Chapter 333: The Lady of the Marquisate vs. the Younger Prince 76
Dinner was set up again in the hall. Ji Yunhuan had already finished his meal, but he still had a couple of drinks with his father.
Ji Shoufu leaned casually on the back of his chair, twirling the wine glass in his hand. In front of his most trusted wife and daughter, he finally shed his serious and cold face, revealing the softest part of his heart.
He drank the wine in the cup in one gulp, and showed a rare look of bewilderment, tears in his eyes, and whispered: "Huan'er, Daddy is sorry for you! Liang Wanzhou, that bastard, sometimes I really want to... want to kill him with a sword!"
Ji Yunhuan discovered that his father already had white hair, and the father who was as tall as a mountain in his memory now looked tired.
The struggle for power within the cabinet was particularly fierce, and of course the situation in the six ministries was not much better. With an emperor who was always instigating infighting among his subjects, the atmosphere in the court was naturally a mess.
The position of Prime Minister seems glamorous and high-ranking. The emperor relies on Prime Minister Ji but is also wary of his power. He criticizes him every other day. If he does not do well, he will be reprimanded. If he does too well, the emperor will also be wary of him.
Ji Yunhuan poured a glass of wine for his father and toasted him, "Dad has never let me down. It is Liang Wanzhou who has let me down!"
"The old marquis fought for his life to get the title. As long as Liang Wanzhou is a little more motivated, even if he just behaves himself, with the title of the marquis and the help of his father, he will definitely have a place in the capital. This is originally a perfect match."
"It's all Liang Wanzhou's fault that he has ended up like this. Daddy, please don't worry about the Liang family's affairs anymore. The most important thing is to take care of yourself."
Prime Minister Ji was already a little drunk. He stumbled in front of Madam Ji, waved away the account book on the table, leaned on the table and looked at Madam Ji.
"Maner, are you angry? Why don't you look at me?"
Mrs. Ji bent down to pick up the account book, but Chief Minister Ji stood in front of her relentlessly, hugging her neck like a child who was making a fuss.
"Speak up...why don't you speak? You don't like Xiaohua, right? You don't want to adopt Xiaohua. Xiaohua is not up to the responsibility, and Aunt Li is restless, so Xiaohua can't be the legitimate son."
"I... I didn't know Xiaohua was raised like this. Apart from being playful, he seems to be well-behaved and sensible on weekdays. I was negligent. Man'er, you don't even tell me what's in your heart now. You only know how to look at the account book. You are not as good as Huan'er. Huan'er knows how to talk to me..."
Mrs. Ji's face turned red, and she struggled in Ji Shoufu's arms, "Let me go, our daughter is still here."
It is because his daughter is around that Prime Minister Ji is so unbridled. If his daughter were not around, he would act unruly and the lady would have sent him away.
"I don't care. You must give me an explanation today, or I won't let you go!"
Mrs. Ji was both ashamed and angry. She was used to being gentle, so she would get angry secretly and never get angry at her husband.
"Master is the head of the family. You want to raise Xiaohua as your legitimate son. What can I say? I have already said that Xiaohua is not talented and will have a hard time taking the imperial examination. Master asked me to educate him first. Master values Xiaohua so much. I taught him carefully, but Xiaohua hates me instead. Aunt Li comes to make trouble every few days."
"I know the master is busy, and it's just a small matter in the inner house. Do I want to be like that jealous woman and complain to the master every day? If I can't even manage the inner house, wouldn't I have lived for nothing for so many years?"
Mrs. Ji was so aggrieved that she kept crying. "You are the first to complain in front of our daughter. What can I say? I did it for you and for the harmony of this family."
Ji Shoufu gently wiped Madam Ji's tears and coaxed her softly, "I was wrong. It's all my fault that I was stupid and failed to understand Madam's deep meaning. From now on, I will never mention the matter of adopting a concubine's son again. If Madam has a favorite, no matter whose child it is, you must tell me."
Zitan came in and helped Madam Ji clean her face and wash her hair. Although the lady had cried, she seemed to be in much better spirits. There was some joy in her eyes when she looked at the master.
Zitan breathed a sigh of relief. She was really afraid that the master and the mistress would become estranged because of the adoption issue. The fighting between the wives and concubines in the harem would never stop. As long as the mistress was a little weaker, Aunt Li would immediately become rampant.
Mrs. Ji stopped looking at the account book. She asked Zitan to put it away and just stared at her husband intently.
Ji Yunhuan felt redundant just standing here. Just as he was about to go out with Zitan, he was stopped by his father.
"Huan'er, stay here first. You can also listen to what's going on at home. Your mother is not in good health, so you stay to take care of her. There is an important matter to be handled in the mansion right now. If your mother is too busy, you can help her."
Taking care of the sick was just an excuse. Ji Yunhuan understood that her father wanted to keep her for a while. The Liang family was a mess now, and her father didn't want her to get involved.
Ji Yunhuan was deeply moved and sat down readily.
Ji Shoufu said, "After the palace examination today, His Majesty personally selected Kong Liang as the new top scholar. Among the top three, Kong Liang is the youngest and is also handsome. I have asked someone to find out, Kong Liang is not engaged yet, I plan to marry Yue'er to the Kong family."
Ji Yunhuan thought of a lot of things. In his previous life, Kong Liang was the top scorer in the imperial examination, so he was naturally talented. Later, the incident of Penglai Restaurant buying and selling examination papers was exposed, and Kong Liang was innocently implicated. After the palace examination, his ranking fell to the back.
In the previous life, Ji Shoufu was the chief examiner. The so-called buying and selling of exam papers was just a self-directed act by the second prince. There was no real evidence, but the news spread like wildfire in the capital. The emperor didn't care about the truth at all and allowed the rumors to spread. The emperor clearly disliked Jing Yu and reprimanded Ji Shoufu, which further confirmed the rumors.
On the surface, the emperor suppressed the matter to protect Jing Yu, but the matter was not investigated in detail, leaving Jing Yu with no place to appeal.
Now that Kong Liang has become the top scholar, he has truly deserved the title. When Jing Yu ascends the throne, he will surely make use of Kong Liang.
Ji Yun laughed and said, "The Third Prince also praised Master Kong, saying that he was taught by the old dean of Lushan Academy. He has good character and knowledge. What's more, he understands the ways of the world and is not the kind of nerd who only knows how to read."
"We are married to the Kong family. Now it seems that it is my father who is promoting him. However, Mr. Kong is young and will naturally have a bright future. He can look after the Ji family."
A strange feeling flashed through Ji Shoufu's mind. When his daughter talked about the Third Prince, her tone was so intimate and there was a smile on her face.
The two have known each other since childhood, but now they have little interaction. When did they talk about the new top scholar in private?
Ji Yunhuan looked at his father with a smile, without explaining, and continued to talk about the marriage, "Mother Kong is not in good health, it would be best if the marriage is completed this year. If we have to observe mourning, it will take too long. Third sister is not young anymore, it is not good to delay any longer."
Ji Shoufu nodded, "Indeed, Huan'er is still thoughtful. Time is a bit rushed, Huan'er, you should stay in the mansion and take care of your sister."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
