Chapter 63. Please, son-in-law, have some self-respect!
After the makeup artist left, Jiang Yinyue sat alone in the dimly lit room, accompanied by a candlestick, her shadow making three.
I sat there all night.
The sleepyhead is wide awake.
Early in the morning, the elder brother appeared in the courtyard of the back building.
Jiang Yinyue stuffed the food she had bought the previous evening into his mouth, saying, "Brother, try it."
Most of them were bought by my sister Hongmei; I think my brother will like them.
Love me, love my dog.
Upon reaching the Moon Gate, Hongmei turned and left, intentionally avoiding any appearance of impropriety.
Jiang Taolue didn't chase after her. With his back to the moon gate, he patted the stone stool next to him, gesturing for his sister to sit down beside him.
With no one around, Jiang Taolue spoke frankly: "Tell me your plans, brother."
"I don't have any plans."
"It's all over the court, becoming a topic of conversation. People are saying that Wei Qin has been kicked out of the house by you and is now living on the streets. Being a son-in-law in the Jiang family isn't easy."
Jiang Yinyue clutched at the floral print on her skirt, changing the subject, "Brother and Sister Hongmei..."
"They will get married."
"Huh, huh?"
Jiang Taolue repeated, "Hongmei will become your sister-in-law."
Jiang Yinyue scratched her nose sheepishly. Did Sister Hongmei know about this? Did she agree to it?
This is wishful thinking on the part of us.
"Stop beating around the bush. I want to hear what's on your mind. Do you want a divorce?"
There is currently no suitable position for Jiang Taolue in the Ministry of War. With the Emperor's approval, Jiang Taolue will return to the northern border in a few days. His biggest worry is still his younger sister.
The woman with her hair piled high like raven feathers lay on the table, staring silently at the grass and trees in the corner.
She hadn't thought about that yet.
Jiang Taolue received the expected answer after a moment of silence: Mei Yiyun wins. When you like someone, you win by feeling. Whether it is Wei Qin, who is poor but has a pearl in his heart, or Wei Yihe, who is patient and keeps a low profile, they are all entangled with his sister. The entanglement creates a collision of emotions and desires, shattering restraint and self-control.
Even knowing she was deceived, she still didn't plan to divorce, which precisely illustrates that once emotions are unleashed, they cannot be restrained by reason or logic.
"As your brother, I think that his honesty before things settled down was at least sincere."
Jiang Yinyue raised her hand and touched her brother's forehead. It wasn't hot. Why was she suddenly speaking up for Wei Qin? Didn't she look down on Wei Qin?
Jiang Taolue slapped his sister's hand away and put himself in her shoes. If he were a jinx born to be feared and disliked by his father, if he witnessed his mother perish in a fire, or if his father forced him into a corner, he would also pave a path for himself in the sea of hatred.
Regardless of human nature and sincerity, Cui's desire to use Jiang as a weapon is precisely paving a convenient path for their own side.
However, human emotions are the hardest to control. Wei Qin was entangled in the red thread of revenge and felt guilty towards his wife.
Of course, this was Jiang Taolue's idea of setting aside emotions and focusing solely on strategy. As the eldest son of the Jiang family, he felt wronged on behalf of his younger sister.
“Niannian, at every crossroads, just choose according to your heart. Your father and I will always stand behind you.”
The bright morning sun dispelled the fierce cold wind and the desolation of the courtyard. The lush grass and trees, which were still growing tenaciously in late autumn, welcomed the warm morning sun, swaying gracefully and charmingly.
Regardless of the changing seasons, whether the breeze is gentle or the wind is biting, the morning glow is always brilliant.
Jiang Yinyue, who always faced the sun, relaxed her brow, the gloom of the previous night dissipating. With her father and brothers by her side, she feared nothing.
After leaving the back building, Jiang Taolue went straight to the front courtyard's rear building, blocking Hong Mei's path.
After circling around once, Hong Mei stopped being polite and followed the rules, and said, "Make way."
"No."
"How long are you going to pester me, young master?"
"Until you agree."
Hong Mei turned her head away. "Born into this worldly society, there is no possibility between a servant and a young master. Public opinion is a fearsome thing."
"You don't like wealth and luxury, but I can..."
