Chapter 2: Destiny's Heroine, Jian Aozhu

Hearing that Jian Aozhu had arrived, Nanny Qin was overjoyed, as if she had spotted a savior.

"It's Miss Jian! Miss, Miss Jian is highly skilled in martial arts. We are saved!"

Both Lu Lan and Gu Xingwan remained completely indifferent.

The plot was unfolding exactly as it had in their previous life; Jian Aozhu had come to instigate Gu Xingwan to file an imperial complaint.

A moment later, Lu Lan's personal page, Xianyu, ran in to report:

"Young Lord, there is a loud, clamorous woman outside demanding to see you."

Lu Lan was rather thirsty. Having suffered severe dehydration the night before, he casually picked up a cup of overnight tea from the table and drank it, his posture lazy.

"What does she want?"

Xianyu raised his head slightly, squinted at Gu Xingwan sitting in the corner of the bed, and shook his head with a sigh.

"She says... you snatched her bosom friend, and she's here to fight you to the death. Looking at her posture, it won't end well today."

Breeze Pavilion did not have many staff—only three maids and five page boys. They likely could not hold back that madwoman.

Just as he finished speaking, the gates of Breeze Pavilion were kicked open, sending several page boys sprawling onto the ground.

Clad in white, her long dress and sleeves fluttering in the wind, Jian Aozhu held a Longquan sword. She possessed a stunning beauty that rivaled Gu Xingwan's, though her brow carried a hint of heroic spirit and fiery temper.

Standing in the courtyard, she cast her gaze toward the second floor of Breeze Pavilion.

Suddenly, she leaped into the air, her toes brushing against a small branch in the courtyard, and like an eagle, she swept toward the second-floor window.

Upon entering, she saw Gu Xingwan quietly putting on her clothes.

There was a gleam in Lu Lan's eyes as he foolishly admired Gu Xingwan's fair skin and delicate frame.

In this moment, only one thought occupied his mind: *Whatever my wife says is right.*

Jian Aozhu rolled her eyes. He was nothing but a useless wretch who only cared about women—even if he were cured of his madness, he would still be a drooling fool.

Although the scene differed from the tearful breakdown she had anticipated, the fact remained that the two had engaged in an illicit affair. In the end, Lu Lan would still become her pawn.

"Xingwan, tell me, did Lu Lan ruin your virtue? Come, we are going to the palace right now to ask the Emperor for justice. I will definitely help you get redress."

Jian Aozhu acted with righteous indignation, framing the situation immediately.

Her words echoed Nanny Qin's exactly, but she failed to notice the peculiar expression on Nanny Qin's face.

In the original book, the host body would have rushed into her arms at this point, weeping bitterly.

The original Gu Xingwan had regarded Jian Aozhu as a true confidante.

Jian Aozhu's father was the General of the Cloud Banner, a high-ranking official of the third rank, whose position was much higher than that of Gu Xingwan's father.

Her generous nature, which did not look down on the poor or fawn over the rich, had deeply moved the original host.

Who would have thought that while the host held her dear, Jian Aozhu was ready to throw her under the bus?

Before Lu Lan could defend himself, Gu Xingwan took the initiative to excuse him.

"Aozhu, what are you talking about? I only came to catch up with the Young Lord. How could it be as serious as you say?"

"Catch up?" Jian Aozhu froze, stepping forward to take Gu Xingwan's hand. "How is that possible? He clearly abducted you by force last night."

Gu Xingwan took a step back, avoiding her touch.

"Oh? Since you knew I was abducted, Aozhu, why didn't you rescue me? You didn't even report it to the authorities or notify my family."

"I..."

Jian Aozhu felt as if a stone were lodged in her throat.

Still unaware of Gu Xingwan's anomaly, she scrambled to make excuses.

"You know how the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival was last night—the streets were packed. Tingzheng and I searched for you all night before we finally heard you were here."

Tingzheng was Gu Xingwan's personal maid, who had cried all night at the Gu residence out of worry for her missing mistress.

Gu Xingwan was in no hurry to expose her. According to the book, Jian Aozhu hadn't searched for her at all last night; she had been off trysting with someone else.

Seeing that Gu Xingwan did not seem to care, Jian Aozhu continued to add fuel to the fire.

"Xingwan, you are young, inexperienced, and timid. You are easily deceived by men. Especially a playboy like Lu Lan—he can wrap you around his finger with just a few sweet words."

"But don't be afraid. We will go to the palace gates and beat the petition drum to seek justice. I will back you up and make him pay the price."

Jian Aozhu pointed angrily at Lu Lan, getting more worked up as she spoke.

Looking at her self-righteous, self-satisfied face, Gu Xingwan found it laughable.

"Back me up? Why would I need you to back me up? The Young Lord and I are mutually in love. Last night was a harmonious union of lute and zither; our only regret was that the beautiful night was too short. Just now, we were discussing choosing an auspicious day for our wedding!"

Having said this, she looked at Lu Lan, the silent understanding between them deepening.

"Choosing a day for your wedding?" Jian Aozhu stood frozen in place.

"Isn't that right, Nanny Qin?"

