Chapter 20: The real show is about to begin.
Lu Yifang was still worried after hearing what the Lady of Anyuan Marquis said. She said, "But his attitude..."
"Don't overthink it," said Lady Anyuan, patting her hand. "I'll talk to your father about this later. Don't worry, if the Duke of Chu really wants to send Zhu'er to the palace, your father will definitely not agree."
Lu Yifang was relieved to hear her say that.
Lady Anyuan sighed and said, "Zhu'er has lived with her adoptive parents for so many years, and her adoptive parents have always been sincere to her, so it is only natural that they are closer to each other."
Although you and Zhu'er are blood relatives, mother and daughter, you've been separated for over ten years. It's normal that your relationship with Zhu'er has become somewhat distant; don't take it to heart. Relationships develop over time.
Lu Yifang blushed slightly, "I know."
Lady Anyuan could tell from her expression that she was somewhat bothered; no one knows a daughter better than her mother. She added, "I think Zhu'er is a very honest person, and she'll definitely be close to you over time."
Lu Yifang nodded seriously, "Mother, I know."
Lady Anyuan patted her hand, "Don't listen to what people are saying. Who's closer than you two, mother and daughter?"
Lu Yifang nodded seriously again.
........
Jiang Yu rested for a while, then got up and chatted with the Lady of Anyuan Marquis for a bit before taking her leave to go home. Upon entering the Duke of Chu's residence, Granny Liao greeted her, bowed, and said:
"My eldest aunt and second aunt have arrived; they are both in your courtyard, Madam."
Lu Yifang said to Jiang Yu, "It must be your two aunts who came to see you after they knew you were back."
Jiang Yu nodded, and Lu Yifang told her about her two aunts as they walked, "Your eldest aunt is the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wei, and she married into the Duke of Wei's family. She is the wife of the Duke of Wei's heir."
She sighed as she spoke, “The Duke of Wei’s mansion is not peaceful, and your eldest aunt is always worried about it. Your second aunt, although she married a poor scholar, is a talented man whose career has been very smooth. He is now a fourth-rank official and is said to be promoted to the third rank this year. His family is small, and your second aunt is living a very comfortable life.”
Jiang Yu listened and nodded. The network of marriage ties within the Chu State Duke's mansion was undeniably powerful. As long as there was an heir of average ability, the Chu State Duke's mansion would not fall into ruin.
But judging from the current situation, her biological father is a womanizer, and her older brother doesn't seem to be capable of handling things either.
As they spoke, they arrived at Lu Yifang's courtyard. Upon entering the hall, they saw her elder sister-in-law Zhang Xiangling and second sister-in-law Wu Zhengyan. Seeing Jiang Yu, their expressions were full of pity. Jiang Yu thought, "They must know about my divorce."
Sure enough, after sitting down and talking for a while, the eldest aunt grabbed Jiang Yu's hand and burst into tears, saying that she couldn't let things go with the Qingshan Marquis's family. Jiang Yu then repeated her words that she didn't care.
The eldest and second aunts left before dinner, and Jiang Yu also said goodbye to Lu Yifang. She left with the eldest young mistress Zhang Xiangling and the second young mistress Wu Zhengyan.
Zhang Xiangling offered a few more words of comfort to Jiang Yu before leaving. After she left, her second sister-in-law took Jiang Yu's hand and said, "Little sister, what you just said was right. Don't listen to what others say."
Jiang Yu nodded, "Second sister-in-law, I know."
The two walked forward together, then parted ways at a fork in the road. Jiang Yu didn't return to her own courtyard but went to see Cheng Yunxiu and Jiang Mingchang first. The two naturally said they were all fine, but Jiang Yu could still sense that they were somewhat uncomfortable.
She felt she needed to buy a house as soon as possible.
