Zhen Jiang, daughter of Shang Cai Prefect Zhen Yi, a descendant of Zhongshan Zhen.
Zhen is a prominent aristocratic family in Ji Province, with distinguished lineage and many members who entered officialdom.
Zhen Yi had three sons and five daughters. His eldest son died young, and the other two sons were both recommended as Filial and Incorrupt.
Among the five daughters, the eldest Zhen Jiang, the second Zhen Tuo, the third Zhen Dao, the fourth Zhen Rong, and the fifth Zhen Mi, were all talented, beautiful, well-read, and well-mannered. That Zhen Mi was the wife of Cao Pi, Empress Wenzhao Zhen.
I can't believe I came to Ye City and actually met the eldest Miss of Zhen!
Looking at the person in front of him, Zhang Chen couldn't help but stare, and his heart seemed to beat a little faster.
This Miss Zhen is truly a beauty that could topple cities!
If one could have such a beautiful confidante by his side, wouldn't that be a great fortune in life?
Seeing Zhang Chen staring at her, Zhen Jiang's cheeks couldn't help but blush. The maidservant beside her saw this and immediately shouted, "What a lecher, staring at my Miss? Keep staring, and I'll dig your eyeballs out!"
"Jinxiu!"
Zhang Chen smiled faintly and said calmly, "Miss's beauty is like that of a celestial being, I lost my composure for a moment and was rude. I am Zhang Chen, courtesy name Zifan, from Guangping County. May I ask for Miss's name?"
Zhen Jiang heard Zhang Chen say "beauty is like that of a celestial being" and couldn't help but feel secretly pleased. Her cheeks felt slightly hot, two rosy clouds appeared, and she lowered her eyebrows and nodded, appearing extremely shy.
A shy beauty is even more captivating.
The maidservant named Jinxiu, however, let out a delicate shout, "How dare you! You lecher, is my Miss's name something you can inquire about?"
"Jinxiu! Don't be rude!" Zhen Jiang came back to her senses and quickly said to Zhang Chen, "This humble girl is Zhen Jiang, greetings Gongzi. My servant was ill-mannered, please Gongzi do not take offense."
"Not at all, I was the one who was rude first and offended Miss," Zhang Chen said. "Is Miss a daughter of Zhongshan Zhen?"
Zhen Jiang was slightly startled and said, "Gongzi knows my family?"
"Zhongshan Zhen, a prominent aristocratic family, who in all of Ji Province does not know them?" Zhang Chen said. "Zhen has held official positions for generations, with many distinguished members. The current head of the family, Zhen Yi, was once the Prefect of Shang Cai, and it is said that the two Gongzi of the family have now both been recommended as Filial and Incorrupt. It is expected that their future prospects are limitless."
"Hmph! Of course." The maidservant named Jinxiu said proudly, puffing out her cheeks, "My Gongzi is a dragon among men, how can a lecher like you compare?"
"Jinxiu!" Zhen Jiang tugged at her sleeve and said, "Gongzi, please do not mind, this girl doesn't know how to speak properly. We still have things to do today, so we shall take our leave first. We hope to meet again if fate allows."
Saying this, Zhen Jiang quickly pulled Jinxiu and hurried away.
Zhang Chen looked at Zhen Jiang's receding figure and couldn't help but smile.
It was getting late, and it was time to return to the Prefect's Residence.
Just as he took a step, he suddenly felt like he had stepped on something. He looked down and saw a light green jade pendant on the ground.
Zhang Chen picked it up and looked at it. The jade pendant was smooth like water, clearly made of excellent material. The patterns carved on it were delicate, and the craftsmanship was very exquisite, something only a wealthy family could possess.
The jade pendant also had the character 'Zhen' carved on it. Could it be that the Miss Zhen from earlier had dropped it?
Zhang Chen was about to look for Zhen Jiang to return it, but when he looked up, there was no sign of the two of them.
Never mind. I'll return it to her when we meet again in the future.
Zhang Chen had no choice but to tuck the jade pendant into his waistband and walk towards the Prefect's Residence.
...
At the East Gate of Ye City, a luxurious carriage was already waiting. The coachman looked at the sun and gazed in the direction of the city.
Before long, Zhen Jiang and Jinxiu walked quickly towards them.
