Chapter 7: Ali's Change of Ownership

Tsk tsk, is Lord Zhou leaving in a huff, carrying his anger with him? Having worked with him for a long time, I'm used to his cold demeanor. It's the first time I've seen Lord Zhou lose his composure. Guan Xu swayed his folding fan, feeling a bit pleased apart from not being able to see Miss Jiang Qigu.

"Your Highness, I also take my leave. Before I go, please allow me to speak a few more words. I will be able to figure out Miss Jiang Qigu's background within two days. Before that, even if you are impatient with nightmares at night, please try to rest as much as possible, and take it as a way to calm your mind and preserve your energy."

This time, the prince has other important matters to attend to. The task of paying attention to the prince's daily life can only fall on him.

The person inside faintly responded, and Guan Xu bowed and left the room. After thinking for a while, he pressed his ear against the door and listened carefully, but there was no sound for a long time.

This was not a response to him, but rather a nuisance to him. Helplessly shaking his head, he went downstairs to find the leader of the guards. The prince still needed someone to serve him tea at night.

In the spacious inner room, a man leaned against the bed, one leg stretched straight and resting on the edge of the bed, the other leg bent and kneeling on the ground. He was patiently reading the documents sent from Yanjing this morning.

As his fingertips brushed over the name of the third son of the Grand Marshal's Mansion, the man's gaze darkened. He then turned the corner of the page and continued reading.

As he was reading intently, a sound resembling a pleased cat's meow suddenly came from the floor next to him, where a white cat was leaning against him.

Turning to look, the man's handsome features changed. He lifted the lazy cat leaning against his foot and tried to push it away, but it rubbed against his ankle, showing more affection.

With its emerald green eyes narrowed, the cat glanced at him, unusually obedient. It was a completely different demeanor from when it faced Jiang Yuen with a sneer, showing a completely different side.

Raising an eyebrow, the man bent down and picked it up, examining the clean white cat closely.

"She calls you Ah Li." Holding it and inspecting it from left to right, he made a critical comment. "Looks a bit ugly."

Although this man's attitude was cold, Ah Li obediently allowed him to handle it. Even when lifted off the ground, it meekly restrained its temper, not showing any signs of aggression.

Perhaps having seen enough, the man casually tossed it to the end of the bed. Ah Li rolled a few times on the bed and then nestled into the corner of the folded brocade, finally settling down.

Trimming its claws, rubbing its ears, and glancing around, it finally found its direction. For some reason, it always liked to snuggle up to him.

As if acting like a thief, Ah Li whimpered twice and then quickly darted to his side, rubbing its head against him and then lying down obediently next to him.

"No wonder she takes care of you. She should."

Continuing to read the documents, his palm stroked its soft fur. The man's features relaxed, and he looked as serene as a jade.

In the quiet night, the man and the cat were silently together, showing a peacefulness that blended with the coldness.

On the same night, in the Jiang family's Peach Blossom Cottage, Miss Jiang Qigu was deeply troubled, tossing and turning.

Having just confirmed that the man had left, she hurried to check on Chunying, who was on night duty outside. After checking her breathing, she found that she was fine. She then pushed open the door and went to the courtyard to check on Cui Mama and Lv Fu and others. They were all sleeping soundly, without any signs of being startled.

Jiang Yuen quietly returned to the room, secretly shocked. Throughout the entire Peach Blossom Cottage, all seven or eight attendants had been unknowingly manipulated by that man.

In her view, that man was highly skilled, able to act without anyone being aware. Fortunately, he had no ill intentions, and everyone was unharmed.

Relieved, she finally had some time to carefully consider the situation. Why did it have to be her who encountered such a bizarre situation?

Pondering deeply, she could only think of one thing that had happened during the day, which might have sown the seeds of trouble! She had been impatient with Ah Li's provocation and had not wanted to be entangled with it. Could it be that there had been someone else present at that time?

Covering herself with the blanket, she felt deeply regretful. If her speculation was true, did that man take Ah Li with him? Fortunately, she had escaped a disaster last night, and it was fortunate that the other party was not a ruthless person.

Having resisted once, the same method would be difficult to work a second time. That man was originally unguarded, which allowed her to gain the upper hand in a short period of time.

As an elite in the industry, she knew that certain types of people were extremely difficult to manipulate. Having experienced two lifetimes, she could immediately sense that this person was a difficult one to handle, and unfortunately, she had encountered one today.

