Chapter 361 What's gotten into him this time?
Jiang Chengye had lived for over forty years, spending half his life in eating, drinking, and having fun. His brain had never been filled with so much information before. After listening to Jiang Yu's words, he sat there motionless for a long time.
Jiang Yu knew he was processing the information, so she lowered her head and continued reading the official documents. After a while, she heard Jiang Chengye's voice, "So, that Pei Tinglan hates your grandfather, so she's taking revenge on our Duke of Chu's mansion."
Jiang Yu raised her eyes and looked at him, nodding very seriously.
Jiang Chengye wiped his face and asked again, "Was it Pei Tinglan who switched Jiamu and Jiang Jiarong?"
Jiang Yu: "Yes."
"Was it her who abducted you when you were a child?" Jiang Chengye asked again.
Jiang Yu: "Very likely."
"She...she wants our Duke of Chu to be utterly ruined?"
Jiang Yu: "It should be."
"Why should I?" Jiang Chengye suddenly stood up, his face full of anger. "She was tricked into falling into the lake. When she came out of the lake, her body had been seen by countless people. She was the sister of a poor scholar who passed the imperial examination. Her father was the heir of the Duke's mansion. How could he marry her? Why should she hate us?"
Jiang Yu looked at him quietly, "Some people's love and hate are irrational, just like you, Father. Mother was the legitimate daughter of a marquis, pampered and spoiled as she grew up, and she only married you because she admired you."
But what did she get in return? A philandering husband, her son switched at birth, her daughter abducted at age three... But in those years, how much of that time, Father, did you spend blaming Mother?
"I...I..." Jiang Chengye's face flushed red, and he didn't know what to say.
Jiang Yu lowered her eyes, leaned back slightly, and said, "Grandfather must have told you a lot before he passed away, but I still want to tell you today. In the past, you were tricked into buying a ship to transport smuggled salt, which put the entire Duke's Mansion in danger. Today, because of your concubine, someone took advantage of the situation, which almost brought you considerable trouble again."
The Xie family, which had stood strong through two dynasties, fell. The eldest grandson of the prime minister, who held a position second only to the emperor, was executed, and the Marquis of Qiyang's estate was stripped of its title...
Father, in a family like ours, a single mistake can have far-reaching consequences. A seemingly insignificant matter, if exploited by someone with malicious intent, could bring our entire family to ruin.
Jiang Chengye sat there hunched over, looking utterly dejected.
“Father,” Jiang Yu’s voice rang out again, “I know you are not a selfish person. You still have the family, Mother and us children in your heart.”
Jiang Chengye felt a lump in his throat from her words. Although he was a playboy, he never intended to harm his family.
He looked at Jiang Yu with a bitter expression and said, "When I was a child, I did something wrong, and your grandfather always scolded me for being stupid. After being scolded so many times, I really started to think that I was stupid. Later, I played around with other people outside. Although I did a lot of ridiculous things, I never bullied men or women, and I never harmed my family. Yu'er, I... I just... I just gave up and did whatever I wanted."
Jiang Yu nodded, handed him a handkerchief, and watched him hesitate for a moment before taking it, saying, "Father, the past is the past, let's not talk about it anymore. I've told you some things about what happened in court, you know..."
"I...I understand, I understand." Jiang Chengye immediately said, "I've dismissed all my concubines in the backyard so they won't cause trouble for the manor. From now on, I'll do whatever you, your mother, tell me to do."
Jiang Yu: "......"
She didn't intend for him to dismiss his concubines, but since he had brought it up, she naturally welcomed it with open arms.
"It's just...it's just that your mother doesn't want to talk to me. Yu'er, why don't you talk to your mother about it..."
"Father, I can't help with this."
Jiang Chengye lowered his head, looking dejected. Jiang Yu glanced at him and felt she had to give him some hope, so she said, "No matter how many good things I say to you in front of Mother, it's not as good as your sincere repentance. They say that water dripping wears away stone. As long as you persist, I believe that sooner or later, Mother will forgive you."
Jiang Chengye nodded quickly, "I...I understand, I'll go and dismiss those concubines right now."
“Yes, but Father would better make plans for them first,” Jiang Yu said. “If you don’t know how to settle them right away, go and ask Steward Li.”
"Alright, I'll go ask the steward." Jiang Chengye got up and walked out. Jiang Yu watched his back, her fingers lightly tapping the table. She really hadn't expected Jiang Chengye to dismiss his concubines; she just didn't know if it was a spur-of-the-moment decision or genuine remorse.
At this moment, Xia He came over, poured her some tea, and then asked, "Has the master really become better?"
Jiang Yu smiled and said, "We need to observe her. Maybe she's been frightened again."
........
Back in his courtyard, Jiang Chengye summoned the steward and said, "I want to dismiss all my concubines in the backyard. You can handle it."
Steward Li was shocked. What was wrong with the master now? Why did he suddenly want to dismiss his concubines?
Seeing the incredulous look on his face, Jiang Chengye snorted and said, "You heard me right. I am going to dismiss those concubines. If you don't believe me, go ask Yu'er."
"Does the Duke know about this too?" Steward Li asked.
"Am I supposed to lie?" Jiang Chengye got angry, and his arrogant, spoiled nature resurfaced.
Steward Li quickly replied, "It's my fault, I'll take care of it right away."
Jiang Chengye hummed in agreement again. Steward Li glanced at him cautiously and then said, "Master, how about this? Concubines who have given birth can be placed on the estate. Concubines who haven't given birth can be given two hundred taels of silver if they want to leave. If they don't want to leave, they can also be placed on the estate, how about that?"
Jiang Chengye frowned after hearing this, thought for a moment and said, "Give them two hundred taels of silver each and let them leave the manor. What they do in the future will have nothing to do with the Duke of Chu's manor."
Butler Li: "......."
They can be incredibly ruthless when they want to be!
However, Steward Li felt that they still needed to discuss it with the Duke. Letting the concubines leave the manor wasn't a problem in itself, but he feared it might cause unnecessary trouble.
Thinking of this, Steward Li replied "Yes" and went to Jiang Yu's study. He explained the situation to Jiang Yu, who then said, "Investigate those concubines and ask them what they want. Those who have no problems and don't want to leave the manor can be placed on the estate. Those who want to leave should be given some money. Those with problems should be dealt with."
Butler Li naturally understood what this meant and immediately went to do it. After he left, Jiang Yu sat silently for a while, then got up and went to Lu Yifang's courtyard. She needed to talk to her about this.
Upon hearing this news, Lu Yifang was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a while before finally saying, "What's wrong with him this time?"
Jiang Yu didn't know whether to sympathize with Jiang Chengye or to say that he deserved it.
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