Chapter 121 I will give her the right to deal with you.

The family of three finished getting ready and headed towards the front yard restaurant, where they encountered Jiang Chengye on the way. Despite their resentment towards him, the family of three still bowed to him.

Jiang Chengye reached out and patted Jiang Yunkang's head. "You all know?"

He was naturally asking about Jiang Yu's ambition to become an official, and Jiang Jiamu nodded. Then Jiang Chengye sighed and said, "I don't know what your grandfather was thinking. No matter how intelligent Jiang Yu is, she is still a woman. How can a woman support a family?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on Jiang Jiamu's family's faces soured. Even though they sometimes envied Jiang Yu and thought that if Jiang Jiamu hadn't been replaced, his life would certainly have been different, they knew that was just a hypothetical. The reality was that the current Duke of Chu's mansion needed Jiang Yu; only when Jiang Yu thrived would the Duke of Chu's mansion thrive.

They all knew this, but Jiang Chengye didn't. Jiang Jiamu wanted to retort, but then heard Jiang Yunkang say, "Auntie is amazing. She's the most amazing person I've ever met."

The little boy's voice was childish, yet unusually earnest. Jiang Chengye looked somewhat embarrassed and opened his mouth to say something to Jiang Yunkang, but Jiang Jiamu spoke up, "Father, whether my younger sister can support the family depends on her ability, not her gender."

"How dare you speak to me like that?" Jiang Chengye said, pointing at Jiang Jiamu.

Jiang Jiamu said, "I'm sorry, Father. I was raised as a son of a concubine since I was a child, so I may have been lacking in manners."

One sentence rendered Jiang Chengye speechless. Jiang Jiamu bowed, then led his wife and children away. If there was anyone in this world he hated, it was Jiang Chengye and Aunt Zhao.

If it weren't for Aunt Zhao, he wouldn't have been replaced as an illegitimate son, and if Jiang Chengye hadn't been such a scoundrel, Aunt Zhao, a courtesan, would never have been able to enter the Duke of Chu's mansion.

When his physical pain was unbearable, he had moments when he wondered why the Duke could kill Jiang Jiarong but not Jiang Chengye. After the pain subsided, he thought about it carefully and then understood: Jiang Chengye was useful, and he really couldn't die.

Jiang Chengye, standing behind, looked at the backs of the family of three, his face flushed with anger, but who cared?

Dinner was lively, with the whole family present, and the Duke of Chu seemed more energetic than usual. He sat in the main seat, with Jiang Yu to his left and Jiang Chengye to his right. This arrangement clearly told the people of the Duke of Chu's mansion that Jiang Yu held a higher status than Jiang Chengye in this household.

Do you think anyone is dissatisfied? Of course, there are. Take Jiang Chengye's illegitimate daughter, Jiang Ling, for example. Looking at Jiang Yu sitting next to the Duke of Chu, she gave a soft snort and muttered under her breath, "Raised in the marketplace since childhood, and divorced at that. I don't know what Grandfather was thinking, letting her..."

Before she could finish speaking, her younger sister sitting next to her pinched her. Jiang Ling turned her head in displeasure and asked, "What are you doing?"

Jiang Shan smiled at the person at the same table who was looking over, then pulled Jiang Ling outside and stopped her in a secluded spot. She said, "If you want to die, then slit your own throat. Don't drag me and my aunt into this. How dare you talk to the eldest daughter like that?"

“We’re all sisters, why does she act so high and mighty, and I can’t even say a word?”

"Just because she is the eldest daughter of the main branch, just because she is valued by the Duke, just because she passed the Ministry of Personnel's examination and entered the court as an official, which of these do you have?"

Jiang Ling fell silent. Jiang Shan looked at her sternly and said, "Let me tell you, Miss will be the heir of this family in the future. Think carefully about what the consequences will be if you go against the heir of the family?"

Jiang Ling remained silent, while Jiang Shan softened her voice and continued, "We need to recognize our own status. Who we marry is up to our mother. If we suffer grievances after marriage, the eldest young lady might have to stand up for us. What good will it do you to be jealous of her and oppose her?"

Jiang Ling pursed her lips. "I understand."

Jiang Shan looked at her intently, and only felt relieved when she saw the regret on her face. She then said, "Let's not talk about others, just take our second aunt. She is also a concubine's daughter. How is she doing now? Her husband is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He still has to respect her because the Duke of Chu's mansion stands behind her."

"I understand, please stop talking." Jiang Ling bit her lip. "I won't do it again, don't worry."

Jiang Shan looked at her intently again until Jiang Ling assured her once more that she would no longer be jealous of Jiang Yu, then the two of them went back into the restaurant together. Their comings and goings naturally went unnoticed by Jiang Yu and the others. Lu Yifang and the Duke of Chu both knew that Jiang Yu was tired, and the family banquet quickly came to an end.

Jiang Yu went straight back to his Yunfeng Courtyard after leaving the restaurant. He was really tired. Meanwhile, the Duke of Chu summoned Jiang Jiamu and Jiang Chengye to his study.

"How are you feeling today?" Duke of Chu asked Jiang Jiamu.

"Just like always," Jiang Jiamu said with a smile.

The Duke of Chu looked at him with pity, "I have sent people to find a famous doctor. You can rest and recover."

“Grandson knows,” Jiang Jiamu replied.

The Duke of Chu sighed, "I've wronged you all these years, but now our Duke of Chu's mansion is on the verge of crisis, and I have to push your sister Jiang Yu up. You may feel wronged and unwilling, but for the sake of the family, I have no choice but to do this."

Jiang Jiamu clenched his fist and said seriously, "I am a little aggrieved and unwilling, but my younger sister has earned her way to where she is today on her own."

He knew very well that even if he hadn't been replaced, despite his excellent education from a young age, he might still be inferior to Jiang Yu. He didn't know the full details of the twists and turns that led to Jiang Yu's recommendation for officialdom, but he was generally aware of them. He admitted that if he were Jiang Yu, he wouldn't have been able to pass such a rigorous examination.

The Duke of Chu trembled slightly upon hearing his words. Such a sensible child, if properly taught from a young age, would surely be a fine person.

“But… I have a request,” Jiang Jiamu said, looking into the eyes of the Duke of Chu. “I know I don’t have long to live. I have been plagued by illness for years and have long since given up on this life. But I can’t bear to leave my wife and children. I beg you, my grandfather, to take good care of them after I am gone.”

After saying this, he stood up and knelt before the Duke of Chu. His frail body was heartbreaking to see.

The Duke of Chu's eyes were blurry. He reached out and pulled the man up. "Yun Kang is my great-grandson. I will naturally not mistreat him. Don't worry, even if I am gone, I will entrust Yun Kang to your sister Jiang Yu and let her raise him to adulthood."

Hearing these words from the Duke of Chu, Jiang Jiamu felt relieved. He bowed to the Duke of Chu and said, "Thank you, Grandfather."

The Duke of Chu patted him on the shoulder, "Don't think too much, just take good care of yourself."

Jiang Jiamu smiled, "Grandson knows."

The Duke of Chu sighed again, waved for him to leave, and then his face turned cold. He looked at Jiang Chengye and said, "Yu'er is going to serve in the court. She is the hope of my Duke of Chu's mansion. From now on, you should stay at home. If you dare to cause trouble again, I..."

"Father, I dare not." Jiang Chengye immediately knelt down. The image of Jiang Jiarong when he died still often appeared in his dreams.

"Don't even think about waiting until I'm gone. You are Yu'er's father, and she can't do anything to you," the Duke of Chu said, looking down at him. "I will give her the right to deal with you."