High-class Spring Joy

"What about the Third Prince?"

Fanghua asked tentatively, but didn't continue. While helping Jiang Qingge change her clothes, she watched Jiang Qingge's expression.

As soon as she uttered those words, Jiang Qingge looked up at her, her expression inscrutable, her smile calm yet cold, as if the matter had nothing to do with her at all, and casually said:

"What are you talking about? What Third Prince? I have no connection with the Third Prince whatsoever, I've never even met him. We only bumped into each other once during a trip to Xiangguo Temple. If there's any connection at all, it's just that we met once, and there were many maids and servants watching. How can that be considered a connection? As for who did this, we have no idea. In short, it's none of my business. But as for whether it's related to the Third Prince, how would a young lady like me know?"

Jiang Qingge laughed nonchalantly: "How could I be so stupid as to hire bandits to rob the royal convoy? Even ten lives wouldn't be enough to kill them! But as for that idiot Third Prince, how could we, as normal people, possibly know what he's thinking? What's he thinking? The Third Prince is courting death by hiring bandits to rob the royal convoy—what does that have to do with us? We're victims too! You saw it today, so many ladies and young women saw it. If Chu Jingyu hadn't caught me in time, I'd probably be dead by now. How could that have anything to do with me?"

"Yes." Fanghua smiled upon hearing Jiang Qingge's words, "What you say is right, Miss. After going through such an event, I'm sure the Fifth Young Master knows exactly how much he values ​​you, Miss. The marriage should be a piece of cake. When the Fifth Young Master actually passes the imperial examination next spring, given your determination towards him today and his affection for you, won't your plan be easily accomplished? You won't even need to go back to the manor and face Master again."

As Fanghua spoke, her gaze towards Jiang Qingge held a hint of pity. Looking at Jiang Qingge's beautiful face, which was devoid of expression, she said with heartache, "Actually, Miss doesn't need to push herself so hard. Although Miss made that bet with Master, Miss is still Master's biological daughter after all. Even if Master is heartless, he would never really do anything to harm Miss. After all, even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cub."

After Fanghua helped Jiang Qingge change into dry clothes, she poured her a bowl of warm tea. Having suffered such a calamity, this was all she had left to drink.

"To win that bet with Master, Miss risked her reputation by breaking off her engagement with Chu Jingxian. She then shamelessly moved into the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, spending her days fawning over the Fifth Young Master, trying to win his favor, all so that one day she could marry into the Zhenguo Marquis's household and escape the Dali Temple Minister's mansion. I know what Miss is afraid of, what she's thinking, what she's worried about. But some things, while achievable through human effort, are entirely beyond human control; fate plays a part. If Miss is tired, please rest. If it weren't for that bet, if it weren't for Miss's desire to place Madam's memorial tablet in the Jiang family..." "If it weren't for Miss's desire to rightfully include the deceased Madam in the Jiang family genealogy and gain the recognition of everyone in the Jiang family, why would Miss have to humiliate herself like this? Humiliating herself by competing with a maid every day? What merit does that maid possess? Even if Miss loves the Fifth Young Master, she isn't such a magnanimous person. To marry into the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, to win the bet, to do what she wants, to get Master's approval, and to rightfully welcome Madam back to the Jiang mansion, Miss has endured so much humiliation and played along for so long, even lowering herself to compete with a maid for his affections. Miss, if you're tired, please rest."

Fanghua truly cared for Jiang Qingge's mother; they were very close friends.

Jiang Qingge, her mother, and Fanghua all entered the martial arts world together and were sisters for decades. Then one day, Jiang Qingge's mother suddenly became pregnant with the child of the young master of the Jiang family.

At that time, Madam Jiang's first reaction was naturally that she would not admit that a maid had originally intended to leave the mother and keep the child.

To everyone's surprise, the baby she gave birth to after ten months of pregnancy was a girl. Old Madam Jiang's plan to have a grandson to carry on the family line was thwarted, and she immediately wanted to beat Jiang Qingge's mother to death to quell her anger.

At that time, Old Madam Jiang was holding her newborn granddaughter, who is now Jiang Qingge. Jiang Qingge's mother was being held down on the ground by the nannies, and a group of maids were standing around watching. This is the most common practice of making an example of someone.

Jiang Qingge's mother's tragic end was used to intimidate the other maids and warn them not to have any thoughts of climbing into her bed.

Little did people know that Jiang Qingge's mother was not born through a forced marriage, but rather through a scandalous affair caused by the current Minister of Justice, Jiang, after a drunken outburst.

