Ma Rui had to protect the Marquis of Jinnan while also fighting against Wolf Head and Bear Head. Moreover, Prime Minister Gao Zuo would occasionally launch sneak attacks on Ma Rui. As a result, Ma Rui was doing a lot of work for no reward and suffered several injuries.
Seeing that he was about to die in battle, Ma Rui glanced speechlessly at the Marquis of Jinnan. The Marquis of Jinnan shook his head, "Forget it, my dear nephew. Go break through the encirclement yourself and deliver the imperial relief funds to the disaster victims!"
"What? You mean?" Ma Rui immediately looked into the distance. Those weren't relief funds from the imperial court?
"Before I set off, I was afraid someone would try to rob me. This concerns the century-old foundation of my Jin Nan Marquis's mansion, and the lives of more than two hundred people in your General Ma's mansion. I am greedy for money and afraid of death, so how could I not take precautions? That's why I used a little trick." The Marquis of Jin Nan looked at Prime Minister Gao Zuo with a sarcastic expression. "Nephew, once you break through the encirclement, you should inform the Emperor about this matter and let him know the true face of Gao Qihang! Execute his entire clan! Then I, Nan, will die without regret!"
"You cunning wretch!" Prime Minister Gao pointed angrily at Marquis Jinnan. "So, you've been on guard against me all along, haven't you?"
"Bullshit, I'm being careful!" Marquis Jinnan said coldly, "You inhuman thing, you'll die a horrible death, just wait to be torn apart by five horses or slowly sliced to death!" He spat at him as he spoke.
Prime Minister Gao sneered, "You'd better watch your head now! General Ma, you're still young, surrender and come to my side. You'll enjoy endless wealth and honor in the future! If you continue to protect this so-called Marquis, you'll surely end up with your head separated from your body!"
"Prime Minister Gao, you'd better watch your head!" Ma Rui said coldly, glancing into the distance. At this moment, another group of people surrounded them from all sides. These people were all wearing armor, and the leader was about ten cavalrymen. But Ma Rui could tell that this was more powerful than an ordinary army!
"Tie Feng?" The Marquis of Jinnan was now invigorated. Was this his bodyguard? Damn it, when did he train such a force? It was simply dazzling!
"Tie Feng is here!" Tie Feng, mounted on his tall horse, bowed to the Marquis of Jinnan. "Under the orders of the Crown Princess, Tie Feng is leading the Iron Guard to protect the Marquis and General Ma!" He then looked at Prime Minister Gao Zuo. "Kill the traitors and capture the collaborators!"
The Left Chancellor was so frightened he almost lost his footing. "How... how could this be!"
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Jinnan was immediately surprised. He hadn't expected that Ji Wushang had saved him! And this Tie Feng, along with these Iron Guards, were probably trained by Ji Wushang! As expected of the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion, she was indeed different!
The Marquis of Jinnan pondered whether he had offended Ji Wushang... After thinking for a long time, he was certain that he had not done anything to offend her before he felt relieved.
Tie Feng smiled and looked at Ma Rui, "Young General Ma, how have you been!"
Upon hearing the voice, Ma Rui was immediately surprised, "It's you! How could you..."
"It's me!" Tie Feng smiled. "We'll talk more over drinks later!"
Ma Rui nodded.
——
The servants all left, and the middle-aged man glanced at Ji Wushang, who was sleeping on the bed, before finally leaving. Ji Wushang opened his eyes, looked around, and immediately took out a small bottle from his pocket. He poured a cup of tea, placed it on the table, shook out a few pills from the bottle, and stirred them slightly to dissolve them.
Just then, a series of strong, steady footsteps sounded outside. Upon hearing this, Ji Wushang quickly tidied everything up and then lay back down on the bed.
☆、221 Damn it, the aunt and nephew have no limits! (Excellent!)
Ji Wushang listened intently and heard some sounds outside.
"Where is she?" a male voice asked. Ji Wushang recognized the voice as Nan Jinxue's.
