Jiang Yun Is the Imperial Son-in-Law

A huge, dark mass of hooligans descended on the Jiang Family's small courtyard, drawing many nearby neighbors to stop and watch.

The Jiang siblings had always enjoyed a good reputation among the neighbors.

Jiang Yun aside, though he was merely a poor scholar, in the eyes of ordinary folk, being able to read and write was already an extraordinary skill.

Every New Year and holiday, people came to Jiang Yun to write spring couplets, and the key was that Jiang Yun never charged a single coin.

Jiang Qiaoqiao was even more obedient and sensible. Their parents had died early, and from a young age, she rose before dawn and worked until dark to earn money, mending clothes and doing laundry for the neighbors.

The nearby neighbors had all watched her grow up.

Hearing that hooligans had come to make trouble for the Jiang Family, many neighborhood aunties hurried home to call their men over to help.

But once the men from each household arrived and saw that it was Peng San, not one of them dared step forward.

Everyone had heard of Peng San's vile reputation.

"How did the Jiang siblings provoke this Calamity Star when they were doing so well?"

"Damn it, Wang Lao Er from the south of the city owed this bastard five taels of silver last year. Interest piled upon interest, and he ended up having to repay a full seventy taels."

"In the end, they broke both of Wang Lao Er's legs."

"What are you standing around for? Hurry and report it to the authorities."

"Peng San drinks and eats meat with the officials every few days. Do you think those lords at the government office care whether ordinary people like us live or die?"

The crowd murmured quietly, not daring to speak too loudly for fear of displeasing Peng San.

One of the hooligans beside him grew somewhat nervous and whispered, "Brother San, with so many people watching, are we really going to kill someone? What if..."

They were hooligans, after all, not assassins. They had indeed broken plenty of arms and legs in their day.

They had even dug pits and buried people alive before.

But few of them had ever killed someone with a blade, and they could not help feeling uncertain.

"What are you afraid of?" Peng San glared at him.

With a creak, the Jiang Family's door opened, and Jiang Yun and Xu Suwen walked out together.

Jiang Yun turned back and shut the door.

Seeing an unfamiliar woman suddenly appear, Peng San's brows furrowed slightly. He said in a deep voice, "Where did this bitch come from? Get lost."

Xu Suwen touched the saber at her waist and calmly asked, "What if I don't?"

Ordinarily, upon seeing such a beautiful girl, Peng San might well have teased her a little. But now, he had Important Matter to attend to first.

"Won't get lost?" Peng San suddenly did not know how to continue.

An ordinary girl would likely have run away long ago at the sight of such a vicious-looking group of hooligans.

Peng San snorted coldly. "What are you to Jiang Yun? We're only here to settle things with Jiang Yun. Anyone uninvolved should leave at once."

Suddenly, Peng San remembered that Jiang Qiaoqiao had mentioned yesterday that Jiang Yun had become a live-in son-in-law and was living off a woman.

Could this woman be Miss Huang?

"Are you Jiang Yun's wife?" Peng San asked tentatively.

Xu Suwen, whose face had been cold and indifferent, froze. What nonsense was this guy guessing?

Jiang Yun stood behind Xu Suwen, watching the spectacle as though none of this had anything to do with him.

Seeing Peng San make such a guess, he answered, "Ah, yes, yes, yes, it's her. Hurry up and make your move. If you wait any longer, the dishes inside will go cold."

"You!" Xu Suwen had apparently not expected Jiang Yun to say that, and for a moment, she did not react.

Hearing this, Peng San snorted. The Huang Family outside the city? He had never even heard of them. If he kidnapped this Miss Huang, perhaps he could extort another sum of money.

"Tie her up." Peng San waved his hand, and two hooligans immediately stepped forward.

Xu Suwen possessed an extraordinary bearing and looked like a young lady from a great family. This would be an easy job.

The two clearly harbored other crooked thoughts. Reaching out, they grabbed at Xu Suwen's white fur-lined robe. Tearing up her clothes would also give the brothers a feast for their eyes.

A smile appeared at the corner of Xu Suwen's icy lips.

The two tugged at her clothing and peered inside.

But in an instant, it was as though they had been struck by lightning. They stood frozen in place, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. One of the more cowardly ones had already wet one trouser leg.

"Damn it, what are you two doing? I told you to tie her up, not stand here..."

Peng San strode over cursing, but when he saw the clothing beneath Xu Suwen's white fur-lined robe, his mind exploded with a boom.

The explosion was like the Big Bang of the universe.

"Does it look good?" Xu Suwen wore a cold smile. "Why don't I take it off and let you have a better look?"

