Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 795 "Perhaps I can preserve my reputation" [Thank you! Thank you again! 7k words owed]

On the open ground in front of the hall.

Looking at what had suddenly happened,
The Taoist priests from Yuqing Temple nearby were also at a loss as to what to do.

"What are you doing! Let me go!"

Minglan struggled fiercely, both in tone and in her actions.

But she was just a young girl, how could she be a match for these two strong women? She was immediately held hostage by the two of them.

"hiss--"

It seemed that the veil had touched the wound on her forehead, and Minglan gasped in pain.

"Grandma, don't move around! Putting on your veil is for your own good!"

The woman holding Minglan hostage looked at the two noble ladies opposite her with fear and hurriedly spoke up to persuade them.

"Stop moving!" Chai Zhengzheng shouted urgently.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Minglan, who was under the veil, paused for a moment before stopping her struggle.

Seeing the two women's cowering expressions, Rong Feiyan, wearing a veiled hat, led her maid towards them and said coldly, "Give them to me!"

Rong Feiyan grew up surrounded by servants and maids, and was used to ordering them around. Her words carried an air of authority.

Upon hearing this, the two women exchanged a questioning glance.

In the span of a dozen or so breaths, many of the onlookers who had seen Minglan's face clearly showed surprise and began to whisper among themselves.

"Look at this girl, she seems somewhat familiar!"

"Judging from the two women's shouts, those are the Sheng family's daughters from Jiying Lane! Tsk tsk tsk!"

"Not bad!"

"Wasn't she the one playing polo against the Ningyuan Marquis's family at the polo field today? Her skills are quite impressive!"

"But isn't it the Sixth Miss Sheng who's performing today? She's supposed to be raised by the Sheng family's matriarch! But those two women were calling her 'Fifth Miss Sheng' just now!"

"I saw it clearly just now; the one under the veil was not the fifth daughter of the Sheng family, Rulan, but the sixth daughter of the Sheng family, Minglan!"

"In broad daylight."

Amidst the surrounding chatter, the strong woman holding Minglan hostage exchanged a bewildered glance with her lover.
How could the person they brought out be Minglan instead of Rulan?! ???

They had staked out Jiying Lane beforehand, and knew the personal maid of the fifth daughter of the Sheng family, and even knew that the maid's name was Magpie!
At this moment, Qi Heng, who was outside the crowd, struggled to push forward, shouting, "Make way! Make way!"

Many of the servants in the crowd recognized Qi Heng and quickly stepped aside upon hearing his call.

Upon entering the crowd, before Qi Heng could speak, Chai Zhengzheng asked from across the table, "Yuan Ruo? What are you doing here?"

"Hey! Isn't this the young master of the Qi family?" the people around whispered.

The two strong women, who had vaguely heard the noise, exchanged a panicked glance: the people blocking their way were from the Chai family, and now a young master from the Duke's mansion had arrived—both were people they couldn't afford to offend. This was a huge problem!
But these two strong women seemed to be used to doing this kind of thing. After exchanging a panicked look, they both made up their minds.

"Cousin!" Qi Heng bowed respectfully, nodded to Rong Feiyan, and then strode toward the two strong women.

"Release them immediately!" Qi Heng said, frowning.

Looking at Qi Heng, Chai Zhengzheng called out with a mixture of doubt and anxiety, "Yuan Ruo, you? Don't interfere!"

Rong Feiyan took a step toward the two strong women with some urgency.

Qi Heng shook his head and pointed at the two strong women, scolding them: "I saw it clearly on the way here. These are the two thieving women who injured the Sheng family's maid and then kidnapped her!"

As soon as Qi Heng finished speaking, Chai Zhengzheng, who was wearing a veiled hat, froze for a moment, then stomped her foot in frustration, as if some plan of hers had been ruined by Qi Heng!
The two strong women took a step back when they saw Rong Feiyan leading the group forward.

The strong woman A looked at Qi Heng and shouted, "Young master, you can't slander someone's innocence with baseless accusations!"

The healthy woman nodded and said, "Yes!"

Qi Heng rebuked, "How have I tarnished your reputation? Is the injury on Sixth Sister's forehead fake?"

"Yuan Ruo!" Chai Zhengzheng called out in a somewhat stern tone.

Upon hearing this, Qi Heng looked at Chai Zhengzheng, frowning in confusion, and asked, "Cousin, what's wrong?"

