When Xiao Shao came over, he saw Liu Min holding Jiang Ruan's hand tightly and Jiang Ruan frowning. A trace of displeasure flashed through his heart.
The two of them turned around. Although Liu Min was surprised to see Xiao Shao, he did not let go. Seeing this, Xiao Shao's eyes turned cold. He strode forward, grabbed Liu Min's hand, and pulled it away from Jiang Ruan's arm.
Xiao Shao was a martial artist, while Liu Min was just a weak scholar without the strength to truss a chicken. Immediately, he felt a piercing pain where Xiao Shao had grabbed his hand, and his face turned pale.
"How are you?" Xiao Shao turned his head, but his words were directed at Jiang Ruan.
Jiang Ruan shook her head, "I'm fine."
"Xiao Wangye, I'm talking to Junzhu!" Liu Min was somewhat angry and reminded him. Perhaps Xiao Shao's reputation as a "traitor" in the court was too obvious, but as an upright official, Liu Min instinctively disliked Xiao Shao. Now, seeing Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao's familiar expressions, his eyebrows twisted into a knot. How did she get mixed up with a traitor?
Xiao Shao was also sizing up Liu Min. This new nobleman in front of the Emperor had become the zhuangyuan in one fell swoop three years ago and had been promoted step by step in the imperial court. Finally, he was a first-rank official. Even the old officials in the imperial court were somewhat afraid of Liu Min. Naturally, Xiao Shao also knew that Jiang Ruan and Liu Min had exchanged letters three years ago, and the questions of the court examination were still vivid in his mind. Not to mention how Jiang Ruan knew the questions of the court examination, just the reason why she helped Liu Min was something that the Jinyi Guards could not find.
However, ever since Liu Min won the first place, Jiang Ruan had nothing to do with him. Now, the two of them were tugging at each other in the Imperial Garden. Liu Min looked at Jiang Ruan with eyes full of fanaticism and excitement. Xiao Shao frowned slightly and said, "Now, I'm done."
The coldness in his eyes made Liu Min's heart feel a little cold.
Lu Zhu looked at Liu Min and then at Xiao Shao. She blinked her eyes, thinking that her family's Miss was so popular. Xiao Wangye and Grand Tutor Liu were both good candidates for a son-in-law. If she had to choose one, Lu Zhu thought that Xiao Wangye was better, because Xiao Wangye was more handsome and awe-inspiring. Grand Tutor Liu was a good person, but he was a scholar. Wasn't there a saying, 'Most righteous people are like dogs slaughtering dogs, and most heartless people are scholars?' Of course, Xiao Wangye was not a dog butcher. He was the Great Jin Dynasty's most distinguished little prince.
At present, Jiang Ruan did not want to have anything to do with Liu Min. If someone with ulterior motives were to see them, it would be difficult to avoid making a fuss about it. Now that Liu Min knew that the person was her, if anything were to happen in the future, this Grand Tutor would not stand idly by. Thinking of this, Jiang Ruan smiled at Liu Min and said, "If Grand Tutor has nothing else to do today, I still have some matters that I would like to discuss with Xiao Wangye."
Hearing such a familiar tone, a smile flashed in Xiao Shao's eyes, but Liu Min's face turned a little green. However, he was, after all, a proud and aloof official who disdained to be entangled with others. Although he felt somewhat uneasy, he still gave Jiang Ruan some respect. He only took a deep look at Jiang Ruan, cupped his hands and said, "Junzhu, we shall meet again someday."
After saying this, he nodded to Xiao Shao and left without saying anything.
He did not pay Xiao Shao the courtesy of a superior, but rather the courtesy of a colleague. It could be assumed that Liu Min was certain that Xiao Shao was a rebel and a traitor, so he also looked down on him.
Xiao Shao coldly watched Liu Min leave. Jiang Ruan raised her head and looked at him, "Why have you come?"
Xiao Shao then retracted his gaze and said, "I heard that you met Xuan Xin?"
Thinking about it, it could be assumed that Tian Zhu had 'snitched' on Xiao Shao. Jiang Ruan did not want to hide it from him, so she nodded and said, "Yes."
Xiao Shao raised his eyebrows. What kind of person was Xuan Xin? Even if there were some beautiful women in the palace, he would still covet them. Jiang Ruan's appearance could be considered not bad, so how could Xuan Xin let her go?
Jiang Ruan naturally did not know that in Xiao Shao's eyes, her unparalleled beauty was merely a 'not bad'. If she had known, she would definitely have sneered. Xiao Shao himself was a devilishly beautiful man, so the appearance of a mortal was not worth mentioning in his eyes.
Xiao Shao asked, "What are your plans now?"
"What plans?" Jiang Ruan looked at him in astonishment.
