Chapter 381 Doesn't care about legitimate daughters or illegitimate daughters
Madam Yan came from a prestigious family and married into the then-powerful Yan family. Within three years of her marriage, she gave birth to a son and a daughter, solidifying her position. During her youth, she had learned many tricks from her mother, and over the years, any concubine favored by Yan Shuyang had lived a life of unspeakable hardship.
For decades, she had lived a smooth and successful life, but unexpectedly, she stumbled because of a concubine's daughter. And her own biological daughter was becoming increasingly disobedient.
Wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, Madam Yan said, "I told you long ago that Prince Rui is not suitable for you. In the capital, there are many families comparable to the Duke of Wei's family, and there are even more prominent families."
"Your mother will definitely find you a marriage like this, so you can marry in style and honor, even more respectably than Yan Fengju. Give up on your thoughts of Prince Rui; he's not someone you should covet."
Madam Yan tried her best to persuade her, but Yan Fengxi wouldn't listen. She choked up and said, "My heart belongs only to Prince Rui. I would be happy to be a concubine or a maid! Mother, please help me. Register Yan Fengju under your name and exchange it with Grandfather so that he can work on my marriage. Grandfather will definitely find a way to let me marry into Prince Rui's mansion."
"Why are you so stubborn?" Madam Yan slapped her in exasperation, and then Yan Fengxi said, "If Mother doesn't agree, I'll die."
"You...you..." Madam Yan pointed at her with a trembling finger and said, "How could I have given birth to such a wretched child as you?"
Jiang Yu was naturally unaware that Yan Fengxi was so infatuated with Prince Rui that she was willing to become his concubine. During her free time in the afternoon, she wrote a letter to Yan Fengju, inviting her to have tea after her shift.
She wanted to explain Ning Yunchuan's reckless behavior that day to Yan Fengju. Ning Yunchuan was about to go to Lingnan, a journey fraught with danger, and she wanted him to focus on his mission.
After finishing her shift, she took a sedan chair to the agreed-upon teahouse. Upon entering the reserved private room, Yan Fengju was already there. Seeing her, Yan Fengju immediately rose to greet her, but Jiang Yu smiled and took her arm, saying, "There's no need for such formalities in private."
She spoke sincerely, and Yan Fengju, not one to mince words, replied, "Okay."
The two sat down to sip tea and chat. Yan Fengju was initially a little nervous, but finding Jiang Yu quite easygoing, she gradually relaxed, and soon they were laughing and talking amiably. Jiang Yu found an opportunity to explain what had happened that day on Ning Yunchuan's behalf, and then said:
"After he told me about what happened that day, I couldn't help but laugh at him for a while. I never imagined that a commander of the Imperial Guard would do something so childish."
Yan Fengju's face flushed slightly, but she didn't flinch. After that day, she inquired about Ning Yunchuan and received almost entirely positive news, so her impression of him wasn't as bad as before.
Now that her idol had come to explain in person, her prejudice against Ning Yunchuan completely disappeared. She was smart; she knew that this marriage was a step up for her. If she didn't seize this opportunity, she probably wouldn't get another one.
He put down his cup and said with a smile, "Of course I believe you."
Jiang Yu laughed heartily, "Okay, I'll go to my cousin in a bit and ask for credit so he can thank me properly."
Yan Fengju blushed slightly again. Jiang Yu knew that even though she was a generous woman, talking about her marriage would make her uncomfortable, so he changed the subject and talked about firearms research. Yan Fengju found this very agreeable, and the two had dinner together at a teahouse before parting ways.
As they were about to part, Yan Fengju hesitated for a moment and said, "I am a concubine's daughter. If my grandfather and the others agree to this marriage, they will definitely want to register me under the name of the First Madam. However, I do not want to have too much contact with the First Madam and Yan Fengxi."
“I understand,” Jiang Yu said immediately. “I will explain your meaning to my cousin and have him explain it to your grandfather.”
"Thank you very much," Yan Fengju said gratefully.
"There's no need for us to be so formal. It's getting late, so you should head back now."
The two got into their respective sedan chairs. Yan Fengju returned to the Yan residence, while Jiang Yu went to the Duke of Wei's residence. Upon meeting the Duke of Wei and Ning Yunchuan, she recounted her meeting with Yan Fengju and then told him about how Yan Fengju had almost been poisoned to death last time.
"That matter was eventually dropped, but it's easy to see that it was related to Yan Fengxi and Madam Yan." Jiang Yu sighed and said, "In that case, it's perfectly normal that Fengju doesn't want to have much contact with them, mother and daughter."
Upon hearing this, Ning Yunchuan's face showed heartache, and he immediately said, "I will personally go and talk to Grand Tutor Yan. I don't mind whether it's a legitimate daughter or a concubine's daughter."
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Wei glared at him and said, "Your marriage is arranged by your parents and the matchmaker. You don't need to take the initiative in your own marriage. Today I received a letter from Grand Tutor Yan. He has already agreed to the marriage. I will visit him tomorrow and tell him about it."
Ning Yunchuan realized his mistake and touched his nose sheepishly. Jiang Yu looked at him amusedly, "Cousin, I've helped you so much, how are you going to thank me?"
"You can pick whatever you want from my warehouse, how about that?" Ning Yunchuan said readily.
"That's great, let's go, take me to pick out some treasures."
The two walked out laughing and joking. Duke Wei was naturally pleased to see the cousins getting along so well. Thinking of his foolish son who had once suggested they marry, he snorted disdainfully.
Given Ning Yunchuan's status, and the fact that he wasn't one to squander money, his storeroom naturally contained many fine items. Jiang Yu browsed through them and finally chose an inkstone made of old Duanxi pit stone.
"You have a really sharp eye," Ning Yunchuan said, looking at the warm and smooth inkstone in Jiang Yu's hand.
Jiang Yu chuckled, "You're probably just reluctant to part with it."
"Take it, take it." Ning Yunchuan waved his hand, and Jiang Yu laughed and left with the inkstone.
Back at her residence, she examined the inkstone for a while, took out a carving knife and carved a character on it, then said to Xia He, "Send it to Prince Rui's residence tomorrow."
Xia He couldn't help but laugh, "Yes."
...
As soon as Yan Fengju entered the mansion, she was stopped by the steward, who said that Grand Tutor Yan wanted to see her. Following the steward to the study, she saw both Grand Tutor Yan and Yan Shuyang there.
"Grandfather, Father," Yan Fengju bowed respectfully.
"Please sit down," Grand Tutor Yan said with a smile. "Have you been having tea with the Duke of Chu?"
"Yes," Yan Fengju replied succinctly, her face expressionless. Both Grand Tutor Yan and Yan Shuyang were helpless about this; they had neglected Yan Fengju for too long, to the point that now they couldn't get close to her even if they wanted to.
"Has the Duke of Chu told you about the Duke of Wei's family's desire to propose marriage?" Grand Tutor Yan asked.
Yan Fengju: "I told you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
