Chapter 100 Prince Heng still believes Consort Su is kind-hearted
Xie Shang looked guilty. "Ruan Ruan, it's possible that Consort Su really wanted to harm you, but I believe Wan Wan was just instigated by her. Wan Wan isn't a bad person. I've known her for over three years and I understand her quite well. She's just easily influenced by her emotions, easily provoked by others, and outspoken."
Ever since Consort Su sent a palace maid to serve her, Wanwan has become almost unrecognizable to me. Just like her behavior today, it was as if I didn't know her at all. Perhaps it was because I hurt her that she became so cautious.
She's just like you were back then, afraid to show her true nature in front of me. I really hope you two can get along well. Xie Shang still wanted to give Su Tingwan a chance.
Jiang Fenghua could only scoff inwardly. It seemed that Su Tingwan's performance today had successfully aroused Xie Shang's protective instincts!
She looked completely bewildered. "The palace maid you're talking about is Aunt Yunfang? She's the one who instigated Consort Su."
Xie Shang nodded, "Yes."
"Then why did the prince keep her by Consort Su's side?" Jiang Fenghua asked.
"Because Wanwan is too naive, to teach her a lesson, we need to let her see Yunfang's true colors with her own eyes," Xie Shang said.
Jiang Fenghua just wanted to call him stupid. No wonder Xie Shang made Su Tingwan empress in his previous life. It turns out that he was the really stupid one.
"Today I had some books found for Consort Su. I wonder if she'll get used to them."
“She has never read so many books before, so it might be a bit difficult for her. Ruan Ruan, you have to help her.” Xie Shang added, “Now that she has entered the Prince Heng’s mansion, she can no longer have those old habits. Reading more books is good. It can help her understand more principles and prevent her from being so reckless in the future.”
"Yes," Jiang Fenghua said gently, so she did not send Su Tingwan any books on the Three Obediences and Four Virtues.
She was the daughter of a junior tutor, so naturally she studied the Four Books and Five Classics.
"I'm going out, so I'll drop you off at the Jiang residence on the way. I'll come pick you up when I'm done!" Xie Shang said with doting eyes. "You haven't been home to visit your parents in a long time, so have the steward pick out some gifts to take back with you."
"Your Majesty knows that you are thinking of my parents."
After tidying herself up, Jiang Fenghua gracefully took his arm and left the bedroom.
At this moment, Su Tingwan was holding a book in the side hall, but her mind was not on the book. Instead, she was thinking about what Jiang Fenghua and Xie Shang were doing in the room.
She wanted to find out what was going on, but saw Jiang Fenghua walking out of Lanyue Pavilion arm in arm with Xie Shang, chatting and laughing, her face full of shyness.
She wanted to chase after her, but Hongxiu said, "The concubine must finish reading today's book before she can leave. The princess will check it tomorrow. If the concubine doesn't read it well, the prince and Madam Su will blame the princess for her poor teaching."
Upon hearing this, Su Tingwan clenched her fists. She wanted to beat the maid to death. In the past, she would never have wronged herself like this.
But Xie Shang just liked such gentle and delicate women.
Her aunt had also taught her what kind of woman men liked most: someone like Jiang Fenghua. That's why she used the excuse of learning etiquette to come to Lan Yue Pavilion, so she could frequently show her face in front of Xie Shang. She was sure she could rekindle their past relationship.
So, Su Tingwan tried her best to endure it and picked up a copy of the Analects to read. The first chapter almost made her vomit blood. Who wrote this book? It's so difficult to read.
-
When Jiang Fenghua arrived at the Jiang residence, she asked the doorman and learned that Jiang Jinyan had returned from the yamen and gone out as well.
Xie Shang told her that he would come to pick her up and take her back to his residence before having someone drive her away in a carriage.
Jiang Fenghua said goodbye to him before entering the Jiang residence. Once inside, she felt completely relaxed and comfortable. She no longer needed to pretend and was as happy as a blissful bird, feeling as if the air she was breathing was fresher.
