Chapter 57 How fortunate.
Daiyu thought he was wondering who this person was, so she said, "He is my second maternal uncle's cousin. You probably haven't met him before."
Chu Heng said, "I have seen him."
"Hmm?" Daiyu asked curiously, "When did you see this before?"
Chu Heng lowered his eyes and smiled, then turned around and poured a glass of warm water for Daiyu: "I think it was during the betrothal ceremony or the wedding. I can't remember exactly, but I vaguely recall seeing him once. I heard years ago that the Jia family had a boy who was born with a jade in his mouth, so this must be him."
“Hmm.” Daiyu thought of the past and was slightly lost in thought. “The old lady spoiled him since he was a child, raised him among his sisters, and thought he was good in every way. She didn’t want him to worry about fame and fortune. She thought that the Duke’s family was a good match for a princess, so she had the idea of letting him marry a princess and enjoy a life of leisure. Besides, if we get a princess, the Jia family will be worry-free for generations.”
Back when the old Duke Rongguo was alive, regardless of anything else, his son could marry a princess. Now, the Duke Rongguo's mansion is just an empty shell, yet they still have the idea of marrying a princess. They really don't know their own limitations.
It was also because the Jia family had truly run out of options. Grandmother Jia could only hope that Daiyu, the princess, would help Jia Baoyu marry a princess and thus elevate the Jia family's fortunes.
Chu Heng rubbed his fingers, wondering in his heart what Daiyu was feeling at this moment. Would she feel the same way he did, with unspeakable sorrow in her heart?
Seeing that Chu Heng remained silent, Daiyu couldn't help but look at him and ask, "What's wrong?"
Chu Heng then came to his senses. He moved his fingers and said, "I was thinking that Yongkang's marriage is not something that anyone else can interfere with right now. No one can make any moves on it. Have you told the old lady this? Otherwise, if she gets rejected by you and then goes to ask someone else for help, we can't control her. But the Empress Dowager might be angry."
Daiyu was startled: "I forgot!"
She was so angry that she forgot to say something so important.
"It's alright." Chu Heng squeezed her hand, then turned and instructed Zhao Qing to call the person back.
Grandmother Jia returned, thinking that Daiyu had changed her mind, but she bumped into Prince Duan as soon as she entered the door.
Chu Heng's eyes were calm, but his tone was extremely cold: "I heard that the old lady has taken a liking to my sister as your granddaughter-in-law. Is that true?"
Grandmother Jia was secretly alarmed. Was it really appropriate to say such things? Wasn't Lin girl worried about Prince Duan's reaction?
It turns out that not only Daiyu was able to control Prince Duan, but she was also bewitched by him!
"Your Highness, this..." Grandmother Jia said with a smile, "A family with a daughter is sought after by a hundred families, let alone a princess. When I heard that the eldest princess was choosing a husband, I wanted to see if my grandson could catch the eye of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. It's just an old woman's wish that her grandson can marry the best girl in the world."
These words were both smooth and pleasant to hear, and Chu Heng smiled slightly, but his words were still devoid of any warmth: "I understand that the old man loves his grandchildren, but since you are so curious, I will tell you frankly that neither the Jia family's social standing nor your grandson's character is worthy of my sister."
Grandmother Jia's face flushed red and then turned pale, a truly fascinating sight, but she couldn't utter a word.
"And..." Chu Heng added, "In the future, please don't go around spouting nonsense to my princess for no reason. She's kind-hearted and won't blame you, but I'm not a soft-hearted person."
Grandmother Jia's lips trembled, her whole body shaking uncontrollably, whether from anger or fear, it was hard to tell. If she hadn't been sitting in a chair, she probably wouldn't have been able to hold on. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and forced out a single word: "Yes..."
Chu Heng ordered, "Show the guest out."
Watching Grandmother Jia's figure disappear, Chu Heng turned behind the screen, where Daiyu was sitting on the daybed.
"I have to say this so that she will never dare to mention it again." Chu Heng did not sit down, but leaned over to explain to Daiyu.
Daiyu took his hand and said, "I know, the reason is hard to explain, so this is the only way."
"Thank you for your last words too." Daiyu sighed softly. After today's ordeal, she was truly exhausted, and her desire to never see Grandmother Jia again had reached its peak.
Chu Heng gently squeezed her palm and said softly, "Between you and me, let's not talk about this."
He also had his own selfish motives.
Daiyu gestured for him to sit opposite her, but Chu Heng was unwilling to let go of Daiyu's hand. In the end, the two sat down side by side on the soft couch.
"What's wrong?" Although Daiyu was exhausted, she still noticed Chu Heng's unease.
Chu Heng said, "Seeing you so upset, I... I failed to protect you. I clearly promised you that you would never suffer again."
Despite the intention to conceal something, this was indeed the truth.
Chu Heng only wanted Daiyu to be happy and carefree, but he couldn't shield her from all the external disturbances.
Daiyu shook her head: "I wasn't wronged, I was just angry."
"That's my fault too..."
Before Chu Heng could finish speaking, Daiyu interrupted him: "It wasn't you who made me angry. Besides, I brought this upon myself. What does it have to do with you? Ultimately, who's to blame? My mother?"
Chu Heng hurriedly said, "How can you blame my mother-in-law? This is just too unreasonable..."
"You think you can reason with me just because I'm blaming you?" Daiyu raised her hand and rubbed his temples. "It's okay if something happens, it's okay if you're angry, as long as it can be resolved, as long as we're both okay, nothing else matters."
