The entrance was almost completely blocked with people, but as Jiang Ning pushed her way through, the guards and maidservants did not dare to stop her, hurriedly making way for her to pass.
Jiang Ning remembered that when she first stepped through this main gate, the gold-inscribed plaque above bore the bold characters: “Zhenbei General’s Mansion.”
Now, stepping out from within for the very first time, the plaque had already been replaced with a common, poorly calligraphed wooden board bearing the two characters: “Zhang Residence.”
The tides of the imperial court changed unpredictably, shifting in the blink of an eye.
Yet Jiang Ning had a gut feeling that the plaque above this gate would change once more before long.
Jiang Ning smoothly navigated through the crowd and reached the outer perimeter of the entrance, searching everywhere for Wen Ya’s figure.
By this time, Yan’er had already boarded the bridal sedan chair, and the bridegroom in his crimson robes had mounted his horse, preparing to head back.
Wait.
The bridegroom?!
When her eyes locked with the bridegroom’s, Jiang Ning almost exploded on the spot.
Although the bridegroom had his hair bound with a crown, his heavy beard shaved off, and his unibrow trimmed—making him look fresh, clean, and younger by seven or eight years, and far less hideous—wasn’t he simply Gu Jianshen, the very man who had frightened her to tears on multiple occasions?
No, wait!
Wasn’t the person supposed to marry Yan’er the Head Guard Zhang Tao?
The nine-ringed broadsword from their first meeting, the midnight ambush from their second, and every scene from the past replayed continuously in Jiang Ning’s mind.
The shock was so immense that Jiang Ning momentarily lost her footing on the steps, her body instantly tilting forward as she lost her balance.
Suddenly, a grip caught the waistband at the back of her waist. The force wasn’t heavy, yet it was as steady as a monolith, abruptly pulling her back from the momentum of her fall.
Jiang Ning turned her head instantly, only to be struck by another wave of shock.
It was that handsome hunk who “did not have physical contact with women.”
This handsome fellow was dressed in full formal attire today; whether it was the jade crown in his hair, the prestigious purple robe on his body, the jade-inlaid black belt, or the dark boots on his feet—this entire ensemble proved he could never be the ordinary guard she had once taken him for.
Let alone that peerless, majestic, and intimidating aura unique to someone born to rule. He was the undisputed master of the house all along!
Stupid. Utterly stupid. Jiang Ning, oh Jiang Ning, you got completely played.
During their first meeting in the study, without Gu Jianshen’s personal directive, that rough brute would never have appeared before her at that hour to trick her into believing he was Gu Jianshen.
As a mere spy planted by others, Gu Jianshen hadn’t even found her worth interrogating personally—which just showed how thoroughly looked down upon she had been.
“Hyah—!”
A carriage by the roadside was traveling in the opposite direction of the wedding procession, looking rather eye-catching and instantly catching Jiang Ning’s attention.
The lantern hanging before the carriage bore the character “Wen”—it was the Wen family’s carriage.
Wen Ya was inside!
Careless about how Gu Jianshen viewed her as an absolute idiot, Jiang Ning coldly yanked her waist-ribbon out of Gu Jianshen’s grip, ignored his expression, and broke into a full-out sprint.
Jiang Ning’s track and field exam scores had always been top-notch, and she had even served as a long-distance runner in the past, so she ran exceptionally fast. Startled by the commotion, the carriage drivers also picked up their pace.
“Sister! Sister! Don’t leave! Sister, wait for me!”
With the horses galloping at full tilt, the carriage sped away, while Jiang Ning pursued it with matching velocity. A lone maiden and a horse-drawn carriage staged a real-life version of Fast and Furious right on the street.
The wedding procession and the surrounding onlookers were completely captivated, with quite a few people shifting their feet to follow and see what on earth was happening.
Why was Gu Jianshen’s concubine chasing after the legal wife on foot?
“The auspicious hour is approaching.”
Gu Jianshen reminded the distracted and restless Zhang Tao.
Reluctantly, Zhang Tao reined in his gaze, spurred his horse forward, and led his bride home to perform the wedding bows.
After seeing off the wedding party, a black horse was led up before Gu Jianshen.
