“Or else, or else I’ll make you regret this!” Xiao Zuiyue crossed her arms and threatened fiercely.
Is that all?
Jiang Yu smiled, having roughly gauged her temperament. “I don’t even know who you are. Why should I leave just because you tell me to?”
“I… I am of noble status. How could someone as lowly as you be worthy of knowing?” Xiao Zuiyue flaunted her arrogance.
“Go get treated for your delusions. Straight out the door—no seeing you off.” Jiang Yu didn’t give her an inch and turned toward the kitchen.
If she wanted Jiang Yu to leave Xiao Lingzhou, she had better show some sincerity—otherwise, no one would care.
“You… what do you mean?”
Xiao Zuiyue attempted to follow her into the kitchen, but Jiang Mo, the dog, blocked her path with a menacing snarl.
“Woof!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Get away! Get away!”
The girl’s legs wobbled as she stepped backward, flailing her arms helplessly.
“Can we speak properly now?”
She glanced cautiously. Jiang Yu leaned against the doorway, casually peeling a boiled egg, a mischievous look on her face.
“Woof, woof, woof!”
Jiang Mo bared its teeth in attack mode, and Xiao Zuiyue’s body trembled with fear.
She regretted coming alone, but having arrived, she wouldn’t allow this woman to follow Xiao Lingzhou to the capital.
Su Yueqing had already claimed the position of his future wife; she wouldn’t let another woman steal his heart.
“You… get it to move away immediately,” Xiao Zuiyue ordered.
“Five hundred taels.” Jiang Yu spoke up.
“What five hundred taels?” Xiao Zuiyue was confused.
Jiang Yu pointed to Jiang Mo and raised an eyebrow: “Hesitate, and I won’t be responsible.”
“You think you can take it?” Xiao Zuiyue’s teeth nearly ground to pieces.
“Will you pay or not? If not, I’m leaving.” Jiang Yu mimicked the same threatening stance she had used on Cui Ling, her acting flawless.
“Wait!”
Seeing the chubby dog capable of pinning her down, Xiao Zuiyue reluctantly fished a stack of silver notes from her pouch.
Originally, she was thinking about how to make this woman back off.
Knowing Jiang Yu’s greed made things much easier.
“This is a thousand taels. I want you to leave Xiao Lingzhou voluntarily.”
Jiang Yu glanced at it, her face calm.
“Not enough?” Xiao Zuiyue weighed her pouch: “There’s another three hundred taels plus some loose silver. Promise to leave Xiao Lingzhou, and it’s all yours.”
She assumed that Jiang Yu, as a weak woman, would have no support once leaving Xiao Lingzhou. The money was compensation.
Goal achieved. Jiang Yu took it without hesitation, a crease of delight forming at the corner of her eyes.
“If only it had been this simple earlier! I’m a kind person, really. Pity you came at the wrong time; Xiao Lingzhou is out, and guests have arrived. Would you care to come in for tea?”
She switched faces completely, leaving Xiao Zuiyue slightly stunned.
How could Xiao Lingzhou like someone so money-minded?
Suppressing her disdain, Xiao Zuiyue straightened and glared at Jiang Mo.
Jiang Yu understood immediately, brushed stray hair from her face, and winked at her:
“Paying money to get things done, I understand, I understand.”
She broke the peeled egg into pieces and squatted. “Jiang Mo, come here.”
Hearing the call, the dog immediately transformed into an obedient puppy, tongue lolling as it trotted over.
Once it finished the egg, Jiang Yu patted its head. “Go play.”
Seeing the cozy scene of woman and dog, Xiao Zuiyue scoffed: “Didn’t expect this fat dog even has a name.”
Without Jiang Mo, she crossed her arms and returned to her haughty demeanor.
“It’s Jiang Mo. What’s your name?”
“Lowly and unknown. Fear of polluting the noble ears, best not to mention,” Jiang Yu replied lightly, standing up, clearly keeping score of the earlier confrontation.
Xiao Zuiyue: “……”
“I’m Xiao Zuiyue, Xiao Lingzhou’s childhood companion.”
“Oh.” Jiang Yu responded lightly.
“What do you mean by ‘oh’?” Xiao Zuiyue’s hands went to her hips in frustration. “We grew up together! Don’t you have anything to say?”
“So what if we grew up together?” Jiang Yu shrugged. “I’m his wife.”
“His wife.”
“Wife…”
The word echoed like a curse in Xiao Zuiyue’s ears, constantly pricking her nerves.
She ground her teeth: “Don’t forget, you accepted my money.”
Jiang Yu looked around innocently, feigning ignorance: “What money? Where did it come from?”
Now Xiao Zuiyue was infuriated. She stomped her foot, volume rising: “You! Are you trying to cheat me?”
“How am I cheating?” Jiang Yu defended herself: “I didn’t agree to anything. You insisted on giving me money, so I had no choice but to accept it.”
Xiao Zuiyue growled multiple “you!”s, lifting her chin. “Fine, you are Xiao Lingzhou’s wife now, but it might not always be so!”
“Oh?” Jiang Yu’s brow twitched, trying to probe: “What do you mean by that?”
Seeing her reaction, Xiao Zuiyue smirked: “Xiao Lingzhou hasn’t told you, has he? He actually—”
“Miss!”
Just as she was about to reveal Xiao Lingzhou’s identity, three sweating men dressed as servants dashed over.
“Miss, the eldest young master has been worried sick looking for you. Please return with us immediately.”
Seeing they were Xie Jinglan’s men, Xiao Zuiyue panicked.
“I won’t go back!”
“This…”
The three exchanged uneasy glances and then, eyes on Jiang Yu, made a quick decision.
“Miss, sorry for the inconvenience.”
With that, two of them firmly restrained Xiao Zuiyue, ready to take her away.
“What are you doing? Let go! I don’t want to go back!”
In desperation, she grabbed Jiang Yu’s sleeve: “I gave you all the money! You can’t renege!”
Jiang Yu hadn’t forgotten that Xiao Lingzhou’s men were nearby.
Even if Xiao Zuiyue revealed his true identity, she would feign disbelief.
With the money secured, all she wanted was for them to take Xiao Zuiyue away quickly.
“I’ve already helped you call off the dog. The job’s done. How can you claim I didn’t keep my word?”
The lead servant easily tore Xiao Zuiyue’s hand from Jiang Yu’s sleeve.
He clasped his fists: “Apologies, miss. My lady had a head injury not long ago and sometimes speaks nonsense. My young master brought her through Yuzhou seeking medical treatment. We didn’t notice her escape. Sorry for the disturbance.”
Jiang Yu smirked inwardly. For the sake of cover-up, they lied without hesitation.
Had she not known Xiao Lingzhou’s identity, she might have believed it.
She forced a polite smile: “It’s fine. She seems seriously ill. Please take her back quickly.”
“Thank you.”
With that, the three men practically dragged Xiao Zuiyue away.
Once out of sight, the two holding her arms released her.
“In urgent matters, we acted accordingly. Please forgive our presumption, miss.”