Just as Jiang Qingge's mother was on the verge of death, Lord Jiang finally rushed out and pleaded with her, managing to save her life from Old Madam Jiang's clutches. However, Old Madam Jiang absolutely refused to allow Lord Jiang to take Jiang Qingge's mother as his principal wife.

So, shortly after Jiang Qingge was born, she grew up under the care of Old Madam Jiang and received her teachings. However, Jiang Qingge's mother could only be raised as a concubine by Lord Jiang.

At first, Jiang Qingge did not know that her mother had not abandoned her intentionally. She believed that her mother had changed her mind, left her father, and abandoned her as her daughter. Therefore, for a long time, Jiang Qingge was taught by Old Madam Jiang to hate her mother very much.

Until three years ago, when Old Madam Jiang passed away due to illness, the Jiang family no longer had anyone who could control everything. Jiang Qingge finally learned the truth and realized that she had misunderstood her mother all along. From the little trinkets her father brought back from outside when she was young to the shoes, clothes, and handkerchiefs she wore when she grew up, everything was actually made by her mother.

But it was too late, everything was too late. Jiang Qingge's mother was raised as a concubine and didn't actually have a deep affection for Lord Jiang. However, ever since she was severely beaten by Old Madam Jiang shortly after giving birth to Jiang Qingge, Jiang Qingge's mother had been plagued by illness, her health deteriorating day by day. Later, she always thought only of Jiang Qingge, her only daughter, but she couldn't see her. Furthermore, Jiang Qingge didn't like her, and she eventually died of grief a year after Old Madam Jiang's death.

Jiang Qingge only experienced mother-daughter affection in that last year, but the mother-daughter affection she experienced in just half a year was enough to make up for the more than ten years she had missed.

Jiang Qingge felt remorseful, regretting that she had misunderstood her mother, hated her for so many years, and even caused her mother to die of depression. All she could do was beg Lord Jiang to bring her mother back to the mansion and to properly place her memorial tablet in the ancestral hall after her death.

But given Jiang Qingge's mother's status, even if Lord Jiang reluctantly agreed after Jiang Qingge's pleading, how could the clan elders easily agree?

Thus began the bet between Jiang Qingge and the clan elders.

Fanghua was entrusted with her orphan on her deathbed.

These words silenced even Jiang Qingge, who had been laughing nonchalantly just moments before. She paused as she held the teacup, her expression no longer as composed as before, and a hint of pain flashed in her eyes.

Jiang Qingge remained expressionless, gripping her teacup tightly. Her expression was complex, a mixture of anger and hesitation.

He naturally felt resentful and disdainful, though perhaps not entirely towards Qingyuan, but also towards himself and the Fifth Young Master.

If it weren't for the bet with the Jiang family elders, if she hadn't just wanted to bring her mother back into the Jiang family genealogy and make her mother a legitimate and proper secondary wife for her father, why would she have insisted on moving into the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion within a month and insist on getting engaged to Chu Jingyu?

Although the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is not a very high rank, it is still a position that can be established in Bianjing City.

Although Jiang Qingge may not be the most outstanding young lady in Bianjing City, and her background is not particularly high, she still has her own pride.

Even if she were to steal something, how could she steal it from a maid? That would only lower her own status.

Several thoughts had already crossed Jiang Qingge's mind, her thoughts surging like a tide and intertwining together.

Fanghua, standing beside him, looked at Jiang Qingge, the only daughter and bloodline left behind by his best sister.

How could she not feel heartbroken?

Fanghua sighed, "Perhaps, Miss, you shouldn't have chosen the Fifth Prince back then? Actually, the Third Prince has always admired you. If we're talking about status and position, the Fifth Prince naturally can't offer as much as the Third Prince. If you hadn't chosen the Third Prince back then, you would have won the bet, and you wouldn't have had to suffer so much, reduced to fighting for favor with a maid. It truly breaks my heart to see you like this."

"The Third Prince?"

