Chapter 432 Even if she's just a concubine's daughter, she's still a young lady of the Duke of Chu's mansion.
The capital city had extremely strict regulations on the construction standards of mansions. Although the Chang family were imperial merchants and wealthy, their mansion was not large because of their low social status. After following the Second Young Mistress of the Chang family for a short while, Granny Feng arrived at the First Mistress of the Chang family's courtyard. As soon as she entered, she was warmly received.
Granny Feng politely explained her purpose: "My master, the Duke, will be off tomorrow and will have time to meet with Young Master Chang."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chang was overjoyed and immediately asked about the appropriate time to visit the next day. After answering all her questions, Granny Feng got up to take her leave. Madam Chang had the Second Young Mistress of Chang see her off while she hurried to the front courtyard to inform Master Chang and the eldest son of the Chang family.
Upon hearing this, both father and son showed joy, yet could not hide their nervousness. The Chang family's ancestral home was in Jiangnan, and as imperial merchants, they had maintained a residence in the capital for many years. They had long heard of Jiang Yu's deeds and naturally would not look down on her simply because she was a woman. On the contrary, it was precisely because of the series of important events she had accomplished that the father and son were on tenterhooks, fearing that the eldest son of the Chang family might say the wrong thing tomorrow and offend the Duke of Chu.
Only Madam Chang was not so nervous. She walked to the chair and sat down, saying slowly, "My lord, I have met the wife of Marquis Anyuan and the wife of the Duke of Chu several times. Every time they mentioned the Duke of Chu, they were all smiles and talked about how he was filial to his elders. It seems that the Duke of Chu is not as ruthless as the rumors say."
Both Master Chang and his eldest son gave her a helpless look. Master Chang was too lazy to argue, so his eldest son explained, "Mother, the Lady of Anyuan Marquis and the Lady of Chu State are her closest elders, so she will naturally be filial to them. But she may not treat others the same way."
Madam Chang opened her mouth, but didn't know how to refute. Although she often associated with ladies and young women of the same social class and was not an ignorant village woman, she still felt that she could tell from the attitude of Madam Anyuan and the others that Jiang Yu was not a difficult person to get along with.
After careful consideration, she said, "Lin'er is going to marry the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Chu's family. I heard that the Duke of Chu was lost when he was young and only returned to the mansion two years ago. Under such circumstances, how much affection can she have for her illegitimate sister? But she is busy with her affairs, yet she specially took the time to meet Lin'er, her illegitimate sister's future husband, which shows that she is kind-hearted."
These words caused the father and son to exchange a glance, their faces showing agreement. Master Chang nodded and said to Madam Chang, "Lin'er and I understand. You go ahead and get busy."
Knowing that the father and son had something to discuss privately, Madam Chang got up and left. After her figure disappeared through the door, Master Chang looked at his son Chang Linzhi and said in a deep voice, "You can't completely trust your mother's words. Judging from what the Duke of Chu has done, she is definitely not an easy person to talk to. Tomorrow you must be respectful and not show the slightest negligence."
Chang Linzhi nodded with a wry smile. As the son of a merchant, he was about to meet a Duke of the highest rank; only a fool would dare to be negligent. At this moment, he was so nervous that his hands were trembling slightly: "Father, I'm afraid I might have misspoke."
Master Chang patted his shoulder and said, "I had someone inquire about the second young lady of the Duke of Chu's mansion, and there were no bad rumors. However, two months ago, her sister, the third young lady, suddenly died. I always felt that there was something fishy about this."
Chang Linzhi frowned upon hearing this, and then heard his father say, "Even if the young lady of the Duke's mansion is born out of wedlock, it is still considered a marriage down for her to marry into a royal family like ours. I always felt there was a reason for this, but your mother met the second young lady twice and did not find anything wrong with her."
"Father, are you saying that the Second Miss married me because of her sister's involvement?" Chang Linzhi asked, frowning.
“That’s possible,” Master Chang said thoughtfully. “But the Duke of Chu’s mansion has clearly not given up on this second young lady. Although our family are imperial merchants, we consider ourselves to have an upright family tradition and are never short of money. You are the eldest son and the future heir of the family. Compared to those spoiled brats in the capital, you are only better in the eyes of parents who love their children.”
As Chang Linzhi frowned in thought, Master Chang instructed him again: "In my opinion, the Duke of Chu is quite kind to his family. You must treat the Second Miss sincerely in the future."
“My son understands what’s important and will naturally do it.” Chang Linzhi immediately agreed.
He was well aware of his own status. Although Jiang Shan was born out of wedlock, she was a legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion. Moreover, the Duke of Chu had specifically sought to see him before the engagement, demonstrating his high regard for Jiang Shan. Even if he had the greatest audacity, he wouldn't dare mistreat her. Furthermore, marrying Jiang Shan would establish a marriage alliance with the Duke of Chu's mansion, elevating the Chang family's status even further. As long as Jiang Shan wasn't too domineering, he would certainly cherish her.
The father and son discussed the details of their meeting the next day in detail before ending their conversation.
The next day, a quarter of an hour before the appointed time, Chang Linzhi set off with his mother, Madam Chang, for the Duke of Chu's mansion. As they approached the gate, Chang Linzhi carefully straightened his robes, making sure everything was in order before stopping. After the sedan chair stopped, he lifted the curtain and alighted. His eyes immediately fell upon the grand and imposing gates of the Duke of Chu's mansion, with a plaque bearing the four gilded characters "Duke of Chu's Manor" hanging above the entrance, exuding an air of grandeur.
After Madam Chang alighted from her sedan chair, Chang Linzhi, holding a visiting card, approached the gatekeeper and handed it to him. Upon hearing that they were from the Chang family, the gatekeeper led them inside. A nanny and a steward then separately guided them to the reception area. The nanny led Madam Chang to the back courtyard to see Lu Yifang, while the steward led Chang Linzhi to the guest area.
Throughout the journey, Chang Linzhi kept his eyes closed, not daring to look around, yet he could still sense the orderly and strict rules within the Chu State Duke's mansion. After walking for about a quarter of an hour, they arrived at a courtyard. He clearly noticed that the steward leading the way had slowed his pace considerably, and he secretly wondered: This must be where the Chu State Duke usually held meetings. His heart tightened, and he quietly checked his own words and actions once more.
He cautiously entered the courtyard and saw the steward bowing and smiling obsequiously, speaking to a woman: "Miss Xiahe, Young Master Chang has arrived."
The woman was Xia He, Jiang Yu's personal maid. She looked Chang Linzhi up and down, then curtsied to him. Chang Linzhi quickly returned the greeting. He had heard of Xia He before and knew she was a close attendant of the Duke of Chu, so he dared not accept the greeting so readily.
"Let's wait in the hall for a moment. The Duke is discussing matters with Young Master Lu." Xia He glanced at Chang Linzhi again, then turned and walked towards the hall, with Chang Linzhi quickly following.
Upon entering the hall, a maidservant served tea. Xia He didn't linger, instructing the steward to treat him well before turning to leave. Chang Linzhi vaguely understood at this moment that Jiang Shan's status in the Duke of Chu's mansion was clearly not high. Otherwise, she wouldn't have only sent a steward to receive him, and even the Duke of Chu's personal maidservant only showed politeness without any warmth.
Even so, he dared not harbor the slightest thought of neglecting Jiang Shan. The Duke of Chu had specifically chosen this time to see him, precisely to support Jiang Shan. After all, even if Jiang Shan was only a concubine's daughter, she was still a young lady of the Duke of Chu's mansion, and this status did not allow him to treat her lightly.
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