One day in March, in the banker's inner house, a maid in blue armor hurried past and went straight to Baoge's residence.

As soon as she entered the door, the maid who was working on the porch saw her and asked in a loud voice: "Sister Guixi, why are you here?"

"Can my cousin be in the room?" Guixi asked.

"The girl is in the room." the maid replied.

A maid in a green shirt walked out of the house, "Guixi, why are you here? But what are the old lady's orders?"

Guixi did not answer her question, but asked: "Xiulan, what is my cousin doing in the room?"

"The girl is painting in the house." Xiulan is Jiang Changning's maid, "Wait a moment, I will report."

"Let Guixi come in." Jiang Changning said in the room.

It's Mrs. Zhuang's 60th birthday next month, and she will draw a picture of Guanyin as a birthday gift.

Guixi opened the door and went in.

Xiulan frowned slightly and followed in.

Guixi knelt down and said, "My slave, please pay my respects to my cousin."

"No need to be polite." Jiang Changning put down his brush.

Guixi smiled and said, "Cousin, please change your clothes quickly and follow the servant to the front. Princess Runan is here. The old lady asked the girl to go out to meet the guests."

Jiang Changning smiled lightly, "The Princess of Runan is here. She is a rare guest."

To avoid taboos, the royal family and the royal family did not have much contact with the ministers openly.

If it’s not a New Year’s holiday, why did Princess Runan come here?

"Fangju, wait for me to change my clothes." Jiang Changning called another girl who was close to her and asked Xiulan to ask Guixi about the purpose of Princess Runan's coming.

"Cousin, the old lady has told me to dress up nicely and not be rude." Guixi said and followed.

Jiang Changning's heart sank, remembering the recent rumors in Beijing.

An envoy from the Kingdom of Xile came to Beijing. In order to maintain long-lasting friendship between the two countries, the leader of the Kingdom of Xile proposed marriage to the emperor and wanted to marry the princess of this dynasty as the mother of the country.

She has only been on the throne for more than five years, and has a son and three daughters. The eldest of the three princesses is only three years old, and the youngest is just one month old.

Among the royal family, there are seven girls of the right age. Among them is Princess Huizhu of the Runan Palace, and she is the one most likely to be designated.

Princess Runan suddenly came to the banker's house. Could it be that she wanted to find someone to marry on her behalf?

The people of Xile have always been fierce and fierce, and their customs are also different from those in the Central Plains.

Forget about the step marriage, what Jiang Changning couldn't accept was the weather there.

She has lived in the picturesque Hangzhou since she was a child. She is accustomed to the humid environment, and Xile is a bitter and cold place.

When she went north to the capital, she could not adapt to the weather here and became seriously ill. If not for the careful care of Nanny Zhou and the others, she would have almost died.

To ask her to go to Xile and get married is to ask her to die.

"Cousin, please change your clothes quickly and don't keep the concubine waiting." Guixi urged the thoughtful Jiang Changning.

Jiang Changning calmed down and asked tentatively: "You don't have to wait here. You can go and invite the second girl and the others. We can meet at Xifang Pavilion then."

"Mother Yu has gone to invite three girls. The old lady specially asked a servant to serve the cousin." Guixi was respectful, but did not dare to look at Jiang Changning. His whole body showed a guilty conscience.

A coldness flashed in Jiang Changning's eyes. Mrs. Zhuang was afraid that she would not go and would find someone to keep an eye on her.

She lives in the banker's house, and even if she wants to escape, she can't escape now.

Mrs. Zhuang doesn't need to keep an eye on people so urgently.

Without asking any more questions, I picked a piece of clothing with a white background and embroidered bamboo leaves. It was soft and yet had its own edge.

Fang Ju's skillful hands made Jiang Changning's bun a bun, put on her jewelry, and said softly: "Girl, you're done."

Jiang Changning looked at the delicate and fragile girl in the mirror, a sneer flashed across his lips. Old Mrs. Zhuang could not imagine sacrificing her so easily.

"Xiulan, go get the purse in the small box." Jiang Changning paused, "It's the purse embroidered with gardenias that we brought with us when we came from the south."

Xiulan's face changed slightly. She knew that the purse contained a gold lock, which was given to the girl by a noble lady.

The girl once said that she would not use the golden lock unless absolutely necessary.

But today, the girl suddenly wants to wear this golden lock, which means that the foreigner she is going to meet today will bring great trouble to the girl.

In the past six years, the girl has been a subordinate of the banker, trying to make ends meet and not taking much advantage from the banker. Unexpectedly, the banker now allows foreigners to bully the girl.

Xiulan gritted her teeth with hatred, turned around and went into the bedroom, opened the dark drawer of the canopy bed, took out a small box from inside, and took out the purse inside.

"Girl." Xiulan held the purse in both hands and respectfully presented it to Jiang Changning.

Jiang Changning took the purse, tied it around his waist, stood up and said, "Sister Guixi, let's go."

Although Guixi felt it was a bit strange, she didn't want to ask more questions, so she, Xiulan and the two little girls followed Jiang Changning out of the courtyard and went to Mrs. Zhuang's courtyard.

There were a group of people sitting in the flower hall, including the old lady Jiang, the eldest wife of the Zhuang family, Wu, the second wife Zou, the second mistress Xiao Wu, and the bejeweled and elegant Princess Runan.

But the girls from the banker were nowhere to be seen, so they called her here alone. What an obvious intention!

The hatred in Jiang Changning's heart increased even more.

Six years ago, Mrs. Zhuang, as her aunt, sent someone to take her to Beijing. She expected that her life-long event would be plotted by the banker.

But if Mrs. Zhuang really thinks that she is a soft persimmon who can be manipulated as she pleases, then she is wrong.

Jiang Changning clenched her fists. This was a tough battle and she had to handle it carefully.

She walked over with a calm expression and said, "Chang Ning has met the concubine and wishes to express her regards to the concubine..."

Princess Runan didn't wait for her to finish giving gifts to several people, she stood up to help her, and said in a friendly manner, "We often see each other, please don't be so polite."

"Thank you, Dowager Princess, for your love, but the courtesy cannot be discarded." Jiang Changning took the opportunity to break away from Princess Runan's hand.

It really made her feel sick to be in vain with the person who plotted against her.

"What a polite girl." Princess Runan praised.

Jiang Changning greeted the banker's wives and was about to step aside.

Princess Runan grabbed her hand and said, "Miss Jiang is really a rare beauty. Old sister, you are really good at caring for people. You can make a girl so hydrated that she makes people happy at the first sight."

ah."

"Thank you, Princess. Everyone around Ning Yatou is fine. It's just that the bones in her body are too thin. After being raised for so many years, she is still very sick. She has to ask the doctor for medicine every now and then, and she can't bear it at all."

The pain of running around and working hard." Mrs. Zhuang emphasized the word "running around" very hard.

There was a hint of surprise in Jiang Changning's lowered eyes. Is Mrs. Zhuang defending her?

Mrs. Wu spoke, "My cousin was indeed sick in the past years, but after so many years of recovery, she has recovered. Look at her complexion, her skin is as creamy as a peach and a plum."

Jiang Changning raised the corners of his lips, and a sarcastic sneer flashed across his face.

Wu had always disliked her and was wary of her, fearing that the old lady would marry her to Zhuang Jike.

But who likes that good-for-nothing mama’s boy who likes to hang out with other women?

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Chapter completed!