Jiang Qingge took a sip of tea, her voice turning icy. She sneered, "That idiot! If I really married him, forget about winning my bet with them, forget about achieving my plan. My mother's memorial tablet wouldn't even be in the Jiang family ancestral hall before I'd be beheaded along with him. With his brains, he's stupid, arrogant, and spoiled rotten since childhood. If it weren't for the Emperor's favor with his concubine, the crimes he committed and the trouble he caused would have been enough to demote him to commoner three times over. That good-for-nothing is more trouble than he's worth; he's even capable of hiring bandits and robbing the royal carriages. If I really married him, who knows when..." He was about to be beheaded. While Chu Jingyu might not be considered exceptionally brilliant or martial, the title of Marquis of Zhenguo was undeniably prestigious. Most importantly, it didn't require Chu Jingyu to be exceptionally talented or possess both literary and martial prowess. The advantage was that the Marquis of Zhenguo only had two sons. The third son, Chu Jingxian? Needless to say, how could a merchant possibly inherit the title of Marquis of Zhenguo? If a merchant were to inherit it, it would be utterly ridiculous, and everyone in Bianjing, young and old, would laugh and gossip about it. Even if they didn't want to give the title to Chu Jingyu, there was no one else who could inherit it. What we needed was certainty.”

Jiang Qingge curled her lips and slammed the cup on the table. "No matter what, since I've chosen this path, even if it leads to the abyss, I must walk it to the end. I know you care about me, but long ago, I had no other choice. When I chose to cancel my engagement with Chu Jingxian, and stepped into the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion a month later, from the moment I met Chu Jingyu that morning, I had no way back. Even if continuing would lead to a bad outcome, I had no other choice. Besides, the outcome was still uncertain; it wasn't necessarily hell I was heading towards. I know you worry about me, but instead of just worrying, you should stay by my side and do things for me. You know, I only trust you. As for what I said earlier, I've said it today, so don't say it again, especially not to the Third Prince. Don't mention anything between me and the Third Prince. There was nothing between us to begin with. If someone hears this, it will truly ruin everything."

-

His Highness the Crown Prince, accompanied by his royal guards, was clearing the roads destroyed by the mudslide, moving trees and stones.

But at this moment, a servant hurriedly came over and whispered something in the Crown Prince's ear. After speaking, he did not wait for the Crown Prince to speak, but went directly to the small carriage next to him and whispered to the person next to him.

The person sitting in that small carriage was none other than Xie Ming'an. However, because of his special status, he had been stripped of his official rank and expelled from the palace, so he could not easily show himself.

Moreover, if they were to appear together with His Highness the Crown Prince, it would attract attention.

After the servant outside the carriage reported what he had discovered, Jie Ming'an quickly picked up the brush and ink from the table beside him and wrote a line of small characters on a piece of Xuan paper. He folded it into a slip of paper and handed it out, and the servant then presented the slip of paper to His Highness the Crown Prince.

His Highness the Crown Prince opened the note, glanced at it, and then threw it off the cliff, a hint of ruthlessness and mockery flashing in his eyes.

Qingyuan found a quiet corner where no one would notice her and huddled up. To be honest, she was in a bit of pain. Even though the Third Young Master had protected her when she fell, she still managed to bump into something.

What alarmed Qingyuan the most was that her stomach was hurting, and she wasn't sure if something had happened to the baby.

After getting off the princess's carriage, dealing with those so-called important matters, treating Chu Jingxian's wounds, and telling the princess about his suspicions, Qingyuan felt as if all her strength had been drained by these events. The fear and terror of death belatedly surged up and overwhelmed Qingyuan.

Qingyuan was too weak to stand up, so she had to support herself with her legs. The princess had originally intended for her to rest in the carriage, but she needed to change into dry clothes there.

Qingyuan could only stand up with a pale face. She was a little scared, but she forced herself to stand up and walked to the princess's carriage. She was immediately noticed by Cuiwei.

When Cuiwei saw Qingyuan's pale face, one hand on her hip and the other supporting her on the carriage, her expression extremely unwell, she hurriedly asked, "Miss, what's wrong? Did you get injured earlier? Where was the injury not found? Hasn't the imperial physician checked your pulse yet?"

Clearly, the princess in the carriage had heard Cuiwei's words and immediately had Qingyuan helped into the carriage.

The princess had already changed into dry clothes. Upon seeing Qingyuan's expression, she even stood up, helped Qingyuan over, and laid her down beside her. "What happened? Tell me quickly. I saw you were so energetic just now, I didn't notice if you were injured. I thought Chu Jingxian was protecting you well."

As they were talking, Cuiwei, who was standing nearby, immediately cried out in alarm, "Princess, there's blood! Miss Qingyuan's clothes are stained with blood!"

Princess Jing'an also realized what was happening and quickly looked in the direction Cuiwei had pointed. Sure enough, there was a faint red bloodstain on a piece of skirt behind Qingyuan's leg. It must have been from bleeding, which had been diluted by the rain.

As soon as Princess Jing'an finished speaking, Qingyuan lost all her strength and fell onto the bed. It was Cuiwei who noticed and quickly reached out to support Qingyuan, preventing her from crashing into the bed.

