After I awakened my inner voice, I became the treasure of my family.

Chapter 80 Trouble at the City Gate

However, Madam Zhou was not convinced by her daughter's words, and knowing that Jingyao was a bit stubborn, she worriedly advised her:

“Silly child, how can you be so sure that he won’t inherit his father’s despicable nature? Maybe he’s just good at pretending and hides his true self so well that no one else has noticed!”

Furthermore, his mother's past act of "switching the prince for a cat" is already common knowledge throughout the capital. Such a ruthless woman, regardless of whether he resembles his father or mother, will inevitably influence him.

"Back then, Lady Jiang Mianmian was tricked into the Marquis's mansion by her father! Many families knew about this back then!"

It's because Shen Hanjiang is a reckless and troublesome person that everyone is afraid of getting into trouble. So people just gossip about it in private, and no one dares to openly expose it.

Poor Jiang Mianmian, she became a stepmother without even realizing it as soon as she entered the Marquis's mansion. What a tragedy! What's even more heartbreaking is that later, her own child was secretly switched by Shen Xiujin's cruel biological mother!

Do you really think the current Lady Hou is genuinely good to him? The waters in their Marquis's mansion run deep. Otherwise, how come nothing bad has happened in the Xuanhua Marquis's mansion until now? It's clear that the old lady of the Marquis's mansion is quite formidable.

"You are innocent and naive, and your mother doesn't want you to marry into such a complicated family. You're also not suited to live in such a scheming household, do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingyao was completely stunned, her face filled with astonishment, clearly unaware of the matter. A hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes.

Madam Zhou, who was standing to the side, took in all the changes in Zhou Jingyao's expression and then said, "Besides, given Shen Xiujin's status in the Marquis's mansion, he is indeed in a rather awkward position."

He's not entirely a legitimate son, nor is he quite a son born out of wedlock; he's neither quite legitimate nor quite son born out of wedlock. Given this situation, inheriting the title in the future will be an incredibly difficult task!

Furthermore, he doesn't even have a proper official position, so in this life, he can only deal with those third-rate merchants at best.

Given his family background, it would be fine if he were the legitimate son, but even if he were just an illegitimate son, he should have had a fiancée by now.

But what about now? You're so old and still not engaged. Isn't the reason for that clear enough? Don't be foolish."

At this point, Madam Zhou gently grasped Zhou Jingyao's hand and earnestly advised, "Jingyao, marriage is a major event that concerns your lifelong happiness. Your mother does not want you to go astray or stray from the right path!"

Some passersby are best left unseen; a quick glance from afar is enough. There's no need to get entangled with them!

After saying this, Madam Zhou sighed and left Yaotai Pavilion. She knew that Jingyao had always seemed cheerful and lively, but she was actually very stubborn and had a strong competitive spirit, just like the general!

She needed to inform the general beforehand, lest something happened to Jingyao and the general blamed her. Anyway, she had already given her advice; whether he listened or not was up to him.

It would also be a good opportunity to have the general investigate Shen Xiujin's character and see if he is someone Jingyao can truly entrust her life to. Just thinking about these things gave her a headache!

At this moment, Zhou Jingyao felt her mind was in complete chaos. She did have some affection for Shen Xiujin, but this feeling was still in its nascent stage.

However, her mother's sharp lecture made her already wavering resolve begin to falter.

After all, she wasn't the kind of woman who blindly fell in love; when it came to such a major life event as marriage, she naturally needed to think things through and act with caution.

Although she said they weren't a good match, she couldn't calm down inside. Whenever she thought of Shen Xiujin's name, her heart would race uncontrollably, as if a playful little rabbit was jumping around in her chest.

She desperately tried to suppress these feelings, attempting to bury them deep in the corner of her heart, so that no one would know.

However, in the few times she had contact with Shen Xiujin, when she realized that he didn't seem to have any special feelings for her, she would silently extinguish the little flame that had just ignited in her heart.

Just as she was determined to completely forget the flutter in her heart, Shen Xiujin appeared before her like a bolt of lightning, and even gave her a gift.

Does this also mean that... Shen Xiu actually harbors some feelings for her?

Her mother's words still echoed in her ears, constantly reminding her to stay clear-headed and rational. But at the same time, a trace of resentment in her heart was quietly growing like a tenacious weed.

What if I've misunderstood?

What if he's actually a good person...?

And so, the heart that had gradually calmed down became restless again, constantly searching for all sorts of possible reasons and explanations for Shen Xiujin.

Should I keep the appointment tomorrow?

This question lingered in Zhou Jingyao's mind, causing her great distress.

Time ticked by, and after a long and intense internal struggle, Zhou Jingyao finally gritted her teeth and, as if making a momentous decision, nodded forcefully: "Go! Why wouldn't I go? I'm determined to go and see!"

