bookpower Chapter 355
Chapter 355
chapter 355
“this is...”
xi que had no intention of indulging these two. when it came to her mistress, jiang xinyue, she would not yield an inch.
jiang yulin had been waiting for xi que to arrive. today, outside the su residence, she had seen jiang xinyue and xi que, the mistress and maid, looking so formidable that jealousy had bubbled up inside her.
why?nôv(el)b\\jnn
they were both daughters of the same father. why did jiang xinyue's maid seem more imposing than her own? even daring to strike a young lady of noble birth, while she herself had to waste away in some remote village, flirting with a smelly butcher?
with her greasy hands, jiang yulin swung toward xi que's face.
xi que's reflexes had been honed, and she quickly stepped back. but halfway through, she remembered her mistress was behind her, so she quickly returned to her original position, shielding jiang xinyue.
in that instant, she understood. jiang yulin's true target was her mistress.
she dared not strike openly, so she used the excuse of disciplining a servant, waiting for xi que to dodge, so she could slap jiang xinyue instead. then, she could blame xi que for not standing her ground.
who told her to move?
xi que closed her eyes, ready to bear the revolting slap, determined not to let a single drop of oil touch her mistress.
“you lowly servant, what do you think you are, daring to shout at me...”
“bang!”
“ah!”
the expected pain did not come. instead, a gust of wind swept by, followed by the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.
qing yu, a guard of the emperor, slowly retracted his long, straight leg from beside xi que's arm, his face reddening as he glanced at her.
then, qing yu knelt with one knee and clasped his fist toward the emperor: “your servant is guilty. i acted on my own, fearing that your majesty and the lady would be caught in the crossfire.”
no, it was more accurate to say he acted with his foot.
the emperor waved his hand, and qing yu immediately retreated into the shadows, disappearing from sight.
“wife!”
the greasy man, who had been enjoying his meal, was startled, bits of pastry flying from his mouth as he rushed toward jiang yulin: “wife, you can't die! you promised that as soon as i brought you back to the capital, you'd let me touch you and marry me, taking me to live a good life. i even sold my pork stall. if you die, i’ll be ruined!”
wasn’t her own brother supposed to stand up for her?
“you should go back where you came from! if my classmates at the national academy of learning find out my sister married a butcher, they’ll mock me to death.”
he was slow, not stupid.
since his second sister was a favored concubine in the palace, his classmates had all been fawning over him, treating him as the center of attention, vying to be his friend.
this was good for him, advantageous.
but his own sister married a butcher?
his not-so-bright mind pondered. that wasn’t the kind of profession a proper young lady should marry into!
besides, jiang dalang had never been close to this sister. growing up, his sisters had always found him dull and avoided talking to him, so there was no real bond between them.
not a single member of the family welcomed jiang yulin, not even her own brother, who wished she would just disappear.
jiang yulin laughed, tucking her disheveled hair behind her ear, her eyes gleaming with an eerie light: “father, brother, i’m tired. i’ll go rest now. concubine lin lives in xiwu courtyard, right? i’ll go there.”
jiang yankun’s brow furrowed. he felt something was off about jiang yulin, but he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly.
jiang xinyue’s eyes flickered as she smiled at jiang yulin: “go ahead! i’ll send a few maids over to serve you later. if there’s anything you need, just let them know, and i’ll have it sent to you.”
jiang yulin, whose chest had been heaving with anger, calmed slightly at these words. she cast a dark glance around the room before retreating to the back courtyard.
the butcher followed her: “wife... wife, wait for me!”
“this troublemaker, why can’t she just keep still?”
concubine lin twisted her handkerchief: “your majesty, letting her return... it might lead to...”
“she’s gone mad.”
not just acting out of anger, but truly mad.
“mad?”
lady ruan worried: “she looks... fine. it’s just... her spirit seems a bit too high.”
after a long journey from the countryside, evading the butcher all the way, she should be exhausted.