The Heroine Pays Me to Fall in Love (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 20

Following the secret passage, Jiang Zhinan didn’t know how long she had been running before she finally caught sight of an exit.

The passage led to a small bamboo grove within the city. The area was utterly deserted, eerily quiet except for the occasional chirping of birds echoing through the trees.

Jiang Zhinan gripped the edge of the exit and carefully scanned her surroundings. After confirming there was no immediate danger, she finally climbed out. Her movements were unsteady, her limbs weak.

As expected of a prominent household, preparations had been thorough. Inside the passage was not only plain clothes suitable for commoners but also a few pieces of silver.

It wasn’t much—but enough to barely survive on.

Jiang Zhinan hid among the bamboo and changed into the plain garments. Then she found a patch of muddy ground by a stream, scooped up a few handfuls of sludge, and smeared it over her face until she looked like a pitiful beggar fallen on hard times.

“Like this, can anyone still tell I’m Jiang Yu’an?” She whispered, asking the system softly.

“No, you’re unrecognizable now,” the system murmured, its tone tinged with worry. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll stay with you the whole time.”

“Mm.” Jiang Zhinan nodded and smiled faintly, her voice gentle. “Thank you.”

Even to a stranger, that smile would have looked strained—an expression filled with quiet resignation.

The system sighed lightly.

The sky was still bright. Jiang Zhinan dared not wander around, so she stayed hidden in the grove, waiting for night to fall.

During that time, she considered countless possibilities—whether she should flee farther away, whether she might find greater safety elsewhere.

But then another fear struck her: what if A’ning ever came back, and couldn’t find her?

After much thought, Jiang Zhinan finally decided to risk staying nearby.

The winter sun was pale and weak, the air still bitterly cold. The wind that swept through the grove was sharp and cutting.

Jiang Zhinan curled up tightly, stamping her feet and breathing into her cupped hands for warmth. She looked pitiful—like a small, abandoned puppy left to fend for itself in the cold.

The system couldn’t bear to watch. With a flicker of effort, it conjured a small fire and urged her to sit close, to keep herself from freezing.

“I know,” Jiang Zhinan replied, nodding. She smiled sincerely. “Thank you.”

No matter the circumstance—good or bad—it was all part of her mission. The system wasn’t allowed to interfere too much; her survival ultimately depended on herself.

Jiang Zhinan understood that well.

A single fire, and a single voice saying I’ll stay with you—that was enough.

She exhaled softly, her gaze distant as she stared into the flickering flames. Gradually, her thoughts drifted to A’ning’s face.

She wondered how A’ning was doing. Was she safe? Was she, too, shivering in the cold somewhere, hungry and exhausted?

So many years had passed, yet there had never been a single word from her.

“What an ungrateful girl,” Jiang Zhinan muttered, half-laughing, half-aching.

The thought of her made something deep inside twist painfully tight, and tears welled up before she could stop them.

She didn’t even know why—but ever since A’ning left, she’d become so much more prone to crying.

She had no idea how much time had passed before darkness finally fell.

The night grew even colder. Despite the fire’s warmth, the chill seeped into her bones, numbing her from head to toe.

She couldn’t stay here any longer. The cold was one thing—but in the middle of the night, wild animals might roam the woods.

Thinking so, Jiang Zhinan rose to her feet, stretched her stiff limbs, and began heading toward the city center.

“Be careful,” the system cautioned softly.

Normally, it would have returned home by now. But it couldn’t rest easy leaving Jiang Zhinan on her own, so it decided to stay with her for a while longer.

“Mm.” Jiang Zhinan nodded again. With the system’s company, the loneliness in her heart felt a little less heavy.

The two—human and system—talked quietly as they walked, until at last they reached a more familiar part of the city.

Things were different now. Perhaps because of her escape, the city was heavily guarded. Even at this late hour, patrols of armed soldiers roamed the streets, torches flaring in their hands.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhinan’s disguise was convincing—plain clothes, a filthy face—no one spared her a second glance.

Keeping her head low, she weaved through the crowds and slipped toward the public notice board to check for any word about the Jiang family.

The raid on her home had happened so suddenly. She had fled in such a rush that she still didn’t know what had become of her father, the governor, or her two elder brothers.

Now, staring at the notice, she finally saw a large proclamation posted in bold characters. It detailed the Jiang family’s crimes and punishment.

It declared that Governor Jiang had been found guilty of corruption and bribery, accused of hiding thousands of taels of illicit silver. Thanks to the emperor’s keen judgment, his crimes had been exposed, and all his property seized for the national treasury.

At the same time, the governor, his two sons, and daughter were sentenced to death. The household servants and maids were to be sold as slaves or sent to serve in the army; any who resisted were to be executed on the spot.

It was, in every sense, a story of a family destroyed.

Jiang Zhinan stared at the notice, unable to tell what she felt inside.

Further down, the proclamation stated that Governor Jiang and his eldest son, Jiang Yujin, had already been captured. But his second son, Jiang Chengxuan, and youngest daughter, Jiang Yu’an, had managed to escape. A generous reward would be given for any information leading to their capture.

