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Nannу Shаng rеаssurеd Zhou Shаojin, saying, "It's аlright, Sеcоnd Young Miss. I will quietlу bring Miss Jia bаck to thе рrivаtе rооm."
Sеeing that аlthоugh Nannу Shаng wоre а smile, hеr tоne and dеmеanоr were filled with сonfidencе, Zhоu Shаojin immеdiately fеlt а surgе of соnfidеnсе.
Тheу wеnt downstаirs and quiеtly heаded tоwаrd thе side gаtе.
Тhе courtyаrd was small and utterly silеnt, with not a sound tо be heаrd. Thrоugh thе slightly аjar side gate, it appeared empty and devoid of any figures. Only the weeping willows planted along the path could be seen, their willow branches hanging down like silk, dense and lush.
Zhou Shaojin lightened her footsteps and was about to step forward to take a closer look when Nanny Shang beside her suddenly grabbed her and pulled her back several steps, retreating into the building.
She turned back in confusion.
Nanny Shang had already pointed toward the east and whispered in her ear, "Second Young Miss, do you recognize this person?"
Zhou Shaojin focused her gaze.
Behind the large locust tree at the eastern corner of the wall stood a man.
He appeared to be in his twenties, wearing a sapphire-blue straight robe tied at the waist with a black silk belt, from which hung items like a pouch and a fan case. He also wore two gold stirrup-shaped rings on his hands, dressed like a wealthy merchant. Yet Zhou Shaojin recognized him at a glance—it was Zhao Dahai, who served by Cheng Lu's side!
Why was he here?
For a moment, Zhou Shaojin was stunned.
Shouldn't Cheng Lu be in Hunan?
If he wasn't staying by Cheng Lu's side, why had he returned to Jinling City?
Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be keeping watch or eavesdropping. Who exactly was outside the side gate?
If it was Cheng Jia, why would she meet this person behind her back?
If it wasn't Cheng Jia, then who was the person in red?
Zhou Shaojin thought of her past life, because of Cheng Jia, she had gone to the garden without any precautions...
Could it be that Cheng Jia in her past life was not innocent after all?
Zhou Shaojin's heart surged with emotions, and she remained motionless for a long while.
Nanny Shang gently patted her.
Only then did she snap back to reality, taking a deep breath and whispering softly, "I know this person. His name is Zhao Dahai, and he is Cheng Lu's attendant. A very trusted one at that."
Nanny Shang smiled gently and said in a soft voice, "Second Young Miss, I know! Please stand here for a moment. I'll go deal with this Zhao Dahai, and then we'll go check the side gate together."
But Zhou Shaojin grabbed Nanny Shang, nervously saying, "We should still go tell Uncle Chi! This Zhao Dahai is very strong; even three or five ordinary people can't get close to him. Be careful he doesn't hurt you!"
Nanny Shang laughed.
Her smile carried a warmth and kindness that hadn't been there before. She whispered softly, "Second Young Miss, don't worry. Fourth Master assigned me to follow you precisely because I have brute strength. Not to mention someone like him, even three or five more wouldn't be a match for me. Just stand here and watch calmly."
Zhou Shaojin still had some doubts.
Nanny Shang said, "If you don't trust me, surely you trust Fourth Master, don't you?"
Oh, right!
If there were any danger, Uncle Chi definitely wouldn't have let her come investigate personally!
Her eyes curved into a smile as she quietly tugged at Nanny Shang's sleeve, whispering, "Nanny Shang, be careful. If it doesn't work out, come back quickly. At worst, we can call people to carry Cousin Jia back."
But if that happened, Cheng Jia's affair would no longer be concealable.But in this matter, it was Cheng Jia who was at fault first.
Nanny Shang remained silent for a few breaths, then smiled and said, "Second Young Miss, don’t worry. I’ll be fine."
Only then did Zhou Shaojin release Nanny Shang’s sleeve and hide behind the door.
Nanny Shang removed her outer robe, revealing the inner garment tied at the waist with a cloth belt. Then, without a sound, she pushed open the small window on the west side, slipped through the lattice, and climbed out.
