The attendant handed over the room key to Jiang and was about to leave when Jiang requested cautiously, “Please wait. I have something that I need you to do for me.”
“Young Master, please feel free to ask me for anything. If it's within my power, I will definitely fulfill your wish to the best of my ability. As a matter of fact, I should be asking for your forgiveness for failing to inquire whether you will be requiring any further assistance before I took my leave. Please forgive my lack of manners, Young Master.” He bowed to show his sincerity. Jiang felt strange, he wasn't used to being treated so politely. However, he liked it and was really pleased with the attendant's attitude, deciding to give him some spirit mana stones later for his good service.
If only Jiang knew that the reason the attendant was so polite and helpful to him was because he was smitten with Jiang’s mesmerising voice and perhaps infatuated to the point that he might be willing to serve him for life as a servant. The fact that Jiang was wearing poor clothing and the belief that he was a man didn’t change the man's mind. If the man's thoughts were under the purview of Jiang, he would have been rendered speechless.
To be honest, every branch of the No Difference establishment did indeed treat all their customers with sincerity, and they all had different set of rules in each of the branches that their customers must follow. However, this is a topic for another day.
“I will like you to hire some guards and maids for me, as well as a decent carriage and a coachman. Can you do that?” Jiang asked.
“When will you like this to be done, Young Master?” the attendant wanted to know.
“I am leaving for the Capital city tomorrow and I planned to leave at dawn. So I will need everything to be ready by then. I am sorry if my request is an inconvenience for you. However, you will be duly rewarded for your services.” Jiang added for good measure.
Jiang sounded very proper, like a true noble. Those several days of staying in the Manor being fatten had provided him with the opportunities to sneak occasionally into the family’s library to tutor himself. It seemed his efforts had really paid off. Of course, his mother had already laid a strong foundation for him in reading and writing. Besides, he had a strong desire to learn new things but limited resources. So, whenever he had a chance he would study diligently. Therefore, acting refined and proper wasn’t much of a problem for him, although they were times his country manners almost came to light and gave him away. But he was quick with his reactions and could immediately reverse the situation.
“Please leave everything to me, Young Master. I will surely deliver.” The attendant promised and turned to leave.
“Wait!” Jiang called abruptly, and the attendant turned to face him looking confused and slightly tense, thinking he must have offended Jiang somehow, which wasn’t the case at all.
Jiang’s eyes twinkled as he asked, “May I have the privilege of knowing the name of such a good man?” the attendant’s cheeks instantly flushed a bright red making Jiang wonder whether his question was something inappropriate.
“This lowly attendant's name is Chen, Young Master.”
“Chen, that’s a really nice name! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chen. And please make sure our conversation and anything about me remains between us. I like to keep my matters private.” Jiang warned. He had to be careful because he didn't believe that he was out of harm’s way just yet. The attendant nodded, looking very serious. Though Jiang had just met him but he inexplicably believed that this Chen could be trusted.
“I will be leaving now, Young Master.” Chen informed Jiang who nodded in approval.
The next morning Jiang dressed in a voluminous pink dress made from one of the lightest silk brocade available in the Yin province. It was embroidered in the shu-xiu style with a lovely plum blossom design on its edges. He was slender to begin with so the dress fitted him perfectly. Jiang chose a silver-wrought bracelet to go with the silver jade hairpin he used to knot his long silky hair, presently dyed black, as well as some ornaments that matched the hairpin. He also changed Ice Jewel back into a thick veil, this time coloured half silver and half pink.
Jiang didn't have anyone attending to him and did everything by himself. Being able to do this much was already a major accomplishment on his part. It wasn't like he was used to dressing himself in such fashion before so, whether he looked perfect or not wasn't really his main concern right now.