Looking into her resolute eyes, Chu Heng realized that this seemingly delicate girl had a very strong heart. No matter what happened, whether she was sad or heartbroken, she could recover quickly.
Chu Heng stroked her eyebrows and eyes, then nodded firmly: "Okay."
How fortunate Chu Heng was to have Daiyu by his side.
...
As Grandmother Jia left the Prince Duan's mansion, she was covered in cold sweat. The old woman beside her hurriedly tried to persuade her, but she could only go back and forth without saying anything useful. Yuanyang and Amber took handkerchiefs to wipe the old woman's sweat.
It wasn't until they were nearing Ningrong Street that Grandmother Jia finally recovered. Leaning against Yuanyang, she asked, exhausted, "Amber, what did Zijuan say to you?"
Amber glanced at the old lady with a troubled expression and stammered, "It's nothing, I just said that Miss Lin is very nice."
It was obvious that she wasn't telling the truth. Grandmother Jia said weakly, "I can't stand what you say these days. Just tell me the truth."
Amber had no choice but to tell the whole story: "Zijuan said that the Prince treats Miss Lin the best. There is no one else in his room, and his heart and eyes are only for Miss Lin. Even the Prince gets jealous when the Princess gets close to Miss Lin. In the palace, the Emperor calls Miss Lin 'sister-in-law,' and she is in charge of the household in the Prince's mansion. The account books and storeroom keys are all in Miss Lin's hands. She can have whatever she wants and do whatever she wants. She will never be wronged again."
As Grandmother Jia listened, her face grew increasingly ashen. Daiyu was living such a good life, yet the Jia family had offended her time and time again. Although Grandmother Jia thought it was because Daiyu was too petty, the fact that she was petty and yet favored by noble people made the Jia family even more unapproachable.
Originally, it was thought that this would be a win-win situation, not only finding a good marriage for Baoyu and giving the Jia family a good in-law, but also easing the relationship with the Prince Duan's mansion. However, it turned out to be a case of overreaching.
Grandmother Jia kept thinking about Daiyu's words and Prince Duan's words, wondering if there was any room for maneuver. The matter of Baoyu marrying a princess was out of the question, as for the revenge from Prince Duan's mansion... It seemed that as long as she didn't provoke Daiyu, everything would be fine.
But how could Grandmother Jia be at ease? She was like a frightened bird, afraid that she would bring disaster to the Jia family. If the Jia family fell because of her, how could she face the Jia family's ancestors after she passed away?
But is there any way to salvage this situation now?
Grandmother Jia racked her brains trying to think of a solution, but she didn't think about it for long because she fell ill after returning to the Rongguo Mansion.
Yuanyang hurriedly sent word to the two masters and sent a letter to summon the imperial physician, causing quite a commotion.
The good news is that Grandmother Jia is not in any danger, and the prestige of the Rongguo Mansion can still be maintained by the title of the Rongguo Mansion's wife.
The bad news is that Grandmother Jia is showing signs of a stroke and needs to rest and recuperate. She must not be frightened or upset again, otherwise she might not be so lucky next time.
Both the Rong and Ning mansions were quite frightened. Jia Zhen suggested that Xing and Wang come to attend to the old lady, but Yuanyang, knowing why the old lady was ill, resolutely shook her head. Next in line were Li Wan and Wang Xifeng, as well as the unmarried young ladies. The young ladies were pampered guests, and Grandmother Jia refused to let them serve her. In the end, only Li Wan was chosen to serve her, while Wang Xifeng, despite her illness, managed the household affairs, and You Shi came over from time to time to help take care of things.
After falling ill, Grandmother Jia's energy and spirit were greatly diminished. Being someone who cherished her life, she waited anxiously for several days. Seeing that the Prince Duan's mansion made no move, she temporarily calmed down, thinking that she should first focus on recuperating before making any further plans.
After all, Grandmother Jia knew perfectly well that the Jia family couldn't do without her.
That day, Daiyu was unaware of Grandmother Jia's illness. That evening, Zijuan quietly reported to her, "Miss, today Amber, who serves the old lady, came to ask me about you. She asked me if the prince was treating you well, how you were doing these days, and also about the attitude of the Empress Dowager and the Princess. Zhou Mama and the other maids serving the old lady also said similar things."
The Prince Duan's mansion has a special bathing room. Daiyu was leaning against the pool made of warm jade when she heard this and couldn't help but sneer: "The old lady does remember me."
Zijuan said softly, "You're doing well, but I wonder if they'll be upset to hear that."
Daiyu casually picked up a medicine packet from the pond. It contained top-quality medicinal herbs for maintaining health. She opened it, looked at it, and said, "Let them think what they want. I'll continue to live my life as usual."
Zijuan smiled and said, "That's right, don't let a few insignificant people disturb the young lady's wonderful day."
Granny Zhou brought in a bowl of bird's nest soup and said with a smile, "Your Highness has been soaking it for a long time today, so His Highness asked me to bring you a bowl of bird's nest soup."
Zijuan smiled and said, "It's only been a short while, but the Prince feels like he's been missing his Princess for ages!"
Daiyu blushed and gently scolded, "Where did you learn such talk? Don't say such nonsense again!"
Zijuan said innocently, "This is what you read, Miss. I overheard a sentence by chance. Aren't books full of the teachings of sages? What's wrong with them?"
Daiyu blushed even more. Granny Zhou handed her the bird's nest and said with a smile, "Zijuan, don't joke with the young lady. Soaking it for too long is not good. The princess has eaten the bird's nest, so get up quickly."
Daiyu let out a sigh of relief and said, "Mm."
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