Chapter 309: What has she experienced?

Gu Xixi then said, "I'm heading to the capital with Boss An to do a bit of business."

As for Brother Zi Chu...

She looked at Jiang Mingyuan, letting him speak for himself.

For some reason, Jiang Mingyuan was staring blankly in this direction.

Seeing Gu Xixi look at him, he belatedly realized, hastily averted his gaze, and said, "I'm heading to the capital to take the exam."

The misunderstanding cleared up, Lv Jing's face flushed with embarrassment, and she kept nodding apologetically to the three of them.

An Qinghe still insisted on asking Lv Jing why she guessed who Gu Xixi's husband was, yet didn't guess it was him.

Lv Jing stammered, embarrassed to say it to his face, because you're a barbarian; clearly, Mister Jiang and Miss Gu are a better match.

Only when Gu Xixi gave An Qinghe a fierce glare, telling him to hurry up and eat, did the siege on Lv Jing finally end.

In contrast, Jiang Mingyuan seemed to be in a very good mood.

Having also pulled an all-nighter, he was still on horseback, yet now his face was like a spring breeze, showing no fatigue.

This inn has good conditions, so naturally the price isn't cheap.

To save expenses, the four discussed and decided that the two men and two women would each take a separate room.

Each room is divided into inner and outer chambers; the outer chamber has a cushioned bench where one person can sleep.

Lv Jing entered the room and immediately placed her small bundle on the cushioned bench, saying, "Xixi, you sleep inside."

Gu Xixi knew that the more polite she was to Lv Jing, the more uneasy it would make her.

So she smiled and accepted her kindness.

They rested in place for one day, then continued their journey at dawn the next day.

The spring breeze was gentle, so Gu Xixi simply rolled up the curtain, making it easier to talk with the two people outside.

Jiang Mingyuan had been riding guard beside the carriage; upon receiving a glance from Gu Xixi, he casually said, "Miss Lu's family has a grievance—why not go to the county office to sue the wicked?"

Lv Jing clenched her lips, and her face instantly turned grim.

Jiang Mingyuan apologetically said, "Sorry, I'm just curious why a young lady like you would insist on going all the way to the capital, enduring such hardship. If you don't want to talk about it, then we won't."

Lv Jing shook her head, "No, I don't blame you, Mister Jiang, and I have nothing to hide from our benefactors. If anyone's to blame, it's that villain Fan Dongping! And the dog officials of the county office!!"

When she mentioned her enemy, intense hatred rose in Lv Jing's eyes.

Her memory was as follows……

The Lu family of An Ning Village were well-known tea growers in the area.

Although the tea plantation wasn't large, the tea wasn't famous, and they had no dedicated sales channel.

Thus the tea plantation's income was stable, and the family of three lived a modestly prosperous life.

The family also hired several long-term tea pickers.

Especially spring tea fetches the highest price, making spring the most valued season for the Lu couple.

The tragedy occurred in early spring this year; on Grain Rain day, fine rain fell continuously, and the tea plantation opened for the first time after overwintering.

Lv Jing wanted to personally pick the spring tea, disregarding her mother's objections as she ran to the plantation.

She witnessed a scene she would never forget.

Her father lay fallen in the mud, surrounded by a gang of vicious lackeys who punched and kicked him.

Lv Jing didn't yet know what had happened; she tossed aside her umbrella and ran over, shouting, "What right do you have to hit people? Let go! Let go of my father!"

However, her strength was limited; she could not save her father, and in desperation she cried while desperately pushing those people.

Afterward, she heard a man's laughter from behind: "What a fine spectacle, like Cao E saving her father, like a pear blossom in the rain—this little sight makes my heart ache."

Afterwards, she heard a man's laughter coming from behind her, "Yo, what a fine scene of Cao E saving her father, what a fine spray of pear blossoms in the rain—this little appearance of hers makes my heart ache just looking at it."

Lv Jing shivered as she turned around, seeing the man who would later haunt her nightmares…… Fan Dongping.

