Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 171

Chapter 171: Discovery

Night deepened.

After spending an hour in her boudoir, Cui Ziying still could not sleep. She simply put on her outer robe and strolled towards the place where Jiang Mi was imprisoned.

It was early evening, and perhaps because they had finally gotten their wish, many others like Cui Ziying were also unable to sleep. Now, halfway there, she encountered Cui Ziyue and Li Jun’er, among others.

Looking at the women, who were smiling particularly brightly tonight, Cui Ziying’s face turned cold.

She did not want to meet them, so she turned and prepared to enter a side path.

Just then, Cui Ziyue saw Cui Ziying and exclaimed happily, “Sister Ziying!”

The moment she uttered the words “Sister Ziying,” all the women’s attention was immediately drawn to Cui Ziying. Meeting their gazes, Cui Ziying could no longer avoid them. She slowly walked over, exchanged greetings, and then said gently, “Where are you all headed, Big Sisters?”

Upon hearing Cui Ziying address them as “Big Sister,” the six women of the clan felt a jolt in their hearts. They knew Cui Ziying had not used that term before. This address sounded so distant, not at all like addressing her own brother’s wives.

Cui Ziyue pouted but still smiled and said, “We are going to see Lady Jiang.” Then, she asked curiously, “Ziying’s also heading in this direction. Does she also want to see Lady Jiang?”

Cui Ziying hummed in agreement.

She was not very interested, but Cui Ziyue was quite excited. She said with a grin, “Such a gratifying thing happened today. Why does Ziying seem unhappy? Hehe, who is Lady Jiang? What makes her worthy of being Brother Xuan’s legal wife…”

She was still going on and on when Cui Ziying’s face darkened, and she interrupted her coldly, saying, “No matter how many faults Lady Jiang has, she has saved our lives twice!”

These words left Cui Ziyue speechless. Cui Ziying looked directly at her and said calmly, “Besides, my elder brother has chosen her, and I, as his little sister, have also chosen her!”

Having said this, Cui Ziying curtsied to the other women and said, “Farewell.” With that, she led her maids away.

It was not until Cui Ziying had taken a dozen steps that Cui Ziyue reacted. She yelled at Cui Ziying, “Ah’Ying, what do you mean by this? Are you unhappy? Why are you taking it out on me?”

But the louder she yelled, the faster Cui Ziying walked.

Watching Cui Ziying’s retreating figure, Cui Ziyue stomped her foot angrily and shouted, “Let’s follow them!”

With that, she took the lead and, along with the other women, caught up with Cui Ziying.

Seeing them approaching in a large group and hearing their laughter and whispers so grating, Cui Ziying could not stand it any longer as soon as she reached the door of the room where Jiang Mi was imprisoned.

Seeing that she turned to leave upon their arrival, Cui Ziyue pouted and turned to Li Jun’er with a grin, saying, “Jun’er, Big Sister-in-law, do you think Lady Jiang’s crying herself to death right now?” She glanced at Cui Ziying, who had stopped, and added disdainfully, “I’ve disliked that Jiang woman for a long time. Who is she? Marrying Elder Xuan is a miracle, but she’s still picky, even complaining that Elder Xuan took a concubine. Now, she’s a concubine herself. People really do not appreciate their good fortune until they learn a lesson!”

Turning her head, Cui Ziyue smiled at Cui Ziying and said, “Ah’Ying, what do you think of Lady Jiang? Are you not regretting it now?” She chuckled, then added, “She was so stubborn in the ancestral hall; I’m afraid that tomorrow, even if she kneels before the elders begging for forgiveness, no one will listen.”

At this moment, Li Jun’er spoke up, smiling elegantly, “Lady Jiang was indeed wrong today. Since she knew she was in the wrong, she should have softened her stance when the Elders asked. Being so stubborn will not get her any favors.”

Behind Li Jun’er, her head maidservant laughed. “That’s right. Actually, once she understands, she will realize that being a concubine is already an honor for her.”

Cui Ziying found their words grating, but she could not refute them. She stood there with a cold face.

