flstandardbreds Chapter 70 Why do I only bully you and not others?
Chapter 70 Why do I only bully you and not others?
Wen Qian looked at the newcomer with surprise: "Miss Jiang, what brings you here...?"
Her voice was muffled, her nose was red, and she had a fragile stubbornness that made people feel sorry for her.
Jiang Wan gently patted her shoulder to comfort her, "If I hadn't come, would you have opened this door?"
Wen Qian bit her lip. If Jiang Mian hadn't come, she probably would have silently endured it and quietly left.
From childhood to adulthood, there have been many instances of being teased and bullied in this way.
She knew very well that if things escalated, she would be the one who suffered the most, so it was better to just endure it and let it pass.
Seeing her aggressive approach, Wen Yin slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "How can the people of the Jiang family be so unruly? Does Commander Jiang know that his daughter has learned to eavesdrop in the corner?"
"Does the Duke of Wen know that his third daughter has so disgraced the family? If your parents knew that their daughter was so despicable, their heroic souls on the battlefield would not rest in peace."
Wen Yin sneered, "When did it become your place to lecture me? Besides, this is a family matter, Miss Jiang is meddling too much."
"When did I say I would get involved? You mocked the Crown Princess, so if anyone should be involved, it's her."
After Jiang Wan finished speaking, she turned to Wen Qian and asked, "Princess Consort, what do you think should be the punishment for this?"
She stared intently at Wen Qian, as if encouraging her.
Wen Qian took a deep breath. She was deeply moved that Jiang Wan was on her side, and mustered her courage to speak, "Third Sister's words and actions were inappropriate and she deserves to be punished..."
Her voice was soft and low, and it did nothing to intimidate Wen Yin.
"I'll be punished? What a joke!" Wen Yin sneered, then roared, "Guards! Throw those two out of here!"
"I think you really need to be disciplined!"
A stern rebuke rang out from outside the door.
Wen Yin was slightly taken aback. Turning her head, she saw Madam Wen striding in and hurriedly went up to her, acting coquettishly, "Aunt!"
However, Madam Wen pretended not to see it and smiled at Wen Qian, saying, "Fifth Miss, you know that your older sister is always carefree. Today's dance performance was just a joke. Since you didn't refuse, she assumed that you were happy to do it too. If she has offended anyone, I will teach her to improve. Please be magnanimous and don't ruin our relationship."
Madam Wen is Wen Qian's stepmother. She's opportunistic and always changes her tune depending on the situation. No matter how arrogant and bullying Wen Yin was before, Madam Wen would just dismiss her with a casual remark—
"Why do you get bullied when you're the only one being bullied?"
The reason for this change in attitude today is clearly because Wen Qian suddenly has Duan Zhi'an backing her up, and she can't afford to offend him.
When Jiang Wan saw that Wen Qian remained silent, she assumed that Wen Qian was going to accept this grievance again.
But then she heard Qian say softly, "Mother talks about harmony, but do I still have harmony with this family?"
Tears still clung to her face, and her voice trembled. It was clear that she was extremely disappointed before she mustered the courage to say those words.
Madam Wen's smile froze for a moment, probably because she hadn't expected her to refute her like that.
Wen Yin sneered, "Just because you have a Grand Tutor uncle, you think you can take advantage of me? What do you want to do to me? If you don't get along with this family, then leave!"
A moment of silence fell over the air; no one spoke.
After a long time.
Wen Qian raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face, her fingertips trembling slightly: "Third sister. I know that the entire Wen family protects you, and even if you are to be punished, it will only be a formality. I also understand that you resent me for taking your place in the marriage, but haven't you tormented me enough over the years?"
She appeared delicate, and even her voice trembled slightly, yet her words were sharp and cutting.
"Today I will call you 'sister' one last time. After this, we will no longer be sisters, and my kinship with the Wen family will end..."
"...That's all for now."
The resoluteness in her words carried the weight of long-suppressed patience and struggle, as if layers of suppressed emotions were finally being released at this moment.
Jiang Mian knew that these seemingly casual words would have been just a fit of pique for others, but Wen Qian was definitely not.
"Tch, go ahead and leave if you dare. Do you think the Wen family needs you? If you leave, I'll just lose one of my favorite things to do..."
"Yin'er! Say less." Madam Wen winked at her, then smiled at Wen Qian, "Fifth Miss, don't say such hurtful things. The Wen family will always..."
“Auntie, you don’t need to be so kind to me just because the Grand Tutor helped me today… I may be cowardly, but I’m not stupid.”
Madam Wen froze on the spot, unsure of what to say next.
Wen Qian sniffed and stepped out of the room. Just as she took a step, she caught a glimpse of Duke Wen standing outside the door.
