It Was A Fake Marriage, But Jiu Qian Sui Took It Seriously - Chapter 35

Madam Qian had always been timid and afraid of trouble, so when faced with someone as shameless as Chen Dabao, she immediately panicked. Moreover, the Grand Chancellor was highly favored by the Emperor, and their Yongwang Marquis Manor could not afford to offend him.

She hurriedly stepped out of the carriage. As she lifted the curtain, a gust of wind blew in, raising a corner of the window drape.

Through that small gap, Chen Dabao, who happened to look up at that moment, caught sight of a pair of eyes as clear as autumn waters.

He had never seen such a beautiful woman before, and his expression changed instantly.

Before Madam Qian could speak, Chen Dabao, seeing that she was unfamiliar to him, grinned and stepped forward. “Madam, your carriage bumped into me. But I won’t make a fuss. Just have the young lady in white come down and apologize to me, and we’ll call it even.”

Madam Qian was furious. Clearly, it was he who had crashed into their carriage! But the lecherous intent in his eyes was far too obvious. She had never encountered such a scoundrel before, and a sense of dread crept into her heart.

She placed a hand on the carriage door, blocking Chen Dabao’s line of sight, while forcing a smile. “Young Master Chen, you must be joking. How could we ask a young lady to handle this matter? Besides, it was you who—”

Before she could finish, Chen Dabao shoved her aside and reached for the carriage curtain. “Enough with the nonsense! I was being polite, and now you think you’re somebody important?”

Inside the carriage, the three young ladies tensed up, especially Shen Qing Li. Just moments ago, those murky yellow eyes had looked at her as if he wanted to devour her whole.

Shen Qing Li was not a timid person by nature—no one who had been on the battlefield was.

But with her father gone, her mother gravely ill, and no one to rely on in this unfamiliar capital city, she had long since learned to endure, to tread carefully… She had no right to be bold.

She didn’t know what to do. Chen Dabao was clearly targeting her. Just as she resolved to handle the situation with soft words, a sudden scream rang out from outside the carriage.

Chen Dabao had been grabbed by the collar and thrown hard onto the side of the road.

“Who has the guts to lay a hand on me?” he bellowed as his servants rushed to help him up.

High on horseback, Jun Mo Ran looked down at him, expressionless. He asked leisurely, “Who is ‘Grandfather’?”

Chen Dabao’s heart dropped at the sight of Yunsheng and followed the line of the horse upwards—only to meet Jun Mo Ran’s cold gaze. Terrified, he fell to his knees with a loud thud.

“I’m Grandfather! No, no, no, you’re Grandfather! You’re Grandfather! Please, Your Grace, have mercy!” Chen Dabao and his servants kowtowed frantically.

Hearing his voice, Shen Qing Li felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Just as she was about to lift the carriage curtain to see what was happening, Jiang Yuying stepped out first.

As the curtain lifted, she saw that Chen Dabao’s forehead was already bleeding from his frantic kowtowing. Yunsheng’s sword had been drawn just slightly from its scabbard.

Jun Mo Ran remained silent, and so Chen Dabao kept kowtowing.

In the entirety of the capital, there was no one who wasn’t afraid of Jun Mo Ran—especially these spoiled noble sons. Ending up in Jun Mo Ran’s hands meant at best, shedding a layer of skin.

The former Grand Chancellor himself had been removed by Jun Mo Ran. The reason? His son had merely flirted with Jun Mo Ran’s maidservant, and the entire family had been exiled as a result.

Chen Dabao’s grandfather had struggled for years to reach the position of Grand Chancellor. If he caused trouble now, even as the sole heir, he wouldn’t be able to survive.

But why was this fearsome figure—who rarely meddled in such trivial matters—intervening today?

Jun Mo Ran had no interest in wasting words on a drunkard. Instead, he turned to the servants and said indifferently, “Go back and tell Minister Chen that if he doesn’t know how to discipline his son, I would be happy to do it for him.”

A few servants hurriedly responded and dragged Chen Dabao away, tails between their legs.

