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The next morning, Xia Yuhan got up early. After getting ready, she went to the study to pay her respects to General Xia before leaving the study.
As soon as she stepped outside, Xia Yuhan saw two carriages parked in front of the door. One carriage was extremely luxurious, while the other was very simple.
Beside her, Qiao'er exclaimed as if she had never seen such grandeur before, "Wow, Second Sister! I didn't expect that we would have such a grand occasion for collecting rent. General Xia even prepared such a nice carriage for you!"
Hearing Qiao'er's words, Xia Yuhan merely smiled lightly, pretending she hadn't heard anything, and walked directly toward the simple carriage.
As she walked, she asked Qiao'er, "Qiao'er, did you bring that Big Black Box? Where is it?"
"It's here, Second Sister. They will be here soon. But why aren't we taking that luxurious carriage?"
Just after Qiao'er finished asking, Madam appeared surrounded by a group of maids, making her way toward the luxurious carriage.
Qiao'er looked at Xia Yuhan with disappointment, stuck out her tongue, and muttered, "Second Sister, it's a good thing we didn't take that luxurious carriage."
Xia Yuhan smiled without saying a word. She looked like a lotus flower adorned with gold and emerald decorations atop her hair bun. Dressed in a fiery red outfit, she appeared even more stunning and enchanting.
When she met Madam's fierce gaze, Xia Yuhan smiled brightly and said, "Good morning, Madam! You're up so early to leave Xia Manor for collecting rent?"
Even though Madam was surrounded by maids in splendid attire, she paled in comparison to Xia Yuhan. However, experience still counted; how could Madam not handle a mere maid?
Noticing the Big Black Box being carried over by the servants, Madam impatiently scolded, "Collecting rent for Xia Manor is no trivial matter! Are we going out for leisure?"
Xia Yuhan quickly bowed in apology, "You're absolutely right, Madam. Yu Han understands her mistake."
Madam snorted coldly in her heart and no longer looked at Xia Yuhan as she boarded the luxurious carriage amidst the crowd of people.
Xia Yuhan paid no mind to this. She had her own reasons for bringing the Big Black Box out this time. Moreover, only she knew how to open it and use it; even if it fell into someone else's hands, they would be helpless against it.
"Qiao'er, let's get on the carriage!"
"Yes, Second Sister!"
Under the protection of a group of skilled individuals, the journey was quite safe. Inside the carriage were only Xia Yuhan and her maid.
"Second Sister, what is in this Big Black Box?"
Xia Yuhan closed her eyes to rest and pretended to be very tired as she replied, "Just some useless things."
She didn't forget to yawn deeply, leaning her entire body against the side of the carriage: "Qiao'er, I woke up early today, so let me sleep for a while."
"Yes, Second Sister. Qiao'er will find a cloak for you; it wouldn't be good to catch a chill!"
In fact, Xia Yuhan was pretending to sleep. She was certain that as soon as she fell asleep, her maid Qiao'er would take some action.
Sure enough, not long after she feigned deep sleep, Qiao'er began to examine the Big Black Box. She even inadvertently touched the password input area, which emitted a "beep" sound, startling Qiao'er so much that she jumped up.
"What on earth is this? It's so strange!"
Xia Yuhan observed this scene without revealing any emotion, but in her heart, she was secretly planning something.
If Qiao'er was Madam's person, then she would try to find a way to inform Madam about it. After returning home, this box would definitely attract Madam's attention.
If Madam did not pay attention to it, there could only be one explanation: Qiao'er's master was someone else, likely the same master as the deceased maid Xue'er whom she had speculated about before.
At that moment, the carriage came to a stop, and a voice from outside called out: "Second Sister, we've arrived at Xia Yang Village!"
Xia Yuhan heard it but pretended not to. She wanted to know what Qiao'er would do while she was asleep.
"Shh! Second Sister is resting. If you wake her up, you'll be in trouble!"
Qiao'er frightened the coachman so much that he quickly shrank his head back: "Miss, please spare me; I won't dare again!"
Qiao'er responded kindly, "Well, just make sure you know."
Inside the carriage, Xia Yuhan, who was pretending to sleep, suddenly felt a cold glint in her heart as she overheard the conversation between the two outside.
Hmph, good for you, Qiao'er!
Treating the servants like this would only make her appear as a tyrant, pretentious and abusive in the eyes of the servants at Xia Manor.
Heh heh...
Just as Qiao'er was about to say something to the coachman, Xia Yuhan groggily emerged from the carriage: "Have we arrived at Xia Yang Village?"
Upon seeing the renowned Xia Yuhan from the capital and recalling Qiao'er's earlier warning, the coachman was so frightened that he quickly knelt on the ground and did not dare to rise: "Second Sister, spare me! I didn't mean to disturb your sweet dreams."