Her movements were even lighter and more agile than a child’s.
Zhou Shaojin was astonished and began to believe Nanny Shang’s words.
She tiptoed closer to the window lattice.
There, she saw Nanny Shang appear behind Zhao Dahai, who remained completely unaware, his eyes fixed intently on the movements in the courtyard.
Even if she was slow to realize it, Zhou Shaojin now understood that Nanny Shang possessed martial skills, just like Jiying—neither of them were ordinary women.
Yet, she still clenched her fists nervously.
If Nanny Shang and Zhao Dahai were to fight, alerting others, should she cry out?
Since Uncle Chi intended to keep it a secret, and no one in the household knew Nanny Shang had martial skills, what if her cries drew attention and exposed the truth?
As Zhou Shaojin wrestled with this dilemma, she saw Nanny Shang take out a round, bamboo tube-like object from her robe and blow something toward Zhao Dahai. Zhao Dahai’s body went limp and began to collapse.
Nanny Shang moved swiftly, catching Zhao Dahai in one swift motion, then slowly lowering him to the ground. She crouched down and quickly patted him down from head to toe, as if checking whether he carried anything on him.
This reminded Zhou Shaojin of the officials in those chaptered novels who encountered bandits.
Her face flushed, and she lifted her skirt, carefully stepping out through the back door.
Nanny Shang flashed her a smile that said, "It’s done."
Zhou Shaojin nodded and tiptoed over.
Nanny Shang came forward to support Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin did not refuse.
The two stood by the slightly ajar side gate, straining their ears to listen to the commotion outside.
Cheng Lu’s voice drifted over: "...I had no other choice! You have no idea how closely the Cheng family has been watching me. Even when I go to the market, someone follows me. What else could I do? Blame the Cheng family for being so heartless, blame me for being so incompetent, blame fate for playing tricks on us... blame us for being destined to part..."
By the end, his voice was choked with sobs.
Zhou Shaojin felt as if struck by lightning.
In her previous life, when news of Cheng Lu’s engagement to Wu Baozhang reached her, she stubbornly sought him out for an explanation. Knowing this, Cheng Lu took the initiative to meet her and spoke these very words to her.
Back then, she had locked herself in her room and cried for a full day and night.
So, Cheng Lu had spoken the same words to other women as well.
How laughable that she had resented Wu Baozhang at the time.
She had believed Wu Baozhang knew about her verbal engagement with Cheng Lu, yet still tried to ingratiate herself with him. When the Wu and Cheng families finalized their engagement, Wu Baozhang had been overjoyed and said nothing to the contrary.
So Cheng Lu was nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
She had simply been blinded by him.
Could it be that the person Cheng Jia was secretly meeting was not Li Jing but Cheng Lu?
Zhou Shaojin burned with shame and anger.
For the foolishness of her past life, and for the deception she had suffered in this one...
She stepped forward to pull open the slightly ajar side gate, wanting to see for herself. But just as she raised her hand, Nanny Shang grasped her arm.Zhou Shaojin turned her head in confusion.
Nanny Shang gently shook her head at her, signaling her not to act rashly.
Zhou Shaojin flushed and calmed down.
From outside came a woman’s low, sorrowful voice: “Then what should I do? That Cheng Nuo is nothing but a wastrel—all he does all day is eat, drink, and have fun, without a single proper thing to his name. How can you bear to watch me marry him with your own eyes?”
Wu Baozhang!
It was actually Wu Baozhang!
When did they get together?
Zhou Shaojin was dumbstruck. Her mind was a chaotic mess, utterly blank. She only heard Wu Baozhang weeping softly: “You have no idea how I’ve been living these days? I wrote to you, but you didn’t reply; I sent messages, but you didn’t respond. I was afraid the letters might fall into someone else’s hands, and I was afraid you’d hear the news and panic, rushing back without a care and ruining your future… Luckily, you found an excuse to come back… But what’s done is done… My father has already accepted the Cheng family’s betrothal gifts… I, I still couldn’t get what I wanted with you… I’m not resigned to it. Not resigned!”
