Chapter 189 My lord, you have kept me waiting for so long!
"You should go back too. I'll call you if anything comes up." Xie Yun looked at Xie Ning'an and said, "Get along well with Princess Yalin. You'll need her sometime in the future."
Xie Ning'an felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He stood up, bowed to Xie Yun, and then stepped out of the study. He looked up at the gloomy sky, let out a long sigh, and then chuckled.
He laughed at himself, and at the entire Xie family.
After leaving Xie Yun's courtyard, he walked towards his own courtyard and encountered Xie Er's wife and Xie Lei on the way. Xie Lei was sitting in a wheelchair, and Xie Er's wife was pushing him from behind.
Xie Ning'an went over and bowed to Madam Xie, "Second Aunt".
"How have you been these past few days, Lei?" Xie Ning'an asked, looking down at Xie Lei.
Xie Lei said with a gloomy face, "I heard that Jiang Yu is opposing the Xie family again?"
Xie Ning'an did not respond to his words. Xie Lei snorted contemptuously: "Everyone says that my elder brother is resourceful and the most outstanding young talent in the capital. How come he can't even handle Jiang Yu?"
Xie Ning'an remained calm upon hearing this, his expression revealing neither joy nor anger. Seeing that he hadn't provoked Xie Lei, his face grew even darker, and he added, "If it were me, I'd kill Jiang Yu first."
“Brother Lei, things aren’t as simple as you think. Jiang Yu’s death isn’t good for us,” Xie Ning’an said.
"Then what would benefit the Xie family?" Madam Xie the Second said sarcastically. "The Xie family is a prestigious family that has served two dynasties, yet they can't even handle one Jiang Yu. The eldest young master once told me with absolute certainty that he would bring down the Duke of Chu's mansion, and that Jiang Yu would be at my disposal. But look at him now?"
Madam Xie's face was full of mockery. Xie Ning'an's hands clenched tightly together, but his expression remained calm. He then said, "I heard that Second Aunt takes Lei Di to burn incense every month. When are they going this month?"
Madam Xie snorted heavily again, "Tomorrow, will the eldest young master accompany us, a widow and her orphan?"
Xie Ning'an smiled slightly, "No, I have something to do tomorrow."
After saying that, he bowed to Madam Xie again, "Ning'an has other things to attend to, so I won't disturb you and Brother Lei any longer."
He strode over, and Madam Xie gritted her teeth, saying, "Lei'er, don't worry, they won't avenge you, but your mother will."
Xie Lei turned to look at her, "Mother, what are you going to do?"
"Hmph, just you wait and see." Madam Xie pushed Xie Lei forward, telling her that the men of the Xie family were all cowards. They were afraid of everything and couldn't accomplish anything.
......
Yesterday the weather was gloomy, but this morning it was exceptionally sunny. Just after breakfast, Lu Yifang went to Jiang Yu's courtyard to see if Jiang Yu was ready; they were going to attend the birthday banquet for Privy Councilor Ning's mother.
The Privy Councilor was a first-rank official who held supreme military and political power. Moreover, the Ning family was located in the heart of the capital's elite, so no matter how busy Jiang Yu was, she had to attend such a banquet.
"I'll change my clothes now." Jiang Yu got up and walked towards the dormitory, with Lu Yifang following behind her, helping her choose clothes.
Although Jiang Yu didn't deliberately wear men's clothing when she was out, her clothes were always simple and elegant. Lu Yifang picked out a light purple ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) paired with a blue robe and said, "This outfit looks bright but not out of place, it's just right."
Jiang Yu glanced at it and thought it was very nice, so she smiled and put it on. Lu Yifang watched her change her clothes, talking about things in the manor, "Several young ladies in the manor are of marriageable age, and I have been thinking about their marriages these past few days."
Jiang Yu stood there as Xia He and Dong Xue helped her put on sachets and jade pendants. Hearing Lu Yifang's words, Jiang Yu said, "I have no intention of using them for a marriage alliance. Please ask them what they think first."
Lu Yifang nodded, "Actually, it's not bad to be like your second aunt. She married a poor scholar who passed the imperial examination. She might not be bad off in the future."
At this point, she thought of Qi Yuanhong and glanced cautiously at Jiang Yu, afraid of stirring up her painful memories. Jiang Yu calmly replied, "He has good character and comes from a wealthy family. If I marry him, I won't have a hard life."
As they talked, Jiang Yu finished getting ready, and the two went out together. Just as they reached the courtyard gate, Li Zhong came running over, bowed, and said to Jiang Yu, "Xie Lei and Madam Xie have gone out."
After listening, Jiang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Bring more people so that Lan Mudan can take a look at Xie Lei from a distance."
"yes."
Li Zhong immediately went to do it, and Jiang Yu whispered to Lu Yifang about the interrogation of Lan Mudan. After listening, Lu Yifang said, "Could they have switched Madam Xie's child as well?"
"It's hard to say," Jiang Yu said. "But if it's true, then it'll be quite a show."
Lu Yifang let out a long sigh. Her child had been switched, so she could empathize with Madam Xie. However, she also knew that their relationship with the Xie family was one of life and death, so she could only sigh.
After walking a few more steps, they ran into Wu Zhengyan, who was also attending the Ning family's banquet today. The three of them walked together toward the gate of the mansion and then boarded a carriage to head to the Ning family.
Upon arrival, Jiang Yu was ushered to the men's section, while Lu Yifang and Wu Zhengyan went to the women's section.
Jiang Yu had attended many banquets like this before. Now that she was the Duke of Chu, with the added advantage of her status, and having just solved the case of embezzlement of military supplies, she was able to navigate this banquet with ease.
Halfway through the banquet, everyone began chatting to strengthen their relationships. Jiang Yu whispered to the Duke of Wei about her incident at the Ministry of Justice.
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Wei said, "I was worried when I heard that your men had been arrested. Luckily, you reacted quickly. If you had arrived any later, things might have gone wrong."
Jiang Yu nodded. When she told the Duke of Wei about this, she was also mentioning Yuan Yutang to him. She remembered the help he had given her.
At this moment, the Earl of Changping approached with a wine cup, smiling and exchanging pleasantries with the Duke of Wei. He even mentioned his family's younger generation, clearly indicating his desire for a marriage alliance with the Duke of Wei's household. The Duke of Wei also intended to form a marriage alliance with the Earl of Changping's family, and, holding his wine cup, was about to agree.
At this moment, Jiang Yu said to the Duke of Wei, "I'm going out to sober up. When my maternal grandfather comes looking for me, please tell him."
After she finished speaking, she nodded to Uncle Changping, who also nodded back. After Jiang Yu left, Uncle Changping continued, "If you think it's alright, then let the master match the birth dates of the two children."
When Duke Wei thought of the look in Jiang Yu's eyes when she left, he laughed twice and said, "My wife is in charge of the children's marriages, I don't care about that."
The Earl of Changping was taken aback. They had been talking just a moment ago, so why had the Duke of Wei suddenly changed his attitude? He thought of Jiang Yu, but Jiang Yu hadn't said anything just now!
Uncle Changping was completely bewildered, but he could only laugh it off and change the subject before returning to his seat. A little while later, Jiang Yu returned from outside, sat down, and continued chatting with others.
But before they could finish speaking, a handsome man walked over, knelt down in front of Jiang Yu with a thud, and said almost in tears, "My lord, you have kept me waiting for so long!"
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