Seeing that woman, Jiang Si exclaimed in shock, “Third Sister!”
Hearing the concern in Jiang Si’s voice, Yu Jin immediately threw his teacup, deflecting the guard’s spear that was about to strike Jiang Qiao.
With this sudden turn of events, the crowd erupted into chaos, with screams rising from all directions.
A flash of cold light shot toward Zhen Heng.
Yu Jin’s eyes narrowed as he swiftly grabbed another teacup and threw it, simultaneously leaping out of the window. As he landed on the ground, the flying teacup collided with the hidden weapon, and both fell to the ground.
The scene became increasingly chaotic.
“Protect the Champion!”
Horses neighed loudly, their steps becoming erratic, as shouts rang out from all directions.
A person with a face-covering hat exchanged a few moves with Yu Jin, realized they were outmatched, and immediately retreated.
Yu Jin gave chase, and soon both disappeared into the crowd.
Jiang Si leaned out of the window and saw Long Dan following her instructions to lead Jiang Qiao away from the chaotic crowd. She breathed a sigh of relief but then noticed a gaze fixed upon her.
Their eyes met, and Jiang Si gave a slight nod as a greeting before quickly closing the window.
Zhen Heng had no time to react further as he was surrounded by guards, hastily ending what should have been a glorious champion’s parade.
Long Dan brought the struggling Jiang Qiao up to the teahouse.
Jiang Si went to greet her, holding Jiang Qiao’s hand, “Third Sister, are you alright?”
Seeing Jiang Si, Jiang Qiao stopped struggling, greatly surprised, “Fourth Sister, it’s you. Why are you here?”
Jiang Si replied frankly, “His Highness invited me to watch the champion’s parade together. What about you, Third Sister?”
Jiang Qiao, holding her torn skirt, bit her lip and said, “I also came with Fifth and Sixth Sisters to watch the excitement. Who would have thought I’d almost lose my life!”
“The street was crowded. Third Sister, you were indeed in great danger just now.” Jiang Si still felt a bit scared thinking about the spear thrusting toward Jiang Qiao.
Since her short stay at the Marquis of Changxing’s mansion, the relationship between the two sisters had become increasingly harmonious. Naturally, she didn’t want to see Jiang Qiao come to harm.
Suddenly, Jiang Qiao’s face turned cold, and she slammed her hand on the table, “Someone pushed me! That force was intentional, not just accidental jostling.”
Jiang Si was stunned, immediately thinking of Sixth Miss Jiang Pei.
If the three sisters had come out together, and someone had deliberately pushed Jiang Qiao, Jiang Pei was the most likely culprit.
Jiang Qiao had the same thought and immediately rushed to the window, pushing it open to look outside.
Below, the crowd was still in chaos.
With her sharp eyes, she quickly spotted Jiang Li and her sister leaning against a tree, panting.
“Fourth Sister, they’re over there.”
Jiang Si immediately instructed Long Dan to bring Jiang Li and her sister up.
Soon, Jiang Li and Jiang Pei came upstairs.
After the recent chaos, the two looked even more disheveled than Jiang Qiao, with one’s hair in disarray and the other missing a shoe.
Seeing Jiang Si, Sixth Miss Jiang Pei immediately approached her, looking pitiful, “Fourth Sister, thank goodness we ran into you. Look, I’ve lost one of my shoes. I can’t even go home like this.”
Jiang Si pressed her lips together.
Although Jiang Pei’s habit of looking down on others wasn’t great, it was a minor flaw compared to Jiang Qian’s attempt on her life.
However, if that push just now was her doing, that would be a different matter.
Jiang Qiao looked coldly at Jiang Pei, “I was just pushed out there. Did Fifth Sister or Sixth Sister see who it was?”
Fifth Miss Jiang Li shook her head slightly.
Jiang Pei followed suit, “Didn’t see.”
Seeing Jiang Qiao still staring at her intently, Jiang Pei became annoyed, “Why is Third Sister looking at me like that? It wasn’t me who pushed you!”
