Duke Jing's younger sister

Chapter 178 White Clothes Stained with Ink

A luxurious carriage was parked on the bustling street.

Several guards wearing long swords stood around the carriage.

They are all tall, with stern faces, which makes people intimidated.

When the people passing by saw this evil-like aura, they all avoided it.

However, he could not suppress his curiosity and would steal glances at the carriage from time to time, secretly guessing which nobleman was sitting inside.

A thin young man walked up to the carriage and bowed to answer.

"Master, we have already done what you asked, but Zou is asking for a higher price, and she even wants 10,000 taels before she agrees to it."

The man's back was bent, as if he was being pressed down by an invisible mountain.

This time he no longer suppressed his voice intentionally, and his voice became even shriller.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that this was the eunuch who often served nobles in the palace.

The carriage window curtain was gently opened by a delicate hand, revealing the beautiful face of the woman in the carriage.

Han Yunning was dressed in a gorgeous brocade dress with intricate embroidery, as graceful and elegant as a blooming peony.

Those charming peach blossom eyes were slightly upturned, adding a bit of the charm of a mature woman.

She smiled slightly and said nonchalantly,

"It doesn't matter, whether it's 10,000 taels or 100,000 taels, as long as it can make her fall, it's worth spending any amount of money."

Jiang Li, ah Jiang Li, I want to see who can protect you now!

The corners of her lips rose slightly, revealing a cold smile.

The young eunuch guarding the carriage lowered his head even lower.

Concubine Ning's smile was like a sharp sword emitting poisonous light, which could stab at anyone at any time, making people shudder.

Before the banquet began, Zou hurried back.

The female relatives who came to the banquet gathered in the flower hall.

Zou now has no name or status, neither a mistress nor a concubine.

Therefore, no matter which family the lady was from, she was only concerned with talking to Jiang Li and completely left Zou aside.

She wandered around the hall for a while, seeing that no one was willing to pay attention to her and not wanting to make herself look bad.

It happened that she had just returned from Huajia Lane, and was exhausted from being tortured by Lian Laoer, so she wanted to go back to her room to rest.

Although Jiang Li's surname is no longer Shen, in front of outsiders, she is still the adopted daughter of the Shen family.

Yang didn't want to be criticized, so she brought Shen Zhiyan here early and asked Nanny Qin to go to the kitchen to help look after things.

The auspicious time has arrived, and Jiang Li hands the red silk to her brother.

Jiang Cheng tied the red silk on the first load of betrothal gifts personally.

With a loud shout from the ceremonial officer, gongs cleared the way, and 108 loads of dowry moved forward towards the Xue family like a long dragon.

As soon as the team delivering the betrothal gifts left, the banquet at the Jiang Mansion officially began.

Now that Shen Beiqi is not in Jiangdu City, the third prince Xiao Wencong does not need to worry about anything and comes here with Miao Yu in a swagger.

"Master Jiang, congratulations!"

In front of everyone, he still looked cynical and spoke in a nonchalant tone.

This courtesy was clearly intended for Jiang Minzhi, but when he said the word "congratulations", his eyes fell on Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing an almost imperceptible smile.

He nodded slightly, as if responding to the other person's gaze.

"Thank you, Third Prince..."

Jiang Minzhi hurriedly returned the gift, but before he could finish his words of thanks, he heard the doorman loudly report again.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived——"

"His Royal Highness the Second Prince has arrived!"

Without exception, everyone present stood up and saluted the two princes.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and greetings to His Royal Highness the Second Prince!"

For the mere betrothal ceremony, not only most of the officials in the court came, but even the three sons of Emperor Hongyang were present.

"Everyone, please excuse me."

Xiao Wenhao supported Jiang Minzhi in a false way, without any airs of a prince, and said in a friendly manner,

"Today is the Jiang family's wedding banquet. I came here uninvited. Please don't spoil Mr. Jiang's mood."

Jiang Minzhi said in panic, "Your Highness, what are you talking about? I am so happy that you are willing to come. Please take a seat, Your Highness."

After the two men declined, the prince followed the host's wishes and sat in the main seat.

After the prince took his seat, everyone took their seats.

The second prince Xiao Wenche chuckled and said,

"I originally thought that my brother was not in the mood to attend the banquet this time, so I did not invite my brother in advance. I hope my brother will not blame me."

Xiao Wenhao pulled up a smile, but his eyes were as cold as an arrow.

He wished he could shoot several bloody holes in Xiao Wenche.

"I don't know why my second brother thinks so."

The prince asked, "Do you think that I will be sad for those scoundrels who harm my Southern Wu? Or do you think that an upright minister like Lord Jiang should not be respected by me?"

Those present today are all people who have been working in the officialdom for many years.

After hearing the prince's words, everyone had their own thoughts in mind, but they remained expressionless.

I have to say that the prince is wise enough and makes decisions when necessary.

It’s a pity that it seems a bit too heartless to others.

That was his maternal grandfather and father-in-law, yet he now called them turtles.

"Brother, you are overthinking this..."

Xiao Wenche glanced at him calmly, with obvious sarcasm in his eyes.

"I thought that the Empress's sister-in-law had just passed away. You are such a loyal person, so you must be sad and grief-stricken. That's why I thought you might not be in the mood to come to the banquet. Why did you bring up someone else?"

Xiao Wenche sneered in his heart.

Seeing that the Liang family and the Lin family were gone, they eagerly came to stick to the Jiang family.

Who can't see his dirty thoughts?

Seeing that the situation was not good, Jiang Minzhi hurriedly stood up and personally poured a glass of wine for the crown prince and the second prince. After a series of high-sounding polite words, he finally avoided the topic.

After seeing off all the guests, Jiang Li was so tired that she didn't even have the strength to walk back to her own yard.

Seeing this, Xingping jokingly said she would carry her back.

Unexpectedly, Luo Zhi believed it, patted her chest, and proudly claimed that she was strong and she should be the one to carry the girl.

Jiang Li and Xing Ping looked at each other and both laughed so hard that they couldn't straighten their backs.

After returning to the room to wash up, Jiang Li was just about to lie down when Luo Zhi opened the curtain and came in.

"Miss, Zou went to Huajia Lane today."

Jiang Li was wearing a snow-white middle-length dress. Upon hearing this, she stood up suddenly and asked, "When did you go?"

"According to the beggar, it was around 3:30 pm."

"Three quarters past four o'clock..."

Jiang Li slowly walked to the table by the window and looked up at the crescent moon in the sky.

Before the banquet started, she looked for Zou everywhere in the courtyard, but could not find her.

It turned out that she took advantage of the fact that there were many people and things going on in the mansion, and she found the right opportunity and slipped out of the mansion without anyone noticing?

If the young man in Huajia Lane was really Zou's cousin, she could go and visit him openly.

The more you try to cover it up, the more it seems like you are trying to cover up your true intentions.

I'm afraid she and that man...

Jiang Li was so angry that she slammed the table.

The ink splashed everywhere, like black spots staining the pure white undergarment.

"Oh, girl—"

Xingping happened to come in and screamed in surprise, not knowing what was going on.

"This robe is stained. Please take it off and change into a clean one. I will wash it quickly. Maybe I can wash the ink stain away."

Jiang Li lowered her head. The fabric of her shirt was as smooth as silk. In just a moment, the dark ink flowed along the texture of the fabric and spread.

The originally pure robe was dyed into spots and looked terrible.

After a long while, she murmured in a low voice,

“…Can it really be cleaned?”