Chapter 19: Marry Into the Jiang Family
“Help…! Help… help me!”
“Hahaha! Keep screaming! In this pitch-dark night, no one else is awake to hear you. Even if someone did see, it’s me, Zhou Dalang—you wouldn’t dare say a word!”
“You’re an outsider, not from around here. Stick with me, Zhou Dalang, and I guarantee you a life of comfort and ease!”
“You two, stay back. Whatever you hear, don’t come near. Today, I—”
Thud!
Zhou Dalang’s words were cut off mid-sentence. The two guards had wandered off, laughing and joking, completely unaware of what had just happened. Their mouths were full of crude jokes as they teased each other. “Haha, looks like the master’s busy, not even time to talk!”
“Bah, an outsider wandering around at night like this—of course he keeps the master busy!”
“Exactly! Hahaha, let’s wait a bit. Maybe we’ll even get a share…”
Little did they know, the sudden silence in Zhou Dalang’s voice came from the shocking strike at the back of his neck. A numb, searing sensation swept through him; stars danced in his vision, the darkness suddenly more complete than the night itself, and with a soft thud, he collapsed silently to the ground.
Ye Ning, holding the thick branch in his hands, moved quietly forward. Zhou Dalang hadn’t sensed a thing. Ye Ning raised the branch high and, with a heavy thunk, struck the back of Zhou Dalang’s head.
“Ho!!!” The Ger he had been restraining was clearly a stranger, likely from out of town. He gasped sharply, nearly screaming in fright.
Ye Ning reacted instantly, covering the Ger’s mouth to stifle his cry, preventing the two guards from hearing.
The Ger’s eyes widened, filled with terror and shock as he stared at Ye Ning. Despite Ye Ning’s frail appearance, he could wield the thick branch with astonishing strength, leaving the boy genuinely astonished.
Ye Ning’s eyes flicked sideways at Zhou Dalang, cool and detached, as though looking at a pile of trash—one big, disgusting pile. There was a flash of disdain in his gaze, but trash still needed someone to deal with it.
He raised the branch again, and thunk! thunk! thunk!
He struck four more times, then kicked Zhou Dalang hard below.
At first, Zhou Dalang lay like a blob of rotting fat, completely numb, wobbling with each blow. But the kick to his lower body was unbearably painful, jolting him awake.
Seeing him stir, Ye Ning moved with decisive swiftness. He struck again with the branch, then dropped it on Zhou Dalang, grabbed the stunned Ger from the ground, and silently gestured for him to follow.
The Ger was terrified, completely dazed. He was slender, roughly Ye Ning’s size, but utterly lacking Ye Ning’s composure. His hands and feet were cold, unsure of what to do. Ye Ning pulled him up, and he stumbled along in panic.
“Ah!” After two steps, clearly unaccustomed to running so hard, the Ger tripped, hitting the ground with a startled cry.
His cry woke Zhou Dalang fully. He curled up on the ground, clutching himself, trembling and shouting, “Someone…! Help…!”
“Hahaha! Maybe the master called us to get a share!”
“Master is so considerate, always thinking of us…”
“Wait! Something’s wrong! That Ger ran off!”
Zhou Dalang couldn’t get up, trembling as he shouted, “Catch… catch them…”
Ye Ning had planned carefully: knock Zhou Dalang out from behind, rescue the Ger without a trace, and leave cleanly. But the Ger’s loud cry had disrupted his plan.
Ye Ning immediately grabbed the tripping Ger, whispering, “Hurry!”
The two guards turned back, startled. “M-Master! What happened to you?!”
“Don’t—” Zhou Dalang, teeth chattering in pain, croaked, “Don’t… don’t mind me! Go after them! Who… who dares… dares to ruin my plans, catch them!”
The guards obeyed immediately, chasing after Ye Ning and the Ger like wild dogs.
Ye Ning ran as fast as he could, pulling the Ger along, but the youth was too weak to keep up. The two guards quickly caught up, blocking their path.
“Ning Ger! It’s you!”
“Ah, it’s you…” Zhou Dalang’s legs strained forward awkwardly, his gait wobbly like a shy pigeon. Even in the dark, his face was visibly pale, lips ghostly white, clearly in immense pain. His drenched hair, either from rain or sweat, stuck to his face.
Zhou Dalang pointed at Ye Ning. “Is the Ye family feeding on air? How could you run off! You can’t even control one Ger… Fine! You’ve come right before me. Today I’ll make an example of you! Let’s see how stubborn you can be!”
“Grab them both!”
*
“Master, this is going to be troublesome.” Cheng Zhao tidied the soft couch while preparing to invite Young Master Jiang to bed, muttering at the same time, “The matriarch seems determined this time to arrange a marriage for you, Master. Didn’t you hear? I’ve heard her distant nephew is arriving soon. He claims it’s a family visit, but really it’s to look at you for marriage… If it weren’t for all this rain, he should’ve arrived today.”
Yu Yuan furrowed his brows slightly. He hadn’t spoken, nor did he have the authority to be involved in the Master’s marriage, but it was clear he didn’t approve either.
Cheng Zhao sighed. “The matriarch probably doesn’t understand your true identity, Master. Seeing that you’ve reached an appropriate age, she’s already arranging a match. But our Master must return to the capital eventually. How could he casually marry some countryside Ger?”
