Chapter 169 Even if you're in excruciating pain, you have to endure it.
Jiang Chengye looked at Jiang Yu with complicated emotions. Although he had accepted that his daughter had become the heir of the Duke of Chu's mansion, when he heard from the Duke of Chu that Jiang Yu would be the next Duke of Chu and that his own heir would be deposed, he was filled with great sorrow and loss.
Knowing that Jiang Yu had gone to the Duke of Chu's study after returning from her shift, he waited for her there. He didn't really know what to say to Jiang Yu, nor did he know what his own feelings were. Looking back now, he guessed it was just resentment.
Having served as the heir apparent of the State of Chu for decades, he is about to be deposed and replaced by his own daughter. How will the people of the capital view him?
“I know there’s no room for negotiation,” Jiang Chengye said, looking at Jiang Yu. “I just came to see you.”
Jiang Yu knew he was unwilling, but she was in no mood to talk to him at the moment, so she said, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Father. I have things to do and don't have time to entertain you."
She walked into the courtyard as she spoke. Jiang Chengye watched her retreating figure, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. Everything was already set in stone; he had no power to change it, nor could he change it.
Jiang Yu's figure disappeared, and Jiang Chengye stood there for a long time before leaving, unknowingly arriving at Lu Yifang's courtyard. The little maidservant guarding outside saw him, bowed, and said, "Young Master, Madam is busy."
In other words, there's no time to receive you. Jiang Chengye's face showed some anger. Almost every time he comes here now, he's stopped outside by the maid and can't see Lu Yifang at all.
He was in a terrible mood today, and being stopped again, he ignored them and rushed straight into the main hall. The maids and servants in the courtyard all rushed up to him, saying things like, "Young Master, if you go in like this, Madam will be unhappy."
Jiang Chengye pushed them aside, lifted the curtain, and went inside. The room, which had been filled with laughter, suddenly fell silent. Lu Yifang, with her arms around Jiang Yunkang and Jiang Yuan on either side, gradually lost her smile.
However, she still stood up and bowed to Jiang Chengye, "What brings you here, Young Master?"
Jiang Chengye was furious, but his anger vanished the moment he saw Lu Yifang. He knew he had wronged Lu Yifang greatly, and he had no reason and could not vent his anger on her.
Finally, he said, "The New Year is coming soon, and I...I came to see if there's anything I can do to help."
Lu Yifang bowed her head and said a few words to Jiang Yuan and Jiang Yunkang. The two children bowed respectfully to Jiang Chengye and then left. The maids and servants also left, leaving only the couple in the room.
"Did the Duke tell you?" Lu Yifang asked bluntly. Seeing Jiang Chengye's expression, she knew that the Duke had already told him about his intention to depose him.
Jiang Chengye walked to a chair and sat down. He lowered his head and remained silent for a while before saying in a sorrowful voice, "I am forty-five years old. I have been the heir apparent of the Duke of Chu for forty years, and in the end, I have been deposed..."
Lu Yifang looked at him and said, "Do I need to say some things? If it weren't for Zhu'er's vigilance and discovery that you had been tricked into buying a ship to transport smuggled salt, what do you think would have happened to you now? And what would have happened to our Chu State Duke's Mansion?"
“I know, I know everything,” Jiang Chengye said, “but I just feel bad.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yifang sneered and said, "You're in pain? What is your pain compared to the suffering we've been through?"
Jiang Chengye looked up at her and saw that Lu Yifang had a cold expression. Then he heard her say, "Back then, you frequented brothels and brought concubines home one after another. I almost became the laughing stock of the entire capital. Do you think I was in a bad mood back then?"
When I was giving birth, you insisted on giving my midwife to your concubine. Do you think I was heartbroken? And when I found out that my son had been switched at birth, do you think I was devastated?
My son was changed from a legitimate son to a illegitimate son and then poisoned. He suffers from illness every day. Can you imagine how painful it is for him?
By the end, Lu Yifang was sobbing uncontrollably. Jiang Chengye, his face filled with remorse, awkwardly got up to wipe his tears, but Lu Yifang raised her hand to stop him, looking at him and saying:
“Jiang Chengye, I know you’re not the kind of person who’s inherently bad. You’re just foolish and easily deceived, which is why the Duke spared your life. You’re not stupid; you should know how difficult it is for a woman like Zhu’er to become an official. We have no other requests of you, only that you don’t cause trouble and don’t hold us back, okay?”
"I...I know," Jiang Chengye said, utterly dejected. "I didn't mean to complain, it's just..."
"Even if you're in excruciating pain, you have to bear it." Lu Yifang wiped away her tears and said, "You should go."
Jiang Chengye stood there silently for a while, then said, "Take care of yourself," and turned to leave. As soon as he stepped outside, a gust of cold wind blew across his face, making him shiver. He glanced back at the lowered curtain, then walked tautly toward his own courtyard.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, his attendant trotted over and said, "Young Master, the Duke has sent over a Buddhist scripture, asking... asking you to copy it."
Jiang Chengye walked into his study and sat down. Looking at the Buddhist scriptures in front of him, he remembered what Lu Yifang had just said and picked up his pen to write.
No matter how unwilling or angry he was, what good was it? He brought this upon himself; he had no reason to fight back, and he couldn't win anyway. Fortunately, he was still alive and could continue his life of luxury.
That's it, he told himself.
...
Marquis Jinyang was indeed a good father. Five days later, he presented the evidence of Tang Boyang's involvement in Prince Kang's embezzlement of military supplies and treason to the emperor.
The emperor carefully examined each piece of evidence against Tang Boyang, but none of it showed that Tang Boyang had instigated Prince Kang. In other words, Prince Kang was the principal offender, Tang Boyang was an accomplice, and his son was indeed plotting a coup.
The emperor's face was clouded with gloom. Marquis Jinyang stood in the imperial study with his head bowed, barely daring to breathe. He knew the emperor wanted evidence that Tang Boyang was the mastermind, but he had investigated Tang Boyang thoroughly and hadn't found the evidence the emperor wanted. He couldn't very well fabricate evidence, could he?
The current emperor was not a foolish ruler; he knew he couldn't vent his anger on his ministers. Suppressing his rage, he had the Marquis of Jinyang sit down and said, "I've heard that your child was also disobedient before?"
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Jinyang sighed heavily and said, "He's into everything from teasing cats and dogs to eating, drinking, and having fun. It's driving me crazy. I often think, my wife and I are quite responsible and never do anything reckless, so how did we end up with such a son?"
This was said very skillfully. Neither the father nor his wife had committed any wrongdoing, yet they had a son who had done so; this showed that the child's character was not the parents' fault. The Prince of Kang's rebellion was not Your Majesty's fault either.
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