Chapter 19
The events that happened on Princess Rui's Peach Blossom Banquet made people secretly paid more attention to Duke Ding Residence's movements.
The news of Butler Zhao visiting Changning Count Residence to rescind the engagement was spread by some people purposely. Now, the whole capital was talking about this and without Jiang Ningbao knowing this, she gained a lot of pity.
It was obviously not her fault but she had her engagement rescinded by the guy.
This Changning Count Residence's fourth miss was too pitiful.
There were people who felt pity and there were people who took this chance to condemn another. Yang Shuqing being the female lead naturally made a lot of females jealous. Along with the growth of her reputation, the people being jealous of her also increased drastically, growing stubble after stubble.
Xie Jingyi who had a very good reputation also got himself dissed by a lot of people.
"Jiang fourth miss is really pitiful."
"Jiang fourth miss is also unlucky. She's done nothing wrong but her engagement is annulled. I wonder how attractive Yang Oldest Miss is or is it Heir Xie who is too heartless?"
"Don't speak recklessly. Duke Ding's heir annul the engagement because of responsibility. I heard that Duke Ding's heir wants to adopt Jiang fourth miss as little sister and enter the clan genealogy book. Actually, turning from fiancee to little sister is not bad."
"As if! What kind of 'being responsible' is this? Don't insult the word 'responsibility'. In my opinion, this Xie heir is also a heartless and merciless person. Who knows what kind of drug Oldest Miss Yang fed him? It's just Jiang fourth miss is pitiful."
"Actually, being the oldest miss of Duke Ding Residence is not bad."
"What do you mean by 'not bad'? Jiang fourth miss is an outsider. Even if she enters the Xie clan genealogy book, it might not be bad at first, but who can guarantee what happens after she got married?"
"I have inside news. Oldest Miss Yang and Xie Heir knew each other from a long time ago. Oldest Miss Yang falling into the pond at Princess Rui's Peach Blossom Banquet is actually a calculated plan."
"What? Really?"
"It's true. There are only a few people who know this."
"The truth is actually like this. Xie Heir already has plans on revoking the engagement. Jiang fourth miss is so pitiful, being schemed by Oldest Miss Yang and Xie Heir like this."
"I even thought that Oldest Miss Yang is a smart and wise person, comparable to men! I never thought that she is a scheming person and shamelessly schemed to get another girl's fiance."
Jiang Ningbao who stayed in the residence did not know how wild the rumor circulated. The female lead Yang Shuqing and the male lead Xie Jingyi were condemned a lot while Jiang Ningbao became the person everyone pitied.
If she knew, she would only laugh like a pig.
It was useless to condemn the main characters. The more they were condemned, the brighter it would be when they washed themselves white.
Anyuan Marquis Residence
Yang Shuqing sat in front of the make-up desk. She glanced at the reflection of a beautiful girl on the mirror and her heart felt sweet. She never thought that the powerful Duke Ding Heir in her past life would cancel his engagement with Jiang Ningbao for her.
"Jiang fourth miss, I really did not steal your fiance on purpose."
Yang Shuqing murmured and her eyes flashed with hesitation. In the end, she rose and walked to the long desk to write a letter and instructed her trusted servant girl Qian Bi to send it.
"Qian Bi, give this letter to Duke Ding's heir."
Qian Bi took the letter and respectfully retreated.
Yang Shuqing looked at the incense burner with a complicated gaze. She admitted that she had fallen for Duke Ding Heir, but she had not avenged those people in her past life yet. She had not cruelly enacted her vengeance against King Jin and Queen Jin. How could she marry another?
But letting her give up on Xie Jingyi.....She could not.
She also wanted to be pampered by another and had the warmth that only belonged to her and no other woman. Only her.
This kind of feeling, only Xie Jingyi could give her.
In her past life, he only had Jiang Ningbao and she became the target of admiration from other ladies in the capital.
Yang Shuqing was one of them.
