Chapter 137 Arranging the Marriage in Advance
Jiang Jinyan directly asked the servants of the Zhang family before sending Zhang Yumo back to her bedroom. The words "I will marry her" kept echoing in her mind.
He stood up for her once again, and she was so moved that she almost forgot to breathe, staring blankly at Jiang Jinyan, unable to look away.
She wanted to stick to him all the time. He was like a god to her, and he had always been like that since she was a child. When she was bullied as a child, he was the only one who would come to her aid.
That time, she was bullied by her cousins, and he was like a ray of light standing in front of her. He then taught them a lesson, and he has probably forgotten about it.
Jiang Jinyan blushed as she stared at him. He reminded her to let go, "Miss Zhang, if you're alright, you can get down now."
Zhang Yumo's maid was also stunned. Seeing that her mistress had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel, she was happy for her. "Miss, Young Master Jiang is calling for you."
Zhang Yumo then released his neck and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I..."
Jiang Jinyan probably already knew why she was so upset, and explained, "That day I followed Prince Heng and set off overnight without sending you any message. It was my oversight. Don't take their words to heart, and don't think about it anymore. Also... your life is your own, and you should cherish it no matter what."
Zhang Yumo cried again. She bit her lip, trying hard to hold back her tears, afraid to make a sound for fear of upsetting him.
Jiang Jinyan was soaking wet. He probably realized that his tone was a bit cold, so he softened his voice a little, "I'm not blaming you. I'm sorry, I'm not very good at talking to women. Please don't cry."
Zhang Yumo stopped crying instantly. Seeing Jiang Jinyan about to leave, she suddenly stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "Your back is injured. I want to help you."
Jiang Jinyan was stunned, his body stiffened, and he instinctively refused, "No need."
She added, "You said in front of everyone that you would marry me, are you trying to go back on your word?"
“No,” Jiang Jinyan said.
"Then don't go, let me see your wound," she said.
"It's alright, no need." His tone was distant; men and women shouldn't touch each other, and it wasn't appropriate before marriage.
Zhang Yumo said anxiously, "Are you angry with me? I know I shouldn't have jumped into the lake. I didn't mean to commit suicide, but the thought of my grandfather wanting me to marry someone else makes me miserable. I wanted to jump in and make them change their minds, but as soon as I jumped in, I choked on the water. I didn't even have time to call for help before I sank. I regret it. I haven't married you yet. I regret jumping in. I thought I was dead. I was scared..."
Her voice grew weaker and weaker, barely audible, even timid.
Jiang Jinyan finally softened, "Don't do things like this again. You can't always be saved. If I hadn't come today, you..."
"But you came. It's because God didn't want me to die. God still sent you to save me. It means we are destined to be together." Zhang Yumo's voice was soft and sweet, as if she were being coquettish.
Jiang Jinyan was stunned. It wasn't God who sent him here, but His Highness Prince Heng who sent him back. He also went to Yucheng on the way, and that's how he got the injury on his back.
The disaster in Jiangnan was severe. As an assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he could not linger in Yucheng. He should return to do some things for Prince Heng. He also needed to hurry back to the yamen and discuss with the officials how to mobilize resources to support the flood relief efforts in Jiangnan.
Everything was urgent, and he didn't have time for romance with her.
He was really leaving when Jiang Rumeng and Madam Jiang arrived. Seeing Zhang Yumo holding her son, Madam Jiang wanted to leave, but she was worried about his injuries. "He's such a big guy, how could he be injured?"
Zhang Yumo quickly let go of him, "Aunt Jiang, Sister Rumeng."
Madam Zhang also rushed over. She only found out that her granddaughter had been saved by Jiang Jinyan after she woke up. She was quite satisfied with him originally, but he kept disagreeing and not expressing his opinion. She really didn't want her granddaughter to suffer, so she agreed to Madam Su's marriage proposal.
She also heard Jiang Jinyan say in public that he wanted to marry her granddaughter. Fearing that something might go wrong again, Madam Zhang said directly, "The imperial physicians are all here. We can ask them to come and take a look. While everyone is here, let's arrange the marriage between the two children."
Jiang Jinyan quickly replied, "No need, it's just a minor injury. I'll apply some medicine when I get back and I'll be fine."
When Madam Zhang saw that he wasn't focusing on marriage, she felt a little disappointed. She believed that a woman should marry someone who loves her, not someone who doesn't care about her.
Jiang Rumeng, being an experienced woman, knew that her older brother was a bit clueless when it came to relationships, so she quickly said, "What do you mean it's not serious? It's already bleeding. What if it gets infected and becomes infected again if it gets wet?"
Jiang Rumeng wanted to keep him because she genuinely cared about her elder brother. She wanted to show Old Madam Zhang that Jiang Jinyan had saved Zhang Yumo after all, bravely jumping into the lake to retrieve her granddaughter. Now she wanted Old Madam Zhang to know how good her elder brother was, so that she wouldn't listen to those petty people and marry Zhang Yumo off to someone else.
"Please trouble you, Madam, to find a medicine box. If it's not serious, my mother and I can apply the medicine for my elder brother. The wound just got wet, and it will get worse if it's not treated promptly," Jiang Rumeng added.
Madam Zhang hurriedly sent people to fetch clean clothes and a medicine box. If it weren't for Young Master Jiang, she would have lost her son. In any case, Jiang Jinyan was an outstanding person among the younger generation, and it wouldn't be a loss for Mo'er to marry him. Feelings could be cultivated slowly.
Before leaving, she deliberately confirmed again, "I think I just heard Young Master Jiang say he was going to marry someone, was it Mo'er?"
Jiang Jinyan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Madam Zhang and said earnestly, "Yes, this junior wishes to marry Miss Zhang. I beg Madam Zhang to grant my request."
Old Madam Zhang was almost in tears, nodding repeatedly, "Good, good, I'll go find the medicine for my grandson-in-law right away."
Her granddaughter finally had hope. She needed to inform the old Duke as soon as possible to finalize the matter. After all, the Su family had only given a verbal agreement and they were still unwilling to let their granddaughter marry far away.
She wasn't worried about the Jiang family's reputation, nor about the Jiang family children's character. Having received his affirmative answer, she wasn't worried that her granddaughter's efforts were one-sided.
Behind the screen, Jiang's mother couldn't help but shed tears when she saw the wounds on Jiang Jinyan's back. She whispered, "His family is too cruel... to beat him like this, to hit him so hard."
“Mom, don’t worry, these injuries are nothing. Uncle Xu and Aunt Xu have aged a lot over the years. If it weren’t for their son, they wouldn’t have lost them…”
"What does this have to do with you?" Madam Jiang also felt wronged on behalf of her son. So many years had passed, enough was enough. They had harbored their resentment. "When a child is beaten, a mother's heart aches. There is no mother in the world who doesn't love her own child."
Jiang Jinyan smiled easily, "Since Mother also understands this principle, we should also understand that Aunt Xu lost her own flesh and blood. This injury is nothing. Let them calm down first so that their son can get married. I have also thought it through during this time. I can only start a new life after I have completely let go of myself. So I must go back. Uncle Xu was relatively lenient. Mother, don't resent them. If it were you, you would definitely break one of his arms and one of his legs."
Feng Jingyuan applied the medicine a little too hard. "Is Mother really that cruel? Are you still my son?"
Jiang Jinyan cried out in pain, and Feng Jingyuan, seeing his pain, dared not move.
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