She tore off the white fur-lined robe in one motion and threw it into the snow.

Beneath the white fur-lined robe, she wore a Feiyu Imperial Robe.

Standing in the snow in a Flying Fish Robe, Xu Suwen gripped her saber, looking especially valiant and heroic.

Imperial Guards.

This woman was one of the Imperial Guards?

"Imperial... Imperial Guards, Imperial Guards."

Though these hooligans lacked education, when they followed Peng San to the pleasure quarters to listen to music, storytellers occasionally took the stage.

Among their tales were all sorts of stories about the Imperial Guards.

Xu Suwen picked up the white fur-lined robe from the ground and handed it to Jiang Yun. "Hold this."

Peng San's throat trembled as he spoke. "Miss... my lady, I know Old Mister Xia Lingxian. He was the former Prefect of Nanzhou..."

"In the capital, I also know..."

Xu Suwen cut him off. "Peng San gathered a crowd to attack an Imperial Guard On Duty. By law..."

With her right hand, she drew her saber.

A flash of cold light.

"Beheaded."

Peng San's head fell onto the snow with a thud. Blood splattered everywhere as his headless body slowly crumpled to the ground.

Seeing this, the other hooligans turned and prepared to flee.

"Stop." Xu Suwen pointed at the corpse and the bright red blood on the ground. "Take this body away."

None of the hooligans dared flee again. They could only grit their teeth and step forward to collect Peng San's corpse.

Throughout it all, they did not dare let their eyes drift toward Xu Suwen.

What if their gaze displeased her and she cut them down with one stroke? They would die for nothing.

Xu Suwen took the white fur-lined robe Jiang Yun handed over and inspected it carefully. Only after finding no bloodstains on it did she breathe a sigh of relief. "Hurry inside and eat, or the food will get cold."

Jiang Yun had not expected Xu Suwen to kill so decisively.

Originally, he had thought Xu Suwen would reveal her identity as an Imperial Guard, scaring this group out of their wits so that they would never dare trouble him again.

Xu Suwen put the fur-lined robe back on. As though she knew what Jiang Yun was thinking, she said, "Hooligans like these are like dog-skin plasters. It is best to cleanly deal with them like this. Otherwise, they may leave trouble behind."

"He naturally would not dare retaliate against me, but that may not be the case for you."

The two entered the house, where Jiang Qiaoqiao sat at the table, her face somewhat pale. She had clearly been frightened.

Though Xu Suwen had already reminded her not to look outside.

Jiang Qiaoqiao had been worried about her brother and this pretty sister, so she could not help taking a peek.

She had not expected to see Peng San's head fall to the ground.

Seeing how badly frightened she was, Xu Suwen smiled and patted her forehead, taking off her white fur-lined robe. "Qiaoqiao, Sister's clothes got torn just now. After we eat, can you mend them for Sister?"

"Okay." The matter of the clothing diverted Jiang Qiaoqiao's attention, and her complexion improved slightly.

Jiang Yun gave Xu Suwen a deep look and said, "Let's eat, or the dishes will get cold."

That night, goose-feather snow fell outside. In the slightly warmer little house, the three ate together. Jiang Yun also tried telling many jokes, making Jiang Qiaoqiao giggle.

It washed away much of what she had just seen from her mind.

Early that morning, the neighbors were already up, and many were discussing what had happened the previous evening.

"Peng San was simply killed like that? Murder in broad daylight."

"If you ask me, he deserved to die. Killing him with one slash was letting that scum off easy."

"Exactly, and I heard the girl who killed him is Jiang Yun's wife."

"Jiang Yun's wife? He's truly blessed. I saw that girl yesterday. She was incredibly beautiful. We haven't seen many girls that distinctive in all of Nanzhou Prefecture."

"I heard she's even one of the Imperial Guards."

"An Imperial Guard? I heard she's the Prefect's daughter, which is why she dared kill Peng San in the street."

"The Prefect's daughter? Who spread that? I heard through the grapevine that the young lady is His Majesty's princess, of the most noble status."

"Where did you hear that grapevine? If that's true, wouldn't Jiang Yun become the Imperial Son-in-Law?"

"Absolutely true. Aunt Wu, it's enough that you know. Don't go spreading it around."

"Don't worry. Does your aunt not know better? My mouth is tight as a drum."

Aunt Wu walked from one end of the street to the other. Seeing a group of people deep in discussion, she immediately stepped forward. "You don't know, do you? I heard Jiang Yun is the Imperial Son-in-Law..."

Finally finished writing it. Come to think of it, the word count is already nearly the equivalent of four of my old chapters.

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