Chapter 6: Since When Did Miss Jiang Become This King’s Beloved Concubine?

Jiang Chuyue’s brows knitted slightly.

Baozhu raised her voice sharply, scolding, “Where did this lecher come from! Men and women should keep their distance—how dare you overstep!”

From outside the screen, a young dandy replied, “I am Liu Qingshu, son of the Assistant Minister of Revenue.”

Baozhu didn’t care what minister’s son he was. Huffing angrily, she snapped, “My lady will not see you. If you don’t leave, I’ll call people over.”

Fanlou had no shortage of muscle.

Anyone daring to cause trouble there would surely get beaten up.

Liu Qingshu didn’t force his way in. Instead, from behind the screen, his lecherous eyes traced the graceful outline of Jiang Chuyue’s figure. He licked his lips, shook his folding fan lazily, and strolled away.

Jiang Chuyue lost her mood for drinking.

What puzzled her was—every time she went out she wore a veiled hat, yet this Liu fellow somehow knew where to find her.

Baozhu said, “Miss, it’s nearly noon. The Old Madam is still waiting for you at the residence to have lunch together. Let’s head back.”

Jiang Chuyue put on her veil and left Fanlou.

The carriage traveled along the main street, passing through a secluded alley. Jiang Chuyue pressed her fingers to her temple—suddenly she felt dizzy, her limbs weak.

Alarm bells rang in her mind. She realized she’d been drugged. Her thoughts went to that pot of peach blossom wine at Fanlou.

The carriage suddenly stopped.

Jiang Chuyue asked, “Baozhu, why have we stopped?”

No answer.

Lifting the curtain, she saw the coachman and Baozhu tied up tightly, their mouths gagged.

A thin young man in blue robes stood there with a folding fan, eyes roaming over her with a greasy smile. He clapped his hands in delight. “What an extraordinary beauty! The Wang family wasn’t lying to me!”

Jiang Chuyue’s nails dug into her palms as she fought to stay clear-headed. “I am the young lady of the Xiao residence. How dare you touch me!”

Liu Qingshu sneered, “Once we consummate the marriage today, I’ll be the general’s brother-in-law—we’ll be family.”

The more he looked, the harder it was to control himself.

He’d heard for years of the Xiao family’s talented and beautiful ‘Miss Jiang.’ Seeing her in person now, he felt half his soul had been stolen away.

She was stunning.

Liu Qingshu hurried forward, rubbing his hands. “No one’s here in this alley. This carriage can be our wedding chamber. Wife, let your husband have a kiss.”

Jiang Chuyue gathered her strength and kicked him hard in the groin. Liu Qingshu howled in pain, and she bolted.

“Catch her!” he roared. “Don’t let her get away!”

The alley seemed endless.

Jiang Chuyue’s head spun as she ran, pursued by pounding footsteps like a predator on her heels. At the far end, she saw a pitch-black ebony carriage. Its shaft gleamed coldly in the sunlight, the corners capped with gilded beast heads—imposing and forbidding.

No coachman. The curtain was half-lifted, revealing a vague silhouette inside.

It almost looked like they were waiting for her.

Clinging to the hope of survival, she shouted, “Help! Help!”

The person inside didn’t move—as if ready to watch from the sidelines.

Jiang Chuyue made up her mind and dashed toward the carriage, yelling, “Help! I—I am the Regent’s beloved concubine! Someone’s trying to kill the Regent! Help me and you’ll be richly rewarded!”

In the bustling capital, any connection to the famous Regent might mean a chance to live.

The curtain lifted.

It was the cold, stern face of Regent Xie Linyuan.

Jiang Chuyue: …

The embarrassment was instant—caught in a lie the moment it left her lips.

Xie Linyuan’s fingers held the curtain aside, his black eyes glancing at her with amusement. His voice was cool and mocking: “Since when did Miss Jiang become this king’s beloved concubine?”

Jiang Chuyue switched her story without missing a beat. “Your Highness misheard. This girl is under attack by villains—please save me.”

“Oh,” Xie Linyuan replied, the tone deliberately drawn out.

His gaze swept over her—utterly disheveled.

The last time he’d seen her, at the lakeside pavilion, she’d foolishly stood in the rain, equally bedraggled.

Now, in a narrow alley, hair messy, still a picture of misfortune.

She could barely stand; the drug was taking full effect. She gripped the carriage axle, refusing to collapse.

Liu Qingshu and his lackeys caught up.

“Still want to run?” Liu spat viciously. “Grab her!”

Xie Linyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. His long, slender fingers lifted in a subtle gesture. “Throw them into the moat.”

Shadow guards appeared from nowhere. In a flash, Liu Qingshu and his men were gagged and tossed into the nearby rushing waters.

Jiang Chuyue’s strength was gone, but she still kept her distance from him, not daring to get closer.

He studied her features for a long while before speaking slowly: “Take this king’s beloved concubine—take Miss Jiang—back to the Xiao residence.”

“…Thank you, Your Highness,” she managed.

The shadow guards returned her, Baozhu, and the coachman to the Xiao residence.

The alley fell silent again.

Xie Linyuan let the curtain fall. The steward said respectfully, “Your Highness, the time to enter the palace has already passed. The Emperor will surely be displeased.”

Today had been set for court discussions, but the Regent wasn’t in a hurry. He’d been at Fanlou, drinking, watching Jiang Chuyue from above.

Afterward, he’d quietly waited at the end of the street—for her to walk into his path.

Touching his brow, he watched her retreating figure and murmured to himself, “Foolish.”

Whether he meant the Emperor or the unlucky Jiang Chuyue was unclear.

The black carriage rolled slowly toward the towering imperial city.

…

Back at the Xiao residence, Jiang Chuyue was still dizzy from the drug. The Old Madam immediately sensed something wrong and questioned her.

Jiang Chuyue had intended to hide the truth, but the Regent’s shadow guards didn’t keep their tongues in check—they relayed the entire incident.

After taking the antidote, her mind cleared.

Knowing she’d erred, Jiang Chuyue admitted her fault to the Old Madam: “Grandmother, I snuck out to play and was careless. I won’t leave again without your permission.”

The Old Madam patted her hand kindly. “A young girl as lovely as you—cooped up indoors every day with embroidery and books—it’s dull. When I was your age, I often slipped out too. It’s only human.”

She had long known of Jiang Chuyue’s outings but had chosen to turn a blind eye.

Being from a military family, the Old Madam wasn’t rigid in her views.

“Next time you go out,” she said, “I’ll have two skilled servants accompany you.”

Jiang Chuyue’s nose tingled. “Thank you, Grandmother.”

But the Old Madam thought further. Something about this didn’t add up. “Before, when you went out, your identity was never exposed. How did Liu Qingshu know where you’d be today?”

Sensing foul play, she ordered all servants who had gone out that day to be gathered and interrogated with both kindness and severity.

Soon, a young servant fell to his knees, sobbing and confessing.

“Madam Wang gave me five taels of silver, told me that if the young lady ever left the house without permission, I should report to Minister Liu’s residence. Please spare my life, Old Madam!”