Chapter 12: Elder Jiang

Jiang Youya seemed to notice something and looked over, only to see a young woman staring at him blankly.

Song Mingzhu realized that her behavior was impolite and quickly smiled and nodded to apologize.

"Qiuyue, get in the car."

"Mrs. Wu, wait a minute." Mrs. Qin didn't expect Mr. Jiang to look at her suddenly.

It feels like being caught talking about someone behind their back.

"Old Jiang has seen me. It would be impolite not to come forward and greet me."

"Qiuyue, go in quickly and pack up a portion of our Mingyue Tower Peony Fruit Cake."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Madam Qin, shall we go over and pay our respects to Mr. Jiang?" Song Mingzhu looked at Madam Qin calmly.

Mrs. Qin felt very complicated when she saw this. If she hadn't wanted to prevent her master from being tripped up by Lord Wu in the court, she would not have brought Song Mingzhu to make herself familiar to Mr. Jiang.

"Meet Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Youya nodded kindly. If his eldest daughter were still alive, she would probably be as old as them.

"Mrs. Qin, there's no need to be so polite."

Mrs. Qin was delighted that Mr. Jiang could remember her even though he had only met her once.

"My daughter Shiyun was still talking about your daughter Yun'er today. Madam Qin, please bring the child to visit your house more often."

Mrs. Qin was flattered and said, "Of course, of course."

"Who is this?" Jiang Youya looked at Song Mingzhu.

"Replying to Mr. Jiang, this is Mrs. Song, the wife of Mr. Wu Lingheng, the councilor of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the owner of Mingyue Tower."

Song Mingzhu hurried forward and performed a very standard etiquette towards Jiang Youya, "Greetings, Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Youya smiled slightly and said, "Stop being polite."

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang."

At this time, Qiuyue brought over the packaged peony fruit cake.

"Master Jiang, this is a dessert from Mingyue Tower. Please accept it as a small gift from me."

Madam Qin continued, "Mr. Jiang, the dessert my daughter Yun'er sent last time was from Mingyue Tower, and Miss Shiyun liked it very much."

Jiang Youya was a little surprised, "It actually came from Mingyue Tower?"

"Yes, Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Youya quickly reached out and opened the box, and inside was the same peony-shaped dessert as last time.

Jiang Youya was a little excited for a moment, "Madam Wu, I want to see the chef who made this dessert. Could you please make it convenient for me?"

Song Mingzhu was secretly shocked. Looking at Old Jiang's anxious look, she couldn't help but have some guesses in her mind.

"Okay, Mr. Jiang, please move to the kitchen of Mingyue Tower."

When Jiang Youya saw that the chef who could make peony-shaped desserts was a middle-aged man in his forties, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

After some inquiries, I learned that many pastry shops in the south make this kind of dessert.

Mingyuelou has gone through some improvements to create its own unique flavor.

Although Jiang Youya was highly respected, he did not accept all gifts. He asked his followers to take the silver before leaving with the peony fruit cake.

"Madam Qin, it seems that Mr. Jiang has a special liking for this peony fruit cake?"

Madam Qin pulled Song Mingzhu away and whispered, "You may not know that Old Jiang's eldest daughter is a famous talent in the capital. She is not only proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also a first-class cook. She also dabbles in needlework and embroidery. This peony fruit cake is her original creation. Before she could even put the new product on the Jiang family shop, the Jiang family was confiscated and exiled. Later, the Jiang family was rehabilitated and returned to the capital, but the eldest daughter did not come back. Oh, it's getting dark soon, we have to go back."

After Mrs. Qin left, Song Mingzhu sat in the lobby until dark before planning to return home.

"Ma'am, what's wrong with you?"

Song Mingzhu pressed her head and said, "Nothing, I've just been out all day and I'm a little tired."

When he arrived at the main gate of the Wu Mansion, he met Wu Lingheng.

"Ma'am, you just came back."

Song Mingzhu hurriedly pulled Wu Lingheng into the yard, "Master, have your meal first. After dinner, I have something important to tell you."

Wu Lingheng didn't need to guess, it must be related to his precious daughter, "Okay, let's eat first."

