Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Sister-in-law, what are you doing?

A red cloud appeared behind her ears, and Jiang Shu's heart beat faster. She felt that the cloak was like a hot potato. It was awkward to wear, and it was inappropriate to take it off. She felt at a loss as to what to do.

As she was hesitating, she suddenly heard the guard say, "This cloak was newly made by the Imperial Clothing Bureau for Minister Lu. He hasn't worn it yet, so Third Madam, just wear it with confidence. Even if someone else sees it, they won't be able to say anything."

As expected of Lu Changji's bodyguard, he was very thoughtful and resolved Jiang Shu's confusion in just a few words. Jiang Shu felt relieved and relieved.

Jiang Ran returned to the Jiang residence. With no outsiders around him, he could finally vent his anger.

She held onto Yang's hand and sighed, "Mother, it's all because of that bitch Jiang Shu blocking my way. If she hadn't jumped into the lake to save me, how could Minister Lu have stood by and watched?"

"Now look what happened! Not only did I lose the chance to marry into a wealthy family, but I also became a laughing stock. How can I swallow this?"

Yang was also furious: "That bitch Jiang Shu, does she think that just because she's the Crown Prince's wife, she can do whatever she wants?"

As Yang spoke, she hugged Jiang Ran in her arms and patted his back to comfort him: "Anger is harmful to your health. Now that things have come to this, don't be angry anymore.

If you feel aggrieved, I will call Jiang Shu home and let you have a good tantrum. Her biological mother is in my hands, so I don't think she would dare to act like a demon."

Jiang Ran said yes, and leaned softly into Yang's arms: "After all, mother loves me the most."

Yang was hot-tempered and impetuous, so she immediately sent Mrs. Wu to the Xinyang Marquis's Mansion to invite someone.

Jiang Shu had expected Yang's behavior, so she was not in a hurry. She took out a set of study supplies from the warehouse and walked out slowly.

The Jiang residence was quiet, brewing the calm before a storm. Jiang Shu stepped into the flower hall and saw Yang sitting at the eight-immortals table sorting out the accounts, with Jiang Ran helping her.

Lin usually had no chance to set foot in the flower hall. Today, in order to teach Jiang Shu a lesson, Yang specially summoned Lin to the flower hall to serve her.

Although Lin was over thirty years old, she did not look old at all. The charm revealed in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows was incomparable to that of a young girl. She stood beside the eight-immortals table, with her head lowered, silently grinding ink, looking like a weak willow swaying in the wind.

Mrs. Lin hadn't seen her eldest daughter for many days and was very happy to see Jiang Shu. Unfortunately, Mrs. Yang was present, so she didn't even dare to greet her eldest daughter. She only glanced at Jiang Shu out of the corner of her eye in between grinding.

Jiang Shu felt sorry for her and went to Lin's side. She shook Lin's hand under the table and turned to Yang and said, "Auntie is not good at writing, let alone the essence of grinding ink. It's better for your daughter to grind ink for you."

Without waiting for Yang to speak, Jiang Shu took the ink stick from Lin's hand, winked at Lin, and asked Lin to go to the side and take a rest.

No matter what you do, there must be a limit. Now that you have achieved your goal, Yang Shi did not want to go too far. She put down the abacus in her hand and scolded Jiang Shu sarcastically: "No matter how high the dodder climbs, it still has to rely on its roots underground to survive.

Although you married into a wealthy family, you shouldn't forget your duties. You're now the Crown Prince's wife, enjoying unparalleled glory, but your aunt is still a slave!

If I hadn't bought your aunt from the human traffickers back then, how could she have lived a life of luxury?"

I pulled your aunt out of the mire, and painstakingly raised you and Rong Jie'er, spending countless gold and silver and hard work, yet you don't stand with the family. It's truly disheartening."

Jiang Shu didn't stop her movements and gave Yang a feigned innocent look. "I'm deeply grateful to you and have done my best to help the family. Why do you accuse me of not being on the same page with you? Your words really frighten me."

Yang was still able to hold her composure, but Jiang Ran couldn't hold it back any longer. She stood up suddenly, pointed at Jiang Shu and angrily shouted, "Stop playing dumb and pretending to be stupid."

"I've been planning for so long to finally get this chance to be alone with Minister Lu. Who asked you to jump in and meddle in other people's business? If you hadn't been so naive, I might have already tied the knot with Minister Lu."

Jiang Ran was so angry that his face flushed and his breathing became rapid, but Jiang Shu remained calm, not even frowning. She put the ink stick aside and said softly, "What are you talking about, second sister? We are sisters. I was so worried when I saw you fall into the water that I risked drowning to save you without even a second thought.

It's fine if you don't appreciate me, but why are you accusing me of meddling in your affairs?"