Only Cheng Zhao, Yu Yuan, and Old Master Jiang knew that Jiang Changxin was actually a prince. Years ago, the Old Master had rescued the still-child Jiang Changxin from the capital. Because the eunuch faction was so powerful, he had promised the prime minister to keep the secret and never revealed Jiang Changxin’s identity to anyone—not even to his own son or daughter-in-law.
So, until now, Master Jiang and the matriarch probably still believed that Jiang Changxin was simply a poor child abandoned by his family, whom they had coincidentally taken in.
Master Jiang had only the matriarch as his wife, and the two of them had no other children. When they rescued the barely-living Jiang Changxin, they both cherished him deeply. Over all these years, they had treated Jiang Changxin without a single complaint.
Now that Jiang Changxin had reached an appropriate age, as a mother, the matriarch naturally wanted to arrange a match for him—it was entirely understandable.
Jiang Changxin squinted his eyes. The rain outside added to the stuffy, humid atmosphere of Qingtian Village, making the midsummer heat feel like a sealed clay jar. There was no trace of coolness at all.
In truth, Jiang Changxin had no need to worry about the match arranged by the matriarch. After all, Old Master Jiang knew his identity and would surely stop her. But…
Once Jiang Changxin returned to the capital and reclaimed his identity as a prince, Empress Wang would secretly collude with the eunuch faction. Using the excuse that Jiang Changxin had no wife, she would try to plant spies among women and Gers around him—selecting beautiful girls and well-mannered Gers under the pretense of marriage. In reality, it was merely to have an opportunity to poison him.
Having lived through such schemes, Jiang Changxin would never allow history to repeat itself. But if he carelessly agreed to his mother’s arranged match without knowing anything about the person…
He had heard his mother mention that her distant nephew was a young, handsome Ger, well-known in the county for both talent and appearance. Not only was he good-looking, but he had also received an education—a rare trait among Gers. He could read, was cultured, and polite. In the future, he would surely be able to manage household affairs properly.
At the thought, Jiang Changxin felt a headache coming on. He loathed delicate, pampered Gers. Even if he married one and later reclaimed his identity, the Ger would have to accompany him to the capital. A Ger who only knew how to manage household duties could never endure the court’s intrigue and manipulation.
Having lived two lifetimes, Jiang Changxin was no fool. He didn’t want someone who would hold him back.
But if…
Jiang Changxin stared at the flickering candlelight and suddenly couldn’t suppress the thought of Ye Ning. He vividly recalled the first time he saw Ye Ning, swinging a chair like a weapon—so delicate and slight, yet capable of shocking action and words.
“Master? Master?” Cheng Zhao had rambled on, frowning, but Jiang Changxin hadn’t responded. Puzzled, he scratched the back of his head. “Master, why are you smiling? Could it be… you also want to see the matriarch’s distant nephew?”
Jiang Changxin snapped back to reality, frowning slightly. Had he been smiling just now?
He gathered his expression and waved a hand. “Extinguish the lights.”
Cheng Zhao nodded and was about to do so when bang bang bang!
Bang bang bang!
Someone was knocking loudly in the middle of the night.
Qingtian Village ran on a strict schedule: sunrise to work, sunset to rest. Normally, after dark, not a single person could be found in the village, unless it was a festival. Nobody would knock at someone’s door this late.
“Who could it be at this hour, in this rain?” Cheng Zhao murmured. “Master, I’ll go check.”
Jiang Changxin nodded, signaling him to answer the door. Moments later, Cheng Zhao returned, bringing in a soaked Zhang Zhiyuan, looking like a drowned rat.
In the eyes of outsiders, Jiang Changxin appeared to be a fool, a son of a landlord, not a prince. To avoid the eunuchs’ scrutiny, Jiang Changxin had indeed to play the part convincingly.
He immediately changed his expression, erasing all solemnity and calm, replacing it with a clumsy, naive smile, and stood to greet Zhang Zhiyuan with a silly grin.
Zhang Zhiyuan, still dripping wet, hurriedly said, “Young Master, I know it’s improper to trouble you, but… I’m unfamiliar with Qingtian Village and truly have no other way. Time is critical!”
“I don’t know what that scoundrel Zhou Dalang said or how much he bribed, but the Ye family has decided to marry Ye Ning to him. They’ve locked Ye Ning indoors the entire day, giving no food or water, intending to keep him confined until the wedding! With Ye Ning’s frail body, how could he endure it?”
Ye Ning…
Through the disguise of naïveté, a flicker of deep thought passed through Jiang Changxin’s eyes. The Ye family wanted to sell their “disabled” Ning Ger at a high price, yet Ye Ning didn’t want to marry into the Zhou family. Meanwhile, Jiang Changxin, to avoid Empress Wang placing spies on him, needed a reliable husband.
If Ye Ning could marry into the Jiang family…
If you’re loving the late-night food fantasies, help Ciacia keep the menu added by buying her a Kofi.
Can’t bear the suspense? Join the Ning Ning, Xin’er Favorite in Kofi to unlock up to 5 chapters early—and get ahead of the drama before the next menu drops.
Obrigada pelo capítulo 🥰