Fan Dongping flirted with Lv Jing on the spot.

Lv's father flew into a rage, struggling to rise, determined to fight these villains to the death: "Release my daughter! You damned wretch, you deserve the eighteenth level of hell—may your ancestors never be reborn!"

"Even if I die, I could never agree to sell the tea plantation to you!"

Fan Dongping heard Lv's father cursing him, yet he kept chuckling.

In his view, this was merely the howl of the weak.

But upon hearing Lv's father declare he would rather die than sell the tea plantation, Fan Dongping's expression instantly turned sinister.

He shoved Lv Jing aside coldly and said, "Beat him to death right here, and use his flesh as fertilizer."

The lackeys, no longer holding back, rained down fists like raindrops.

Lv Jing was knocked down, and she and her father stared at each other across the muddy ground.

As her father's gaze faded, he last moved his lips toward his daughter.

At this point, Lv Jing buried her face in tears, saying, "I know what my father said."

"He said, 'Xiaojing, run! Go home, take your mother, and run!!"

But when she ran home, county office officials were sealing her family's tea storage, claiming that tea shipped from there had poisoned someone to death.

Nobody in the household was allowed to leave, and they had to take a family head to the government office for interrogation.

Lv's mother was a woman who kept to domestic affairs, and Lv Jing was still young; neither had ever seen such a scene.

Lv's mother still didn't know about the incident at the tea plantation, and was asking after her husband's whereabouts.

Lv Jing looked at her mother, sobbing uncontrollably, unable to utter a word, and not knowing what else to do.

At that moment, Fan Dongping appeared openly, saying, "The master of this household has fled; arresting this woman is just as good—after all, they're a married couple, so poisoning must be a conspiracy."

Lv's mother was taken away by the county office officials; three days later, the government office notified Lv Jing to collect the corpse.

The cause of death was hanging herself with her own belt.

The cause of death was hanging himself with his own belt.

Lv Jing buried her mother; her father's corpse could not be found, so she could only bury his clothes and hat.

Yesterday, she took out the banknotes her parents had hidden, preparing to go to the capital to file a lawsuit.

But she was still discovered by Fan Dongping's informants, which is why Gu Xixi and the others saw that scene.

Jiang Mingyuan slammed his fist against the window frame, "He completely disregards the law, utterly outrageous!"

He was taking the imperial examinations; his ambition was to become an official who could serve the country and the people, and the officials he had encountered in the northwest were mostly honest and stern.

Now hearing how the Nan Yi Xian County Office behaves, how could one not be indignant?

Lv Jing said through tears, "Anyway, I don't believe my mother hanged herself."

"They killed my parents; if I don't avenge this, I have lived in vain as a woman!"

After hearing Lv Jing's experience, Gu Xixi and An Qinghe also felt their hearts grow heavy.

An Qinghe snapped, "These damned things! Sooner or later I'll make them pay!"

Gu Xixi invited Lv Jing to join her again, "If you want justice, what could be more important than getting to the capital as soon as possible?"

Besides, we're going that way anyway; it's no trouble.

This time Lv Jing did not refuse again.

Such great kindness cannot be expressed in words.

She said nothing, merely performing a solemn bow of thanks toward Gu Xixi, Jiang Mingyuan, and An Qinghe.

An Qinghe glanced back, smirking, "Hurry up to the capital!"

In the evening they arrived at an inn; An Qinghe went to see what food was available, while Lv Jing went to the outhouse.

Jiang Mingyuan looked around, then told Gu Xixi, "Her statements before and after are consistent, and with the testimonies of those wicked servants, the matter of the Lu family must be true."

Gu Xixi nodded, "Then we can safely bring her along."

No wonder Gu Xixi was suspicious; when encountering a stranger outdoors, even if a woman, one should still take precautions before clarifying her identity and intentions.

"However..." Jiang Mingyuan's expression grew grave, "We still can't relax; in fact, it's even more troublesome."