"I don't care, I won't let you go unless you pay compensation!" the middle-aged man shouted angrily.
The argument between the two attracted a large crowd of onlookers, who pointed and commented, some saying this was bad, others saying this was bad.
Someone recognized the carriage as belonging to the Marquis of Jinnan's residence and shouted, "Isn't that the Marquis of Jinnan's carriage? Ah, the Second Young Mistress is inside!"
Ji Yinxue was recognized before she could even lower the curtain, and she was instantly furious. She hadn't expected to be cornered like this, and to be recognized so easily! She figured this would get back to the Marquis's household, and people would gossip about it. Imagine a pregnant young mistress leaving the manor without a maid or guard—it's obvious she'd been doing something unsavory!
"Give him the money! Hurry up and go!" Ji Yinxue shouted angrily. He couldn't even handle something as simple as this! Hearing Ji Yinxue's words, the coachman had no choice but to ask, "How much silver?" The second young mistress was clearly angry, and she was going to pin the blame on him again. Damn it, it was all because of this guy!
"Fifty taels of silver! Not a penny less, you're not allowed to leave!" the middle-aged man said coldly. "Hmph, who told you to delay my master for so long? My master is angry now! You'll have to pay more compensation!"
"What?" The coachman was immediately surprised. "Aren't you asking for the moon? Fifty taels? You're dreaming!" The coachman was also furious. This man was extremely rude!
Ji Yinxue was furious. She had been delayed here for so long that everyone in the manor probably knew she had left and would definitely come to explain! It was infuriating! What did they want, fifty taels? Did they think this street belonged to their family?
Anyway, I'll definitely have to explain to the Marquis when I get back to the manor, so I'll settle this score properly! Do they think I'm easy to bully?
Ji Yinxue slightly lifted the curtain and angrily said, "What are you yelling about! Where is the carriage that was damaged? Let me see it!"
When the people around saw Ji Yinxue peek out, they immediately started talking amongst themselves.
"It really is the Second Young Master Nan! Isn't she pregnant? Why would she just run around like this?"
"Perhaps someone has something urgent to attend to!"
"Urgent matters? Urgent matters can be handled by others. Tsk tsk..." Doesn't this imply that the Second Young Mistress is not valued by the Second Young Master Nan? They even have a pregnant woman handle such a simple matter, sigh!
"Not a single maidservant followed her, let alone any guards. This Second Young Mistress of the Nan family is not favored!"
"Yeah yeah!"
...
Ji Yinxue's anger burned even brighter as she listened. Were these people just bored? Did they enjoy watching her make a fool of herself? She truly regretted not bringing a guard or maid with her; otherwise, she could definitely have gotten someone to help her!
"Look here!" The middle-aged man didn't care what the people around him thought; all he wanted was for her to pay him back!
Ji Yinxue squinted at the spot the middle-aged man was pointing to. She saw a crack in the carriage shaft, indicating that the carriage couldn't be pulled for too long, or it would definitely break down.
But it doesn't need to be fifty taels. That's just an ordinary carriage, worth at most thirty taels!
"Even if I were to buy your carriage, it would only cost thirty taels of silver, but you're asking for fifty taels. What's the difference between this and extortion?" Ji Yinxue said angrily.
“Having kept us here for so long, the price must have gone up by now. I heard from everyone that you are the second young mistress of the Marquis of Jinnan’s mansion, so please give us a token of appreciation. Let’s keep things peaceful! Otherwise, if this goes to the yamen, don’t blame me for being rude!” the middle-aged man said.
Those around Ji Yinxue looked at her and whispered, "Surely the second young mistress of the Marquis's mansion wouldn't be so rude? Is fifty taels of silver not enough for her? I clearly saw her carriage collide with someone else's carriage. In the capital, shouldn't there be some reason to talk things out?"
"That's right, that's right."
...
"Driver, give him fifteen taels of silver and let's go! Be kind, don't bully a weak woman like me!" Ji Yinxue said coldly.
