High-class Spring Joy

Three hours ago.

Qingyuan had just left Jinxiu Manor and was hurrying towards the Zhenguo Marquis's residence. She was extremely anxious, her mind filled with the thought that if she couldn't finish the embroidery, all her efforts over the past two weeks would be in vain.

She knew that as long as there was life, there was hope, and she could not give up easily no matter what. But she had tried her best, and if the force majeure made her even further away from her goal of one thousand taels, Qingyuan still couldn't help but feel doubtful and frustrated.

Since her sister left, she has been all alone in this world. Qingyuan has come this far, and of course she will not be defeated and give up because of a piece of embroidery. However, she is increasingly unable to see when she will be able to leave the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, and she has no confidence that she can get out before she is tortured to death by the two Jiang sisters.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't panicked, angry, or doubtful.

But panicking is useless, anger is useless, and doubt is even more useless.

Qingyuan could only channel all these emotions into her footsteps as she walked back to the Zhenguo Marquis's residence. She walked faster and faster, so fast that she didn't pay attention to who was passing by or what they were saying.

Qingyuan was kidnapped and taken away as she walked through the entrance of a small alley. Suddenly, a hand with a thick handkerchief reached out from the side and tightly covered her mouth and nose.

Qingyuan instinctively tried to struggle, but the more she struggled, the more she gasped for breath. She inhaled the sleeping incense on the handkerchief and immediately fainted.

When she woke up again, she was surrounded by a man's voice:

"Brother, this woman is pretty and has a great figure. She looks like a virgin, which is quite tempting. But Miss Jiang said that as long as we tie her up and bring her back, we can keep her alive. Everything else is harmless. How about... we brothers have a taste of the good life too?"

"If this is truly the start, with the two of us brothers taking turns, this little wench's body probably won't even have the strength to get out of bed! However... this little wench is definitely no ordinary woman. We can enjoy ourselves after Miss Jiang is done!! Hahahaha..."

The obscene laughter was unbearable, and Qingyuan felt both anxious and disgusted.

Miss Jiang, which Miss Jiang? Jiang Qingyun or Jiang Qingge?

It's not like someone with a brain would so easily let this thief know their identity.

Qingyuan tried to struggle, but a feeling of being suspended in mid-air came over her. Her eyes were also covered by a black cloth, so she could see nothing at all. There was nothing under her feet, and her hands were tightly bound by thick hemp rope, which was wrapped from her wrists to her upper arms. She had no chance to exert any force at all.

She had no choice but to hang there; otherwise, the noise would attract the attention of the two thieves, and she would be truly helpless!

As the two thieves were talking, they heard footsteps approaching. A moment later, a woman's voice rang out: "Take the money and get out of here. You'd better keep this to yourself, or I have plenty of ways to deal with you!"

Jiang Qingyun!

Qingyuan recognized him immediately upon hearing the name. The next moment, icy water was splashed on her without warning, so cold that she couldn't care less: "Jiang Qingyun, it's you again! Those two servants who followed me last time, they must also be from your Jiang family, right? What exactly do you want to do? Do you want to kill me or sell me? But let me tell you, even if you kill me, there are some things you can't have, and you'll never have them in your entire life."

"you!"

Jiang Qingyun was angered by her words, but then she remembered something and quickly regained her composure: "Don't worry, I know you're not easy to deal with, and I won't do anything to harm you. I just want to make a bet with you."

Without giving Qingyuan a chance to speak, Jiang Qingyun said with interest, "Today, Brother Jingyu was accompanying my sister on a boat trip on the lake. If Brother Jingyu were to find out about your disappearance now, would he choose to continue accompanying my sister on the boat trip, or would he choose to come and rescue you?"

-

As evening approached, the painted boats were lit up, their lights reflecting on the lake, creating a shimmering expanse of light.

"Ah Jing, I've seen this lake many times before, sometimes alone, sometimes with my sister, but I was never truly satisfied back then, because I knew that the person I wanted to swim with was someone I could never swim with in my entire life."

