Having said that, Madam Jiang stopped pretending to be happy. She slowly put down the teapot and sat down opposite Zhao Shu. "Does A-Jun know how difficult things are for the Marquis's mansion these days?" she said slowly. "I'm not complaining to you, and I'm not blaming you. I'm just too tired."
After she finished speaking, tears streamed down her cheeks. She turned her head and looked into the distance. "The Marquis's mansion doesn't even have a shop anymore. It only relies on an estate to make a living. Your uncle is a down-on-his-luck man. Now his hand is broken. Your aunt blamed you, but your uncle doesn't blame you. So I can only blame him for being incompetent and useless."
"Aunt, I'm sorry." Zhao Shu finally said these words. No matter what, Jiang Zuo was her own uncle and her mother's brother. Regardless of what Jiang Suiji thought, Jiang Ying was thinking of her maternal family.
Jiang Yangshi turned her head and looked at Zhao Shu with a smile. The tears in her eyes had stopped a little. With this "I'm sorry," she was already satisfied.
“Look at me, I’m actually crying in front of you. I shouldn’t have done that.” She took a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped away her tears. “Ah Jun, there’s no need to apologize. It’s the Yiguang Marquis’s Mansion that’s sorry to you. Your maternal grandfather also truly loves you. He’s just blaming himself for not teaching your eldest aunt well, for wronging your mother, and for not caring enough for you. We are the ones who have wronged you.”
“Jiang Yue is Jiang Yue, and you are you. I can tell the difference.” Zhao Shu smiled and didn’t say anything more. Instead, she asked another question, “Does Aunt know about my mother’s past? I’m always uneasy, afraid that something will happen that I can’t handle.”
Jiang Yangshi shook her head. "I don't know. Back then, your mother acted differently from others and associated with people who were famous throughout the land. I am not as good as her, so naturally I know very little. However, I think there is one person who knows." As she recalled the events of the past, a look of longing appeared on her face.
She must have been extremely envious of Jiang Ying.
"Who is it?" Zhao Shu asked immediately.
"Your mother's teacher, the Hermit of Jiecao," she immediately said, showing how deeply she remembered him.
Zhao Shu was stunned. Her mother had a teacher? She had no idea. "My mother actually had a teacher?"
"Yes, your mother and A-Qing were both students of the Hermit of Jiecao. A-Qing is also Empress Yide." After saying this, Jiang Yangshi quickly covered her mouth. "A-Jun, just let it go. The Emperor forbids this from being mentioned. Just pretend you don't know, understand?"
Zhao Shu frowned. How did this get involved with Empress Yide again? "A-Jun knows, but does Aunt know where the Hermit of Jiecao is?"
Jiang Yangshi shook her head. "I don't know. The Hermit of Jiecao has been living in seclusion for ten years. She left the capital after your mother was made the Princess Consort of Yong. She has no children, only two students. Your mother once brought her to the mansion. I secretly took a look at her then. She was an extremely beautiful woman."
Zhao Shu's eyes widened. She never expected that the Hermit of Cloth-Knotting Grass was actually a woman. If she remembered correctly, Huo Baichuan had told the Fourth Young Master of Mingde that day at Chang Le Palace that the Hermit of Cloth-Knotting Grass had done a favor for him.
"Thank you, Aunt. If you don't mind, you can first go to Chunyuan to buy a batch of goods on credit and bring them to the capital to sell. You can pay me back when you make money in the future." After all, Jiang Zuo is still my uncle. He even lost his hand for the Crown Prince. Whether it's compensation or financial assistance, I will help if I can.
Jiang Yangshi had long wanted to go to Chunyuan to buy goods to sell, but she hadn't gone because of her own mental block. Now that she heard Zhao Shu talking about it, her mental block was no longer a problem. Five pecks of rice were more important, so she smiled and said, "Thank you, Ajun. I will definitely pay you back as soon as possible."
She knew that Zhao Shu's Chunyuan and Sanguzhai were owned by several companies and could not be decided by one person alone.
“Ah Jun, if you’re not in a difficult position, please help your cousin. It’s not a good idea for him to continue like this.” Jiang Yangshi was extremely embarrassed. Although she didn’t look away, she met Zhao Shu’s gaze, but her hand twisted the handkerchief into several creases.
"Alright, Ah Jun has other things to do, so I won't keep you company any longer. I'll come see you another day." She stood up, curtsied, and prepared to leave.
Jiang Yangshi thought about how few items were left in the storeroom and how she probably didn't know what to offer this nobleman today, so she didn't try to keep him and stood up to see Zhao Shu out of the mansion.
“Your aunt will come to see you in a few days,” she said.
Zhao Shu nodded, without saying anything more.
Since returning from the Marquis of Yiguang's residence, she had been thinking about Jiang Yangshi's words, feeling that something was about to happen. Consort Hao knew about this, but she did not. Now, the three consorts in the palace, Consort De, Consort Ning, and Consort Hao, were like an iron triangle, and one of them had to be defeated. Consort De was easy to deal with; she was the birth mother of the eldest prince and had a temporary alliance with Consort Ning, so it was not difficult to sow discord between them. The difficulty was that the crown prince was still alive, and they could not break their alliance.
The saying goes, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." No, in her previous life, Consort Ning was made a consort by following her own path, so what right does she have to be made a consort in this life? The reasons given on the surface must all be fabricated.
It's infuriating that the Emperor's fighting ability is so weak.
Thinking of this, she instructed Xiao Zhuzi, "Go and investigate the Hermit of Jiecao." Many years have passed; she hopes he is still alive.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will go and investigate immediately," said Xiao Zhuzi.
Back at Qionghua Courtyard, she encountered Bi Qiao. She curtsied to Zhao Shu, but Zhao Shu raised her hand to stop her, asking, "Have you seen your teacher?"
"The master has left the manor. Before leaving, he asked me to inform the princess that he will not be returning to the palace tonight, but will be drinking with Mr. Xiao at the Xiao residence." Bi Qiao relayed Luo Hu's words to Zhao Shu after she got up.
"Okay, you go ahead with your work." She walked past Bi Qiao and headed towards Bao Xia, thinking she could ask Luo Hu. She figured he must know about Jie Cao Jushi, but given Luo Hu's personality, he probably wouldn't tell her easily, otherwise he would have told her long ago.
Upon arriving at Baoxia, she paused as soon as she stepped across the threshold. "You may all leave. I need some peace and quiet," she said, looking at the empty long table.
Chu Chun and the others, without suspecting anything, bowed and took their leave.
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