Chapter 77
Jiang Lingyao did not have dinner at her parents' house in the evening. When she returned to the Duan family, Duan Nanqi was waiting for her in the front yard of Xinghuang Garden.
It is very hot in Yanjing during the day in summer, but at night, the breeze blows gently and the daytime heat disappears a little, becoming much cooler.
As soon as Duan Nanqi saw Jiang Lingyao walking into the yard with a smile on her face, he also looked up at her and smiled.
"What does my father-in-law say?"
Jiang Lingyao saw that although he was smiling, he was somewhat nervous, so she couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I think you are really afraid of my father, but why aren't you afraid of me?"
Duan Nanqi coughed lightly and said, "My lady, you don't know that there are many people in the court who are afraid of my father-in-law. As for my lady, how do you know that I am not afraid?"
Jiang Lingyao smiled and sat down next to him. She took out the iced jasmine tea and drank it. After she quenched her thirst, she continued to tell him what Jiang Zhisheng had said.
After hearing Jiang Zhisheng's entrustment, Duan Nanqi was inevitably moved. He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you for your guidance, father-in-law. I will do my job well and not embarrass him."
Jiang Lingyao glanced at him and said with a smile, "I got the invitation today. We will go to the Zhengyang Marquis's residence the day after tomorrow. What do you think? Am I awesome?"
Duan Nanqi nodded, quite sincerely: "My wife is really amazing."
Afterwards, Duan Nanqi talked to her about Shuntian Prefecture for a while, and Jiang Lingyao said, "Have grandparents returned? We have come back from Wanping, so we have to go and pay our respects to the elders."
"My grandparents will be back tomorrow. We'll have a family dinner tonight. You can go and pay your respects to them tomorrow."
In this way, the two of them were not in a hurry. They had dinner together, discussed the affairs of the Zhengyang Marquis' Mansion, and then went to rest.
The next morning, Jiang Lingyao woke up early. She dressed herself up as the most flamboyant peony in Yanjing and went to the palace to ask to see the royal concubine.
The Royal Concubine stayed in the harem all day, with no children at home, and was very bored. As soon as Jiang Lingyao entered the palace, the Royal Concubine was very happy and took her hand and asked her to eat lychees together.
At this time of year, lychees from Lingnan had just come out of season. We rode at top speed to get only this one basket. Except for the ones for Empress Dowager Xiaoshun, the rest were all with the Imperial Concubine.
His Majesty the Emperor eats it all year round, but he doesn't like it that much, so he lets the Concubine choose first.
Jiang Lingyao only ate two and stopped eating. She looked at Concubine Xie with a smile and said, "Your Majesty, I have thought it over and I feel that Qiao's position as Tuiguan will not last long. You see Duan Nanqi has been making achievements all day long, and I can't be without any achievements either."
The Royal Concubine had a very sharp face. Even though she was almost fifty years old, she still looked very young. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Jiang Lingyao with a smile.
"Do you want to bother changing clothes? I told you to just be Magistrate Jiang. Who dares not to obey my order?"
Jiang Lingyao smiled shyly and said, "Isn't it because I'm afraid that I won't do well and will embarrass Her Majesty? Besides, Her Majesty also knows..."
There were many people in the palace talking nonsense, so Jiang Lingyao only said half a sentence. The Royal Concubine rarely restrained the sharpness on her face and looked a little disappointed.
"It's fine if you have made your own decision. I will re-grant you the title of Magistrate, and Magistrate Qiao can be transferred to another place in Yanjing."
Concubine Xie said as she lowered her eyes to look at Jiang Lingyao: "Girl, what do you think of Duan Nanqi? His Majesty likes him so much, so he must have some outstanding qualities."
Jiang Lingyao blushed and said, "My Lady!"
Concubine Xie laughed heartily: "You have been married for a month, you are not a newlywed, why are you shy?"
Jiang Lingyao talked with her for a long time and explained Wan Ping's case to her in detail. Only then was Concubine Xie satisfied. She asked her to have a sumptuous lunch with her before letting her leave the palace.