"You are already of marriageable age, and you have also been bestowed the title of Junzhu by the Empress Dowager. Jiang Xin's meritorious service is outstanding, and the people in the palace are eyeing you covetously. Your marriage will inevitably be made a fuss." Xiao Shao reminded her.
This time, when Jiang Ruan returned to the capital, she had seen all kinds of people, and now she had become a fragrant cake.
"Does Xiao Wangye really think that I will be tempted?" Jiang Ruan said, "As you said, I can't wait to avoid those people. I have never thought of getting married." Getting married, and spending the rest of her life with a stranger? In this life, she did not know if she still had the confidence to do so. She was afraid that, like in her previous life, she would end up with a miserable ending.
Xiao Shao noticed a flash of coldness in Jiang Ruan's eyes, and his heart slightly paused. Suddenly, he had the impulse to ask, "Then what do you think of me?" As soon as this thought emerged, Xiao Shao himself was baffled. He was calm and collected in the way he handled matters, and usually, his temperament was cold and indifferent. Only when it came to feelings, it was a blank slate. Naturally, he did not know that he had strange thoughts about Jiang Ruan, and just stood there in a daze like the boy next door.
Jiang Ruan saw that Xiao Shao was lost in thought, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Shao returned to his senses and shook his head, "Nothing." Looking at her face, he asked, "Is the ointment ready?"
Ever since she met the Empress Dowager, Jiang Ruan had started to use the ointment that Xiao Shao had given her. That ointment was indeed a rare miracle medicine. After using it, she felt cool and refreshing, and not a single scar could be seen. It was just that with Empress Dowager Yi De in front of her, she did not use it much every day. But even so, the slightest scar could not be seen.
"No need. It's a good ointment. "Jiang Ruan smiled.
Xiao Shao pursed his lips, "I will give you some more in the future." That ointment was personally concocted by his master, Master Ba Qi. It was priceless, but it was used to treat the slap mark on Jiang Ruan's face. If Master Ba Qi knew about it, he would definitely scold him for being unfilial and wasting God's gift.
Jiang Ruan felt that the atmosphere was a little strange, and could not help but raise her head to look at Xiao Shao. Coincidentally, Xiao Shao was looking down at her. In fact, she was already considered tall, but she still only reached up to Xiao Shao's chest. Looking at it this way, she appeared petite and cute. Xiao Shao's pitch-black eyes sparkled like stars, seemingly containing some kind of strange emotion. Jiang Ruan only glanced at him before looking away. Her heart was somewhat uncontrollably beating wildly.
She secretly cursed in her heart: Damned evildoer. However, she did not expect that her somewhat uneasy action would fall into Xiao Shao's eyes. The corners of Xiao Shao's mouth slightly curled up.
Lu Zhu followed the two of them from a distance, her heart extremely anxious. Xiao Wangye was a taciturn gourd, while her Miss appeared gentle on the surface, but her temperament was cold and aloof. If they wanted to be together, she did not know how long they would have to dilly-dally. For such a clever and cute personal maidservant like her, she naturally had to think of ways to make her Miss happy. Lu Zhu secretly clenched her fists and made a decision in her heart. In a few days, she must find an opportunity. Who said that only a cold person could be a matchmaker? A clever maidservant like her could also be a match maker.
….
After Jiang Quan claimed to be ill and did not attend court for a few days, he finally returned to the Jiang fu.
Not to mention the ridiculing gazes of his colleagues when he attended court, even after the court session ended, there were still people from afar who ridiculed him from behind. Jiang Quan had always prided himself on being a clean and upright aristocratic family, fair and honest, but now, he had slapped his own face. When had he ever been in such a difficult situation? Along the way, he only incessantly urged the carriage driver to hurry back to the fu.
The carriage rumbled along, and after an unknown amount of time, it suddenly stopped. Jiang Quan thought that they had arrived at the fu, and was puzzled as to why the journey back to the fu today was so short. As soon as he lifted the curtain, he was stunned. It was not the mansion that he was familiar with, but rather a deserted outskirts.
"Carriage driver, carriage driver!" Jiang Quan shouted, flustered and exasperated. "What is this place!"
However, after shouting for a long time, no one came to answer him. Jiang Quan's heart turned cold, and he had a bad premonition. He jumped down from the carriage, and to his astonishment, he discovered that the person sitting on the horse was not the usual carriage driver, but an unfamiliar face.
Jiang Quan suppressed the fear in his heart, and sternly asked, "Who are you?"
That man sneered and clapped his hands. Only the sound of wind could be heard in the air, and a person impressively appeared in front of him. It was a woman.