After dinner, Wu Lingheng dismissed the servants and took Song Mingzhu to the study. "Did you go to the Marquis' Mansion again today?"

Song Mingzhu shook her head. "Now that the old lady has returned to the capital, I can't always go to the Marquis' Mansion. The old lady is the only strict person in the entire mansion. If any flaws are discovered, all our efforts will be wasted."

Wu Lingheng's face darkened. "It's said that the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion is not in good health anymore. I don't think she has many years left to live."

"I hope so. What I want to tell you is that sister-in-law Song Wanwan may be a member of the Jiang family."

Wu Lingheng was stunned. "Jiang family? Which Jiang family?"

Song Mingzhu asked, "Which other Jiang family is there in Jingcheng?"

Wu Lingheng was shocked. "Are you talking about the former Grand Master's Jiang family?"

"That's right."

Wu Lingheng stood up quickly. "Are you sure? Old Jiang hasn't left the palace for over ten years. Even the Emperor can't see him all year round."

"Today I saw Mr. Jiang in the teahouse opposite Mingyue Tower. It was Madam Qin who told me about it."

"What? Who is Mr. Jiang? Why is he in such a tasteless teahouse?"

Song Mingzhu frowned. "Although Mr. Jiang is the emperor's teacher, he is also a mortal. Only when Mr. Jiang appears here can the teahouse shine."

"Hehe..." Wu Lingheng said with a smile: "Madam, you have taught me a good lesson. Then how can you be sure that Song Wanwan is a member of the Jiang family?"

"I carefully examined Elder Jiang's appearance. His features were very similar to Song Wanwan's. At first glance, I thought I had seen Elder Jiang somewhere before. Madam Qin said he had a daughter who had been missing for fifteen years, which coincided with the time when my eldest sister-in-law was brought back by my eldest brother."

"That doesn't mean Song Wanwan is Elder Jiang's daughter. Everything requires substantial evidence."

Wu Lingheng was very resistant to the fact that Song Wanwan was Mr. Jiang's daughter.

If Song Wanwan is Mr. Jiang's daughter, then wouldn't Song Mingen have gotten a great bargain?

What qualifications does he have to marry a noble lady from the capital?

"Song Wanwan is really possible to be Old Jiang's daughter. Do you still remember Mingyue Tower's signature peony fruit cake?"

"Of course I remember. This is a dessert that my eldest sister-in-law came up with herself. Our Mingyue Tower made a lot of money from it. If the Wen family hadn't intervened, our Mingyue Tower would have been the only one in the business. Now, this peony fruit cake can be found in every county and town in the south."

Song Mingzhu comforted him, "Even if there are any in the southern counties, they can't compare to the peony fruit cake in our Mingyue Tower. The recipe that sister-in-law gave us is a secret one. Sister-in-law is still partial to us."

Wu Lingheng smiled and nodded, "That's right, eh? Zhuzhu, why did you specifically mention peony fruit cake? Could it be that Elder Jiang's daughter can also make peony fruit cake?"

"Maybe." Song Mingzhu told Wu Lingheng in detail what happened in Mingyue Tower.

Wu Lingheng was silent for a moment, "How does Madam Qin know so much?"

"Mrs. Qin was born and raised in Beijing. Her father was a young general who defended the city. What she said cannot be false. If you think about it carefully, the eyes of my sister-in-law are exactly the same as those of Old Jiang."

"So, does that mean that my sister-in-law could really be Mr. Jiang's daughter?"

"Master, send someone to keep an eye on the Jiang Mansion tomorrow. If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Jiang will definitely go to the south to find out who made the peony fruit cake."

Wu Lingheng suddenly felt something was wrong. "If that's the case, the Jiang family will find Song Wanwan very quickly."

"Wouldn't it be even better this way? We are relatives of the Jiang family. Old Jiang is the Emperor's tutor. If we marry into the Jiang family, not only will your career be further advanced, but our Han Ge will also have a bright future if he can become Old Jiang's apprentice. At the same time, the Jiang family will be a great help to our daughter, and the most precious position will definitely belong to her."