The middle-aged man watched as the coachman took out fifteen taels of silver from his pocket.
"Hey, how can you do this!" the middle-aged man shouted. The coachman had already stuffed the silver into his hand and said, "My second young mistress has already said she'll give you the silver, so get out of here!"
"Ah He, let them go." At that moment, a pleasant male voice came from inside the carriage.
Ji Yinxue's anger flared even more. Damn it, it was a man riding in a carriage, wasn't it? And he only spoke now, was he deliberately trying to make her a laughingstock?
"Who are you?" Ji Yinxue shouted angrily. "It took you so long to speak. Were you mute or deaf?"
"Let's go." The man ignored Ji Yinxue's question and urged her to leave.
"Yes." The middle-aged man jumped onto the carriage, shoved the horse's head, and headed in another direction.
Ji Yinxue was so angry she wanted to curse. In front of so many people, that man actually ignored her, the wife of the Second Young Master of the Nan family? Who did he think he was? He had no manners at all! But with so many people watching, if she cursed, wouldn't people say she lacked good upbringing? In a fit of anger, she slammed down the curtain. "Back to the manor!"
"Yes!" The coachman immediately jumped onto the carriage, just about to crack the whip to urge the horse on, but for some reason, the horse suddenly went berserk and charged into the crowd! The people around immediately made way, and Ji Yinxue was so frightened that she was almost dead, clinging tightly to the carriage window, "Help! Help!"
The horse was galloping wildly, and the coachman held it tightly, shouting, "Stop! Stop!"
Those around were worried and quickly hid to the side, fearing that they might be implicated.
Ji Wushang, wearing a veil, looked down from the building and made a gesture to the people waiting on the other side. The guards nodded in response.
In the midst of the panic, everyone saw several people rush forward.
"Reinforce the horses!" one of them shouted. Another person immediately jumped onto the carriage, while a slightly thinner one went straight inside and pulled Ji Yinxue along, saying, "Second Young Madam, please come out with me! It's dangerous here!"
Ji Yinxue was panicked and had no ability to recognize anything. Hearing the voice that was there to save her, she immediately reached out. The thin man grabbed Ji Yinxue's hand and pulled her off the carriage. "Quick!"
Ji Yinxue's heart raced, but the carriage still hadn't stopped. The coachman, seeing someone jump on, exclaimed, "What are you doing?"
"Come help me stop the carriage! I'm the coachman too!" the tall man who jumped onto the carriage shouted immediately, then grabbed the reins from the coachman's hands. "Whoa! Whoa!"
The coachman was sweating profusely, but then he saw the carriage about to crash into the vendors' stalls on the side of the road! He shouted, "Stop! Stop! Danger!"
Hearing this exclamation from inside the carriage, Ji Yinxue, and the small, thin man quickly shouted, "Jump out of the carriage!"
"I, I..." Ji Yinxue hadn't finished speaking when the small, thin man grabbed her wrist and jumped down from the carriage. The two immediately tumbled backward...
At this moment, Ji Wushang suddenly stood up and watched the two of them roll around.
The small, thin man protected Ji Yinxue, preventing her from suffering any serious injury. However, according to Ji Wushang's plan, Ji Yinxue had already rolled several times on the ground. Even if she didn't miscarry, she would definitely be in pain! But Ji Yinxue didn't feel any pain at all!
Something's fishy!
After the skinny girl and Ji Yinxue tumbled to the ground, the carriage surprisingly stopped just as it hit the wall!
The coachman, still shaken, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, only to feel a chill beneath him. Looking down, he realized he had lost control of his bladder…
Ji Yinxue was stunned for a moment. She realized that she hadn't died from the fall, and felt incredibly lucky. She thought to herself, "I'm sure I'll have good fortune in the future!" The skinny man was still holding her, his large hands gripping her slender waist.
As the dust settled, the people around gathered around. Ji Yinxue only then noticed the hand on her waist and immediately shook it off, saying, "How dare you!"