Since he has already taken the initiative to come to me, what is there for me to be afraid of?

As for whether or not she will choose to stay with him in the future, isn't that the decision still in her own hands? So what is she afraid of?

After some thought, Zhou Jingyao decided to stop hesitating and decisively sent a letter to Shen Xiujin, indicating that she would keep the appointment on time the next day.

When Shen Xiujin received Zhou Jingyao's reply, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, did not completely settle down. Instead, he was still somewhat uneasy and anxious.

He cared too much about the date and was afraid that something unexpected might go wrong the next day, affecting the date.

So Shen Xiujin had the messenger bring back another letter for Zhou Jingyao.

In the letter, he solemnly told her that no matter what happened tomorrow, he earnestly requested Zhou Jingyao to wait patiently for his arrival, because he would definitely arrive as scheduled.

After receiving Shen Xiujin's letter for the second time, Zhou Jingyao felt an indescribable joy welling up inside her. After all, she could deeply feel from these words how much Shen Xiujin valued their date the next day.

However, at the same time, she couldn't help but mutter to herself: Why is Shen Xiujin so distrustful?

He even repeatedly reminded me, "What, does he think I'll run away at the last minute or deliberately break my promise like those untrustworthy people?"

Thinking of this, Zhou Jingyao couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, and she hummed softly to herself:

"Hmph! I've always been a woman of my word, how could I do something so dishonest? But... as for whether I'll be able to arrive at the meeting place on time tomorrow, that depends on the specific circumstances!"

However, she was completely unaware of this at the moment. Even if she could set off on time tomorrow, it seemed that fate would prevent her from going.

The next morning, Zhou Jingyao carefully changed into a beautiful dress and meticulously dressed herself in front of the bronze mirror. More than an hour had passed since then.

Only when Zhou Jingyao looked at her beautiful reflection in the bronze mirror did she feel satisfied and leave the house with her personal maid, Xiao Taohong, and a few guards.

The coachman drove the carriage, and the guards rode horses, as the group headed towards the city gate.

Looking out from inside the carriage, Zhou Jingyao saw that a long queue had already formed at the city gate, and almost all of them were going to the temple fair at Guangyun Temple. Therefore, there were a lot of people and carriages at the city gate today, which made her frown.

But who could have predicted that as soon as their carriage arrived, unexpected situations would arise one after another.

It turns out that a vicious fugitive escaped under cover of night yesterday, and today the imperial court dispatched officials from the Dali Temple to check all passersby leaving the city.

In this way, people can enter the city without any obstacles and at a fast pace, but today, with the temple fair at Guangyun Temple, the city gates are completely blocked by people and carriages leaving the city.

At this moment, Zhou Jingyao also received a message from Shen Xiujin. He was delayed by something and might be late. He asked her to wait for him so they could go to the temple fair together.

Seeing the people leaving the city, Zhou Jingyao figured her carriage wouldn't be able to leave either, so she sent someone with two words to Shen Xiujin: "Wait for him!" Now she wasn't in a hurry to leave the city gate, since Shen Xiujin was already delayed by something anyway.

However, when the Zhou family's carriage slowly approached the city gate, they had already been waiting there for more than an hour.

Seeing that Shen Xiujin had not yet arrived, Zhou Jingyao was getting a little anxious. She was just about to tell the guards to ask him why he hadn't arrived yet.

Just then, a sudden change occurred, and a shrill scream pierced the sky.

"Aaaaaah... Murder! Help!"

The desperate shout was like a thunderclap, instantly throwing the previously orderly procession leaving the city into chaos.

In an instant, cries, screams, and screams rose and fell, intertwining and echoing throughout the area near the city gate.

At this critical moment, the Dali Temple Supervisor shouted loudly and forcefully, "The Dali Temple is here on the Emperor's orders to arrest fugitives. Those who are not involved, please get out of the way and do not obstruct the officers in handling the case!"

Its voice was like a booming bell, resounding throughout the entire city gate.

Immediately following was a cacophony of sounds: the clanging of weapons, the screams of terror, and the shouts of one another.

The large number of people coming in and leaving the city surged in like a tidal wave, running around in all directions looking for a safe place, and instantly blocking the roads.

Several carriages behind them were also hit hard, being pushed and shoved by the crowd, causing people and horses to fall over.

The location of the Zhou family's carriage, in particular, put them in extreme danger. The horses were neighing incessantly and kicking wildly due to fright.

The coachman was trying his best to control the frightened horse, and the reins were about to slip out of his hands at any moment. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead in his anxiety.

Seeing this, the Zhou family guards who were accompanying the carriage immediately shouted in unison, "Protecting the young lady is the priority! Protect the young lady!" They drew their swords and tried to disperse the crowd that was approaching the carriage.