Jiang Qiao sneered, “That’s hard to say.”
Jiang Pei retorted, “Third Sister, don’t think that just because you’re close to Fourth Sister, you can falsely accuse people. I won’t admit to something I didn’t do, no matter what!”
Jiang Qiao’s face turned pale with anger, “I’m asking if you pushed me. Why are you bringing up other things?”
Seeing the two arguing fiercely, Jiang Li spoke softly, “Third Sister, it wasn’t Sixth Sister.”
Jiang Qiao turned to look at Jiang Li.
Jiang Li bit her lip slightly and explained, “At that time, Sixth Sister was rushing forward and almost bumped into a little girl, so I pulled her back. It was just then that Third Sister was pushed out, so I saw clearly that Sixth Sister didn’t push Third Sister…”
“Third Sister, you heard that. It wasn’t me!” Jiang Pei exclaimed.
Jiang Qiao’s face reddened slightly, and she suddenly curtsied to Jiang Pei, “Then I apologize to you. I misunderstood you.”
Jiang Pei didn’t expect Jiang Qiao to admit her mistake so readily and was momentarily at a loss for words. Finally, she snorted, “Fine, just don’t assume it’s me every time something bad happens. Don’t blame others for your misfortune.”
Jiang Qiao gritted her teeth, realizing she could only accept her bad luck.
In such a chaotic situation, being pushed from behind, how could she possibly find the culprit?
Jiang Si looked outside once more before turning back, “Long Dan, please escort us back to the Earl’s mansion.”
There was a carriage waiting downstairs, and with Old Qian as the driver, there shouldn’t be any worries. However, the recent attempt on Zhen Heng’s life made Jiang Si cautious.
“Aren’t you waiting for the master?” Long Dan asked.
“No need. He went after the assassin. If nothing had happened, he would have returned by now.”
Attempting to assassinate the champion during the official parade on the imperial street, Jiang Si sensed something unusual about it.
Just then, hurried footsteps were heard.
Yu Jin pushed open the door and entered, “A’Si—”
Seeing Jiang Qiao and the others in the room, he immediately fell silent. His eyebrows raised slightly as he surveyed the group before striding towards Jiang Si.
“Are you alright?” he asked softly when he reached Jiang Si, though his breathing was still rapid.
Jiang Si smiled, “What could happen to me? Did you catch the assassin?”
Yu Jin nodded slightly and directly addressed Long Dan, “Please ask the three young ladies to step out first.”
Long Dan immediately gestured to Jiang Qiao and her sisters, “Young ladies, please.”
Jiang Qiao glanced at Jiang Si before walking out.
Jiang Li lowered her eyes and curtsied before following.
Only Jiang Pei, upon reaching the door, couldn’t resist turning back for a quick look at Yu Jin before leaving the room.
Long Dan turned back to look at the three, “Young ladies, please wait over there.”
Jiang Pei leaned against the railing, her heart churning like boiling oil.
So that was Fourth Sister’s fiancé, Prince Yan.
So young, so handsome, so noble… Why did Jiang Si have such good fortune?
Inside the room, Yu Jin placed his hand on Jiang Si’s shoulder, “A’Si, something’s not right. That assassin was a foreigner.”
“You mean—”
“This matter might alarm Father Emperor, and your Third Sister is involved. She might be summoned for questioning later.”
This was also why he had made the split-second decision to jump out the window to save the champion.
First, a woman rushed into the middle of the road, causing the procession to slow down and the guards to be distracted. Then came the assassination attempt on the champion. He instinctively concluded that the woman’s appearance on the road wasn’t accidental—she was either an accomplice of the assassin or an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have cared about the woman’s fate, but since she was A’Si’s sister, he had to pay attention. Moreover, he couldn’t let anything happen to the champion.
If the champion, viewed as an auspicious sign, were to be harmed, A’Si, as the future princess consort, would surely be implicated.
Yu Jin pondered all this, stroking his chin.
He admired himself for being able to think of so much in such a critical moment. No wonder A’Si loved only him and no one else.