"I heard from Chu Xu, the young master's servant, that Ruo Liu, the young master's maid, has been diagnosed with a three-month pregnancy. Ruo Liu said that the child in her womb is the young master's."
Therefore, the story of the young master's adultery during his mourning period spread like wildfire in Baoding! Everyone said that Ruoli was just a servant, and a servant born into the Yin family, so it was impossible for her to frame her own young master.
Jiang Segu's throat tightened; she couldn't believe her cousin would do such a thing!
She was pregnant at three months along, and her maternal uncle hadn't even been laid to rest yet. How could her cousin possibly do such a thing!
Although the sons of the Yin family were not allowed to enter officialdom, they were all well-read, knowledgeable, and virtuous people, and would never do such an unfilial thing!
Even if my cousin was truly confused, my grandmother would never let the matter become public knowledge!
Unless someone is deliberately stirring things up behind the scenes!
This branch of the family, founded by the maternal grandfather, started during the reign of Emperor Taizong and became wealthy during the reign of Emperor Gaozu, becoming the richest merchant in the Northern Wei Dynasty for over a hundred years.
Having dominated the top spot for many years, he became the target of everyone's criticism.
Openly and secretly, countless people have tried to dethrone my maternal grandfather's family from its position as the richest merchant family, but all their efforts have been in vain!
Besides the strategist's brilliant planning and foresight, there is another secret unknown to outsiders!
Behind the maternal grandfather's branch of the family stood the ruler of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and most of the assets under his name belonged to the Northern Wei emperor.
To harm one's maternal grandfather's family is to be an enemy of the Emperor!
His Majesty is the ruler of Northern Wei; how could he allow anyone else to touch his purse!
Unless... His Majesty himself harbors murderous intent towards the Yin family, no one can do anything to the maternal grandparents' family!
All of this was what Liang Shaojie told her when he gave her the letter of divorce in her previous life. He said it was because every debt has its source and every wrong has its perpetrator, so she shouldn't blame the wrong person!
But she could never understand why the Emperor would allow the entire Yin family to meet such a tragic end, when his maternal grandparents' loyalty to the Emperor had never wavered.
The emperor had no intention of protecting them, and even intended for someone else to take their place. As a result, all the demons and monsters hiding in the shadows naturally came out.
The deaths of my maternal grandfather and eldest uncle were probably not accidental. My maternal grandmother and several uncles should have been able to guess what was going on. Otherwise, in her previous life, my maternal grandmother would not have sold off shops in many places at low prices, abandoned all her private property, and intended to move south.
But why couldn't they escape their fate?
Is it that the Emperor is determined to get rid of the Yin family?
Is it the Song family or Liang Shaojie who won't let the Yin family off the hook?
Jiang Segu didn't know that if her cousin's matter wasn't handled properly, the other members of the Yin family who were already jealous of her ancestral family would definitely take the opportunity to kick her while she was down.
With external troubles unresolved and internal problems arising, the maternal grandparents' family will repeat the tragedy of the previous life!
"Didn't your maternal grandmother and aunt interrogate Ruoli?"
"The incident happened suddenly. Ruoli had just identified the young master and hadn't even had time to interrogate him when the clan chief and his uncle came to her door with people from the ancestral home. They took Ruoli and her family away, saying they were afraid of being silenced. They also demanded that her great-aunt hand over the young master so they could open the ancestral hall and remove him from the family genealogy!"
Just then, the young master was out supervising the shipment, and his maternal aunt wrote a letter to Juanniang, threatening suicide to force the young master to come to the capital with her..."
Jiang Segu's youthful eyes and brows were filled with a coldness and hardness.
It seems that if Liu dares to frame her cousin, the clan chief and her great-uncle deserve a lot of credit!
"Along the way, Chu Xu asked his cousin about Ruo Liu's baby!"
"I asked, but Young Master Biao just kept saying that he had wronged Ruoliu!"
Jiang Segu was suddenly filled with shock, anger, and fear!
Could it be...?
After a while, Jiang Segu calmed down and asked again, "Does Grandmother know that my cousin is coming?"
Qiaohe shook her head, "This servant does not know!"
"Go and find out!"
Qiaohe hadn't even stepped out the door when she turned back.
"If there's anything you want to know, why don't you just ask me!"
As the voice rang out, a young man dressed in flowing white robes stepped in from outside the door.
His jet-black hair was neatly tied up, revealing his gentle and handsome face. A bitter smile played on his lips. This young man, who should have been bright and cheerful, was instead filled with sorrow.
This listless and irritable appearance overlapped with the face of Yin Muheng that Jiang Segu last saw in her previous life, and her vision blurred instantly!
Seeing her cousin burst into tears the moment she saw her, Yin Muheng became increasingly irritated.
He could only pretend nothing was wrong and asked Jiang Segu, "Did someone bully Azi? Tell your cousin, and your cousin will stand up for you!"
Jiang Segu suppressed the sorrow in her heart, pursed her lips and dared not speak, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would shatter her heart!
Yin Muheng stepped forward and ruffled Jiang Segu's hair like she did when they were children, "Azi, don't be afraid, your cousin is here..."
Those eight words shattered Jiang Se. She grabbed Yin Muheng's waist and burst into tears, saying in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry..."
Yin Muheng was puzzled, but she didn't ask anything. She just patted her back and said softly, "It's okay, your cousin is here!"
After a long while, Jiang Segu awkwardly let go of Yin Muheng's arms, pouted, lowered his head, and started picking at his fingers!
Seeing that she was still the same as when she was a child, always hugging him and crying whenever she was wronged, but unlike when she was a child, she no longer asked him to stand up for her and avenge her. Yin Muheng found it amusing and took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Segu.
After Jiang Segu cried, the pent-up frustration in his heart dissipated considerably!
She took the handkerchief, wiped away her tears, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Do my maternal grandmother and three uncles know that my cousin has come to the capital?"
Yin Muheng's expression was somber as she said, "I don't know!"
Jiang Segu was very anxious. She understood her aunt's worry for her son, but letting her cousin hide was not a wise move!
"Cousin, you're confused! If the child in Ruoliu's belly isn't yours, why are you hiding? If you hide like this, won't people gossip and say you're guilty?"
"How could I not know! But my mother threatened to kill herself, so I had no choice, and..."
A wisp of sorrow hung over his brow. "I'm so sorry, Ruoliu!"
"What apology do you have for me? Could it be that you really did something so unfilial?"
Based on her understanding of her cousin, he wasn't the type to be a womanizer!
Yin Muheng's expression flickered, and she changed the subject, "Grandmother asked me to bring you a lot of things, which are all in my eldest aunt's courtyard. Would you like to go and take a look?"
Seeing that he still wouldn't tell the truth, Jiang Segu became furious. "I won't look! Cousin, tell me honestly, what is your relationship with the child in Ruoli's belly!"
"This is not something a young lady like you should know. Seeing that you are alright, I'll go back to my courtyard now!"
"Yin Muheng!" Jiang Segu shouted his name angrily, "Wake up!"
Now that my maternal grandfather is gone, and my eldest maternal uncle is gone too, my three maternal uncles are working hard to make a living for the family, and you, as the eldest son of the Yin family, do not think about taking on the responsibilities of the Yin family, but instead bring disaster upon the family!
I ask you, if your entire family of over a hundred people were to perish because of this, how could you live the rest of your life in peace? How could you sleep soundly at night?!
"How could I possibly invite such a calamity as the extermination of my entire family! At worst, I'll just take Ruoli as my concubine..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