These two people both had unfamiliar faces. Jiang Quan sized up the surroundings. This place was desolate and uninhabited, and even if he called for help, no one would hear him. He calmed down and said, "What do the two of you want? If you want money, we can discuss it properly. "
"Minister Jiang really has a big tone," the woman giggled. "But we don't want money."
Not money, then it was life. Large drops of cold sweat appeared on Jiang Quan's forehead. He did not know who he had offended. He could only put on a calm expression and said, "If you have something to say, we can talk it out …. You have murdered an official of the imperial court, this is a serious crime … "
A trace of ridicule flashed in their eyes at the same time. This plaything, a good-for-nothing scum, had beaten up the Young Madam? No wonder the Young Master was so angry. A smile floated on that man's face. Before Jiang Quan could speak, he felt his legs go soft. A small stone had hit his knees, and his whole body fell to the ground.
"Tsk, your bones are so soft." Jin Er was very disdainful. He looked at the woman beside him and said, "It's your turn."
Jin San rubbed his palms together and slowly approached Jiang Quan. Women were always more soft-hearted than men. Seeing this, Jiang Quan hurriedly begged for mercy and said, "Miss, Miss, please spare my life. I can give you money. Who sent you to kill me? "
"Minister Jiang, what's the hurry? I'm not here to take your life. " Jin San smiled flirtatiously and said, "It's just that I don't like you. A few days ago, I heard that Minister Jiang beat up the di daughter of the Jiang fu because of the Madam who made you a cuckold. We, the people of the jianghu, abhor evil and are very indignant on that young lady's behalf." Seeing that Jiang Quan had yet to react, Jin San's expression changed and he said, "Then let us seek justice for her!"
"Pa pa pa pa pa" More than a dozen crisp slapping sounds rang out in the wilderness, causing one's ears to shiver. After the slap, Jin San blew on his hands and said, "It hurts."
How could the people trained by the Imperial Secret Service be looked down upon? Although Jin San was a weak woman, her blows were much heavier than Jiang Quan's that day. Every slap was ten against ten, and Jiang Quan was hit so hard that he saw stars and in the blink of an eye, he became a pig's head. Perhaps Jin San's blows were a little too heavy, but when his fingernails scratched Jiang Quan's face, fingernail marks appeared.
Jin San chuckled and said, "My hand was wrong."
Jiang Quan wanted to vomit blood in his heart. Everything had been fine, yet he had suffered such a disaster! After all, it was Jiang Ruan again. This Jiang Ruan was born to be his nemesis! Now that he had fallen to this state, it was all thanks to Jiang Ruan! How was this a daughter? She was clearly an enemy, a debt collector!
Jiang Quan himself regarded Jiang Ruan as a thorn in his side, but he did not think that the things he had done to Jiang Ruan were not something a father would do. There were such people in this world who would not recognize their own mistakes, and only felt that everyone owed them.
After Jin Er and Jin San had helped Jiang Ruan escape, they did not want to take another look at Jiang Quan. Then, he left Jiang Ruan in the wilderness and leisurely departed. If Jiang Quan wanted to find and return to the Jiang fu, he would have to expend a great deal of effort.
The two chatted as they walked. Jin San said, "Young Master asked us to return a tooth for a tooth. How about this?"
"Not bad, and he even gave us a lot." Jin Er said, "If we work so hard, in the future, we will definitely be able to gain face in front of Young Madam."
…
That day, Jiang Quan finally drove his own car back to the Jiang fu in public, bearing more than ten slap marks on his face. Under the watchful eyes of the people in the capital, everyone saw Minister Jiang, who was widely known for his purity, cut a sorry figure. Some people guessed that he had been beaten by a courtesan. Looking at the slap marks on his face, they did not seem to belong to a man, and there were even traces of a woman's fingernails scratching on it.
In a short while, all the storytelling houses in the capital began to bustle with noise and excitement. Jiang Quan's matter was made into a story by the storytellers and was told in the restaurants all day long. It was brilliant and interesting. For a time, everyone in the capital knew about it.
The pitiful Jiang Quanfang had ended up like this on the first day he attended court after pretending to be sick. This time, he was really bedridden and handed over a memorial to the Emperor. He felt that his old face had lost all its luster, and at the same time, he began to have doubts. Saying that he was a member of Jianghu was a bit of a stretch. In the end, who would be supporting Jiang Ruan? Could it be the Empress Dowager? Perhaps it was someone from the General's Mansion. However, whether it was the Empress Dowager or Zhao Guang of the General fu, Jiang Quan could not afford to provoke them. Therefore, he could only temporarily swallow his anger and only secretly remember this matter in his heart.