Before Chai Zhengzheng could speak, the strong woman B started crying and shouting, "Oh dear! This is outrageous! This noble lady knocked her personal maid unconscious and then hurt herself to force us to take her away!"

"How come when it comes to you, young master, it's become us hitting people! We were just trying to help, how did we become the thieving woman you're talking about!"

The strong woman, A, chimed in, "It's a complete injustice! We were merely conveying our young master's gratitude; who knew this noble lady would harm herself!"

"We've really done a good deed but no one has rewarded us! Good people don't live long!"

"I! I! No! You're talking nonsense!" Minglan struggled and cried out in protest.

"Young lady, you can't do this! Now that things have been exposed, you're trying to frame us! We were just trying to be helpful!"

The words have not yet fallen.

"oops!"

After letting out a cry of pain, the strong woman A uncontrollably released her grip on Minglan.

"Snapped."

A stone ball the size of a thumb fell to the ground, and the Chai family guards standing not far away lowered their hands that had thrown the stone ball.

at the same time,

Yunmu, who had been following Rong Feiyan, quickly stepped forward and swiftly kicked the strong woman, while simultaneously pulling Minglan to his side.

"Sixth Miss, don't be afraid, I am Yunmu."

While keeping a wary eye on the thief woman, Yunmu whispered words of comfort to Minglan.
Rong Feiyan stepped forward and stood next to Minglan, spreading her arms to protect her and also blocking Qi Heng who was approaching.

The woman reacted quickly, hurriedly catching her companion who was about to fall. After whispering "run," the two stumbled and crashed into the onlookers.

"They're trying to run!"

Yunmu shouted.

"Catch them!"

"Chai Zhengzheng said urgently."

As the strong woman from the Chai family and the guards began to arrest the man, a loud and forceful voice came from the direction of the mountain gate: "What are you stubborn prisoners doing? You dare to touch a relative of the Wang family?"

Everyone in front of the hall looked over.

"If you keep acting so recklessly, I'm afraid you'll regret it!"

As the voices were heard, five men walked briskly toward them.

"Well--!"

Upon seeing the faces of the people in front of the hall, the man who had been shouting curses choked back his anger.

"Honey, help! These people are bullying innocent people and framing good folks because of their power!" the captured woman A screamed.

The youngest of the five men stared blankly at the gazes directed at him, feeling utterly lost and uneasy. After being reminded from behind, he cried out in a trembling voice, "What are you doing? Let me go! My fifth cousin!"

The surroundings became quiet.

Qi Heng stepped out from the crowd and asked in a puzzled tone, "Kang Jin? What are you doing here?"

"Young...Young Master?" Kang Jin looked at Qi Heng in confusion: "What are you doing here?"

The man who had just been shouting and cursing glanced fearfully at Qi Heng, then shouted, his voice trembling with fear, "Release them quickly! There are still some things to discuss between the families! If we offend the Wang family too badly, things will get very unpleasant!"

The man, seeing the Chai family guards rushing towards him, said in a panicked voice, "What...what are you doing? My lord is worthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple!!!"

The voice has not fallen,

"Uh--"

The man who had been kicked in the stomach by a guard from the Chai family collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach.

at this time,

Wearing a veil, Minglan, supported by Rong Feiyan, stood beside Chai Zhengzheng.

Chai Zhengzheng put his arm around Minglan's waist, and Minglan held their hands, which was enough for them to stand up.

Many years ago,
Chai Zhengzheng had also experienced unexpected events, including the murder of her attendant and subsequent kidnapping. She fully understood Minglan's panic, confusion, and even despair at this moment.

Feeling Minglan's trembling hand, Chai Zhengzheng gently comforted her, "Minglan, it's alright! It's alright! I'm here, I'm here!"

Saying,

The three of them then prepared to leave together.

Rong Feiyan, who was standing to the side, lifted the curtain with one hand and winked at Xibu: "Go find someone."

"Yes, girl."

She understood the implication and knew that she was to go find the Sheng family. She then hurriedly followed behind.

Until then,

Xiao Tao and Bu Wei's figures finally came into view.

"Auntie," Xiao Tao was anxious and, in her concern, couldn't help but call out.

It wasn't until he tugged at Xiaotao that she snapped out of her daze.

She walked quickly to the two of them and said, "Xiao Tao, don't be in such a hurry!"

After saying that, Xi Bu saw Wang Ruofu and the others walking over in a hurry.