Jiang Lingyao held a new film in her hand and walked out of the palace with great enthusiasm.
In the evening, the Duan family has a family dinner.
The two old ancestors of the Duan family are not at home all year round. When Jiang Lingyao and others went to Wanping, the old people also went to the farm to escape the summer heat and only came back today.
Nearly one and a half months had passed since Jiang Lingyao married into the Duan family. During these forty-odd days, they had not seen each other many times, and the day they talked the most was the day they had served tea.
Because of this, Jiang Lingyao was unusually nervous.
She looked around and finally picked a light blue dress with orchid embroidery. The long pleated skirt fluttered at her side, highlighting her slim, graceful and charming figure.
Jiang Lingyao didn't wear any heavy makeup today, she just dressed casually, which made her look even more beautiful.
The heavy makeup she wore concealed only a third of her beauty and was truly vulgar.
When Jiang Lingyao appeared today dressed like this, Duan Nanqi's eyes were attracted to her and he didn't say a word for a long time.
Jiang Lingyao took two steps forward and naturally took his hand, smiling: "How is it?"
She found that there was no need for them to say much. Sometimes Duan Nanqi could understand what she meant with just a glance.
And she could also understand Duan Nanqi's deep meaning.
As expected, she only said two words, and Duan Nanqi coughed lightly, and his ears turned red unconsciously.
"Very good."
Jiang Lingyao laughed softly, but after that, she said seriously, "When I served you tea before, I...if I offended you in any way, please forgive me, my husband. I just wanted to test you at that time, and I didn't mean to slander you."
She had always been so flamboyant in front of the nobles in Yanjing City, and naturally she could not change immediately after entering the Duan family. On the first day, they did not consummate their marriage, so she wanted to take the opportunity to test Duan Nanqi and see how he would react.
Everyone present at the time was a member of the Duan family. They had been with Duan Nanqi all day long and naturally knew what kind of person he was. So they just thought she was acting weird and didn't think Duan Nanqi was sick. But later, when all the members of the Duan family left and only the grandparents were left, Jiang Lingyao became more radical.
But she also understood Duan Nanqi's meaning and knew how the two of them should get along in the future.
But after all, it was a bit deliberate, so I still have to apologize to Duan Nanqi.
Duan Nanqi was very surprised, but then he thought that all those bad rumors about Jiang Lingyao were intentional. She was straightforward and sincere, and she was meticulous and intelligent. It was reasonable for her to apologize at this time.
As a man, Duan Nanqi would not care about these little things, but he still teased her: "I don't care about these things, but don't tell your parents-in-law about this in the future. What if they think I'm really not good enough and replace me?"
Duan Nanqi's peach blossom eyes were smiling, and the affection between his brows fell into Jiang Lingyao's eyes.
"After all, my lady doesn't want to replace me, right?" Duan Nanqi said with a smile.
This time, it was Jiang Lingyao's turn to blush.
She pinched Duan Nanxi lightly and whispered, "Don't mess around."
Duan Nanqi laughed out loud, and the two of them came to Rong'en Hall while chatting and laughing.
The laughter of the two could be heard from far away, and when they got closer, their intimate figures appeared before everyone's eyes.
Just this one glance was enough to make Duan Nanrui's eyes drop to the ground in shock.
"Third brother, third sister-in-law...you...you are possessed by demons?"
As soon as the fourth young master Duan said this, he was slapped on the back of his head by his mother. The third wife of the Duan family glared at her son fiercely and silently scolded him: "You are the one who talks too much."
At this time, except for the Marquis and his wife and the Crown Prince and his wife, all the Duan family members were present. Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi sat down affectionately and took the initiative to pour a cup of tea for Duan Nanqi.
Duan Jianing leaned over to Jiang Lingyao and winked at her: "Third sister-in-law, this trip to Wanping was not in vain."
Jiang Lingyao smiled shyly and reached out to pinch her.
Seeing how loving and harmonious they were, the eldest young lady's wife was relieved. She smiled and said, "It seems that Wanping is a treasure land. Let's go there for a visit later."
