Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Is the marriage settled?
Mrs. Chiang is gone.
Wu Yong picked up his chin from the ground and put it back on himself. "Oh my god, like mother, like daughter. Their fighting skills are truly the same."
Chen Ling'an seemed to be still immersed in shock, with a wooden face and no words.
Wu Yong sneered, "Sir, such a beautiful face would be ugly if it had a scar. I have some excellent medicine for wounds..."
Chen Ling'an's eyes moved.
Before he could curse, Wu Yong ran out of the door with his head in his hands.
A bunch of friends gathered around to gossip.
Wu Yong vividly described the scene of "Madame Chiang beating up Chen Yanluo" and gave a thumbs-up, "Madame Chiang is this."
It has to be said that there is no other person in Nanjing who dared to break into the Northern Pacification Office to vent his anger for his child and even whip Chen Lingan.
She is truly a heroine!
"They have come to our door and beaten us. This is a great humiliation. Will His Excellency take revenge on Mrs. Jiang?" someone asked.
Wu Yong glanced back and deliberately shouted, "It was the adults who were wrong in the first place. They took advantage of a girl's sincerity to scheme against her. A beating is the least they deserve."
Everyone was horrified: "You are crazy, shut up!"
Strangely, the signing room was very quiet. After waiting for a long time, Chen Lingan's terrifying voice could not be heard.
It's really... abnormal!
-
A layer of water vapor that looks like fog but is not fog hangs in the air, making it look hazy even on a sunny day.
Xiaoman sat in front of the window, looking listless, like a wilted sapling.
The dishes on the table were basically untouched, not even my favorite sweet-scented osmanthus dumplings.
"How can we not eat?" Mrs. Jiang ordered someone to go back to work, "Make something sour, sweet, and refreshing."
Xiaoman said she had no appetite and couldn't eat.
"It's too hot. Xuanfu's summer is more comfortable. After a rain, the air is cool and I still need to cover myself with a thin blanket at night."
Mrs. Jiang smiled and said, "It's too late this year. Let's go there for the summer next year. I'll also experience what it's like to wear a padded jacket in the summer."
"Really?" Xiaoman's eyes lit up, then dimmed.
"It's over two thousand miles. It took me more than forty days to get to Nanjing. We'll be gone for at least half a year. Besides, the master doesn't like me to have any contact with them. He won't agree."
Mrs. Jiang disagreed, "Who cares? Let's just have fun."
Xiaoman suddenly burst into tears.
Mrs. Jiang was startled and hurriedly hugged her in her arms. While coaxing her, she scolded Chen Ling'an, saying that the beating was not enough and she should have been whipped more often.
Of course, there was also scolding of Zhang Wen.
Xiaoman cried bitterly, "I'm so useless. I wanted to help my mother out of the dire pit, but instead of helping, I dragged her back into it."
"What fire pit?" Mrs. Jiang didn't understand.
As they were talking, Aunt Sun rushed in in a panic, "The master is unconscious, and someone has been carried back!"
The news was so shocking that Mrs. Jiang was unable to react for a moment, and Xiaoman even forgot to cry.
Aunt Sun was obviously distracted and actually pulled Mrs. Jiang out.
"Wait!" Xiaoman suddenly jumped down from the chair and took back Mrs. Jiang's hand. "No matter how anxious you are, you can't let your wife fall."
Aunt Sun cried, "Now is not the time to be polite. Master is really not well!"
Seeing that she didn't seem to be acting, Mrs. Jiang and Xiaoman looked at each other and hurriedly followed her to the front hall.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw Zhang Wen lying straight, his face as pale as gold paper, his eyes closed, and saliva flowing from the corners of his mouth.
Is this really not possible?
Xiaoman's heart suddenly trembled, and she felt mixed emotions, not knowing whether she was happy or sad.
Mrs. Jiang's tears were already flowing. After all, they had been married for many years and had loved each other passionately and sincerely. Seeing him like this, she could hardly bear it.
