The old woman, curious about her well-dressed appearance, replied,
“I heard the yamen is ineffective.”
“Our place is right on the border with Huai’an County, and those bandits hide between the two borders.”
“The yamens of both places shift the blame to each other, making it hard for merchants and commoners passing by. If you’re unlucky, losing your life is common.”
After hearing her explanation, Chen Jiao said,
“It seems the governance in Wei County is not peaceful.”
The old woman waved her hand,
“In these times, where is there any peace?”
Xu Zhao immediately sent villagers to report to the local official.
Seeing it was getting late, whether to continue into Wei County was up to Chen Jiao.
She was still unhappy and complained to Xu Zhao:
“Those bandits are too arrogant. We had already hung the Chen family flag to show our identity, yet they still dared to provoke us. It seems they have the guts of a bear and the heart of a leopard.”
Xu Zhao also found it outrageous and said seriously,
“Normally, ordinary bandits wouldn’t dare to provoke official yamens.”
Chen Jiao snorted coldly.
She hadn’t even entered Wei County yet and had already encountered such a show. Who were they performing for?
Xu Zhao said,
“Ninth Lady, whether to advance or retreat, you should decide soon.”
Chen Jiao’s willow-like eyebrows furrowed.
Xu Zhao, seeing her stubbornness, thought she would stand her ground, but she decisively said,
“Let’s go back home.”
Xu Zhao was stunned.
Chen Jiao repeated,
“I’m going home to find my father.”
Xu Zhao: “…”
He felt a surge of frustration.
She was indeed a spoiled and willful young lady, treating them all like monkeys.
But then Chen Jiao’s tone changed,
“Dare you lead troops? I’ll get soldiers for you.”
Xu Zhao was stunned again.
Chen Jiao spat, her demeanor full of thuggishness, dissatisfied,
“Wei County is so arrogant, even if it’s a dragon’s pool or a tiger’s den, I must venture
into it.”
Xu Zhao was silent for a while before saying,
“Ninth Lady, if you want to mobilize troops, the lord probably won’t allow it.”
Chen Jiao: “Why is that?”
Xu Zhao patiently explained,
“The counties and prefectures in Huizhou have no soldiers. The yamen has at most a dozen constables. If you want to mobilize troops, you must ask the lord for them.”
“This is to prevent local leaders from causing trouble with troops, so local areas only have administrative power, not military power.”
Chen Jiao said anxiously,
“So those bandits can’t be dealt with?”
The old woman had already said that the yamen had sent troops to suppress them several times, but it didn’t work.
They hid between the two prefectures, making it hard to capture them.
Xu Zhao said solemnly,
“Previously, they hid between the two prefectures, making it difficult to capture them, which is why they became a scourge.”
Chen Jiao fell silent.
Xu Zhao still agreed with her decision to return home, saying,
“Ninth Lady, you are precious. The situation outside is not as simple as you think. It’s safer to return home.”
Chen Jiao stared at him for a while, then said without refuting,
“Then I’ll follow your advice and return home.”
Xu Zhao agreed.
He really didn’t want to get involved in the mess of Wei County.
Today’s fight had left him feeling frustrated.
But he had no idea what Chen Jiao was thinking.
Those bandits dared to ignore the official family and rob them, showing their arrogance.
She hadn’t even entered Wei County yet, and the demons had already come out to test the waters.
If she entered, she might not know how she died.
Chen Jiao’s alarm bells were ringing.
Even if Xu Zhao could fight and kill, they were still outnumbered.
If the people of Wei County joined forces to dig a pit, they couldn’t fight against so many.
Chen Jiao keenly sensed the crisis.
The journey back to the city was relatively smooth, with no further incidents.
The day before arriving in Yang, Chen Jiao hardened her heart and bruised her arm.
Ma Chun watched in horror, worried,
“Miss, will this work?”
Chen Jiao endured the pain and said through gritted teeth,
“I can’t control much. If anyone dares to block my way, I will kill them.”
She was determined to stir up the mess in Wei County and made Xu Zhao and the others agree on their story.
Hu Yan, who had previously despised her willfulness, couldn’t help but change his opinion slightly when he saw her brutally injure herself.
The next day, the group returned to the mansion in low spirits.
Chen Jiao played the victim, going straight to Prince Huai’an to cry upon entering.