Jiang Lingyao then whispered, "Sister-in-law, why are you joining in the fun?"
The whole family laughed.
When both generations of the family had arrived, the whole dining room was filled with joy and happiness. During the meal, Jiang Lingyao took the initiative to say that she offered tea that day because she was reluctant to leave her mother's family and deliberately caused trouble, but she did not expect that her grandparents were very kind and amiable. Now she is living in harmony with Duan Nanxi, so she wants to reassure her grandparents.
These words were spoken with great sincerity; the Marquis and his wife looked at each other and saw smiles in each other's eyes.
After the meal was over, everyone left, but the old lady left Jiang Lingyao alone and took her hand to take a walk in the garden.
At dusk, the day is almost over.
The crabapple trees in the garden are swaying in all colors, showing a vibrant scene.
The old lady had a kind face. She took her hand for a while before she said, "The emperor arranged the marriage, and both families were caught off guard. You are a girl, and you are suddenly married to a stranger, so you must be scared. I know all this."
Therefore, the two old people were very tolerant of her. Even though there was a commotion on the day of the tea ceremony, she did not scold them and even comforted Jiang Lingyao.
"After all, you and Qi'er are already married, and it was the emperor who arranged the marriage. If you can live happily together, it will be a good marriage." The old lady patted Jiang Lingyao's hand and looked at her lovingly. "I know you are a good child, and so is Qi'er, so you can live a good life."
Jiang Lingyao couldn't help but be moved. She lowered her head, feeling somewhat ashamed: "I was too noisy at the beginning and made grandpa and grandma worry."
The old lady laughed and said, "What young people are not noisy? Look at the fourth and fifth sons, they are all of the same temperament. If young people don't make trouble, it will be bad."
She lowered her eyes and looked at Jiang Lingyao's beautiful face. She could see that she really wanted to apologize, so she said, "Yaoyao, Qi'er lost his parents when he was young. Even though we two old people and his uncle and aunt are still around, they are not his biological parents after all. But fortunately, the child was raised well and did not grow up crooked. He is also handsome. I thought that you two could get along well and form a new family."
"I was a little worried some time ago, but now it seems that I don't have to worry anymore."
The old lady looked at Jiang Lingyao with a smile in her eyes.
"You are all smart kids, and you are all very clear-headed. You don't need the elders to say anything more. You can live your life well on your own."
"I'm relieved."
Jiang Lingyao's face became more and more rosy as the old lady looked at her so lovingly, but she was very well-behaved and listened carefully to everything the old lady said.
"As for Qi'er, I would say something about him, but he is so absorbed in his job that he has no understanding of romance." The old lady said helplessly.
Jiang Lingyao said hurriedly: "No, no, my husband is fine."
The old lady laughed out loud: "Okay, okay, I won't say anything about him, Yaoyao, don't worry."
Jiang Lingyao talked to her for a while before returning to Xinghuang Garden.
In a blink of an eye, it was the day of Zhengyang Bo's fiftieth birthday. Jiang Lingyao woke up early in the morning, sat on the bed for a while, and then got up to wash.
After she put on her makeup, she simply put on a casual shirt and went to the dining room in her night shoes.
Duan Nanqiao was practicing swordplay in the small garden outside the dining room. He was proficient in both sword and knife, and his body was agile and powerful. His swordplay was very powerful and neat.
Jiang Lingyao watched in the courtyard for a while, and when he was about to retract his sword, she quickly turned around and looked at the dining table in front of her.
Duan Nanqi put the sword back into the scabbard and looked up at the dining room.
It was a sunny summer day with light clouds and gentle breezes. In front of the rose blossoms was a graceful figure.
That's great.
Duan Nanqi sighed in his heart.
————
After the two of them had breakfast, Duan Nanqi chose a long gown with a blue hem, paired with a white jade crown, and mounted his horse in a heroic manner.
Jiang Lingyao happened to be wearing a green bamboo dress and a green jade hairpin today. The couple standing together looked quite handsome and elegant, truly a perfect match.
