Chapter 13
"Second Miss Jiang, this is what happened. The Wen family reported to the police that the Jiang family had framed us. The two of us were ordered by Minister Song to come and investigate."
The officials explained the reason to Jiang Zhaoli.
Jiang Zhaoli truthfully recounted to the officials what happened on the wedding day, and said that many guests had witnessed it with their own eyes and could not deny it. If they did not believe her, she could give them a list of names, which contained all the guests who attended the wedding that day, and they could check them one by one.
Upon hearing this, several clerks understood what had happened. They folded up the recorded documents and planned to visit the daughters of several people to make a final decision. With this as an excuse, the two clerks left first.
Zhao Xiaoshuang saw that the official was unreliable, so she immediately started to throw a tantrum, with a shameless look on her face: "I don't care, I came here today to ask for the money. No matter what, my daughter's innocence was lost in your Jiang Mansion, so you have to be responsible. If you are not willing to compensate me today, I will not leave."
"I eat and live here."
Second Aunt laughed in anger, spat at her, and sneered, "Okay, you want to eat and live here, right? Do you want to eat what the dog has left?"
Zhao Xiaoshuang couldn't scold her second aunt, so she simply pointed her spearhead at Jiang Zhaoli, baring her teeth and saying, "You just watch your aunt being bullied? You ungrateful ungrateful bastard, I was so good to you when you were a child, I came to see you every day, brought you food and toys, and this is how you honor me?"
Jiang Zhaoli spoke calmly, his eyes fixed on Zhao Xiaoshuang who was lying on the ground, "Aunt, I don't deserve to be called unfilial. Everyone knows that the emperor advocates filial piety the most. Are you trying to accuse me of a crime by saying this, just like you did to my mother?"
When Zhao Xiaoshuang mentioned her mother, she was speechless as if she had lost all her energy. "You..." Zhao Xiaoshuang's lips trembled with anger.
Jiang Zhaoli: "Ever since you threatened me on the day of my mother's burial, there is no kinship between you and me. The reason I can still respectfully call you aunt is entirely because of the loyalty and filial piety etiquette advocated by my mother and the current emperor. Otherwise, do you think you can still step into the gate of the Jiang Mansion?"
"Didn't my aunt just say that the Jiang family should be responsible? Okay, then let's take responsibility." Jiang Zhaoli suddenly smiled, and after saying this, his smile suddenly froze.
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Xiaoshuang's gloomy face instantly turned better. She even forgot about the words that had just embarrassed her and didn't care about them. All she could hear in her mind was Jiang Zhaoli saying that the Jiang family should be responsible.
The fat on Zhao Xiaoshuang's face piled up instantly, and her eyes were squeezed to a slit. She proudly glanced at Liu Congying's face that was about to smoke, patted the earthiness on her body, and said with a smile: "Li'er still understands me. Even if there are some misunderstandings between us, it can't stop me from being her aunt." She pretended to emphasize the last sentence.
She glanced around and said in a sarcastic tone, "Some people are just jealous of my niece becoming the head of the Jiang Mansion, and they are afraid that one day she will be kicked out."
Seeing Zhao Xiaoshuang's dominant face, Liu Congying almost fainted. She immediately questioned the silent woman standing to the side, and her tone was not very good: "Jiang Zhaoli, what are you going to do? What are you responsible for? Why are you responsible for her?"
Third Aunt twisted her hands nervously, worry evident in her eyes: "Yes, Li'er, you can't do anything foolish. The Wen family is clearly trying to cheat you out of money."
Second uncle shook his head and sighed, "They say that women are unreliable when they are in charge of the family. Dad also said that I am a spendthrift. I think Li'er is similar to me."
Uncle San just listened carefully but said nothing.
"Shut up." Uncle Er was slapped hard by Aunt Er.
Second Uncle covered his face with his hands, wanting to cry but without tears, and stared at his wife with a resentful look. What does this have to do with him? Why should he be hit? If he has the guts, go hit Li'er. It was she who agreed, not me.
Liu Congying glared at him, and his second uncle immediately stopped wailing in pain and started howling in his heart instead.
