Chapter 96 Exhausting Benevolence and Righteousness
A person's kindness is not only reflected in how many good deeds they have done or how many people they have helped. Jiang Yu believes that it is even more precious to have a person who has suffered greatly yet still hopes that others will be well.
Jiang Jiamu and Wu Zhengyan have suffered countless injustices in this household over the years. Especially Jiang Jiamu, a legitimate son, who was switched at birth with the body of an illegitimate son, poisoned, and has endured physical pain for many years. Most people would have become mentally disturbed by now, but he still retains kindness towards little Jiang Yuan, which is truly commendable.
However, after examining him, the imperial physicians in the palace said that the poison had penetrated his internal organs for too long and was beyond saving. Thinking of this, Jiang Yu felt a pang of sadness.
“Let’s go to the temple to pray for my brother’s well-being in a few days,” Jiang Yu said.
Lu Yifang immediately nodded, "That's what I think too."
The two agreed to go to the temple in a few days, and Jiang Yu then took her leave.
...........
Xie family
After the emperor's decree was issued, Xie Yun was allowed to return home. At this moment, he was in the study with his two sons and Xie Ning'an.
Xie Yun's aged hand clenched into a fist, the veins on it bulging, showing how angry he was inside.
"I didn't expect Jiang Jinglan's counterattack to cause us such heavy losses."
At first, he thought that by handing over his second son to the emperor in a show of loyalty, and given the Xie family's influence in the court, the emperor wouldn't punish them too severely. Unexpectedly, if Xie Ning'an hadn't made a wise decision, the Xie family might have been finished this time.
Xie Zizhang and Xie Zinan remained silent. In truth, they still didn't understand why Xie Yun had chosen Jiang Chengye. If he had chosen an insignificant family, perhaps their Xie family wouldn't have faced this crisis, nor would they have suffered such great losses.
Both of them had lost their official positions. After years in officialdom, losing their posts at the prime of their lives was something neither of them could accept. At this moment, Xie Ning'an asked the question they had been wanting to ask.
"Grandfather, why was Jiang Chengye chosen? Wouldn't it have been safer to choose another small family?"
Xie Yun sighed, "That person has a grudge against Jiang Jinglan and is determined to destroy the Duke of Chu's mansion. I thought that Jiang Jinglan was old and sick, and the Duke of Chu's mansion had no successor. I thought that Jiang Jinglan would be too busy to find out, but I didn't expect him to find out so quickly and to retaliate so ruthlessly."
He slammed his fist on the table. "What a mistake!"
Xie Zizhang, Xie Zihui, and Xie Ning'an all looked very grim. Just because that person had a grudge against the Duke of Chu, their Xie family had paid such a heavy price.
"We can't just let this go," Xie Zinan said. "We need to make that person compensate us, and we can't let the Duke of Chu's mansion get away with it."
Neither Xie Zizhang nor Xie Ning'an spoke, but their expressions showed that they agreed with Xie Zihui's words. Xie Yun remained silent for a long time; the compensation from that person wouldn't be fulfilled anytime soon, and as for the Duke of Chu's mansion...
Xie Yun remained silent for a long time before saying, "We need to find the right opportunity. That old fox Jiang Jinglan is still as sharp as ever!"
"What will we do in the future?" Xie Zizhang asked.
Xie Yun looked at Xie Ning'an and said, "Since the Emperor didn't mention Ning'an, he can continue to go to the Hanlin Academy and wait for the right opportunity. Let Ning'an leave the Hanlin Academy."
Only members of the Hanlin Academy could enter the cabinet. His original plan was to have Xie Ning'an stay in the Hanlin Academy for a few more years to accumulate seniority before entering the Six Ministries. Unexpectedly, this happened, so he had no choice but to let Xie Ning'an enter the Six Ministries as soon as possible.
Xie Ning'an shared the same thought, saying, "Don't worry, Grandfather, I know what I'm doing."