The two had just returned from Wanping, the files were still being sorted out, and the reward for the Wanping case had not yet been issued, but the news that Duan Nanqi had solved another major case in Wanping had spread throughout Yanjing.
When the couple arrived at the Zhengyang Marquis's Mansion, Wutong Lane was already busy with traffic. The housekeeper of the Zhengyang Marquis's Mansion and the eldest son Xue Yaozu stood at the door, smiling and welcoming every visitor.
Lord Zhengyang was not familiar with the Jiang and Duan families. Jiang Zhisheng hardly ever interacted with Xue Dingshan, and Duan Nanqi's uncle also did not associate with him. Therefore, among the two families, only Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi were invited by Meng Xinyue, the young lady of the Xue family, to come and celebrate the birthday.
As for the rest of the people, most of them were familiar faces, but some were more familiar and could say a few words when they met, while some were very unfamiliar and didn't even nod to greet each other.
When the Duan family's carriage stopped at the door, the people waiting in front and behind glanced over vaguely.
The person they were looking at was naturally Duan Nanxi.
No matter what he was like in the past, he is now a favorite of His Majesty. He has just become the commander of the Jinyiwei and has solved several cases in succession. His future will definitely be bright.
Because of this, some people wanted to come over and have a chat.
However, Duan Nanqi used to be quite cynical, and many children from aristocratic families who looked down on him always made sarcastic remarks to him, but Duan Nanqi was too lazy to pay any attention to them.
Now that they see he has changed his appearance, they all want to curry favor with him, but at the same time, they want to let Duan Nanqi greet them first to save face. It is simply ridiculous.
Duan Nanqi ignored the jealous looks of those people. He dismounted from the horse, walked to the carriage, and stretched out his hand into the carriage with a smile.
The next moment, a beautiful and extraordinary figure appeared before everyone.
Jiang Lingyao did not wear any heavy makeup today. Her face was completely white, with only a little rouge on her cheeks and lips, which made her fair skin, beautiful face, and fair figure even more prominent.
In addition, her expression was indifferent, and she only showed some warmth when she looked at Duan Nanqi, which made her unrecognizable at once.
Jiang Lingyao got off the carriage and, like Duan Nanzhi, ignored the idle people. They went straight to Xue Yaozu and Butler Wen, and Duan Nanzhi handed over the invitation and birthday gift.
"Brother Xue, congratulations." Duan Nanqi said with a smile.
Xue Yaozu had a square face, he looked honest, and was polite and considerate. He was a paid captain of the Jinyi Guard, and had no connection with Duan Nanqi in the officialdom.
Even so, when Xue Yaozu had not yet been canonized as the crown prince, Duan Nanqi was considered Xue Yaozu's superior.
Duan Nanqi came to congratulate him with a smile, which was a gift to him and Meng Xinyue. Xue Yaozu stared at his bright eyes and said with a simple smile: "Thank you, Brother Duan, Madam, please come in. Xinyue has been waiting for you since early morning."
Jiang Lingyao and the other person greeted him and were then led by the servant into the room at a quick pace.
The layout of the Zhengyang Marquis' Mansion is similar to that of the Anding Marquis' Mansion of the Jiang family. Both have a front yard and a backyard layout. In the front is a front hall for receiving guests, a living room, and a study. In the backyard are houses where descendants and family members live, and there is also a small garden in the middle of the house.
There are pavilions and waterside terraces beside the garden, where many banquets are held in the summer.
As soon as Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi appeared, they were seen by Meng Xinyue, who was entertaining guests with her mother-in-law. Meng Xinyue immediately walked towards Jiang Lingyao.
"You came early." Meng Xinyue said.
"Today is the birthday of Lord Zhengyang. My husband and I have been invited by the young lady to come and congratulate him. How can we be late?"
Jiang Lingyao smiled at her gently, with a kind of openness that showed she was unwilling to compete with him, which made Meng Xinyue seem a little petty.