Jiang Zhaoli spoke slowly, as if thinking seriously about a solution: "Since my cousin has already lost her innocence and the rumor has spread to everyone, and the servant is from the Jiang family, we have to deal with it. In this case, I will take the lead and find the servant, and my cousin can marry him. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"
What... Zhao Xiaoshuang's smile froze, her legs became a little unsteady, she widened her eyes, and didn't react for a long time.
"Jiang Zhaoli, what are you talking about? Do you mean to let your cousin marry a servant and come to the Jiang Mansion to be a maid? What kind of bullshit are you talking about? Is that bastard worthy of Qiu Shui?"
Liu Congying took advantage of the situation and stood in front of Jiang Zhaoli, pinching her waist and scolding her: "How can you not be worthy? Your daughter has lost her virginity, and you are still being picky. Maybe she is pregnant."
"You..." Zhao Xiaoshuang glared at her surroundings. A group of people were laughing at her, and the sarcasm and ridicule in their eyes were obvious. Her hands trembled twice, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted from anger.
"Send her back to the Wen Mansion. When she sees Master Wen, tell him that he doesn't have money but does have a person." Jiang Zhaoli stared at the woman lying on the ground expressionlessly, without a trace of pity in his eyes, and gave cold orders to the servant waiting on the side.
Several servants received the order and carried Zhao Xiaoshuang out of the courtyard.
The corners of her lips curled slightly. Her aunt loved face the most in her life. She once dreamed of marrying Wen Qiu Shui to a high-ranking official, but her reputation was despised and she was still waiting to get married at the age of twenty-one.
Now she directly threatened to marry Wen Qiu Shui to a servant who had nothing, which undoubtedly stabbed her in the heart.
But so what? This is what she owes her mother, including her daughter, Wen Qiu Shui.
She knew that the reason why Zhao Xiaoshuang came to the Jiang Mansion to ask for money was because the eldest son of the Wen family wanted to marry the eldest daughter of Lord Zhang's family and needed a large sum of money.
He had no money but wanted to act high and mighty. Suddenly he remembered that he had a rich niece who was still alive, so he took advantage of her wedding to come to Jiang's house and set up a trap. He originally wanted to ruin Yin Su's reputation to blackmail her, but by accident he got mixed up with the servant.
After Zhao Xiaoshuang left, Liu Congying stared at Jiang Zhaoli, wanting to leave but stopping himself, and in the end, he said nothing.
At this time, Nanny Hong and Chuntao came back and were waiting at the gate of the courtyard.
After saying goodbye to several elders, Jiang Zhaoli followed them back to Wenmingcuiyuan, entered the inner room and closed the door.
Nanny Hong looked Jiang Zhaoli up and down, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she was fine and had no injuries.
Jiang Zhaoli smiled and placed the nurse's hand in his palm, patted it gently, and said soothingly: "I'm fine, nurse, Zhao Xiaoshuang can't do anything to me, not to mention, I have my second aunt and third aunt to help me."
"You and Chuntao left the house suddenly today. Did the people you sent out get any news?"
Madam Hong nodded, "According to the young lady's instructions, I sent someone to Yuncheng to inquire about the son-in-law. The person just returned today. In order to avoid strangers from entering the mansion and gossiping, I took Chuntao to meet him outside the mansion. He said that almost everyone there knew the son-in-law. They said that the son-in-law was very handsome, but his life was tragic. He lost his parents when he was born. It was the villagers who raised food and raised him until he was six years old. Later, he was adopted by a hunter in the mountains and has been raised until now. Not long ago, the hunter also passed away, and the son-in-law left Yuncheng."
Jiang Zhaoli heaved a sigh of relief. Qing Xin was just an ordinary person, not a man of unknown origin. Perhaps his vigilance and outstanding appearance were innate. After all, hunters would develop a natural alertness after hunting prey for a long time.
I have read these books of sages, but I am suspicious of others, judging people by their appearance, and thinking that poor people cannot give birth to children with outstanding looks. I am really not a qualified scholar.
She suddenly felt a little guilty, but at the same time she felt pity for Yin Su's situation.
Seeing Chuntao now, she suddenly remembered what happened last night. She was about to ask her about it, but suddenly she remembered that Chuntao seemed to be unaware that he had signed a contract with Yin Su. She swallowed the words back. Forget it, Yin Su didn't see it anyway. He was so casual and natural. She should follow closely and not hold on to him.