Cheng Lu’s tone was despondent: “What can we do even if we’re not resigned? Could we elope? Even if I had such thoughts, I couldn’t let you suffer such humiliation! Besides, I’m still unable to support a household on my own and have to rely on the Cheng family to get by…”
Wu Baozhang seemed frightened by Cheng Lu’s mention of elopement and remained silent for a long time.
Zhou Shaojin revealed a mocking smile.
Back then, after Wu Baozhang and Cheng Lu were engaged, she had been overjoyed, practically glowing with happiness. Not only did she constantly talk about her marriage, but even in Madam Zheng’s room, in front of her and Cheng Jia, she showed no restraint in expressing her satisfaction with the match. She even said things like, “Brother Lu is the most gentle and considerate person. The other day when it rained heavily, he specially sent a servant to ask if I had moved my potted flowers into the greenhouse.”
Hearing this, her heart felt as if it were being sliced by a knife.
Yet after Cheng Lu was expelled from the Cheng family on some pretext, Wu Baozhang immediately broke off the engagement with him.
It could be said she turned on him as quickly as flipping a page.
Zhou Shaojin thought with no small amount of resentment.
If she had known earlier that Wu Baozhang and Cheng Lu were involved, she should have begged Uncle Chi to find a way to pair Wu Baozhang and Cheng Lu together. Then, when Wu Baozhang found out Cheng Lu had been stripped of his scholarly honors, she could see what kind of face she would make!
She also thought with a pang of her past life.
Cheng Lu unexpectedly became engaged to Wu Baozhang—could it be that the two of them had already been involved back then?
Otherwise, why would Wu Baozhang always bring up how wonderful Cheng Lu was in front of her, intentionally or not, after their engagement?
Zhou Shaojin felt so disgusted she wanted to vomit.
As she pondered whether to expose the two of them, she heard Wu Baozhang say plaintively, “Brother Lu, will you still care about me in the future?”
“You’re like a sister to me,” Cheng Lu assured her gently. “If you ever need anything from me in the future, I’ll help you just as I did before. You can rest assured. After you marry, you’ll only gain another brother to protect you.” After saying this, he sighed. “It’s a pity I won’t be back until the end of the year, and even then, I don’t know what kind of trouble the Cheng family will give me…”Wu Baozhang hesitated upon hearing this and said, "Then does Brother Lu know why you offended the Cheng family? If we can find out the reason, perhaps we can resolve this feud? The Cheng family is too powerful. Once, I subtly suggested to my father that he should bring you back, but he scolded me harshly and even threatened to send me back to our hometown if I continued to make such a fuss..."
Cheng Lu sighed and said, "What reason? It's simply a case of 'if Zhou Yu is born, why must Zhuge Liang also be born?'—two tigers cannot share one mountain! Let me tell you the truth. The reason Cheng Jiashan was able to become the top candidate in the imperial examination at such a young age is because the former prefect wanted to curry favor with the Cheng family. In terms of true talent and learning, Cheng Youyi from the second branch of the Cheng family or Elder Zheng from the third branch—which of them isn’t better than him? He’s just fortunate to be born into the eldest branch, with a father who holds a high-ranking position in the court..."
Zhou Shaojin sneered upon hearing this.
Although Cheng Xu was a scoundrel, his scholarship was truly exceptional.
In her previous life, when Cousin Gao spoke of Cheng Xu’s scholarship in front of Cheng Lu, Cheng Lu never denied Cheng Xu’s academic abilities. But now, he claimed that Cheng Xu’s success as the top candidate was due to his father’s influence.
Saying one thing to someone’s face and another behind their back—Cheng Lu was truly a petty man!
※
Sisters, here’s today’s extra update.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: The update will be around 10 p.m. If I finish writing earlier, I’ll post it sooner.
※ (The novel "Jinling Spring" will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, along with a 100% prize draw for everyone! Open WeChat now, click the "+" in the top right corner, select "Add Friends," search for the public account "qdread," and follow it. Hurry up!) (To be continued ~^~)
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