Chapter 99 Xie Lei, the Second Young Master of the Xie Family
Jiang Yu benefited greatly from her conversation with the Duke of Chu, which is why everyone says that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. Although the Duke of Chu has his flaws, he is very familiar with the court and the power struggles among the nobles in the capital, and his analysis is thorough. This is something that Jiang Yu, a novice in court politics, cannot compare to.
She left the Duke of Chu's study and returned to her own courtyard, where she encountered Lu Yifang and Wu Zhengyan at the gate. Jiang Yu went over to greet them, and then they entered the courtyard together.
"I'm thinking of going to Puguang Temple to offer incense with Zhengyan tomorrow. Do you want to come along?" Lu Yifang said.
Jiang Yu considered her schedule. She would be going to the Tang family with the Duke of Chu the day after tomorrow, and then she would have to seriously prepare for the emperor's and the Ministry of Personnel's inspection. She would be free tomorrow, so she said, "Okay, I'll go with my mother and sister-in-law tomorrow."
Lu Yifang turned to look at Wu Zhengyan and then said, "Your brother and sister-in-law are moving houses. I was thinking of asking the master at Puguang Temple to calculate the auspicious time and find out when you will be moving houses."
She glanced at Wu Zhengyan again and said, "The Duke's idea is to have Zhu'er move to the courtyard to my left, so that... we'll be closer and it'll be easier for us to visit each other."
Wu Zhengyan laughed after hearing this, "That's perfect, then we can move to the new house with our little sister."
Jiang Jiamu had already discussed with Wu Zhengyan the possibility of Jiang Yu moving into the courtyard where Jiang Jiarong used to live, so Wu Zhengyan was mentally prepared. Initially, she was somewhat resentful. After all, Jiang Jiamu had been replaced and suffered so much injustice over the years; now that the truth was out, he should be treated like an eldest grandson.
But as Jiang Jiamu said, he didn't know how long his body could hold out. Jiang Yunkang was only three years old, and the Duke of Chu's health wouldn't last much longer either. There simply wasn't enough time to nurture Jiang Yunkang and wait for him to grow up and inherit the Duke of Chu's mansion. The Duke of Chu's choice of Jiang Yu as his successor was the most correct one.
Having figured everything out, Wu Zhengyan's resentment vanished completely. The well-being of the Duke of Chu's mansion is their well-being; the Duke of Chu's mansion needs Jiang Yu now.
Jiang Yu didn't feel like she had taken Jiang Jiamu's place; everyone's future depended on their own abilities. She sympathized with Jiang Jiamu's plight, but that didn't justify choosing a more difficult path.
Of course, Jiang Jiamu is her brother, and if they can get along, she will treat him as close family. As the saying goes, feelings develop gradually through interaction.
Lu Yifang and Wu Zhengyan knew Jiang Yu was busy, so after chatting for a while, they took their leave. Jiang Yu went into her study to look at this year's imperial examination questions. The Ministry of Personnel's assessment of her should be similar to the examination questions, since the imperial examination was originally used to select officials.
The next day, after breakfast, Granny Feng, who served Lu Yifang, came and asked Jiang Yu if she was ready. Jiang Yu went back to her room to change into some light clothes, and finally put a dagger in a hidden pocket inside her boot. Then she followed Granny Feng to Lu Yifang's place.
Jiang Yu was always very cautious, and given that this was ancient times with a poor security environment, she needed to carry something for self-defense at all times. Since she knew some martial arts, a dagger was the best choice for her.
Therefore, she preferred to wear boots rather than embroidered shoes, because boots could conceal a dagger.
Upon arriving at Lu Yifang's courtyard, Jiang Jiamu's family was already there, along with another person who didn't seem to fit in—Jiang Chengye. Jiang Yu entered the hall and saw Jiang Yunkang and Jiang Yuan sitting to Lu Yifang's left and right, with Jiang Jiamu and his wife sitting opposite them. The group was chatting and laughing, creating a cheerful atmosphere.