She quickly walked up to Wang Ruofu, curtsied, and said urgently, "Madam, I am a maid of the Rong family. Given the current situation, it would be best if you all stayed away!"

"Huh? What?" Wang Ruofu was taken aback.

After a quick glance, Liu's mother understood what the Rong family maid meant.

Just as Xi Bu was about to speak, Liu Mama advised, "Madam, things happened so suddenly. If we all rush over here, the people in Yuqing Temple will remember it even more!"

"This confirms that something did indeed happen to our daughter!"

"Let's do as this young lady suggests and take this place temporarily."

Wang Ruofu: "Then, what about Liu Yatou?"

She glanced approvingly at Liu Mama and said in a firm tone, "Don't worry, Madam, my daughter will take good care of herself."

"Once the people in front of the palace have dispersed, Madam, just leave as if nothing happened! My young lady will send the person back after we enter the city."

“But…” Xiaotao couldn’t help but interject.

He glanced at Xiao Tao and said, "If you're worried, Xiao Tao, let's go around a bit, and you can come with me to my young lady's side."

Wang Ruofu closed his eyes, feeling a little dizzy. After a moment, he nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it this way."

At this time,

On the open ground in front of the hall,
The servants from the Chai and Rong families then began waving handkerchiefs and calling out to the surrounding crowd with smiles, "Disperse! Disperse, everyone!"

The Taoist priests from Yuqing Temple nearby also helped persuade people to leave.

After a while,
The crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed.

Changfeng, unaware of what had happened, was found by a servant of the Sheng family and summoned to Wang Ruofu.

Qi Heng was then called away by Chai Zhengzheng.

The golden crow hangs low in the west.

The Sheng family of Jiying Lane
The courtyard outside Shou'an Hall,
The old lady strolled along, holding a round fan behind her back, seemingly lost in thought.

After looking up at the clouds in the sky, the old lady sighed softly.

Following behind the old lady, Cuiwei said with a smile, "Grandma, what's troubling you?"

The old lady forced a smile and waved her hand, saying, "It's nothing, I just feel a little uneasy."

Cui's smile gradually faded, and she said softly, "Grandma, shall we invite a doctor to the mansion to take your pulse?"

The old lady thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Very well!"

At this time,

Madam Cui hurried over from outside the courtyard. Looking at the old lady who was turning her head to look at her, Madam Cui said, "Old Madam, the Marquis's residence has sent someone to deliver a message saying that Marquis Yongyi has returned to the capital."

"Oh?" The old lady was taken aback upon hearing this, but after a quick glance, a smile appeared on her lips: "It seems that Marquis Xu is returning to the capital."

"Grandma! Grandma!" Danju's panicked voice came from outside the courtyard.

Hearing the commotion, Fang and Cui's mothers, as well as Cuiwei, all frowned and looked towards the courtyard gate.

Cuiwei took a few steps and looked at Danju, who was panting as she stepped into the courtyard. She frowned and scolded, "Danju, what's wrong with you?! Have you learned all these years of manners for nothing?"

Danju's legs gave way and she collapsed in front of Cuiwei, her eyes filled with tears as she said, "Sister Cuiwei, Grandma, Sixth Miss, Sixth Miss, something happened to her!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady's vision went black, and she dropped her fan to the ground.

Equally surprised, Fang and Cui's mothers quickly helped the elderly lady who was about to faint.

Cuiwei frowned, her eyes full of reproach as she looked at Danju.

After a moment, the old lady opened her eyes, looked at Danju who had been helped up by Cuiwei, and questioned, "Where is Ming'er? What exactly happened?"

As they were speaking, hurried footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.

Before Danju could speak, Wang Ruofu, accompanied by Rulan, entered with a face full of shame: "Mother."

Rulan: "Grandmother."

Suppressing her anger and panic, the old lady asked, "Madam, what happened? Where is my Ming'er?"

Wang Ruofu looked at the old lady with shame: "Mother, that girl Ming'er is still behind us. She should be back soon."

The old lady breathed a slight sigh of relief and waved her hand weakly, saying, "Let's go inside, let's talk inside."

After entering the main room,

After waving away the irrelevant people,

As the old lady walked towards the armchair, she said with great concern, "Speak."

Wang Ruofu blinked, leaned closer to the old lady, and said with shame, "Mother, after the polo match today..."

“My wife took our daughter to the flower garden to admire the flowers. When they were going up the steps, a young Taoist boy carrying vegetarian food accidentally dirtied Sixth Sister’s clothes.”

