Chapter 30 Chapter 30 No conscience
Jiang Shu was terrified by Lu Changji. She no longer cared about her uncouth attire and strode over to him, grabbing his sleeve and urgently saying, "Uncle, what are you doing? Yang and I did have some disagreements, but it wasn't a life-and-death struggle."
Lu Changji's reaction was probably due to his concern. Thinking of Lu Changji's protection for her, Jiang Shu was secretly proud. She finally didn't have to work hard to plan all this. Lu Changji probably already had a place for her in his heart.
Thinking of this, her voice became soft and sweet, as if it were laced with honey. Jiang Shu said, "Uncle, I know you feel sorry for me and want to vent your anger on my behalf, but although Yang Shi was wrong, her crime is not punishable by death. Please don't be angry."
While talking, Jiang Shu put her hand on Lu Changji's chest, pretending to help him calm down, caressing him lightly.
Her hands were white and soft, like a cat's, scratching him, making him tingle and tingle unbearably, and making him even more angry.
Lu Changji's expression grew increasingly gloomy. He looked down at Jiang Shu and scolded her in a low voice, "Jiang Shu, take your hands away! What are you doing in broad daylight?"
Jiang Shu felt that her behavior was not wrong, and she quietly defended herself: "Anger is harmful to the body. I was worried that Uncle would suffer harm, so I thought of calming you down. Why are you even angrier? But then I did something wrong."
Her eyelashes trembled like a butterfly, her eyes sparkled, and she looked at Lu Changji uneasily, like a frightened deer.
Lu Changji's heart beat faster.
He didn't want to say another word to Jiang Shu. He turned around and walked towards the gate. When he got there, he met Cheng Yong who had returned.
Cheng Yong bowed and said, "Sir, I have already put Yang on the carriage."
Lu Changji nodded and said, as if possessed by a spirit, "Go get a set of women's clothes and bring them to the garden!"
Jiang Shu was dressed like that, how could she go out without changing her clothes?
Yang returned empty-handed and smashed several vases in anger. She felt sad and helpless when she thought of Jiang Ran's situation.
She held Jiang Ran's hand and patiently warned him, "My son, we were all schemed by that bitch Jiang Shu. Zheng Zuhe is a playboy and violent. He beat three people to death just by having a concubine. He is definitely not a good match."
"Mother knows you've been wronged, but even if it's just a little, you must never have anything to do with him again. Compared to life, wealth and honor are just fleeting clouds. Mother only hopes that you can live a good life."
Jiang Ran understood this logic very well, but she and Zheng Zuhe had already done something that crossed the line, and her body was broken. Even if she married into a poor family in the future, she would be despised by others.
Jiang Ran had bitterness in her heart but couldn't express it in words. She just covered her face and cried until her two big watery eyes turned red walnuts.
Fortunately, she still had a bit of rationality. In the next few days, no matter how Zheng Zuhe invited her, she did not step out of Jiang's house again.
Zheng Zuhe was still enjoying the new situation, but he couldn't get rid of Jiang Ran. Since Jiang Ran refused to meet him, he took his men and went straight to Jiang's house to kill him.
He sat down in the main hall and called out, "Call out your second young lady, I have something to say to her." Jiang Ran must not meet Zheng Zuhe again. Yang left Jiang Ran in the side room and went into the flower hall alone.
She was not polite and said directly to Zheng Zuhe: "My sister Ran is ignorant and has offended Prince Zheng unintentionally. From now on, she will reform herself and become a new person.
I also hope that Prince Zheng can behave himself and not contact Sister Ran again."
Zheng Zuhe found Yang's arrogant look ridiculous. He laughed heartily and said disdainfully, "Your Second Miss has already been deflowered by me. You don't let her see me. Do you want her to go up the mountain and become a nun?"
"Everyone knows that Jiang Ran has a bad reputation. Only this prince doesn't despise her. Now you dare to use Qiao to provoke her."
"I won't say anything nonsense. I'll give you five days to prepare. After five days, the Zheng Mansion will open a small door in the corner. If you know what's good for you, you'll obediently send Jiang Ran in through the corner door."
"For the sake of our past friendship, I can grant Jiang Ran the status of a concubine. If you dare to push her again, don't blame me for spreading the news of Jiang Ran's secret meeting."
