C2 She Didn't Have a Choice!

Money can tempt anyone!

Originally, Jiuge and her maid were huddled in a corner, unnoticed by the people lining up to enter the city. But when the maid in pink shouted that they had money, a group of people at the back of the line with less-than-honorable intentions quickly surrounded them.

"What’s going on here? Whose young lady is this, carrying money? Is she planning to elope?" Although these people were tempted by greed, the sight of soldiers not far from the city gate kept them from making a move.

After all, they weren’t bandits who could risk everything and rob without a second thought.

Seeing people gathering around, the maid in pink, despite her fear, scrambled away from Jiuge and pleaded with the onlookers, "Please, help me! Get the soldiers to take our young lady back. Our young lady is..."

"Say another word, and I’ll silence you," Jiuge warned, her expression dark. She instinctively reached for the ring on her hand that concealed silver needles, but found nothing.

Her left pinky was bare; her plum blossom ring was gone! This realization made Jiuge furious. The ring was a family heirloom passed down from her grandfather, a symbol of the Chu family for centuries, and now it was missing...

She also didn’t know what she had been given, but her head throbbed painfully. Though she had her memories, her mind was still in a fog. The people and scenes before her seemed like a black-and-white movie playing out. She could hear and see, but couldn’t connect with it...

"Help, help! Miss... please don’t kill me, don’t kill me!" The maid in pink, seeing Jiuge approach, hid in the crowd, still shouting, "Miss, I beg you, let’s go back. If we don’t, and the North King finds out you tried to elope, you won’t be able to marry, and our family will be in trouble."

"What? Eloping!"

"The North Duke? Is this the young lady from the Chu family, the one supposed to marry the North Duke?"

"She's still alive? Wait, she's refusing to marry and wants to elope? Isn't she afraid the North Duke will kill her?" The onlookers glanced at Chu Jiuge and then at the bundle at her feet, quickly dismissing any wicked thoughts.

This was the eldest daughter of the Chu family, the future North Duke Consort. Even the bravest among them wouldn't dare lay a hand on her, fearing the North Duke's wrath. After all, the North Duke once single-handedly stormed a bandit hideout to avenge his seventh fiancée, who had been killed by bandits.

"Please, help me call the authorities to take my lady back. If she runs away, the entire Chu family will be in trouble," the maid in pink pleaded, hiding behind others, too scared to look at Chu Jiuge.

The Chu family?

Chu Jiuge's mind finally cleared, and she could see people without the foggy haze...

Hearing the maid's words, Chu Jiuge laughed.

The Chu family in trouble?

What a joke. The Chu family, who had climbed to power by stepping on the original owner's back to reach the Crown Prince, would be in trouble just because she refused to marry the North Duke?

If that were true, the original owner wouldn't have risked her life to resign herself to marrying the North Duke.

Remembering the original owner's resentment towards the Chu family, Chu Jiuge didn't hesitate for a moment and turned to walk toward the city gates.

She wasn't the original owner. While she didn't believe in curses, she didn't want to marry the North Duke. She was used to being on her own and didn't want to marry, especially not after gaining a reputation for eloping...

But just as she turned, something happened...