Chapter 133 Ji Chen Reappears, Now the Grandson of the Su Family
With disaster relief in Jiangnan urgently needed, Xie Shang took Jiang Jinyan with him.
Shengjing City continued its peaceful and prosperous life, with singing and dancing taking place as usual.
A month later, on the day of Duke Zhang's seventieth birthday, the birthday gifts from the Imperial Household Department were delivered to Duke Zhang's residence early in the morning. The high-ranking officials and wealthy families in Shengjing City were all good at reading people's expressions. Seeing that the palace had sent birthday gifts, they also brought gifts to visit and offer their congratulations.
After recovering from her illness, Madam Jiang immediately sent someone to discuss with Jiang Fenghua the possibility of proposing marriage to the Zhang family on the occasion of the Duke of Zhang's 70th birthday. She would also take this opportunity to clarify the rumors about the two of them.
After much deliberation, Jiang Fenghua said, "Mother, you must think carefully. Do you really want to propose marriage to the Zhang family on this day? If things don't go well, it could backfire."
"Mother has thought it through. If we secretly arrange their marriage, it will only confirm the false rumors about Yumo and Jinyan. We should propose openly and honestly to dispel the rumors." Feng Jingyuan was beautiful, and her genes were strong, resulting in all four of her children being good-looking.
Jiang Fenghua said, "Mother, do whatever you want!" The old lady of the Su family should also be going to the Duke of Zhang's mansion to celebrate his birthday today! She'll probably be disappointed to see that her mother is perfectly fine.
Upon arriving at the Zhang residence, the place was already filled with carriages, all from prominent families of Shengjing who had come to offer their birthday wishes.
Zhang Yumo's father was born of the principal wife, but was the third son. He was originally entitled to inherit the title of Duke, but the third son and his wife died young, leaving only Zhang Yumo as their daughter. So the title of Duke was put on hold. However, the Zhang family still had a second and a fourth branch. The current head of the Zhang family was the second branch, which was born of a concubine. Unfortunately, the second master of the Zhang family did not make any achievements, and the title of Duke was still held by the old master of the Zhang family. The fourth branch was also born of a concubine, so there was no possibility of inheriting the title.
If it weren't for the outstanding achievements of Duke Zhang and his wife in their youth, which protected their descendants, the Duke Zhang's mansion would have truly fallen into decline.
Zhang Yumo had been waiting for the Jiang family at the door. When she saw them arrive, she happily went to greet them, "Aunt Jiang, Fenghua, Sister Rumeng, Fourth Young Master."
Jiang Rumeng also came along, since the families were about to become in-laws, and she felt it was appropriate for her to visit them.
Jiang Rumeng took her hand and said, "I've wanted to thank Miss Zhang for a long time. Fenghua and I have been away from home, and we're so grateful to Miss Zhang for taking care of my mother."
Zhang Yumo had no maternal or paternal love since childhood. Madam Jiang treated her like her own daughter. Rather than saying she was taking care of her, it was more accurate to say that Zhang Yumo wanted to seek comfort at the Jiang residence.
She said gently, "Actually, Aunt Jiang treats me like her own daughter."
The group entered the Zhang residence, chatting and laughing. Just then, Madam Zhang the Second swayed towards them. Zhang Yumo was about to introduce her as, "Second Aunt..."
Unexpectedly, Madam Zhang seemed not to hear and suddenly bypassed the Jiang family to greet them warmly, "Madam Su, you've come too. Please come in, Mother has been waiting for you."
Jiang Fenghua wondered to herself: Are Madam Su and Madam Zhang really that close? She had no idea.
It seems that only the Duke of Zhang and the Old Madam Zhang truly care for Zhang Yumo in the Zhang family; everyone else treats her with contempt!
When she visited the Zhang family last time, she discovered that the other members of the Zhang family did not like her.
However, for such an occasion, Madam Su actually brought Ji Chen along. What was she planning to do so blatantly?