Aunt Sun grabbed the attendant and said, "What's going on? Tell me now!"
The attendant glanced at Zhang Wen furtively and said with a mournful face, "Master received an order from the Ministry of Personnel to be demoted to the post of postmaster at Longchang Post Station, but they didn't even give a reason. When Master heard this, he fainted."
Aunt Sun threw herself on Zhang Wen and burst into tears. "Master is a Jinshi who passed the imperial examination twice and holds the second rank. How can he bear such an insult?"
In comparison, Mrs. Jiang remained calm. She asked someone to call a doctor and gave Zhang Wenchong some calming and refreshing pills that she had at home. She also sent away a few idle servants who were watching the fun.
The messy lobby gradually became orderly.
The doctor has arrived.
After a thorough inspection, the old doctor opened his squinting eyes, and with a few strokes of the pen, the prescription was ready.
Before leaving, he said, "This master is unconscious because of anger. Try taking two doses of medicine first. This is a heart disease. If you want to fully recover, you have to treat the root cause."
Heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine.
The illness caused by losing office can only be cured by promotion.
Aunt Sun crawled forward on her knees, hugged Mrs. Jiang's legs, and cried, "Madam, dear madam, please think of a solution. If something happens to the master, this whole family will not be able to survive!"
Mrs. Jiang asked her to stand up and speak. "What can a woman like me do about official appointments? Longjiang Post Station is very close to home, and the postmaster is the postmaster. It's not a bad thing to live a quiet life away from the disputes of the officialdom."
Xiaoman discovered that when her mother spoke, the master's chest, which was originally slightly rising and falling, stopped moving.
As soon as the mother finished speaking, the master's chest dropped heavily.
Xiaoman narrowed her eyes slightly, and the sadness in her eyes immediately disappeared.
She quietly left the room and gave the maid some instructions.
Aunt Sun knelt down and said, "Master has done nothing wrong. He was implicated by others. Madam knows his character better than anyone else. Please help him!"
Xiao Man said coldly, "Aunt, please tell me who is responsible for this."
Aunt Sun cried, "It's already this late, and Third Miss is still nitpicking. The person lying there is your own father, not someone else."
Mrs. Jiang also shook her head gently at Xiaoman, signaling her not to say anything more.
Filial piety is more important than anything else. When her father is seriously ill, Xiaoman, as a daughter, does not show filial piety by staying on his sickbed, but instead quarrels with her aunt. If the quarrel gets out, it will bring bad reputation to Xiaoman.
The other two girls also rushed over after hearing the news. One had a numb and dazed look on her face, and the other was crying uncontrollably.
Mrs. Jiang looked at Zhang Junyi in surprise. After just over half a month, the child had become thin, withered, and lifeless, completely different from her previous bright and beautiful self.
"You..." She was about to ask, but was interrupted by Aunt Sun, "Madam, I have an idea that may be able to help."
Mrs. Jiang was a soft-hearted person after all, so she followed her to the green gauze cabinet next to her.
Aunt Sun recounted the story of Liu Jinshu sending Xiaoman home yesterday. "When they got off the carriage, Young Master Liu lightly supported the Third Miss, but he looked at her intently, his affection evident to anyone who wasn't blind."
At this point, Mrs. Jiang understood, "Your idea is to marry the two families and use the Liu family's influence to help the master reinstate his position?"
"The Madam originally intended to marry her to the Liu family, but it didn't happen because of Chen Ling'an's interference. Young Master Liu's family background, character, and talent are beyond words, but even more remarkable is his deep love for the Third Miss. Finding such a good husband is a blessing in disguise for the Third Miss."
"In order to prevent people from looking down on the Third Miss, Master Liu will spare no effort to support her family - if her family is well-off, the girl will have a strong position in her husband's family."
"If this goes through, the master will only redouble his love and respect for the mistress. From now on, the couple will live in harmony, the family will be peaceful, and it will also benefit the mistress. It's a good thing that kills three birds with one stone, so why not do it?"