Jiang Shu glanced out the window, then pulled out a handkerchief, covered her mouth and nose, and sobbed softly twice. "It's all my fault for not asking you about your plan in advance. If I knew you fell into the water to get your uncle's mercy, I would never have saved you even if I saw you drowning."

"You still dare to quibble!" In terms of eloquence, ten Jiang Rans are not as good as one Jiang Shu. Of course, in the Jiang family, Jiang Ran does not need to be reasonable. With the support of the Yang family, she can do whatever she wants even if she is unreasonable.

Jiang Ran angrily pulled out the feather duster from the vase and raised it to hit Jiang Shu.

"You are a disgraceful and evil-minded person. Stop it right now." Before Jiang Ran could succeed, he saw Jiang Wenhuan walk in with a dark face.

Jiang Wenhuan snatched the feather duster from Jiang Ran's hand, threw it heavily to the ground, and glared at Yang: "I heard everything that happened in the room just now."

"I know you want Sister Ran to get close to someone rich and powerful, but I didn't expect you and Sister Ran to go this crazy."

"A woman's reputation is so important. You actually want to use Sister Ran's reputation to force Minister Lu to submit. Who is Minister Lu? He can even influence the emperor's decision. How could he let you women manipulate him?"

"If it weren't for Sister Shu rescuing Sister Ran from the lake, I'm afraid our family's reputation would be ruined, and the face of our eight generations of ancestors would be gone."

Jiang Wenhuan was a calm person who rarely got angry, but this outburst frightened Yang. She pursed her lips and said nothing more.

When he had some free time, Jiang Wenhuan cast his gaze on Jiang Shu, and his tone softened a lot: "Good child, you have always been sensible. You are unwilling to say a word even when you are wronged. Such a good temper makes others ignorant of the immensity of the world."

"If I hadn't come to the main hall today, I don't know how badly you would have been bullied."

Jiang Wenhuan prides himself on being gentle and elegant. Apart from doing his work, he usually spends his time in the study. When Jiang Shu came in, she asked the servant to give Jiang Wenhuan a set of fine calligraphy. Jiang Wenhuan was very happy and thought of going to the flower hall to see his eldest daughter whom he had not seen for a long time. As luck would have it, he saw Jiang Ran throwing a tantrum.

Jiang Ran was arrogant and unreasonable, but Jiang Shu didn't bother with her. She said gently, "We are all family, so there is no need to feel wronged. As long as my second sister and mother don't blame me, I will be satisfied."

Seeing Jiang Shu's submissive look, Jiang Wenhuan felt even more unbearable, and squinted his brows at Yang: "Sister Shu finally came back, why don't you quickly tell the kitchen to prepare the feast.

Today, Xuniang doesn't have to go back to the back room to do needlework. We can all have dinner together in the flower hall. We are all family, so there is no need to be so particular behind closed doors."

Lin was born in a poor family and did not even have a proper name. Because she was the sixth child in the family, her family always called her Xiaoliu. Later, when a locust plague hit her hometown, her father sold her to a human trafficker in exchange for some millet.

After Yang bought her home, Jiang Wenhuan saw that her appearance was pure and beautiful, like flying catkins in March, so he named her Xuniang.

Yang looked down on Lin from the bottom of her heart. How could a lowly slave have the qualifications to eat at the same table with her? Although she felt unfair, she didn't want to offend Jiang Wenhuan because he was still angry, so she didn't say anything more and went into the kitchen.

This was Lin's first time eating in the flower hall. She was trembling with fear, eating only the two dishes in front of her, not even daring to raise her head. As soon as the meal was over, she dragged Jiang Shu back to the back room like a quail.

She patted her chest and asked Jiang Shu in a low voice, "Shu Jie'er, what happened today? I think the second young lady is so angry that her face is black."

Jiang Rong's personality was like Lin's, and she was also very timid. She crept up to Jiang Shu, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered, "Second sister is always domineering. Did she bully the eldest sister again?"

Jiang Shu shook her head and then told Lin and Jiang Rong the whole story. Jiang Rong exclaimed, "Second sister is so bold that she even dares to covet the Prime Minister."

"Big sister is very brave. In order to protect Prime Minister Lu's reputation, she dared to compete with mother in wits and courage. I must learn from big sister and have my own opinions in the future."

Jiang Rong was fourteen years old at the time. Her eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky, her face was round, and she had two dimples on her cheeks. She spoke in a very sweet and naive manner.

Jiang Shu smiled and pinched Jiang Rong's little face, saying softly, "Mother and Sister Ran had the opportunity to attend the banquet at the Xinyang Marquis' Mansion because of me. I absolutely cannot let them cause trouble in the mansion."

