Chapter 75 Is he... going to kill me with his own hands?
After hearing the report that the Lady of Jiangling had gone to the Wu residence, the Duke of Chu looked at Jiang Yu and asked, "Yu'er, what do you think the Lady of Jiangling went to the Wu family for?"
Jiang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Then it depends on what the Marquis of Jiangling and my sister-in-law want."
The Duke of Chu nodded. "They simply want to protect Zhang Xiangling's position and maintain their relationship with us."
For established elites like them, the network of relationships is incredibly complex. Sometimes, if one link in the chain breaks, a huge hole can appear in that network.
“My sister-in-law wanted to become the future Duchess of Chu,” Jiang Yu said, “but my brother is dead, so her goal has failed. What should we do?”
The Duke of Chu remained silent. After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Yu said, "The Lady of Jiangling is going to my second sister-in-law's family at this time, probably hoping to get them to make concessions. Once they've both made concessions, it will be much easier for the Marquis of Jiangling to persuade you."
The Duke of Chu leaned back on the brocade couch and sighed deeply, saying, "It's understandable that they did this. After all, Zhang Xiangling is the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family; how could she willingly become the wife of a concubine's son? But..."
He didn't say what he meant next, but Jiang Yu understood. However, even if the Duke of Chu's mansion was at fault for the Marquis of Jiangling's mansion's involvement in the smuggling of salt, they still had to sever ties with the Marquis of Jiangling's mansion.
Many things are like that; they aren't simply black and white. If the Marquis of Jiangling hadn't committed the heinous act of smuggling salt, which could have led to the extermination of his entire clan, they would have offered considerable compensation to the Marquis's household out of remorse.
After all, the girl had married a legitimate son, but now she had suddenly become an illegitimate son and died. Zhang Xiangling suffered a great injustice, and her life was significantly changed because of this incident. The Duke of Chu's family was in the wrong in this matter.
However, since the Marquis of Jiangling was involved in smuggling salt, no matter how wrong they were, they had to sever ties with the Marquis of Jiangling's household as soon as possible; this was the most advantageous option. The Duke of Chu sighed for the same reason.
"What should we do about Jiang Jiarong's funeral?" Jiang Yu asked.
Jiang Jiarong "committed suicide out of fear of punishment," but as the eldest grandson of the Duke of Chu for many years, he still needed to let his relatives and friends know. Of course, this was also to inform the outside world that the Duke of Chu's mansion had a legitimate son replaced by an illegitimate son.
The Duke of Chu hunched over slightly upon hearing her words. After a while, he said, "Bury him according to the standards for a son born of a concubine, and let Li Zhong handle it. Friends and relatives will come to inquire about this matter; you will receive them in the front courtyard."
He looked at Jiang Yu with earnest expectation. It was unusual for a woman to be receiving guests in the front courtyard. By doing this, he was essentially telling the outside world that Jiang Yu was someone he was grooming, and perhaps even the future heir of the Duke of Chu's mansion.
Jiang Yu clenched her fists slightly, then smiled and said, "If there's anything I've done wrong, Grandfather, please remind me."
The Duke of Chu also raised the corners of his lips, "Of course, but I believe you will do a good job."
This was absolutely sincere. After spending so much time together, he had come to realize that his granddaughter was no ordinary person. Everyone said that Xie Ning'an of the Xie family was the most outstanding young talent in the capital, and he felt that his granddaughter was no less capable than Xie Ning'an.
"In a little while... release Jiang Chengye. He has to show up for his son's funeral," the Duke of Chu added.
Jiang Yu nodded, "Okay."
Actually, she didn't quite understand why the Duke of Chu could be so ruthless as to let Jiang Jiarong "commit suicide out of fear of punishment," but still spared Jiang Chengye's life.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. Jiang Chengye was her biological father; she shouldn't think like this. Mainly, she truly had no feelings for Jiang Chengye, so when considering matters concerning him, she wouldn't let personal emotions interfere.
At this moment, Li Zhong's voice came from outside. The Duke of Chu invited him in. After bowing, Li Zhong said, "Madam Wu of the Wu family has sent an invitation. It has already been delivered to the Crown Prince's wife."
Normally, matters in the backyard wouldn't be reported to the Duke of Chu. But the situation is different now, so he came to inform him as well.
Duke Chu said to Jiang Yu, "Go on, go to your maternal grandfather's house later. There are some things that need to be told to your maternal grandfather. Also, your eldest aunt and second aunt need to be told. Tomorrow, I will have your eldest aunt's husband and second aunt's husband come to the house. You can tell them then."
"Okay." Jiang Yu bowed to him and then walked out.
After she left the study, the Duke of Chu looked at Li Zhong and said, "Handle Jiang Jiarong's funeral according to the standards for a son born of a concubine. Bring Jiang Chengye here."
Li Zhong responded with a "Yes," and then went out to the dungeon. Upon arriving, he stood outside the cell, looking at Jiang Chengye sitting blankly in the corner, and sighed deeply in his heart.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Chengye looked up and saw him standing outside. He cried out in terror. The scene of Li Zhong forcing Jiang Jiarong to drink poison had left a deep scar on him.
Li Zhong opened the prison cell door and bowed to Jiang Chengye, "Your Highness, the Duke wishes to see you."
Jiang Chengye's face was still filled with terror. He looked up at Li Zhong for a long while before saying, "Father... why does Father want to see me? Is he... going to kill me with his own hands?"
Li Zhong remained expressionless. "This servant is unaware of the Duke's thoughts. Young Master, please hurry, don't keep the Duke waiting."
"Can I...can I not go?" Jiang Chengye asked cautiously.
Li Zhong: "Young Master, don't keep the Duke waiting."
Jiang Chengye sat there without moving. Li Zhong waited for him for a while, and seeing that he did not intend to follow him, he stepped forward to try to pull him.
Jiang Chengye jumped up in terror, "I...I'll go with you."
He wasn't afraid of Li Zhong, of course, but of the Duke of Chu. So, when he arrived before the Duke of Chu, he knelt down with a thud, hugged his legs, and wept bitterly.
"Father...Father, please don't kill me! I promise I'll be good from now on, I won't go out and fool around, I'll stay in the manor obediently and live a good life with Yifang. Father, I don't want to die, I don't want to die. Waaah..."
The Duke of Chu looked down at his son, who was crying like a child who had made a mistake, feeling deeply helpless and also somewhat guilty. He blamed himself for neglecting his son's education because he had been too busy with court affairs.
However, he really couldn't care less at the time. Back then, during the reign of the third Duke of Chu, the emperor wanted to take back the military power of the Duke of Chu's mansion. The third Duke of Chu resisted many times, almost leading to the extermination of the Duke of Chu's family, before finally handing over military power and recalling all of the Jiang family's influence in the army.
After that, the Duke of Chu's mansion recuperated and waited for the death of that powerful emperor before daring to appear in court. However, the Duke of Chu's mansion was ennobled through military means, and its previous influence was all in the army; it wouldn't be so easy for them to become civil officials.
The current Duke of Chu married the daughter of a great Confucian scholar, and only by passing the imperial examination could he truly enter the ranks of high-ranking civil officials. In order to secure his position, he devoted himself to his studies and neglected the upbringing of his son, which led to the Duke of Chu's family once again facing the crisis of extermination.
P.S.: Are you all waiting for the female lead to become an official? It'll be here soon, I'm getting back to writing.
Your encouragement, comments, and messages will motivate me even more!
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