Chapter 239 I've heard about the rumors.
The wife of the Marquis of Anyuan's heir has been in a bad mood these past few days.
The An Yuan Marquis's household was known for its upright character. The Marquis's wife was not one to manipulate her daughter-in-law, and the Marquis's heir was a man of good character who had always treated her with great respect since their marriage. The concubines were also obedient. With two sons by her side, she had lived a very comfortable life all these years.
But ever since her youngest son insisted on marrying Jiang Yu—no, on becoming an adopted son-in-law of the Duke of Chu—her heart felt as if it were about to break. How could she allow her son, whom she had raised with such care, to become an adopted son-in-law? Even if that person was the only female Duke and the only female official, it was still unacceptable.
After having breakfast today, she came to Lady Anyuan's residence, her face filled with suppressed resentment. Did Lady Anyuan want her beloved grandson to marry into the family? Of course not. Her previous suggestion to Jiang Yu to have Lu Xiaowu marry into the family was out of necessity.
Now that Jiang Yu's crisis has passed, Lu Xiaowu is still crying and insisting on marrying Jiang Yu. The two of them have been sighing and complaining these past few days.
“You don’t need to worry too much. Zhu’er doesn’t agree either, so this won’t work out,” said Lady Anyuan.
The Crown Prince's wife nodded slightly. She knew in her heart that this matter was not Jiang Yu's fault. It was her son who had taken a liking to her. But now, whenever Jiang Yu was mentioned, she felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Just then, Lu Xiaowu entered, bowed dejectedly, and sat down to one side with his head down, saying nothing. The Lady of Anyuan Marquis and the Lady of the Heir Apparent exchanged a glance, their faces showing worry.
At this moment, Zisu walked to the side of Lady Anyuan and whispered to her about the blood jade pendant. Lady Anyuan was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then waved her hand to let Zisu leave.
Lu Xiaowu guessed what Zisu had said to the Lady of Anyuan Marquis, took out the blood jade pendant and handed it to her, then sat back down in his seat dejectedly.
Lady Anyuan glanced at the jade pendant in her hand and asked, "Did you go to see your cousin?"
Lu Xiaowu nodded, and then Lady Anyuan asked, "Why didn't she accept the jade pendant?"
Lu Xiaowu puffed out her cheeks and looked at Lady Anyuan with a wronged expression, then lowered her head again. Lady Anyuan raised an eyebrow, "Did your cousin bully you?"
Lu Xiaowu remained silent.
Lady Anyuan: "How did she bully you? Tell your grandmother, and your grandmother will go and reason with her."
Lu Xiaowu also felt that Jiang Yu's demands were too much, so he said angrily, "My cousin dislikes that I can't make pastries. She also said that if I marry her, I have to get up when she goes to court and take her there. I also have to read for five hours every day from today onwards, saying that if I don't read, we won't have anything in common. She also wants to get rid of my crickets, and I can't associate with my friends anymore, saying that she doesn't like people who waste their time on frivolous things."
After hearing this, the Lady of Anyuan Marquis and the Lady of the Heir Apparent exchanged a glance, and they both saw in each other's eyes that they wanted to laugh but had to hold it in.
"How can she be so domineering?" the Crown Prince's wife said angrily. "No, I have to talk to Yi Fang. She can't bully people like this."
But then Lady Anyuan sighed and said, "What's the use of telling Yifang? Can Yifang control her? She is the Duke of Chu, the head of the Duke of Chu's mansion."
The Crown Prince's wife: "But...you can't let her bully people like that!"
Lady Anyuan sighed again, "Little Wu, your cousin is the Duke of Chu and a court official. She is highly regarded by the Emperor. Not to mention your mother and me, she might not even listen to what your grandfather says. Just bear with it."
The Crown Prince's wife said, "Mother, you make it sound so easy. Jiang Yu is so ruthless in her scheming and methods in the court. What if our Fifth Prince displeases her and she uses all those methods on him?"
"What's the point of telling me this? I can't control Jiang Yu anyway," Lady Anyuan said, feigning anger. "It's all Xiao Wu's choice, he..."
"I don't want to, I don't want to anymore," Lu Xiaowu said, standing up abruptly.
Lady Anyuan and Lady Heir exchanged another glance. Lady Anyuan said, "If you are unwilling, I will talk to your aunt. I think she will understand."
The Crown Prince's wife breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm relieved to see you like this. Otherwise, if you were bullied every day, my heart would break."
Looking at her exaggerated expressions and actions, Lu Xiaowu said, "Stop acting, I know you don't want me to marry into your family."
Lady Anyuan: "..."
The Crown Prince's wife: "..."
Is her acting really that bad?
"My cousin really doesn't think much of me." Lu Xiaowu's face was filled with sadness. In fact, he knew that he was not as outstanding as Prince Rui, and he couldn't even compare to Ning Yunchuan.
He strode out, saying, "I'm going to study."
The Crown Prince's wife and the Lady of Anyuan Marquis exchanged glances again. The Crown Prince's wife asked, "Then what about your marriage to Jiang Yu?"
"Don't mention it again." Lu Xiaowu walked away without stopping, and the Lady of Anyuan Marquis and the Lady of the Heir Apparent sighed heavily again. They knew that Lu Xiaowu had been spoiled too much by them.
The Crown Prince's wife held her handkerchief in deep thought for a while, then said to the Lady of Anyuan Marquis, "Mother, I heard that the son of the Marquis of Jinyang is now working for Zhu'er?"
Lady Anyuan nodded, and the heir apparent continued, "That Li Zhengze is much more of a playboy than our Fifth Prince. He got promoted after working on a case with Zhu'er, and now he's been transferred to the Secretariat. What do you think... why don't we have Zhu'er arrange something for the Fifth Prince to do?"
After listening, Lady Anyuan was silent for a while before saying, "I heard that Li Zhengze was able to get promoted because when Zhu'er was handling the case of embezzlement of military supplies, the Marquis of Jinyang put in a lot of effort. His transfer to the Secretariat was also a coincidence. Li Zhengze was not trained by Zhu'er. It should be said that the Marquis of Jinyang took the opportunity to teach his son."
The Crown Prince's wife was still somewhat unwilling. When the Marquis of Anyuan saw this, she said, "You are worried about Xiao Wu's future, and so am I. But how can we dare to assign him any tasks in his current state? Isn't the Jiang family a prime example? From now on, I won't worry about his upbringing. Let his father and grandfather take care of it."
The Crown Prince's wife nodded, then got up and left. After she had gone some distance, the Marquis of Anyuan said, "Everyone is thinking about their own children. No matter how much I love Xiao Wu, I can't cause trouble for Zhu'er."
The old nanny serving Lady Anyuan said, "The fifth young master is still young. He will become more stable as he grows up."
Lady Anyuan sighed, "He can't grow without hardship. A doting mother spoils her son. We can't indulge him anymore."
"This old servant thinks that the Fifth Young Master has come to a better understanding this time," the nanny added.
"I hope so," said Lady Anyuan.
......
After a busy day, Jiang Yu went straight to the old Duke of Chu's place after returning home. His health had been deteriorating recently.
Upon entering the old Duke of Chu's bedroom, she saw him sitting on the bed, his hair somewhat disheveled and his eyes a little red. Jiang Yu's heart tightened at the sight. She walked over, sat on the chair in front of the bed, and asked with a smile how the old Duke of Chu was feeling today.
"I've heard about the rumors," the old Marquis said, looking at her with pity.
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