Chapter 64 Reaping What One Sows

Chapter 64: A Taste of One's Own Medicine

The process of purchasing supplies for the New Year went smoothly. Madam Jiang instructed the accompanying servants to carry the purchased items back to the Chancellor's residence one by one.

Afterwards, the four of them traveled with minimal baggage and returned to the estate by carriage.

On the way back, as the carriage passed through a quiet alley, several masked men wielding swords suddenly rushed out from the alley, bearing down menacingly toward the carriage.

One of the men held his blade to the neck of the coachman, Lao Yang, forcing the carriage to stop.

"Everyone get the hell out! Leave behind anything valuable, or don't blame me for being ruthless with this blade!" the masked man bellowed.

Inside the carriage, Madam Jiang, hearing the commotion outside, was immediately on edge. "What's happening out there?"

Jiang Shuning gently reassured her, "Mother, don't be afraid. Everything will be fine."

Her hand, however, subtly reached for the sleeve crossbow hidden in her sleeve, her eyes darkening.

Jiang Yaozhen feigned terror. "Mother, sister, perhaps we should get down and hand over our money to them! These men look fierce and vicious, not people to provoke."

Before she finished speaking, Jiang Tianze volunteered. "Eldest Sister, let me go down and take a look first."

"Be careful. If they only want money, just give it to them. Don't confront them head-on," Jiang Shuning instructed, handing her own purse to Jiang Tianze.

Madam Jiang also hurriedly took off her purse and handed it to Jiang Tianze.

Jiang Tianze took the two purses and calmly stepped down from the carriage.

Seeing that a man had come down, the group of masked bandits shouted, "There are others in the carriage! Make them all get out immediately!"

Jiang Tianze put on a placating smile. "Sirs, you're only after money, right? Please take this silver. We won't say a word about it!"

As he spoke, he handed the purses belonging to himself, Jiang Shuning, and Madam Jiang to the leader of the masked men.

The masked leader took the purses but pressed further. "How do I know you haven't hidden other valuables? Have everyone in the carriage come down. I'm going to search them one by one!"

"Sir, the carriage holds only the womenfolk. That would surely frighten them..." Before Jiang Tianze could finish, the masked man's blade was already pressed against his neck.

"Now, is it frightening or not?" A dangerous glint flashed in the masked man's eyes.

Jiang Tianze instinctively tightened his grip on the paralysis powder hidden between his fingers, a sinister glint flickering in his eyes.

He could easily take down this ragtag bunch, but doing so would only let the mastermind off the hook, wouldn't it?

He wanted Jiang Yaozhen to reap what she had sown!

Thus, he pretended to be terrified out of his wits. "Sir, please calm your anger! I am the Third Young Master Jiang. If you harm me, my uncle, Chancellor Jiang, will not let this go!"

The masked man was, of course, only bluffing, not truly intending to take his life.

After all, they had a more important task at hand, one from which they could obtain greater rewards.

He deliberately snarled, "Enough nonsense! If the people in the carriage don't come down now, I'll kill you!"

Seeing Jiang Tianze restrained, Jiang Yaozhen secretly rejoiced.

She put on a show of fear and said to Jiang Shuning, "Sister, what should we do? These bandits look so fierce and vicious. I'm so scared!"

Jiang Shuning forced herself to stay calm and said to Madam Jiang, "Mother, you and Yaozhen stay in the carriage for now. I'll go down and see if there's any way to talk our way out of this."

"No! Those men all have knives. What if they hurt you?" Madam Jiang grabbed Jiang Shuning's arm, deeply worried.

"Mother, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

After saying this, Jiang Shuning pushed aside the carriage curtain and stepped down on her own.

As soon as Jiang Shuning's feet touched the ground, Jiang Tianze raised his voice. "Second Sister, why did you come down? Shouldn't this matter be resolved by your mother?"

Hearing this, the leader of the masked bandits immediately peered into the carriage. "Where is Eldest Miss Jiang? Come out quickly!"

Hearing this, Jiang Yaozhen felt her heart sink in panic. "Third Brother, stop talking nonsense! I am your Second Sister..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a masked bandit yanked her out of the carriage.

