Jade of Another World

After talking with Uncle Zhong in the bookstore, Lin Ning and Xiao Cui decided to return to the Lin family mansion. As they walked back along the street, they remained vigilant, wondering if anyone was following them. Little did they know, an even greater danger was about to descend.

As they passed through a secluded alley, several mysterious figures dressed in black and masked suddenly leaped down from the rooftops on both sides of the alley. These people moved with incredible speed and agility, and before Lin Ning and Xiao Cui could react, they had surrounded them.

Xiao Cui turned pale with fright, clutching Lin Ning's sleeve tightly, and cried out in a trembling voice, "Miss, what should we do?" Lin Ning was also startled, but she quickly forced herself to calm down and shouted angrily, "Who are you people? How dare you commit violence in broad daylight in the capital!"

The men in black didn't answer. One of them, the leader, waved his hand, scattering powder. Lin Ning and Xiao Cui instantly felt weak, and Lin Ning couldn't throw the silver needles anymore. Several men swarmed towards them. Although Lin Ning fought back fiercely, the drug had weakened her, and she could only be grabbed. The men were all highly skilled in martial arts, and in the blink of an eye, they had bound Lin Ning and Xiao Cui, and gagged them with cloth to prevent them from calling for help. One of the men in black whistled, and a carriage was lured over. They quickly stuffed the two women into the carriage.

Then, the man in black quickly drove the carriage deeper into the alley. Lin Ning was filled with anxiety and anger. She never expected that simply returning home would lead to such a turn of events. At this moment, she was worried about where she would be taken and couldn't figure out who was responsible for this. After all, if Lin Ning hadn't appeared in her dream to warn her, she wouldn't have been able to foresee the pitfalls ahead.

Just as the men in black were about to lead them out of the alley, several white figures appeared like ghosts. The newcomers were none other than Prince Nangong Jin, who had been secretly watching Lin Ning, and his right-hand men.

Nangong Jin had been waiting nearby after seeing Lin Ning enter the bookstore, wanting to see what she would do next, but he hadn't expected to encounter such a scene. His eyes turned cold, and an inexplicable anger surged within him. How dare they kidnap someone right under his nose? These people had incredible audacity. Mingyuan and Anying didn't know why he was so angry. They wondered if their master was secretly in love with the eldest daughter of the Lin family, given how often they saw her.

Without a word, Nangong Jin drew his sword and charged towards the men in black. His movements were agile and his swordsmanship fierce; every move carried immense power. Seeing this, several men in black tried to deal with Nangong Jin, but they were no match for him. Nangong Jin's sword moved like a serpent, weaving through the men in black, blood splattering wherever it went, and the men in black groaned in pain.

In no time, the men in black were routed by Nangong Jin and Ming Yuan. Some were killed, some were injured, and the remaining two, seeing the situation was not good, did not care about Lin Ning and Xiao Cui and hurriedly scattered and fled.

Nangong Jin sheathed his sword, strode to Lin Ning and Xiao Cui's carriage, reached out to remove the gag from Lin Ning's mouth, and asked with concern, "Miss Lin, are you alright? Are you injured?"

Lin Ning was still somewhat shaken. She looked at Nangong Jin with gratitude in her eyes and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Thank you for saving us, Your Highness. If it weren't for you, Xiao Cui and I would probably be in grave danger today."

She also discovered that the wise king could stand on his own and was not in a wheelchair.

Nangong Jin noticed Lin Ning's gaze. He said, "You've recovered."

Then he waved to Lin Ning and said gently, "Miss Lin, you don't need to be so polite. But today's matter is a bit strange. I don't know who instructed these people to dare to kidnap people so openly in the capital. Miss Lin, you should be more careful in the future."

Lin Ning nodded slightly, pondering the origins and purposes of these people. She knew that she was still outnumbered and outmatched, and that she needed to be more cautious in the future.