Seeing them, the coachman quickly went to meet them. "Miss, you're back. Any later, and we won't be able to reach the next town before dark today."
"Hmph! It's all because of that lecher we ran into just now!" Jinxiu said as she lifted the carriage curtain.
"Lecher?" The coachman was startled. "Miss, you..."
"Jinxiu, stop talking nonsense!" Zhen Jiang said as she got into the carriage. "We were delayed by some small matters. Hurry up and get going."
The coachman was confused but didn't ask further. He just stepped onto the carriage, flicked the reins, and drove the carriage out of the city.
Inside the carriage, Zhen Jiang closed her eyes slightly, resting quietly. Jinxiu beside her said, "Miss, for something as trivial as collecting rent, which is so far away, couldn't you have just sent a servant to do it? Why did you have to come yourself?"
Zhen Jiang said, "Father is not in good health, and my two elder brothers each have their own official duties. As the eldest daughter of the family, I should naturally share more of the family's affairs."
"Miss." Just as she was speaking, the coachman said from outside, "Miss, we've been delayed for a while. If we take the official road, we might miss the inn. There's a small path ahead that's faster. Would you like to take it?"
"Let's take the small path."
"Alright! Giddy up!"
The coachman flicked the reins and drove the carriage straight towards the small path.
Zhen Jiang closed her eyes and continued to rest.
"You... who are you! Ah!"
Suddenly, there was a startled cry from outside the carriage. The carriage braked sharply, causing a sudden jolt inside, waking up Zhen Jiang and Jinxiu.
"What's happening?!" Jinxiu asked.
The coachman didn't answer. Instead, the carriage curtain was pulled open, and a man leaned inside.
The man was tall and burly, with bulging muscles all over his body. He had a full beard and a fierce, menacing look. What was even stranger was that the mustache on the left side of his upper lip was unusually long, hanging down to his chest and abdomen.
Jinxiu glanced slightly and saw that the coachman had been thrown into the grass beside the road. He was now lying on the ground, his life unknown.
Outside the carriage, there were also more than twenty burly men, each holding a long saber, wearing coarse cloth and tattered robes, and looking fierce.
Seeing this situation, the two were startled. Zhen Jiang said tremblingly, "You... who are you, and what do you want?"
The man who had leaned in saw Zhen Jiang and Jinxiu and immediately showed a lecherous smile. He said, "Heh heh, brothers, look, there are actually two such pretty beauties in here!"
Saying this, he stretched out his thick arm to pull the two of them.
"How dare you!" Zhen Jiang shouted delicately. "This... this is the carriage of Zhongshan Zhen. You... you dare to rob it? Do you not know the rules!"
When the man heard "Zhongshan Zhen", his expression suddenly changed.
Zhongshan Zhen is a prominent aristocratic family in Hebei. The family also has businesses and industries that require travel to various places for trade. These mountain bandits and rogues have never dared to provoke aristocratic families; this has almost become an unwritten "rule".
The man pondered for a moment, then looked at the two again. Feeling a bit unwilling, he said, "You say it is, but what evidence do you have? If you can't produce it, then come back with this master today and be a bandit's wife!"
When Zhen Jiang heard this, she trembled all over in fright and quickly said, "I have a Zhen jade pendant as proof. Father said that the jade pendant is a token of Zhen, recognized by people from both the underworld and the official world!"
When the man heard this, he couldn't help but be startled.
He did know that Zhen used a jade pendant as a token. If she really produced it, then he truly couldn't touch her today!
Saying this, Zhen Jiang reached for her waist to feel for it.
However, this touch caused her expression to change dramatically.
The jade pendant was gone!
"This... this..." Zhen Jiang couldn't help but become anxious. "It was clearly just there, how could it be gone?"
Seeing that she couldn't produce the evidence, the man's lecherous thoughts immediately resurfaced. He said, "Little lady, how about it? You can't produce it, can you? Hahahaha! Brothers, take them away!"
"Wait! My jade pendant must have just fallen off in the city. You come back to the city with me, and I will definitely find it for you!"
"Hahahaha!" The man laughed several times. "You little lady, are you stupid or am I stupid? Let me go back to the city with you? Wouldn't that be walking into a trap? Brothers, take them away! Tonight, this master is going to have his wedding night! That younger one, I'll reward her to you! Hahahaha!"
...