Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Branching out
Jiang Shu is not one of the delicate beauties that are popular nowadays. Her skin is as white as snow and her figure is well-proportioned, like a graceful peony in full bloom. Her clothes stick to her body, and the convex parts are high and the concave parts are deep. Her curves are so exquisite that it is hard to ignore them.
Lu Changji was tall, and he could take in the beauty just by lowering his eyes slightly. He was a gentleman who strictly observed etiquette. His narrow and long phoenix eyes were fixed on the green bamboo pattern on the oil-paper umbrella, and not a single glance fell on Jiang Shu.
He said to Jiang Shu in a gentle voice, "The rain is heavy. Go under the eaves with your umbrella!"
The power of the Marquis' Mansion was at its peak, like oil boiling in a raging fire and flowers blooming in profusion. This glory was earned by Lu Changji. Once Lu Changji spoke, even the Zhao family did not dare to interfere.
Jiang Shu was grateful. She nodded, grasped the turquoise umbrella handle, and slowly walked under the eaves.
Zhuo'er was indifferent to Jiang Shu, but extremely attentive to Lu Changji. Before Lu Changji even reached the eaves, she flung open the carved wooden door of the flower hall and said with a smile, "It's raining and windy. If you have something important to say, just let the servants know. Why did you come here in person?"
Lu Changji didn't respond to Zhuo'er's question, but simply said, "I have something important to discuss with you, Mother. Are you free?"
Zhuo'er stood by the door and gestured "please" to Lu Changji, saying with a smile, "Madam is busy with affairs in the first half of the day, and the second half is usually free. Sir, please come in quickly!"
There was no need to even call the person, and he was invited into the house directly. Jiang Shu looked at the gorgeous door and sighed silently.
Zhao was originally willing to set rules for her, but now she has to discuss matters with Lu Changji, and she doesn't know how long she will have to stand.
If someone saw her in such a disheveled state, who knows what kind of obscene things would be said about her.
Jiang Shu stamped her feet, ready to be tortured. Unexpectedly, Zhuo'er returned soon after leaving. She said to Jiang Shu, "There are clothes for guests in the west wing. Third Madam, please go change into clothes in the wing. Although it is summer, it is not good to wear wet clothes all the time. You might as well freeze yourself."
Zhuo'er always likes to flatter the powerful and look down on the weak. If Zhao hadn't indicated it, she would never have taken the initiative to ask Jiang Shu to go to the side room to change clothes.
Jiang Shu was puzzled as to why Zhao had become so kind for no reason. As she pondered, the figure of Lu Changji suddenly appeared in her mind.
Could it be that Lu Changji had just interceded for her in front of the Marquis's wife?
As soon as this thought came to her mind, it was suppressed by Jiang Shu again. Lu Changji was in charge of the cabinet and was busy with affairs every day. He was also her uncle and never cared about the affairs of the inner house. How could he plead for her?
She was really poisoned by the cook's words. It would have been fine if she had asked her uncle for sperm, but she even dared to expect her uncle to speak for her. It was simply a fantasy.
Jiang Shu followed Zhuo'er to the west wing. The Zhao family was wealthy and even the replacement clothes prepared for the guests were made by Hua Luo. They were elegant in style and looked very refreshing when worn.
After Jiang Shu changed her clothes, she walked to the flower hall and Lu Changji had already left. Zhao waved her hand and asked her to sit at the desk to sort out the accounts.
Jiang Shu learned very quickly, and when she encountered something she didn't understand, she would carefully seek advice from Zhao. Zhao came from a prominent family and was very methodical in doing things. Although she didn't have a good tone with Jiang Shu, she would spare no effort to teach her. Jiang Shu had only been in the family for half a year, but she already had her own insights into how to run the household.
After finishing the account, Jiang Shu spoke carefully: "Mother, we often hold banquets at home, but we have never sent invitations to my daughter-in-law's family.
The daughter-in-law knows that her family background is not prominent and the Jiang family cannot be compared with the Marquis's Mansion, but since the daughter-in-law has married the prince, the Lu and Jiang families are legitimate relatives, and it is only right for relatives to visit each other.
Zhao gave Jiang Shu a sidelong glance. To be fair, her daughter-in-law was of a very humble origin, but her character and way of dealing with things were all acceptable.
