Chapter 352

Chapter 352: You’re Not Qualified to Treat His Family Well

She wore an understanding look, saying: “I know you have a kind heart, but exactly because you’re kind, this is something you absolutely must not do.”

She added, “As for those people-if they’re truly unlucky and lose their lives, the Martial Alliance will take good care of their families.”

People from the Martial World all nodded.

They often serve as bodyguards for high officials and nobles; since they take this pay, they should be ready to be hurt or even die. How could a bodyguard make the master’s household take risks for them?

“Take good care of his family?” Yu Zhi Yi said coolly: “Frankly speaking, you’re not qualified to ‘take care’ of his family.”

Chen Ruo Lan’s face went stiff. Looking hurt, she lowered her eyes and said: “Sorry, I shouldn’t have spoken.”

Jiang Liu Ting couldn’t stand it and said, “Jiang Si Jin, Aunt Chen meant well. If you don’t appreciate it, fine, but why use such sharp words?”

He knew very well how awkward Aunt Chen’s position was, yet she still got hit with status talk.

“I’m only telling the truth,” Yu Zhi Yi looked at him coldly, saying: “It’s not only that she isn’t qualified-Eldest Young Master Jiang, you aren’t qualified either.”

She swept her gaze around the circle and said: “If something really happens to him, every single person here will meet with total disaster.”

Jiang Liu Ting gave a sharp, angry laugh, saying: “What is he, the Heavenly King or something?”

“He’s not the Heavenly King,” Yu Zhi Yi said, still cold, “but his father is the current second-rank marquis, Marquis Wu’an. He is the heir apparent of Marquis Wu’an Manor. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be the future Marquis Wu’an.”

“Oh, and besides being the Marquis Wu’an heir, he himself serves in the Capital Halberd Guards as a fourth-rank Deputy Commander,” she added. “Maybe you don’t know what ‘fourth rank’ means. Put it this way: each commandery’s governor is fourth rank.”

Everyone gaped in shock.

Jiang Liu Yun murmured, saying: “So, what they were pushing Sister to abandon…was a fourth-rank Imperial Court official?”

Yu Zhi Yi gave her brother an approving look, saying: “That’s right.”

She looked at Jiang Liu Ting and said: “If the Imperial Court starts investigating this kind of behavior, the lightest charge is ‘intent to harm an Imperial Court official.’ When that happens, not one of you here will get away.”

Jiang Liu Ting’s straight posture shivered as a sudden realization struck him.

Chen Ruo Lan’s face changed and she blurted, saying: “Impossible!” Shock made her voice sharp.

The others still hadn’t recovered from the news. They stared at her blankly.

Realizing she’d lost her composure, Chen Ruo Lan quickly smoothed her expression and said gently: “I don’t mean anything else; I just find it strange. If that Young Master Tang is truly a fourth-rank official, why would he serve as Jin’er’s bodyguard?”

Jiang Liu Ting also looked at Yu Zhi Yi. He had thought of the same question a moment ago-and something else along with it.

Earlier, when Commandery Governor Song and his wife visited the Martial Alliance, they’d treated Second Sister with deep respect. He noticed it, and later asked his father about it. But his father saw nothing odd and even told him not to overthink it: how could a dignified commandery governor be so deferential to a little miss?

Now it seemed he hadn’t been wrong at all. Commandery Governor Song and his wife had truly been respectful to Second Sister. He stared steadily at Yu Zhi Yi, thinking: [What exactly is her status?]

Yu Zhi Yi looked at Chen Ruo Lan and asked back, saying: “What do you think?” Her answer-with-a-question sounded a bit arrogant.

Chen Ruo Lan’s expression changed again and again. [Damn Ji Guang Dai-where exactly did you throw that little wretch back then?!] Ji Guang Dai always obeyed her. He did carry the little wretch out and dump her just as she ordered, but he never told her the exact place, only that it was somewhere no one went.

It was bitterly cold then. At night the temperature dropped to a frightening low. A swaddled infant left in a deserted corner would freeze to death in no time. [I never imagined Ji Guang Dai would lie to me.]

So when Jiang Yu Chuan sent word that he’d found their daughter, she was completely stunned. She wanted to press Ji Guang Dai for details, but at that time he was either shut away in seclusion or busy tinkering with formations. Apart from showing up once at the Grand Horse Racing Meet, he vanished again.

She went to Juxian Manor that day too, but before she could ask him clearly, the arena collapsed. One day dragged into another, until Ji Guang Dai was suddenly struck dead two days ago for no clear reason, and she completely lost the chance to learn the truth of that year. [This question can’t have a good answer.] Yet she refused to admit the possibility.

“I…I don’t know…” she said.

Yu Zhi Yi didn’t care whether she truly didn’t know or was pretending, saying: “If you don’t know, be humble. Don’t jump out for no reason to show off how smart you are.”

Chen Ruo Lan froze. [She actually called me out! That little wretch!]

Before she could speak, Eldest Young Master Song said: “This lady is the Inspecting Prefect personally appointed by Your Majesty, a proper third-rank official. Though she travels low-key, she carries an imperial order to inspect on behalf of the throne. It’s perfectly normal for His Majesty to assign protection to her.”

Chen Ruo Lan was struck dumb, jealousy and fury almost wiping out her reason. [That little wretch is a third-rank official of the Imperial Court? Is the emperor blind? Does she deserve it? Does she?! Ji Guang Dai, what did you even do? You said her later life would never go well-she’s already a third-rank grand official! If this isn’t ‘going well,’ then what is?]

The experts from the Martial World were stunned too. They had never imagined the Second Miss Jiang they looked down on would have such a background.

“No wonder she carries herself like that: she’s a high official,” someone muttered.

“Yeah, a third-rank grand official. Forget about using a footstool when going out-even stepping on people like a footstool seems normal at that level,” another said.

“I heard the young ladies in the Capital City always travel with large entourages, servants in crowds, with huge airs. Compared to that, Second Miss Jiang’s setup is small. I think she must be a clean official,” a third added.

The swing in public opinion came out of nowhere.

And the hope Jiang Liu Ting had been clinging to finally died. Back when he noticed how odd Commandery Governor Song and his wife’s attitude was, he had faintly guessed that this sister was no simple person. Now the coffin lid was nailed shut: she truly wasn’t simple-but not in the way he imagined.

He had imagined her being “not simple” because maybe her foster parents were some powerful lords, or she had married someone remarkable. In reality, she herself had become a third-rank official and was entrusted by the emperor to inspect on behalf of Heaven.

His father, whom he had respected all his life, dreamed of tying their family to the Imperial Court, working hard to build a line to the commandery governor’s household. But the Commandery Governor they always treated so carefully also had to treat their own niece with great care.

Jiang Liu Ting couldn’t say what he felt now. But he knew one thing: because of what he did today, the Alliance Leader seat his father cherished all his life might be lost.