C7 Chapter 7

The great families cared deeply about saving face. Humiliating them in public would embarrass them and make them hold a grudge, but once they said in front of everyone that they wouldn’t trouble her again, they wouldn’t dare do it openly.

As for what they might do afterward, behind closed doors?

So what!

She was getting married and leaving for North County tomorrow. Even if the Xiao family wanted revenge, they wouldn’t be able to reach her; and if they somehow did, that would be a problem for later.

On the other hand, if she didn’t make a move now and let the Xiao family take her away, she probably wouldn’t make it out alive.

To the great houses, human life was cheap. Before she married into the North Duke Mansion, if the Xiao family wanted her dead, crushing her would be as easy as stepping on an ant.

That gave her one more reason she absolutely had to marry the North Duke. Otherwise, she might not even know how she died.

“Let go of our young master!” The three men in gray went pale as they shouted furiously.

They were elite fighters trained by the Xiao family specifically to protect Xiao Jing'an. Any one of them could have killed Chu Jiuge with ease, except...

They had been careless.

They hadn’t taken Chu Jiuge, a seemingly fragile young woman, seriously, and she had seized the opening right under their noses, taking Xiao Jing'an hostage.

If anything happened to Xiao Jing'an, they wouldn’t survive it either.

“Let go!” Even with a blade at his throat, Xiao Jing'an showed not the slightest trace of panic, making the onlookers inwardly marvel. As expected of a son of a great house—steady under pressure, composed, and carrying himself with remarkable poise.

“You’ve got a death wish. Let Young Master Xiao go, now.” The gate guards, who had stayed silent while Chu Jiuge was being bullied, finally stepped in the moment she took Xiao Jing'an hostage.

“She’s got nerve.” Upstairs in the teahouse, Bei Tianjiao, dressed in black, leaned back and let most of his body sink into the shadows. His eyes remained calm as he watched the scene at the city gate, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

He had assumed his ninth princess consort would die today at the hands of the Xiao and Yuan families. He hadn’t expected her to be this bold—to actually take a young master of the Xiao family hostage.

Wasn’t she afraid of retaliation from the Xiao family?

Chu Jiuge was bold, no question, but she’d been backed into a corner.

Yuen Yunhua had clearly come looking for trouble, and people in power never bothered reasoning with ordinary people. Even if Chu Jiuge was only defending herself and hadn’t said a word, she would still be the one blamed in the end.

“Let Jing'an go, or I’ll kill you.” As Yuen Yunhua spoke, she took the riding crop from a servant and pointed it at Chu Jiuge. “The North Duke has already lost eight fiancées. I doubt he’d mind losing one more.”

“Want to take another fall, Miss Yuen?” Chu Jiuge didn’t bother hiding her contempt.

It was this crazy woman who had lashed at her out of nowhere. Then she fell on her own and cut her face, but somehow that was being pinned on Chu Jiuge. These so-called noble families really had no shame...

“You...” Yuen Yunhua’s expression shifted, and the wound on her face seemed to throb even more. “Since you know who I am, you should understand what happens when you cross me. And what happens when you kidnap Jing'an.”

“If I let Xiao Jing'an go, would any of you spare me?” Chu Jiuge looked at Yuen Yunhua with open mockery.

This woman had come after her first, yet the way she told it, Chu Jiuge was the one who had offended both the Xiao and Yuen families.

Were all these aristocratic families this unreasonable?

“In your dreams. Let Xiao Jing'an go, and I’ll make your death quick.” The honor of a great family could not be trampled. Chu Jiuge had ruined her face and then, in front of everyone, taken Xiao Jing'an hostage. That was the same as grinding the pride of both the Yuen and Xiao families into the dirt. Not just her—even the families behind them would never let Chu Jiuge off.

For families like theirs, honor came before anything else.

“Either way, none of you are letting me walk away. So why shouldn’t I fight back?” Chu Jiuge swept her gaze over Yuen Yunhua like she was looking at an idiot. “Besides, none of you would dare gamble with Xiao Jing'an’s life.”

As she spoke, Chu Jiuge tightened her grip. Xiao Jing'an’s face instantly flushed red, and he struggled for air...