She stopped and stared blankly for a moment.
Then, forcing a smile, she almost choked back a sob and said, word by word, "Father, you heard it all, didn't you? I guess you don't need another daughter like me, do you?"
She looked directly at him, her eyes filled with expectation, tears welling up in her eyes.
In fact, she herself didn't know what she was expecting. Aren't the daughters in the family just tools for their fathers to use for marriage alliances?
But she still held onto a sliver of hope, after all, she was her father's daughter, and the family jade badge on her waist was given to her by her father himself.
But she waited for a long time without hearing a reply.
never mind......
Wen Qian lowered her eyes, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
She slowly turned around and walked steadily down the steps.
Suddenly, a soft voice called from behind her, as if it came from a great distance: "Qian'er..."
A slight smile played on her lips, a bitter self-mockery: "Didn't Father always call me by my full name? Why bother now?"
Jiang Wan stood beside her, watching as tears streamed down her face.
As he walked out the door, the jade badge he had been clutching loosened and fell to the ground.
With a "crack", it shattered into two pieces.
She boarded the carriage, and as the curtain was lifted, she glanced one last time at the gates of the Wen residence through the thin veil, her sorrow finding no solace.
However, until the very end, no one came forward to stop her.
The carriage had traveled a long way when Jiang Mian looked back, a pang of sorrow in her heart.
Xiao Hengzhi had been waiting for Jiang Mian outside and noticed that she seemed distracted.
He stepped forward and asked, "Why does Miss look so troubled?"
She gazed at the carriage that had disappeared from sight and said, "It's nothing, I just feel quite lucky."
Xiao Hengzhi didn't understand what she was saying, but then he heard her sigh and say, "Let's go, let's go to the Tea Joy Shop to buy some pastries and then go home."
"Okay." Xiao Hengzhi relaxed and answered subconsciously.
Jiang Wan immediately became alert—
She used to frequent the Tea Joy Shop in her past life, but only after mentioning it did she realize that the shop didn't even exist in this era.
She turned her head to look at Xiao Hengzhi, a hint of doubt in her eyes.
Just as she was about to probe with a few words, she saw that Xiao Hengzhi's expression remained unchanged, and he leisurely asked, "Please lead the way, Second Miss, where is this shop?"
Seeing his relaxed expression, Jiang Wan thought his previous response was just a momentary agreement.
She frowned slightly, finding it increasingly strange, and decided to speak directly: "That shop was the one the Regent took me to before, don't you remember?"
Xiao Hengzhi chuckled, feigning ignorance as he asked, "Regent? When did the court have a regent?"
Jiang Wan observed his composed demeanor, yet every word he uttered failed to reveal any flaws. The more composed he appeared, the more uneasy she felt.
Her intuition kept her on her guard.
Xiao Hengzhi could sense Jiang Wan's probing intent; she advanced, and he retreated.
He would never reveal any flaws until he was absolutely certain of success.
......
On the way back to the Jiang residence, I saw the Drunken Sound Pavilion, which had indeed reopened.
Xiao Hengzhi recalled the fire that day, which occurred after Lu Fang discovered that he had seen the weapon blueprints.
He became increasingly certain that the person behind it all was Ning Zhi.
To win Jiang Xun's allegiance, they didn't hesitate to use Jiang Mian. To destroy the evidence, they even set fire to Zuiyin Tower.
They truly are worthy of being taught by Duan Zhi'an; they are willing to sacrifice everything to achieve their goals.
......
By the time the two returned to their residence, it was already night.
In early winter, darkness falls early, a cold moon hangs in the sky, and it is quiet outside without a sound.
Jiang Mian sat by the window, recalling her past life, and a complex mix of emotions welled up in her heart.
She could never forget how she had died a humiliating death at the hands of Xiao Hengzhi in her past life.
Every detail of this life made her feel that Xiao Hengzhi was very likely also a reincarnation.
She recalled carefully not only the horse theft, but also the subsequent murder of the county magistrate, and Xiao Hengzhi's occasional displays of skill.
Everything is just too coincidental.
If he truly has been reborn, what is he planning to do lurking by her side? Will he try to harm her again? Or is he hiding a deeper conspiracy?
Jiang Wan's unease grew stronger. Rather than continuing to suspect, it was better to end it sooner rather than later.
She stood up, looked towards the door, and softly called out, "Yuemei."
Yuemei pushed open the door and entered. Seeing Jiang Mian's solemn expression, she asked in a low voice, "Second Miss, are you still not resting?"
Jiang Mian took a deep breath, her tone calm yet carrying an unyielding determination: "Go and tell people to pack Xiao Hengzhi's belongings, and have him leave the mansion tonight."