was to return this item to its rightful owner.