Aunt Sun looked at Mrs. Jiang eagerly.
It sounds good, but...
Mrs. Jiang looked at her and said, "Nothing good can stop you from doing this. What good will this do you?"
Aunt Sun lowered her head meekly. "I don't understand whether it's good or bad. I only know that if the Zhang family is doing well, my child and I will be well. If the Zhang family fails, my child and I will have no way to survive."
Mrs. Jiang smiled and said, "How can you be without a way to make a living? You own nearly a hundred hectares of land. You can survive without anyone."
Aunt Sun was so frightened that she fell to her knees with a thud.
"I have some farm accounts in my hand, all in the old lady's name. I'm a child of my own and still a slave, so how can I afford to buy private property? The silver that the master took away a few days ago was also 'borrowed' from the old lady's account. Madam, please understand!"
Mrs. Jiang remained silent.
Aunt Sun: "These are family matters. We can sort them out behind closed doors. A wife's glory is due to her husband, but if the master is in trouble, the mistress will also lose face."
Suddenly, a scream of pain was heard from the main room, followed by Zhang Wen's furious curses.
Mrs. Jiang was so frightened that her heart started beating wildly and she ran out of the gauze cabinet in a hurry.
Zhang Wen, who was unconscious just now, now had a distorted face, holding his feet and cursing at Zhang Xiaoman.
Zhang Xiaoman was holding a long needle with an innocent look on his face. Zhang Junyi and Zhang Anyi stared blankly at the father and daughter, standing there like wooden carvings or clay statues.
Before Mrs. Jiang could ask, Xiaoman excitedly said, "Mom, I saved my father's life!"
"What did you do?" Aunt Sun cried out.
Xiaoman said, trying to take credit for it: "It's a traditional remedy in the countryside of Xuanfu. One needle and my father woke up."
Just hearing it made me feel a shiver like an ant biting crawling up my tailbone.
Zhang Wen was so angry that he kept shouting that he wanted Xiaoman to be dragged out and beaten to death. "I've been unlucky since she came back. She's a disaster, a jinx. Beat her to death!"
Aunt Sun complained bitterly, patting Zhang Wen's chest to calm her breath, and winked at him repeatedly, "Master, calm down. The third lady is also eager to save people."
Zhang Wen finally stopped talking angrily when he saw Mrs. Jiang standing beside him.
Seeing this, Mrs. Jiang had something to understand. She sneered, called Xiaoman and left.
Aunt Sun chased out, calling "Madam," and lowered her voice, saying, "Even if you can't help the master recover, for the sake of the third young lady's lifelong happiness, please consider it carefully."
Mrs. Jiang did not comment and went back with Xiaoman.
Xiaoman asked her how she performed, and Mrs. Jiang poked her on the forehead and scolded her with a stern face for being too naughty.
"Can you tell me in private that you can't prick him with a needle in front of a room full of people? Won't that make him hate you even more?"
Xiaoman grinned, "Of course I'd just expose him directly. He doesn't like me anyway, so why would he care about that!"
Mrs. Jiang sighed deeply, "He is your father. If you are labeled as unfilial, your life will be ruined."
"It would be better if you kicked me out of the house, mother. Or we could go together and get away from this hell."
Walk?
Mrs. Jiang clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
A path she had never imagined suddenly opened up before her.
During the days in Tangshan, she saw the surging sea of clouds, enjoyed the sunset that illuminated thousands of miles, listened to the rain hitting the bamboo forest and the splashing spring water. When she was happy, she drank and played, and when she wanted peace and quiet, she lay alone and read and wrote.
I haven't felt this happy in many years. It feels like I'm back to being a girl again.
Once she returned to the Zhang family, she encountered a husband who was incompetent, conceited, and restless, a concubine with ulterior motives, and a mother-in-law who was secretly eyeing her...
A suffocating feeling like being in a cage came over me.
But……
Mrs. Jiang took a deep breath and suppressed all her thoughts. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll hit you too."