Madam Qian was still in shock when Jiang Yuying, who had just jumped down from the carriage, quickly stepped forward and gracefully bowed. “Yuying thanks Your Grace for your assistance.”

If Jun Mo Ran lowered his gaze at this moment, he would see the delicate curve of her neck and her slightly downturned profile from this angle.

But he didn’t even spare her a glance. Instead, he stood by the carriage window and said indifferently, “Remember, I’ve helped you once again.”

With that, he turned his horse and rode away.

Jiang Yuying slowly lifted her head, her face flushed. “Yuying will remember this well.”

Madam Qian, noticing her daughter’s shy expression, felt a jolt of surprise… Could it be that Jun Mo Ran had taken a liking to Ying’er?

“Ying’er, was he… talking to you just now?”

“Who else could it be?” Jiang Yuying’s voice had softened, her heart pounding wildly. If she truly entered the Ninth Prince’s manor, wouldn’t she be able to walk sideways in the capital?

Every word of their conversation drifted into the carriage.

Shen Qing Li’s heart pounded just as wildly. She knew exactly whom those words had been meant for.

Madam Qian and her daughter got back into the carriage, but Shen Qing Li dared not look outside anymore. She feared stirring up thoughts she shouldn’t have.

The rhythmic clatter of horse hooves echoed in her mind, each beat landing on her heart. All she could picture was the way he had looked on horseback.

Jiang Yuying noticed that Shen Qing Li didn’t show any trace of envy, and she felt dissatisfied.

“Qing Li, about me and His Grace…” She hesitated deliberately, feigning modesty before adding, “You mustn’t tell anyone.”

Shen Qing Li could see the pride in her eyes. She merely nodded lightly without saying a word.

The carriage arrived at the Marquis Manor. Shen Qing Li took Chun Hua and returned to her courtyard.

As soon as she stepped inside, she spotted Qiuyue standing at the entrance with Yunsheng.

Seeing her return, Qiuyue quickly approached, glancing nervously at Yunsheng. “Miss, he…”

Shen Qing Li gently patted her hand, signaling her to stay quiet for now, then turned to Yunsheng.

“Miss Shen, this is a medicinal balm prepared by Imperial Physician Yang. His Highness sent it over, saying that young ladies are delicate and should apply it early for the wound to heal.”

It must have been for the burn she had gotten earlier—he must have noticed and specially sent it, knowing she might have trouble eating these next few days.

When he chose to be kind, there was nothing to fault.

Shen Qing Li gestured for Chun Hua to accept the medicine, then softly said, “Thank you, Guard Yun. Please convey my gratitude to His Highness… and tell him that I will deliver what he asked for as soon as possible.”

Yunsheng simply nodded and bowed before leaving, showing no curiosity about what his master had requested.

Qiuyue, on the other hand, blinked in confusion and blurted out, “What thing?”

Chun Hua shot her a sharp look. “Mind your tongue!”

Qiuyue pursed her lips and stuck her tongue out playfully before falling silent.

Shen Qing Li first went to greet her mother, taking the opportunity to inform her that she planned to move out on the first of next month—barely ten days away.

Jiang Yingwan did not respond directly. She simply told her to rest early.

Back in her room, Shen Qing Li retrieved her embroidery kit. She had spent days practicing, always stitching bamboo—various kinds of bamboo. By now, she no longer needed a pattern; she could start sewing immediately.

Chun Hua saw that she seemed to be working on a sachet and instinctively reached out to help.

“Chun Hua, don’t,” Shen Qing Li said softly. “I’ll do it myself.”

Jun Mo Ran had helped her so many times. A sachet was a small thing, but she didn’t want anyone else’s hands to touch it.

The next morning, Shen Qing Li accompanied her mother for breakfast. During the meal, she brought up the topic of her departure again. This time, Jiang Yingwan finally spoke the truth.

“I used the jade pendant your grandfather left you to secure you a good marriage match. We should receive a response in the next few days. Let’s wait for the reply before you leave.”

Shen Qing Li was so shocked she couldn’t even continue eating. Her eyes widened.

“Mother… what did you just say?”