Jiang was certain no one would be able to tell that the person wearing the pink silk dress was General Lei's illegitimate son and not his precious daughter. Jiang treasured his life very much and he didn't intend to let his secret be known. Nevertheless, if the truth was revealed before he could fend off the many obstacles that would arise from the truth being revealed, he still intended to keep his promise to his father and take his secret to the grave. Despite his family's ill treatment of him, he didn't want to do anything that would bring harm to them. He wasn't that kind of a vengeful person.
The sun had not yet risen when Jiang stepped out of the No Difference Inn. Chen was already waiting by the carriage outside. For a moment Chen looked quite lost. He was staring wide eyed at the person he thought to be a man but was now dressed in female clothing. In his mind, Jiang was like a goddess now that he wasn’t wearing the stinky black robe anymore. Every item he put on were coordinated perfectly, from the dress and silver shoes to the ornaments and his veil. Jiang truly looked the part of a Young Mistress, who didn’t just look good but knew how to carry herself with grace.
‘So, this was her true identity and she isn’t a male. This is even more perfect.’ Chen thought, looking at Jiang like a besotted fool ever since he saw him dressed up in female clothes. He was already captivated by Jiang even though he couldn't even see his face because of the veil. If he was to see Jiang’s face, he would probablybecome weak in the knees.
Jiang was not used to such passionate looks being directed his way and was slightly uncomfortable. “Close your mouth, Chen. You are drooling and a fly might just find it's way in there.” Jiang teased him lightly. Chen immediately composed himself, still standing attentively but not daring to take another look at him and deliberately turned his sight towards the sky. His actions made Jiang chuckle, he found him to be very entertaining.
“Sorry for being rude, Young Mast…” He paused, his brows were furrowed as if something was troubling him, “Young Mistress, I mean.” Chen corrected himself, blushing. Jiang stared at him for a moment, trying to convince himself that the person in front of him wasn't developing a crush on him. He had heard about this kind of things from his late mother but had never truly understood it. So, he wasn't sure if he was just being presumptuous, perhaps Chen had a rare skin condition that made his face turn red on occasions?
Before Jiang got into the carriage he handed over a small pouch to Chen. There were five spirit mana stones inside, though their grade was low they were still very valuable. Chen started to refuse, “Thank you, Young Mistress. But this is too valuable and this humble attendant doesn’t dare to take it.”
“It’s what you deserve Chen, so you have to accept it and if you refuse, you will be really offending me.” Jiang stated very seriously. Chen was persuaded, he bowed and said, “Many thanks, Young Mistress.” Immediately, Jiang’s serious demeanor disappeared and he smiled at him, “Take care! Chen. I hope to meet you again someday.”
Chen couldn't see such a dazzling smile because of the veil but Jiang’s emotions could be discerned from his eyes. He got caught up imagining what this heavenly being's smile would look like behind that thick veil.
“Actually, Young Mistress I am being sent to work at the No Difference Pavilion in the Capital city. So, if you ever need anything, anything at all, you can find me there.” Chen blurted out suddenly, even his ears and neck were now red. Jiang sighed inwardly at the thought that Chen really did seem to have a crush on him. If he didn't, he wouldn't be relocating all the way to the Capital city or was it just a coincidence?
Jiang was not being conceited but he couldn't help feeling that he was somehow responsible for Chen’s decision to relocate. Although he could not be certain since his mind enjoyed playing tricks on him. Most of the time he would be smart enough to see through many difficult situations, but at times he could be completely silly. Honestly speaking, many of his actions would be even more comical than Chen's so this time too he couldn't exactly trust his own judgement.
“See you soon then, Chen.” Jiang said as he was assisted into the carriage by one of the hired maids. Once he settled inside, Jiang reiterated to Chen, “Stay safe!”
The trip to the Capital was very uneventful compared to Jiang’s journey from Yin to Yang province for which he was very grateful. Maybe, it was because he had specifically ordered the driver to take the road with the most traffic to the Capital.
There was a sizeable number of people visiting the Capital on a daily basis for sightseeing and other purposes. It was truly beautiful and grand, with people claiming that under the Emperor’s leadership the city had become as large as a subordinate state, yet it was nowhere as large as the Palace complex that on it's own was close to the size of two states combined.