As Jiang Shu spoke, she opened the package she was carrying. Inside, besides the candies and cakes that Jiang Rong liked, there were also two bags of silver melon seeds. The silver melon seeds were heavy, weighing at least twenty taels.

When Lin saw the package, her face turned pale and she waved her hands at Jiang Shu, "Auntie knows you are filial, it would be fine if you brought some fruits and food, but why did you take so much money?

Your father holds a low position, and our family is not as good as the Xinyang Marquisate. If you bring back so much silver, I'm afraid people will look down on you even more. Put these silver melon seeds away quickly!"

Jiang Shu said it was no problem: "I am in charge of the prince's private property. I can't spend it all every month just by the interest. On top of that, I also have a monthly allowance of ten taels, and the marquis's wife gives me another five taels as a subsidy. How can I spend so much money by myself? I need the help of my aunt and sister."

Aunt Lin's monthly allowance was 500 wen, and Jiang Rong's was 200 wen. Their monthly allowances were already pitifully small, and Yang would find excuses to deduct some of them every month, leaving them with very little.

Fifteen taels of silver was an astronomical figure for Lin and Jiang Rong, and Lin was dumbfounded.

Furthermore, since the prince was willing to hand over his private property to Jiang Shu, he must love Jiang Shu very much. Knowing that her daughter was cherished, Lin felt comforted and couldn't help but smile.

Jiang Shu smiled and said, "My daughter finally didn't marry into a wealthy family. Apart from other things, she still has plenty of money."

Lin was naturally happy that her daughter was well off, but when she thought of Jiang Shu's situation, she couldn't help but feel anxious: "You've been married for quite some time, why aren't you pregnant yet?"

"The prince is so weak. To put it bluntly, he might die any day. You must have an heir to survive."

Speaking of offspring, Jiang Shu couldn't help but frown: "Offspring depend on fate, and you can't have them just by wanting them."

Lin was an experienced person and sensed that Jiang Shu's words were full of hidden meanings, so she sent Jiang Rong to the outer room. She lowered her voice and said, "My son-in-law is not in good health. His waist and abdomen are weak, so it's understandable that he can't do it as he wishes. You have to take the initiative in sex. Didn't I teach you that it's OK for the woman to be on top? If you put in more effort, you might get pregnant one day."

Jiang Shu was a girl after all. When she heard Lin openly talk about sex, her face flushed. She kept saying, "My daughter knows. Aunt, don't worry."

In the blink of an eye, the sun disappeared behind the mountain. Jiang Shu was a married woman, and it was not appropriate for her to stay overnight at her parents' home for no reason, so she had to say goodbye and leave.

The carriage left Tongque Lane and met a plain carriage on Yu Street, which faces the river. Yu Street was narrow, and a carriage had to give way to avoid passing.

Jiang Shu never argued with others over trivial matters. She lifted the carriage curtain and gently instructed the coachman, "Drive the carriage to the side and let..."

Before she could finish her words, she saw the owner of the carriage opposite also lifted the curtain. The man was wearing a gray round-necked robe, had a tall figure, and a handsome and clear face. It was Jiang Shu's ex-fiancé Ye Qian.

When their eyes met, Jiang Shu's heart couldn't help but tremble. She took a deep breath and gave Ye Qian a gentle smile as if she had met an ordinary friend.

Ye Qian nodded. He walked to the side of Jiang Shu's carriage and said to her gently, "Can I have a moment to talk?"

The road was empty and there was nothing to hide around, so there was no need to be shy. Jiang Shu jumped off the carriage and walked to the riverbank with Ye Qian to talk.

Ye Qian took out a purse from his sleeve pocket, held it in both hands and handed it to Jiang Shu: "Here are twenty-three taels of silver, please keep it."

Jiang Shu shook her head: "Brother Ye Qian, my aunt is not in good health. You can use this money to buy her some supplements. It will be my filial piety to my aunt."

Ye's father passed away early, leaving only Ye's mother and Ye Qian at home. Ye's mother had been ill for many years, and since the Ye and Jiang families got engaged, Jiang Shu often went to the Ye family to take care of Ye's mother.

Although she did not marry Ye Qian as promised, in her heart, she regarded Ye's mother and Ye Qian as her own relatives.

As for the silver left for Ye Qian, I just regarded it as a gift to him and never thought of asking him to return it.

Ye Qian knew what Jiang Shu was thinking, but he would never accept money from Jiang Shu for nothing.

The Jiang family did break the engagement, but Jiang Shu did not.

She had never owed him anything, and she had treated him with the utmost kindness.

After the Xinyang Marquis's Mansion came to the Jiang family to propose marriage to Jiang Shu, Jiang Wenhuan considered breaking off the engagement with the Ye family. Jiang Shu refused and, to keep her promise to Ye Qian for her whole life, she hung herself in the house, threatening to commit suicide.

