The moonlight was hazy, and the young maiden seemed to have encountered something vexing; the way she frowned and pondered revealed a hint of cuteness.
Jiang Jinyue’s pupils flickered slightly, and she gently took the young maiden’s hand, her breath as fragrant as orchid: “If you cannot describe it, might you let me take a look?”
Her fingertips were icy, but upon touching the young maiden’s warm palm, they instantly felt each other’s warmth. In this night as cold and watery as frost, it made one inexplicably reluctant to let go.
Li Chenghuan’s eyes brightened—what a brilliant idea!
She concentrated slightly, and a single bullet appeared right in her palm: “Sister-in-law, this is a bullet. Fired out of a gun, it can take a life in an instant. The gun is the thing I used earlier to shoot and kill the bailiffs.”
Jiang Jinyue stroked the object in her palm. So this was a bullet; those few bailiffs had all been struck down and killed by this very thing.
She considered herself well-read with a strong memory, yet she had never even heard of such a divine artifact.
Yet the person before her seemed quite knowledgeable about it. Was it because of that magical ability?
She pursed her lips, suppressing the doubt in her heart. Her previous experience told her that knowing too much was not necessarily a good thing, especially concerning matters of magical abilities.
“I understand.” Jiang Jinyue handed the bullet back, memorizing it silently in her heart. What she wanted most and needed most right now was bullets.
Not far away, Boss Gu looked at the empty wooden bucket and, with low spirits, instructed Zhou Yuan: “Build up the fire a bit more so everyone can warm up.”
They had already compromised to this extent; it made no sense to continue making things difficult over such matters.
Zhou Yuan nodded, feeling more and more in his heart that Hu Er and the others had died for the better. At least along this journey, they wouldn’t have to worry about what Boss Gu might try to do to Her Highness.
Although certain words remained unspoken, both men knew it clearly: the person hidden in the shadows who had killed four bailiffs in one fell swoop had most likely come for the sake of Wang Yue.
After all, Wang Yue’s identity and status were right there; even in adversity, she was still a royal princess.
The more Zhou Yuan thought about it, the more he felt it must be so. Since the Empress Dowager could transmit a secret decree to him, she might well have left behind other backup plans. This journey could finally be a bit more reassuring.
“The night is cold, and Boss Gu is of a merciful heart, permitting every family to light a pile of fire to keep warm. Come over quickly and line up.”
On the Lu family’s side, Old Madam Lu had not yet woken up, Minister Lu was aged, Lu Chongzhi was absent, and both Lu Chongxin and Lu Baozhu were still young, so Lu Chongli as the eldest son went to line up.
When his turn came, recalling his father’s earnest instructions, he mustered his courage and asked: “Official, I wonder when my second younger brother will return?”
While handing him a torch, Zhou Yuan scanned his surroundings, turning his head to glance in a certain direction: “Isn’t he coming back right over there?”
Lu Chongli turned his head to look and saw Lu Chongzhi walking toward the family’s side.
Bonfires were lit, and the Lu family’s gazes all landed on Lu Chongzhi, because he was still shaking to this very hour.
Before Minister Lu could ask, Lu Chongzhi took the initiative to speak: “Dad, those four bailiffs are all dead. Boss Gu won’t let us talk about it outside, and just told us to bury them quietly.”
In his mindset, family members were not outsiders and naturally couldn’t be kept in the dark, plus he was simply too terrified; if he didn’t spill it out, he felt unbearably distressed.
As soon as these words were spoken, the Lu family members all widened their eyes—dead!
Minister Lu calmed down first, lowering his voice to ask: “Tell me in detail, what on earth is the situation?”
“Their manner of death was extremely miserable, their bodies are full of bloody holes…” As Lu Chongzhi spoke, he couldn’t help trembling again; he was definitely going to have nightmares tonight.
Minister Lu twisted his beard with his fingers, abruptly spinning around to look toward the rear of the procession.
The firelight flickered, and Xie Yuwan sat beside Jiang Jinyue with a relaxed expression, a trace of a smile seemingly on her face, looking nothing like someone who had just experienced something bad.
Minister Lu withdrew his gaze and looked at his eldest son: “Chongli, go call Yuwan back.” If they wanted to understand the inside story, they would probably have to ask the eldest daughter-in-law.
Lu Chongli kept his head lowered and gave no response; he still didn’t want to go.
“What’s wrong with Yuwan?” A weak voice rang out.
“Madam!”
“Mother, Mother has woken up!”
Old Madam Lu slowly swept her gaze in a circle, her voice hoarse: “Where is Yuwan?”
Lu Baozhu reacted the fastest, smiling as she said: “Mother only has Sister-in-law in your heart, not even caring about your own body anymore. How are you feeling right now, is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?”
Old Madam Lu was already feeling drowsy and completely sapped of strength, and interrupted by this diversion, she shook her head and drifted right back off to sleep.
The Lu family members looked at each other in blank dismay, speechless for a moment.
Over here, ever since hearing the Lu family’s commotion, Xie Yuwan had turned to look over from time to time.
Noticing her movements, Jiang Jinyue asked: “Are you perhaps worrying over Old Madam Lu?”