As Jiang Qingge spoke, her gaze shifted from the lake water to Chu Jingyu's face. Her gaze was even gentler than the lake water, brimming with tenderness and longing, and she looked extremely affectionate.

"Perhaps it's a blessing from heaven, or perhaps even heaven couldn't bear to let me suffer the pain of never being able to miss my beloved for the rest of my life. Now, you are actually standing beside me and traveling with me. I often dream that we are so intimate and in sync, but when I wake up and open my eyes, I still have to pretend to be a stranger and distant person to you. Ah Jing, tell me, all of this is real, and not just a dream."

Chu Jingyu couldn't bear his beloved's words and gaze. He longed to drown in her tenderness and reached out to pull her into his arms: "Ge'er, it's true. I've dreamt countless times of being intimate with you. Look at this lake, it's real. The breeze is blowing, everything is real, and I am real too."

As soon as Chu Jingyu finished speaking, before the two of them could do anything, a servant immediately ran over:

"Young master, young master, Hongdou requests an audience. She says that Miss Qingyuan has gone missing, possibly kidnapped. Please go and search for her."

Chu Jingyu and Jiang Qingge were enjoying their time together when they both frowned almost simultaneously at the sudden news about Qingyuan.

"What's so special about her being a maidservant that she's worth kidnapping?! Besides, in Bianjing, right under the Emperor's nose, how could such a thing as kidnapping happen so easily? Go back and tell Hongdou... no, tell Qingyuan not to make a mountain out of a molehill!"

Chu Jingyu said impatiently, he had already guessed it in just a moment.

He recalled Qingyuan's obedient and ingratiating manner after hearing that he had accepted the painting of mandarin ducks playing in the water, and he knew how much she cared about him.

She must have known that he had accompanied Ge'er on a boat trip on the lake, and she was jealous again. She wanted to throw a tantrum and pretend to disappear to get his attention and steal some of his care away from Ge'er.

He was already quite used to these petty squabbles and jealousies in the inner quarters when he was just a few years old.

If he were to go back now, wouldn't that be blatantly telling her how much he cares about her?!

The servant hesitated, "But young master, Miss Hongdou said..."

"No buts, I'm telling you to step back!"

Chu Jingyu was very firm in his decision. After the servant left, he hugged Jiang Qingge in his arms even tighter.

Jiang Qingge immediately looked up at him with a guilty expression: "Ah Jing, Miss Qingyuan may really be in trouble. You should go and see her, otherwise... I won't be able to rest easy."

"Ge'er, you're just too kind and generous. If she had even a tenth of your kindness and generosity, she wouldn't be acting so recklessly."

Chu Jingyu sighed.

-

"Tsk tsk tsk, Brother Jingyu told you not to make a fuss over nothing. If you don't believe me, I can have them repeat their exact words to you as many times as you want."

Jiang Qingyun looked triumphantly at Qingyuan, who was huddled in the corner, bound hand and foot, and could only glare at him fiercely. She couldn't have been happier.

Finally, I got my revenge.

Upon hearing the words "making a mountain out of a molehill," Qingyuan dared not harbor any expectations. It felt as if someone had completely dissected her, cutting her heart piece by piece.

Qingyuan was heartbroken and furious.

Yes, she did realize that Chu Jingyu had always loved Jiang Qingge.

But she always thought that after so many years with him, there should be some affection between them, and she shouldn't just stand by and watch.

Even if it was the blood she collected for him to use as a medicinal ingredient, it should have accumulated to more than half a bucket's worth over the years.

Even if you feed it to a dog, the dog would know to stick close to her by now, right?

She didn't want to compete with Jiang Qingge, nor did she dare to think about having anything with Chu Jingyu anymore; she just wanted to live!

He and Jiang Qingge were in love and had plenty of time to go boating on the lake later, but she was now on the verge of death and had to be saved immediately!

Jiang Qingyun looked at Qingyuan's pale face and said, "Don't worry, I won't kill you with my own hands. Of course, I won't get my hands dirty. It's just that Qingyun Mountain is remote and wild animals roam at night. If you get killed by wolves, then it's not my problem."