Nanny Qin had been terrified just moments ago, but with Jian Aozhu present to back them up, her confidence suddenly surged.

Gu Xingwan was already disliked in the Gu household, and now that this scandalous affair had occurred, how could the Gu family possibly forgive her?

Thus, Nanny Qin, who was being used as a pawn, stepped forward again to court death.

"Miss, you must not lose your mind! While our Gu family's influence cannot compare to the Mansion of the Duke of Yu, we cannot let you be defiled for nothing. Let Miss Jian support you!"

Nanny Qin put on a display of loyal devotion, deeply moving herself.

Gu Xingwan looked at her speechlessly. "So, you are absolutely determined to make me beat that stupid drum?"

"Yes!" The flesh on Nanny Qin's face quivered. "If you do not beat the petition drum and reclaim your virtue, the Gu family's face will be completely ruined by you."

"Oh, so it's the Gu family's face that is ruined? I thought it was the General's Mansion's face. You old thief, are you a servant of the Gu family or the General's Mansion? Whose rice are you eating?"

Gu Xingwan's voice was dark, dripping with coldness.

Jian Aozhu remained silent.

A cold sweat broke out on Nanny Qin.

This was the second time she had felt a sinister aura emanating from Gu Xingwan. She was no longer the soft, easily bullied Second Miss Gu of the past.

In the book, Nanny Qin's fate was ten times worse than Lu Lan's. Her entire family was torn apart by horses and chopped up to feed the dogs. However, that only happened years later when the original host came into power.

How could Gu Xingwan not know that the entire scheme had been orchestrated by Jian Aozhu, who had instigated Nanny Qin?

Last night, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, she and Jian Aozhu had been eating mooncakes and drinking floral tea in a lakeside pavilion when she suddenly lost consciousness.

In her daze, someone had carried her off to another location, where she fell into the hands of the playboy Lu Lan.

Nanny Qin was responsible for sending away the accompanying maids and pages. Before dawn, she had tipped off Jian Aozhu. Jian Aozhu then used her light-body martial arts to sneak Nanny Qin into Breeze Pavilion. The two of them then worked in tandem to urge the naive Gu Xingwan to beat the petition drum, thereby ruining her own reputation.

Having transmigrated, Gu Xingwan had no desire to wait. She wanted this old servant dead right now.

Walking over to Lu Lan, she bowed.

"Young Lord, I did not bring my own servants. Could you help me punish this treacherous old thief who betrayed her master?"

"M-Miss..." Nanny Qin fell to her knees on the spot, shaking like a leaf.

Lu Lan had originally been completely disinterested. He only cared about Gu Xingwan and had no interest in Jian Aozhu and the others.

But now, he suddenly perked up.

"There's such a good thing?" He immediately called his page. "Xianyu, drag this treacherous old hag down and beat her to death."

"Ah?"

How did it suddenly turn into being beaten to death?

"Miss, this old servant is loyal and devoted! The sun, the moon, heaven, and earth can bear witness to my heart!"

Nanny Qin beat her chest with her fists. Anyone who did not know the truth would have thought she had suffered a monumental injustice.

"Loyal and devoted? Last night, we were clearly admiring the moon by Mirror Lake in the south of the city. Why did I end up near the Moon-Embracing Tower in the east?"

Mirror Lake was a full fifteen miles away from the Moon-Embracing Tower.

Lu Lan and his fellow playboys frequented the eastern part of the city and had not gone to the south at all. It was Nanny Qin who had delivered her there.

The area around the Moon-Embracing Tower was a red-light district. Even if Gu Xingwan had not been taken by Lu Lan, she would have been targeted by other libertines.

"That was because..."

Nanny Qin's eyes darted toward Jian Aozhu, who had remained silent.

Jian Aozhu's face was stiff, her knuckles white. Her gaze was like a bone-scraping steel knife, slicing away Nanny Qin's flesh inch by inch. There was no trace left of the honorable, noble heroine described in the book.

Terrified, Nanny Qin did not dare speak, but the answer no longer mattered.

Gu Xingwan shot Lu Lan a look. He nodded and made a throat-slitting gesture to Xianyu.

"Miss, I'll speak, don't kill me... wuwuwu!"

Just as Nanny Qin was about to confess, a pair of hands suddenly covered her mouth from behind.

Xianyu arrived with four other pages and dragged the old woman out swiftly and cleanly.

There were few cries of agony from the courtyard. A wooden staff as thick as an arm struck her skull, and Nanny Qin breathed her last on the spot.

Indentured servants did not own their lives. It was clearly written in their deeds of sale: betraying one's master for personal gain was a capital offense, and the master's household had the right to beat them to death.

Jian Aozhu stared at Gu Xingwan and Lu Lan as if she had seen a ghost.

The actions and behavior of these two were uncannily in sync.

The sentimental, weak woman she had always despised and disdained now made her skin crawl.

Fortunately, Nanny Qin had not named her just now. Now, dead men tell no tales.

"Xingwan... I had no idea Nanny Qin was this kind of person. I truly knew nothing."

Gu Xingwan flashed a sweet smile.

"Of course I believe you, Aozhu."