"He's inside, asleep. Don't worry, but I've put a lot of medicine in there. The second master is ruthless!" It was the voice of a middle-aged man.
"Alright, you can leave now. I don't like being disturbed. Bring that person in about half an hour!" Nan Jinxue was overjoyed. Finally, this woman was in her hands.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly and quickly retreated.
Nan Jinxue looked satisfied, rubbed her hands together, and seeing that no one was around, she immediately came in, closed the door, and walked over to Ji Wushang. Seeing that Ji Wushang was sleeping soundly, Nan Jinxue snorted coldly.
"I really don't understand, Ji Wushang. Have you changed, or are you deliberately using your methods to get my attention?" He glanced back at the table. "However, you really have attracted me. But, a woman is still just a woman; she can't do much!" He looked at the teacup in front of him, not sensing anything amiss, picked it up, and drank it. After putting down the teacup, he immediately walked towards Ji Wushang.
"Everything you did in the Marquis's mansion was just to attract me, wasn't it?" Nan Jinxue sat by Ji Wushang's bedside, gently touching Ji Wushang's cheek, but Ji Wushang moved away at that moment.
"Hmm..." Ji Wushang deftly dodged, feigning languor. Her beautiful eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her sleepy eyes looked at the person in front of her. Nan Jinxue was surprised that Ji Wushang would suddenly wake up. Ji Wushang then asked, "How did I get here? Second brother?"
"Hehe!" Nan Jinxue's expression returned, and then she looked at Ji Wushang, "Guess where this place is?"
"I don't care where you are, please leave immediately!" Ji Wushang said coldly, then struggled to get up, but just as he thought about getting up, he felt powerless and collapsed back onto the bed.
"Don't bother." Nan Jinxue smiled slightly. "Actually, I don't want to ruin your reputation, but if I don't do this, I'm afraid I won't have any standing in the Marquis's mansion in the future. You know, once my elder brother stands up, there will be no place for me in the Marquis's mansion!"
"What are you planning to do? Where's Second Uncle? I was clearly looking at the ledgers in the accounting office, how did I end up here?"
"Guess again." Nan Jinxue noticed a hint of panic flash in her eyes, but her mood suddenly improved.
"I won't guess!" Ji Wushang glanced at him coldly. "Please leave immediately, or I will!" Ji Wushang said, trying to get up, but Nan Jinxue grabbed her wrist and threw her onto the bed, pressing her down on top of her!
Ji Wushang suddenly shouted, "Let go of me!" He tried to struggle with his hands and feet, but they were all held tightly and he couldn't move.
"Let you go?" Nan Jinxue chuckled. "Don't you know what I'm thinking of doing?"
"I'm telling you, you'll regret this!" Ji Wushang looked at him, his fiery eyes even more captivating. "Cong will not let you get away with this!"
"He won't know anything about this. All he knows is that you, Ji Wushang, left the manor and were kidnapped by thugs, sent to this Yixiang Pavilion, and then, just like that, you were violated!" He laughed arrogantly, then looked at her expression, determined to see panic and fear on her face!
"Beast!" Ji Wushang cursed angrily and spat in his face.
"That's spicy enough!" Nan Jinxue smiled. "But if you think you can just let me go like this, you'd better give up!"
"Hehe!" Ji Wushang suddenly laughed, and a phoenix jade hairpin appeared in his hand, which he pressed against Nan Jinxue's lower abdomen. "Believe it or not, I can take your life right now?"
Nan Jinxue was stunned, staring in disbelief at the jade hairpin on her lower abdomen. "When did you do this?"
"Let go!" Ji Wushang said emotionlessly.
"Do you think I'll let you go like this?" Nan Jinxue smiled, then reached out to snatch the hairpin from Ji Wushang's hand. But to her surprise, Ji Wushang shrank back, his hand darting around and slashing open her palm!
He was in so much pain that he suddenly loosened his grip on Ji Wushang, who then kicked him in the stomach and jumped off the bed, standing a few meters away from it!