It was not the handsome man who intruded into the inner chambers at night, but the person behind him, the master whom she had not met.

The eyes she had encountered on the mountain path of the Cian Temple, besides being calm, left an indescribable sense of vigilance and coldness in her mind in just a moment. Perhaps there were even more buried emotions, but she was unwilling to explore them further.

People like this often had complex experiences and were highly wary of the outside world. Since that man had sent someone to take her away at night, it was unlikely that he would easily give up. This was why she had left a message, seeking an escape route for herself.

Jiang Yuen curled up in the bed like a cocoon, pondering alone. Had Ah Li also fallen into the hands of that man?

The next morning, she was awakened by Chunying. Rubbing her eyes, Jiang Yuen wished she could stay in bed longer. She had stayed up past midnight last night, feeling exhausted and drowsy. Seeing Chunying and the others looking perfectly fine, bustling around with energy, she suddenly felt the burden of keeping a secret all by herself.

Feeling physically weak and mentally heavy, she sat on the brocade stool and looked at herself in the mirror, only to see Mama Tao, who had pushed aside the curtain, entering with a forced smile.

"Miss, the main mistress went to the main house early this morning. Since she's busy, she asked me to come and tell you not to bother with the formalities and to have your meal in the room by yourself."

"Is it this early? Has father gone to the yamen?" In the bronze mirror, she could just catch a glimpse of the hourglass, and it was just past the hour of the rabbit. What could be so urgent?

Mrs. Tao shook her head, feeling that the head of the household was becoming more and more undignified. "The master and madam are entertaining guests in the flower hall. They said to come later."

After Mrs. Tao left, Jiang Yuan hastily finished her meal, filled her stomach, and paid no attention to Mrs. Cui's persuasion. She simply hugged a thin quilt and lay down on the brocade couch to catch up on sleep.

The woman by the window looked peaceful in her sleep, her delicate features bathed in the spring sunlight, appearing content. With the window slightly ajar, the branches of the crabapple tree outside were budding with new shoots, and the flower buds exuded a fragrant dew, creating a beautiful scene.

In the main house, Tong Shi came out with a resentful expression, holding a locked wooden box in her hands. Inside lay quietly twenty thousand taels of silver notes, which was significantly less than the amount promised before.

She cursed Mrs. Xu for being so slippery and not letting anything slip through her fingers. With a casual remark of "The master is honest, and the household expenses are not generous," she dismissed Tong Shi.

She reached out and tugged at the master's clothes, her eyes full of resentment. "You also didn't help me much. It's just me, how can I compete with the second household?"

Thinking of the perfect understanding between the second household couple, Tong Shi felt inexplicably aggrieved looking at the person beside her.

Dealing with the silver was such a big deal, and he was still carrying that broken birdcage! It was all because the master of the Jiang family was not doing his job properly, and the old master of the family relied heavily on the second household for everything, even arranging for Jiang Er to be recommended for an official position.

As for the master of the main house, he was not reliable on his own, and had embarrassed the old master several times. This time, the old master had made up his mind and said that if he didn't make progress, and if he continued to be looked down upon, it was destined that he would live as a useless person. He should not have any unrealistic ideas in the future.

Because of this, Tong Shi was particularly concerned. She also deeply resented the governor's mansion for not giving their full support at this critical moment.

"Stop nagging, what kind of talk is that!" The master waved his sleeve to release her hand, looking at Tong Shi's plump face, feeling disgusted. If it were Du Juan, that girl, with her charming looks, he would be happy to hold her hand and be affectionate with her. But with this woman, it was really disappointing.

"Haven't you heard your sister say that twenty thousand taels is not a small amount? It's better to have it in hand than to have nothing at all. Besides, twenty thousand taels of silver is enough. If it weren't for your greed, wanting to extort more money, we would have been home by now."

With the old master pressing from above and Tong Shi watching from the side, without a concubine to serve him along the way, the master had long been impatient and just wanted to take the silver and go back. However, the women at home were all focused on money, delaying the trip and causing him to lose face several times.

The more he thought about it, the more he found Tong Shi displeasing, compared to Mrs. Xu in the second brother's house... that beautiful and charming woman, with her fair and plump bosom. It made him feel weak all over, as if ants were crawling in the crevices of his bones. After not seeing her for a few years, that woman had become even more alluring.