In the years being in the Cold Palace, she had imagined many times if she had not stubbornly wanted to marry over as a noble concubine, cefei, would the ending be different?
Even if she could not marry someone like Xie Jingyi who was loyal, she still could become the legal wife.
She wanted to proudly and magnificently marry over, becoming the legal wife.
This had become Yang Shuqing's obsession.
This life, Yang Shuqing changed her unruly behavior and was not blinded by love anymore. She step by step snatched the initiative and disguised as a man to gather power outside.
But the rumor outside was very noisy outside and there were a lot of people hired to condemn her. This must be related to her dad's concubines and the concubine-born sisters. At this moment, she could not do anything to become the spotlight. That would only make her reputation become worse.
Only Xie Heir could do something.
But she would not do nothing. Yang Shuqing's eyes darkened and a bright light flashed through her eyes. A moment later, she decided to meet Jiang Ningbao and apologize to her.
She did what she thought and she called another trusted servant called Qian Rong. She gave her another letter and instructed something in a low voice. Qian Rong then left quickly.
Chapter 20
Changning Count Residence
Jiang Ningbao quietly waited for Xie Jingyi to annul the engagement for three days already. There was still no news which made her raise her brows. She even silently joked that could it be Xie Jingyi did not dare to annul the engagement because of how ferocious the rumor outside was?
No, it should not be.
The female and male leads in the reborn novel had great attraction to each other, especially Xie Jingyi who already felt like toward Yang Shuqing. How could he let her be wronged?
"Lady, three days have passed. Heir Xie should not cancel the engagement."
Chun Xi's face was filled with joy. Even if the rumor outside were flying without restraint, but the engagement between the lady and Heir Xie had not been revoked officially. It might not even be canceled.
Even the first madam in the residence was still waiting for news and did not dare to do anything excessive.
"Chun Xi, what are you being happy for? Xie heir also did not say that he will not revoke the engagement." Jiang Ningbao smiled lightly and poured her a douse of cold water.
The happiness in Chun Xi's face were gone and she glanced at her lady with a trace of blame. Why won't the lady think positive?
"Chun Xi, I sent you to watch Duke Ding Residence and Anyuan Marquis Residence's oldest miss. Is there any new development?" Jiang Ningbao did not care about the male lead Xie Jingyi's troubles. She only wanted to know what Old Madam Xie was thinking.
It's been three days yet Butler Zhao had not gave them any confirmation.
The little and petty moves from oldest aunt had not stop and according to what Jiang Ningbao knew, Madam Zhang's trusted servant girl often met the page boy by Xie Jingyi's side. She did not know what deal they made.
Jiang Ningbao slowly frowned.
Yesterday, the oldest aunt who like to treat her like air came over to gave her a blow. The words hanging on her lips were that annulling the engagement was necessary and let her to not do any petty tricks.
Oldest uncle who was ordinary cheaply took the position of Changning Count as the eldest legitimate son and got the six rank official position. These past few years, there was not sign of promotion.
The compensation from Duke Ding's Heir was a fifth rank official position. No need to guess, her oldest uncle must be aiming at this.
Jiang Ningbao squinted her eyes and thought indifferently that how could the position fell on the first branch's hands? There was still her biological brother.
"Lady, two days ago, Old Madam Xie left Duke Ding Residence and has not return until now. Heir Xie.....Heir Xie and Anyuan Marquis' oldest miss met privately a few times."
Chun Xi was troubled. She lowered her head and did not dare to look at her lady as she report her findings in a small voice.
"Why didn't you tell this to me?" Jiang Ningbao sipped her tea and her pair of beautiful eyes stared at Chun Xi's unsettled face, as if reading her mind.
"This servant.....this servant....." Chun Xi's face went red and did not dare to explain to her. Could she say that she was afraid that her lady would be sad so she hid this information?
How could Jiang Ningbao not know what Chun Xi was thinking? She sighed and softly said, "Chun Xi, I won't pursue this matter this once, but don't hide anything from me."
