Сhарtеr 14: Convеntiоn
Сhеn Shi stаred blankly аt hеr stunningly beаutiful daughter bеfоrе hеr.
Whеn thеy hаd раrtеd, her daughtеr was only five уеars оld—still аn innосеnt child unаwаrе of the wауs of thе world.
Yet now, shе was sо resolute, аnd evеry wоrd shе spokе seemed tо саrrу a pоwеr thаt сould shakе the sоul.
Unconsсiously, shе tightened hеr grip on her dаughtеr’s hаnd and sаid trеmulously, “Alright… Мothеr will listеn to yоu.”
Jiang Chuji’s wоrds alsо rеаchеd the eаrs of the mаn driving thе сarriage without missing a single syllablе.
Мo Jiu couldn’t helр but bе moved as wеll.
It sеemed the Jiang family’s affairs back then were not simple. And this Second Miss Jiang was truly extraordinary.
By the time they returned to the capital, it was already the hour of Yin—nearly four in the morning by modern reckoning.
At this hour, all the inns had long since closed for the night and would only open their doors to welcome guests at daybreak.
Under the pitch-black night sky, Jiang Chuji supported Chen Shi as they found an inn not far from the Chancellor’s Manor and knocked on the door.
The innkeeper, awakened from his sleep, grumbled and cursed as he came to open the door.
Seeing the veiled young girl outside and the disheveled, foul-smelling, frail woman beside her, he thought someone had come to cause trouble and immediately scowled, ready to shoo them away.
But before the innkeeper could speak, Jiang Chuji directly held out a hundred-tael silver note before his eyes.
Her expression was completely blank: “I want to check in now.”
“Arrange the best room for me, have someone heat two buckets of bathwater immediately, and find clean, suitable clothes for my mother.”
“My mother will be staying here for some time. Find a woman to take care of her exclusively. As long as you take good care of my mother, you can keep this hundred-tael silver note.”
A hundred-tael silver note!
The innkeeper was first dumbfounded, then jolted awake in an instant.
At their inn, a night’s stay cost anywhere from a few dozen to a hundred wen, and even the best room was only two hundred wen per night.
But this young girl before him had handed him a hundred-tael silver note right off the bat.
With that much money, not only could someone stay here for a while and have a personal attendant, it was even enough to buy his entire inn twice over.
This wasn’t a nuisance disturbing his sweet dreams in the middle of the night—this was clearly meeting the God of Wealth!
The innkeeper’s attitude changed instantly. Accepting the silver note with immense enthusiasm, he immediately bent over and fawned, “Young lady, please come right in! I’ll have someone heat water for you right away!”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll first fetch my wife’s clothes for you. Tomorrow, I’ll have the shop assistant buy new ones for the madam.”
“As for finding someone to attend to her, I’ll just have my wife take care of the madam personally. I guarantee she’ll be diligent and attentive!”
Someone who spent money so lavishly was likely a young lady from some prominent family. If they took good care of her, there might be even more silver to come.
Supporting her mother, Jiang Chuji followed the innkeeper’s guidance upstairs.
The most expensive room was indeed the best in environment and the quietest.
No matter the era, having money always made things easier.
After Jiang Chuji transmigrated, the original host had no savings whatsoever.
She had schemed to have Hu San extort such a large sum from Concubine Zhou, then secretly left the manor to double-cross him, all to prepare for bringing Chen Shi back—securing a sum of money first.
She just hadn’t expected to be able to bring her mother out so quickly.
In less than half an hour, the innkeeper had someone deliver steaming bathtubs, soap, and clean clothes.
After the long journey, Chen Shi’s already frail body was nearly at its limit.Jiang Chuji helped her bathe twice, dried her hair, changed into clean clothes, and assisted her to lie down on the bed. Chen Shi was already exhausted, but she tightly grasped her daughter’s hand, overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
After bathing and changing clothes, Chen Shi finally revealed her originally dignified and beautiful face. However, after years of suffering and hardship, her skin had become rough and dull, with fine wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes.
In contrast, Concubine Zhou had enjoyed a life of luxury and comfort in the Chancellor’s Manor for many years. Never having to lift a finger for household chores, she had nurtured herself to a rosy complexion, without even a single thin callus on her hands.
Regardless, at least she had rescued her mother from that dreadful place.
As for the rest, she would make that mother and daughter pay back every bit of it.
Seeing that the sky outside the window was almost bright, Jiang Chuji held Chen Shi’s hand in return: “Mother, I must return to the Chancellor’s Manor now. Stay here peacefully, and I will come to see you again.”
Chen Shi’s eyes were blurred with tears: “Don’t worry, Chuer, Mother will always be here waiting for you.”
With that, she left the inn and got back into the carriage.
Mo Jiu escorted her to the rear courtyard of the Chancellor’s Manor.
After getting out of the carriage, Jiang Chuji glanced at him.
“Thank you for your help tonight, Guard Mo. Please also convey my gratitude to your lord.”
Mo Jiu firmly clasped his fists in salute.
After tonight, his impression of the young lady before him had greatly changed.
The series of events he witnessed tonight were by no means something an ordinary young woman could handle with such composure. This Second Miss Jiang must have deliberately concealed her abilities within the Jiang family.
Returning to the Duke’s Mansion, Mo Jiu was surprised to find that the study was still lit with candlelight.
His lord had not yet retired either.
Amidst the curling smoke of sandalwood incense, Mo Chixiao glanced at him casually: “So you just escorted her there and brought her back?”
Mo Jiu scratched his head and spoke truthfully: “Yes… and no.”
He recounted everything that had happened in detail.
Without looking up, the man tapped his fingers on the table twice, deep in thought: “Indeed, a little fox.”
He just didn’t know where this little fox had obtained the information and whereabouts that even he couldn’t find.
Returning to Yilan Courtyard, Fuling hurried over immediately.
Clearly having stayed up all night without sleep, her voice was choked with tears: “Miss, you’re finally back!”
“You said you’d be back in at most an hour or two. How did it take the whole night? I was almost worried to death.”
If not for the miss ordering her to stay in the courtyard, she would have definitely gone with her.
“I’m fine,” Jiang Chuji said. “There was a bit of an unexpected situation, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.”
Fuling didn’t know what had happened. But as long as the miss could return safely, she was relieved.
Fuling couldn’t help but glance at the sky: “Miss, it’s already this late. I’m afraid you won’t be able to rest now.”
“Tomorrow—no, today is the first day of the month. By custom, you and the eldest miss must go early to pay respects to Old Madam and accompany her for breakfast.”
“This must not be delayed under any circumstances. The eldest miss always arrives early to wait every time. If you go later than her, Old Madam will likely blame you again. Should we start preparing and freshening up now?”
Jiang Chuji, however, paid no mind to it at all.
In the past, to maintain her skin, she always made sure to get her beauty sleep.
Having stayed up all night, she wasn’t about to sacrifice even a short nap to pay respects to an old lady. She never did things that made her suffer unnecessarily.Fuling remembered something else: “By the way, miss, there’s one more thing. The young master’s servant came by shortly after you left the manor.”
“He said the young master went to Lin City yesterday. He also said the young master mentioned that the matter of you being falsely accused of stealing the jade bracelet will soon be resolved.”
“Oh?” Jiang Chuji was somewhat surprised.
If she remembered correctly, the maid who had initially accused her of acting suspiciously had left the Chancellor’s Manor not long after the incident and married into Lin City.
She hadn’t expected her elder brother to be so concerned about her affairs and to act so quickly.
Jiang Chuji slightly raised her chin, habitually rubbing her fingertips, her gaze subtly shifting. “If that’s the case…”