The great villain Jiang Yanqing was born frail and sickly. Though he was a genius with near-demonic intellect and a mind full of knowledge, he was terribly unlucky. He passed the Xiucai (Scholar) exam at twelve, but after that, every time the imperial examinations came around, he would fall gravely ill.
He missed the exams. And now, a full ten years had passed! It wasn’t until the male lead returned to the capital as an imperial prince that Jiang Yanqing, within a single year, achieved the rare feat of placing first in three consecutive examinations, and within three years, rose to become the Chief Grand Secretary of the court.
The book said that because of Old Lady Jiang’s favoritism toward the male lead, along with the male lead’s good fortune and noble status, Jiang Yanqing grew jealous.
So he opposed him at every turn, making countless attempts on his life! All the hardships faced by the male and female leads were because of him!
He was a heartless, ruthless villain who dedicated himself to stirring up trouble and committing every evil deed.
Lu Zhaozhao never judged things by appearances—the plot given to her by this "Cold Remedy" system was definitely problematic! QqXsΝεW.
Old Lady Jiang had six children: four sons and two daughters. Jiang Yanqing was the eldest son in the family, yet the old woman treated him with such malice alone.
She exploited his living conditions and refused to give him money for medicine.
She dragged out his illness until he was emaciated and frail. In the book, he died from sickness, not because the male and female leads killed him. If he hadn’t died young, who would have ended up on the throne was anyone’s guess.
Besides, looking at Jiang Yanqing right now, he seemed utterly pitiable no matter how you looked at him.
As Lu Zhaozhao thought this, she ate while browsing the system’s mall, where she found a medicine that could strengthen the body and dispel illness.
It was called the Revitalizing Pill.
Five thousand Farming Points.
How long would she have to work to earn that?
Seeing that there weren’t many dumplings left, Lu Zhaozhao also fed him: "Husband, you eat too."
Jiang Yanqing really wanted to eat, but seeing how happy she looked while eating, he turned his head away.
Lu Zhaozhao didn’t care—she didn’t like being rejected!
She insisted on feeding him.
While the two fed each other, they quickly finished the small portion of dumplings.
Just then, Old Lady Jiang pushed the door open with a dark expression.
In her hands was a bowl of cornmeal porridge, so thin you could see your reflection in it: "Eat up! I must have committed some sin!"
Lu Zhaozhao glanced at her. Drinking this, she’d starve to death!
But, to be fair, this couldn’t really be blamed on Old Lady Jiang.
According to the book’s setting, this was during a famine year. Last year, the entire village had poor harvests due to drought, and just when it seemed like this year’s harvest was coming, the crops in the fields all withered and died.
It looked like they were about to run out of food.
Every household was trying to scrape together some grain, and some had even started considering venturing into the deepest parts of the largest mountain east of the village.
Across these ten-mile stretches of villages, mountains connected to mountains, but no one dared enter the truly deep mountains.
It showed just how dire the situation was.
The only family in the entire village that could still eat properly was the village chief’s household. That was because they had a fortunate daughter who could casually go into the mountains and find game that had run into trees and died.
Given the current situation…
They either had to find new sources or cut back on expenses.
Just eating cornmeal porridge thin enough to see your reflection in wouldn’t do.
Health was the foundation of happiness!
Since she couldn’t go back anyway, she might as well live well!
Cornmeal porridge couldn’t fill anyone up!
Old Lady Jiang wore a deathly expression, glaring fiercely at Lu Zhaozhao: "I must owe you two something! The family is about to run out of food! Eldest Son, where’s the money you earned from copying books this month?"
Hearing this, Jiang Yanqing began to cough.
After a long while, he finally caught his breath slightly and said, "Mother, I just bought medicine this morning and have no silver left on me now. Isn't Father and Third Brother returning from the county tomorrow? They must have some silver, right?"
Seeing that he wouldn't give any money, Old Lady Jiang fixed her gaze fiercely on Lu Zhaozhao.
