Enter the mansion
The next morning, the overcast sky finally cleared up, and icicles dripped from the eaves onto the blue brick ground. A horse-drawn carriage drove by, leaving crisscrossing tracks.
The gates of the Jiang residence opened, and Jiang Feiche, looking slightly haggard, stepped inside.
"Young master is back! Young master is back!"
The gatekeeper's servant trotted off to the backyard to report.
When Li Wan followed Madam Zou to Qingyan Hall, Jiang Feiche had already washed up and changed into a green bamboo robe.
With a pained expression, Madam Zou carefully examined her son from head to toe. "My son, you've suffered so much. Those people from the Dali Temple beat you and tortured you."
"Don't worry, Mother. I was just taken away for questioning. They wouldn't dare to use torture on me."
Jiang Feiche comforted Zou Shi and looked at Li Wan.
“Mother, sister, don’t worry. Father is only temporarily detained in the Dali Temple prison. Once it is found that Father was wronged, he will be released.”
Madam Zou frowned. "Your father served as an official for decades, and was honest and upright his whole life. To say he embezzled money, where is the money he embezzled? I, as his wife, don't even know. This must be a frame-up."
Ignoring Zou's complaints, Li Wan noticed Jiang Feiche's dark circles under his eyes and said, "Brother, sit down and talk."
Jiang Feiche nodded, sat down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of hot tea.
"The Dali Temple took me there for two reasons. First, they wanted to find out from me whether the Jiang family had received a large sum of money in recent years. Second, they wanted to force my father to confess his crimes as soon as possible by detaining me."
"Despicable!" Zou was so angry that her hands trembled.
Li Wan thought for a moment, "The fact that they let you come back today means that they don't have conclusive evidence yet, and that Father hasn't confessed."
Jiang Feiche gave Li Wan an approving look, then lowered his eyes for a moment before raising them again and saying, "Today, when I came out of the Dali Temple, I saw people from the Ministry of War. Sister, were you looking for Lord Xie?"
"Yes," Li Wan admitted.
"Since we're practically family now, it wouldn't hurt to ask Lord Xie for a favor."
Zou didn't dare mention that someone had arranged for Wan'er to become a concubine; her son had just returned, and she didn't want to upset him.
Jiang Feiche paused, his fingers holding the teacup still, and said nothing more.
The three of them fell silent for a moment, when hurried footsteps came from outside.
Ding Qi is Jiang Feiche's personal attendant.
"Young Master, just now the eunuch by the Sixth Prince's side brought a message that the Dali Temple reported at the morning court that Zhang, the head of the Ministry of Revenue, was murdered at home late last night."
"The Imperial Guards captured the assassins overnight. After interrogation, they learned that the three assassins were actually soldiers of Jiang Huaizhong, the Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, in disguise. When the Imperial Guards went to Jiang's residence to arrest them, they found that Lord Jiang had already committed suicide out of fear of punishment."
"Why is the Sixth Prince telling you this? We're all barely able to protect ourselves, why should we care about Zhang, the Chief Secretary and the Second Secretary?" Zou said impatiently.
"knew."
Jiang Feiche waved for the others to leave, then his eyes showed a hint of fear and admiration as he said in a low voice, "Xie Qi is indeed shrewd and ruthless, as the rumors suggest."
Li Wan paused slightly upon hearing his words. Although she couldn't guess the whole story, she knew it was related to her father's case.
As expected, Jiang Feiche then said to Madam Zou, "Mother, please go and make preparations first. Father should be able to return to the mansion today."
Zou's eyes widened instantly. "Really? Why?"
Jiang Feiche lowered his eyelashes, seemingly lost in thought, clearly not intending to answer Zou Shi.
Li Wan stood up. "Since my younger brother said that Father can come back, Mother can rest assured and wait. My younger brother didn't sleep all night, so let's let him rest first."
After Li Wan helped Zou Shi back to the backyard, less than two hours later, Jiang Nanyue returned in a carriage from the Dali Temple, personally escorted by Yan Xu, the Minister of the Dali Temple.
"master."
Zou wanted to cry and ask Xiang Wen, but seeing Jiang Nan Yue's ashen face, she wisely kept quiet.
"Come in with me."
Jiangnan Yue gave Li Wan a deep look with his bloodshot eyes before striding into the study.
Li Wan followed behind him, seeing the anger emanating from him, and guessed that he must know about her desire to become a concubine.
That makes sense. Xie Qi's swift rescue of the person would surely reveal his purpose, thus avoiding further trouble from Jiang Nanyue.
Jiang Feiche looked at Zou Shi with a puzzled expression, and Zou Shi lowered her head guiltily.
The servants brought out food and hot tea, but Jiang Nanyue didn't touch any of it.
The atmosphere in the study was extremely tense; the four people had different expressions and remained silent.