Qingyuan smiled weakly at Cuiwei: "Thank you, Aunt Cuiwei."

Princess Jing'an, seeing Qing Yuan's weak appearance, immediately glanced at the maids beside her and said, "What are you all standing there for? Go and fetch the imperial physician!"

Cuiwei, the head maidservant serving Princess Jing'an, noticed the troubled glances exchanged among the younger maids and understood their predicament. She turned to them and asked, "Are the imperial physicians all examining the ladies of the various households?"

The maids exchanged glances and nodded. "Your Highness, Physicians Li, Chen, and Zhang have not yet finished checking the pulses of all the ladies and young women, so it may be difficult to summon them."

"I don't care what kind of lady or young lady he's checking on for her health. Go and bring him here right now. Tell him I've fainted and he needs to check on my health. I refuse to believe I can't get him here!"

Princess Jing'an spoke with anger, her brows furrowed with rage.

The maids were so frightened that they trembled and immediately ran out to fetch the imperial physician.

Princess Jing'an then looked at Cuiwei and said, "Go and invite Sai Huatuo over. Given her condition, it's probably not convenient for an ordinary imperial physician to take her pulse."

When only Princess Jing'an and Qingyuan remained in the carriage.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? If you had, the imperial physician could have been summoned sooner. You were clearly injured, why didn't you say so? Were you going to endure the pain?"

Princess Jing'an frowned, her aura both intimidating and furious, yet the words she spoke warmed Qing Yuan's heart.

Qingyuan smiled, appearing even paler and more delicate than before: "It was already in such a chaotic situation that even if I had spoken up, the imperial physicians would have definitely had to treat the ladies and young misses first. Even though I'm no longer a maid in the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, I'm still just an ordinary commoner, so naturally I would have to be last in line. Besides, the Third Young Master really protected me very well just now. He himself was seriously injured, but I only felt a little pain all over my body; I wasn't even unconscious."

Princess Jing'an looked at her coldly: "Then tell me, why did you rush in front of me and the Empress Dowager when those bandits charged out? I know you are loyal, and I know you are good to me, but you are pregnant. You had to rush to the front while carrying your child. If you had been injured, it would have been a matter of life and death for both you and your unborn child!"

"No, I'm not as selfless or kind as you, Princess, claim. I don't want to stand up for everyone or protect them. It's just that from the beginning, the bandits' first reaction wasn't towards the Empress Dowager and your carriage, which proves their target wasn't you. I did hesitate later, but perhaps I was too greedy, too eager to stand out, too eager to gain favor with the Empress Dowager. That's my own problem; I was too eager to find a way to survive. Only when I reached the Princess and the Empress Dowager did I realize that the bandits seemed to be after me. Since they were after me, no matter where I hid, they would still come for me. As for just now, my attention was on others, so... Princess, please don't be angry; it was my own fault."

"How can I not be angry? You're bleeding, do you even know that?! You're pregnant, do you know that?"

Princess Jing'an was both angry and worried.

At this moment, Sai Huatuo hurriedly arrived, still carrying her small wooden medicine box: "I greet the princess. How is the young lady's health? Please allow me to come down and take another look."

The princess immediately gave up her seat. The moment Sai Huatuo took Qingyuan's pulse, he frowned. Before he could speak or explain, he began rummaging through his small wooden box.

He finally found the small bottle in the far corner, then looked at Cuiwei beside him and said, "Please pour me a cup of warm water, miss."

Without delay, he immediately poured a glass of water and handed it to Sai Huatuo. Sai Huatuo then gave Qingyuan the medicine from the bottle and waited until Qingyuan fell asleep.

Sai Huatuo then looked at the princess beside him: "Princess, there is no need to worry too much. The situation has stabilized for the time being. However, from now on... you must not overexert yourself or be frightened again. You must take good care of yourself."

After speaking with Princess Jing'an, Sai Huatuo left the remaining pills, instructing her to take them three times a day, before carrying his small wooden medicine box and rushing back to Chu Jingxian's carriage.

This commotion kept the imperial physicians and guards extremely busy.

Thank goodness, the rain finally stopped, and the stones, trees, and weeds on the road were mostly cleared away. After the carriages were repaired, the caravan finally set off on its return journey.

However, it was already night when they reached the halfway point, so the group had to find a place at the foot of the mountain to set up camp and rest for the night before continuing their journey the next day.

After all, it was a day of chaos and exhaustion.

Mango woke up as soon as the carriage stopped.