Husband and wife are one body. If she insists on not associating with the Jiang family, it will be a loss for Lu Changyi. There is also a bastard in the family, so Zhao has to give Lu Changyi face.
Zhao took out two invitations and threw them in front of Jiang Shu. "The Marquis's Mansion is a noble family and would never associate with concubines who are not worthy of being accepted. If you want the Jiang family to attend the Marquis's banquet, please invite Yang and the second daughter of the legitimate wife. No one else is allowed to enter."
The "others" Zhao mentioned were Jiang Shu's biological mother, Lin, and her blood-related younger sister, Jiang Rong. Concubines were half slaves, half masters; even ordinary families wouldn't allow concubines into their homes, let alone the strict Xinyang Marquisate.
Jiang Shu knew the rules and didn't make any unwarranted assumptions. She took the invitation and said to Zhao in a gentle voice, "Thank you for your consideration, mother. I will send an invitation to my family now."
She was writing as she spoke. Jiang Shu's calligraphy was neat, but it lacked any elegance or beauty.
The legitimate mothers of other families are afraid of being known for mistreating concubines' daughters, so no matter what they think in their hearts, they always treat concubines' daughters and legitimate daughters the same on the surface.
However, Yang did not have this concern. She came from a merchant family and only sought profit. As for fame, it was like a cloud to her and she did not care about it at all.
The Jiang family was poor, and Yang used financial difficulties as an excuse to keep Jiang Shu at home to do needlework. Of the three young ladies in the Jiang family, only the legitimate daughter Jiang Ran had ever attended a girls' school.
Jiang Shu took the opportunity to serve Jiang Wenhuan with writing materials and learned a few words roughly. Xiao Kai's hairpin-making skills were not very good, but she learned it from the housekeeper after she married into the Xinyang Marquis's Mansion.
Zhao glanced at the invitation written by Jiang Shu and said unhappily, "The content of the invitation is passable, but your handwriting is unsightly. You must practice diligently when you go back, and don't bring shame to the Marquis' Mansion."
Zhao closed her eyes after she finished speaking, raised her arm and gently massaged her solar plexus. Jiang Shu knew she was tired, so she stood up and said goodbye.
Back at Xinchun Garden, Jiang Shu took out some fashionable fabrics from the warehouse and asked Zhu'er to deliver them to Jiang's house along with the invitations.
Yang had only seen such fine goods in silk shops, so she was absolutely reluctant to buy them. She looked at the brightly colored fabrics and said to Jiang Ran, "This batch of fabrics was shipped from Shu. Every inch of Shu brocade is worth its weight in gold. It's extremely luxurious and exquisite."
"You don't need to wear the clothes I made for you a few days ago. No matter how fine the Hangzhou silk is, it can't compare to the Shu brocade. Pick out a few pieces that suit your taste and have the embroiderer make a dress for you. My daughter is already beautiful, and with the Shu brocade, she will surely outshine all the other beauties and win Prime Minister Lu's favor."
The daughter, Xiao Fu, was born with a resemblance to Jiang Wenhuan. She looked elegant and refined, with a touch of scholarly air. Her elegant face, paired with her bright clothes, was like a newly blossomed crabapple, radiant and beautiful.
Jiang Ran didn't hesitate. He picked out three bolts of the brightest material and said to Mrs. Wu, "Send this woman to Jinxiufang and ask Liu Xiuniang to make a jacket to my measurements. Remember to ask Liu Xiuniang. No one else in Jinxiufang can match her craftsmanship."
Mrs. Wu said yes, picked up the material and walked out the door. At this time, Jiang Wenhuan, who was off duty, came in.
Jiang Wenhuan's eyes swept over the Shu brocade in Mrs. Wu's arms. He felt that the colors were too dazzling and asked casually, "Who wants to use this material to make clothes?"
Yang waved her hand to send Mrs. Wu away and said, "Eldest Sister sent invitations to me and Sister Ran, inviting us to attend a banquet at the Xinyang Marquis' Mansion."
"The Xinyang Marquis's Mansion is magnificent, so we can't be too petty. I thought of making two nice dresses for Sister Ran. If the clothes are magnificent, Sister Ran will feel more confident."
Jiang Wenhuan frowned, "Our family and the Xinyang Marquisate don't really match. We should be keeping a low profile, so why are we dressing so ostentatiously?"
