Chapter 9 Abduction Was Man-Made
After getting to know everyone in the room, Jiang Yu felt that the Duke of Chu's mansion was somewhat lacking in male heirs. Ancient times were a man's world, but the Duke of Chu's mansion had very few male members left.
The Duke of Chu had only one son, Jiang Chengye, who in turn had two sons, but one of them was so ill he seemed on the verge of death. The Duke of Chu's family had even fewer grandchildren, only one named Jiang Yunkang, who was born out of wedlock.
Jiang Yu glanced at the somewhat withered Duke of Chu, who was clearly not in good health, exuding a sense of weariness and exhaustion.
"Now that everyone has been acknowledged, Jiang Yu will have plenty of time to spend with you all. Go about your own business." The Duke of Chu then looked at Jiang Yu and said, "Jiang Yu, stay."
All eyes turned to Jiang Yu again. They were puzzled as to why the Duke of Chu valued Jiang Yu so highly. The Duke of Chu was in poor health and rarely concerned himself with matters within his household. However, the matter of finding Jiang Yu was one he had personally ordered and overseen.
He immediately confirmed Jiang Yu's status as the eldest daughter of the royal family and even claimed that Jiang Yu's adoptive parents were benefactors of the Duke of Chu's mansion. He was clearly exhausted, but still wanted to speak with Jiang Yu alone.
Suppressing their various thoughts, everyone bowed to the Duke of Chu and left. Cheng Yunxiu and Jiang Mingchang were also taken to rest by Li Zhong. The Duke of Chu looked at Jiang Yu and said, "Help me to the study."
Jiang Yu walked over and took his arm, and instantly realized how thin the old man was, almost skin and bones.
The grandfather and granddaughter left the hall, and Jiang Yu helped the Duke of Chu follow the servant towards the study. The Duke of Chu walked very slowly, and Jiang Yu kept pace with him.
After a while, the Duke of Chu said, "You have been intelligent since you were a child. The first time you called me grandfather, you walked towards me crookedly and creakingly like a little bean sprout, but you clearly called me grandfather."
With a nostalgic look on his face, he looked at Jiang Yu with affection and said, "I was both surprised and happy at the time. You have no idea how lovable you were back then."
Jiang Yu laughed, "Now I'm quite popular too."
When the Duke of Chu saw her say this, his expression was a mix of confidence and mischief. He laughed heartily, but after a few laughs, he coughed violently.
Jiang Yu quickly patted his back, and the Duke of Chu finally stopped coughing after a while. He patted Jiang Yu's hand lightly and said, "Don't worry, it's an old ailment."
Jiang Yu patted his back with concern, and the Duke of Chu waved his hand and continued walking forward.
He continued, “Later I started paying attention to you. When you were three years old and had memorized most of the Thousand Character Classic, I decided to teach you myself. But just a few days after I made that decision, you disappeared. I’ve been looking for you all these years, and I finally found you.”
Jiang Yu was somewhat moved. She said, "When I woke up, I had no memory of anything. When I realized that I was in the hands of human traffickers, I cut off my hair with a tile and pretended to be stupid. The human traffickers did not send me to a brothel, but sold me as a maid."
Jiang Yu did not hide her thoughts at the time. She continued, "My parents went to a slave trader to buy a maid. I thought they were good people, so I stared at my mother. My mother was soft-hearted and bought me. Later, she raised me like her own daughter."
After hearing her words, the Duke of Chu remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "If it weren't for your intelligence, if it weren't for the kindness of your parents..."
His voice was filled with deep hatred, and Jiang Yu once again felt that her abduction years ago was orchestrated. She just didn't know who did it, or what grudges lay behind it.
As they spoke, they arrived at the study. Jiang Yu helped the Duke of Chu to sit on a soft couch and then brewed him some medicinal tea. The Duke of Chu's complexion improved after drinking the tea, and he looked at Jiang Yu and asked:
"Do you know why you decided to investigate the young lady of the Qingshan Marquis's family when Qi Yuanhong was going to marry her?"
Jiang Yu sensed that the Duke of Chu's gaze had lost much of its kindness, replaced by the imposing aura of a superior. Realizing this might be a crucial interview, she sat up straight and said:
“If I raise a dog and it grows up and tries to bite me, I naturally won’t dwell on my feelings for the dog. Instead, I’ll think about how to kill it so it won’t try to bite me again. Of course, it’s also to vent my anger.”
The Duke of Chu nodded in agreement, and Jiang Yu continued, "I have known Qi Yuanhong for thirteen years, and I know his situation very well. If it weren't for the support of the Qingshan Marquis's Mansion, I could simply write a complaint against him and bring him to justice, ruining his reputation. So the key is the Qingshan Marquis's Mansion."
The Duke of Chu nodded again, and then asked, "At that time, you already knew that you were the eldest daughter of the Duke of Chu's mansion. Wouldn't it have been simpler to have the mansion stand up for you?"
Jiang Yu took a sip of tea and said, "First of all, I like to solve my own problems, and I feel more satisfied when I deal with scumbags and bitches by doing it myself."
The Duke of Chu pondered the word "pleasure" for a moment, then smiled. The combination of these two words was indeed vivid and apt.
Then Jiang Yu said, "The Qingshan Marquis's Mansion has the Imperial Concubine behind it. Even if our Chu State Duke's Mansion is not afraid of them, if we have leverage, we will have more initiative."
The Duke of Chu looked at her admiringly and asked, "Then how did you know that investigating the fourth young lady of the Qingshan Marquis's mansion would yield results?"
Jiang Yu: "Although Qi Yuanhong achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, he came from a poor family. In the eyes of the powerful and wealthy in the capital, a scholar from a poor family is nothing. Under normal circumstances, the Qingshan Marquis's family would not allow a legitimate daughter to marry a scholar from a poor family. A marriage alliance between the legitimate daughters of powerful families seems to be the best option."
The Qingshan Marquis's family, however, chose a poor but highly-ranked scholar as their son-in-law, and seemed quite eager for the two to marry quickly—this was abnormal. Since things weren't normal, I naturally had to investigate, and who knew the results would be so…interesting.”
Duke Chu lowered his eyes and pondered for a while before asking, "By saying that, aren't you afraid I'll use you for a marriage alliance? Even divorced daughters of powerful families can be married off."
Jiang Yu smiled at him, "If I am more valuable than a marriage alliance, Grandfather should know what to choose."
The Duke of Chu stared into her eyes, but Jiang Yu showed no sign of backing down, continuing to smile at him. The Duke of Chu looked away and asked again, "You've arrested the people who burned down the Jiang family's house. What do you plan to do next?"
Jiang Yu had already thought about this question on the way. She replied, "First, let people know about what happened between me, Qi Yuanhong, and Su Yuezhen. Then, reveal my identity and let the Qingshan Marquis's Mansion take the initiative to reconcile with us. We have two leverages over us, so we can set our own terms."
The Duke of Chu tapped the table lightly with his index finger, and after a while said, "Once your affair with Qi Yuanhong gets out, your divorced status will no longer be a secret."
Jiang Yu: "Why hide it? The matter has already occurred. Putting aside the cost of hiding it, if I hide it, others will think that I care, that it is my weakness, and that people who are not friendly with me will use it to attack me."
If I don't care, and it's common knowledge anyway, what's the point of attacking me with this? Besides, it's Qi Yuanhong who's ungrateful and clinging to the powerful; he's the one in the wrong. I'm the victim, so what do I have to fear?
"Hahaha..." The Duke of Chu laughed loudly, his laughter filled with joy and anticipation.
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