Chapter 88 New Year’s Annoyance

Chapter 88: Spoiling the New Year

Outside the tent, Xiao Xiuzhan and his aide also spotted the eagle streaking across the night sky. A chill ran down their spines, and they hurriedly rushed back to the military tent.

Inside, the note from Xizhou lay undisturbed on the ground. The tent was empty, as if nothing had happened.

The aide scanned the area and let out a long sigh of relief. "Your Highness, you can relax. It seems no one has discovered it."

But Xiao Xiuzhan did not let his guard down. He carefully picked up the fallen note and suddenly noticed a crimson stain on the paper. His face instantly darkened.

Someone had touched this note!

A murderous glint flashed in Xiao Xiuzhan's eyes. Slowly baring the sword at his waist, he began searching the tent.

Finally, under a low table, he found Gu Yiting, trembling and pale-faced.

The burn on Gu Yiting's lips was still oozing blood. Meeting Xiao Xiuzhan's icy gaze, he was terrified out of his wits. He immediately knelt, kowtowing desperately and begging for mercy. "Your Highness, spare me! I swear to heaven, I will not breathe a word of what I saw tonight to anyone! Please show mercy, spare my life!"

Hearing this, a cold, sinister smile slowly curled at the corner of Xiao Xiuzhan's mouth, chilling as a wind from hell.

"Master Gu, you and the Crown Prince are cousins. This prince would trust anyone before trusting you! Moreover, only the mouths of the dead are truly sealed."

No sooner had he spoken than the sharp sword in his hand plunged into Gu Yiting's chest.

Gu Yiting spewed a mouthful of blood. Before he could get a word out, he collapsed stiffly to the ground, his face frozen in a look of utter terror from his final moments.

Xiao Xiuzhan gazed down coldly at the corpse and instructed his aide, "Bundle him up in some snow and bring him along. When we reach the bandit lair, throw him there. Put out the story that he was killed by the bandits."

A ferocious smile appeared on his face. "In a bandit suppression campaign, a death is perfectly normal."

"Yes, Your Highness! Subordinate understands!" the aide acknowledged the order.

Meanwhile, far away in the capital, Censor Gu was preparing to go to bed.

A sudden, excruciating pain shot through his chest, instantly leaving him pale and gasping for breath.

This abrupt agony felt like a premonition, filling him with dread and unease.

A nagging feeling told him that something terrible had happened.

—

At the start of the New Year, Jiang Shuning donned a brand-new brocade dress early in the morning, filled with joy as she prepared to go to her parents' courtyard to pay her New Year respects.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped into the courtyard, a figure came charging at her.

With a ferocious expression, the person raised a hand without a word and flung a handful of white papers directly at her face.

Jiang Shuning looked closely—they were spirit money!

Just then, Chancellor Jiang and Madam Jiang emerged from the inner courtyard and happened to witness this scene. They were so shocked they cried out, "Sister-in-law, what are you doing?!"

Ling Wu quickly shielded Jiang Shuning, glaring angrily at the one who had thrown the spirit money, Second Madam Jiang. "Of all days, on New Year's! How could Second Madam Jiang do such an inauspicious thing to our Eldest Miss? Have you lost your mind?!"

Second Madam Jiang threw her head back and laughed wildly, her expression deranged. "My Tianci died so tragically! How does this bitch still have the face to celebrate the New Year? Tianci died because of you! Why don't you go to the underworld to keep him company?!"

Jiang Shuning said coldly, "Second Aunt, how many times must I say it before you believe me? Second Brother's death has nothing to do with me! I never intended to harm his life!"

"Even if you didn't do it with your own hands, he died because of you!" Second Madam Jiang's eyes were wide with rage, refusing to relent. "If you hadn't always had it in for Tianci, why would the Fourth Prince hire assassins to kill my child just to please you?!"

Jiang Shuning gave a cold laugh, her gaze sharp as a knife piercing the other woman. "Since Second Aunt is convinced the Fourth Prince hired someone to kill Second Brother, why not confront him directly? Or appeal to the Emperor directly, asking His Majesty to uphold justice for you? Is Second Aunt afraid, or simply lacking evidence? Or perhaps both? Besides making baseless accusations against me, what else is Second Aunt capable of?"