Xiaoman sighed and turned to mention Aunt Sun, "What tricks did she use on Mother?"
Mrs. Jiang couldn't help but laugh. It was true that Aunt Sun had selfish motives, but she did have some truth in what she said.
For Xiaoman, marrying into the Liu family is indeed the best option.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she brought up the topic, Xiaoman shook her head and said she didn't want to get married.
"Are you still thinking about Chen Ling'an?" Mrs. Jiang's expression turned serious. "Don't even think about it. I won't let you see him again."
"For the past two days, I've been thinking over and over about this person. Without any parental supervision or advice from classmates or friends, he's been acting wildly, completely disregarding the consequences."
"He's used to being alone. If you ask him to consider others more, he can't do it, or he simply doesn't have that awareness."
"What's even more abominable is that he actually brought you to such a dangerous place!"
"Your father hasn't even started yet, and he's already brazenly claiming to be Liu Jinshu's father-in-law. And yet, you're with Chen Ling'an..."
"I know you're innocent and set up, but to others, you're just entangled with two men at the same time. Sigh, I don't know how many rumors there are behind your back."
"Those present that day were all prominent officials and nobles. Thanks to Chen Ling'an, you have indirectly offended these people. Who would dare to risk angering them and discuss marriage with you?"
Madam Jiang caressed Xiaoman lovingly, "It's rare that Liu Jinshu loves you so deeply. The Liu family is simple-minded. Although Madam Qin is difficult to serve, she won't make things difficult for you with your aunt and me here."
"If you marry him, you can preserve your reputation and won't be wronged. In fact, even if Aunt Sun didn't mention it, I also have this plan."
Xiaoman lowered her head and said in a muffled voice after a long while: "I don't want to get married."
Mrs. Jiang said softly, "Don't you want to leave the Zhang family? If you get married, your father won't be able to do anything to you."
"Don't take it lightly. Even if your father had beaten you to death on purpose, he would have only given you a hundred strokes of the cane and three years of exile. If he had said you were disobedient, he could have reduced your punishment. But you died in vain."
Xiaoman was amazed. "Really? Just because he's my father, he doesn't have to pay for it? That's too unfair."
Madam Jiang rolled her eyes at her. "It's clearly written in the law. Why would I lie to you? Oh, I'm not going to waste my time on this nonsense. I'm going to the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion. You stay home and don't go anywhere!"
Xiaoman: "Mother, I really don't want to marry Liu Jinshu."
"You have to marry even if you don't want to!" Mrs. Jiang, who had always treated her with great kindness, got angry for the first time. "As long as you still recognize me as your mother, you must be obedient!"
Tears slowly welled up in Madam Jiang's eyes. "Back then, I put a lot of thought into marrying your father, and Prince Qin put a lot of thought into marrying your aunt. Look at her, then look at me... and you'll know which choice to make."
There was silence in the room. There was a light knock on the door, and the man who loved her walked away.
Xiaoman felt stuffy and irritable. She fanned herself with a rustling sound, but the hot wind still made her breathless.
She flung the fan away.
The fan hit the blue-and-white porcelain tray on the table, and the Yanjin plums rolled down and scattered everywhere.
Jinxiu came in quietly, cleaned up the place quietly, and put out a new plate of Yanjin plums.
"Let's go." Xiaoman said, "I won't eat it again."
-
At dusk, at the Mansion of Marquis Pingyang.
When Qin Boyan came back from his shift, he saw that little Jiang was frowning slightly. After asking the maid, he learned that Madam Jiang had come in the afternoon.
"Are you asking for your help in Zhang Wen's campaign, or are you worried about Chen Ling'an's revenge?"
He sat down next to Xiao Jiang and said, "If this is Zhang Wen's business, I advise you not to interfere. This is the order of Lord Chen, and it can't be changed."
Mrs. Jiang said angrily, "He treated my sister badly even when he was down and out, what will he do now that he's successful? I don't care about him."