"Sixth Sister had a great time playing polo today, and she has no clothes left to change into."

"It just so happens that Fifth Sister has two more outfits to change into, and Sixth Sister has sent Xiao Tao and Dan Ju to the Beidou Temple to add incense money and pray for Seventh Brother's well-being, so I asked Magpie to accompany Sixth Sister to change her clothes."

"But, but who could have imagined encountering such villains in the temple? After violently knocking out Magpie, the villains then..."

Looking up at the old lady whose breathing had become rapid, Wang Ruofu hurriedly said, "They've been kidnapped! Fortunately, by the grace of heaven, the villains encountered noble ladies from the Chai and Rong families after leaving the Yuqing Palace!"

"The two noble ladies recognized Liu Yatou and stopped the villain, rescuing her from his clutches."

After Wang Ruofu finished speaking in one breath, the old lady paused for a moment before nodding and saying, "Thank goodness! Thank goodness!"

After taking several deep breaths to calm herself, the old lady looked at Rulan, who had her head down, and asked, "Fifth girl, how is Magpie Man?"

Rulan quickly stood up and bowed her head, saying, "Grandmother, on the way, Xique felt dizzy and vomited. A nanny said that her brain was injured by the shock, but her life is not in danger."

"Good! It's good that her life is not in danger!" the old lady said, glancing at the guilty Rulan and then at Xiaotao, who looked angry and anxious.

After shaking her head at Xiaotao, who was about to speak, the old lady asked, "Madam, is there anything else I don't know?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ruofu glanced at the old lady. She had intended to make up a few things, but after seeing the old lady's gaze, her face turned awkward: "Mother, I... those villains claimed to be my family."

"What?" The old lady frowned in surprise.

“My nephew, Kang Jin, also appeared at Yuqing Temple.”

After Wang Ruofu finished speaking, the room was quiet for a moment.

suddenly.

"Wow!"

All the items used for divination on the small table were swept to the ground by the angry old lady.

Upon seeing this, Wang Ruofu and Rulan immediately stood up with great speed.

"What are they trying to do?!"

Hearing the old lady's stern question, Wang Ruofu looked up at her.

Seeing the old lady's furious, murderous gaze, Wang Ruofu guiltily protested, "Mother, perhaps, perhaps it's a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstand?!"

Seeing the old lady trembling with her hands tucked into her sleeves, Fang Mama knew that the old lady might hit someone if she was angered, so she quickly went over and said, "Grandma, please calm down."

Seeing this, Rulan glanced anxiously at the entrance of the main house.

They seemed to be hoping that someone would come over.

really,

After the curtain swayed,
A maidservant hurried in, sensing the tense atmosphere inside the room. She curtsied and said, "Madam, Madam, a member of the Chai family has come to visit from the second gate."

“Mother, yes, it’s Sixth Sister who’s back,” Wang Ruofu quickly explained.

Looking at the old lady who was too angry to speak, Madam Fang waved her hand and said, "Please come in quickly."

After saying that, Fang's mother glanced at Wang Ruofu again.

Wang Ruofu, who had been somewhat bewildered since leaving Yuqing Temple, belatedly stood up and said, "Mother, I'll go greet the guests."

After Wang Ruofu left, the old lady paused for a moment and then said, "Go, send someone to call Ming'er here."

After a while

Caihuan ran back to Shou'an Hall, panting.

Looking at the three Changbai brothers inside the house, Caihuan said urgently, "Grandma, Madam and Granny Liu sent me back to tell you that there are ladies from a prominent family here."

The old lady was taken aback.

Changbai and his two younger brothers stood up and said, "Grandmother, your grandson and brothers will excuse us for a moment."

The old lady, whose emotions had calmed down considerably, nodded: "Go ahead."

After a while,

"A distinguished guest has arrived."

Following the announcement from the maid, Wang Ruofu entered with three young ladies and their respective personal maids.

Wei Shuyi's gaze swept past the guests and immediately fell on Minglan's swollen forehead, causing Wei Shuyi's hand to tremble involuntarily.

Upon entering the room, Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan saw that the old lady's expression had softened considerably, so they squatted down and curtsied, saying, "Chai Zhengzheng greets the old lady."

"Rong Feiyan greets the old lady."

"You two young ladies are too polite!" The old lady stood up, forced a smile, and greeted them.

