The leader of the city patrol shouted loudly.
Hearing this voice, Chu Tianjiao calmed down a bit. She exchanged a glance with the lead officer, blinked her eyes, and waved the Heavenly Crow Sword in her hand.
Zheng Chuang, riding on horseback, had two black lines appear on his forehead.
He called to his subordinates, "It's nothing, it's nothing. Let's go patrol over there."
By now, the woman had fallen into a disadvantage and was about to be captured. She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Officer, save me!"
The woman had originally thought that she had a legal status in the Capital City and didn't know who was trying to arrest her. If she were rescued by the city patrol, she might be able to slip away.
Little did she know her luck was not good, and the city patrol she encountered was rather special.
Chu Tianjiao shouted to the lead officer, "Young General, I'm catching a thief. You guys go ahead."
The young officer on the tall horse nearly fell off.
Zheng Chuang glanced at those he had brought with him. Fortunately, the people he brought today were all his trusted men.
Was his cousin always this careless about concealing her identity? Then why bother covering her face?
Didn't she realize that with that shout, anyone would know she was related to him?
The last time Chu Tianjiao went to smash up the Fourth Prince's place, Zheng Chuang had to spend money at Fan Lou to treat his brothers to a meal in order to cover up her tracks.
After Chu Tianjiao's shout, Zheng Chuang clearly felt that his wallet was about to bleed again.
Sigh, who told him this was his only direct cousin? Zheng Chuang simply dismounted to help.
In no time, the woman was subdued.
Chu Tianjiao knocked the woman unconscious with the hilt of the Heavenly Crow Sword, then grinned at Zheng Chuang, "Cousin, out patrolling at night?"
Zheng Chuang asked with a dark face, "Cousin, what are you up to this time? Is this really a petty thief?"
Chu Tianjiao whispered in Zheng Chuang's ear, "A Dongyi spy, really. Wait until I take her back for questioning, then I'll tell you the details."
Upon hearing it was a Dongyi spy, Zheng Chuang immediately became serious, "Cousin, let me take her back instead?"
Chu Tianjiao shook her head in refusal, "No, this spy was trying to harm my father. I need to take her back for questioning first."
Zheng Chuang finally let go, advising, "You must have solid evidence. Be careful. I'll come to the Marquis's mansion to find you tomorrow."
Feng Yi hoisted the woman onto his shoulder. Chu Tianjiao bid farewell to Zheng Chuang, and the two of them took the woman back to the Marquis of Liyang Mansion.
Chu Tianjiao placed the woman in the back room of her own courtyard and sent someone to fetch Chu Ye.
Chu Ye hurriedly arrived with his men and said to Chu Tianjiao, "A young lady like you shouldn't be involved in torture and interrogation. I'll take her away and notify you immediately once we get any information."
Chu Tianjiao wanted to conduct the interrogation herself, but Chu Ye was very insistent on this point.
Helpless, Chu Tianjiao could only remind Chu Ye not to let the woman die, as she had questions for her later.
After Chu Ye took the woman away, Chu Tianjiao slept fitfully for a while, then got up early in the morning and rushed to Old Madam Chu's courtyard.
Old Madam Chu's spirits were slightly better today.
After taking the 'turtle roast pill', she felt fine during the initial fever, but the chills that followed nearly took half her life.
Chu Tianjiao attended to Old Madam Chu as she slowly sipped some chicken porridge.
After the meal, the women of the household came to pay their respects.
The previous generation of the Chu family had four brothers, all born to Old Madam Chu.
Chu Tianjiao also had an aunt who had married out.
Chu Tianjiao's father was the eldest son of the family and had inherited the title of Marquis Liyang.
He married Madam Zheng from the Zheng family of Marquis Wuning's Mansion, who was Zheng Chuang's aunt.
Madam Zheng bore two sons and one daughter, the daughter being Chu Tianjiao.
Chu Tianjiao's eldest brother had died in battle three years ago. Her mother, Madam Zheng, upon hearing the tragic news, couldn't bear it and passed away prematurely from excessive grief.
Chu Tianjiao's second brother, Chu Minyu, was now by Marquis Liyang's side.
At just nineteen, Chu Minyu had already been appointed as a Zhaowu Commander of the sixth rank due to his military achievements.
After returning from defeating the Western Rong this time, Marquis Liyang planned to request that Chu Minyu be named the heir apparent.
Chu Tianjiao's eldest brother had already married before his death. His wife was the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, Jiang Yuehua.
Hearing that Old Madam Chu was ill, Jiang Yuehua, who rarely left her chambers, came to visit.
Jiang Yuehua wore plain fine cotton clothes without any accessories. Her pale face showed little emotion, like still water.
In her previous life, Chu Tianjiao disliked her widowed sister-in-law, feeling she was like a block of wood, unapproachable and impossible to communicate with.
Usually, Jiang Yuehua hardly ever left her small courtyard.
Now, Chu Tianjiao understood. Her sister-in-law's heart had completely died with her eldest brother's passing.
Without a husband or children, Jiang Yuehua lived in the Marquis of Liyang Mansion like a walking corpse, silent and completely without presence.
Chu Tianjiao, feeling sympathetic, went forward and took Jiang Yuehua's arm, sweetly calling her "Elder Sister-in-law."
Jiang Yuehua faintly replied "Little Sister," seemingly unintentionally withdrawing her arm from Chu Tianjiao's grasp, and stood properly to one side.