Even when things got to this point, Jiang Wenhuan still refused to give in. Jiang Shu secretly rented a carriage and went to Bailu Academy a hundred miles away to find Ye Qian. She told him the whole story and declared that she was willing to run away with Ye Qian.

That night, the moon was like a round disk, the stars were twinkling, and Jiang Shu's eyes were brighter than the stars in the sky.

She treated him with deep affection, but he could not let her be put in an unbearable situation.

Ye Qian took out the engagement document and burned it to ashes himself.

Shu'er is a trustworthy person. She is willing to travel around the world with him, but he is reluctant to let her suffer.

Her husband's family is the Xinyang Marquis Mansion, a century-old family. The eldest son of the Xinyang Marquis Mansion is powerful and has a good reputation throughout the world. If Shu'er marries into such a family, she will no longer have to suffer hardships.

Yang was mean and unwilling to give Jiang Shu her monthly allowance. In order to supplement the family income, Jiang Shu spent the whole day doing needlework. Her fingers had been pricked so many times that her fingertips were red nine out of ten days.

In winter, there was no charcoal fire in the back room, and Jiang Shu's ears were frozen and swollen.

Ye Qian saw all the hardships Jiang Shu had endured, and he only regretted that his family was poor and he did not have extra money to help Jiang Shu.

Even if he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi in the future, no matter how high he climbed, he would never be able to reach Lu Changji's status. He could not give her wealth and glory, so it was better to let others protect her.

That day, they sat side by side on the roof of the academy and watched the stars all night long. When the sky was getting light, Jiang Shu said she wanted to take a look at Ye Qian's dormitory. She helped him tidy up his desk and quietly hid all her personal belongings in the drawer of the desk.

Thinking of the heavy silver in the drawer, Ye Qian felt both warm and ashamed.

A man should make achievements and support a woman, so how can he ask a woman for money? Even if he was reduced to begging, he could not accept Jiang Shu's silver.

Ye Qian was very stubborn: "Shu'er, you must accept this purse no matter what."

Jiang Shu had suffered from poverty before, but now she lived a comfortable life. However, she also cared about Ye Qian: "I heard that you passed the imperial examination. Can you enter the government now?"

Ye Qian said, "I just reported to the Hanlin Academy yesterday and was appointed as a scholar."

Jiang Shu didn't know what the official title of Shujishi was. She was only concerned about Ye Qian's livelihood. "You have just taken office, so you must have a lot of social interactions, and you will need a lot of money. Why don't you take this money first and give it to me when you have enough money."

Ye Qian whispered, "After the imperial examination, I have become quite famous. The fees I earned from writing are enough to support myself. Shu'er, please don't worry about my livelihood anymore."

Ye Qian was a gifted writer, and Jiang Wenhuan had chosen him for Jiang Shu because he saw his potential. Now that he had achieved instant fame and been chosen by the Emperor as the third place in the imperial examination, he had lived up to Jiang Wenhuan's kindness.

Ye Qian's official script was very popular, and his writing fee was as high as one hundred taels.

Seeing the dawn of light after the clouds had cleared, he could no longer share it with Jiang Shu.

In life, there are more regrets than blessings.

Jiang Shu was relieved to know that Ye Qian was doing well. She stopped refusing and put the heavy purse into her sleeve.

It was getting darker and darker, and they couldn't delay any longer, so they both turned back to the carriage.

Jiang Shu walked slowly, unable to describe the feeling. The man behind her was her childhood sweetheart. They were supposed to be husband and wife and live in harmony, but now they were separated by thousands of miles and even meeting each other became difficult.

It's all fate.

Perhaps because she was too engrossed in her thoughts, Jiang Shu was caught on a stone on the ground. A sharp pain came from her ankle, and she fell straight back. Ye Qian was quick to move forward and supported her.

A magnificent carriage with green curtains approached from afar. Lu Changji watched with a cold eye. He saw a man and woman on the shore engaging in intimate gestures. The man held the woman's slender waist, and the woman gazed back at him with tenderness. The hand on her waist had already loosened. Jiang Shu felt particularly embarrassed, and her ears felt hot, as if they were on fire.

She has always been calm and composed, so how could she lose such a big person in front of Ye Qian?

Jiang Shu sighed silently and whispered, "It really is..."

Before he could finish his words, the sound of a clear copper bell reached his ears. He looked up and saw a carriage engraved with the emblem of the Xinyang Marquisate parked on the shore.

A handsome face, as if carved by a knife and an axe, appeared in the car window. There was clearly no expression on that face, but Jiang Shu felt a chill for no reason.