Yang curled her lips, raised her finger to scrape the tea foam, and said unhappily, "Master is so partial. Sister Shu got lucky enough to marry into the Xinyang Marquis's Mansion, but he won't allow me to make plans for Sister Ran?"
Yang's tone was so arrogant that it could have blown the cow out of the sky. Jiang Wenhuan was so angry that he laughed and said sarcastically, "There are only three sons in the Xinyang Marquisate. The Crown Prince and the Third Master are both married. What are you planning to do for Sister Ran? Are you planning to make her a concubine?"
He knew that Yang liked to associate with powerful people, but he didn't expect that she would be so crazy as to let her daughter become a concubine. The word "concubine" sounds good, but in reality, it is no different from the slaves. Even if Jiang Wenhuan had no integrity, he would not do anything that would be criticized by others.
Yang scoffed and said to Jiang Wenhuan, "Ran Jie'er crawled out of my belly, how could I bear to humiliate her."
"Didn't the master just say that the Xinyang Marquis's family has three sons, and the eldest son is still unmarried. However, my sister is so beautiful and generous, she is not an unsuitable match for Lu Changji."
Jiang Wenhuan was startled by Yang's surprise. His eyes widened, nearly popping out of their sockets. He pointed at Yang and said, "Are you having a fit of hysteria? It's truly a stroke of luck that Shu-jie managed to marry the Crown Prince. How dare you covet the Crown Prince's brother?"
"Prime Minister Lu holds a high position of power and influence. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the most powerful person in the dynasty. I wonder how many noble ladies in Bianjing would like to marry him.
I have been an official for many years, but I am not even qualified to carry Prime Minister Lu's shoes, so how can I dare to think of becoming his father-in-law? "
Yang was used to being domineering and never took Jiang Wenhuan's words to heart. She raised her eyebrows and retorted, "You are useless if you don't dare to think of becoming Prime Minister Lu's father-in-law. Don't say these discouraging words to hinder my son's bright future.
Ranjie'er's status is much more respectable than Shujie'er's. Shujie can still marry the prince as his wife, so why can't Ranjie'er marry Prime Minister Lu?"
Yang was used to making trouble, and Jiang Wenhuan should have been the one to take charge of the family. However, the couple had already formed the habit of the wife being stronger than the husband. Even though Jiang Wenhuan was furious, he had no idea what to do and could only beat his chest and lament.
"Sister Shu was able to marry into the Xinyang Marquis's mansion because I saved his life. What does it have to do with status? If status is really the key, the young ladies in our family are not even qualified to be concubines in the Xinyang Marquis's mansion."
Although Jiang Wenhuan's words made sense, Yang Shi didn't take them to heart. She picked out the darkest piece of Shu brocade from the ones Jiang Shu had sent and gave it to Aunt Lin as a reward. She then called the cook over and said, "It's rude not to reciprocate. Since our eldest aunt gave us some cloth, we can't fail to show our appreciation."
"Go and steam a plate of yellow rice and red date cake and send it to the Xinyang Marquis's residence. My eldest aunt loves this kind of cake. This will be our return gift."
The cook secretly complained: Only things of equal value can be called return gifts. The Shu brocade is worth a thousand gold coins, but the yellow rice cake is only worth a few dollars. The lady is becoming more and more shameless.
Although she was complaining in her heart, the cook did not dare to neglect Yang at all. She quickly steamed a plate of yellow rice and red date cake, put it in a food box, and sent it to Xinchun Garden in a carriage.
Yellow rice and red date cake is a delicacy for small families. Jiang Shu hadn't eaten it since she married into the Xinyang Marquis' Mansion. She was really greedy, so she asked Zhu'er to get the chopsticks and tasted it in small bites.
Just as I was enjoying my meal, the half-closed door was pushed open and Mother Zhou came in carrying a bowl of medicine.
Mother Zhou bowed to Jiang Shu and said softly, "This bowl of pregnancy-inducing medicine was prescribed by the Imperial Physician Kang in the palace. Imperial Physician Kang is known as a gynecological expert. All the women he has treated have been able to become pregnant.
Third Madam, please drink this bowl of medicine quickly so that you can have more children for the Crown Prince."
The sweet and sticky yellow rice cake in her mouth immediately lost its taste. Jiang Shu sat up straight, her nerves tense as a string.
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