At that time, Prince Huai’an was in the main house with Madam Zheng.
Suddenly, a servant came to report that Chen Ninth Lady had returned.
He was quite surprised.
In just a moment, Chen Jiao came in crying, her eyes filled with tears, looking extremely aggrieved.
Prince Huai’an was puzzled,
“What’s wrong, my child?”
Chen Jiao knelt before him with red eyes, crying,
“Father, please help me. I was beaten as soon as I went to Wei County…”
She then lifted her sleeve to reveal the bruise on her arm.
She had gone to great lengths the previous day, and the mark on her arm looked truly frightening, shocking to see.
Chen En was greatly startled and quickly helped her up, asking,
“How did you end up like this? Where is Xu Zhao? What was he doing?”
Chen Jiao cried,
“Captain Xu and the others were also injured.”
She then tearfully recounted the experience of encountering bandits on the way to Wei County.
Chen En was furious and scolded,
“Xu Zhao is useless!”
“Before leaving, I specifically told him to protect you. He couldn’t even handle a few bandits. What good is he as a captain?”
He immediately ordered someone to find Xu Zhao and hold him accountable.
Chen Jiao continued to wipe her tears, occasionally glancing at Chen En’s expression.
Madam Zheng, who had always disliked her, couldn’t stand her antics and quickly sent a maid to call a doctor to examine her.
On the surface, it was a concern, but in reality, it was to test the truth.
“Heaven have mercy, Ninth Lady is just a young girl. My lord shouldn’t have let her go out. Now she has suffered outside, it’s truly heartbreaking.”
She showed a pained expression, making Chen En look unhappy.
Chen Jiao, with tears in her eyes, said aggrievedly,
“Those bandits are truly arrogant. We had already shown our official identity, yet they still dared to provoke us.”
“Father, although they hit me, they were actually slapping your face as Prince Huai’an.”
“The entire Huizhou is under your jurisdiction. A group of small fry occupying the mountains as kings clearly doesn’t put Prince Huai’an’s mansion in their eyes.”
“Father, you must stand up for me and seek justice.”
Listening to her accusations, Chen En looked at this troublemaker, both angry and heartbroken.
He was angry that she was uncontrollable, and heartbroken that she had been beaten as soon as she was let out.
Chen En angrily poked her forehead, scolding,
“You were fooling around, and now you know how dangerous the outside world is?”
Chen Jiao retorted,
“It’s clearly because you are incompetent.”
“You are the governor of a prefecture, yet you can’t even protect your own daughter. How can you blame me for not being cautious?”
“Moreover, we were just walking peacefully on the road, and we had already shown our official identity. Those bandits wouldn’t be so arrogant and domineering if they weren’t bullying us.”
Chen En was left speechless by her retort and couldn’t help but poke her forehead again, which she dodged.
Soon, the doctor came to examine Chen Jiao’s injuries.
Madam Zheng showed motherly concern, knowing Chen Jiao was cunning, so she personally inquired.
The doctor replied,
“Fortunately, the young lady only suffered flesh wounds and didn’t injure her bones.”
Chen En: “It’s already like this, and it’s just a flesh wound?”
The doctor nodded, saying he would prescribe some medicine to promote blood circulation and reduce swelling.
After a few days of rest, the bruise would fade.
Only then did Chen En feel somewhat relieved.
Chen Jiao returned, crying and complaining, seeking comfort, making Madam Zheng look at her with disdain.
But Chen En was susceptible to her acting.
He could handle coquettishness but not tantrums.
Chen Jiao had it just right, able to arouse his protective instincts.
His own child had been bullied outside and came back crying for support.
Naturally, the father had to save face.
Meanwhile, Madam Xu heard that Chen Jiao had returned injured and hurried over to see the situation.
Chen En had her take the child back first, as he still needed to hold Xu Zhao accountable.
After mother and daughter returned to Lixiang Courtyard, Chen En also returned to his Bihua Hall.
Madam Zheng, holding back her frustration, privately complained to Granny Cao, saying:
“She’s indeed a vixen from the Bo Hall, able to charm my lord to the point of fetching the moon from the sky for her.”
Granny Cao also couldn’t stand it, saying,
“Madam is right. The upper beam is not straight, and the lower beam is crooked. She’s just like her mother, not a good thing.”
