Chapter 19: He Feared Jiang Nian Would Get Hurt

Jiang Nian stood blocking the mansion entrance with her arms crossed, her gaze sharp as she looked at the group of old men.

Shedding her previous polite and courteous facade, she demanded sharply, "Forcing your way into a private residence under the very feet of the Emperor—you truly have no regard for the law! 'Clan elders,' you say? I see this as nothing more than a pretext! Speak! Have you been lurking outside my residence day and night, waiting for a chance to commit robbery while I was away?"

Lü La stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Jiang Nian, chiming in indignantly, "That’s right! You didn't expect my mistress to return home today, did you? You were almost successful!"

"Nonsense! We only sought Pei Jiuru; do not pin baseless charges upon us!" Pei Yanshi exclaimed loudly in his defense.

He dared not do anything to Jiang Nian, but seeing a mere maidservant dare to question him, he grew malicious and reached out to shove Lü La aside. No one had expected the old man to resort to force, and Lü La hit the mansion door with a loud thud.

Jiang Nian’s fingers tingled with rage. She had been forced to endure the pressure from powerful figures like Bo Yijin and Xiao Ruzhi, but these old men, with one foot already in the grave, were acting with such unbridled arrogance and hooliganism!

She had lived honestly and quietly in this era for eighteen years; this was the first time she had ever felt the urge to kill. If she did not handle these people today, she would not only fail in her arrangement with Pei Jiuru, but also betray the trust Lü La placed in her. However, the Pei clan consisted of more than just these few elders. If she were not careful to act with sound justification to prevent future trouble, she would have loved nothing more than to bolt the doors and beat them to death.

Jiang Nian took a deep breath, struggling to compose herself. "You couldn't force your way in, so you resorted to violence! All the neighbors and townspeople outside are witnesses!"

The crowd was equally appalled by the old men’s boorish behavior. Sister Zhou turned to the others and said, "What kind of bandits are these? Today it is the Pei household; tomorrow it could be one of us!"

"Exactly! We cannot stand by and watch!"

Just as the crowd began clamoring to drag the old men to the authorities, Jiang Nian gave Lü La a subtle look. Lü La was stunned; though she did not understand the motive, she nonetheless stepped in to stop the crowd. "Thank you all for your kindness, but they haven't technically breached the inner residence yet. Even if we take them to the magistrate, they will likely only receive a reprimand. Once they are released, they might seek revenge against my mistress!"

"That makes sense..." Hearing this, the crowd withdrew their support.

Pei Yanshi, however, felt a secret sense of triumph. He knew that this new wife of Pei Jiuru would not dare offend the elders of the Pei clan. With his naturally booming voice, he sought to draw Pei Jiuru out, shouting with all his might:

"Get out of the way at once and let us in to find Pei Jiuru! Hiding like a tortoise and pushing everything onto a woman—is he even a man?"

In truth, his scheme had succeeded. After entering the residence through the back gate, Pei Jiuru had been hiding behind a banana tree at the edge of the courtyard, closely monitoring the situation at the entrance. Jiang Nian’s lonely, unsupported back, Lü La hitting the door, and the booming shouts of Pei Yanshi—he had seen and heard it all.

A young maid sweeping the courtyard was unaware of the situation. As she passed the banana tree, she saw her master with his hands clenched into fists, the veins in his neck bulging, and his lips pressed into a thin line, looking as if he were about to devour someone. The maid dared not even breathe and immediately bowed and retreated to the side.

The fire of fury in Pei Jiuru’s heart burned brighter. He had an agreement with Jiang Nian, but he could not bear to see her pushed to the front to face the clan elders. He had to admit that he was afraid. When he had been left for dead on the road after the assassination attempt, he had feared the methods of the Pei clan elders; now, he feared that Jiang Nian would be hurt.

He hated himself for not yet having found his footing. He hated that he had wealth but no way to wield power in the capital of Bianjing. He hated that he was a nobody! Never in his life had he craved power as he did at this moment!

Suddenly, Pei Jiuru saw Pei Yanshi and Jiang Nian scuffling. Jiang Nian stumbled back half a step, and the men forced their way into the courtyard. Unable to suppress his rage any longer, Pei Jiuru stepped out from behind the banana tree. Regardless of the consequences, he could not let Jiang Nian face them alone!

At that very moment, just as Jiang Nian was about to rebuke the men for their intrusion, she caught sight of Pei Jiuru emerging. At a time like this, what was he doing showing himself!

"!" Jiang Nian widened her eyes, glaring at Pei Jiuru with a fierce, warning look. Fortunately, he was not stupid; after a moment of hesitation, he retreated and hid himself again.

When she had blocked the door, she had been afraid, but everything was under her control. She was stalling for time while waiting for the authorities to arrive, and she was also waiting for Pei Yanshi to force his way in. If she had truly wanted to keep them out, she would not have signaled Lü La when the neighbors offered to help.

She had never intended to win an argument or merely scare the elders. What she wanted was for the authorities to arrest them—ideally, to keep them locked up until Pei Jiuru finished his imperial examinations!

Ignoring Jiang Nian, Pei Yanshi sneered, "If we cannot find Pei Jiuru in this house, we will certainly offer our apologies!"

Coming back to her senses, Jiang Nian shouted, "This is utterly outrageous!"

"Stop!" Jiang Nian suddenly lunged in front of them. "Don't go near that screen! If you break it, you won't be able to afford the compensation!"

Pei Yanshi raised his eyebrows, signaling his brothers that Pei Jiuru must be hiding behind the screen. Lü La hurriedly blocked the screen behind her. As they pushed and shoved, the screen toppled over with a loud, crisp sound of wood splintering.

Just then, the neighbors at the entrance, worried for Jiang Nian, shouted, "Mistress Pei, the officers are here!"

Pei Yanshi froze. "You senseless woman, you actually dared to report this to the authorities!" He had thought she was only bluffing!

Jiang Nian rolled her eyes at Pei Yanshi and immediately turned to welcome the yamen runners. In an instant, the sword-bearing officers arrived at the fallen screen.

"Officers! It is them! In broad daylight, they shoved and hit people, forced their way into my home, and smashed the wedding gift presented to me by the legitimate daughter of the Yongning Marquis!"

The officer frowned as he looked at Pei Yanshi and his group. "Take them away!"

"Officers, listen to my explanation! We have our reasons!" Pei Yanshi panicked.

As he spoke, voices rose from the crowd outside:

"What explanation is there! He shoved people down; the poor girl was hit so hard she nearly coughed up blood! And this old man is still spouting nonsense! We all saw it and heard it!"

"That's right! His accent isn't from Bianjing! For strangers to force their way into a house under the feet of the Emperor—this is a serious matter!"

"And he damaged property, which adds to the crime! That was a screen from the Yongning Marquis's mansion!"

Hearing this, Jiang Nian said with lingering fear, "I wonder what their true purpose in coming to Bianjing is? Could they be acting under orders to incite chaos among the common people?"

"Arrest them and take them away!" Upon hearing this, the officers immediately seized the old men and dragged them out.

Jiang Nian turned to look for Pei Jiuru, only to see him standing by the banana tree with a dark, gloomy expression. The clan elders had already been dealt with—what was he still unhappy about?

Which nerve of his had been struck this time!