Li Wanmo sighed and spoke first, "Father, I am willing to become a concubine in the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion."
Upon hearing this, Zou lowered her head and dared not utter a sound. Jiang Nanyue clenched his fist even tighter, while Jiang Feiche suddenly looked at her, his usually calm face showing a rare look of surprise.
Jiang Nanyue suppressed his anger, feeling disappointed in Xie Qi, "You were bewitched by Xie Qi's alluring appearance, unaware that he is actually a cunning and ruthless person."
"I was framed and imprisoned by a villain this time, and it was Xie Qi who cleared my name. But if he tries to blackmail me into selling my daughter because of this, I would rather die unjustly in prison than compromise."
Fearing that his daughter might not understand, Jiang Nanyue said earnestly, "You are still young, and there are no concubines or mistresses in the Jiang family. You don't know the difference between a principal wife and a concubine. One is a mistress, and the other is a servant. They are worlds apart."
"Because of the rumors outside, I agreed to your marriage to Xie Qi to protect your reputation. I thought that you were the wife of the Minister of War, and no matter how vicious Xie Qi was, he would still give his wife some respect."
"But if you become a concubine, regardless of the Jiang family's reputation, you will go from being a dignified Miss Jiang to a slave to be slaughtered at will. Would you still be willing to do that?"
Li Wan lowered her eyes. She understood the difference between a concubine and a wife. She felt guilty for bringing shame to the Jiang family, but this was a path she had no choice but to take.
Li Wan stood up, bent her knees and knelt down, bowing deeply.
“Father, I know that this will cause criticism to the Jiang family, but I am determined to enter the Ningyuan Marquis’s mansion. Please forgive me this time.”
“You…” Jiang Nanyue’s finger trembled as he pointed at Li Wan.
"elder sister."
Jiang Feiche, who had been silent all along, spoke in a low, hoarse voice, "The situation in the court is complicated, and Xie Qi's ambitions are obvious. This time, my father was wronged, and Xie Qi took the opportunity to force you to become his concubine. It's hard to say that he doesn't have the intention to use you."
Li Wan turned her head to look at him, "Thank you for your kindness, brother, but I am unwilling to change my mind."
"Smack!"
Jiangnan Yue slammed his hand on the table, spilling the tea. The scalding tea flowed onto his palm, but he was completely unaware, his anger surging through his body.
He coldly said, "Jiang Feiwan, since you are willing to demean yourself, then go. I, Jiang Nanyue, will pretend that you are not my daughter. Whether things are good or bad in the future, it has nothing to do with my Jiang family."
After saying this, Yue from Jiangnan rose and left, with Zou following closely behind without uttering a word.
Li Wan's eyes were red, and she did not get up.
A bony, strong hand grasped her forearm and helped her up.
Li Wan looked up and met Jiang Feiche's eyes. She thought he was going to comfort her, but unexpectedly, he suddenly lowered his head, his slightly pale lips close to her ear, and his voice was cold and sinister like never before.
"Whatever you do, don't implicate the Jiang family, otherwise..."
He didn't finish speaking, his thin fingers tightening.
A sharp pain shot through Li Wan's forearm. Her gaze followed Jiang Feiche until he disappeared outside the wooden door, at which point she snapped out of her daze.
Was the person who just spoke to her really her gentle, caring younger brother who always looked out for her?
What did he mean? He realized she had ulterior motives in approaching Xie Qi, and therefore warned her.
Or did he realize that she was a fake Jiang Feiwan?
A chill quickly spread through her body. Standing in the empty study, Li Wan felt a deep-seated fear.
This is not a bustling and noisy capital city at all; it is clearly a dark forest where wild beasts lurk everywhere.
Even the closest, blood-related relatives wear false masks.
So, what kind of scheming and conspiracies did Xie Qi, who possessed unlimited power and was highly intelligent and capable, go through to end up with such a tragic fate?
Who was the culprit behind the deaths of 120,000 soldiers in the previous life?
...
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and at the same time, the depths of winter arrived.
During this period, only Madam Zou came to Changfu Garden once, presumably to convey Jiangnan Yue's intention to inquire whether she had changed her mind. After leaving disappointed, no one else came.
On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, a red sedan chair carried by four people stopped in front of the Jiang residence.
Inside the Jiang residence, which remained as quiet as ever, a woman dressed in a light red dress and with a mandarin duck veil covering her head emerged, supported by two maids.
The woman sat in the red sedan chair and was carried all the way to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence, where she was carried in through the south corner gate.
Only then did the people of the capital realize that the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Revenue had entered the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion as a concubine.
Like a stone thrown into a still pond, Jiang Feiwan became the most interesting topic of conversation among the various prominent families.
As expected, Jiang Feiwan, who was carried into the Ningyuan Marquis's residence that night, spent the night alone.
She didn't see Xie Qi until the next morning, when he had just returned to the mansion.
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