Chapter 15: Backing Her Up

Jiang Jin struggled to return Furong’s hand squeeze, her voice tinged with bitterness: “Furong, tell me… did I do something wrong just now?”

Furong quickly guessed what was troubling Jiang Jin and shook her head firmly: “No, Miss, you did nothing wrong!”

“Anyone would have remained silent in that situation. Especially since you were in the imperial palace, standing before someone from the Empress Dowager’s side. Your own circumstances weren’t much better than that person’s—you handled it well!”

Furong’s words were effective, and before long, Jiang Jin calmed down.

She took a deep breath, about to say something, but the next moment, the carriage jolted to a sudden stop. Propelled by inertia, her entire body nearly crashed into the carriage wall.

Though she wasn’t injured, her fair and delicate hands were still bruised.

Looking at the minor scrapes on her hands, Jiang Jin blinked and turned them over.

The scratches on her palms, dug in by her own nails, were deeper than those on the back of her hands. Yet earlier in the palace, she had felt numb, completely unaware of the pain.

Now, with the pain from both places converging, Jiang Jin felt her nose sting.

Fortunately, she sniffed and held back her tears.

She was actually quite afraid of pain, but she also knew that not everyone would pity her tears.

This truth was something she had only gradually come to understand in her previous life, after being married into the Yong’an Marquis Mansion…

“Miss, the carriage opposite refuses to yield!” the coachman reported.

Jiang Jin frowned and asked, “Do you know whose carriage it is?”

The coachman replied, “It seems… it seems to be from the Yong’an Marquis Mansion!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a voice came from the opposite carriage.

“My lady is in a hurry to leave the city. Move aside at once!”

The voice was loud and carried a hint of arrogance.

If it were anyone else, Jiang Jin would have yielded.

But of all people, it had to be someone from the Yong’an Marquis Mansion!

At this moment, Jiang Jin clenched her hands tightly, unwilling to relent.

“Miss, the coachman says there’s no room for us to yield on either side. Shall I go and negotiate?” Furong asked.

Jiang Jin slowly shook her head: “No need. Since we have no room to yield, anyone reasonable would move aside on their own. Clearly… the other party is domineering and unreasonable!”

Furong nodded, agreeing with this assessment.

What was so special about the Yong’an Marquis Mansion? Did it give them the right to act arrogantly in the capital?

It wasn’t their fault—why should they have to suffer?

Meanwhile, inside the opposite carriage, the wife of the Yong’an Marquis listened to her maid’s report and twisted her handkerchief fiercely.

“That little wretch is just like her dead older sister—both are insufferable!”

The wife of the Yong’an Marquis had never been satisfied with the idea of marrying into the Jiang family again, but she couldn’t defy her husband and son, so she was forced to accept the Jiangs.

To her surprise, her son had returned home in some kind of frenzy, insisting that she propose the marriage within three days.

Now, she was rushing to a temple outside the city precisely to check the compatibility of their birth charts!

Little did she expect to run into the person she least wanted to see on the way!

Fuming, the wife of the Yong’an Marquis grew venomous in her expression.

Fortunately, her niece leaned closer to comfort her: “Aunt, Miss Jiang Jin will soon be your daughter-in-law. According to etiquette, she should be the one to come and pay her respects to you.”

“Please don’t be angry. She probably didn’t know it was you in the carriage, thinking it was just a temporary guest like me… That’s why she showed such disrespect… Don’t worry, I’ll go down and speak with Miss Jiang. Perhaps once she knows, she will come to see you.”

The Lady of Yong’an Hou, who already disliked Jiang Jin, felt her disgust nearly reach its peak after hearing these words.

She sneered coldly, “Li’er, don’t go down. I want to see just how utterly unruly this Jiang Jin is!”

With that, she stood up, lifted the carriage curtain, and stepped down.

At that moment, Furong had lifted a corner of the window curtain, closely watching every move of the opposite carriage.

Upon seeing the Lady of Yong’an Hou, she quickly lowered the curtain and asked nervously, “Miss, it’s the Lady of Yong’an Hou in that carriage, and she’s getting off now. It seems she’s heading toward our carriage.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the maid beside the Lady of Yong’an Hou approached their carriage. Without waiting for Jiang Jin or the others to react, she directly lifted the carriage curtain.

“Third Miss Jiang, it really is you! My lady thought it was some ignorant person blocking the way. It turns out it was all a misunderstanding…”

Though the maid spoke of a misunderstanding, her words and actions were entirely presumptuous.

Jiang Jin chuckled lightly and lifted the window curtain to look at the Lady of Yong’an Hou. “For you to personally step down, Madam, shows your care for a junior. However, I’ve just returned from the palace and am rather tired, so I’m afraid I cannot reminisce with you.”

“Your coachman’s skills are lacking, causing your carriage to block the road. In my humble opinion, it would be best to yield. After all, staying in the middle of the road for too long might invite ridicule!”

The Lady of Yong’an Hou sneered, “What a sharp tongue! Since you call yourself a junior, you should have the manners of one. Otherwise, your elder sister in the afterlife would be ashamed of you!”

Hearing her mention her elder sister, the coldness in Jiang Jin’s eyes deepened. She stared intently at the Lady of Yong’an Hou, her lips trembling as she prepared to retort.

But the next moment, the sound of hoofbeats approached.

“Whoa!” Muyu pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a stop beside the Lady of Yong’an Hou and raising a cloud of dust.

“Cough, cough, cough!” The Lady of Yong’an Hou coughed, ready to reprimand her, but saw Muyu jump down from the carriage, carrying a food box as she approached Jiang Jin’s carriage.

“Third Miss, this is from Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. She said she didn’t have time to keep you for a meal in the palace and was worried you might encounter some troublesome person on the road, delaying your return home. So, she ordered me to rush over with some pastries for you.”

As she spoke, Muyu turned her head and smiled at the Lady of Yong’an Hou. “Oh, Lady Hou, you’re here too! What a pity—Her Majesty only instructed me to deliver pastries to Third Miss. I didn’t expect you to run into her on the road as well!”

The Lady of Yong’an Hou knew full well that Muyu was making veiled accusations. She was so furious she was about to lose her temper.

“You—”

“Her Majesty’s pastries are truly delightful, Lady Hou. Would you care to try one?” Jiang Jin took out a pastry and gently waved it in front of the Lady of Yong’an Hou.

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she added regretfully, “Ah, but no. You pride yourself on your manners, so naturally, you wouldn’t accept something offered so casually. What a shame, though. If Her Majesty were to learn that you disdain her pastries, you… might have to explain yourself to her.”

“Don’t you agree, Lady Hou?”

Jiang Jin spoke the last few words slowly, pausing after each one.

Muyu was Ning Wang’s person, so she naturally wouldn’t believe that these pastries were truly sent by the Empress Dowager.

But since she had openly appeared here to support her, it was clear… she had received Ning Wang’s instructions.

In that case, why should she hold herself back!

Jiang Jin looked at Muyu and said, “Please relay a message to ‘Her Majesty the Empress Dowager’ for me, saying…”