Lin Ning and Xiao Cui were still shaken by their ordeal. As the sky grew darker, Nangong Jin pondered what to do next. He knew that as an outsider, sending Lin Ning directly back to the Lin Prime Minister's residence would surely attract gossip and greatly damage Lin Ning's reputation.

Nangong Jin frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then an idea suddenly flashed into his mind. He looked at Lin Ning and said softly, "Miss Lin, it is already late. If I were to send you directly back to your residence, I fear it would invite gossip and damage your reputation. I've been thinking, how about this: I'll send you to my sister Princess Nangong Ruoli's residence for the night. We can then tell everyone that you met the princess today and spent the night with her, which is why you were late. This way, we can avoid any unnecessary trouble. What do you think, Miss Lin?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ning understood that Nangong Jin's words were absolutely correct. Having no better solution at the moment, he nodded and replied, "Thank you for your thoughtful consideration, Your Highness. We will follow Your Highness's suggestion."

Seeing that Lin Ning had agreed, Nangong Jin led her and Xiao Cui toward Princess Nangong Ruoli's residence. Before long, they arrived at the princess's residence. Nangong Jin stepped forward, and the guards, upon hearing that it was His Highness the Prince Xian, dared not delay and hurriedly went inside to announce his arrival.

Soon, the princess came out to greet them. She wore a pale yellow palace dress, the hem of which fluttered in the wind. Her face was beautiful, and her eyes sparkled with intelligence and wit. Nangong Ruoli first looked curiously at Lin Ning, who was wrapped up tightly in a cloak behind Nangong Jin, then looked at Nangong Jin and teased with a smile, "Brother, what's going on today? Why did you bring this beautiful lady here?"

Nangong Jin watched her laugh but couldn't do anything about it. After entering the manor, Nangong Jin briefly recounted what had happened on the way and told Nangong Ruoli the excuse she had prepared. Nangong Ruoli understood immediately. She was a kind-hearted person, and seeing that Lin Ning's face was still pale and she looked frightened, she took Lin Ning's hand and said gently, "Miss Lin, you've suffered today too. Don't be afraid. Stay at my manor for the night, consider it keeping me company, and we can talk together."

Lin Ning quickly curtsied and said gratefully, "Thank you for taking me in, Your Highness. I've really troubled you today."

Nangong Ruoli smiled and helped Lin Ning up, saying, "Miss Lin, you don't need to be so polite. It's nothing. I'll have someone prepare some ginseng soup for you to warm yourselves up."

As she spoke, Nangong Ruoli pulled Lin Ning into the inner courtyard. Nangong Jin watched their backs and instructed, "Sister, Miss Lin was frightened today. Please take good care of her. I will return to the manor now and come to visit again tomorrow." Nangong Ruoli responded and led Lin Ning into the inner room.

Upon entering the inner room, Nangong Ruoli instructed the maids to quickly prepare hot water, clean clothes, and delicious food. She then led Lin Ning to an elegantly decorated room and said with a smile, "Miss Lin, you will stay here tonight. If you need anything, just tell the maids."

After thanking them again, Lin Ning waited until the maids had prepared everything, then washed up, changed her clothes, and sat down at the table with Xiao Cui to eat. Her heart was filled with emotion. Today had been full of twists and turns. First, she was followed, then attacked and kidnapped, only to be rescued by Nangong Jin. Now, she was being taken in by Princess Nangong Ruoli. However, she was increasingly puzzled as to who wanted to harm her and why she was involved. Judging from the black-clad men's clothing, they didn't seem to be arranged by Liu Shi. Their shoes and socks were special military footwear, and how could a young lady like her be connected to the military? Furthermore, the men of her Lin family held only ordinary official positions in the court; it shouldn't warrant such a large-scale operation. If her father had offended someone in court, he wouldn't have bothered with her. Everyone in the capital knew she was the least favored child; kidnapping her wouldn't have caused Prime Minister Lin any heartache, and he probably wouldn't have paid a single penny. The conspiracy behind it all seemed like a fog, shrouding her mind and making her restless and unable to eat or sleep.

