After Transmigration, I Snag a Stunning Bigwig as My Husband-Chapter 820 - 817: Bandits (Part 2)

Although the Heir of Marquis Beining didn’t have such thoughts, the Princess NanAn did.

Prince NanAn had packed his bags, but was reprimanded by the Princess NanAn.

Even though she didn’t believe her own son was unlucky, there’s always the chance for unforeseen misfortune.

The Princess NanAn spoke harshly, so Prince NanAn dared not go and cause trouble for his brother.

The Heir of Marquis Beining and Chu Shun came to bid farewell.

The wedding entourage from the Beining Marquis Mansion had set off days ago, but the Marchioness Beining pondered deeply, believing her son should personally go to welcome his bride, to show respect.

The Heir of Marquis Beining needed to rush fast on horseback, as the bridal sedan chair would not travel quickly to the Capital City, otherwise he might miss the auspicious time for the ceremony.

Thinking about the marriage, and how he initially treated Miss Zhou Qi as a brother... The Heir of Marquis Beining felt a headache.

They rode out of the Capital City on horseback.

Prince NanAn, upon learning that Su Jin was at the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, went to the inner courtyard.

His head still felt a bit sore; he wasn’t sure if he had recovered.

In the garden.

Su Jin strolled with Mrs. Tang for a while, then went into the pavilion to rest.

Mrs. Tang inquired about the poisoning and fainting incident involving Princess Qi the previous day, and Su Jin candidly informed her.

Xingxing wasn’t in the pavilion; feeling peckish, she went to the kitchen to pester the cook for something tasty.

Mrs. Tang said, "At Qingyun Mountain, there is freedom, and your father is grateful that Xingxing’s father shielded him from an arrow on the battlefield, treating her as a cherished daughter. So, minor mistakes are not criticized, but once inside the Prince Mansion, more restraint is needed to avoid trouble."

Su Jin was puzzled, "Wasn’t Xingxing picked up by my parents?"

Mrs. Tang laughed, "Qingyun Mountain is a strategic place; only trustworthy individuals can be left at ease by your father and me."

Mrs. Jiang also chuckled, "Feihu Village in Qingyun Mountain is a den of bandits, famous for its ferocity, yet who’d have thought that in the whole village, only Xingxing, the maid, is a real bandit?"

Su Jin, "...???"

Mrs. Tang’s words piqued Su Jin’s curiosity enough, and Mrs. Jiang’s remark left Su Jin’s heart itching as if a cat scratched it.

But this was too long to recount now.

Before Marquis Dongxiang, Feihu Village was headed by Xingxing’s grandfather.

Back then, Feihu Village wasn’t so renowned.

After Marquis Dongxiang joined the Flying Tiger Army, traveling between the border and the Capital City, once he passed beneath Qingyun Mountain and was blocked by the junior chief of Feihu Village, Xingxing’s father.

With Marquis Dongxiang’s temper, blocking his way was not likely to end well.

To say Xingxing’s father was also remarkable, despite being beaten fiercely by Marquis Dongxiang, he admired him immensely.

The two, after fighting and understanding each other, shared mutual interests, talked prolifically, and regretted meeting late, eventually becoming sworn brothers.

Marquis Dongxiang was in a hurry to reach the border, and Xingxing’s father wanted to go too, but the Old Village Chief disagreed.

The chief thought leaving banditry to go to war was staining his reputation, a neglect of duty, a son abandoning his father’s legacy!

A father as a bandit, and a son as a soldier—was this not courting family enmity?

Moreover, his son was delaying marriage, and now he wanted to run away with someone he had just met—the Old Village Chief was troubled, thinking of the Liu Family’s daughter who eloped similarly...

Unable to argue against his son but reluctant to agree.

The Old Village Chief and his son reached an agreement: as long as he married and had children, he’d be allowed to go to war.

Xingxing’s father agreed, chose and married Xingxing’s mother.

However, Xingxing’s mother hadn’t conceived for half a year, making Xingxing’s father anxious, as well as herself.

Finding her husband with aspirations, unwilling to be a bandit, and wanting to be a General, yet being restrained from going to war, while other fathers long for their sons to rise in status, hoping for them to earn titles and acclaim, only in Qingyun Mountain they hoped he’d remain a bandit.

Later, Xingxing’s father joined the battlefield, gained military merit within days, and was promoted to a minor officer.

News of his achievement reached Qingyun Mountain, leaving the Old Village Chief both proud and deeply grieved.

Since Qingyun Mountain was a bandit den, the Old Village Chief, fearing one day his son might lead troops against bandits, disbanded his brothers and started farming by the mountain’s foot.

After half a year, news of the Flying Tiger Army’s complete annihilation came.

The Old Village Chief, devastated by the loss of his son, perished in grief, leaving Xingxing’s mother with Xingxing as a widow with a child to care for.

Marquis Dongxiang vowed to avenge the Flying Tiger Army and rebuild it.

Recalling the words of the Late Duke Chong’s Heir, when passing under Qingyun Mountain, the rugged terrain made it defensible, ascending the mountain would hold strategic advantage, being hard to attack, an unavoidable route for court’s provisions, and merchants traveling north and south. Feihu Village hadn’t developed significantly over a decade, suggesting they lacked ambitions for expansion; otherwise, ambitions unchecked would become a serious threat to the court.

Marquis Dongxiang resolved to ascend Qingyun Mountain and became the court’s crisis.

But Qingyun Mountain had changed. Marquis Dongxiang took control, remembering Xingxing’s father, and sent people to search for Xingxing and her mother.

After years of searching, she was found.

Mrs. Tang recalled seeing Xingxing, whose mother had passed half a year prior, a small figure clad in ragged clothes, disheveled, pitifully thin.

Unsure how many days without decent food, also puzzled how she survived half that year.

When Xingxing admitted hunger, Mrs. Tang led her to eat meat buns.

At only six or seven years of age, she devoured six or seven meat buns at once.

Mrs. Tang cradled her lovingly, saying, "Good appetite is lucky; being able to eat is fortunate."

Xingxing never questioned why Mrs. Tang took her up Qingyun Mountain, but she forever remembered those words.

These past stories, neither Mrs. Tang nor Mrs. Jiang had shared, even Xingxing herself was unaware.

Only due to the indulgence from Mrs. Tang and Marquis Dongxiang, Xingxing’s courage grew this bold.

This time, Xingxing was daring enough to almost land Su Jin in trouble, although ultimately there was no real danger, and she even gained merit, yet Mrs. Tang believed restraining Xingxing was wise since no one can guarantee constant good luck.

Su Jin is a princess; as long as she doesn’t commit treason, the Emperor will never punish her.

But Xingxing is different; she’s merely a maid.

The Emperor may protect Su Jin but might not extend the same protection to her.