Chapter 69 What does the Duke of Chu mean by this?

Zhang Xiangling never imagined that her life would turn out so absurdly. She thought that one day she would become the Duchess of Chu. Although she had not given birth to a son, as long as Jiang Jiarong was alive and the Jiangling Marquis's mansion did not fall, she would be the Duchess of Chu.

But now she's being told that the man she married was actually a son of a concubine, and that her husband is dead, having committed suicide out of guilt. She can't believe it's true, she has no way of believing it. She feels like the entire Duke of Chu's mansion is bullying her.

But she was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jiangling, and the Marquis of Jiangling's mansion stood behind her; she wasn't so easily bullied. She wiped away her tears fiercely with her sleeve, looked at Lu Yifang who seemed to have lost her soul, at Jiang Yu who looked worried about Lu Yifang, then at Jiang Jiamu and his wife who looked at a loss, and finally fixed her gaze on the Duke of Chu's face.

She said, "I am the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jiangling. I married the eldest grandson of the Duke of Chu's family in a grand procession with eight sedan chairs. Now they say that the legitimate son has been replaced by an illegitimate son. I don't believe it, and neither do my father and mother. I am but a lowly person, so let my father, the Marquis of Jiangling, speak to the Duke."

After saying that, she turned and strode away, leaving the hall in deathly silence once more.

After a while, the Duke of Chu said, "I know you can't accept this, and I couldn't accept it when I first found out either, but it's the truth, and now we have to get back on track."

This statement clearly implies that even if the Marquis of Jiangling's family disagrees, Jiang Jiamu and his family will still be legitimate descendants of the Duke of Chu's family, with Jiang Jiamu being the Duke of Chu's eldest son and grandson.

Lu Yifang's mood had improved somewhat. She looked at Jiang Jiamu and his wife through teary eyes, but still didn't know what to say or do. She felt sorry for them, and she felt guilty, but she felt mostly heartache.

Zhang Xiangling said she couldn't accept becoming the wife of an illegitimate son, despite being the legitimate daughter of a marquis's family. What about her? She was also the legitimate daughter of a marquis's family. She genuinely loved Jiang Chengye and that's why she married him. Even after discovering that Jiang Chengye was a scoundrel, she tried her best to be a qualified matriarch.

But what did she get in return?

Jiang Chengye is becoming increasingly despicable; his son has been switched at birth, and his three-year-old daughter has been abducted. She used to think her life was already difficult enough, but now she realizes she's actually been living in hell all along.

Jiang Yu felt heartbroken seeing Lu Yifang's sad appearance. She hugged Lu Yifang and whispered, "Mother, all those hardships are over. Now I'm back, and my brother's identity is clear. From now on, there will be good days."

Lu Yifang shook her head and stood up. She walked to Jiang Jiamu and looked at her for a long time, tears streaming down her face. But the more she looked, the sadder and more heartbroken she became. Her own son, whom she had barely seen at birth, had been switched at birth. Now he was emaciated, poisoned to the core, and beyond saving. Who wouldn't be heartbroken and in unbearable pain in her shoes?

"I'm sorry," she said, looking at Jiang Jiamu.

Jiang Jiamu quickly stood up, "No...no need..."

He didn't know how to face his biological mother for a moment.

In this matter, he was actually the biggest victim. The legitimate son became the illegitimate son, and for more than 20 years he was ignored, suppressed, and even poisoned, which made him terminally ill.

But he couldn't bring himself to resent or hate Lu Yifang. Over the years, although Lu Yifang had ignored him, she had never done anything to harm him. Moreover, wasn't she also the biggest victim in this whole affair?

"Alright," the Duke of Chu's voice rang out, "it is my failure to manage my household properly that has led to this result, but what's done is done, let's just wait and see."

Lu Yifang and Jiang Jiamu both looked bitter. What else could they do? In any case, the truth had come out, which was a good thing for them.

"Jiamu, you should move to..." He glanced at Jiang Yu and pondered for a moment before saying, "You should move to the courtyard next to your mother's, so it will be more convenient for you to visit each other in the future."

Lu Yifang currently resides in the main courtyard of the Chu State Duke's mansion's backyard. After the Duchess of Chu passed away, the Chu State Duke had no intention of remarrying, so he arranged for Lu Yifang, the heir apparent's wife, to live in the main courtyard of the backyard. The courtyard where Jiang Jiarong and the others lived was to the left of Lu Yifang's courtyard, while the courtyard that the Chu State Duke had Jiang Jiamu and the others move to was to the right of Lu Yifang's courtyard.

Left is above.

Of course, the Duke of Chu had his own considerations for making this arrangement. As for what those considerations were, only he himself knows.

Jiang Jiamu stood up and said yes. At this moment, the steward Li Zhong walked in quickly, bowed and said, "The Marquis of Jiangling and his wife have arrived."

The Duke of Chu sat up straight, paused for a moment, and said, "Yu'er, you will receive the Marquis of Jiangling and Chengye's wife."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room turned their attention to Jiang Yu. None of them had expected that the Duke of Chu would send Jiang Yu to receive the Marquis of Jiangling.

If Jiang Yu is a man, then as the eldest granddaughter of the Duke of Chu's mansion, her presence in receiving male guests alongside the Duke of Chu indicates that the Duke of Chu values ​​her highly, and she may be the heir to the Duke of Chu's mansion.

But Jiang Yu is a woman!

What does the Duke of Chu mean by this?

Jiang Yu stood up amidst everyone's gazes and calmly said, "Yes, Grandfather."

The Duke of Chu grunted and walked out. Jiang Yu took Lu Yifang's hand and said, "Mother, now is not the time to be sad. You must cheer up."

Lu Yifang stood up, bracing herself against the armrest of the chair. She took a deep breath, concealing the sadness on her face, and said to Jiang Yu, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

How could Jiang Yu not worry? But there was no use worrying now. She took Lu Yifang's hand and said, "When you see Lady Jiangling later, you look so sad. No matter what she says or asks, you seem to know nothing and have no interest in caring about anything."

Lu Yifang nodded, "Don't worry, I know."

As the matriarch of the household, she knew that no matter how heartbroken or distressed she was, she had to endure it. It was her responsibility.

Jiang Yu then looked at Jiang Jiamu and Wu Zhengyan and said, "Brother and sister-in-law, go back and rest first. Things should be done slowly."

After saying that, she turned and left. Wu Zhengyan looked at Jiang Jiamu and asked him with her eyes what the Duke of Chu meant by this, but Jiang Jiamu gave her a look that said not to ask anything.

Lu Yifang glanced at Jiang Yu's back, took a deep breath, and then said to Jiang Jiamu, "You should go back and rest first. Things might get a little chaotic in the manor these next few days."

The main task now is to deal with the Jiangling Marquis's residence; everything else must be put on hold. Jiang Jiamu understood this as well, and he bowed to Lu Yifang, saying, "Yes."

Seeing his distant and polite demeanor, Lu Yifang felt a pang of sadness, but how could the habits of getting along over many years be changed overnight?

"Get some rest and take good care of Yun Kang." Lu Yifang said and walked away quickly. Jiang Jiamu turned back to Wu Zhengyan and said, "Let's go back too."

Wu Zhengyan nodded quickly, reached out and touched Jiang Jiamu's arm, and the two walked together towards their courtyard. What had happened today was too great and too shocking; they still hadn't processed it. Neither of them spoke the rest of the way.