Back at the Lin residence, Lin Wan's trusted confidants were closely monitoring Lin Ning's movements, hoping to find something to use against her. When they discovered that Lin Ning hadn't returned home that night, the confidant rushed to find Aunt Liu and embellished the story, telling Lin Wan and Aunt Liu what had happened.

Upon hearing this, a ruthless glint flashed in their eyes. They thought to themselves, "This is a rare opportunity. If we can use this to make Prime Minister Lin and the Old Madam dislike Lin Ning, then she'll never have a good life in the Lin family again." Immediately, Aunt Liu straightened her clothes, feigning a worried and indignant expression, and headed towards the main hall where Prime Minister Lin and the Old Madam's room was located.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Aunt Liu first bowed respectfully, then said anxiously, "Master, Madam, I have something I must tell you, it truly concerns the reputation of our Lin family."

Lin Xiang frowned and asked unhappily, "What's the matter that you're in such a panic? Just say what you have to say."

Aunt Liu glanced at Prime Minister Lin, then at the Old Madam, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, as if she had made a great decision, she said, "Master, Madam, I just learned that Lin Ning did not return to the manor tonight, and we don't know where she went. This... this is outrageous! An unmarried young lady not returning home at night, if word gets out, where will we put the face of our Lin family?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady's face immediately turned extremely ugly. She slammed her cane heavily on the ground and scolded, "Is this true? Aunt Liu, have you found out the truth?"

Aunt Liu hurriedly replied, "Madam, it's absolutely true. I've already sent someone to check. She went out today and hasn't come back since. This... this is clearly a secret rendezvous with a man. Such shameless behavior, even if she is the legitimate daughter, cannot be let off lightly. Otherwise, what will become of our Lin family's rules and reputation?"

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Lin's face darkened. He valued the reputation of the Lin family highly, and now, hearing Aunt Liu's words, he was filled with rage. He snorted and said, "Hmph, this rebellious daughter, who usually seems so well-behaved, has actually done such a disgraceful thing. She has truly disgraced the Lin family."

The old lady said with a pained expression, "What should we do? If this gets out, our Lin family will lose face in the capital. We must find a way to suppress this matter. She is engaged, and Prince Jin is not someone to be trifled with. We don't even know if he agrees to the engagement. What if this gets to his ears? We must punish Lin Ning severely in private to uphold the family rules."

Seeing that Prime Minister Lin and the old lady had been persuaded by her, Aunt Liu was secretly pleased. She pretended to advise, "Master, Madam, although Lin Ning has made a big mistake this time, she is still the eldest daughter of our Lin family. When punishing her, we must take her status into consideration and not be too harsh, lest outsiders say that our Lin family is too heartless."

Lin Xiang ignored her words and slammed his fist on the table, angrily saying, "What do you care about her status? She has done such a shameless thing and should be severely punished according to the family rules. There should be no leniency. Tomorrow when she returns to the manor, I will definitely ask her where she went and who she was with. If she dares to deny it, humph, I will directly use the family law to punish her!"

The old lady nodded in agreement and said, "Just as you say, we must let her know what's what. But we must not let any word of this leak out, lest we be unable to explain it to the Prince Xian."

Aunt Liu verbally agreed, but inwardly she was overjoyed. She could almost see Lin Ning being severely punished and having no place in the Lin family anymore; the smugness in her eyes was almost impossible to conceal. Meanwhile, Lin Ning was still in the princess's residence, completely unaware of the turmoil that had arisen in the Lin family because of her.

The next day at dawn, Lin Ning had just stepped into the gates of the Lin residence and hadn't even had a chance to properly explain herself when she heard Madam Liu adding fuel to the fire. Prime Minister Lin and the old lady were blinded by the so-called family rules and the family's reputation, and they didn't listen to Lin Ning's explanation at all. They immediately decided to enforce family law on Lin Ning, ordering someone to bring a whip and to give Lin Ning twenty lashes to uphold the family rules.