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

Chapter 51 is about her unwillingness to be a concubine.

Lu Jiang stared at the gold bracelet with disbelief, then reached out and took it.

He frowned after feeling the mark below the bracelet.

It is indeed from Zhenyufang; the mark on it is unmistakable.

Lu Jiang was certain that nothing leaving Zhenyufang would be shortchanged or cheated.

"May I ask, sir, when did you buy this gold bracelet? And which shopkeeper handed it over to you?"

Hearing Lu Jiang's question, the old man scratched his head: "I can't remember the time, it's been too long."

"That's true. How about this, would it be convenient for you to leave your home address?"

"Since the goods came from Zhenyufang, Zhenyufang will definitely take responsibility."

Lu Jiang held the gold bracelet in his hand and took a deep breath.

In all these years, nothing like this has ever happened at Zhenyufang. If he finds out who dared to do this, he will definitely not let them off easily.

The old man sighed and told Lu Jiang his home address.

"Fu'an, get the money for the old man."

After Lu Jiang finished speaking, he bowed to the old man and said, "I'm really sorry."

"You're welcome."

The old man reached out and took the money, then turned and left.

After leaving this door, he entered the side room where Pei Yanzhi and the others were.

"grown ups."

"Stay at home for the time being and wait for Lu Jiang to come looking for you."

Pei Yanzhi said something in a low voice, and the old man nodded.

"But if Lu Jiang investigates, he'll find out where the bracelet came from, won't he?"

Han Jun spoke up, saying that in this way, they were the ones who were exposed first.

"If Lu Jiang can really find out something, it will save me a lot of trouble."

“Don’t you have a wide network of connections? Help him find out if Lu Weimin’s sister is still in Beijing.”

After Pei Yanzhi finished speaking, Han Jun was almost laughing in anger: "You really don't hold back when you ask me to do things for you."

He was living a leisurely life at home, but then he met Pei Yanzhi, who spent his days doing this and that for him.

"What? You want to join the Dali Temple too?"

Pei Yanzhi met Han Jun's eyes and said in a low voice, "No, not at all." Han Jun waved his hands repeatedly, "No, not at all."

"Everyone knows that in Dali Temple, you'll suffer your torment. I want to live a few more years."

He had no desire to go to the underworld or the King of Hell.

Han Jun reached out and poured himself a cup of tea. Lu Weimin's sister—that happened so many years ago. If they were to investigate that, who knows how much effort it would take.

After the two finished talking, Pei Yanzhi walked out.

Han Jun had made an appointment with the courtesan at Jin Yu Lou and wanted to ask Pei Yanzhi if he was going, but Pei Yanzhi had already turned around and walked into a jewelry shop.

He raised an eyebrow and quickly followed: "Is this for Xiang Ning?"

"Why haven't you left yet?"

"I'm telling you, you're way too quick to kick away the ladder after you've crossed it."

After saying that, Han Jun picked out a simple plum blossom jade hairpin from among the hairpins.

"You won't give her a proper title, and if you give her something too expensive, she'll only attract hatred if she wears it out."

Pei Yanzhi looked at the plum blossom jade hairpin that Han Jun handed him, paused for a moment, and then reached out to take it: "It was she who herself did not want to be a concubine."

After he asked Xiang Ning last time, she didn't reply, so Pei Yanzhi understood that she was unwilling.

After that, the two never mentioned it again.

"Don't want to?"

Upon hearing Pei Yanzhi's words, Han Jun lowered his head and smiled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I laugh at you for being so clever all your life, yet in the end, you can't even see through a girl's heart." Han Jun looked up and patted Pei Yanzhi's shoulder: "Let's go."

Having been a seasoned player in the dating scene for many years, how could he not see that Xiang Ning had no feelings for Pei Yanzhi?

Not only was it unintentional, but it's likely that in Xiang Ning's heart, Pei Yanzhi was just a relatively special person.

After all, the look in someone's eyes when they love them isn't like that.

She must have felt sorry for him when he talked about Pei Yanzhi's past.

Pei Yanzhi held the plum blossom jade hairpin in his hand, reflecting Xiang Ning's thoughts.
He didn't think that much about it; he just felt that the two of them were doing well.

Sometimes, once the unspoken truth is revealed, things can spiral out of control.

When he returned to Mosongyuan, he met Liao's mother.

Liao's mother knelt before Pei Yanzhi, weeping, "Young Master, please save Madam! Only you can save her now."

"Master, the old lady wants to send the eldest madam to stay at the estate for a while, saying that the eldest madam is ill and needs to go there to recuperate."

Xiang Ning walked up to Pei Yanzhi and said something to her.

The old lady's actions were understandable, after all, the slap from the first lady at Qionghua Courtyard had really hit Pei Yanzhi hard.

Being seen by so many people in the Pei household is a blow to Pei Yanzhi's reputation.

Sending the First Madam to the estate to recuperate will also allow her to think carefully about how to treat Pei Yanzhi in the future.

"I can't change the old lady's decision."

Pei Yanzhi didn't even glance at Liao's mother before turning around and going into the house.

"Xiang Ning, please help me persuade the young master. If Madam goes to the estate, she will never come back."

Mrs. Liao grabbed Xiang Ning's skirt and said something. Xiang Ning bent down to help her up: "It's not that I don't want to help, but you've seen the young master's attitude."

"That slap truly severed the last remaining bond between Master and Madam."

"However, the First Madam is, after all, the Master's biological mother, and the Old Madam will not keep the First Madam locked up on the estate forever."

Hearing Xiang Ning's words, Liao's mother shook her head and cried, "The issue now is not whether the old lady will release the madam, but whether the madam is unwilling to go."

"That woman from Haitang Garden only moved in yesterday, and today the old lady wants to send the eldest madam to the estate. When she comes back, will she still have a place in the Pei family?"

What Liao's mother said made sense, but Xiang Ning really couldn't help, so she could only offer Liao's mother a few words of comfort.

“Good child, I remember your words.”

Liao's mother let go of Xiang Ning's hand, sighed, and left.

Xiang Ning watched her leave, and as soon as she turned around, she saw Pei Yanzhi standing by the window.

"Has Your Highness eaten outside? I'll go prepare something."

"come here."

Pei Yanzhi did not reply to Xiang Ning's words, but instead called out to her to come over. She walked up to him.

"Mind your own business."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Ning was about to look up when he grabbed her and inserted the plum blossom jade hairpin into her hair.

Just as Han Jun said, her hair accessories were simple and not suitable for further elaborate jewelry.

"Why don't you want to be a concubine?"

Just as Xiang Ning was about to back away, Pei Yanzhi looked down at her and asked a question.

This topic, which had been brought up again after many days, sent a shiver down Xiang Ning's spine.

"I'm not married yet."

"No prominent family in the capital wants their daughter to marry into the family before her husband has a concubine."

Even ordinary families wouldn't agree to that.

"I'm asking what you mean."

Pei Yanzhi's gaze turned dangerous the instant Xiang Ning spoke.

She was avoiding his questions.

You have the nerve to ask? What do you think? (Just kidding, I'm cursing on behalf of everyone else!)

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(End of this chapter)