Qin Boyan laughed, "Because of Chen Ling'an? Don't be afraid. Now everyone in the capital praises your sister: the kind stepmother vented her daughter's anger, and Madam Jiang beat up Chen Yanluo. Even the emperor knows about it."
Little Jiang was startled. "What did the emperor say? He won't blame my sister, will he?"
"Don't worry, I specifically sounded out the Emperor's opinion, and he treated it as a novelty. He was particularly moved. As a legitimate mother, she is truly sincere and open-hearted."
"My sister is really good to those kids. No, she came here today just to discuss Xiaoman's marriage."
"How do you say that?"
"She wants to marry your nephew, Liu Jinshu!"
Qin Boyan was stunned. "This is too... It was possible before, but now, my sister will definitely not agree."
Little Jiang sighed, "Who says it's not true? But this is Xiaoman's only way out, so I have to try my best. Oh, I just hope your sister won't scold me too harshly tomorrow."
"My mother has never said a harsh word to you, and my sister has never said a harsh word to you." Qin Boyan frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "You go now. I have a clever plan."
Xiao Jiang was skeptical.
The next morning, she went to Liu's house with gritted teeth.
As expected, Mrs. Qin exploded when she heard it.
"No! Absolutely not! If you want Zhang Xiaoman to come in, I have to die."
"After being used and dumped by Chen Ling'an, she came looking for my son. In her eyes, my son is so cheap that he would take anything dirty and smelly."
"It was your sister who first proposed the marriage, and I agreed for your sake. But Zhang Xiaoman actually disagreed and turned around to hang out with Chen Ling'an. What does he think of my Liu family?"
Mrs. Qin's face turned ashen, and she didn't give Xiao Jiang any face at all.
"What kind of person is the Zhang family? Calling them impoverished is an exaggeration. Your sister is so shameless to mention it. You're only doing this for my brother's sake. If it were someone else, I would have kicked them out long ago."
She kept complaining about her sister's faults, and little Jiang finally couldn't stand it anymore.
"I made this special trip not only for my sister's sake, but also because of the Liu family's eldest nephew! He solemnly promised that he would make his own decisions about his marriage and would marry no one but Xiaoman!"
"The words have been spoken, but now he refuses to admit them. What should Xiaoman do? Isn't this forcing her to die?"
Madam Qin sneered, "If he dies, he dies. What does it have to do with me?"
Xiao Jiang's face darkened.
But then he heard hurried footsteps outside the door, and the bamboo curtain was lifted, revealing Liu Jinshu's sweaty face.
"Mother, aunt." He stopped and bowed.
Even though his clothes were soaked with sweat, he still did not forget the etiquette.
Madam Qin hurriedly called him up, "My son, it's not time to get off duty yet, why did you suddenly come back..."
She paused slightly and shouted sternly, "Who tipped off the young master?"
The maids standing inside and outside the room all lowered their heads and dared not speak.
Liu Jinshu hurriedly said, "It's none of their business. I ran into my uncle when I was delivering some paperwork, and he said it casually."
Mrs. Qin glanced at Xiao Jiang and naturally blamed her sister-in-law for this.
"Even if my aunt doesn't come, I will ask her to go to the Zhang family to propose marriage." Liu Jinshu said firmly, "I have decided on her, and I won't marry anyone else except her."
As he spoke, he lifted his robe and knelt down, "Mother, I have never asked you for anything before, but this is the only thing I ask you to do."
Madam Qin cried out in disbelief, "What kind of magic potion did she give you? It's so confusing that you've lost all your mind!"
Liu Jinshu: "She...she doesn't pretend."
"Not pretending? That's unruly. I'm just a wild girl. I haven't been influenced by aristocratic families. I can't pretend even if I want to."
"She may not meet the standards of aristocratic families for choosing a daughter-in-law, but she is not incapable. My great-grandmother, grandmother, and uncle all like her. Is it really just because of my aunt Jiang's face?"