Madam Su said, "Sister Rong, you've been thinking of me!"
Madam Zhang's maiden name was Ji Rong, and Madam Su's maiden name was Li Yurong. Both of them had the character "Rong" in their names, so they had some friendship when they were young. They were both granted imperial titles, so they did not have to bow to the princess.
Looking at the elegant Ji Chen, Madam Zhang asked, "And who is this young master?"
“He is a junior whom I have recognized, and he is of the same generation as my Su family’s grandchildren. I took advantage of my age to make him call me ‘Grandmother.’ He also came to the capital to prepare for the spring imperial examination. I brought him here to see the character of the Duke of Zhang.”
"He's really handsome. He must be here for reference. He must be very knowledgeable."
Ji Chen quickly averted his gaze from Jiang Fenghua and respectfully bowed, "Junior Ji Chen greets Madam."
"No need for formalities, please come in! There are many scholars here today, all of whom are going to participate in the spring examination. You can have a good chat later. Scholars should get together and discuss their knowledge."
Just as they passed Feng Jingyuan, Old Madam Su gave her a deep look and said, "Hello, Madam Jiang!"
Feng Jingyuan remained calm and composed, neither humble nor arrogant, and greeted, "Greetings, Madam Su."
"I heard that Madam Jiang was unwell a few days ago. She's so young and beautiful, she must take good care of herself! Young Master Jiang is still young too." Old Madam Su spoke pointedly, glancing at Jiang Fenghua, her voice sharp. "Young Master Jiang has been teaching for so many years, receiving rave reviews; it's truly remarkable!"
Feng Jingyuan blinked and smiled slightly, "Jingyuan was indeed harmed by a villain a few days ago, but unfortunately the villain's evil plan failed. Look, isn't Jingyuan perfectly fine? Thank you for your concern, Madam Su!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Su's face darkened. Even the Centella asiatica couldn't kill her; when she first heard the news, she was so angry she almost fainted.
Feng Jingyuan added, “My husband is just over fifty years old and is indeed still very healthy. He has educated many learned people throughout his life, all of whom are upright and honest gentlemen.”
She then took Old Madam Su's hand and whispered, "Old Madam Su, the young man who came with you once went to my Jiang family to become a student. He was brought by my son-in-law, the Prince. But, the first thing my master values when teaching someone is character. If their character is not good, even if the Prince pleads, my master will not teach them. Old Madam Su, you must be careful. Never associate with those petty people who only know how to use dirty tricks. Jingyuan is afraid that he will tarnish the integrity of General Su's life. Don't you think so, Old Madam?" She already knew Ji Chen's character from Jiang Fenghua. Prince Heng had indeed brought him to the Jiang family, but they were delayed by some trivial matters at the time.
Madam Su hadn't expected her to be so sharp-tongued, so she pretended to be clueless and said, "Is that so? Didn't Chen'er tell me when she came back?"
Ji Chen slowly began to speak in front of everyone, “Greetings, Madam Jiang. I was once sworn brothers with Prince Heng. At that time, I did not know his identity, so we became sworn brothers. Later, I came to the capital to take the imperial examination. I heard Prince Heng mention that Young Master Jiang was very knowledgeable and that the students who studied under him were all learned and talented. So I also wanted to become his student, but unfortunately, I am not talented enough to meet Young Master Jiang’s standards.”
He meant that Jiang Shaofu didn't even give face to Prince Heng, which was truly arrogant.
Feng Jingyuan never expected him to be so shameless as to lie through his teeth.
Jiang Fenghua suddenly interjected, "So Brother Ji is the grandson of Old Madam Su. Didn't Brother Ji bring Yunfang today? Yunfang was a servant in the Heng Prince's mansion. It was the Prince's decision that she married Brother Ji. I didn't know you two had feelings for each other. Otherwise, I would have prepared a generous dowry for Yunfang. It's also her fault for getting married in such a hurry."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