Today was her father-in-law's birthday, and Meng Xinyue knew to be careful of the occasion. She did not argue with Jiang Lingyao, but just glared at her fiercely before saying to the maid waiting on the side, "Why don't you quickly invite the wife of the Third Young Master of the Duan Family to Lanxin Garden?"
At such banquets, men and women usually sit at separate tables, with the female guests sitting at the Orchid Garden and the male guests sitting at the Qushui Pavilion, so as not to disturb each other.
Jiang Lingyao looked back at Duan Nanqi, then let go of his hand and said, "Then I'll go. My husband, drink less and be careful, or you'll have a headache when you go back."
Duan Nanzhi lowered his eyes and looked at her, with a hint of reluctance in his eyes.
"You too, I'll take you home when the banquet is over."
The two of them were flirting with each other, which made Meng Xinyue more unhappy. She went up to Jiang Lingyao and invited her to go to Lanxinyuan.
Jiang Lingyao glanced at her and asked softly, "Xinyue, where is your father-in-law? Why isn't Earl Zhengyang entertaining guests at Qushui Pavilion?"
Marquis Zhengyang is celebrating his birthday today, and according to the rules he should be entertaining guests at Qushui Pavilion, but he is nowhere to be seen at this moment. Only Marquis Zhengyang's wife and young mistress Meng Xinyue are left in the backyard to welcome the guests.
Meng Xinyue suddenly heard Jiang Lingyao asking her about something serious, and couldn't help but glance at her. However, many guests today asked where her father-in-law was going, so Meng Xinyue answered directly: "My father-in-law is a Buddhist. He has been fasting in the study for the past two days for his birthday. The fast will end at noon today, and then he will come out to greet guests."
Jiang Lingyao seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "So that's how it is."
Meng Xinyue sent her into Lanxin Garden and asked the housekeeper to help her sit down, then she quickly left.
Jiang Lingyao didn't care what she thought and chose a seat with fewer people. There were also some girls and ladies she used to know sitting next to her, so she went to talk to them.
Lord Zhengyang would not arrive until noon, but it was not convenient for the guest to keep waiting here, so a play was set up on the small stage in the garden, and a number of cold dishes and fruit plates were placed on the dining table in Lanxinyuan.
The ladies were either eating melon seeds or oranges, chatting while watching the show.
Next to Jiang Lingyao was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old, the fifth daughter of the Duke of Fuguo. She had a similar temperament to Jiang Lingyao and was also dressed gorgeously today, with a very eye-catching outfit.
Miss Zheng Wu came to Jiang Lingyao's side and whispered, "I don't know what Lord Zhengyang is thinking. Why does he have to wait until noon? It's better to end at noon and serve the meal earlier. I'm a little hungry."
Jiang Lingyao actually arrived not too early. She was slightly moved and asked, "I'm also curious why Lord Zhengyang is not here. Does Meng Xinyue have an explanation?"
Miss Zheng Wu said, "I don't want to bother with her. Her husband wants to be crowned as the Crown Prince, and in the future he will be the Marquis of Zhengyang. We can't afford to marry him."
It has been several months since Xue Yaozu requested to be crowned as the Crown Prince, but it has not been granted yet. I don't know what went wrong.
Miss Zheng Wu tugged at Jiang Lingyao's arm, and the two of them came closer. Miss Zheng Wu said, "It was my mother. She talked to the wife of the Marquis of Zhengyang and learned that they had invited the abbot Liaokong of Changle Temple to preside over the Marquis of Zhengyang's fast. I heard that he also talked about sutras with the relatives of the Marquis of Zhengyang's mansion last night, praying for the safety of the whole family and a long life for the Marquis of Zhengyang."
This Changle Temple is very famous in the capital. Whenever there are weddings or funerals in the capital, the Changle Temple is asked to handle the Buddhist affairs. However, it is indeed worth bragging that Earl Zhengyang was able to invite the abbot of Changle Temple, Master Lekong.
Jiang Lingyao nodded and said with a smile: "Marquis Zhengyang is indeed very prestigious. No wonder he has so many relatives and friends in Yanjing."
