Chapter 56 Showing Goodwill?

When Jiang Yu arrived at Lu Yifang's courtyard, Granny Feng was waiting at the gate. Upon seeing Jiang Yu, she quickly walked over, knelt down, and said, "This old servant greets Miss."

"Hmm," Jiang Yu nodded and walked forward, asking, "Did Lady Qingshan come alone?"

Granny Feng quickly replied, "Yes, I've been here for a while now, and I insisted on seeing you."

As they spoke, they reached the entrance to the hall. Granny Feng lifted the curtain, and Jiang Yu stepped inside. She saw Lu Yifang sitting in the main seat, and a woman in her fifties, slightly thin, with a harsh face, sitting in the guest seat. This must be the Lady of Qingshan.

Jiang Yu first bowed to Lu Yifang, and then to the Lady of Qingshan. Lu Yifang called her to sit down beside her and said with a smile, "The Lady said she hasn't met you yet and would like to meet you."

Jiang Yu smiled at Lady Qingshan, "I've long heard of your kindness, and seeing you today confirms it."

She smiled brightly, as if there were no grudges between her and the Qingshan Marquis's family. The Qingshan Marquis's wife forced a smile and said, "Everyone says Miss Jiang is intelligent, and now I see she is indeed so."

Jiang Yu smiled at her again, "I had some disagreements with your fourth young lady before. I have a short temper, and if my behavior was a bit excessive, I hope you will forgive me, Madam and Lord."

Lady Qingshan was surprised that Jiang Yu would speak so softly. She had heard from the Earl of Qingshan how aggressive Jiang Yu had been in the Imperial Study.

She forced a smile again, "That was indeed Yuezhen's fault."

“Miss Su is also a person of strong emotions,” Jiang Yu said.

Lady Qingshan was momentarily confused by Jiang Yu's meaning. She gave a slight smirk, took out a small box, handed it to Jiang Yu, and then rose to take her leave. Jiang Yu and Lu Yifang escorted her to the gate of the mansion, as if the two families had always been on good terms.

Watching the sedan chair of Lady Qingshan depart, Lu Yifang asked Jiang Yu, "Why were you so polite to her? Before you arrived, she was being sarcastic and sarcastic for a long time."

Jiang Yu took her arm and walked back, saying, "The matter is over. I've shown a magnanimous attitude. If the Qingshan Marquis's Mansion treats us with sarcasm in the future, then they are being petty."

Lu Yifang nodded, "You're right."

Jiang Yu smiled; her true purpose was, of course, not that. During the interrogation of Yang Tianfu, they discovered that Consort Su and the Prince of Lingnan had a past relationship. Regardless of whether that relationship developed further, it remained the biggest secret of the Qingshan Marquis's mansion, and also its greatest weakness.

Her previous actions were swift and decisive, precisely to prevent Uncle Qingshan from guessing that they knew the secret. Now, her conciliatory attitude is also meant to mislead Uncle Qingshan.

Of course, this might not work, but she's done what she could. If Uncle Qingshan still guesses that they already know the secret, then they should reveal it. But revealing it would cause a lot of trouble.

"Zhu'er, I heard that the Duke has sealed off Aunt Zhao's courtyard?" Lu Yifang asked.

Jiang Yu was stunned for a moment when she heard this question. If Jiang Jiarong and Jiang Jiamu were switched, Lu Yifang would be the one who would suffer the most.

“Something has indeed happened at the manor,” Jiang Yu said after thinking for a moment. “I’ll tell you when I get back.”

She decided to tell Lu Yifang about Jiang Chengye being framed for smuggling salt. Lu Yifang was the mistress of the Chu State Duke's mansion; she should know. As for the possibility of Jiang Jiarong and Jiang Jiamu being switched, she would deal with that after the results were known.

The mother and daughter arrived at Lu Yifang's bedroom, closed the door, and Jiang Yu quietly recounted how Jiang Chengye had been framed. Lu Yifang was so shocked she almost cried out. Her hands trembling, she grabbed Jiang Yu and asked, "Then... how does the Duke intend to resolve this?"

Jiang Yu patted her reassuringly and whispered, "Grandfather has dealt with the people in Father's and Eldest Brother's courtyard, and we've also taken control of those who plotted against Father. Even if someone finds out and tries to report us, we can now deny everything."

Lu Yifang breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. Was Aunt Zhao involved?"

"It's still unclear, we're still investigating." Jiang Yu looked at Lu Yifang seriously and said, "Mother, you are the head of the household, you must remain calm at this time and not panic at all. Also, you can't tell your sister-in-law about this, and you can't tell anyone else."

Lu Yifang nodded heavily, "Don't worry, Zhu'er, I'll act like I'm angry because my dowry was stolen."

“Yes,” Jiang Yu emphasized again, “You absolutely cannot say anything to your sister-in-law.”

“I know, I know. She has the Jiangling Marquis’s Mansion behind her. If she reveals it to the Jiangling Marquis’s Mansion, it won’t be able to be kept secret.” Lu Yifang also assured, “I will absolutely not tell anyone from the Anyuan Marquis’s Mansion. Zhu’er, don’t worry, I understand. This concerns the fate of the entire clan.”

Jiang Yu felt relieved, but then she thought about the possibility that Jiang Jiarong and Jiang Jiamu might be switched. She gently hugged Lu Yifang and said, "Mother, things will pass, everything will pass, and good days will come from now on."

Lu Yifang thought Jiang Yu was comforting her because of Jiang Chengye, so she gently patted Jiang Yu's back and said, "I've been with him for so many years, and he's done countless awful things. I'm not angry anymore. I just want you to be well, and for your older brother and the others to be well."

Jiang Yu hummed in agreement and patted her gently.

........

Lady Qingshan returned to the Qingshan Marquis's residence, met with the Marquis of Qingshan, and recounted her visit to the Duke of Chu's residence. Then she said:

“Lord, what do you think Jiang Yu meant? I wanted to say something to her, but she shut me down and I couldn’t say a word.”

Uncle Qingshan narrowed his eyes and remained silent, pondering everything about Jiang Yu. Undeniably, Jiang Yu was a highly cunning and scheming person, so why did she do what she did?

A gesture of goodwill?

He felt that this was the only reason. No matter how resourceful she was, the Duke of Chu's mansion was about to fall. However, the Marquis of Qingshan's mansion had Consort Su and the Eighth Prince. Jiang Yu probably didn't want to offend them too much and wanted to ease tensions.

But, humph, things don't always go as she pleases. This time, Jiang Yu made them lose face, and he will absolutely not let her off the hook, nor will he let the Duke of Chu's mansion off the hook.

However, since the Emperor himself resolved the matter, they couldn't make a scene. Perhaps Jiang Yu thought the same thing. How cunning.

"From now on, when you see anyone from the Duke of Chu's mansion, just pretend that nothing happened before," the Earl of Qingshan said to his wife.

Lady Qingshan seemed to understand something as well, and nodded, saying, "I understand."

The Earl of Qingshan gave a satisfied "hmm," and the Earl's wife continued, "How should we prepare the dowry for Yuezhen's marriage to Qi Yuanhong? We had prepared quite a lot of dowry for her, but this time we lost 40,000 taels of silver because of her, and there is no silver left in the manor's accounts."

Uncle Qingshan thought for a moment and said, "Just give them a small house, some simple furniture, and some money for household expenses. After they get married, they can support themselves."

Lady Qingshan breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that Lord Qingshan would say to proceed according to the original plan. Firstly, the manor really didn't have that much silver left, and secondly, Su Yuezhen wasn't worth that much dowry anymore.