Jiang Yu saw his son's determination and asked a maid to massage his slightly aching head, then sent him to see Yun Ya. He believed that Yun Ya, a lady from a prominent family, would certainly not accept a daughter-in-law of such a humble background, and that her persuasion would be more effective.
Jiang Feng readily agreed, having missed his mother greatly.
Yun Ya pulled her son's hand and cried heartily. Although she knew her son was alive, she didn't know what kind of life he had endured outside. She worried about him daily. Mother and son recounted the hardships of their separation.
Finally, she couldn't help but hold her son, wanting to speak about Wang Chunyan.
As soon as she began, Jiang Feng hastily interrupted, "Mother, you don't need to say more. I am determined to marry her in this life. Speaking further will only affect our mother-son relationship."
Yun Ya's heart sank. She had always been a clever woman, otherwise, she wouldn't have survived in the inner courtyard of the Marquis's mansion. Seeing her son's resolute attitude, no matter her dissatisfaction, she stopped mentioning it.
Upon hearing the news of Jiang Feng's return, Jiang Chen threw a furious tantrum on his bed, ordering servants to fetch his mother.
Yun Duo rushed over, deeply distressed for her son. Thinking of her once healthy and filial son, now confined to his bed for the rest of his life, she had shed countless tears in the quiet of the night.
"Mother, you must avenge me! It must have been that woman Wang Chunyan and Jiang Feng who harmed me. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that as soon as they arrived in the capital, I had one misfortune after another? And Wang Chunyan is known as a divine doctor. If she wanted to harm me, how could anyone possibly discover it? I am so young, yet I have to spend the rest of my life in bed. I am unwilling and full of hatred," Jiang Chen said, gritting his teeth and holding his mother's hand as soon as he saw her.
"Alright, alright, I will definitely avenge my son and make them all suffer a terrible death. They will pay back a hundredfold, a thousandfold, for the suffering my son has endured," Yun Duo said, her tears flowing uncontrollably as she looked at her son's contorted face, choking out her promise.
"Mother, I want to rest now. I must look very ugly in my current state. You should visit less," Jiang Chen said weakly, his objective achieved.
"No, in your mother's heart, you are always the best. Rest well, my son, and I believe your illness will surely be cured." Yun Duo reluctantly left as her son closed his eyes.
Thinking of Lord Huang's visit that morning to discuss the divorce between Madam Huang and her son, Yun Duo couldn't help but feel a chill. It seemed her daughter-in-law had already lost her heart. She hadn't dared to let her son know about this matter; if he knew, what could he do but rage and grieve?
It was clear that Jiang Yu had given up on Jiang Chen. As long as Lord Huang's terms were sufficient, she believed the Marquis would be swayed.
Having lived with him for over twenty years, Yun Duo understood him too well. He appeared devoted, but only as long as his interests were not threatened. If the development of the Marquis's mansion was affected, he would surely make sacrifices, just as he had married Yun Ya back then.
One day, Wu Caiwei and Jiang Feng went out for their daily consultations as usual. Midway through their journey, their carriage suddenly went wild, causing pedestrians to scatter.
Jiang Feng struggled to move closer to Wu Caiwei, but before he could get up, he slumped against the side of the carriage.
"Wait for me!"
With those two words, Wu Caiwei flung open the carriage door, pushed off the vehicle with her feet, and with one surge, leaped onto the horse's back.
She pulled the reins with all her might. The horse whinnied, reared up on its hind legs, and then fell heavily to the ground.
A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd. It turned out that at some point, Wu Caiwei had drawn a short knife from her waist and plunged it into the horse's neck.
Jiang Feng scrambled out of the carriage, looking disheveled. He was somewhat shaken by the scene and resolved to bring more guards with them next time they went out.
Wu Caiwei never believed in so many coincidences. She felt the mastermind behind this plot had devised a clever plan. A runaway horse in a bustling street, causing injuries and damage, would have had unimaginable consequences.
Her scheme thwarted, Yun Duo seethed with resentment. She had planned meticulously: a runaway horse causing chaos in the city, where officials and dignitaries were everywhere. Injuring one or two would have put him in a difficult position. Even if no dignitaries were harmed, injuring a few commoners would surely lead the prefect to not simply brush the matter aside. At the very least, Jiang Feng's reputation would be ruined. If they had been injured, it would have been even better. But fate had other plans; appearances could be deceiving. Wang Chunyan, a mere woman, had managed to subdue the runaway horse.
The couple returned to the mansion and began their investigation. Wu Caiwei was certain that the horse wouldn't have gone mad without reason; it must have eaten something.
They investigated one by one, their target finally settling on the coachman. Initially, the coachman refused to confess. Wu Caiwei, accompanied by her men, searched his home and found a jar of silver in the stove.
After twenty planks, he confessed everything. It turned out he had become addicted to gambling and had lost a significant amount of money. Someone approached him, offering to clear his gambling debts and give him an additional thirty taels if he completed a task. He was tempted.
When asked what the person looked like, he couldn't say. The person had no distinguishing features and would blend into any crowd.
Disappointed at not getting any useful information, they weren't discouraged. They reasoned that if they had done something, they would never have left a trace. The maid had likely been sent far away long ago.
Wu Caiwei saw no need to report to the authorities. She confiscated the thirty taels of silver and summoned a slave trader to take the family away.
Soon, Yun Duo realized she had tipped her hand. Since the incident with the runaway horse, regardless of whether the couple went out together or separately, they were always accompanied by several guards skilled in martial arts, making it extremely difficult to act. She tried to bribe a few servants, only to find them as solid as an iron bucket.
There was no doubt in her mind that Yun Duo was behind the previous incident, as the mother and son were their only enemies in the capital.
To prevent her from becoming desperate and harming Qiu Chaihu and Qiu Zisu, Wu Caiwei specifically instructed them not to leave the house recently. If they absolutely had to go out, they were to bring enough guards.
Of course, they were not people who would just take a beating or insults without retaliating. When others bullied them and nearly injured them, they would naturally strike back.
On her way back to the Yun family, Yun Duo's horse suddenly became spooked and bolted forward. She and the maid in the carriage screamed in terror. Fortunately, they were on a secluded alley, a place usually empty at this hour.
Yun Duo did not have Wu Caiwei's luck. The horse, losing its footing, crashed headlong into a wall. The carriage was shattered, and she lay unconscious.
After rounds of treatment from imperial physicians, she was out of danger. Upon waking, she recalled the scene before she lost consciousness and said with a mixture of horror and panic, "It was Wang Chunyan and Jiang Feng who caused me to be like this. It must have been them."
Jiang Yu's expression was complicated. He had already investigated the entire matter and suspected they were responsible, but there was no evidence. Furthermore, Yun Duo had initiated the confrontation.