Two portraits were attached beneath the text. Jiang Zhinan studied them carefully. The drawings were crude, but the likenesses were unmistakable.

She exhaled slowly. I’d better stay cautious.

With that thought, she turned away and continued walking, hoping to find an abandoned temple to rest in for the night.

Her mind was still reeling. She couldn’t tell if the charges of corruption were true or fabricated.

Still, amid all the tragedy, one thing was at least a small comfort—Jiang Chengxuan was still alive.

She didn’t know how much he knew about what had happened, but if fate ever allowed them to meet again, she was determined to ask him everything.

Not far away stood an old, crumbling temple that had long been abandoned—no incense burned there, no worshippers came. Only a few vagrants had taken to sleeping inside.

Though fear pricked at her heart, Jiang Zhinan still forced herself to step inside. She found a small empty corner, lay down on her side, and closed her eyes, trying hard to summon sleep.

It was, of course, nothing like her soft, warm bed back home. But exhaustion had already worn her down to the bone, and before long, she drifted off—so deeply that she didn’t even dream.

A’ning sat in her sedan chair, face dark, brows tightly furrowed.

Early that morning, she had just returned from an inspection tour in Huainan. Dust-covered and travel-worn, she hadn’t even taken a moment to rest before going to report to the Emperor. There, she overheard a few court officials discussing the Jiang family.

And what other Jiang family could they possibly mean? Of course, it was that Jiang family—the one with Jiang Zhinan.

For the past month, she had been stationed in Huainan consolidating her power, working tirelessly to strengthen her influence. She had even helped the Emperor handle a few matters of state, and this return trip was supposed to bring her generous rewards.

But before those rewards could arrive, she was met instead with a thunderbolt from the blue.

Something of this magnitude—and she, a first-rank Censor in the Imperial Court, had only just heard of it now? To think that she, of all people, would be the last to know.

Her heart lurched violently. Without hesitation, she sent someone to inquire about the Jiang family’s current situation.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhinan had not yet been captured.

Only then did A’ning release the breath she’d been holding. The fury that had surged up within her slowly subsided, if only a little.

“Who’s in charge of handling this matter?” she asked the court official beside her.

The answer came swiftly—Minister Sun Jin.

“I see,” A’ning replied evenly, her expression giving nothing away. She returned to her seat as though her question had been born of idle curiosity.

But the torment and anxiety twisting inside her—those were hers alone to bear.

After court was dismissed, A’ning didn’t even return home. She went straight to visit Sun Jin.

Over the years, to secure her footing in the court, she had built an extensive network of allies and relationships. Sun Jin was among those with whom she had maintained regular contact, so it was not at all unusual for her to call on him immediately upon her return.

Sun Jin, whose position ranked below hers, naturally came out to greet her personally the moment he heard she was on her way.

When A’ning arrived, she caught sight of him waiting outside his residence, posture respectful, demeanor proper.

“Minister Sun,” she greeted him, her lips curving into a pleasant smile. The anger from earlier vanished entirely, as if it had never existed. “I trust you’ve been well.”

Her words were polite and perfectly measured. Her attendants, well-versed in her habits, stepped forward right on cue to present the gifts she had brought.

Sun Jin accepted them personally, returning her smile. His handsome features softened as he looked at her.

A’ning stepped down from her sedan and joined him, walking side by side as they chatted—her tone amiable, her manner unassuming.

It was precisely this quality of hers that Sun Jin admired most. He had always regarded her as a true friend, and so, as they talked, his words came more freely. He asked about her journey to Huainan—whether it had been tiring, whether she’d gained anything of note.

A’ning answered each question naturally, as if she truly had come only to catch up.

Only once they were seated inside the Sun residence, tea steaming between them, did she finally steer the conversation toward her true purpose.

“I heard,” she began lightly, “that Minister Sun has recently been tasked with handling the matter concerning Governor Jiang.”

Though the subject was one that cut her deeply, her tone remained calm, her expression untroubled.

“Yes,” Sun Jin replied, his brow creasing slightly. After a moment, he sighed. “There have been complications. Though Governor Jiang and his eldest son have already been captured, the second son, Jiang Chengxuan, and the youngest daughter, Jiang Yu’an, managed to escape. They’ve yet to be found.”

“I see.” A’ning nodded, sipping her tea. After a pause, she asked, “And what are Minister Sun’s plans now?”

“Of course, we’ll continue the pursuit,” Sun Jin said firmly. “Even if they’ve escaped for now, it’s only a matter of time before they’re caught.”

“You’ve worked hard, Minister Sun,” A’ning said, her smile deepening slightly. “If any further difficulties arise, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“I’ll lend my full support.” Her words were smooth, but her eyes glimmered with something darker beneath.

“Then I must thank you,” Sun Jin said quickly, bowing slightly in gratitude.

“There’s no need,” A’ning replied with a faint shake of her head. “Between friends, such formality is far too distant.”

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Author’s Note:

A’ning is actually Ying Wanyan, hahaha. She originally became a fifth-rank official after placing first in the Imperial Exam, and over the years climbed all the way up to first rank. The Censorate answers directly to the Prime Minister—whom she’s even gone and made her godmother, qwq.