Сhаpter 20 Неаrtасhe
Everуоne prеsent was stunnеd.
Весаusе theу sаw thаt Jiаng Chuji, who shоuld have taken this whiр strikе, was nоw shiеldеd in thе еmbraсе оf Jiang Yanсhuаn, who hаd rushed over аt somе unknown moment.
Аnd Jiang Вingrong’s whiр hаd just landed hеavily on Jiаng Yаnсhuаn’s body. It hаd еvеn tоrn through his clоthes, lеaving a shоcking, bloоdy lash mаrk on his arm.
“Wh-what is this!”
Оld Маdam Jiаng сried out in alаrm.
Jiang Вingrоng was alsо stunned. His hаnd tremblеd, nеаrly drоpping thе whip.
Old Маdаm Jiang’s figure shook: “Chuan’er, why did уоu suddenly rush over аnd gеt hit by the whip? Quiсklу, let your grandmother see your injury…”
However, Jiang Yanchuan paid no attention to his own wound, only looking down at the person in his arms.
Seeing the young girl in his embrace with eyes brimming with tears and a pale face, Jiang Yanchuan felt a pang of intense heartache.
Carrying the chill of the late night, his voice was slightly hoarse: “…Chuer, your brother came back too late. Are you alright?”
From the whipped area came a searing, intense pain.
The more it hurt, the more Jiang Yanchuan thought about what would have happened to the young girl if he hadn’t arrived in time, if this whip had landed on her.
He had never realized it before, but experiencing it firsthand today made him truly feel how heartless his own father was.
Both were daughters, yet compared to Jiang Luowei, he showed not an ounce of pity for Chuer.
And then, turning their gaze, everyone was even more shocked.
Because not far from Jiang Yanchuan stood another figure.
That figure stood tall and straight, clad in a purple robe that outlined a slender build. His ink-black hair was like satin, with a few strands at the forehead gently lifted by the breeze. His face was handsome, every contour perfectly proportioned.
What was most captivating were those peach blossom eyes. The slightly upturned corners carried an innate laziness, and his entire person exuded a casual, nonchalant air.
Jiang Bingrong almost thought he was seeing things. He took a sharp breath and uttered that name: “…Duke of Shu?”
Mo Chixiao lightly lifted the corner of his lips, a faint smile lingering between his brows.
“Prime Minister Jiang, I happened to meet your son outside the city and suggested accompanying him to pay a visit to you at the Chancellor’s Manor.”
“However, it seems my timing is rather unfortunate.”
His gaze, subtle and elusive, fell upon the shielded young girl.
Its meaning was unclear.
Jiang Bingrong broke out in a cold sweat instantly.
This Mo Chixiao now held a position second only to one person in the court, commanding the respect of ten thousand officials. He was even more trusted by His Majesty than this Prime Minister himself.
Why did he have to visit today, of all days, and witness such an unsightly family affair?
Originally, if word got out about his daughter stealing, it would already sound bad.
If it reached His Majesty’s ears, wouldn’t it reflect poorly on the Chancellor’s Manor’s upbringing and his own failure in educating his daughter?
At this moment, the matter of the hairpin was no longer significant. Jiang Bingrong immediately put on an apologetic smile: “Duke of Shu, you came to visit without giving prior notice.”
“My daughter committed a minor mistake. As her father, I was just teaching her a lesson. I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you, Duke of Shu.”
“A minor mistake?” Mo Chixiao said nonchalantly, “Judging by Prime Minister Jiang’s stance, it doesn’t seem minor. I wonder what your daughter did to provoke such anger from the Prime Minister?”
The Imperial Guard Division inherently held the authority to oversee all officials on behalf of the emperor.
If Mo Chixiao hadn’t pressed further, that would have been the end of it. But since he inquired, Jiang Bingrong had no choice but to answer truthfully.”This…” Jiang Bingrong gritted his teeth and said, “Duke of Shu, you may not know, but my second daughter grew up in a temple and lacks proper upbringing. She once stole her grandmother’s jade bracelet before, and today she took her grandmother’s gold hairpin.”