Madam Zheng hatefully twisted her handkerchief, saying maliciously,
“It’s a pity she only suffered a flesh wound. If she had been killed, it would have been better.”
Granny Cao reminded her, “Madam, be careful with your words.”
Madam Zheng:
“My Fifth Lady was harmed by her. Losing to such a thing, I truly can’t accept it.”
Granny Cao said,
“Madam, be patient. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. That young lady is so good at courting death, sooner or later, there will be a chance to deal with her.”
Madam Zheng didn’t respond.
Perhaps Granny Cao was right.
In time, she would one day push Chen Ninth Lady into hell.
Back in Lixiang Courtyard, Madam Xu looked at Chen Jiao’s arm, feeling heartbroken.
Ma Chun recounted the encounter with the bandits, making them all tremble with fear.
Chen Jiao couldn’t bear to see Madam Xu worry and dismissed Ma Chun and the others.
She then told Madam Xu the truth about her injury, making Madam Xu furious.
She said emotionally,
“My child, you’re so foolish! How could you injure yourself?”
Chen Jiao covered her mouth,
“Mother, keep your voice down.”
Madam Xu couldn’t hide her agitation, saying worriedly,
“You went to such extremes. How could you do such a thing?”
Chen Jiao said,
“Mother, I didn’t suffer in vain. I must ask Father for troops to take to Wei County. If anyone dares to stop me, I will kill them.”
Madam Xu said anxiously,
“You’re still not giving up?”
Chen Jiao raised her eyebrows,
“Not only am I not giving up, but I also want to bring down the Zheng family. They dug such a big pit for me; I must bury them together.”
Listening to her rebellious words, Madam Xu felt a headache coming on.
In the past, she thought Chen Jiao was just assertive and knew her limits.
Now, it seemed she was about to turn the world upside down!
In comparison, Xu Zhao was unlucky.
This time, he became the scapegoat, not only receiving a scolding from Prince Huai’an but also having half a year’s salary deducted.
The deduction didn’t matter much, as Chen Ninth Lady had plenty of money.
When he returned in disgrace, Cui Jue met with him.
Xu Zhao felt truly wretched and recounted the experience in Wei County and Chen Jiao’s actions in detail.
Cui Jue remained silent for a long time.
Seeing him silent, Xu Zhao frowned and asked,
“Cui Jue, can you give me some advice? If she still wants to go, should I refuse?”
Cui Jue slowly stood up, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back.
The candlelight cast a long shadow.
The room was silent, and after who knows how long, Cui Jue finally said,
“If Chen Ninth Lady can get troops from the lord, you should accompany her again.”
Xu Zhao was half-convinced,
“She’s just a young lady. How could the lord give her troops?”
Cui Jue also thought it was unlikely.
But Chen Ninth Lady was different from ordinary people.
She was not only wild but also a bit sinister.
He looked down at him, a hint of excitement in his eyes,
“Let’s wait and see.”
He paused,
“Brother Xu, if you have the chance, recommend the chief clerk Wu Yingzhong to her.”
Xu Zhao: “???”
Cui Jue:Â “If she can lead troops to Wei County, bringing this person along will save us some trouble.”
Xu Zhao was stunned for a while before he realized what he meant.
He pointed at him and said,
“So Wen Yun is just watching the show, hoping Chen Ninth Lady stirs up trouble?”
Cui Jue: “He was indeed a bit excited.”
The man showed an awkward yet polite smile, gesturing with his thumb and forefinger, and shamelessly said,
“I am indeed a bit curious about that young lady’s capabilities.”
Xu Zhao spat in annoyance, saying,
“I think you two are both troublemakers, and there’s something wrong with your heads!”
Cui Jue:”..”
Xu Zhao, holding back his grievances, really couldn’t stand these two.
He came from a military background and couldn’t match their cunning.
He just felt that things were getting stranger and stranger.
Cui Jue coughed lightly and patiently said,
“Chen Ninth Lady will be useful to us in the future.”
Xu Zhao was half-convinced,
“She’s so wild, even Prince Huai’an can’t control her. Can you handle her, Wen Yun?”
Cui Jue: “It’s worth a try.”
Clearly, Chen Ninth Lady had piqued his strong interest.
Xu Zhao looked at him with a strange expression.
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