Nan Jinxue felt a sharp pain and tried to get up quickly, but as soon as she tried to struggle, she found that her strength seemed to be gradually drained away! Getting up was very difficult!
Ji Wushang sneered, "Nan Jinxue, I told you, you will regret this!" With that, he walked behind the screen.
Nan Jinxue supported her injured left hand with her right, never expecting Ji Wushang to pull off such a brilliant move! Just then, she felt her whole body begin to heat up. Although she couldn't muster any strength, she felt a heat rising below, and she felt the urge to release! What was happening?! No! Damn it, had she been tricked by that woman Ji Wushang?
"Ji Wushang, come back to me! Give me the antidote!" Nan Jinxue shouted loudly, but no one responded.
Ji Wushang slipped out, where Hongfei and Cuiwu were waiting for him. Cuiwu was also supporting Madam Qi, who had been asleep for a long time.
"Since you're heartless towards me, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Ji Wushang sneered, then gave Cuiwu a wink. Cuiwu immediately helped Madam Qi inside. Seeing that she was about to get close to Nan Jinxue, Cuiwu seized the opportunity, threw Madam Qi onto Nan Jinxue's bed, and then walked out.
"Your Highness, the matter has been taken care of!" Cuiwu reported as soon as she returned.
"It's not done yet. We need to give them a boost, otherwise, the people in the capital won't know about this!" Ji Wushang glanced coldly inside. "Send a few people to guard this place. Don't let anyone out under any circumstances. I'll have them all come and witness this feast later!"
“Yes!” Hongfei and Cuiwu nodded immediately.
Ji Wushang wiped the phoenix jade hairpin with a silk handkerchief before inserting it back into her dark hair. She then walked out along the route that Hong Fei had prepared.
After Lady Qi was thrown onto Nan Jinxue's bed, Nan Jinxue was already burning with lust and couldn't see who was in front of him. He only touched a relatively cold body and, without thinking, he pressed down on her, tearing their clothes off in a few quick movements, and went straight to the point without hesitation.
The backyard of the Marquis's residence.
Seeing Aunt Jin, Nan Xianxian, Nan Zhaoxue, and the second wife's Aunt Liu and Aunt Dou sitting in the pavilion, Zhao Yirou couldn't help but feel happy. She immediately went up to them and said, "You're all in such a good mood. Why didn't you let someone tell Yirou so she could come and enjoy the scenery with you and chat about everyday things?"
"Second sister-in-law is very busy, how could we dare to disturb you!" Nan Xianxian said at this moment, and then glanced at Aunt Jin.
Aunt Jin smiled and said, "Xian'er speaks a bit bluntly, Yi Rou, please don't take offense!"
"Really? Yi Rou isn't angry or anything, so please don't worry, Aunt! Third Miss said Yi Rou is busy, but actually Yi Rou isn't that busy. If anyone has any activities planned, feel free to invite me." Zhao Yi Rou found a seat and sat down.
"What are you all talking about?" Zhao Yirou asked with a smile, glancing around before adding, "Where's my sister-in-law? She's always chatting with everyone, where is she?"
"I don't know!" Aunt Jin said coldly.
"Xiao Yu, go and see where the Crown Princess is?" Zhao Yirou asked before anyone around could react.
"Yes." The maid, Xiao Yu, immediately ran off.
Aunt Jin and the others were displeased. Aunt Liu then said, "The Second Young Mistress is quite concerned about the Heir Apparent's wife!"
"Yes, because she's my sister-in-law! And she's the mistress of our Marquis's mansion, how could I not care?" Zhao Yirou smiled, picked up a pastry and put it in her mouth.
"Reporting to the Second Young Madam, the Crown Princess is not at the residence!" Xiao Yu hadn't been gone long before returning to report.
"Oh, never mind!" Zhao Yirou smiled at everyone. "I wonder where she went?"
Everyone felt something was off about Zhao Yirou's words; it seemed like she was implying something else entirely.
