Chapter 91: Aunt Xie
The day after the betrothal gifts were delivered, Jiang Lan asked Qi Wu Han to meet her at Huajian Cottage.
The autumn wind blew by, and the rustling sound of bamboo leaves was heard around the pavilion. Jiang Lan stood outside the pavilion, watching the rustling bamboo leaves, a little absent-minded.
She didn't notice someone approaching from behind until a hand wrapped around her waist from behind. She came back to her senses and her gaze shifted from the falling bamboo leaves to Qi Wuhan's face. He smiled at her gently and asked lovingly, "Why are you standing here in a daze?"
"How could I be in a daze?" Jiang Lan looked down at his hand around her waist and glared at him, "Why do you always like to take advantage of me?"
"This is called," Qi Wuhan lowered his head and came closer, breathing softly into her ear, "interest~"
"You scoundrel..." Jiang Lan blushed as she pushed him away and turned to walk towards the pavilion. Qi Wuhan followed her into the pavilion and asked in a half-joking tone, "What's wrong with Xiaolan today? Why do you look so worried?"
He bent down again, came closer to her and joked, "Is it because the betrothal gift was too little?"
"Quite a lot." Jiang Lan added, "I like them all, and the wedding dresses are beautiful too."
Qi Wuhan asked her if it fit her well. Jiang Lan nodded and said it fit her perfectly and there was no need to alter it. After that, she lowered her head and thought silently for a while. Her eyes fell on the black jade ring on his thumb. She frowned slightly and fell into thought.
Qi Wuhan followed her gaze to look at the ring on her thumb, then looked at the expression on her face, and asked her if she thought the ring was ugly. Jiang Lan shook her head, then raised her head and looked into his eyes, as if she had made up her mind, and asked him if he had ever seen a ring like this, like an eagle?
In the nightmare she had the night before, she experienced death in her previous life all over again...
But this time in her dream, she saw the hand that shot the arrow at her, with a black ring on its thumb that looked like an eagle.
Jiang Lan squatted down again and drew the general shape of the ring with her hand, completely unaware that Qi Wuhan was frowning.
When he heard her say the shape was like an eagle, the expression on his face changed slightly and his brows frowned. When he saw the shape she drew on the ground, his brows frowned even deeper.
When Jiang Lan finished painting and looked up at him, he smiled again and asked her why she suddenly asked this and whether she had seen it somewhere before.
She felt from his tone and expression that he must have seen this before, but didn't want to let her know the inside story. Jiang Lan didn't know how to tell him where he had seen it. If she said she had seen it in a dream, it would be a bit... outrageous.
Seeing that she didn't seem to want to talk about it, Qi Wuhan didn't ask any more questions, but still told her that the totem of Beimo was the eagle.
Jiang Lan was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect that the killer's identity was related to Beimo. Could it be that she had been wrong before, and the mastermind behind the scenes was not Concubine Zhen, but a Beimo person... ?
Seeing Jiang Lan lost in thought again, Qi Wuhan was worried that her feet would become numb from squatting for too long, so he bent down, reached out and picked her up, and said to her with a smile, "Frowning makes you old quickly. I don't want to marry an ugly girl home."
"I'm seven years younger than you." Jiang Lan smiled, and her slightly frowned brows relaxed.
"Even if you're ten years younger, I'd still be waiting to marry you." Qi Wuhan said lovingly.
Jiang Lan smiled, her eyes full of sweetness.
"You don't have to think about anything now. Just wait for me to marry you. Do you understand?" He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead. Jiang Lan leaned in his arms and nodded softly.
Now she didn't know what the other person looked like, so it was futile to think too much, unless the other person attacked her again in this life. It would be great if she could capture him in one fell swoop then.
…
Jiang Cheng originally wanted to discuss with Qi Wuhan and let Zhang come back to arrange the wedding first, but Qi Wuhan stopped him as soon as he brought up the topic. He said that he would ask the emperor for mercy and let Jiang Cheng, his father-in-law, rest assured that he would not let him lose face.
With the assurance of his virtuous son-in-law Qi Wuhan, Jiang Cheng also felt relieved.
On the other side, Mrs. Du saw that there was no mistress in the Shangshu Mansion to arrange the wedding, so she was waiting for Jiang Cheng to come and ask her aunt to help with the arrangements.
When the time comes, she will definitely vent her anger and make Jiang Lan come to her house in person to beg her for mercy. She will have to admit her mistake by humbly serving her tea and water just as she kicked her out of the house in the first place!
However, after waiting for several days, no one came to the door. She asked someone to go to the Shangshu Mansion to inquire and found out that the marriage was arranged by the palace.
There was no way to vent that anger.
Later, she heard that Jiang Cheng had sent someone to bring her aunt from the Xie family over. She felt that her real aunt was being looked down upon. After complaining to Master Zhang, she took her eldest daughter-in-law Zhu and the tenth aunt over the next day.
This tenth lady was the concubine's daughter that Du had brought to the Shangshu Mansion last time to keep Jiang Lan company.
Originally, Mrs. Du wanted to marry the Tenth Lady to Jiang Shen, but after hearing that Jiang Shen had been assassinated, she gave up the idea for fear that her family would be implicated.
Now this idea has resurfaced.