Zheng Zuhe, this bastard, if he had any love for Jiang Ran, he would never have said such words as losing virginity.
Yang had been planning for Jiang Ran for so long, how could she bear to marry Jiang Ran to a man who treated her like a worn-out shoe?
Yang was filled with grief. She had thought that Zheng Zuhe came from a prominent family and would at least consider his dignity, but she never expected that he was even more arrogant than a street scoundrel.
You can't confront such a person head-on, so Yang softened her tone and tried to convince him with reason: "You are the prince of the Bo family, you can have any girl you want, why do you have to pester Sister Ran?
A forced melon is not sweet. If she doesn't want to be together, even if you take her home, you will not get along harmoniously.
Besides, your mother has already come to my humble abode, and from what she said, she's not too willing to let Sister Ran come into the house. Why are you creating a rift between you and your mother because of Jiang Ran?"
Yang thought she was being gentle, but Zheng Zuhe took her words as a joke. He said, "Jiang Ran is just a plaything of this prince. When he's happy, he teases her a little, and when he's unhappy, he treats her coldly. How can we be considered gentle and obedient? You're overly flattering Jiang Ran."
"As for my mother, it's as if she's deliberately contradicting me. She doesn't even look down on any of the people I like. But so what? I still brought all of them into the Kaiyang Marquis's mansion."
Zheng Zuhe hated ugly people the most in his life. Yang was not ugly, but she was tall and strong. He felt annoyed even at the sight of her.
Since everything had been made clear, there was no need for him to stay any longer. He walked out of the Jiang family's gate with his chest puffed out and a heroic and confident manner.
Zheng Zuhe was relieved, but Yang and Jiang Ran were devastated. Jiang Ran threw herself into Yang's arms and cried, "Mother, Prince Zheng has killed so many concubines. How dare I, how dare I, become his concubine? Please think of a way to save me."
What else could Yang do? She loved Jiang Ran, but she couldn't neglect other children. Her only son was still young, and he couldn't be implicated by Jiang Ran.
At first, it was just a rumor that Jiang Ran had lost his innocence. Although his reputation was bad, Jiang Ran was an innocent victim after all. Having an affair with someone would indeed confirm that Jiang Ran had misconduct.
With a young lady of bad conduct in the family, no one would be willing to be on good terms with the Jiang family, let alone marry into the Jiang family.
The more Yang thought about it, the angrier she became, but she felt helpless. It was all Jiang Shu's fault, it was all that bitch Jiang Shu's fault. If it weren't for Jiang Shu, how could her good daughter have become someone's concubine.
Zheng Zuhe is violent and cruel, and the Jiang family is weak. If Zheng Zuhe gets angry, it is not known whether Jiang Ran can withstand it.
Yang sighed heavily and said to Jiang Ran helplessly, "Sister Ran, it's mother's fault that things have come to this. You should just obey Prince Zheng!"
"We're all one family, you can't just think about yourself, you have to think about your brother's future!"
It was like a bolt of thunder striking Jiang Ran's head. Yang's words devastated Jiang Ran. She had never expected that her mother, who had always loved her, would say such words. She felt so hopeless that she couldn't even cry.
Jiang Ran stared blankly at Yang, the light in her eyes gradually fading away. When the light disappeared completely, she suddenly stood up and rushed straight towards Duobao Pavilion.
"Sister Ran!" Yang shouted. When she rushed to Jiang Ran's side, Jiang Ran had already fallen limply to the ground, with blood gushing from her forehead, and she was unconscious.
The Jiang family had no rules to begin with, and when Jiang Ran was in imminent danger, Yang panicked. She originally wanted to send someone to call a doctor, but unexpectedly, the axle of the carriage in the mansion broke and it could not move.
As everyone was panicking and running around, Jiang Rong, who was usually the most timid, stood up. She said to Mrs. Wu, "Mother, please put down your business quickly and rent a carriage from the carriage shop next door. It will be faster to go and get a doctor. We have to see a doctor to know whether Second Sister is safe or not."
Only then did Mrs. Wu react and ran to the carriage workshop. After a lot of chaos, she finally invited a doctor to her home.
