She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Jiang Ruining said, "Father needs to leave earlier than planned and is expected to return to the capital by the end of the month!"

Xiao Che leaned against the armrest of the low table, and upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

He did not speak.

Yunmi also cheered, excitedly twirling around the room: "That's wonderful! With Master back in the capital, Miss has a powerful backer, and Madam won't dare to harm you anymore!"

Jiang Ruining remembers that when her father returned, the original owner of the body had already been defiled. She was too late and received no protection or redemption. She then made a series of mistakes, watching helplessly as her father and brothers became disappointed in her and gradually moved towards the female lead, their gazes turning from heartache to despair...

None of the original owner's three wishes were about her father and brothers, but Jiang Ruining knew that this family bond was something she wanted to hold onto.

Having long since given up on her "parents," she didn't know how to get along with her father and brothers.

Seeing her lost in thought, Yunmi gently patted her shoulder: "Miss, what's wrong?"

Jiang Ruining shook her head: "It's nothing."

Then another thing came to mind.

In the book, seven years ago, Jiang's father was transferred by the late emperor to the prosperous Jiangnan region to serve as the provincial governor and crack down on corruption.

This trip back to Beijing was not only for reporting on his duties, but also to bring back evidence of the corrupt officials' embezzlement. However, someone around him leaked the information, and they were ambushed and killed halfway.

At the critical moment when life and death hung in the balance, the male protagonist happened to pass by, fought off the assassins, and saved Jiang's father, who was seriously injured.

This formed the initial bond between the male and female protagonists and the Jiang family.

Later, the original owner insisted on marrying the male lead, but when the male lead proposed to Chu Jin, Jiang's father did not comply with the original owner's wishes, making the original owner feel betrayed by her closest relatives once again, which made her even more twisted and crazy.

If she can't save Jiang's father before the male lead, the Jiang family will likely remain a shining light on Chu Jin's halo, and all resources will be tilted towards Chu Jin. It will be extremely difficult for her, as the biological daughter, to take advantage of the Jiang family's fame and achieve the goal of "becoming famous throughout the world."

Therefore, she must find a way to personally protect Jiang's father from injury and ensure his safe return to the capital, so that she can hold onto this gratitude firmly in her own hands!

go!

Let's go now!

I'll tell my adoptive father what happened these past few days and see what his decision is!

But what reason can you give for running away from home?

How can we leave without giving Madam Jiang a handle to use against us and pin charges on us?

Unfortunately, he couldn't take advantage of the opportunity when he was forced to vomit blood by Madam Jiang.

We need to find a way to create another opportunity!

However, we still need to prepare the money beforehand!

He got off the kang (heated brick bed) and said, "I'm going out for a bit, but please don't wander outside the screen."

Xiao Che watched as the bedroom door closed, then tapped the corner table twice with his bent fingers.

In the dark of night.

A shadowy figure, as elusive as a ghost, silently followed Jiang Ruining's footsteps.

When the maid guarding the storeroom saw her master arrive, she quickly unlocked the door.

"What are you looking for, young lady? Would you like me to help you find it?"

Jiang Ruining waved his hand: "No need, just open all the boxes and cages that still contain things."

The warehouse maid did as instructed.

Jiang Ruining looked at the warehouse, which used to be crammed full of boxes and cages, but now it was more than half empty.

They were all moved away by Madam Jiang under various pretexts and stuffed into Chu Jin's storeroom.

Aside from the gifts bestowed by the palace and those given by elders, which couldn't be touched as they would be easily discovered and give others cause for gossip, the rest that was left were things that Lady Jiang didn't want and were mostly items given to relatives who were trying to take advantage of her or to servants.

The locusts left behind more than Madam Jiang had plundered!

This shows how ruthless this person can be, and how fierce they were when they snatched things from their siblings when they were young!

"Find a bigger box."

The maidservant guarding the storeroom, familiar with the place, brought over a mother-of-pearl inlaid nanmu box, about a foot wide and three inches high: "Miss, do you think this is suitable?"

Jiang Ruining thought it looked good and put the selected items in one by one.

Yun Mi stared blankly at these things, unable to fathom what her master intended to do.

"Are you afraid that Madam will send people to snatch it again, young lady?"

Jiang Ruining nodded vigorously: "That's right!"

Pick out all the valuable items.

As for the rest... even if they were given away for free to girls from low-ranking families, they would probably be looked down upon!

The master and servant left the storeroom.

Walk to a place where no one is around.

Jiang Ruining whispered, "Take these to the pawnshop first thing tomorrow morning and pawn them all!"

In the book.

The men Cui Shengan sent to intercept and kill Jiang's father were all highly skilled.

For her and Yunmi to go and rescue their father would be no different than sending themselves to their deaths.

The novel also mentions a place that has nothing to do with the Empress Dowager or Xiao Che. She could spend money to hire a few skilled martial arts heroes to handle this matter.

But hiring a wandering swordsman would certainly not be cheap, and she only had so little silver on her, so she had no choice but to pawn all the valuables in the storeroom.

Hopefully, I can get a good price.

Yunmi understood, yet didn't understand: "What do you need so much money for? Although we're living a bit frugally, the master will be back soon, and then we won't be short of money!"

Jiang Ruining tucked a kingfisher feather hairpin from her hair into the brocade box: "When my father and brothers return, I will definitely prepare gifts! If I, their own daughter, have nothing, while Chu Jin prepares something perfect, wouldn't I be outshone?"

Yunmi suddenly realized, "That makes sense! We shouldn't compete with her for the Madam's attention, but we absolutely cannot let her steal the Master's favor again!"

Jiang Ruining then instructed her, "Disguise yourself carefully, and whatever you do, don't let anyone you know see you. If people find out that I, the eldest daughter of the prestigious Jiang family, have to pack up even to prepare gifts for my father and brothers, they will lose face!"

Yunmi nodded vigorously, understanding the situation.

Entrusted with such a challenging task, she was thrilled: "Yes! This servant will definitely not let anyone find out!"

……

Jiang Ruining had just left.

Xiao Che opened the back window.

Shi An emerged from his hiding place: "Your Highness, what do you need me to do?"

Xiao Che's slender fingers tapped lightly on the window frame: "Do you have anything that can make life worse than death?"

Shi An nodded, then asked suspiciously, "Yes, there is. Your Highness wouldn't be thinking of using it on...Miss Jiang, would you?"

Xiao Che glanced at him: "Does Master look like the kind of person who repays kindness with enmity?"

"Of course not, sir!" Shi'an shook his head vigorously, then added, "But Miss Jiang's temperament is truly...unusual!"

Xiao Che's lips curled into a smile: "Just a coward, what's so special about him?"

Shi An disagreed: "Miss Jiang is cowardly? Your Highness, are you joking? Who in this world dares to be like her, cowardly on the one hand, and yet so disrespectful and boisterous with you on the other? If you ask me, there is no woman in the capital with more courage than Miss Jiang!"

Xiao Che raised his head, revealing long, narrow, and alluring eyes, and smiled, "You seem to know her quite well!"