Within the silence of the carriage Jiang couldn't help thinking about his father and how furious he would be on hearing that he had slipped away from their clutches. He might have already given the Jinx tracer to the hired assassins to help them in hunting him. But if that was the case then, why hadn’t they intercepted him yet? Jiang couldn't wait for the carriage to reach the Palace, only then would he feel a measure of security. He wasn't ready to take any chances of delay and didn't dare to stop anywhere along the road, especially when he knew that the Palace would be expecting the people from the Lei Manor.
When Jiang’s carriage finally arrived in front of the gates to the Palace complex, they were unexpectedly met with hostility. A guard demanded rudely, “Who are you?” One of Jiang’s hired guards responded almost instantly, “Young Mistress Lei Yue of Lei Manor, the only daughter of General Lei's legitimate wife, and the Emperor’s Empress elect as stated in the Imperial edict sent to the Lei Manor.” The man's voice was naturally a loud deep bass and he didn't need to shout for his voice to be heard. He only said what Jiang had earlier instructed him to say. “Wait here, I will have to confirm this first.” The guard told them grudgingly before leaving.
The night was very cold but no one came to attend to them even hours after their arrival. Jiang was practically freezing and felt like he might turn into a block of ice if they didn't let him into the Palace soon. He drew up his legs to his seat and pulled them close to his chest, wrapping his arms around them in other to alleviate the biting cold inside the carriage. His lips had turn pale and his teeth were chattering.
At that moment Jiang wished he was a Fire Elemental, that way he could keep himself warm. He also regretted not ensuring that there was at least one Fire Elemental among the people he hired. He thought since he was feeling so cold even inside the carriage, then the conditions of the people outside might be even worse than his. Jiang wanted to invite them inside, but the carriage wasn't big enough to accommodate them all. His only hope was that they wouldn't freeze to death outside. But on second thoughts, he realised that the cultivation levels of those maids and guards he hired were higher than his and they were unlikely to suffer like him. Fortunately, Chen had gone out of his way to get the very best people available for hire. Jiang's affinity for the air element was activated not that long ago and there had been no time to train his element or temper his body. Hence, it was only natural that he would be more venerable to the cold.
Jiang couldn't help wondering whether such cold weather was deliberately caused by someone. The coldness of the night felt very unnatural especially considering the fact that it wasn't even winter. He also couldn't understand why the people in the Palace were so negligent in their treatment of him and why it was taking them so long to let him enter the Palace complex. He feared such a rude and inconsiderate reception was foreboding that his future days in the Palace wouldn't be easy.
After waiting for hours an Imperial guard finally arrived to inform him, “You may come in, Young Mistress Lei Yue. But none of your maids or guards will be allowed to follow you into the Palace.” The guard said rather sternly. Jiang was more than happy to comply with that restriction and didn't argue with him. It wasn't part of his plan to let those people enter the Palace to serve him. They were only hired to allay suspicions that he wasn't Lei Yue, the Empress elect
“Please follow me, Young Mistress, I will be taking you to your quarters. But due to the timing of your arrival, there was no time to arrange a proper dwelling place for you.” The guard said and turned to leave.
Jiang had already made advance payments to the hired maids and guards after Chen gave him assurances that they were indeed very trustworthy and would complete their job regardless of the fact whether they were paid before or after the completion of their mission. They were registered adventurers and true professionals after all. The people bid farewell to Jiang and left only after he followed the guard into the Palace.
The Imperial guard led Jiang through many passage ways before they finally arrived at his supposedly temporary living quarters. Once he was alone, Jiang excitedly entered his new room because he couldn't wait to freshen up and relax. But as quick as his entry to the room, his exit from it was probably quicker. The place assigned to him was not at all welcoming, and even a little scary.
“I should have expected this. Nothing good ever happened to someone as cursed as me.” Jiang said wryly looking at the room he just exited from.
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