The doctor was an excellent doctor. He used acupuncture and pinching the Ren Zhong acupoint, and finally pulled Jiang Ran back from the underworld.
Jiang Ran was hit so hard that he was stunned with empty eyes. He stared blankly at the ceiling of the bed, as if all his energy had been drained away.
Yang felt both distressed and sighed, and her hatred for Jiang Shu reached its peak. Although she could no longer change Jiang Ran's fate of becoming Zheng Zuhe's concubine, she would never let Jiang Shu go unpunished and do whatever she wanted.
After feeding Jiang Ran the medicine and watching him fall asleep, she rented a carriage and headed straight to the Xinyang Marquis Mansion.
She can't do anything to Jiang Shu now, but Zhao can. If Zhao knew that her daughter-in-law had a vicious heart and plotted against her sisters, she would definitely not let Jiang Shu off easily.
After all, the Zhao and Jiang families were in-laws, so after the servant informed Yang, he took her to Yanxitang. Even though she had been there many times, Yang couldn't help but be amazed by the magnificence of the Xinyang Marquis' Mansion.
Why should this lowly Jiang Shu live in the Xinyang Marquis Mansion? She is determined to drag Jiang Shu into the quagmire.
The more Yang thought about it, the angrier she became, and her steps became faster and faster. When she reached the corner, she bumped into a man. The man was as steady as a mountain, with a majestic and profound character. Who else could it be but Lu Changji?
Logically speaking, she was the elder, and Lu Changji should have greeted her with courtesy, but Yang was a flatterer, so she didn't dare to accept the courtesy of the Prime Minister of the dynasty. Instead, she greeted Lu Changji first.
Lu Changji didn't talk to Yang either. He glanced at Qingrong and asked, "Where are you going?"
Qing Rong replied, "I have been ordered to bring my wife to the Yanxi Hall to speak with Madam."
"Madam is busy now, why are you making such a fuss?" Lu Changji said lightly, and then walked forward with Cheng Yong.
Qingrong is a smart man. In the current Xinyang Marquis Mansion, no one dares to say anything when the master says otherwise. Even if the lady ordered Yang to go to Yanxi Hall, he had no choice but to disobey.
He still knows which is more important, the lady or the master.
Qing Rong looked at Yang and said with a smile, "Madam, it's really unfortunate that my wife was free before, but now she is not available.
It's all my fault for being so stupid that I made you walk here in vain. The weather is so hot, why don't I send a sedan chair to take you to the gate?"
Yang glared at Qingrong angrily. No matter how nice her words were, they could not hide the fact that the Xinyang Marquis' Mansion was making a fool of her. They had already agreed on something, but they changed it just like that.
No one knew what Lu Changji thought of her, as he even refused to let her go to Yanxitang.
Yang was domineering in the Jiang family, but she did not dare to act presumptuously when she arrived at the Xinyang Marquis' Mansion. Although she was unhappy, she could only endure it and returned to the Jiang residence in disgrace.
Zhu'er was a restless person. She had wanted to take advantage of the cool weather to pick some honeysuckle in the garden to make tea. Coincidentally, she saw Lu Changji sending Yang away. She quickly ran back to Xinchun Garden and told Jiang Shu what she had seen and heard.
"I don't know what Madam is planning. Why didn't she consult with Young Miss before rashly visiting the Marquis's wife?"
Zhu'er was straightforward, but Jiang Shu understood Yang's scheming. She said, "Yang resented me for plotting against Jiang Ran. Now that the matter is done, she has no other options left to deal with me, so she thought of going to the Marquis's wife to flatter me."
"The Marquis's wife is aloof and cannot tolerate dirty tricks. If she knew I was plotting against my own sisters, she would definitely punish me severely. Master, you have done me a great favor by sending them away."
After hearing what Jiang Shu said, Zhu Er suddenly understood. She said, "Master helped Miss, so Miss should come to thank him."
This is the truth, but Jiang Shu is not willing to interact with Lu Changji privately at the moment.
She hesitated, and before she could speak, she heard Zhu'er continue, "Young lady has always been considerate, why are you so shy when it comes to the master?
"The master is powerful and influential in the imperial court, but in our Xinyang Marquisate, he is merely your uncle. You shouldn't be so rude as to be afraid of him."
