Duke Jing's younger sister

Chapter 170 A headache

Outside the south gate of Jiangdu City.

In addition to the Beilin Army ready for battle, there were also ordinary people who came to watch the fun.

Countless figures intertwined, pushed and squeezed together, and stood on tiptoe to look up at the high platform.

Emperor Hongyang, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, personally brought a bowl of wine to send him off, and said earnestly, "My dear, you must return victoriously from this trip!"

Shen Beiqi bowed his head, took the wine bowl respectfully with both hands, and answered firmly,

"I will definitely live up to your majesty's expectations!"

The red flags fluttered in the wind on top of the towering city walls, like rolling flames in the daytime, crackling.

She looked straight ahead as she watched him drink the farewell wine in a heroic manner.

He led the soldiers in a loud oath, then kowtowed to Emperor Hongyang, mounted his horse and held the reins tightly.

I wonder if it was her imagination.

At that moment, his eyes seemed to fall on her.

The morning breeze blew up yellow sand all over the sky.

The long marching team was like a winding black dragon, with great momentum, moving slowly forward in the smoke and dust.

Jiang Li's eyes were still red.

Only this time, she didn't stop it from falling, sliding down her cheek and onto her lips.

She pursed her lips, and a sour taste spread in her mouth.

Shen Hengzhi, you must return safely.

……

After Shen Beiqi left, Jiang Lijin followed his instructions and did not go out unless necessary.

Except when she had to go to the official school to teach piano every seven days, she stayed at home almost all day, keeping company with books.

Occasionally, she would wonder where the army was now.

As I thought about it, I became dazed again, and felt empty inside.

Most of the things Zou sold have been recovered, and all the evidence is in her hands.

But she remained silent, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

It was the end of June and the weather was extremely hot and humid.

Even with ice cubes in the room, it was still too hot to breathe.

Jiang Li gently waved the round fan in her hand and stood in front of the open lattice window.

His sight passed the square window and directed towards the newly planted magnolia tree in the yard.

The thin branches drooped their heads, looking listless.

I don’t know if it’s because of the hot weather or the sudden change in environment, but it still takes some time to adapt.

Xingping came in through the curtains, knelt down and said, "Miss, the master is back."

Now that Lin Zewen has fallen, after a thorough investigation, only a few members of the Eastern Faction remain in the court.

Some time ago, Your Majesty promoted Jiang Minzhi to the position of President of the Hanlin Academy, a second-rank academician.

After Jiang Minzhi was promoted, court affairs became increasingly busy.

Now that he is a favorite of the emperor and enjoys great glory, naturally many people rush to curry favor with him.

Today, he was invited to visit a colleague's home.

Last time, Zou was unable to enter the palace, so this time she persuaded Jiang Minzhi early to take her with him.

When Jiang Li found out, she didn't object.

It would be good to visit other people's homes. With comparison, Jiang Minzhi could understand why it was difficult for Zou to become the mistress of the Jiang family.

As expected, Xingping just heard the servants report that the master and Zou had just entered the house and were arguing fiercely in the hall.

Jiang Li felt that the time had come, so she walked out, fanning herself, and said, "Let's go take a look."

Xingping asked doubtfully, "Should we go and stop the fight?"

"Stop the fight?" She smiled. "No, we'll add fuel to the fire."

Before they reached the door of the flower hall, they heard Zou's crying and shouting from inside. Her voice was hoarse and sounded like she was sobbing and complaining.

"I won't live any longer! I just said a few extra words during dinner, is it worth it for you to keep harping on me like this?"

"You said more than just two sentences."

Jiang Minzhi was so angry that his hair stood on end. He shouted loudly,

"Don't talk while eating, don't talk while sleeping! You, if someone doesn't know you, they would think you are a storyteller invited from somewhere! The lady was drinking soup in complete silence, but you wanted to strike thunder.

"Master...I am more wronged than Dou E!"

Seeing that Jiang Min's face was turning blue with anger, Zou had no choice but to show weakness.

His body went limp and he collapsed to the ground, sobbing and wiping his tears with a handkerchief.

Zou was well aware of her humble origins, and had recently been concentrating on learning the rules and regulations of wealthy families.

She knew that the noble ladies in Jiangdu City ate like chicks pecking at rice, and even the chewing sound was barely audible.

So, she restrained herself today and pursed her lips as small as a cherry when drinking the soup.

Who would have thought that the smaller the mouth opened, the louder the sound, like the sound of a Huang Zhong Da Lu, and ultimately led to such a joke.

Jiang Minzhi felt a splitting headache, and the finger pointing at her trembled slightly.

"That's not all. You lied to her about the main wife and the second wife! Does that mean her wife is the second wife, and her sisters and mother are also second wives? It's really laughable!"

Zou and the lady didn't have much in common.

After learning that the other party was also a remarried wife after his wife died, they instantly found resonance.

She pulled the other party aside and complained bitterly, listing all the faults of the original mistress, and she didn't even notice that the other lady was in a bad mood.

Jiang Li raised her lips and said in a high voice.

"Dad, please don't get too angry and make yourself sick. If you do, your daughter will be very sad."

Zou's crying suddenly stopped. She turned back in surprise and looked at Jiang Li who was standing at the door.

Why is this damn girl joining in the fun again?

Jiang Li glanced at her with a smile, ignoring the disgust in her eyes, and walked into the flower hall.

"It just so happens that my daughter has something to report to father today. Madam Zou is here too, so why not listen together?"

Jiang Minzhi sat down on the armchair, raised his hand and gently rubbed his temples, and asked without raising his eyelids, "Tell me, what's the matter?"

Jiang Li winked at Xing Ping, who nodded, unfolded the paper in her hand, and read aloud,

"On May 26, I pawned a pair of peony wall vases for 22 taels and 3 cents of silver."

Almost instantly, all the blood drained from Zou's face and it became as pale as paper.

"On May 28th, I pawned a Duan inkstone for thirty-five taels of silver..."

"On May 29th, I pawned a white jade brush washer for 16 taels and 8 cents of silver..."

Jiang Minzhi smelled something unusual. He stood up suddenly, snatched the paper from Xingping's hand, and read it quickly.

The detailed list was full of things that had been pawned.

Wow, this is all the positions that one can take?

"Father, this is the original pawn ticket. It has Zou's autograph and red clay handprint on it."

Jiang Li handed him a thick stack of pawn tickets and said,

"My daughter is afraid that she may have misunderstood Madam Zou, or that there are other servants with ulterior motives who may be using Madam Zou's name to do something sneaky, so I brought it here for you to review. Is the handwriting correct?"

What could be wrong with that crooked handwriting!

First he lost face in front of his colleagues, and now he did something so shameful!

Jiang Minzhi was so angry that his whole body was shaking, his chest heaving violently, and he threw a thick stack of papers hard on Zou's face.

"Why don't you pawn yourself as well? When did our Jiang family ever need you to rely on pawning to survive?"

He really wanted to slap Zou!

Zou glared at Jiang Li fiercely, but now was not the time to compete with her.

Now that the evidence was irrefutable, she knew she had no way to deny it. Her eyes rolled and a plan immediately came to her mind.

"Ouch—"

Zou cried out, lowered her body, hugged Jiang Minzhi's legs, and said,

"Why do I have to pawn my belongings to make ends meet? Isn't it your fault, Master?"

"Blame me?"

Jiang Minzhi sneered, "Okay, then tell me why you blame it on me?"