"I saved you, after all, and you didn't even say thank you!" The skinny man was small, but his tone was arrogant.
Ji Yinxue stood up from the ground, straightened her clothes, then looked up and said coldly, "I didn't ask you to come and save me!" With that, she immediately walked towards the coachman.
Ji Wushang stared at Ji Yinxue with his sharp eyes, especially at her lower abdomen. The way she had just dusted herself off and everything that had just happened all pointed to the fact that Ji Yinxue's pregnancy might be fake!
Ji Wushang slightly extended his hand and made another gesture, indicating that they should retreat. The guards received the message and immediately signaled to each other.
"Here you go!" The tall man cheerfully placed the reins in the coachman's hand. "Your horse is probably too young. It goes crazy so easily and might harm its masters. You should replace it soon!" With that, he easily jumped off the carriage and walked towards the thin man.
Approaching them was Ji Yinxue. Ji Yinxue looked at the tall man with disdain. These were just coachmen; talking to them would be beneath her dignity!
The tall man looked at her and smiled to himself. He wondered how such a person could be born. They were from the same father, but how could they be so different from the Crown Princess? It was like comparing heaven and earth!
The tall man and the thin man exchanged a glance, then disappeared into the crowd along with another person chasing the carriage.
"Hurry up and get yourself ready! Get back to the manor!" Ji Yinxue shouted angrily, and then she saw that the coachman had wet his pants... Everyone around burst into laughter.
Ji Yinxue's face flushed crimson with embarrassment, anger, and a desire to disappear into the ground. Her only thought now was to get out of there as quickly as possible, but this coachman was utterly infuriating!
"Hurry up! Do you still want your job?!" Ji Yinxue roared in anger.
Hearing this, the coachman became worried. Forgetting the embarrassment of wetting his pants, he immediately tightened the reins. "Giddy up, giddy up, Second Young Madam, please, please get in the carriage!"
Ji Yinxue really wanted to strangle him, but then she thought, what if she strangled him to death? She decided to wait until they got back to the manor.
He was filled with anger and had no choice but to hurry back to his residence.
As soon as she returned to the manor, she saw her head maid Youlan and Shuipei approaching with mournful faces. "Miss, where have you been? The Marquis is looking for you! And the Second Young Master has also been looking for you. Please come to the main hall!"
"What are you crying for? I'm not dead yet!" Ji Yinxue retorted angrily. She had expected this all along! Turning back, she yelled at the coachman, "You coachman, get down there and accept your punishment!"
"Yes, yes!" The driver knew he would definitely incur her wrath, so he quickly rolled off the bus. She hadn't said much about the punishment, so he wanted to get as far away as possible!
Ji Yinxue immediately headed towards the main hall, with Youlan and Shui Pei following cautiously. Judging from her tone just now, they knew she had lost her temper again...
"How dare you! Leaving the manor without permission, without even taking a maid or guard with you! If word gets out, people will think our Marquis's manor is harsh on its people! Besides, she's carrying your child! Why don't you do anything about it!" At this moment, the Marquis was standing and scolding Nan Jinxue, who had her head down. Nan Jinxue was filled with resentment. That damned bitch, why does she always have to cause me trouble!
"And it even crashed into someone else's carriage! What were you all thinking? What was wrong with that coachman?!" The Marquis angrily rebuked them one by one.
"Tell that coachman to get over here right now!" The Marquis was still furious and immediately gave the order.
The maids and servants standing nearby immediately went to call for help.
Ji Yinxue was standing outside, listening to their conversation, unsure whether she should go in.
Ji Wushang stepped forward and said, "Father, please don't be angry. I think my second brother was so busy with Miss Zhao's affairs that he might have been careless and forgot to tell the servants to keep an eye on his wife, which is why this happened."
"Sister-in-law is absolutely right. She has hands and feet, and I didn't forbid her from speaking or doing anything. How would I know what she's thinking!" Nan Jinxue said indignantly, finding it somewhat unbelievable that Ji Wushang had spoken up for her. Wasn't she always going against her? Why was she speaking up for her today?