Xia Yuhan coldly glanced at the trembling Qiao'er beside the coachman, secretly laughing in her heart, though she showed none of it on her face.
To everyone's surprise, after getting off the carriage, she not only refrained from scolding the coachman but also personally helped him up and comforted him: "Old man, you must have been startled recently; are you afraid of everyone now?"
Seeing Xia Yuhan so kind and seemingly harmless, the coachman truly could not see any danger or menace in her: "Second Sister, your concern for others is truly humbling!"
"Please get up, old man. There are many stones on the ground; kneeling for too long isn't good for your knees!"
The coachman was moved to tears: "Thank you, Sister Xie. Second Sister, you are such a good person!"
Undoubtedly, at this moment, Qiao'er must have been furious, but Xia Yuhan didn't even glance at her and directly walked towards Xia Yang Village.
She had arranged to meet Sun Liuxiang here and needed to wait for her.
Unbeknownst to Xia Yuhan, as soon as they left Xia Manor, General Xia had secretly dispatched a group of skilled protectors to follow them discreetly.
...
Upon learning that Xia Yuhan was coming to collect rent in Xia Yang Village, Canglong Hui smiled cruelly: "If I can eliminate Xia Yuhan in that godforsaken place where nothing happens, no one will connect this matter to me."
The Captain of the Guards repeatedly expressed his concerns, "My Lord, there must be a mysterious force supporting Xia Yuhan; otherwise, our people wouldn't have been killed in such a senseless manner by those sent by the Empress. Moreover, recently, Prince Yile has been in close contact with Xia Yuhan. My Lord, you must be cautious."
"You have a point. I will head to the palace now to discuss this with Mother Empress. For now, there's no need to prepare any troops. If I receive orders for action, you will go personally; that will put my mind at ease!"
"Understood, My Lord!"
...
Jiang Tingyu learned that Xia Yuhan was going to Xia Yang Village to collect rent and smiled for the first time in front of the steward, smiling like a joyful child.
However, the steward was puzzled by this reaction.
"Why are you laughing, Sir?"
"Jiang Tingyu is laughing at Xia Yuhan."
The steward muttered in dissatisfaction, "Does that look like mocking? It’s clearly a smile of admiration!"
Jiang Tingyu knocked on the steward's head in frustration, "What nonsense are you talking about? Jiang Tingyu is happy for Xia Yuhan. This rent collection is her first task as the steward of Xia Manor. If she performs well in this first task, it will be much easier for her to establish herself in Xia Manor in the future!"
"But Xia Yang Village is a harsh place; winning this battle won't be easy."
The steward blinked with resentment, "You usually don't care about such trivial matters and avoid dealing with court affairs. Why are you suddenly so concerned about Xia Yuhan?"
"The court is the court; Jiang Tingyu has his reasons for keeping his distance! Those princes and nobles only think about how to curry favor with Jiang Tingyu or how to eliminate him altogether when they see him. And those princesses and young ladies only want to win Jiang Tingyu's favor through flattery and charm... I'm already tired of all that."
The steward blinked in confusion, "Oh~~ So you're interested in Xia Yuhan because she feels fresh? Is that right?"
Jiang Tingyu smiled gently, "Yes, exactly!"
In fact, he had not yet voiced his deeper thoughts—that when he was with Xia Yuhan, she did not try to flatter him or seek his favor. Being with her felt like a true enjoyment.
But the butler began to frown again and muttered, "Has the master grown tired of my face?"
Jiang Tingyu deliberately put on a stern expression and said, "If you don't go handle things and send someone to continue investigating Xia Yuhan, I might just grow tired of your face!"
"Understood, my lord! I will go right away!"
With that, he dashed out of the hidden courtyard of Jiang Residence, leaving Jiang Tingyu feeling both amused and exasperated.
He looked up at the birds flying freely in the sky and wished he could transform into a bird to escape the endless constraints of this world.
Abandoned by his family at the academy and having never believed in fate, he had devoted himself to his studies. Little did he expect that one day he would be framed and expelled from the academy, becoming a homeless wanderer.
He never anticipated that he would meet a Reclusive Master in the mountains and become his disciple. If it weren't for his master revealing his true heritage before passing away and urging him to stand up and serve the Azure Dragon Kingdom no matter what, he wouldn't be here now!
As for his background, he had never mentioned it to anyone. To him, his extraordinary lineage was a source of humiliation. He considered himself exceptional and could not tolerate such shame, which led to his deep resentment towards his living relatives.
To alleviate the pain in his heart, he often spent time in this garden, creating various inventions, playing music, writing poetry, and reading extensively. Whenever he felt bored, he would go out for a walk to experience the people's lives and help the common folk.
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