"You…"

At that moment, Jiang Shuning's second uncle, Second Master Jiang, arrived belatedly, pretending to support Second Madam Jiang. "Wife, I know Tianci's passing has left you heartbroken with grief. But how could you secretly hide spirit money and throw it at Shuning? Such an inauspicious act is truly inappropriate! We came today to wish Elder Brother and Sister-in-law a Happy New Year. With your actions, how can I ever have the face to step into the Chancellor's residence again?"

Jiang Shuning watched coldly from the side, disgusted by her second uncle's hypocritical display.

She let out a cold laugh, her tone icy, each word cutting to the heart. "Didn't Second Uncle already take away the half of the family property Grandfather left for Father? What's this? You swore back then that once you got your share, you would no longer pursue Second Brother's death. Now that the money is in your hands, you've thrown that promise to the wind? I've seen people go back on their word, but never someone as shameless as Second Uncle. It's truly a sight to behold!"

"You…" Second Master Jiang was stung by her words, his face flushing red, his fingers trembling with anger, almost speechless. "You caused my Tianci's death, and yet you dare insult me like this! This is outright rebellion!"

"Insult you? I'm going to throw you out of the Chancellor's residence!" Jiang Shuning issued a merciless, cold order. "Guards! Throw Second Master Jiang and Second Madam Jiang out! From now on, they are forbidden from setting foot in the Chancellor's residence ever again!"

"Yes, Eldest Miss!" the Estate Guards responded in unison, swiftly surrounding them. Ignoring Second Master Jiang and Second Madam Jiang's roars and struggles, they forcibly escorted them out the gate.

Thus ended the farcical scene.

Madam Jiang stepped forward, heart aching as she took Jiang Shuning's hand. "My Ning has been wronged."

Chancellor Jiang also wore an apologetic expression. "It was Father's lack of consideration. Your second uncle said they wanted to pay New Year respects. I shouldn't have let them in. But thinking they, like us, have lost their son's company during the New Year festivities, my heart softened for a moment, and I allowed it. Who knew your second aunt would bring such an inauspicious thing as spirit money…"

"Father need not blame himself. Your daughter doesn't mind." Jiang Shuning's expression had already returned to calm. "Second Uncle and Second Aunt are not good people. Father and Mother should avoid interacting with them as much as possible in the future. Otherwise, farces like today's will likely keep happening."

Chancellor Jiang and Madam Jiang deeply agreed. "We'll listen to Ning from now on."

Jiang Shuning received her red envelope and returned to the Jade Bamboo Courtyard.

Ling Wu said, "Eldest Miss, that spirit money is terribly inauspicious. Why don't you change your clothes? This servant will boil a pot of pomelo water for you to wash with, to cleanse away the bad luck?"

"No need. It's just spirit money. It won't cause me any real harm."

Ling Wu couldn't help but sigh with admiration. "If it were any other young lady, having spirit money thrown at her head on the first day of the New Year, she would probably be crying her eyes out by now. Our Eldest Miss is truly different from ordinary young ladies from boudoirs. Your resilience is admirable!"

Jiang Shuning smiled. "They just want to make me angry and upset. Why should I give them what they want? Let them make a scene. Eventually, they'll realize such lowly tactics are completely ineffective against me, causing no pain or itch."

She thought to herself that it was just as well things had escalated like this today. It severed all ties with the second branch for good.

Otherwise, given her parents' gentle and kind natures, they would likely always be taken advantage of by the second branch couple.

She couldn't help but think again: in her previous life, after her death, her coffin must have been piled high with spirit money, right?

She regretted, for the sake of revenge against Xiao Lingchuan, not telling him the truth—that she had been poisoned—before she died.

If her parents in her previous life thought she had committed suicide by poison, how heartbroken they must have been.

Fortunately, in this life, she had decided to draw a clear line with Xiao Lingchuan and no longer worried about being poisoned by schemers.

—

After being thrown out of the Chancellor's residence, Second Master Jiang and Second Madam Jiang went straight to the Laifu Tavern.

Jiang Yaozhen was already seated at a tea table, leisurely sipping tea.

Beside her sat Second Master Jiang's daughter, Jiang Lian.

Second Madam Jiang approached with a fawning expression, her tone ingratiating. "Yaozhen, your second aunt has done as you instructed. I specifically went to the Chancellor's residence to cause trouble for that little wretch Jiang Shuning. Look, can you help your second aunt now?"

Jiang Yaozhen set down her teacup, a slight smile curling her lips. "Second Aunt, speak your mind."