The Marquis did not answer, so Ji Wushang saw Ji Yinxue standing outside, about to leave, and immediately called out, "Sister-in-law, why have you been here so long without coming in?"
Everyone immediately looked outside. Sure enough, Ji Yinxue had been standing there for so long and was now trying to leave? The Marquis had clearly told her to come to the main hall immediately, but here she was, coming and now she wanted to leave? Where did this leave the Marquis?!
The Marquis was furious. "What, you don't want to come in? You think I can't persuade you to come in?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Yinxue was immediately alarmed and quickly came in, kneeling down and saying, "Father, Yinxue is back."
"Hmph!" The Marquis snorted coldly, turning to look at Nan Jinxue. Nan Jinxue was furious; she knew she had embarrassed him in front of everyone! She stepped forward and slapped Ji Yinxue across the face, "You're so disobedient!"
"Ah!" Ji Yinxue screamed as she was suddenly struck, quickly covering her face. "You, why did you hit me!" Anger burned in her eyes; she wanted nothing more than to slap him back! This damned man! He took her body, but wouldn't give her happiness, and even wanted other women in his bed! His official position was lowly; he only knew how to do trivial things for the Second Prince, and would never rise in rank! He was just a pretty face for nothing! If she had known all this beforehand, she would never have married such a man!
"I'll hit you if I want to! Why did you leave the manor without permission? Why didn't you bring a maid or a guard? Have we been too harsh on you? Is there no one in our manor to serve you?" Nan Jinxue was furious and said whatever came to mind, pointing her long, slender fingers at Ji Yinxue and cursing.
Ji Yinxue was furious. "I gave birth to your child, I took care of all the household chores for you, and in the end you hit me? You actually dared to hit me?"
"I'll hit you if I want! What kind of woman do you think you are! With just one word from me, I can divorce you!" Nan Jinxue's eyes seemed to bulge out, and her entire face became distorted.
Everyone around watched without daring to speak. Ji Wushang sneered inwardly and stood aside. He could just watch this show; he didn't need to fan the flames himself. Their anger would burn brightly enough!
"Enough!" The Marquis slammed his hand on the table, then looked at them. "You're all infuriating! Aren't you noisy enough? Aren't you chaotic enough? Aren't you embarrassing enough?"
Ji Yinxue and Nan Jinxue both lowered their heads upon hearing this, not daring to speak.
"Both of you, go kneel in the Buddhist hall! You won't have dinner tonight! Get out!" the Marquis roared, then immediately turned and walked out. Aunt Jin watched them, a cryptic smile playing on her lips, before turning and leaving.
Ji Wushang stepped forward worriedly and said, "Sigh, I can't interfere in your affairs. You should handle it yourselves!" With that, he immediately walked out.
Ji Yinxue looked at Ji Wushang's retreating figure and was so angry that she was about to rush up to him, shouting, "You! You, Ji Wushang!"
"Pah!" Another slap landed on her face. "You bitch, how dare you shout like that? Do you want to die?!" Nan Jinxue was furious. "What an arrogant woman!"
"You, you hit me again! You hit me again!" Ji Yinxue screamed loudly, and Nan Jinxue had an impulse to strangle the woman in front of her!
But at this moment, a rough-looking old woman stepped forward and bowed her head, saying, "Second Young Master, Second Young Madam, please go to the Buddhist hall!"
Nan Jinxue and Ji Yinxue exchanged a cold glance, then immediately walked out, one after the other, their faces filled with resentment. They both thought, "Wasn't it because of the other that we were being punished?"
When Ji Wushang returned to Moxuan Garden, she saw Nan Xuzong reading a letter at his desk. Ji Wushang immediately went inside and closed the door. Nan Xuzong looked up, his obsidian-like eyes fixed on Ji Wushang. "Is something the matter?"
"Hmm." Ji Wushang nodded, then walked over and sat down beside him. "When did you get back?"