With a clean and agile motion, he vaulted into the saddle and galloped off toward the other end of the commotion.
Human legs ultimately stood no match for a horse’s legs. After chasing them for three streets, although her pace hadn’t slowed down, Jiang Ning began to feel a tinge of exhaustion.
After three years of living a sheltered life deep within the mansion, her physical conditioning had deteriorated and could no longer match her peak athletic prime.
“Watch out for the child!”
Oh no, a child suddenly darted across the street right into Jiang Ning’s path. Due to her momentum, the possibility of braking instantly was practically zero—she was going to crash into him!
“Ah!”
The child’s mother shrieked in terror.
Jiang Ning gasped silently, her face turning ashen. Only one thought echoed in her mind: I must not hit this child.
Quickly adjusting her posture, Jiang Ning shifted into a running jump, planted one foot firmly on the ground, and propelled herself airborne, clearing the child’s head in a single bound.
Looking up in sheer awe, the little boy blinked wide-eyed and cheered, “Wow~ The fairy sister can fly~!”
By avoiding a direct collision with the child, Jiang Ning let out half a sigh of relief.
However, once airborne, Jiang Ning didn’t dare open her eyes at all.
Because her body was completely out of control; under such extreme emergency maneuvers, there was no way she could land safely.
She could already imagine how painful and wretched her fall to the ground would be.
Suddenly, as if grabbed by the hand of destiny at the back of her neck, her body remained suspended in mid-air while the rushing wind, the rhythmic clop-clop of hooves, and the din of the street echoed in her ears.
Yet, no pain followed.
Opening her eyes, Jiang Ning realized she was indeed being hoisted by the back collar of her garments, dangled like a helpless little chick.
“Whoa—!”
The horse was reined in to a halt.
They had already left the bustling street and arrived beneath a secluded, massive banyan tree at the end of the road.
The force holding Jiang Ning suddenly relaxed, and her body dropped down from the side of the horse’s flank.
The landing circumstances were far gentler than she expected; performing a half-rotation in midair, Jiang Ning landed securely and crouched stably on the ground.
Standing back up, she raised her gaze to look upward, peering at the figure atop the horse.
It was Gu Jianshen.
His gaze rested on her with an expression that was somewhat stern, yet seemingly tinged with a trace of appreciation, as his thin lips parted to spit out a few words: “Your reflexes are not bad.”
Huh?
Was Gu Jianshen complimenting her suicidal long jump just now, or was he feeling disappointed that dropping her from the horse hadn’t managed to hurt her?
Gu Jianshen continued, “Running wildly through the streets in broad daylight, completely lacking any semblance of ladylike decorum and propriety—what kind of behavior is this?”
This time, Jiang Ning understood him loud and clear: he was scolding her for embarrassing him in public.
Lifting her chin defiantly, Jiang Ning retorted, “This humble concubine comes from a humble background with little formal education, so my behavior is inevitably crude, ignorant, and foolish—well deserving of being tricked.”
Tricked?
This woman was clearly taking a veiled shot at him for his antics over the past few days.
A remarkably sharp tongue she had.
With the rolling of carriage wheels, a carriage bearing the character “Gu” on its lanterns slowly approached. It was the transport Gu Jianshen had arranged to fetch Jiang Ning back.
Gu Jianshen commanded, “Get in the carriage.”
Fuming with anger, Jiang Ning retreated toward the tree, scrambled up the trunk like a monkey, and grumbled heatedly as she climbed: “No! Why should I go back? Sister isn’t there, and there isn’t a single soul who brings me peace of mind. Staying there shortens my lifespan by years from sheer frustration—I refuse to go back!”
Even the worldly and experienced Gu Jianshen found himself facing a novel spectacle today: his pampered, delicate concubine could not only sprint like a horse but also climb trees like a monkey, scaling up to a high perch in the blink of an eye.
Dismounting, Gu Jianshen stepped up to stand beneath the tree and ordered, “Get down. For a woman to climb up so high—have you no shame at all?”
A mere upward glance revealed Jiang Ning’s slender, fair legs.
Lowering his gaze once more to avoid looking at her, Gu Jianshen urged impatiently, “Get down right now!”