Compared with the so-called “Prince Consort” in her dream, this voice was a little immature, but it was undoubtedly the same person.
According to the dream, the general situation was that Jiang Bi Can used tricks to climb into Zheng Zhuo’s bed, and Zheng Zhuo was falsely accused of having marital relation with her.
This kind of insidious trick was actually not difficult to imagine – the medicine would make the man unconscious or drunk, and after a night passed, the woman could say whatever she wanted. What’s more, Jiang Bi Can was so ruthless to herself, even if Zheng Zhuo didn’t touch her, she would find someone else to touch her, and really conceived a child.
The Jiang family was also considered a prominent family in Chang’an, the situation of the main house where Jiang Bi Rou was born was ordinary, but Jiang Bi Can’s father was a third-rank Minister of Dali Temple, so this second house was not easy to offend. If that happened, afraid Zheng Zhuo really couldn’t just sit idly by, and Yuan Ci Xian would definitely not be able to marry him again.
It turned out that the marriage contract between the two families broke down like this.
Yuan Ci Xian felt a little unbelievable. A person like Zheng Zhuo who had been seen the ups and downs of the officialdom for many years and had seen too much darkness and intrigues in the imperial family, would actually be tricked by a girl who seems to have just a little bit of cleverness. Presumably, there were twists and turns behind this that she doesn’t know for the time being.
Thinking like this, she glanced at her sister-in-law on the opposite side. With such intrigue, Jiang Bi Rou, as a child of the Jiang family who had a close relationship with the Yuan family, wouldn’t be ignorant of it, right? If she knew, what role did she play in it?
Yuan Ci Xian’s head kept churning, but her face only froze for a moment before covering it up, then said with a smile, “I like the sweet-mouthed one the most. Sister-in-law, this younger sister is also pretty, has the marriage been decided?”
Jiang Bi Can hurriedly replied: “No! Sister Ci Xian is not married yet, so how can I be ahead of you.”
Oh, isn’t she ahead of her? It’s her fiancé that she robbed.
Although Yuan Ci Xian never had a special friendship with Zheng Zhuo, in the dream, he was her serious fiancé after all. Someone used such despicable means to cheat her marriage, and even cheat the Yuan family, of course she couldn’t feel at ease.
But she still smiled and said: “Then I’ll hurry up, and you can get on the line.”
Jiang Bi Can responded sweetly.
Jiang Bi Rou also smiled on the side.
Seeing her smiled Yuan Ci Xian also smiled, but she looked a little out of spirits, “It’s freezing cold, sister-in-law is pregnant, so don’t stand around here and talk. If brother know, he will blame me for being inconsiderate.”
The news of Jiang Bi Rou’s pregnancy was only learned after Yuan Ci Xian returned to the capital. When she first heard about this happy event, she was very happy for her elder brother. After all, with her sister-in-law’s weak constitution of coughing and asthma for many years, it was really not easy to conceive a child, otherwise it was not possible for them to be married for nearly two years and only now there was a movement.
She reckoned that Jiang Bi Can came to visit her elder sister from main house today because of this reason.
Jiang Bi Can stuck out her tongue when she heard this, and said embarrassingly, “Don’t blame Sister Ci Xian, it’s me who’s inconsiderate, so I’ll help Sister back.” After saying that, she asked, “Will Sister Ci Xian come to the house together?”
Yuan Ci Xian smiled: “I’ll go take a bath first, and I’ll come back later. Sister-in-law, you ask someone to prepare some snacks for me, I’m hungry.”
“Got it.” Jiang Bi Rou gave her an annoyed look, and followed her Jiang Bi Can said, “Ci Xian is just like you, always loves to go out and make trouble…”
Yuan Ci Xian turned and went back to her courtyard, then waited until no one around, and ordered Shi Cui behind her in a low voice: “Send away all the servants in the backyard.”
A quarter of an hour later, Yuan Ci Xian pretended to take a bath, but actually went around the backyard and sneaked under the back window of Jiang Bi Rou’s main house, crouched at the base of the wall, and put her ears close to the crack of the window.
This was her Yuan Mansion, it was not difficult for her to eavesdropped.
Jiang Bi Rou’s voice was very low, but Yuan Ci Xian had a keen ear and could make out the general idea.