"How dare you!" Jiang Yaozhen was both shocked and furious. Pointing at Jiang Shuning, she shrieked, "I am Second Miss Jiang! She is Eldest Miss Jiang! Don't get it wrong!"

Jiang Shuning immediately caught the implication in her words.

She asked coldly, "Sister, is it really so important which of us is Eldest Miss Jiang and which is Second Miss Jiang?"

Jiang Tianze also chimed in, "That's right, Eldest Sister. Your mother dotes on you the most. If you have any valuables on you, just hand them over to these heroes. Don't hide anything. Saving your life is what matters!"

After speaking, he looked meaningfully at Jiang Yaozhen.

The surrounding masked bandits immediately fixed their predatory gazes on Jiang Yaozhen, sending a chill down her spine.

When she hired these local thugs, she hadn't shown her face. She had only instructed them to pretend to rob and seize the opportunity to disfigure the face of Eldest Miss Jiang.

But now, Jiang Tianze and Jiang Shuning kept insisting that *she* was Eldest Miss Jiang.

These ruffians would come after her instead!

Realizing this, Jiang Yaozhen was terrified and retreated repeatedly.

The leader of the bandits closed in on Jiang Yaozhen step by step, sneering. "I called for you several times, and you hid in the carriage, refusing to come out. Showing me such disrespect! If I don't teach you a lesson today, how will I maintain my standing in the *jianghu* in the future?!"

Before the words faded, he suddenly drew a dagger. The sharp blade pointed directly at Jiang Yaozhen's face, seemingly about to slash down.

Jiang Yaozhen was so frightened the color drained from her face, and she screamed in terror.

Just then, a sharp arrow shot from Jiang Shuning's sleeve crossbow with a "whoosh," hitting the bandit leader in the side.

The intense pain caused the bandit's wrist to jerk, but he couldn't completely avoid it. The blade left a bloody gash on Jiang Yaozhen's face.

Sharp pain surged through her. Jiang Yaozhen covered her cheek, and crimson blood instantly stained her palm.

"Ah! Ah! Ah—" A piercing wail echoed through the alley.

Without hesitation, Jiang Shuning fired a second arrow, hitting the chest of the bandit restraining Jiang Tianze.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Tianze threw a punch, knocking that bandit to the ground. He then snatched the sword from the bandit's hand and began fighting the remaining bandits.

Seeing that Jiang Yaozhen's face was already scarred and that he himself was injured, the bandit leader lost the will to fight.

He roared, "Retreat!"

Hearing this, the bandits fled in panic, scrambling for escape routes.

Seeing this, Jiang Shuning quickly shouted to Jiang Tianze, "Don't let them get away! Stop them!"

Jiang Tianze's mind was entirely focused on Jiang Shuning. He turned and hurried toward her, saying, "Eldest Sister, don't panic. I just knocked one out..."

Before he could finish, he saw Jiang Yaozhen suddenly pull a hairpin from her head and viciously stab the bandit in the throat.

Blood gushed out, splattering her face and making her look even more ghastly and terrifying.

The bandit struggled a few times before he died a gruesome death.

"Yaozhen, what are you doing?!" Jiang Shuning exclaimed, both shocked and furious.

"They scarred my face! Don't they deserve to die?" Jiang Yaozhen, all trace of her earlier terror and despair gone, leveled a gaze as cold as steel directly on Jiang Tianze. "Third Brother, why did you deliberately call me 'Eldest Sister' just now?"

It was Jiang Tianze who intentionally misled the bandits into thinking she was Jiang Shuning, causing her disfigurement!

He was the real culprit!

Jiang Tianze blinked innocently. "Second Sister, I'm truly sorry. I was too frightened earlier, and in the heat of the moment, I misspoke."

"You're lying!" Jiang Yaozhen trembled with rage. "You did it on purpose!"

Jiang Tianze took a step closer, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Second Sister, what you should do right now is quickly seek medical treatment, before this scar ruins your beautiful face. As for why I misspoke... Hah, shouldn't you blame yourself for your own wicked mind, which brought this undeserved disaster upon you?"

In his eyes, Jiang Yaozhen saw undisguised mockery and malice, and her heart sank into an icy abyss.

Jiang Tianze—he was clearly on Jiang Shuning's side!