Don't see Jiang Ningbao as a soft and gentle woman. She indeed stayed inside Changning Count Residence most of the time and did not go out, but she had the dowry and connections her mother left her. Jiang Ningbao not only knew everything going on inside of the residence, but also the ones outside.
Even first madam and Old Madam Jiang did not know that Jiang Ningbao hid deep.
At this time, there was an old servant who greeted from outside the room.
"Fourth miss, there's a letter for you."
"Chun Xi, take it inside." Jiang Ningbao was happy. Could it be older brother's letter? Manager Yao should already gave her letter to older brother.
When Chun Xi took the letter over, Jiang Ningbao felt weird because there were two of them. She looked at them and one was from her older brother while the other was an invitation from Anyuan Marquis' oldest miss.
Chapter 21
Jiang Ningbao put down the invitation letter from Yang Shuqing and read her older brother"s letter first. Seeing the familiar handwriting on the letter, Jiang Ningbap's mouth curved upward.
After reading the letter, Jiang Ningbao's heart felt lighter.
Her older brother indeed stood by her side. Even though she wanted to marry Duke Ding, her older brother did not oppose and told her to not make him worry and that she should cherish herself right.
Chun Xi was worrying by her side. She did not know if third young master had knock out her lady's idea of marrying Duke Ding or not.
Jiang Ningbao kept her older brother's letter and preciously put it down in a small box. The letters sent from her older brother from Azure Mountain Academy and their usual letters were placed in this small box.
Closing the small box, Jiang Ningbao started opening Yang Shuqing's invitation letter. This was the first time she saw the female lead's handwriting. Hers was small and flowery. It was pretty and carried a trace of unyielding.
These words made even the first supporting male lead King Qin and the male lead Xie Jingyi sighed in admiration.
Jiang Ningbao also felt that the female lead's letters had lingering charms.
After admiring the female lead's writing, she looked at the time and place written on it. A place called Jinjiang Teahouse and a pondering smile grew on her face.
"Really can pick the place."
Almost no one knew that Jinjiang Teahouse was the business she made from when she was ten years old with the support of her parents and also the place where noble madams and noble children loved to visit. The rooms had soundproof walls and the privacy was well-maintained.
Jinjiang Teahouse was weird. Its most famous was not tea, but the various types of flower wines.
These flower wines were all produced by Jiang Ningbao. Her mystical wine-brewing ability made the flower wines she brewed carried some specialty. To mask this effect, the wines in Jinjiang Teahouse were diluted drastically so the wines would only be a bit better than ordinary wines.
Every year at this time, the most popular wine was Peach Blossom Wine. Long period of drinking this wine was beneficial to looks and beauty and was very welcomed among the noble ladies.
The reason why no one dared to cause ruckus in Jinjiang Teahouse was because when she was just ten years old, she dared to put tiger skin and spread rumor that the one behind this teahouse was Duke Ding.
Recalling this and the faces of her parents and older brother when she told them this, Jiang Ningbao could not help smiling and muttered.
"Could this be fate?"
Actually, Jiang Ningbao was not fully lying.
Her fiance was Xie Jingyi, Duke Ding Residence's heir and her backing was also Duke Ding Residence, while Duke Ding Residence was Duke Ding's. So her backing could be counted as Duke Ding, right?
There were some people who did not believe this and mentioned this matter to Duke Ding. After he investigated, he stayed silent in confirmation.
Now, the whole capital knew that the one behind Jinjiang Teahouse was Duke Ding so no one dared to play tricks to Jinjiang Teahouse.
Jiang Ningbao curved her lips and gazed to the peach blossom tree outside with a beautiful smile.
This might be hers and Duke Ding's fate. Six years later on that day, Heir Xie revoked the engagement and she declared that she wanted to marry Duke Ding. When she marry Duke Ding, it would make Duke Ding her legal backing.
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