After she felt relieved, she thought of another thing. She looked at the swaying flower shadows on the window frame and said slowly, "Nanny, I want to find someone who may be able to help me find out the real cause of my parents' death."
Madam Hong: "Who is the girl looking for that has such great powers?"
Jiang Zhaoli said confidently: "People in Jianghu call him the Jade Face Crown Man."
Madam Hong was startled and hesitated. She tried to dissuade him, "Young lady, we should not get too involved with these people from the underworld. I have heard that they kill people without mercy and only care about money, not people. They have no humanity at all."
Jiang Zhaoli shook his head, his eyes firm: "Nurse, I have to do this. They have been wrongly accused for ten years, and no one is willing to overturn their case, or there is insufficient evidence. If I refuse to do anything, it will be really disheartening."
Nanny Hong struggled for a moment in her heart, then gritted her teeth as if she had made up her mind. She smiled at Jiang Zhaoli and nodded slightly. This time, she no longer tried to dissuade him.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
For several days, Jiang Zhaoli hadn't seen Yin Su. He only came back in the evening and left the house very early during the day. Therefore, although the two slept on the same bed, they seldom met. They only met for a short while before going to bed, and they had very little communication.
Jiang Zhaoli showed no expression when she heard the maid report Yin Su's whereabouts today. Ever since the wet nurse told her about his experience, she had been extra tolerant towards Yin Su. After all, there was nothing for him to do in the mansion, so it would be good for him to go out and relax more, so as to avoid getting depressed in the mansion.
After lunch, she went to see her grandfather. Her grandfather had been free these days. When he had nothing to do, he would play chess with others, feed the birds, and practice calligraphy. He seemed to be very happy.
She no longer had to drag her tired body between the Jiang Mansion and the shop and work until late at night as in the past. Now all the important tasks of the Jiang Mansion fell on her shoulders.
"Grandfather, Li'er wants to go to the dyeing workshop and take a look."
Grandfather nodded, put the food in his palm and let the bird eat as much as it wanted: "Now the Jiang family is fully handed over to you, you can make the decision on these matters, but..."
Grandfather paused, walked down the stairs with his hands behind his back, and walked to the pond full of lotus flowers. He threw some small food into it, and saw the fish scrambling to grab the food. Grandfather smiled calmly: "But the people in that neighborhood may not obey you."
Jiang Zhaoli knew that some people in the neighborhood were old workers who had followed their grandfathers in battles all their lives, and then followed their fathers for more than ten years. Now the business had come into her hands, and she was young, which would inevitably cause dissatisfaction among others.
Jiang Zhaoli: "Li'er knows. Li'er will tell them in her own way that I can lead the Jiang family to a better future."
The grandfather nodded in appreciation. Jiang Zhaoli bowed and hurriedly left the house. She only took a maid, Chuntao, with her.
When we arrived at the town, the gate was closed and there was not even a gatekeeper.
Jiang Zhaoli pushed the door open and entered, seeing an extremely long and wide blue brick road, with craftsmen busy soaking materials on both sides.
Suddenly, a pungent smell came, it was the smell of dye. I turned my head and saw that the right side was full of cloth hanging out to dry, and the craftsmen nearby were dyeing the cloth in an orderly manner.
On the left side are several large baskets of raw materials such as hemp, kudzu, and silk.
Walking to the middle, there are two large water-powered spinning wheels. The water wheels gently turn due to the impact of water waves, driving the rotation of the yarn frame and spindle, spinning into yarn. The craftsmen take the woven yarn on the side.
When he saw someone coming, he just glanced at him indifferently and continued to concentrate on the work at hand.
"Where is your leader? Now that the second young lady is here, why don't you come out to meet her?" Chun Tao covered her mouth and nose and glared at the group of indifferent people.
No one answered. The room was so quiet that the only sounds could be heard: the sound of weaving and the splashing of water.
The day she would take over as the head of the family had already been announced to all neighborhoods and shops several months ago. It would be unrealistic to say that they were unaware of it.
Jiang Zhaoli ignored him and went straight to the place where the supervisor was resting. At this hour, the craftsmen were busy working, but the supervisor was nowhere to be seen.
Before I went inside, I heard bursts of shouting and the sound of shaking dice coming from the inner room. Listening carefully, I could hear at least five or six people.
"Big big, small little"
"open"
"I win, I win."
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