“Our Chancellor’s Manor places the utmost importance on moral integrity. My daughter has repeatedly committed grave mistakes without showing any remorse, which is why I was so furious that I resorted to family discipline, wanting to properly educate her.”
“Father,” Jiang Yanchuan’s chest heaved, his lips pressed into a tight line, “may I ask, what evidence do you have that Chuer took Grandmother’s gold hairpin today?”
Running into Mo Chixiao at the city gate was unexpected. When the other party proposed visiting the Chancellor’s Manor, given his status, Jiang Yanchuan could hardly refuse.
He had originally planned to have his father entertain the guest and send him off, after which he would help clear Chuer of past injustices.
But Jiang Yanchuan never expected that as soon as he entered the manor, his servant hurriedly informed him that the Old Madam’s gold hairpin was missing, and the master was convinced that the Second Young Lady had stolen it, preparing to enforce family discipline.
He didn’t even have time to attend to Mo Chixiao and rushed straight over.
“Chuan’er, what do you mean by this?”
Jiang Bingrong couldn’t help but frown. Seeing his son questioning him in front of an outsider, he felt somewhat displeased.
Jiang Yanchuan did not back down either: “I ask you, Father, on what grounds do you conclude that the gold hairpin was stolen by Chuer?”
Jiang Bingrong took a deep breath, suppressing his anger: “Today, only Luo Wei and Chuer visited your grandmother’s room.”
“Luo Wei was feeling unwell and couldn’t possibly have taken anything. If it wasn’t Chuer, who else could it be?”
However, just then, a voice came from inside the room: “—Found it! The gold hairpin has been found!”
What?
Everyone present was startled.
They saw a maid holding the hairpin, rushing out in a hurry.
“Old Madam, your lotus gold hairpin has been found.”
“It turns out the hairpin accidentally fell into a crack in the table, which is why we didn’t notice it when we were tidying up.”
“Thanks to the Second Young Lady’s maid insisting we search more carefully, we finally found it. This matter… has nothing to do with the Second Young Lady.”
Instantly, the scene fell into dead silence.
The gold hairpin had simply fallen into a crack in the table and hadn’t been taken by anyone at all?
Yet just moments ago, everyone had directly assumed that Jiang Chuji had stolen the gold hairpin.
Her grandmother had outright demanded she leave. Her father hadn’t even listened to his daughter’s explanation. Without asking for details, he had directly picked up the whip, ready to strike.
Concubine Zhou and Jiang Luowei, who had been sitting back waiting for a good show, were also stunned for a moment.
“This…”
Jiang Bingrong never expected that his earlier certainty had actually wronged his own daughter.
Beside him, Jiang Yanchuan looked coldly at his father, his tone icy and filled with strong accusation.
For the first time, he confronted his father head-on, refusing to yield.
“Did you see that, Father? This is what you said—if it wasn’t Chuer, who else could it be?”
“I…”
Jiang Bingrong’s face flushed red and pale in turns.
“Brother… don’t say anymore.”
But just then, Jiang Chuji clutched the front of Jiang Yanchuan’s robe and finally looked up. She spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly.
Her face was pale, as if she had suffered a serious illness, and the light had faded from her eyes.
Yet she still forced a heartbreaking smile: “It was just a misunderstanding. I don’t blame Father. Grandmother doesn’t like me, so I’ll just visit her less in the future.”
“I just… I just feel sorry for you, Brother.”As she spoke, her small hand gently touched the wound on Jiang Yanchuan’s arm. Her eyes were red, tears falling like broken beads, pattering down one after another.
“Brother, does it hurt? If only Chuer had taken the whip instead…”
These words made even Jiang Yanchuan, who had been cold and stern, turn red-eyed.
His heart felt as if it had been tightly clenched, an unprecedented ache.