Looking at Minglan with pity, the old lady gestured for her, "Please, both young ladies, have a seat!"

After saying that, the old lady opened her arms with tears in her eyes as she looked at Minglan walking towards her.

"grandmother."

Minglan cried and threw herself into the old lady's arms.

The old lady patted Minglan's back tenderly, and after a moment said, "Ming'er, go to your stepmother's place. Grandmother still has something to say to our distinguished guest."

"Ah."

After Minglan went to Wei Shuyi's side, the old lady looked at Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan sitting below her and said, "Today, our family owes a great debt to the two of you."

As she spoke, the old lady was about to bow in greeting.

Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan quickly stepped forward and swiftly helped the old lady up.

"Madam, you are our elder, we were just doing it on a whim," Chai Zhengzheng said urgently.

Looking at the beautiful but anxious-looking Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan, the old lady nodded with satisfaction.

Wei Shuyi, who was standing to the side, had also heard about Xu Zaijing's situation.

Holding his daughter Minglan in his arms, Wei Shuyi looked at the two noble ladies with gratitude, feeling both admiration and happiness for Xu Zaijing.

Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan helped the old lady back to her armchair and said, "Old Madam, on the way here, Feiyan and I came up with a plan! There might be a chance to protect Minglan's reputation."

Hearing this,

The old lady looked at Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan with great surprise.

"Madam, do you know of any maidservants who look somewhat like Minglan beside Lady Xu?" Chai Zhengzheng asked.

The old lady looked somewhat confused.

Wang Ruofu's eyes lit up: "Yes, yes, yes! There was such a maid, what was her name again? Yun Yunjin?"

Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan nodded slightly, exchanged a glance, and said, "I'm thinking of telling the outside world that the villain didn't kidnap Sixth Sister, but that maid."

"The maidservant was brought to serve us by my sister Feiyan and me."

After some planning,

Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan boarded their car at the second gate of the Sheng family home to say goodbye.

After leaving the Sheng family,
Rong Feiyan whispered, "Sister Zhengzheng, do you want the Imperial City Guard and the Sheng family to discuss the Kang family's affairs?"

Chai Zhengzheng nodded: "Let's not be the bad guys!"

Rong Feiyan nodded and looked at Chai Zhengzheng, saying, "Sister Zhengzheng did the right thing! As I said, sometimes people who bring bad news are also disliked."

Chai Zhengzheng sighed: "If Yuan Ruo hadn't revealed his identity, this matter could have been handled much better!"

at night,

The old lady tenderly applied medicine to Minglan's forehead.

Seeing Minglan's listless and dejected appearance, the old lady sighed softly, "Ming'er."

"grandmother?"

Looking at Minglan's bright eyes, the old lady said, "Your brother Changbai came over and said a few words to me just now."

"Second brother? What did he say?" Minglan asked, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

After considering it for a moment, the old lady said, "Young Master Qi and Changfeng exchanged a few words on their way back to the city."

"Young Master Qi?" Minglan asked, frowning.

The old lady nodded: "Changfeng didn't dare to come to me, so he asked your second brother! Changbai said that what Young Master Qi implied was..."

Seeing Minglan shaking her head, the old lady asked, "Ming'er, what's wrong with you?"

"Grandmother, I knew exactly what he was going to say! Is he going to take me into the Qi family as a concubine?"

The old lady stroked Minglan's hair and sneered, "Yes, that's what he meant."

"I'm not going!" Minglan said, her eyes filled with tears, as she looked up at the old lady.

"Alright, alright! If you don't want to go, then don't go! Don't cry tomorrow!" The old lady stood up with heartache.

Holding Minglan in her arms, the old lady continued, "Perhaps there is some possibility of salvaging the situation by using the methods of the noble ladies from the Chai and Rong families."

After saying that, feeling that Minglan was not moving in her arms, the old lady asked, "Ming'er, what are you thinking about?"

After a moment of silence, Minglan said in a barely audible voice, "Grandmother, actually, when the villain hit my head and carried me away, I was conscious for a moment."

"Huh?" The old lady was taken aback.

"At that moment, my granddaughter heard the young master's voice and could clearly see it was him through the gap in his veil."

"The granddaughter clearly saw the young master; he stared at her clothes for a few moments, recognizing her! The granddaughter immediately felt she was about to be saved, but his eyes..."

"In the crowded Yuqing Temple, the two noble ladies from the Rong and Chai families were trying their best to win back their granddaughter, but he..."

(End of this chapter)