Xie Yun was naturally at ease, having personally trained him. He nodded and said, "From today onwards, we'll live behind closed doors and need to stay quiet for a while."
"What should we do with the empty seats?" Xie Zizhang asked.
This was the result of their years of planning, and to lose it all like this is enough to make one want to vomit blood. Xie Yun narrowed his eyes and said, "The Prime Minister knows how to handle this. Don't worry, it won't be much."
Xie Zizhang, Xie Zinan, and Xie Ning'an all looked much better. Xie Yun said, "Keep an eye on the Duke of Chu's mansion. If they make any moves, immediately send out the news. Anyone can take back the position we lost, but not the Duke of Chu's mansion."
The other three people in the room nodded. If they had written their resignations and lost their positions, and the culprit, the Duke of Chu's mansion, had gotten them, they would have been spitting blood.
.........
The Marquis of Jiangling's family has been exiled and will depart for the northern frontier in five days. Today is their departure day, and Jiang Yu, along with Xia He and Chun Xue, is waiting for them outside the city. Seeing a group of people approaching in shackles, Jiang Yu steps out from a roadside pavilion and stands by the roadside.
As the group approached, Xia He stepped forward and slipped a small ingot of silver to each of the soldiers escorting them. Seeing their generosity and knowing they were from the Duke of Chu's mansion, the soldiers said, "Hurry up, we can't stay too long."
Jiang Yu stepped forward. The Marquis of Jiangling and his wife were dressed in white prison uniforms, their hair disheveled and their faces sallow, their previous fierce demeanor long gone. Jiang Yu felt no sympathy for them; having taken such a risky step as to commit execution and exterminate their entire clan, they naturally had to bear the consequences.
She walked up to Zhang Xiangling, stuffed the bundle in her hand into her hands, and said, "The journey to the northern border is long and arduous. I was worried that the weather would get cold, so I prepared some winter clothes."
Zhang Xiangling wept uncontrollably. She had long regretted not staying in the Duke of Chu's mansion, otherwise she wouldn't have had to suffer this exile.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Yu felt very uncomfortable. In the end, there was no deep hatred between her and Zhang Xiangling, just some minor disagreements.
"Take good care of yourself. Being alive is more important than anything else; only when you're alive can anything be possible," Jiang Yu whispered, leaning closer to her.
"There was a bib in the bundle, and a jade pendant was sewn into the bib. That was the seal for withdrawing money from the money exchange. I exchanged the rest of your dowry for silver and deposited it in the money exchange."
Zhang Xiangling's eyes widened in shock. Jiang Yu quickly pulled her aside, and Zhang Xiangling's expression turned bitter. Then Jiang Yu said, "Don't tell anyone, including your parents and siblings."
Zhang Xiangling nodded with tears in her eyes, and Jiang Yu said loudly, "Yuanyuan, your mother and I will take good care of her, don't worry."
Zhang Xiangling's tears flowed even more profusely. She wiped them away with her sleeve and bowed deeply to Jiang Yu, saying, "Thank you, little sister."
Jiang Yu helped her up, saying, "Take care on your journey. Staying alive is the most important thing."
Zhang Xiangling sniffed. She looked around and saw that the soldiers escorting them were not paying attention to them. She lowered her voice and asked, "Did you and the Duke already know that my father was smuggling salt?"
Jiang Yu looked at her calmly and asked, "You don't know?"
Zhang Xiangling smiled sadly, "Yes, I know too."
"Take care." Jiang Yu turned and left; she had done all she could.
Zhang Xiangling watched her retreating figure, her face streaked with tears of regret. These past few days, she had felt resentment towards the Duke of Chu. Since he knew her father was smuggling salt, why hadn't he stopped him? Otherwise, their family wouldn't have suffered this exile.
But Jiang Yu's words reminded her that she had known all along that her father was smuggling salt, and she hadn't stopped him. How could she ask an outsider to stop him?
Ultimately, it was her fault, and it was her father's fault.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