This daughter-in-law of hers had money!
"Is there anything else, Mother-in-law?" Lu Zhaozhao looked at her expressionlessly.
Old Lady Jiang, frightened by Lu Zhaozhao's gaze, trembled and ran off.
Jiang Yanqing rested his chin on his hand as he watched Lu Zhaozhao. The desire to simply let no one live, born from his miserable life, finally diminished considerably.
【999: Villain Malice Value -1, Malice Value: 9999. Reward Farming Points: 100.】
Lu Zhaozhao stared at this number, lost in thought.
Was her handsome husband really this valuable?
Jiang Yanqing put away the things on the table and picked up a book to read. He forced himself to suppress the malicious thoughts in his heart…
He couldn't act rashly. The proof of his identity was still in the Jiang family's hands.
Moreover, the court was in turmoil at this time, and his so-called father might not be particularly eager for a son who had been lost to return home.
In his previous life, when Jiang Yanxuan took his place and returned to the palace, didn't he also suffer many setbacks?
If not for Marquis Lu clearing his name and returning to the capital, and coinciding with the resurgence of Marquis Lu's maternal family, and because Lu Zhaozhao died of illness on their wedding night, leaving Jiang Yanxuan with the reputation of being a wife-killer, which led them to help him, he would have died countless times already.
But… why did she choose him?
Jiang Yanqing couldn't understand.
While he was still puzzled, Lu Zhaozhao had already taken ten taels of silver from her dowry and handed it to him.
Jiang Yanqing looked utterly bewildered.
Lu Zhaozhao said, "Husband, your health is weak and you shouldn't overexert yourself. Please stop copying books for now. Use these ten taels of silver first to buy medicine and some grain."
"But this is my wife's dowry…" Her family had suffered a great upheaval, leaving her with only a hundred taels of silver to rely on. How could she just give some to him so easily?
Jiang Yanqing simply felt he couldn't understand his wife.
"When husband recovers in the future, you can return it to me then." Lu Zhaozhao's eyes showed no distress over the silver, only concern for Jiang Yanqing.
In the plot, Jiang Yanqing's condition deteriorated rapidly precisely during this period.
When the famine came, the Jiang family left him to fend for himself. With no silver to buy medicine, he had to endure it all, causing irreversible damage.
Now that she was married to him, she naturally couldn't let him die young.
Jiang Yanqing's face was practically sculpted to her aesthetic tastes; he was the husband she had personally chosen. Moreover, he would later become the Chief Grand Secretary of the court. Only when he prospered could she live a better life!
What did a little silver matter now?
Lu Zhaozhao pressed the silver into Jiang Yanqing's hand.
Jiang Yanqing had schemed against many people and seen vast sums of silver. But only these ten taels felt as heavy as a thousand pounds to him.
"I'll go buy rice…" His mind in disarray, he fled the house in a fluster.
【999: Villain Malice Value -3, Malice Value: 9996. Reward Farming Points: 300. Total Points: -700. Friendly reminder: If points are not repaid within seven days, the system will deplete its energy and vanish, and the host will perish along with it.】
Lu Zhaozhao ignored 999, silently drinking the watery cornmeal porridge that barely cast a reflection.
In the afternoon, as the sun began to set.
Old Lady Jiang came over and started banging on the door: "Get up quickly! The family is about to run out of food. You need to go up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables!"
Lu Zhaozhao was woken from her nap by the noise. After calming herself for a moment, she got up and opened the door.
Old Lady Jiang’s expression froze slightly.
Accompanying her was Old Lady Jiang’s youngest daughter, Jiang Rong’er, who was only about fifteen or sixteen years old.
Old Lady Jiang was also holding a little boy, no more than six or seven years old.
This was Old Lady Jiang’s youngest son, named Jiang Qingbao.
“Let’s go,” Lu Zhaozhao said.
“Go where?” Old Lady Jiang was bewildered.