While Jiang Ruan was staying by the Empress Dowager's side, one day, Lu Zhu heard the little eunuchs in the palace discussing this matter. After inquiring about it, she did not even bother to take a sip of tea before she told Jiang Ruan the news. Naturally, Lu Zhu's anger was vented. At that time, they, her personal maids, had all cried out for Jiang Ruan. Jiang Ruan pondered for a moment. Although Empress Dowager Yi De had somewhat stood up for her, she would not use such a method to lower her status. It looked like the work of the General's Mansion, but was it a woman's fingernail print? Jiang Ruan shook her head as she thought of someone.
If it was Xiao Shao, then it made some sense. The Embroidered Uniform Guards had always done things as they pleased. Sometimes, they did not care about what methods they used. Moreover, this feeling of a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye seemed to have the heart to help her vent her anger.
It had to be said that this move of Xiao Shao's was very satisfying. She smiled slightly.
At the Jinying Wang fu, Jin Yi reported the matter of Jiang Quan to Xiao Shao. Xiao Shao was sitting at his desk reading a letter. The letter had been sent at top speed by the Southern Frontier. Xiao Shao did not even raise his head as he lightly said, "Well done, go and receive your reward."
"Master, do you want to inform the Junzhu? Otherwise, the Junzhu will not know that this matter was done by you." Brocade One protested the injustice on his master's behalf. How could the Brocade Uniform Guards hand over the credit that was already in their hands when they were chasing after their wives, even though the Brocade Uniform Guards usually did not care about meritorious services. Although the Embroidered Uniform Guards usually did not care about meritorious deeds, in order to obtain the heart of a beauty, they naturally spared no effort to be courteous.
"There is no need." Xiao Shao's gaze was still fixed on the letter. He had only done this to punish Jiang Quan. As for how to deal with Jiang Quan, it was ultimately up to Jiang Ruan to decide. He did not intend to let Jiang Ruan know. Of course, it was not impossible for Jiang Ruan to guess.
Jin Yi cursed inwardly. Master, you are so boring. Be careful that one day, the Young Madam will be abducted.
...
In the Hall of Contemplation in the palace, Imperial Consort Chen was drinking wine.
The red wine that had been sent from Persia as a tribute was served in a translucent mutton-fat jade cup. It emitted a beautiful purple luster, as if it was a purple gem of the highest quality.
Imperial Consort Chen's eyes were slightly narrowed, and she seemed to be somewhat tired. Her body became increasingly soft, as if she had no bones. Her entire body sank into the soft couch, as gentle as a dream in the Jiangnan water village. The corners of her lips slightly raised. Her voice was pleasant to listen to, but her tone contained a sober coldness.
"You said that you saw Jiang Ruan and Liu Min pulling at each other in the Imperial Garden. Xiao Shao also helped her out? "Imperial Consort Chen asked.
The palace maid lowered her head, "Replying to Your Ladyship's words, yes."
With a 'pa' sound, the mutton-fat jade cup that was filled with fine wine was smashed to the ground. The fine jade was broken into pieces, but it still exuded a beautiful luster. Just like that, the broken expression on Imperial Consort Chen's face was engraved.
Hearing that Jiang Ruan and Liu Min had some sort of relationship only made Imperial Consort Chen feel astonished. However, upon hearing that Xiao Shao had protected Jiang Ruan, Imperial Consort Chen's heart seemed to be fiercely gripped by something. She was extremely angry.
If one were to say that there was nothing in the palace that could enter Imperial Consort Chen's eyes, besides the Eighth Prince Xuan Li, Xiao Shao was one of them. Imperial Consort Chen had entered the palace in her early years. At that time, the Emperor already had three thousand beauties. She was beautiful, gentle, and like a delicate flower, she had managed to obtain her current position. But in reality, every time she approached the Emperor, she would feel slightly disgusted.
However, Xiao Shao was different. He was like a perfect dream in every woman's heart. Clean, cold, elegant, and noble. Even though Xiao Shao's age was similar to Xuan Li's, it did not prevent Imperial Consort Chen from having secret and dirty thoughts towards him. She did not know when it started. She only remembered that when she was still a young woman, Xiao Shao was a cold youth. Now, her charm had not diminished. Xiao Shao had already become a handsome man that could move one's heart.
She had thought that if she could, it would not be bad to see this youth for the rest of her life. Xiao Shao's temperament was cold and cheerless, and he had never had any involvement with women. Unexpectedly, now that she knew that the relationship between Xiao Shao and Jiang Ruan was not shallow, how could it not be like a bolt from the blue? Immediately, Imperial Consort Chen was filled with jealousy and hatred.
It was as if a beautiful dream of hers when she was young was about to leave her. In the past, she had only provoked Jiang Ruan when they were evenly matched, but from this moment on, Imperial Consort Chen made up her mind. If she did not get rid of Jiang Ruan, she swore that she was not a human!
Her usually gentle face was now tightly twisted, and her expression was terrifying.
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