She heard her sobbingly said: “Can’er, what should Sister do? The doctor checked my pulse a few days ago and said that I can’t give birth to a child at all in this body, even if I am lucky enough to conceive now, I will definitely not be able to keep it. Recently the days were cold, my cough and asthma have been attacking from time to time, I’m afraid it won’t work if I don’t take the medicine, but once I take the medicine, the baby in my belly will definitely be gone. Sister is really desperate… The Yuan family only has one son, Shichen, it’s impossible to allow him to have no heirs, it’s only a matter of time before the concubine enters the door…”
Jiang Bi Can pondered for a moment and said: “Sister, what uncle and my father means that in the end, life is the most important thing, and cough and asthma must be taken care of. As for the concubine, in the final analysis, even if it’s all up to the Yuan family, the etiquette rules are there, and brother-in-law’s heart is also with you. What are you afraid of?”
“I’m afraid that Shichen’s heart is not with me. In the past two years, I have not been unaware that Shichen married me, perhaps because of my childhood accident, and he wanted to make atonement for Ci Xian…”
Yuan Ci Xian couldn’t help but felt a lump in her throat.
That accident was also something that had oppressed her heart for many years.
At that time, she was still live in Chang’an, and she and Jiang Bi Rou were very good playmates. She often dragged her to run around the mountains, and sometimes called her elder brother to go with them.
In the winter when she was seven years old, she and Jiang Bi Rou was playing around in the wilderness, and then because of some quarrels, they went separate ways. She turned around and walked out of the forest, but on the way back she encountered an unexpected snowstorm, and was almost trapped in the forest. She finally took a shortcut to escape.
When she was fumbling around in the forest, she wanted to go back to look for Jiang Bi Rou, but was stopped by the maid beside her. After leaving the forest, she was so cold that she lost all feeling in her legs, even if she was worried about Jiang Bi Rou, she couldn’t find her herself, so the guards waiting outside the forest were sent out.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Bi Rou and her maid walked carelessly into the depths of the forest under the wind and snow, and were rescued by the guards of the Yuan family after more than an hour. After that she contracted the cold, and since then the root of the disease had settled in.
That day, Yuan Ci Xian saw some novel flowers in some random book that could only be found in the cold winter, so she took Jiang Bi Rou to the wild forest to pick them. It was also she who found the guards bothersome, so she made everyone wait outside the forest. As for the quarrel, although the both sides were at fault, she was the one who walked away in anger.
After all, it was all her fault, and she felt so guilty that she ran to Jiang Mansion every day, wishing she could suffer for Jiang Bi Rou.
But the Jiang family didn’t welcome her, and since then they had a fallout with the Yuan family. It was later when the Yuan father was conferred as prince and moved to Yaozhou that the relationship between the two families gradually eased.
Yuan Ci Xian hadn’t set foot in Jiang Mansion for many years, until when she was fourteen years old, she heard that her brother and Jiang Bi Rou had made a marriage contract.
Childhood accidents had become a thing of the past, and the children of Jiang and Yuan family could be regarded as childhood sweethearts. If the two really want to get married, Yuan Ci Xian would certainly be happy. But she was afraid that her brother was doing it for her.
When she went to the capital at the end of that year, she asked Yuan Yu about this matter, but he broke that assumption.
He said to her: “What are you talking about? Your future sister-in-law is the prettiest woman in the world besides our mother. You’re not allowed spoil brother’s good thing!”
At that time, she had been far away from Chang’an for many years, and didn’t really understand about her brother’s situation, and because she had not reached a marriageable age, she was quite ignorant about the relationship between men and women. During the New Year’s Eve, she saw that her brother and Jiang Bi Rou were really close, so she dispelled her doubts…
Yuan Ci Xian stuck herself to the base of the wall, secretly clenched her cuffs, and continued to listen to the two people’s conversation in the room.
Jiang Bi Can’s voice sounded again: “Sister, Can’er has a plan. Since you said that brother-in-law married you because of guilt, let’s tie him up completely with guilt. After all, a long time has passed since that childhood accident, but if there is another incident, we won’t be afraid that brother-in-law will change his mind.”
Yuan Ci Xian seemed to have guessed Jiang Bi Can’s meaning, and sure enough, she continued: “Although this child is destined to be lost, he should also have his use. As long as Sister can put the blame for the child’s death on Yuan Ci Xian, isn’t it all right?”
Jiang Bi Rou didn’t speak, hesitated for a while, then said, “You let Sister to think about it.”
“Sister, if you can’t sacrifice the child, you won’t catch the wolf. If you’re not ruthless, you will be the one who suffer in the end. I have already thought of a solution for you. If you just try to frame Yuan Ci Xian on purpose, brother-in-law will definitely not believe it, so let’s make her done it unintentionally. I will make friends with her for a while, then in a few days, I will invite a few young ladies in the capital that I’m close with to come to Yuan Mansion to play together. At that time, we will be playing throwing pots or playing Cuju, and when I see an opportunity, I’ll definitely let her “accidently” hurts you…”
After a long time, Jiang Bi Rou finally answered: “… Okay.”
