After the favored concubine remarried, the aloof and powerful minister forcibly took her away.

Chapter 13 I'm Your Woman

Mingxiang spoke up and told Pei Yanzhi what he had found out.

"I have investigated the origin of this bracelet. It came from Ling'an's Zhenyu Fang, and the owner behind it is the Lu Family Trading Company."

"This Lu Family Trading Company is the largest trading company in Ling'an, and the head of the company is Lu Weimin, the eldest son of the Lu family."

Hearing Mingxiang's words, Pei Yanzhi wrapped up the gold bracelet and put it down.

He looked up at the person being held on the rack; an arrow was stuck in the person's chest, and the person was already lifeless.

"This……"

Mingxiang was somewhat surprised; everything was fine last night.
"A cornered dog will jump over the wall."

Chenghua casually remarked, and Mingxiang sighed.

Another lead has gone cold...

For some reason, Mingxiang looked at Pei Yanzhi and suddenly said, "When I came to the Dali Temple just now, I met a servant from your household. He said that Sister Xiangning was in trouble and asked you to come home, sir."

Upon hearing this, before Pei Yanzhi could say anything, Cheng Hua was the first to laugh.

"Sister Xiangning?"

Mingxiang's somewhat cold face was even more bewildered.

What exactly is Chenghua laughing about?
Wait a minute, could this Sister Xiangning be an adult's woman?

He looked at Chenghua, and seeing the smile in his eyes, even the slow-witted man realized what was happening.

"Go to Ling'an and secretly investigate this Lu Family Trading Company."

Pei Yanzhi acted as if he hadn't heard Mingxiang's words and directly gave an order.

"Sir, aren't you going home to check on things?"

Cheng Hua noticed Pei Yanzhi's attitude and tentatively asked a question. Then he saw Pei Yanzhi lean back in his chair and look up at him.

"What, you want to go back and see?"

After all, Xiang Ning always had a smile on her face whenever she saw Cheng Hua.

Upon hearing this, Chenghua shook his head so hard it was almost like a rattle drum.

"No, no, no, I misspoke. Please punish me, sir."

If someone were to be accused of having ties with the master's women, even ten of them wouldn't be enough for the master to beat them up.

Pei Yanzhi withdrew his chilling gaze, got up, and left the dark prison.

As for whether Xiang Ning needs help, that's not something Pei Yanzhi should be concerned with.

As evening fell, Xiang Ning lay in the room while Granny Xu applied medicine to her back.

Looking at the crisscrossing blue and purple welts on Xiang Ning's once smooth back, Granny Xu said with heartache, "I had already sent my useless son to fetch someone."

"Who would have thought that someone so bad at talking would be unable to even get a single person to come back?"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Ning, who was lying down, smiled but did not say anything.

It wasn't that Tang Peng couldn't get anyone to come; it was simply that Pei Yanzhi was too lazy to care about her.

Everyone assumed that Pei Yanzhi kept her at Mosong Garden because he liked her.

Xiang Ning knew whether Pei Yanzhi liked her or not.

So from the very beginning, Xiang Ning didn't take Liao's mother's suggestion to send someone to find Pei Yanzhi to heart.

"It's not Tang Peng's fault. The Dali Temple is heavily guarded, so it's normal that he couldn't get in."

Xiang Ning comforted Granny Xu with a word of comfort, but Granny Xu sighed helplessly and applied the medicine to her.

"Xiang Ning, you are a good child, but also a person with a tragic fate."

“We are servants of the Pei family. If our masters want to punish us, it’s as easy as crushing an ant.”

She spread the medicine evenly on Xiang Ning's body and said softly, "You are young now and have won the master's favor. You should take advantage of this time to plan more for yourself."

Hearing what Granny Xu said, Xiang Ning nodded in agreement: "I know, Granny Xu, thank you for helping me so much."

This thank you is heartfelt.

After she finished speaking today, Madam Pei thought about it carefully and realized who this matter was related to.

After glancing at Pei Yongcheng, she ordered the contract to be taken back and then chased away the madam of Jinyulou.

Xiang Ning was still punished. She was given a beating as punishment for not reporting the truth.

What a ridiculous reason.

Even if she wasn't at fault, in Madam Pei's eyes, she had indeed been to a brothel, and that was an undeniable fact.

In the minds of these powerful figures, servants are people they can dispose of at will.

Even if a servant with a master accidentally kills someone, they have ways to cover it up.

The lives of servants are worthless to begin with.

"Why are you thanking me? We help each other. I have no respect for the behavior of those people in this mansion."

Granny Xu was also a woman of strong emotions, as Xiang Ning had heard from others before.

Granny Xu's family originally had a small business, but after her husband passed away, her family took over the business and even tried to sell Tang Peng for money.

In a fit of anger, she sold herself into the Pei family with her son. Because of her excellent cooking skills, she ended up serving in the Mosong Garden.

Tang Peng, with his great strength, now works as a gatekeeper.

The mother and son had finally established themselves in the Pei household.

"Alright, you should rest here. The First Madam's people are ruthless; these marks won't disappear for at least ten days to half a month."

Granny Xu pulled the quilt up slightly, covering Xiang Ning's beautiful skin.

If such a woman were born into a wealthy family, countless men would want to marry her.

But rather...

"You go and get some sleep, I need to go to the kitchen to cook."

Granny Xu glanced at the sky outside and said something, which Xiang Ning nodded in agreement.

After Granny Xu left, Xiang Ning felt somewhat dizzy, and her head kept nodding.

After a long day of commotion and a beating, Xiang Ning was exhausted.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard the door being pushed open. She thought it was Granny Xu and didn't open her eyes.

"Mrs. Xu, is there anything else?"

"Xiang Ning".

The sound startled Xiang Ning awake. She pulled the blanket up to cover herself and turned to look at the person who had entered.

Xiao Wu held a wine jug in his hand, his eyes were glazed over, and his face was flushed red.

"Indeed, it's beautiful."

Xiang Ning watched him walk over, then reached for the water glass on the bedside table and threw it at him.

"I'm your woman, are you out of your mind?"

The water glass fell to the ground with a crisp sound, and Xiao Wu only paused for a moment before continuing to walk towards her.

"My woman? She's nothing but a nameless maid. Once your innocence is ruined, will I still want a withered flower like you?"

Alcohol emboldens cowards, and coupled with Qingzhu's words, a fierce glint appeared in Xiao Wu's eyes.

This Xiang Ning not only stole Qingzhu's position, but also made him lose face in front of everyone and lose the opportunity to serve by the master's side.

Xiao Wu was very unwilling to accept this, so he wanted to teach Xiang Ning a lesson.

She's just a pretty maid. Sister Qingzhu is much prettier than her. Who knows, maybe the master will give her to him someday.

Thinking of this, Xiao Wu's eyes lit up with a smile.

Xiang Ning looked at him, threw the medicine bottle in her hand, and it hit him on the forehead.

But Xiao Wu was determined to win and was not intimidated at all. He looked forward and was about to reach out and pull off Xiang Ning's blanket.

With a thud, a vase on the shelf next to him smashed hard onto Xiao Wu's head.

Before he could even reach out, he collapsed. The door opened at that moment, and Pei Yanzhi stood in the doorway, meeting her panicked gaze.

"Master..."

She bit her lip tightly, her eyes welling up with tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

(End of this chapter)