"Just talk about the Dragon Boat Festival race and the fight with Steward Lu's niece."
Having said that, he lowered his head and smiled.
"She alarmed a whole bunch of imperial censors, yet not only did she escape unscathed, she even received several compliments from Chief Steward Lu, and Miss Lu didn't bother her afterward. This shows she has the shrewdness to shoulder the burden of being the mistress of a wealthy family."
Madam Qin sneered, "Is this worthy of your admiration? It wouldn't be possible for anyone else!"
"That's why I say she's a person of genuine character. She doesn't bow down to others because of their power. She never uses the world's perspective to judge herself, and she certainly doesn't restrict herself with so-called rules."
"She's very free, the kind I envy..."
Liu Jinshu lowered his head slightly, feeling a little embarrassed.
Mrs. Qin looked at him with an extremely unfamiliar look, as if she was seeing her son for the first time.
Little Jiang leisurely picked up the teacup on the table and slowly sipped the tea.
"You, really are..." Mrs. Qin didn't know what to say. She glanced at Xiao Jiang secretly and felt as if her chest was filled with broken cotton wool, which she couldn't swallow or spit out. She felt so bloated that she wanted to beat her chest.
She tried hard to restrain her hands, knowing that using force would only provoke more intense resistance from her son.
After a moment's silence, she sighed and said, "I understand your intentions, but it's not possible now. Chen Lingyi has spread the word that anyone who gets close to Zhang Wen is against the Chen family."
Liu Jinshu said calmly, "Do I still need to ask the Chen family for permission for my marriage?"
Madam Qin paused, then said awkwardly, "Of course not. It's just that our family has always been on good terms with the Chen family, so we can't openly challenge them. You know more about court affairs than mother. Why not wait until the storm has died down before discussing this matter?"
Liu Jinshu wrote, "Transfer Master Zhang to Dashengguan Posthouse and don't let him show up in the capital."
Dashengguan Posthouse is a water and land posthouse in the southwest, more than 60 miles away from the capital. It is extremely busy all day long, and holidays are often occupied. Even if Zhang Wen wants to go home, he can't.
Little Jiang nodded and smiled, "Jinshu still has a solution. Hurry up and wake the child up."
The second half of the sentence was directed at Mrs. Qin.
To shout means to agree.
Mrs. Qin smiled bitterly, "I just hope that when your daughter-in-law comes home, she won't forget the mother who raised you with so much hardship."
Liu Jinshu smiled and said, "Thank you, mother, for your help."
He kowtowed heavily before standing up.
Madam Qin pulled her son over and gently stroked his forehead, saying, "Listen to me again. Elder Chen has just been promoted to Prime Minister, and the Chen family is very protective of their children. You and Chen Lingyi are already a little unhappy, so don't become a tool for them to establish their authority."
"Although our family is not afraid of the Chen family's power, your father is about to enter the cabinet, so it is better to be cautious at this critical juncture."
"Good food is never too late, and a good marriage is never too late. Let's make it privately first, and then announce it to the public when the time is right."
His mother's words made sense. He couldn't interfere with his father's career for the sake of momentary pleasure.
Liu Jinshu nodded.
Mrs. Qin finally felt a little better.
Now that the matter was settled, Mrs. Jiang was ready to leave.
"Aunt, please stay." Liu Jinshu took off the jade pendant hanging from his waist. "This jade pendant was given to me by my great-grandfather. I have never taken it off for many years. Please give it to Xiaoman as a token of trust."
Xiao Jiang took it with a smile.
Mrs. Qin, who had just felt better, felt uncomfortable again.
However, finding an excuse to ask for it back would be too abrupt and would inevitably cause more trouble, so I had to give up.
"Okay, your wish has been fulfilled, and it's time to go back to work." Mrs. Qin was annoyed at the sight of her son.
Liu Jinshu suppressed his laughter and walked out.
"Sir, are you returning to the Hanlin Academy?" asked the groom.
Liu Jinshu thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Go to the Northern Pacification Office."
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