"Besides, I know what you're thinking of me. You just want to sleep with me, but you're not getting what you want. There's no such thing as everything going smoothly. If it doesn't work out once, try again. You can't just give up because you've encountered setbacks."
It's uncomfortable to hold the feeling of frustration in your heart, but it's just the same when you say it out loud. What's embarrassing about it? Can face be more important than your life and property?
After Zhu'er's advice, Jiang Shu also felt that she was a little petty. Although she was ashamed to face Lu Changji, she couldn't always stay in her shell like a turtle.
She and Lu Changji lived together in the Xinyang Marquis Mansion, and they saw each other every day, so they were bound to have some interactions.
She took a deep breath and said to Zhu'er, "Take out the pair of silk stockings from under the wardrobe and put them in the brocade box. I'll take them as a thank you gift later."
The pair of socks was made by Jiang Shu for Lu Changyi. Lu Changyi was thin, and the silk socks were a little big for him, so they should be just right for Lu Changji.
Jiang Shu came to the Banquet West Hall carrying the brocade box. She stopped outside the flower hall and said to Cheng Yong, "Uncle has helped me a lot today. Please let me know, sir. I want to thank you in person."
Cheng Yong said yes, turned and entered the flower hall. He said softly, "Sir, the Second Mistress wants to see you."
Lu Changji was afraid of heat, so in summer he would ask his servants to replace the door curtain of the flower hall with a bead curtain.
Through the swaying bead curtain, you can see Jiang Shu standing outside the door. She is wearing a goose yellow long dress, and she is as graceful as a willow bud that has just sprouted in early spring. Her posture is graceful, and her complexion is delicate and bright, which makes people unable to take their eyes away.
Lu Changji's breathing stagnated, and he quickly turned his gaze away, saying to Cheng Yong in a deep voice, "You've been following me for so many years, but you've become less and less tactful.
I'm already busy handling government affairs, so how can I spare the time to deal with irrelevant people? If Second Madam comes again in the future, you can just turn her away directly. Why come to report to me?"
Cheng Yong was bewildered and puzzled. Although his master had a cold personality, he was kind to the Second Mistress and would help her whenever he could. He thought that Jiang Shu was different from ordinary people in Lu Changji's heart, but he never expected that she would become an irrelevant person now?
Although Cheng Yong was puzzled, he didn't dare to question Lu Changji's decision. He walked to the door, bowed to Jiang Shu, and said gently, "It's really unfortunate. My master is very busy and has no time to greet Second Madam. Please go back!"
Jiang Shu was stunned for a moment, unable to describe her feelings. She felt a little lost, yet also a little relieved. She handed the brocade box to Cheng Yong and said, "Since Uncle doesn't have time, I won't bother you anymore. Please give this brocade box to Uncle. The gift is small, but the thought is great. I hope Uncle can accept my gratitude."
Cheng Yong took the brocade box and turned to enter the flower hall: "Sir, this is a thank you gift from the Second Madam. The Second Madam said the gift was small but the sentiment was great. I hope you will accept this gift."
Lu Changji raised his head, his expectations dashed, and his heart became empty. He was right. Jiang Shu was a heartless person. He had helped her so much, but he said he didn't want to see her. She didn't even insist on coming in, and just left lightly.
She treated him no differently than she treated others.
Lu Changji said to Cheng Yong in a cold voice, "Next time she gives you something, you should refuse it. I have everything here, I don't need those fancy things."
"Sir, you are a little angry today, so you need to calm down your liver fire," Cheng Yong agreed, while making a cup of bitter gourd tea and placing it on the table in front of Lu Changji.
Kuding tea is originally used to clear heat, but Lu Changji became more and more depressed the more he drank it. Jiang Shu's figure kept lingering in his mind.
He couldn't read another word, so he simply put down the book in his hand and opened the brocade box in front of him.
What caught my eye was a pair of sky-blue silk socks with a floral base embroidered with crane and ruyi patterns. They were very soft and delicate.
Lu Changji curled his lips and smiled. Although Jiang Shu was a little stupid, her needlework skills were quite good.
He will put on this pair of silk socks tomorrow!
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