Chapter 362: Connivance
"My mother and I have been eating at the same table with my father for years. Even my father has never told us these rules. Who are you to comment on them?" Jiang Yan still couldn't tell the difference between the big and small Wang and dared to yell at him.
Duke Jiang's face suddenly turned unhappy.
Jiang Yu still maintained a half-smile on his face, but he retorted slowly.
"I'm telling the truth. You're a bastard, and Aunt Ning is a concubine. You can't eat at the same table with the master."
"You..." Jiang Yan was so angry that his teeth were itching, but he couldn't refute it. He and his mother were indeed a bastard and a concubine now.
Ning Wei, who was standing aside, was so angry that her hands were clenched into fists, and her nails were about to break her skin, but she tried her best to suppress the expression on her face to avoid losing her composure.
Her eyes instantly turned red, and she looked at Duke Jiang and cried:
"My dear, I have been managing the Duke's Mansion diligently over the years. I have been thorough and considerate in managing the inner quarters, the servants, and the external banquets and social events. Even if I have no merit, I have certainly worked hard. It is rather sarcastic of the Crown Prince to be so rude as soon as he returns."
He is really good at playing pitiful roles, and his acting skills come naturally.
Most people would be moved when they heard her say this, but who is Duke Jiang?
He had led troops in battles for so many years that he had already developed a very strong heart. Moreover, he had a very rigid concept of the legitimate and illegitimate families.
He just drank the soup calmly and said:
"Ayu was right. You have indeed worked hard managing the Duke's Mansion over the years, but you have also been very ostentatious in your social engagements, and your reputation is acceptable. In the past, when Ayu was not around, I went to the military camp to train soldiers every day, leaving early and returning late, and I didn't bother with you about these things when I came back. But now that Ayu has mentioned it, you should follow the rules. The meals can be prepared and sent to my yard. From now on, you can eat three meals a day in your own yard. And Jiang Yan, you are not young anymore, and you still eat at the same table with your mother every day. It is not right. From now on, your three meals a day will be prepared and sent to your own yard."
Duke Jiang is unconditionally in favor of Jiang Yu, and since Jiang Yu has mentioned this, it is impossible for him not to give him face.
The faces of Ning Wei and her son turned blue and red, and they were completely overwhelmed by Duke Jiang's outrageous behavior.
Yes, he only has this one woman in his backyard, but he uses her without any burden, and calls it giving himself dignity. But your son didn't say anything, and you didn't mention it. Now that he says it, you come to support him and slap yourself in the face endlessly?
"Husband..."
She wanted to say something, but Duke Jiang was so unhappy that he put down his chopsticks, so her words were stuck in her throat.
"Put your status in perspective. I didn't say it before because I was too lazy to do it. Ayu is the prince of the Duke's Mansion. In this mansion, he is the only one besides me. Just do as he says. Also, only the legitimate wife can call you husband. You should call me Duke. How many times have I told you that?"
Duke Jiang was also very annoying. He knew that Ning Wei had been taking care of the household all these years, so he treated her as a tool.
But since his son minded, he followed him up the stairs.
Another knife stabbed straight into Ning Wei's chest. She looked at Duke Jiang, and for a moment she was filled with shock and surprise.
She didn't even know that for so many years, she had been so insignificant in his heart.
To be honest, Duke Jiang also hated her. She relied on his mother and begged him to marry her. She even used some tricks to give birth to Jiang Yan. He couldn't swallow this.
If it weren't for this, Xinrou wouldn't have gotten so angry that she fell seriously ill and became so weak that she eventually died of the illness.
Because of this incident, he felt guilty towards Xinrou and Jiang Yu, so he indulged Jiang Yu like this.
Jiang Yan also looked at his father in confusion. In the past, he would at most not eat the meals his mother prepared, but if he was really hungry he would sit down and eat a few bites before leaving. But now, with Jiang Yu's few casual words, he indulged him like this...
As a son, I feel disheartened. We are all sons, but he is the only one who is so dispensable?
Yes, he admitted that he was not as good as Jiang Yu in many aspects, but he was his biological son after all.
"If you have nothing else, please leave. I want to talk to the prince alone." Jiang Guogong spoke and asked Ning Wei and Jiang Yan to leave.
Even though Ning Wei was extremely reluctant, she had no choice but to leave with her son.
"Yes, Duke, the concubine has withdrawn."
Ning Wei's voice was trembling, she sounded like she was crying, and her nose felt extremely sore.
When she turned around, she was filled with hatred.
It doesn't matter. Jiang Yu won't be staying in this house for long and will leave. After he leaves, she will have the final say here. She can just be patient.
After she left, Jiang Yu also finished a bowl of soup. The old man had just given him face, and he was in a good mood now. By the way, he mentioned the matter with Su Wan.
"I have a girl I like." Jiang Yu said frankly.
Duke Jiang, who was eating, paused when he heard this, then looked at his son with a frown.
A few days ago, he was worried about Jiang Yu's marriage. Jiang Yu was now twenty-three years old, and Jiang Yan, who was two years younger than him, already had two concubines. Only he had not even a maid to warm his bed for so many years. He was very anxious.
So he set his sights on Zhong Lier, the legitimate daughter of the Shunde Marquisate.
She is only seventeen years old, with both talent and beauty. The key point is that the Shunde Marquis's Mansion does not have much power and influence, so marrying into the Duke's Mansion is a good match, and there will be no objection from the higher-ups.
But now, he came up and said that there was a girl he liked, which caught him off guard. He had to find out who she was first. It didn't matter if she was of lower status, as long as she was suitable.
"Who is it? Tell me."
"The residence of the Minister of Personnel, the younger sister of Minister Su, the current Princess Xuanle, Su Wan!" Jiang Yu introduced it solemnly, with a hint of pride in his tone.
After listening to this, Duke Jiang thought about it carefully. Princess Xuanle was well-known in Kyoto. The things she had done, as well as her brothers in her family, were not ordinary people.
Jiang Yu had been good friends with Su Chen in the military camp before, so it was normal for him to know Princess Xuanle.
However, he had never met Princess Xuanle, so he could not comment on her for the time being.
But considering the situations of the two families, it is not appropriate. The Su family is too powerful now. They have two ministers, one civil and one military. They have just married into the Grand Secretary's Mansion. Their influence in the future will be very great. If they marry into the Jiangguo Mansion again, I am afraid that the higher-ups will have objections.
"It's not appropriate. I hold military power, and the Su family is now at its peak, with too much influence. If you two were to marry, I'm afraid it would arouse the emperor's suspicion."
Duke Jiang did not hide anything and directly pointed out the inappropriate points instead of saying in a firm tone that he disagreed.
"I know. I've considered all of this. That's why I didn't ask for a reward. I was just waiting here. I wanted to personally ask for permission to marry. If His Majesty directly agrees to it, he will satisfy me with whatever I want."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com