Chu Tianjiao frowned, sighing: Her sister-in-law was still as unapproachable as ever!
Madam Xue, the second madam, had been confined by Old Madam Chu to copy "The Virtues of Women" and didn't come to the main courtyard.
Chu Yun'er from the second branch came alone.
Seeing Chu Tianjiao being rejected by her sister-in-law, Chu Yun'er couldn't help but laugh.
"Elder Sister, you thought everyone in the family doted on you. Unexpected, right? There are times when you hit a wall too."
This Chu Yun'er was two years younger than Chu Tianjiao, and everyone in the household called her Second Young Miss.
She always felt she had been wronged. They were both young ladies of the mansion, but everyone pampered Elder Sister. Even her own parents often taught her that she must respect her elder sister.
Elder Sister was clearly prone to causing trouble and had a reckless personality, yet since childhood, Grandmother had said this was because Elder Sister was like Grandfather.
Grandfather was a great hero of the country, but what was Elder Sister? Nothing more than a little "bully" who loved to roam the streets.
When Grandfather was still alive, he personally named Elder Sister "Tianjiao" (Heaven's Pride), but casually named her "Yun'er" (Cloud Child). This was blatant discrimination and favoritism!
When Elder Sister was five, she beat up the son of Chancellor Wang. When Grandfather heard she had won, he actually said he had a successor, and even bestowed his treasured sword "Sky Pressure Sword" to Elder Sister.
Unfortunately, Elder Sister was illiterate and directly renamed the good Sky Pressure Sword to "Heavenly Crow Sword."
Hearing Chu Yun'er mock her, Chu Tianjiao crossed her hands into fists and cracked her knuckles.
Chu Yun'er shuddered and stepped back two paces, her face turning pale.
Chu Yun'er was afraid that Chu Tianjiao would drag her to the training grounds again, ostensibly to test her martial arts, but actually to give her a beating.
Seeing her cousin's fearful look, Chu Tianjiao smiled and relaxed her fists.
After being reborn, Chu Tianjiao found her direct cousin quite adorable.
Although Chu Yun'er always opposed her, when it really mattered, she acted like family.
In her previous life, when she was framed by Ye Tinglan, this cousin actually stood up for her, first strongly proving her innocence, and then, under pressure, taking the blame for her.
That time was at a palace banquet. Ye Tinglan deliberately bumped into her too forcefully, almost causing a premature birth, and used the opportunity to accuse Chu Tianjiao of pushing her.
Chu Yun'er said, "Elder Sister, the Chu family can do without me, but without you, we'd be in big trouble."
Chu Yun'er was beaten with thirty strikes and divorced by her husband's family, returning to the Chu family.
Chu Tianjiao didn't know if her sister had survived after the Chu family lost their title.
This debt, Chu Tianjiao kept in her heart, determined to settle it with Ye Tinglan.
Chu Tianjiao pulled herself out of her memories, her gaze towards Chu Yun'er becoming even softer.
It's so good that everyone is still alive now!
Chu Yun'er had just finished taunting Chu Tianjiao and was already feeling panicked. Now, seeing Chu Tianjiao looking at her with such a gentle gaze, she was terrified and hid behind the third madam.
"Elder Sister is too scary. She must be holding back some big move to kill me!"
Jiang Yuehua coldly observed the interaction between the two, saying nothing.
Madam Li, the third madam, seeing her second niece hiding behind her, laughed.
"Yun'er, if you're so afraid of your elder sister, why do you always provoke her? Are you asking for a beating?"
This third madam, Madam Li, had the given name Wanniang.
Chu Tianjiao felt that her third aunt really wasted such a name.
Li Wanniang's appearance was rather gentle and pleasant, but at her core, she was a fierce woman. The third uncle, Chu Sheng, was completely under her control.
Chu Tianjiao greatly respected this aunt of hers.
In the previous life, after all the male members of the Chu family were wiped out, Madam Xue remarried. It was this third aunt who single-handedly supported the Chu family, taking care of all the women and children.
Chu Tianjiao respectfully greeted Madam Li and warmly went to hold the hand of Madam Li's young daughter, inviting her little cousin to play in the Green Pine Courtyard.
Old Madam Chu looked at her daughters-in-law and granddaughters, smiling contentedly, feeling reinvigorated. She asked Chu Tianjiao and the others:
"I've been ill for two days. How well have you memorized your books?"
The smile on Chu Tianjiao's face instantly froze. She hurriedly said to Madam Li and Jiang Yuehua, "Third Aunt, Elder Sister-in-law, please keep Grandmother company for a while. I just remembered I have an urgent matter to attend to. I'll take my leave first."
As Chu Tianjiao was about to slip away, Chu Yun'er stepped forward and grabbed her sleeve. "Elder Sister, apart from fighting, what other urgent matters could you possibly have?"
Chu Tianjiao swiftly used a small grappling technique to twist Chu Yun'er's arms behind her back and pushed her away, spitting out, "Second Sister, I must have been blind earlier to think you had become cute!"
With Chu Yun'er's interference, Nanny Li had already blocked the doorway. Under Old Madam Chu's feigned anger, Chu Tianjiao was forced to sit down and recite her lessons.
Sitting beside her, Chu Yun'er taunted triumphantly, "Elder Sister, you snuck out a few days ago. Do you know this is how we've been spending our days?"