The doorman Jiang Huan was overjoyed. "Third Miss, it's been so long since you've been back. Our Jiang family has undergone tremendous changes recently."
"What's wrong?" she asked.
“A Miss Yu has come to our manor. She seems to be our eldest young mistress, but the master and mistress seem to treat her with great respect.” Jiang Huan naturally did not know Sang Yu Pianpian’s identity. No one in the Jiang manor knew, except for Jiang Huai and his wife and Jiang Jinyan.
"Where did that young lady go? Is she at your residence?"
Jiang Huan added, "No, I went out with the young master."
Just as Jiang Fenghua had predicted, with such a high-profile move, the Zhang family naturally wanted to renegotiate Zhang Yumo's marriage.
Feng Jingyuan was both excited and mysterious when she saw her daughter. She pulled Jiang Fenghua into the house, chased away the maid, and whispered, "Ruan Ruan, do you know who lives in our house?"
Jiang Fenghua replied calmly, "I know her. I've met the Crown Princess Sang Yu Pianpian of Chaoxi Kingdom."
Feng Jingyuan's tense heart tightened even more instantly. "What did you say? She's the Crown Princess of Chaoxi Kingdom, not an ordinary princess?" Being a princess was already enough to make her cautious.
She asked tremblingly, "The Crown Princess... is she going to inherit the throne of Chaoxi Kingdom?"
Jiang Fenghua didn't hide it from her mother, "Sang Yu Pianpian will indeed be the next empress of Chaoxi Kingdom, so don't worry, Mother, she won't marry my eldest brother."
Feng Jingyuan felt like fainting. "She won't marry Jin Yan, but she's demanding that he marry her, even if it's to someone far away. My child!"
Jiang Fenghua was speechless. "If Mother doesn't agree, why didn't you and Father agree when the Zhang family came to propose marriage?"
“It’s not that we disagree, it’s that your brother’s mind is not on getting married at all. He’s already twenty-seven and he still doesn’t want to get married. Your father and I have tried to persuade him.” Feng Jingyuan felt a lot of bitterness.
After hearing this, Jiang Fenghua asked, "Does my brother have some kind of illness, or a hidden ailment, or is he a homosexual...?"
"Pah, pah, pah... Ruan Ruan, don't talk nonsense. Your older brother is perfectly healthy." Feng Jingyuan hesitated, then continued, "Actually, your older brother..."
"What's wrong with him?" Jiang Fenghua asked, puzzled. "Mother, is there anything in our family that I don't know?"
Feng Jingyuan said, "Originally, this matter should have been kept to ourselves and never brought up again."
This was the first time Jiang Fenghua had been kept in suspense like this. "Mother, just tell me. There's no one else here, just the two of us."
“Your older brother was engaged to someone back in our hometown, so he was considered to have a fiancée. But that girl had a hard life. She was kidnapped and raped by bandits when she was young. Even after being rescued, she didn’t survive and jumped off a cliff.” Feng Jingyuan continued, “Your older brother has never been able to get over it because she was looking for him when the incident happened. For so many years, we have never dared to mention it. Even if it’s buried deep inside, no one dares to bring it up.”
Jiang Fenghua was dumbfounded after hearing this. "How come I didn't know?" She had lived two lives and still didn't know.
“You were too young to remember what happened,” Feng Jingyuan said.
Jiang Fenghua finally understood why he had been so depraved in his past life; two women had died for him, no wonder he never married.
If that's the real reason, then Zhang Yumo absolutely cannot get into trouble because of him.
She said, "Did he reject Zhang Yumo because of that girl?"
"Probably so. This matter will always be a pain in his heart. Neither your father nor I dare to force him to get married. The Zhang family has come to talk to him many times, but we can't make decisions for your older brother," Feng Jingyuan said.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