Seeing that she had given up and remained silent, Cui Ziyue smiled smugly. She stepped outside the room, knocked on the window, and sweetly called out, “Jiang Mi, are you in there? Grandmother asked me to ask you a few questions.”

After knocking a few times and hearing no response, Cui Ziyue frowned and impatiently called out, “Jiang Mi, are you in there? If you are, just say something.”

Upon hearing this, Cui Ziyue listened intently. Seeing that there was still no sound from inside, Cui Ziyue sneered, “Lady Jiang, we are all women. The most important thing for a woman is to recognize her place. Yes, you’re indeed very lucky to have the opportunity to marry my Brother Xuan as his principal wife. But a person’s luck is finite and cannot be squandered indefinitely. Your punishment today is due to your own mistakes. Even now, do you still resent Grandmother and the others?”

Naturally, there was still no sound from inside the room.

Li Jun’er, sensing something amiss, exchanged glances with the other women. Finally, Li Jun’er whispered, “This Lady Jiang, she would not do anything…”

“What could she possibly do?” Cui Ziyue sneered from the side. “She’s lucky enough to have climbed up to the Cui Clan of Boling. Does she really think she’d leave?”

Upon hearing Cui Ziyue’s word “leave,” Li Jun’er and the others tensed. Immediately, one of the six young ladies said to her maid, instructing behind her, “Quickly, quickly, send someone to break down the door.”

“Yes.” A maid ran off, and a few moments later, several guards strode in.

Upon reaching the room, the guards knocked on the window. Receiving no response, they listened intently. Their expressions changed drastically as they listened. In a flash, one guard climbed from a large tree onto the roof. He peered through the skylight.

After just one glance, his face paled. He cried out urgently, “Quick, quick, report to the Old Madam and the elders! Lady Jiang is missing!”

What?

The women cried out in unison.

But at that moment, no one paid them any attention. The dozen or so guards turned and ran. A short while later, Old Madam Cui and several elders, supported by servants, hurried in.

Upon seeing the open window and the empty room, Old Madam Cui’s face instantly turned ashen, and the elderly men behind her also paled, their faces alternating between green and white.

While urgently ordering the guards to search for Jiang Mi, the old lady turned to the elders, her face pale with anxiety, and said, “Lady Jiang has escaped! What are we going to do?”

Her fingers, resting on her maid’s arm, trembled with worry.

She was not the only one with a grim expression; the elders were also extremely agitated. They had deep faith in Lady Jiang’s abilities and fortune. For someone they should have kept under their control to slip away was a huge embarrassment for the Cui family, and internally, it would inevitably cause unrest…

…

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

In the afternoon, amidst the swirling snowflakes, a grand procession entered the city.

Now, Xuzhou City not only had a powerful family like the Cui Clan of Boling… The arrival of the Clan, along with two envoys from the States, made the city of Xuzhou incredibly lively for the locals.

So, upon seeing such a luxurious convoy arrive again, everyone in Xuzhou stopped what they were doing and eagerly stood on tiptoe to see.

The first thing to appear was a group of soldiers riding black and white steeds.

The sight of these soldiers stunned the people of Xuzhou. Not only were their mounts exceptionally fine, but the soldiers themselves were all tall, handsome, and full of youthful vigor. Most importantly, they were very young.

Behind these five hundred young and handsome soldiers was a carriage.

The carriage was enormous, the kind that could comfortably seat seven or eight people. And at this moment, the carriage was open.

Through the wide-open carriage curtain, everyone could clearly see four beautiful maids kneeling there, followed by four handsome young guards also kneeling.

They were serving a woman wearing a half veil. A gust of wind blew in, carrying snowflakes that lifted the veil, revealing her rosy lips and the breathtakingly beautiful lower half of her face.

In an instant, the veil fell back down, obscuring her face once more. Gazing at the woman, whose mere posture exuded an indescribable beauty and arrogance, the people of Xuzhou became excited, whispering among themselves, “Who is this beauty?” “What a grand entrance!”