Jun Jiuli woke up to find herself in a rattling carriage. She lifted the curtain to peek outside, but it was pitch black.
"Miss, you're awake. Does Miss need Lushzhu to come in and serve?"
"No need, Lushzhu. What time is it, and where are we?"
"Replying to Miss, it is now midnight. In another half an hour, we will reach the city gates, and we will soon be home."
"This carriage is making me dizzy and uncomfortable. Tell them to stop. It's so late, I don't want to disturb Grandmother and the others. I'll wait until I feel better before we continue."
"Yes, Miss."
Lushzhu ran to inform Manager Zhang, who was leading the convoy, and the carriage procession immediately halted.
A stout, red-faced woman with an aggressive demeanor stormed towards Jun Jiuli's carriage. Disregarding etiquette, she roughly yanked open the curtain.
Without even looking at Jun Jiuli properly, she perfunctorily said, "Greetings to Second Miss," before launching into a barrage of scolding.
"We're almost at the city gates, and Second Miss has fallen ill? She was fine just now. Is this an excuse deliberately made to avoid returning to our Marquisate?"
"What do you mean,嬷嬷? The Marquisate is my home, how could I dislike it? It is you, a presumptuous servant, who is disrespectful and rude to me. What crime do you deserve?"
"Second Miss has misunderstood this old servant. We are about to reach the city gates, and this old servant merely wishes to return home sooner. If Second Miss is not gravely ill, please allow the manager to proceed."
As she spoke, she put on a sorrowful expression and gazed outside eagerly, hoping to elicit sympathy from Jun Jiuli and make her drop the matter.
"Heh, since when is it your place, a mere servant, to make decisions for me? Do you think I don't want to go home? I have an unbearable headache, and you, a presumptuous servant, are still pressing the issue. Is this how Eldest Aunt disciplines her servants?"
Concubine Zhou immediately knelt down. With so many people present, if the Marquis's wife were to be known for her poor discipline, she would surely face consequences upon her return.
"This old servant has overstepped. I beg Second Miss for your forgiveness."
She thought that this mere twelve-year-old child, orphaned and without support, would not dare to do anything to her. Once they entered the Marquisate, she would embellish the story and slander Jun Jiuli before the Marquis's wife.
"Since嬷嬷 admits her mistake, then let her be beaten ten times as a warning."
Concubine Zhou's face was filled with disbelief. "You dare to hit me? I am the Marquis's wife's person."
"Precisely because you are Eldest Aunt's person, you must be taught a proper lesson. Lest you shame our Zhongyong Marquisate when you go out in the future."
The clever Lushzhu had already called two servants who dragged the woman to a nearby spot and began beating her with the large wooden poles used for carrying chests. Lushzhu stuffed the woman's mouth with her own handkerchief and personally supervised. She had long been annoyed with this old hag, who acted more like a mistress than her young lady, relying on her age and arrogance.
"Host, why did you waste so much time talking to her? You should have just kicked her a few times to vent your anger."
"With the entire convoy watching, it would not be good for the original host's reputation. It only took a few words."
The original host's name was Zhao Jing Shu, the second daughter of the Zhongyong Marquisate, and the only legitimate daughter of Zhao Yan, the Prefect of Yizhou (a third-rank official, equivalent to a mayor, with significant authority). Zhao Yan was the third son of the Marquisate (legitimately born). His father had a favored concubine, Madam Jiang, who bore his second elder brother. His mother focused entirely on her eldest legitimate son and on feuding with Madam Jiang, paying little attention to Zhao Yan, her younger son. The excessive affection made Madam Jiang lose her senses, wanting her own son to contend for the title of Marquis. This made the Old Madam even more anxious, dedicating herself to the upbringing and supervision of her eldest son. In the end, her eldest son inherited the title, and her younger son achieved the highest scholar rank. Only then did she realize the extraordinary talent of her younger son. By the time she wanted to get closer to him, it was already too late. A rift had formed between mother and son, and the Old Madam subsequently gave up on "unfilial" Zhao Yan. She was so worried about her eldest son's marriage that she almost fainted from exhaustion. As Zhao Yan was nearing the age of marriage, she intended to marry her niece to him. Upon learning of her intentions, Zhao Yan directly requested to be posted to an outer region. He performed well in Yizhou, his official position rising higher and higher, eventually holding more actual power than his own elder brother. The Old Madam did not take pride in this, only feeling he was unruly and too conspicuous. The original host's maternal family was merely a merchant family, which the Old Madam naturally disdained. Therefore, after Zhao Yan got married, he returned home very few times. The original host was twelve years old when her father tragically died from a rockslide during an inspection. Her mother, consumed by grief, passed away not long after. The original host became an orphan and had to return to the capital. Concubine Zhou was sent by her eldest aunt to fetch her. The original host hired a security company for escort and embarked on the journey back to the capital with her parents' considerable fortune. However, they arrived at the Marquisate around 3 AM, when the streets were deserted. The escorts were dismissed and sent back to Yizhou. The original host was left without support in the Marquisate. Except for Lushzhu, all other servants who came with her were dismissed by the Marquis's wife for various reasons. The large fortune had long been coveted by everyone in the Marquisate. Her father had only her as his daughter and always made arrangements with her well-being in mind. He feared that if anything happened to him, her family would casually arrange her marriage. Therefore, he had arranged a betrothal for her in the capital with Song Yunqian, the son of the Minister of Personnel. Zhao Yan and the Minister of Personnel were friends. Minister Song's family was upright and well-educated. His son was also outstanding, skilled in both literary and martial arts at a young age, and had a good reputation in the capital. Thus, he was at ease marrying his daughter into their family. Minister Song naturally did not expect that the esteemed Marquisate would mistreat their own legitimate granddaughter. As he was a man, it was inconvenient for him to visit. He entrusted Madam Song to frequently send invitations and visit the original host. Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the main hall, it was naturally difficult for the original host to say anything. She longed to grow up quickly and marry into the Song household, thus having a better life. She and Song Yunqian were engaged, and they had met. Initially, Song Yunqian saw her merely as a responsibility, but after spending some time together, he genuinely cared for her. Unfortunately, accidents always happen. Li Wei, the nephew of the Marquis's wife, came to visit the estate. He saved the original host when she accidentally fell into the water, and her body was exposed. Song Yunqian stated he did not mind, but the Zhongyong Marquis's wife made the incident widely known throughout the city. The Zhongyong Marquis directly broke off the engagement for the original host and married her off to the Marquis's wife's nephew. The dowry that was carried out had half of its boxes empty, and the rest were worthless trinkets. Those who were unaware praised the Zhongyong Marquis and his wife as benevolent and generous to their niece, as if they had forgotten the respectable official position the original host's father held.