On the other end.
Jiang Zhengming went home after finishing his official business.
Seeing his gloomy face, Yang stepped forward to help him undress.
Jiang Zhengming yanked her hand away and demanded, "Didn't you and Jiao'er swear that that wretched girl would come back?"
Yang had never seen Jiang Zhengming speak to her in such a tone before.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"What do you mean by this, my lord? Has the steward found her? Why didn't anyone inform me?"
Seeing Jiang Zhengming's cold gaze, Madam Yang quickly lowered her eyes. "If Yue'er returns, I will go to the gate to greet her. I will be affectionate towards her to avoid making her feel distant."
Even though she had become his legal wife, she remained as gentle and considerate as ever, and Jiang Zhengming suppressed his frustration.
He raised his arms, and Madam Yang hurriedly went to help him untie the sash on his official robe.
"My lord, did the refugees offend you today? Does the Prime Minister know that you led men to their rescue?"
Yang appeared to care about Jiang Zhengming, but in reality, she had her own ulterior motives.
It would be even better if her beloved son could marry into the Wei family.
Jiang Zhengming took off his official hat and placed it on the hat cabinet next to the clothes rack.
He said calmly, "There was no collision. After the refugees dispersed, the Prime Minister was in a hurry to go back to the backyard to see Old Madam Wei. He must know that the Emperor sent people from the Ministry of Revenue."
"Madam Wei must have been frightened. I will prepare a generous gift tomorrow and take my daughter to visit her."
Jiang Zhengming nodded slightly, which was considered as agreeing with Yang's suggestion.
"The Prime Minister's residence has been turned into a mess by the refugees, and I'm afraid Madam Wanwei will not be in the mood to receive guests. You should not go tomorrow, but wait a few days."
“I have already told the steward not to send anyone out to search. I saw her outside the Prime Minister’s residence today.”
Mentioning Jiang Shuyue brought back the frustration in Jiang Zhengming's heart.
"Really? That's great! Did Yue'er say when she's coming home, and where she's been staying these days?"
Yang was overjoyed; anyone who didn't know better would think she was eagerly awaiting Jiang Shuyue's return home.
After changing into his casual clothes, Jiang Zhengming felt much more relaxed.
A maid brought in a basin of water, and Jiang Zhengming washed his face and hands.
Madam Yang personally poured him a cup of cool tea and served it to him.
The summer heat had subsided, and Jiang Zhengming should have felt refreshed, but he lacked his usual energy.
He walked to the small couch closest to the ice basin, sat down, leaned back, and seemed to slump onto the couch.
He stared blankly at the roof beam. "Five years ago, I should have listened to you. If I hadn't been so heartless, her attitude today wouldn't be so resolute."
Thinking about the marriage agreement made with the Wu family, Jiang Zhengming's temples throbbed, and his head throbbed with pain.
Madam Yang swayed her hips as she walked over to massage Jiang Zhengming's shoulders. "What do you mean by that, my husband? Has our darling daughter disobeyed you again?"
Jiang Zhengming sighed, "If she were just disobedient, it would be easier to deal with, but she looks at me like I'm a stranger, not to mention she'll tell me where she lives."
“She refused to go home, and she didn’t acknowledge me as her father. She even said that she would come back another day to take away her mother’s memorial tablet.”
A hint of joy flashed across Yang's eyes.
The ancestral tablet of the Su family is enshrined in the ancestral hall. Every time Jiang Zhengming goes to the ancestral hall to worship the ancestors, Su's tablet is enshrined there.
She felt uncomfortable when she knelt down and kowtowed, as if she were kneeling before Madam Su.
Just like when she entered the Jiang family mansion and humbly knelt down to serve tea to Madam Su.
Every time she went to the ancestral hall, she felt an urge to smash the memorial tablets.
If Jiang Shuyue wanted to take it, she would be more than happy to.
Each of them was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
A while later.
Yang's eyes darted around seductively. "Husband, if she really doesn't come back, the only way to avoid offending the Wu family is for us to find another marriage for Jiao'er."
"A marriage proposal from a family of higher social standing than the Wu family."
"You mean the Wei family?"
Madam Yang nodded. "That's right. In the capital, besides the Wei family, which other family can command the respect of the Wu family?"
"To be on the safe side, when that unfilial daughter returns, we should try our best to persuade her to come back and accept the marriage proposal from the Wu family. The young master of the Wei family is arrogant and not so easy to win over."
"Besides, the eldest and second young masters of the Wei family are already married. Do you expect our darling to become a concubine?"
Upon hearing the word "concubine," Madam Yang tightened her grip.
"Impossible! Our darling is beautiful, dignified and virtuous. How could she become someone else's concubine? The Prime Minister's mansion has many offspring. Aren't there other young masters?"
“My husband can’t bear to see our precious daughter suffer, and I can’t bear it even more. My husband, you know how I used to grovel before my sister back then.”
As she spoke, Madam Yang stopped kneading her nose and pressed a handkerchief against her nose.
“If it weren’t for my husband’s understanding and protection of me, I would have been tortured to death by Su Shi long ago.”
Jiang Zhengming felt a pang of pain in his heart upon hearing this, and reached out to grasp Yang's hand.
He sighed and said, "My dear daughter's mother, I'm sorry for making you suffer. If you had told me this earlier, I would have made you my second wife while Su was still alive."
"My husband, please don't take it to heart. It's all in the past. As long as I can stay by your side for the rest of my life, I will be content."
A few heartwarming words made Jiang Zhengming want to slap himself.
These days, he often stays overnight in his concubine's room and has neglected Yang.
He secretly decided that he should spend less time staying overnight in his concubine's room in the future.
Little did he know that Su had never set any rules for Yang, let alone tormented her.
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