Jiang Chengye sat there awkwardly, his eyes constantly glancing towards Lu Yifang and the others, seemingly wanting to interject but unable to find a way to say something. Seeing Jiang Yu arrive, he immediately said, "Yu'er's here. Are you going to offer incense too?"
Jiang Yu nodded, then smiled and said to Lu Yifang, "Mother, let's go."
Lu Yifang stood up, and Jiang Chengye immediately stood up as well, smiling and saying, "I'll join you too."
Jiang Yu and Jiang Jiamu couldn't refuse his words, after all, Jiang Chengye was their biological father. However, Lu Yifang was very helpful, saying calmly, "Didn't the Duke assign you a task?"
Jiang Chengye was taken aback, then forced a stiff smile. "Yes, I... I still have to copy books, I... I don't have time."
Lu Yifang: "Okay, then you go, so as not to upset the Duke."
Jiang Chengye felt a little embarrassed, but he said nothing and stepped out of the hall. When he reached the door, he looked back and saw Jiang Yu and the others laughing and talking, as if his presence or absence didn't matter. He clenched his fist, turned around, and strode away.
He was wrong. His presence or absence did make some difference to Jiang Yu and the others. His presence made things a little awkward and restrictive. But when he wasn't there, everyone spoke and interacted very casually.
Puguang Temple was located in the suburbs of Shangjing City, but not very far; it took about half an hour by carriage to get there. However, Jiang Jiamu's body couldn't withstand the bumpy ride, so he didn't go. The two carriages set off for Puguang Temple.
The journey was smooth. The group offered incense and asked the master of Puguang Temple to calculate an auspicious day for moving the courtyard. Jiang Yu and the others then had lunch at Puguang Temple and rested for a while before leaving.
Since it was still early and the weather was fine, the carriage wasn't driven too fast on the way back, allowing them to enjoy the scenery along the way. When they reached the foot of a mountain, Jiang Yunkang pointed outside with his little finger and called out, "Rabbit!"
Lu Yifang looked and sure enough, a snow-white rabbit darted through the grass. Seeing that the scenery was quite pleasing to the eye, she had the carriage stop, and the group got out to rest for a while.
As soon as Jiang Yunkang got out of the car, he dashed into the bushes to chase the little rabbit, with Jiang Yuan jogging after him. Lu Yifang quickly followed with her people, and Wu Zhengyan was about to join them when Jiang Yu stopped her, saying, "It's alright, Mother is with her."
Wu Zhengyan glanced over there and saw that Jiang Yunkang and Jiang Yuan had stopped chasing the rabbit and were bending down to pick wildflowers and give them to Lu Yifang, making Lu Yifang so happy that she almost cried.
“My mother is really a very good person,” Wu Zhengyan said.
Jiang Yu nodded. Lu Yifang might not be a qualified matriarch, but she was a kind-hearted person. She turned to Wu Zhengyan and smiled, "Sister-in-law is also a very good person."
When praised to her face, Wu Zhengyan blushed slightly. Just as she was about to say something modest, a horse suddenly came galloping by. Just as the horse's hooves were about to trample her, Jiang Yu quickly pulled her back. Because of the excessive force, both of them fell to the ground.
As Jiang Yu looked up, she saw the person riding past turn his head and smile provocatively at them. Jiang Yu narrowed her eyes and stood up. Li Zhong also jogged over at this moment, "Miss, Madam, are you alright?"
"Who is that?" Jiang Yu asked.
Li Zhong replied: "Xie Lei, the second young master of the Xie family."
"Prepare the horses," Jiang Yu said, his voice cold and stern.
They were accompanied by guards. One of the guards gave his horse to Jiang Yu, who went over, mounted the horse, snatched the long whip from the coachman's hand, and galloped after Xie Lei. Several guards quickly rode after him.
Just as she left, a carriage pulled up, and Xie Ning'an was sitting inside.
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