Chapter 226 Did He Say Something He Shouldn't Have Said?
He knew his own son best. Jiang Lihui wasn't very smart and didn't know how to be flexible. But he was the legitimate son, and as long as he wasn't completely useless, Jiang Hongsheng had to raise him as his successor.
When his son was studying, he hired the best tutors for him and later sent him to the Imperial Academy. Knowing that Xie Ning'an of the Xie family was his classmate, he constantly reminded him to cultivate a good relationship with Xie Ning'an. Xie Ning'an was a good student, and if the two of them got along well, Xie Ning'an could also offer him some guidance.
Later, when he participated in the imperial examination, he inquired about the exam questions and the officials who were grading the papers, and then tried to predict the questions. He prepared the questions himself and then memorized them. Fortunately, he predicted quite a few questions correctly. He was usually quite diligent in his studies, and in the end, he passed the imperial examination at the very bottom of the list.
He used his connections to get him assigned to the Secretariat. Knowing that the emperor attached great importance to the reform of Jufeng Money Shop and the merchant houses, he flattered him and gave him gifts, so that the Grand Secretary arranged for him to work by the side of the Duke of Chu.
Who would have thought that in just one day, he would cause such a mess and now say such outrageous things? Jiang Hongsheng simply wanted to put him back in his mother's womb and reheat him.
"Tell me, who told you what you just said?" he asked Jiang Lihui with a stern look.
Even if an ordinary person wanted to ruin the Duke of Chu's reputation, they wouldn't involve the Emperor; that would be treason and deceiving the Emperor. The person who spread these words must be someone of considerable status, and their motives were certainly not simple either.
Jiang Lihui didn't think he was wrong. He stubbornly said, "Am I wrong? She's a divorced woman. No matter how well she studies, if no one helps her, can she answer those so-called exam questions that are harder than the imperial examination?"
Furthermore, she wasn't the only capable and meritorious official in the court, yet the Emperor favored her, bestowing upon her such generous rewards. The New Year's Eve dinner she received was the first of its kind from the Duke of Chu's household, and now she's even been promoted beyond her rank. If it weren't for the Emperor's special favor, would she have achieved what she has today?"
"You...you..." Jiang Hongsheng was so angry he couldn't speak. He raised the feather duster in his hand and whipped Jiang Lihui hard. Jiang Lihui was also stubborn. He knelt there, neck stiff, gritting his teeth and enduring the pain without uttering a sound. He seemed determined to fight to the bitter end.
Seeing this, Jiang Hongsheng became even angrier and increased the force of his blows. At this moment, the steward trotted in. Seeing the situation, he hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and saying, "Master, the Grand Chancellor has sent a letter."
Jiang Hongsheng threw down the feather duster, glared fiercely at Jiang Lihui, and took the letter from the steward. Opening it, he wanted to give the brat another good beating. The letter from the Grand Secretary stated that the Emperor had transferred Li Zhengze, the son of the Marquis of Jinyang, to the Grand Secretariat and assigned him to assist the Duke of Chu.
In other words, Jiang Lihui's job was taken over by Li Zhengze.
“That old fox, the Marquis of Jinyang, is really cunning,” Jiang Hongsheng said through gritted teeth.
Isn't that right? How long has it been since Jiang Lihui clashed with the Duke of Chu? That old man has already arranged for his son to be imprisoned.
But this was an order from the Emperor, and the Duke of Chu must have agreed, since Li Zhengze had previously worked for her. Under these circumstances, there was no way for him to reverse it.
Looking down at Jiang Lihui, who was kneeling on the ground, he said fiercely, "You're not even as good as that playboy Li Zhengze now."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Lihui seemed deeply humiliated. He stubbornly looked back at Jiang Hongsheng, saying, "In your heart, I am no one."
Jiang Hongsheng was so angry that he was panting heavily, but now was not the time to teach him a lesson. He had to go to the Grand Secretary and put in a good word for him, otherwise this brat might be marginalized in the Grand Secretary's office.
"Go back and reflect on your actions." Jiang Hongsheng glared at Jiang Lihui again before turning and striding out.
Jiang Lihui was also very angry and remained kneeling there without moving. The butler shook his head inwardly, went over and helped him up, "Young Master, Master is doing this for your own good, please listen to Master."
"Hmph, he only did it out of necessity for my own good. Did he not know that his favorite was the third brother?" Jiang Lihui shook off his family, which aggravated his wound and made him wince in pain.
The steward sighed and said, "This old servant will escort you back to your room and have the doctor examine your injury."
The pain made it impossible for Jiang Lihui to continue his stubbornness, and he was helped back to his room by the housekeeper. When Madam Jiang heard that he had been beaten, she rushed to his courtyard. Seeing the welts on his back, she hugged him and cried bitterly.
Annoyed by the crying, Jiang Lihui told his wife to leave and lay on the bed, gritting his teeth in anger. After a while, his servant reported, "Young Master, Young Master Dong invites you for tea."
Jiang Lihui thought for a moment, then, enduring the pain, got out of bed, changed his clothes, and went to keep the appointment.
Here, Jiang Hongsheng treated the Grand Secretary to a meal and presented him with a generous gift. The Grand Secretary finally agreed to arrange another job for Jiang Lihui. Jiang Hongsheng breathed a sigh of relief, but when he got home, he learned that Jiang Lihui had gone out for tea with someone.
Enraged, he smashed a tea set and sent someone to retrieve it. He was afraid that Jiang Lihui would spread the rumor that the Duke of Chu had climbed into the Emperor's bed. He didn't care what the person who spread the rumor was doing, but this matter absolutely could not be allowed to get out of Jiang Lihui's mouth.
The butler and his men immediately went out to find Jiang Lihui, and half an hour later brought him back, completely drunk. Upon seeing him, Jiang Hongsheng grabbed him and asked, "Who were you drinking with?"
Jiang Lihui opened his drunken eyes, saw the person in front of him, and chuckled, "Dad, what are you doing at Yichun Pavilion? Be careful, or I'll tell Mom."
Upon hearing that he had gone to a brothel, Jiang Hongsheng was so angry that he raised his hand and slapped him. "You actually went to a brothel?"
Jiang Lihui looked at him with bleary eyes, opened his mouth, then tilted his head and fell asleep. Jiang Hongsheng was so angry he wanted to beat him again, but in the end he waved for someone to help him to rest.
He asked the butler, "Who was he drinking with at Yichun Restaurant?"
The steward thought for a moment: "The second son of the Minister of Works, the fifth son of the Censor Cao, and the eldest son of the Yi family of the capital..."
He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped. Jiang Hongsheng frowned and said, "Just say what you have to say."
“Yes,” the steward said, “When I found the eldest young master at Yichun Pavilion, there were several prostitutes in the room. At that time, the eldest young master and his companions were behaving in a very dissolute manner.”
Jiang Hongsheng's face was ashen, but at this moment, what he cared about most was whether Jiang Lihui had said anything he shouldn't have. He asked again, "When you went there, did you hear them discussing issues they shouldn't have?"
The steward shook his head, "When this old servant entered that room, the eldest young master and the others didn't say a word..."
Working.
After hearing this, Jiang Hongsheng frowned and remained silent. He wanted to know if Jiang Lihui had told anyone, but Jiang Lihui was too drunk to speak, so he could only wait patiently until Jiang Lihui sobered up before asking.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
