Chapter 59 - 59: Jiang Hong Returns to the Capital

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

A moment later, a pen and paper were placed in front of Zhao Fuqing. He picked up the pen and glared at Jiang Ruyun.” Do you really want to divorce?”

Jiang Ruyun didn’t say anything. Seeing this, Zhao Fuqing wrote down the letter of divorce with a gloomy expression and threw it to Jiang Ruyun. He said coldly, “I hope you won’t regret this.”

“Rest assured, Prince. Even if I regret it, I will not implicate the Huainan Mansion.”

“Ha… A wilted flower indeed, believing she’s still a blooming one.”

On hearing Ruyun’s words, Chu Rou’s eyes reflected nothing but scorn.

Jiang Ruyun held her tongue, her eyes radiating shame.

“Qing Er, we should leave.”

Seeing Jiang Ruyun’s silence, Chu Rou’s eyes gleamed with triumph. Yet as she began to leave, a sudden pain in her foot had her stumbling forward, her forehead colliding with the door sill.

“Your, Your Highness…”

“Blood! Somebody fetch the imperial physician quickly. The Queen is bleeding.”

As Nanny Wei helped Chu Rou up, she saw blood trickling down her forehead and immediately raised the alarm.

“Quick, back to the mansion.”

Seeing the blood staining the Queen forehead, Fuqing quickly moved to support her.

As they departed, Jiang Peihuan shot a glance at Jiang Sijin. Confronting her sister’s all-knowing eyes, Sijin felt a twinge of guilt. But as Peihuan held her tongue, Sijin’s face broke into a radiant smile.

Witnessing Sijin’s smile, brighter than any flower, Peihuan found herself at a loss for words. Eventually, she simply shook her head. The Huainan Queen, she concluded, was indeed in need of a lesson.

Jiang Changbai, oblivious to the exchange between the sisters, calculated the time. He then addressed the old Madam Jiang, “Grandmother, Father, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle should be nearing the city. I thought of taking my sisters to greet them.”

“Good. All of you should go together. It’s crowded today, no need to ride horses. Take a carriage.”

“Grandmother, due to the crowd, it’s indeed inconvenient for a carriage. Riding horses would be more suitable.”

“Very well, as you wish.”

The Jiang siblings offered their respects to the old Madam and departed together.

The Jiang family, being of military heritage, ensured that each sibling, except for Jiang Sijin, had their own horse.

Lie Feng stood at the very front. Spotting Jiang Peihuan, he sauntered over to her, his horse affectionately rubbing its head against her shoulder.

“Lie Feng, we’ll go see Father and Mother shortly,” she said, extending her hand to stroke the horse’s head. A soft chuckle escaped her lips. As if understanding her words, Lie Feng gave a lengthy neigh in reply.

“When Father returns, I’m determined to ask him for a horse of my own,” she proclaimed.

On the sidelines, Jiang Sijin watched with a hint of envy in her eyes. She was the only one in the Jiang household who didn’t have a horse yet.

Jiang Changbai mounted his horse, overhearing Jiang Sijin’s lament. Smiling gently, he assured her, “Don’t worry. On your birthday this year, Father will undoubtedly give you a fine horse. If he doesn’t, I’ll find one for you.”

“Arc you sure you’re not just trying to placate me, Big Brother?” she teased.

“Now, when have I ever lied to you, little one?” he retorted, grinning.

“Hmph, you tricked me plenty when I was younger,” she pouted.

Jiang Changbai was nearly ten years older than Jiang Sijin and had often used her as a scapegoat during their childhood martial arts practice. She held onto these memories, never forgetting them.

Hearing Sijin reminisce, Jiang Changbai quickly replied, “This time, Big Brother promises not to trick you.”

“Well, I suppose I’ll trust you this once,” she conceded.

Jiang Changbai then turned his attention to Jiang Ruyun, whose face was a shade paler than usual, but her spirit remained strong. He asked her, “Ruyun, are you feeling alright? Can you handle riding a horse?”

Ruyun replied softly, “Don’t fret, Big Brother. I’m doing just fine.”

“Even if I’m not as skilled as Big Sister, I have a few years of martial arts training to fall back on.”

“That’s good to know.”

After assessing everyone, Jiang Changbai instructed Jiang Songbai, “Songbai, stay close to Sijin. Make sure no one bumps into her.”

“Understood, Big Brother,” he acknowledged.

“Alright, let’s go then.”

Jiang Changbai led the way, his whip cracking in the air. Jiang Peihuan was close behind him.

The clatter of horse hooves on the street caused the bystanders to step aside. One person, recognizing the carriage occupants, spoke up, “Aren’t those the young masters and mistresses from the General’s Mansion?”

“That’s right, it’s the Young Master and Young Lady of the General’s Mansion.”

“They must be on their way to welcome General Jiang. He’s supposed to arrive in the city today.”

“Well then, let’s go see for ourselves. We won’t find a place if we wait too long…”

Unaware of the chatter among the people, Jiang Peihuan gripped Lie Feng’s reins, her eyes ablaze with excitement.

Although she was aware that Jiang Hong and Xue Yan were safe and sound, she found it hard to accept this fact. She needed to witness it for herself to fully believe that everything was indeed real.

“Big Brother, Big Sister, there are too many people. It’s not feasible to keep riding our horses,” Jiang Songbai pointed out, looking at the dense crowd ahead and towards Jiang Changbai and Jiang Peihuan on their horses.

In her past life, the entire Jiang family had been submerged in the grief of Jiang Changbai’s death, completely oblivious to the size of the crowd.

The sight of so many people now gave Jiang Peihuan a slight headache.

Just then, a figure rapidly approached them – Han Feng.

He walked up to Jian Peihuan, offered her a respectful bow, and then quietly suggested, “Miss, my master has reserved a private room at the Pine and Crane Pavilion. He mentioned that if Miss and the young masters don’t have a suitable location, you can wait for General Jiang in the private room.”

A couple of days prior, Jiang Peihuan had intended to reserve a private room at the Pine and Crane Pavilion herself, but there were no rooms left..

On hearing Han Feng’s words, surprise flickered in Jiang Peihuan’s eyes. She considered his suggestion for a moment before quietly inquiring, “Is King Cheng also in the private room?”

“The master is at the palace. The Emperor intends to reward the three armies today, and the master is required to accompany the Holy Cross,” he replied.

Learning that Xiao Nanye wasn’t in the private room, Jiang Peihuan subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. However, she still turned towards Jiang Changbai, asking, “Big Brother, what do you think?”

Taking note of the swelling crowd, especially as their numbers continued to grow, Jiang Changbai nodded in agreement, “Let’s head to the Pine and Crane Pavilion.

Han Feng directly led them to the Pine and Crane Pavilion. Xiao Nanye had arranged for a private room on the second floor, a room with a street view that offered an excellent vista.

After escorting Jiang Peihuan and the others to the private room, Han Feng proposed his departure, “Miss, I will take my leave now.”

“Very well, please extend my thanks to King Cheng on my behalf.”

“Understood. I will take my leave now.”

Han Feng offered a final bow to Jiang Peihuan before quickly exiting, shutting the private room door behind him.

“Elder sister, is this King Cheng perhaps…”

“What are you implying? Don’t spread baseless rumors,” Jiang Songbai, who spent most of his time at the Academy and wasn’t familiar with Xiao Nanye and Jiang Peihuan’s situation, looked at the departing Han Feng, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. His question, however, was cut off midway by Jiang Changbai..