Just then, hurried footsteps were heard outside, and a servant entered the pavilion, immediately kneeling down and saying, "Madam, Miss, Second Young Mistress! Someone saw the Heir Apparent's Consort at Yixiang Pavilion!"
"What?" Zhao Yirou and Aunt Jin stood up and shouted almost at the same time.
Just then, Nan Aoyu, who happened to be passing by, overheard this and immediately stepped forward. "What's going on? I was just looking at the account books in the courtyard when the Crown Princess arrived, and I handed the account books to her. I was only gone for a short while. What happened?"
"Reporting to Second Master!" The servant immediately knelt before Nan Aoyu, "Someone came to say that someone saw the Princess Consort at Yixiang Pavilion! I had no idea!"
At this moment, Zhu'er was helped by several servants and ran over here, "Second Master, Concubine Jin, ladies, ladies, my young lady is missing!"
"What? Yixiang Pavilion? Did you see clearly? And, Zhu'er, did you just say that the Crown Princess is really missing?" Nan Aoyu exclaimed in shock, muttering, "Could she have been kidnapped?"
Looking around at the people, apart from Pearl nodding vigorously while crying, the others were either expressionless or had a gloating look on their faces.
Yixianglou is a place where both men and women can enter. Ostensibly, it's a restaurant, but everyone knows it's actually a brothel!
"Quickly, go find them!" Nan Aoyu said, as he was now the butler and naturally had the right to give orders!
Aunt Jin thought for a moment, observing the reactions of these people. Could it be that they were all planning to kill that little hussy Ji Wushang? After all, Ji Wushang rarely left the manor! Just imagine, if Ji Wushang were really kidnapped, that would be a truly joyous occasion!
“I think we should actually go to Yixianglou and see for ourselves. This matter could be big or small! If word gets out that the heir apparent of the Marquis’s mansion has actually gone to a place like Yixianglou, what face will our Marquis’s mansion have left?” Aunt Jin glanced at the people around her.
Upon hearing her birth mother's words, Nan Xianxian quickly stood up. "Auntie, there's no time to lose. If anything happens, it will be our Marquis's mansion that loses face!"
"Third Miss is right! Let's go take a look right away!" Zhao Yirou's face was full of worry.
Aunt Liu observed the expressions on these people's faces and listened to their words, gauging the weight of their words. She wondered, was Ji Wushang really going to be killed by them? Fine! Let's see what that little hussy is like!
Before long, the people from the Marquis's mansion set off in a grand procession toward Yixiang Tower.
Before leaving, Nan Aoyu nodded to the servant hiding in the shadows. The servant, having received the order, hurriedly left to carry out his mission.
Before long, many people in the streets and alleys knew that the heir apparent of the Marquis's mansion might be in the most famous Yixiang Pavilion in the capital! Whether she was kidnapped or went there on her own, her reputation had undoubtedly become extremely tarnished! However, the truth still needed further investigation! Countless people were waiting to uncover the final truth!
"Hongfei," Ji Wushang called softly from his seat in the carriage.
“Princess Consort, please give your orders,” Hongfei said immediately.
"Take me to the White Horse Temple. I need to see Abbot Huiyuan. I want to pray for the young master." Ji Wushang lifted the curtain of the carriage window. "Hurry!"
"Yes!" Hongfei knew the seriousness of the matter and immediately rushed towards Baima Temple.
The White Horse Temple wasn't far from here, and they arrived quickly. Ji Wushang hurriedly got off the carriage, and Hongfei followed him inside.
"Please allow me to announce that Lady Ji, the wife of the Southern Heir of the Marquis of Jinnan, requests an audience with Abbot Huiyuan," Ji Wushang said, bowing to the gatekeeper.
The young monk nodded and said, "Amitabha, please wait a moment, female benefactor." Then he went inside.
Ji Wushang looked inside and saw that the peach blossoms in the White Horse Temple were in full bloom. They were so pink and fresh. When the wind blew, the fragrance wafted into Ji Wushang's nostrils, making him feel refreshed.