Even though some people looked down on Lord Zhengyang, there were still many who came to celebrate his birthday. Whether it was Lanxin Garden or Qushui Pavilion, they were all bustling with people and guests.
Not everyone can have such a grand occasion.
Upon hearing this, Miss Zheng Wu sneered and muttered to her, "Nowadays, the government is so lenient that normally the decree for the title of Crown Prince is issued immediately. But their family has been suppressing it for half a year. Who knows what happened?"
When this was mentioned, Jiang Lingyao felt something moving again.
The Zhengyang Marquis's Mansion was very secretive, and the servants were very tight-lipped. Even if Duan Nanqi sent out the Tiqi, they would not be able to find out more information. In order not to alert the enemy, the two of them had an important task today, so they still had to find out some information.
It was Meng Xinyue who spread the word about the Marquis of Zhengyang's Mansion requesting the title of Crown Prince. Before Meng Xinyue got married, there was even less news about the Marquis of Zhengyang's Mansion.
Apart from the matters concerning the Marquis of Zhengyang, all other matters in the mansion were kept quiet. The Marquis's wife also lived a secluded life and rarely attended banquets in Yanjing.
Jiang Lingyao thought of the solemn-looking wife of the Earl of Zhengyang and decided to talk more with Meng Xinyue.
"That's true. I'm curious too," Jiang Lingyao said with a smile. "It's strange that Meng Xinyue, with such a personality, married into the family of the Earl of Zhengyang. It doesn't seem harmonious no matter how you look at it."
Miss Zheng Wu said, "Isn't the Meng family also an associate of Mr. Yang Ge?"
These words were a bit harsh, so Jiang Lingyao patted her lightly. The two looked at each other, and Miss Zheng Wu looked her up and down.
"Before, you were newly married, so I didn't bother you. Now, it seems that you are satisfied with Duan San?" Miss Zheng Wu said with a smile, "I just took a look at Duan San, and he is very suave and handsome. Now he is ambitious and has won the emperor's appreciation. I think you are going to piss Meng Xinyue off to death."
Jiang Lingyao couldn't help but laugh: "My husband is very good."
She had never been one to be modest, and her words made Miss Zheng Wu laugh out loud, attracting the attention of everyone in Lanxin Garden.
Jiang Lingyao patted her again before pulling her aside to talk about the gossip at the Zhengyang Marquis's home.
In a flash, it was already noon. The guests had eaten a bellyful of cold fruits and vegetables, and had eaten all the melon seeds on the table. Today's birthday celebrant, Uncle Zhengyang, had not yet arrived.
The wife of the Marquis of Zhengyang was a soft-spoken person to begin with, and seemed to be taciturn. But now guests kept asking her questions, which made her look quite flustered and even uneasy.
Fortunately, Xue Yaozu was present. He and Meng Xinyue comforted the guests while urging the housekeeper, "Uncle Li, can you please go and urge father to come quickly?"
Xue Yaozu has the same temperament as the wife of the Marquis of Zhengyang, but he has to take care of the family business after all, so he is still quite calm and can hold on at the moment.
Wen Li, the steward of the Zhengyang Marquis's Mansion, had also been constantly comforting the guests. This time he bowed and quickly retreated.
Lanxin Garden is located higher than Qushui Pavilion. Jiang Lingyao looked carefully at the window for a moment, and saw a blue figure in Qushui Pavilion raising a glass to her.
Jiang Lingyao couldn't help but smile and smiled back at him.
Miss Zheng Wu laughed at her: "Oh my, who was it that cried and said that he would not marry, and despised Duan San for being a playboy? Now look what you two are doing, loving each other and making others jealous."
Jiang Lingyao blushed and pushed her away, saying, "You're the only one who's annoying."
Miss Zheng Wu laughed so hard that she fell on her. The two were about to talk and make a few more jokes when a deafening scream came from not far away.
"ah!!!"
There was clear panic and fear in that scream.
“Someone’s dead!”
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