This time, Jiang Cheng brought all three aunts from the Xie family together, among whom the third aunt from the Xie family was Xie Yun's mother.
The third master of the Xie family also came, bringing two large carts of local specialties and gifts.
Since Zhang took over the family, they gradually lost contact over the past two years. Now they have officially reconciled and are seeing each other again.
The three aunts of the Xie family all liked Jiang Lan very much. The eldest aunt gave her the pair of gold hairpins on her head, the second aunt made her a set of jewelry, and the third aunt gave her the pair of twisted wire bracelets on her hands.
In addition to jewelry, her three aunts also prepared many gifts for her, including rouge, powder, cloth, spices, snacks, tea... everything she needed for food, clothing, and daily necessities.
Although it was the first time that Jiang Lan met her three aunts, they got along very well and had a great time chatting.
My aunt has a generous personality and a courage that is no less than that of a man.
My second aunt has a gentle temperament and a calm demeanor.
My third aunt has a gentle temperament, but she is also strong on the inside.
The three of them taught Jiang Lan a lot of valuable experience.
Her aunt taught her that she must not blindly obey her husband in the future. If he made a mistake, she should scold him. Only after scolding him soberly will he not repeat the same mistake.
Her second aunt taught her that the most important thing between husband and wife is to be honest with each other. If there is anything in the future, they should not hide it from each other. Only by discussing and consulting with each other can they live a good life.
Her third aunt taught her that if she had a dispute in the future, she should not be cold to each other, as the coldness would lead to her getting stuck in a dead end. If there was any misunderstanding, she should just clarify it.
Jiang Lan benefited a lot and became more confident about her life after marriage.
"I think this child is good in every way. Why doesn't she come to be my daughter-in-law?" The third aunt joked.
Jiang Lan lowered her head slightly and blushed a little.
"I see that you want to have a grandson. Tomorrow I will find you a daughter-in-law and come to see if you are satisfied." The aunt joked with a smile.
While they were chatting and laughing, the housekeeper came over to report that Mrs. Du had arrived.
Jiang Lan introduced Du's identity to her three aunts, and the eldest aunt asked the housekeeper to bring her over for a talk.
After Mrs. Du brought Mrs. Zhu and the Tenth Aunt over, she first looked at the three aunts from the Xie family with a bit of disdain in her eyes, as if they were superior.
Jiang Lan bowed politely to her, and Du immediately asked, "Where is your mother?"
"Didn't you say you were going to recuperate in your hometown? It's troublesome to go back and forth. It's better for people to worry less." My aunt said quickly.
Mrs. Du's face darkened as she sneered, "How can the mistress of the house be absent when her daughter gets married? Wouldn't it be a joke if word got out? No wonder you don't understand. You all come from small towns, so how could you possibly understand the rules of the capital?"
"The wedding will be arranged by the palace staff. The grace of His Majesty and the Empress will surely not be laughed at." Madam Du was about to scold Jiang Lan for disrespecting her elders and not knowing the rules, but Jiang Lan continued, "My aunt was not originally in the capital, so she probably doesn't understand the palace rules very well."
Mrs. Du was so angry that her face was shaking. She sneered, "Well, now you have become a phoenix on the treetops. You rely on the power of Marquis Jin'an and don't even take us elders seriously."
Before he could finish his words, his aunt sneered and interrupted him, "What kind of elder are you? You're using chicken feathers as a token of authority, and you really think you're the king of the world?"
Mrs. Du was so angry that her lips were shaking.
"Madam, you'd better go back first. If you need any help later, please ask you to come over." The second aunt said with a smile as she saw the guest off.
Mrs. Du left angrily with Mrs. Zhu and the Tenth Miss. As soon as she came out, she took out her anger on the two of them, scolding them for being like dumb people and not knowing how to say a word to help her, which made her lose face in front of those shrews.
Zhu didn't dare to say anything. When the Tenth Miss tried to persuade her to calm down, Du scolded her even more harshly, so she stopped talking.
On the way, Mrs. Du was stopped by someone.
Jiang Rui ran over attentively and called her aunt, then glanced at the Tenth Miss behind Du.
The Tenth Miss also glanced at him secretly, then lowered her head.
"Why did my aunt leave so soon?" Jiang Rui asked flatteringly.
Mrs. Du's anger was ignited again, and she sneered, "Your second sister is so powerful now. After she gets married, I think she will be so arrogant that she will even look down on her father, not to mention me, her aunt."
"Was it my second sister who drove my aunt away?" Jiang Rui seemed a little gloating, as if he was hoping for chaos in the world.
Mrs. Du got angry when she heard this and complained to Jiang Rui about not living up to her expectations. "You don't know how to fight for yourself and your mother. Look at your elder brother, he is about to pass the imperial examination and rise to prominence, but you didn't even pass the exam to become a scholar."
Jiang Rui's face darkened and he said, "What's so great about passing the imperial examination? Aunt, please don't look down on me." After saying that, he left.
"You all dare to be so arrogant to me. Don't even think about letting me enter your house from now on!" Mrs. Du said harshly to the air, and left angrily with Mrs. Zhu and the Tenth Miss.
The Tenth Lady secretly glanced at Jiang Rui's back and left an impression in her mind.
…
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