On the way back in the carriage, Jiang leaned against the soft pillow, looking a little tired. Wei Hanzhang held her arm and asked with concern: "There have been many things to do these past two days. Are you tired, mother?"

After returning from the palace, Jiang was so worried and exhausted from the long journey that she should have rested for a while. However, she was busy all the time.

First, he helped his mother's family organize a banquet, and then he took the two Jiang family ladies to visit various mansions. He made friends with many noble ladies and went out almost every day during these days.

Yesterday I went to the Yongle Marquis' Mansion again and negotiated with the Shen family for a long time. Today my brother came back from exile and learned that my nephew was gone. I couldn't help but cry with my mother's family.

Aren’t you very tired?

Jiang rubbed her brows and sighed, "Your third cousin is so pitiful. His eldest son died like this. Even his body can only be buried on the spot. He is a descendant of our Jiang family. Since the Jiang family is still here, there is no reason to let him become a lonely soul. In two days, your two cousins ​​will move the body to the ancestral tomb in Xuzhou."

Thinking of the child who called her aunt and was gone just like that, Wei Hanzhang nodded slowly, feeling very sad.

"It's all injustice. The adults made a mistake and caused the child to lose his life." Jiang felt pity and disgust for her brother. After a few angry words, she suddenly asked, "Ranran, do you know what your aunt said this afternoon?"

Wei Hanzhang asked, "But before we came in? The atmosphere inside seemed strange. Did my aunt say something inappropriate?"

"It's not that she didn't say anything. She was a loving mother," Jiang said. "You grew up in your maternal grandparents' home. You know that among the several grown-up sons of the Jiang family, only your third and fourth cousins ​​were able to study hard and achieved the title of Juren two years earlier."

Wei Hanzhang certainly knew that literature was prevalent in the south of the Yangtze River, and any family that could afford to eat was willing to send their children to school, so the road to the imperial examinations was more competitive than in other places, and it was extremely difficult to succeed.

The Jiang family had financial resources, countless books, and their own clan school. Under such conditions, among the sons of this generation of the Jiang family, only Jiang Shengwen and Jiang Shengshu achieved the title of juren.

The other cousins ​​either couldn’t concentrate on studying and couldn’t sit still, or after obtaining the title of scholar, they could hardly go any further.

"The eldest wife's only ambitious young man has been stripped of his fame and fortune because his father committed a crime, and has now become a poor man." Jiang said, "This is what your aunt is worried about."

Wei Hanzhang was stunned, and seemed to understand something.

"I know what she's thinking, and I know she has a loving mother's heart, but she just came back today and she's already saying this..."

By bringing this up in front of her, wasn't it just a way of testing her to see if she could help? Or even worse, perhaps he wanted the young girl, who had become a phoenix, to mention this to the prince.

If he can restore his status as a juren, it means that Jiang Shengwen will no longer be influenced by his father and can continue on the path of imperial examinations.

Once he's through the joint examination and the palace examination, it's not impossible for him to become a prime minister in the future.

In the eyes of the eldest sister-in-law, whether her son's future can be saved or not, the only one she can rely on is the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion.

It’s not that Jiang doesn’t understand, it’s just…

She said helplessly: "Your aunt is a little too anxious."

"You love your son too much." Wei Hanzhang understood Jiang's feelings. She often had this feeling after being named Crown Princess.

The family affection that was once the most important thing seems to no longer be pure.

Wei Hanzhang could tell clearly that when she was in Xuzhou, her aunts treated her very well. Perhaps it was because she came from a marquis's family, but more importantly, they loved her as a junior from the bottom of their hearts.

But now, they are becoming more and more enthusiastic, and that enthusiasm makes her, who grew up in the Jiang family, feel uncomfortable.

She sighed softly, and inexplicably felt a sense of being lonely at the top.

Everyone respects you, everyone treats you with courtesy and flattery, but there is no pure affection anymore.

Even the affection I originally gave you must be taken back.

At least she was doted on by the whole family when she was young and grew up in a real honey pot, but he lost his mother at a young age and was raised by the emperor alone.

But His Majesty is an emperor after all. He is busy with state affairs and the harem, so how much time does he have to spend with his children? Even if he loves him deeply, he cannot give him any warmth.

That man was born as the eldest son of the emperor, looked up to by everyone and was high above everyone else.

At the age of eighteen, he took over this vast territory, sat high above the temple, and was worshipped by all the people.

But when Wei Hanzhang thought about it seriously, he was shocked to realize that he was the one who truly felt lonely at the top.

Even my sister, who is from the same mother, is not very close to me.

...But how could that person, who grew up in such a lonely and poor environment, have such bright and gentle eyes?

Wei Hanzhang's heart trembled slightly and he pursed his lips subconsciously.

"Why do you look so unhappy?" Jiang Ma worriedly asked, "You didn't come back last night, but Your Majesty..."

"Don't worry, mother. His Majesty has never made things difficult for me," Wei Hanzhang said, "The reason I didn't return home all night was because His Majesty summoned me for too long and it was too late, so I stayed overnight in the palace."

"Why did His Majesty summon you?" Jiang's expression relaxed, and she asked again, "His Highness executed Princess Chengyi because of you. I'm afraid His Majesty will be unhappy with my son."

Wei Hanzhang shook his head, explained a few words seriously, and then said: "You don't need to worry about me. My sister's matter is more important right now."

Speaking of Wei Hanyue, Jiang's complexion became much better.

Just at this moment, the carriage stopped and the mother and daughter got off hand in hand.

"Since your grandfather allowed us to visit your sister in the ancestral temple, her spirit and energy seem to have returned a little,"

As Jiang walked, she said happily, "Yesterday I asked her if she wanted to leave the ancestral temple and see the world, but she didn't understand. It wasn't until I told her about Liu Niang that she finally reacted."

If they could really get out, which young girl in her prime would be willing to stay in the family temple, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures every day?

This was also within Wei Hanzhang's expectations. She smiled and asked, "Did Sister say whether to leave the ancestral temple directly as the eldest daughter of the Duke's Mansion, or to change her appearance and start over?"

"Your grandfather sent her to the ancestral temple that day and told the Wei family that there would be no Fifth Miss in the Wei family from now on, and no one was allowed to mention her in the future." Jiang paused, unable to hide her resentment, and whispered, "Your sister doesn't want to be named Wei anymore."

...That means choosing to escape death.

Just like Wei Hansu, he clearly died in the palace, but a different explanation was given to the outside world.

Every family in the capital knew that the second daughter of the Duke of Weiguo had contracted a serious illness on the way back from the palace and died three days ago.

When an unmarried girl dies of illness, and she is a concubine at that, there is certainly no reason to make a big fuss about it.

Wei Hansu was not good at making friends during her lifetime. She had few close friends and even fewer people came to pay their respects.

The weather was still hot, so after a day of "keeping the body open", the body was hastily buried.

(End of this chapter)