Then, there were no more sounds in the room.
Yuan Ci Xian returned the same way to her room, and couldn’t help but smiled angrily.
This Jiang Bi Can is a very “wonderful person”.
When she returned to her room, she called Jian Zhi to ask: “Is brother home? ”
Jian Zhi replied: “Master went out and hasn’t come back yet.”
She nodded and asked again: “A doctor came to check my sister-in-law’s pulse a few days ago, what’s the result?”
“The doctor said Madam’s pregnancy is stable and everything is fine.”
It seemed this person had been bribed by Jiang Bi Rou.
She thought for a while and ordered: “Three things. First, prepare a brush, ink, paper and inkstone, I want to write a note to my brother. Second, find the doctor that day and pry his mouth open. Third, pack my luggage for me, I’m going to run away from home for a few days.”
Jian Zhi was startled: “Run away from home?”
Late that night, Yuan Ci Xian braved the cold wind and avoided the Jinwu Guards, who was on night watch, all the way to the side gate of the Lu Mansion in Yongxing Lane.
There was a saying open spears are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. If Jiang Bi Rou wanted to make trouble, there were countless ways to do it. Even if it’s not throwing pots or Cuju, she could fall or slipped in front of her. At that time, in order to avoid disaster, she would have to be on guard in her own home like a thief. What a tiring life.
The most permanent solution was to run away from home. She was not at home, who could bully her?
She touched her nose, which was red from the cold, and sighed.
At the moment she had nowhere to go, so she could only let Lu Shi Qing off lightly and gave him a chance to redeem himself.
The moon was hidden and the wind was high, and the wall was even higher. She took out a black cloth to cover most of her face, and slowly climbed up with the help of Jian Zhi. But one leg had just stepped over the edge of the wall, and before she could jump down, it alarmed the servants who were patrolling the night.
More than a dozen young servants hurriedly came from all directions with torches, and the first one shouted at her: “Who’s there, dare to break into our mansion at night!”
Oh, Yuan Ci Xian remembered that the last time she secretly came to Lu Mansion, she told Lu Shi Qing that the defense of his house was very problematic and should be improved.
Now she puts herself in the pit of that improvement.
Jian Zhi under the wall tilted her head, and said eagerly, “Young lady, come down quickly, this maid will take you to retreat.”
Yuan Ci Xian lowered her head and whispered, “What retreat! You go by yourself, don’t get caught!”
What could happen to her in Lu Mansion? She was sure that no matter how much Lu Shi Qing detested her, he would not do anything to her, so she dared to be so fearless and go up to heaven or down to Hades.
However, she really didn’t want to disturb anyone except Lu Shi Qing, so as not to become a joke for others. She said in a rough voice: “Dear heroes and courageous man, I am your master’s bosom friend, I am here at night is on the way to pay a visit, would you please… report to him?”
The people below obviously didn’t believe her nonsense, and seeing that several strong men were about to climb up to chase her away, she said quickly: “Your master is 22 years old unmarried suave heroic and the two most powerful servants around him are called Cao An and Zhao Shu, he is afraid of the dog has cleanliness obsession and when he sees things it has to be in pair even the Bogu shelf in his study room is symmetrical left and right… I’m really his bosom friend!”
“…” It did sound like a very “bosom friend”, especially such private information like Bogu shelf.
The servant stopped moving forward to expel people. Yuan Ci Xian heaved a sigh of relief, and was about to ask them to report, but saw two people walking quickly from the corridor. Looking at it from a distance, the one at the front was the alarmed Lu Shi Qing, and the one behind was Cao An who held a lamp.
As if she had been pardoned, she straddled the wall and waved towards him, “Brother Zishu!”
Lu Shi Qing paused.
He was quite familiar with this rough voice.
After a pause, he walked faster, and when he got to the base of the wall, he saw Yuan Ci Xian winking at him. He couldn’t help but get a headache, cleared his throat, and ordered in all directions: “Everyone retreat.”
After everyone was gone, only Cao An who “carry the lamp” was left. Lu Shi Qing looked up at the person on the wall and said: “It’s in the middle of the night, why are you messing with me?”
Yuan Ci Xian pulled off the veil so that he could see all her “beauty”, and then said pitifully: “I was kicked out by my brother and become homeless, can you take me in for a night… ”