Xie Yuwan lowered her gaze, her voice despondent: “Mother-in-law treated me very well.” Having said that, she hurriedly added another sentence, “My husband and the others are very filial, I don’t need to go over.”
Jiang Jinyue nodded, having no intention of stopping her, but she would tag along as well.
Right at that moment, startled cries rang out once again from within the procession—it was Wang Yue’s voice. Perhaps because she had drunk water, or perhaps because she had the campfire to warm her up, Tutor Yu had also woken up.
Immediately following that, Wang Yue’s voice rang out again: “Where is Jiang Jinyue! Come here at once!”
Jiang Jinyue frowned slightly, yet still stood up, and Li Chenghuan consciously followed behind.
Seeing this, Old Madam Li hurriedly gave her youngest granddaughter a push: “Hurry and follow, protect your sister-in-law well.” Having lived for most of her life, she could still read a bit of the power dynamics; that highness the princess’s attitude toward Jiang Jinyue was not pleasant at all.
The ill-fated girl was a member of their Li family and would never tolerate outsiders bullying her.
Li Chengle obediently stood up, marching forward valiantly behind Jiang Jinyue with an imposing posture as if heading onto a battlefield.
Whoever dared to bully her sister-in-law would first have to answer to her hand capable of splitting bricks with a single palm.
The moment the three of them drew near, Wang Yue urged impatiently: “Quickly check if the Tutor’s body is better?” Her tone was taken for granted and extremely impolite.
Tutor Yu sat down, making a feeble bow with cupped hands: “Sorry to trouble you.”
Jiang Jinyue gave a slight nod, reaching out to rest her fingers on his wrist, and quickly arrived at a conclusion: “The pulse is still somewhat weak, but it is already out of danger.”
“Are you certain there is no danger? If you have misdiagnosed and delay the Tutor’s condition, this Palace will absolute—”
“Your Highness, cough, cough…” Tutor Yu interrupted Wang Yue’s words, coughing a few times before apologizing, “Your Highness was also speaking out of deep anxiety, and this old official hopes Miss Jiang will not take offense.”
Jiang Jinyue shot Wang Yue a cold glance, said nothing at all, and turned around to walk away.
Li Chenghuan and Li Chengle followed closely behind, guarding Jiang Jinyue in the middle from left and right.
Behind them, Wang Yue was filled with sullen anger: “Tutor, this Palace said we definitely do not need to use this female, why must you still give her a pleasant face?” That woman actually even dared to pull a cold face toward her; she was simply devoid of respect for superiors and inferiors.
“Your Highness, times are different now, you must change your temperament.” Tutor Yu let out a long sigh, “If Your Highness does not change, I am afraid the Jiang family daughter will alter her intentions.”
How deeply Tutor Yu understood Wang Yue; naturally, he knew where the crux of the matter lay. The reason Wang Yue held such an attitude was, firstly, because she believed Jiang Jinyue intended to submit to her, and secondly, because she held a bias due to Jiang Jinyue’s refusal to kneel.
Yet regardless of Jiang Jinyue’s disposition, purely based on the fact that she possessed medical skills, she was someone they could make use of.
“As one who rules, you must know how to appoint people on their merits…” Tutor Yu spoke with earnestness and sincerity, pulling apart the logic and crushing it to pieces to explain it to Wang Yue, hoping she could figure it out soon.
Wang Yue lowered her head and muttered sullenly: “This Palace understands.”
As for whether she truly understood or not, nobody knew.
Li Chenghuan, however, didn’t quite understand. After returning to their original spot, she couldn’t help asking in a low voice: “Sister-in-law, won’t we offend that Highness the Princess by doing this?”
The cold-beauty sister-in-law’s expression just then had been so icy that even she had felt somewhat nervous.
Jiang Jinyue’s pupils darkened, and she said flatly: “So what if we offended her?”
“Are we not counting on her for our return to the capital?” Li Chenghuan remarked, instinctively looking toward Magistrate Xu and Xu Xiao. Could it be that the cold-beauty sister-in-law had resolved to rely solely on this pair of father and son?
Sensing what was in her heart, Jiang Jinyue murmured, “It is not solely on them that we rely.”
A look of incomprehension surfaced in Li Chenghuan’s eyes. If they weren’t counting on Magistrate Xu and his son, then who were they counting on?
Jiang Jinyue, however, offered no explanation, leaning against the tree to close her eyes and rest. Who was she counting on? If it had been two days ago, she wouldn’t have known clearly, holding to the idea that eggs shouldn’t be put all in one basket—thus both signaling her stance to Wang Yue and showing goodwill to Magistrate Xu’s father and son.
Yet right now, her mindset had changed, because it seemed she already knew who she could count on the most.
Jiang Jinyue abruptly opened her eyes, gazing deeply at the bewildered young maiden before her. That person was right close at hand…
[Female lead’s darkening value decreases by five, rewarded with two hundred bullets]
Li Chenghuan: ! ! ! ! ! !
The bewilderment on her face faded away, replaced by surprise—no, by wild joy, by ecstatic rapture!