After talking with them for a while, Jiang Yu returned to her courtyard, where Li Zhong was already waiting. He bowed to her, followed her into the study, and then said:
"Young Miss, the notices have been printed. I plan to post them along the roadside 500 meters outside the palace tomorrow morning, which is the route officials take to court. Then, at the western city's vegetable market, where the duke's and high-ranking officials' servants buy their groceries, and also..."
He pointed out the location where the notices would be posted, and added, "We'll post them at dawn, so the Qingshan Marquis's mansion won't know who did it. This will temporarily protect your current identity."
Jiang Yu once again felt that this Steward Li was indeed worthy of serving the Duke of Chu for many years. Not only could he understand her intentions, but he could also effectively come up with a perfect solution.
"Alright, that's settled." Jiang Yu said, "Keep an eye on the movements of the Marquis of Qingshan and Qi Yuanhong, and report to me as soon as possible."
"Yes." Li Zhong responded and left. Jiang Yu doubted her ears; she seemed to have detected excitement in Butler Li's voice just now?
However, she was also somewhat excited.
The show is about to begin.
......
The Daqian court held its morning court session every ten days, and today is the time for officials of the fifth rank and above to attend court.
The high-ranking officials in the imperial court also had a hard time. The court session was from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., and they had to get up from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. to attend the court session.
As usual, military officers rode horses while civil officials rode in sedan chairs, all heading to court in the morning dew. Marquis Anling rubbed his eyes as he rode his horse slowly towards the palace.
From afar, he saw a ball of fire beside the archway in the Qiankun Zhengwei position, the light standing out starkly in the dark night. Marquis Anling rode over and saw a wooden sign standing beside the archway, with a torch tied to it. A piece of paper with black characters on a white background was pasted on the sign.
"Oh, what's this?" Marquis Anling, who loved to join in the fun, dismounted and went over to take a look.
He had just stood still when the Minister of Rites said behind him, "Marquis Anling, it's almost time for court, don't dawdle."
“Come here, come here,” the Marquis of Anling said excitedly, beckoning to the Minister of Rites. “There’s something interesting here.”
The Minister of Rites, also fond of joining in the fun, alighted from his sedan chair and walked over. The two of them stood before the notice to read it. Soon after, several other officials joined in, and one of them even read aloud the words on the notice:
There is a villain named Qi Yuanhong, originally a poor man, who was fortunate to have a virtuous wife who helped him study hard. However, he is utterly heartless and ungrateful!
This man, who has become the top scholar in this imperial examination, has no regard for his wife's kindness and instead wants to marry Su Yuezhen, the fourth daughter of the Marquis of Qingshan. Moreover, in order to welcome his new wife, he even forces his first wife to leave. His behavior is so heinous that it is outrageous! What's worse, Su Yuezhen is a heartless viper and actually sets fire to his first wife, burning her to death. Her cruelty is unprecedented in the world.
Qi Yuanhong is a treacherous and despicable man, a mere scholar who has wasted his time studying the classics and holds the title of top scholar, but is in reality a beast in human clothing. Su Yuezhen is as venomous as a snake and as ruthless as a wolf, harming the innocent to achieve her own selfish desires. The evil deeds of these two are intolerable to Heaven and Earth, and arouse the wrath of both gods and men! We urge the people of the world to condemn them, to rectify the moral climate, to restore justice to the wronged, and to ensure that these villains receive the punishment they deserve!
"Hahaha, interesting, very interesting." Marquis Anling said with a laugh, "It's been a long time since anything this interesting has happened in the capital."
“Just a few days ago, my wife was saying to me, how could the Qingshan Marquis’s mansion have found a poor scholar as a husband for their favored Miss Su? Now it seems that this scholar is not just from a poor family!”
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned somewhat amused. They were all from powerful and influential families in the capital, and they all understood the circumstances under which a favored eldest daughter would be chosen for such a husband. They simply didn't know what the reason was for this Miss Su's decision.
"They set people on fire, is that true?"
Is the person dead?
"You have to admit, this notice is very well written, logical, and sharp in its language."
......
"Stop talking, Uncle Qingshan is coming."
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