"But if the decree merely prohibits marriage..."
The emperor pondered for a moment, trying to find a reasonable reason to convince the officials in the court. In the end, the only excuse he could think of was to declare a national mourning.
This made him ask himself: Does he need to personally stage a "faking death" drama?
This is outrageous!
…
After leaving the Duke's Mansion, Jiang Songyi wandered around the surrounding area for a long time, hoping to meet her master by chance, but unfortunately, she neither heard the melodious piano music nor saw her master.
While passing by a bustling market, she noticed a newly opened study and went in to buy Mr. Zizhu's latest published book.
In the past, Jiang Songyi's study changed hands and was purchased by Jiang Bochuan who then gave it to her.
Although she seldom got involved in it, she would send her maid to deliver the poems she had memorized to the poetry society every few days, and they would compile them into a book.
As the Qingming and Guyu seasons draw to a close, spring plowing draws to a close, and leisure time becomes more abundant in the capital of Jin. The number of farmers carrying flowers on their shoulders gradually increases, peddlers hawk their wares along the streets, and teahouses and restaurants are bustling with activity.
However, the Yongding Marquis's Mansion and the Huguogong Mansion in Jindu City were successively raided by the Jinyiwei. The Huguogong Mansion was particularly unusual, which made the officials of Jindu uneasy. Despite this, many wealthy and idle people were still keen to observe and discuss these events in private.
Although the Jinyiwei did not lay off a large number of personnel after the search but quickly evacuated, this did not change people's premonition: this was just the calm before the storm.
The Yongding Marquisate was once prosperous, but it seemed to be on its last legs. As for the Huguogong Mansion, it had been lacking in luck to begin with, and everyone generally believed that their search was just a sideshow.
…
The afternoon sun shone through the window lattice and onto the window screen with mottled bamboo shadows. At this time, Jiang Songyi had enjoyed lunch at Xu's house. After a short rest, he sat in front of the west window and read Mr. Zizhu's works.
Soon, Xiang Zhu opened the bamboo curtain and entered the room, reporting to her: "Miss, something unexpected has happened."
Jiang Songyi glanced at her calmly, still flipping through the pages of the book slowly, "What's the matter?"
As the Embroidered Uniform Guards withdrew, Jiang Dinglian walked out of the palace with a calm expression, as if nothing had happened, which showed that the emperor's trust in the Yongding Marquisate had not wavered.
In the short term, unless Jiang Dinglian openly rebels, no major changes are expected to occur.
Xiang Zhu hurriedly reported, "The Zhang family has actually proposed to cancel the engagement with Miss Qingzhi! The atmosphere in the flower hall is currently tense and has almost turned into a melee."
Jiang Songyi immediately put down the script in her hand, stood up from the beauty couch, and walked towards the flower hall.
"Now that my aunt has divorced and returned home, my cousins have also become part of the Jiang family. As the mother of the mistress of the Marquis's Mansion, she is receiving guests. I cannot let her suffer unnecessary trouble."
In fact, Jiang Songyi knew very well that with her mother's character, she would never be easily wronged, and the purpose of her trip was just to join in the fun.
Xiang Zhu agreed deeply: "Indeed, Madam has just recovered from her illness, and Miss Qingzhi should be given extra care. The Zhang family's behavior is truly despicable. With the wedding date approaching and all the ceremonies nearing their end, they have actually betrayed their promise, reneged on their previous promise, and even made unreasonable fuss, accusing Miss Qingzhi of suffering from a serious illness! This has undoubtedly infuriated my aunt."
The flower hall was crowded with people, and the sounds of crying and quarreling were heard one after another, making it very noisy.
Jiang Songyi entered quietly and cleverly placed herself next to Xu without leaving any trace.
Xu's gaze happened to fall on her, but she only responded with a helpless and doting look without saying a word.
Then, he turned his gaze to the people in the hall. Faced with the situation before him, he couldn't help but feel a headache and difficulty.
In the main seat, Xu and Old Madam Jiang sat side by side. Jiang Yuyao, as usual, accompanied Old Madam Jiang. She took the teacup handed to her by the maid and poured tea for the old lady herself. However, the corner of her mouth could hardly hide the smug mockery.
At this time, no one noticed this detail. Jiang Yuyao and Jiang Songyi's eyes met, and her gloating expression became more and more unconcealed.
Jiang Songyi sneered.
"Why are you gloating over this? Hao Qingzhi suffered the humiliation of having her engagement broken off. If your father were exiled, Concubine Yang might not show mercy to you and allow the Fourth Prince to break off your engagement. That concubine is incredibly picky and has extremely high standards for her daughter-in-law. She might not even be willing to grant you the position of concubine."
Madam Jiang heard a familiar voice in her ears. She didn't need to look back to know that Jiang Songyi had arrived.
However, could these words be referring to Jiang Yuyao?
She tilted her head slightly and glanced at Jiang Yuyao, who was serving her diligently, with a hint of displeasure, and happened to meet Jiang Yuyao's sarcastic smile.
Madam Jiang frowned, her tone filled with doubt: "What are you laughing at?
Jiang Yuyao's smile froze instantly, as if frozen. Could it be that this stubborn old woman really had the ability to see through everything behind the scenes?
Her expression changed almost immediately, with a look of panic and helplessness on her face. "Grandma, I, I saw Sister Songyi give me a gentle smile, so I couldn't help but laugh."
Jiang Songyi's face was as cold as ice, and he revealed the truth in a cold tone: "My hatred for you is as deep as the ocean. How could I possibly smile at you?"
Jiang Yuyao seemed a little lost. She lowered her head slowly, and said with a hint of helplessness, "It turns out that I was seeing things."
Jiang Shu and Mrs. Zhang sat on either side. On the surface, they seemed to be sitting properly, but in fact, their buttocks were just touching the chair surface. If it weren't for the people next to them pulling them tightly, they would almost rush forward and start a fierce physical conflict.
The three sisters, Hao Qingzhi, Hao Qinghe and Hao Qingmo, stood behind Jiang Shu. There were gleams of anger in their eyes, but they still tried their best to control Jiang Shu's anger.
Especially Hao Qingzhi, the powder on her face was now mottled with tears, and the tears continued to fall. She didn't even have time to wipe them away, but she suppressed her sobs and said to Jiang Shu sensibly: "Mother, my daughter is fine. Let's call it a day. This marriage is called off."
"Jiang Shu, you are so arrogant and domineering that you deserve to be abandoned. Along with your daughters, the Duke of the Protectorate should be expelled from the family tree. How dare you say that you want to break off the engagement with my Zhang family? What a foolish dream! We in the Zhang family have shown our kindness by not expelling your daughter outright! Your constant claim that she is not seriously ill is just a sophistry."
As the saying goes, "A dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, and a mouse's son will dig holes."
"You yourself have given birth to children year after year, but you have only had daughters. You have monopolized the favor of the Duke of Protectorate for many years, but you can't even give birth to a son. How can your daughters be any better?"
When Mrs. Zhang said this, everyone in the hall was filled with indignation.
Jiang Shu was so furious that she was trembling. She had never expected that Hao Ren was not only heartless and ungrateful, but also despicable and shameless!
The three Hao Qingzhi sisters were completely disappointed with their father and were filled with anger.
There is such a father in the world who maliciously slanders his own daughters and repeatedly forces them into desperate situations!
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