“I am just an ordinary person in this world, how could I not like wealth and glory? I am just insecure.”
Jiang Taolue lowered his eyes, his hands unconsciously clenching together. "Then I feel even more inferior in front of you. Can you be a little more proud? Father is more open-minded than most heads of high-ranking families. He won't obstruct me, and neither will Nian Nian. So why care about other people's opinions? You just need to face yourself and ask yourself whether you like me or not?"
Hong Mei remained silent. The master and young lady would not stop her, but she had been warned by the Jiang clan members more than once. Were those people outsiders?
Jiang Taolue stepped forward, slowly reached out, and grasped Hong Mei's shoulder. "I like you, and I'm willing to wait for you."
**
Inside Consort Xian's palace, Wei Yangwan peeled a pear for his mother, saying, "Mother, please try this."
Consort Guo, who was still "recovering from her injuries," glanced at her handsome but immature son and clicked her tongue in amazement.
He has a shrewd face, but he's actually silly and heartless.
The woman, adorned with gold hairpins and floral ornaments, was exasperated with her son and nudged his head. "Has the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review discussed important matters of state with you recently? How do you plan to recruit Wei Qin?"
The Ministry of Personnel, the head of the Six Ministries, is responsible for selecting civil officials. Wei Qin, at a young age, has become the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and is a favorite of the Emperor, with a promising future ahead of him.
Wei Yangwan took a bite of the pear that his mother had refused, "Don't forget, Tao Qian almost killed Wei Qin, how can we recruit him now?"
"Tao Qian is dead, so this debt should be settled on him. What does it have to do with us? Wei Qin is at odds with the Crown Prince, and he will inevitably support a prince once he has gained enough power. Are you going to wait for your brothers to get there first?"
“Wei Qin and I don’t get along either.”
“That’s different. The Crown Prince is coveting Wei Qin’s wife.” Consort Guo was so angry at her son’s stupidity that her head was throbbing. She rubbed her forehead ribbon and said, “Recruit the Jiang family’s father-in-law and son-in-law to work for you as soon as possible.”
Tao Qian's loss was extremely disadvantageous to them, and they urgently needed new forces to fill the void.
Wei Yangwan walked out of the palace gate, clutching his head, feeling utterly miserable. It wasn't like he hadn't tried; things just hadn't gone as planned.
The young man arrived at the back alley of the Jiang residence and sat sullenly on the bluestone road. He had no silver tongue, so how could he persuade this shrewd father-in-law and son-in-law?
My mother is making things difficult for me.
From as far back as he can remember, he was a simpleton who was constantly nagged by his mother to grow up too fast.
"Crunch."
The back door of the Jiang residence was opened, and a cream-colored hunting dog leaped out, heading straight for the boy who hadn't had time to get up.
"Ahhh!"
"Woof woof!"
Qi Bao threw herself onto Wei Yangwan.
Jiang Yinyue calmly approached the terrified boy and looked down at him, asking, "What are you doing here?"
She had already spotted him sneaking around from the second-floor window, along with... Zou Kai standing on a tree branch.
This master and servant pair is truly...special.
Wei Yangwan, who was being treated like a giant toy by Qi Bao, grinned and said, "Get it away."
"Beg me."
"Please, please!"
Jiang Yinyue pulled Qi Bao over and nudged the boy, "What is it?"
"To bribe your father and your husband."
"Then you've come to the wrong place. Wei Qin isn't at the residence."
"You're getting a divorce? Don't rekindle your old flame with the Crown Prince, or it will be bad for me!"
Jiang Yinyue released Qibao again, which frightened the boy into screaming.
After a while, the two leaned against the wall and exchanged casual insults.
After a while of teasing, Jiang Yinyue sat down on the ground like a young boy, and said arrogantly, "Wouldn't it be better to be a carefree prince in the future? Why do you have to fight for power?"
If the crown prince were to ascend the throne one day, he might very well make an example of his third brother, who was always vying for power and influence.
"The characters 'Yang Wan' in my name were chosen randomly. My father has high hopes for me."
Jiang Yinyue was too lazy to remind him that the Crown Prince's name contained the character "宸" (Chen), and thought, "How silly of you."
"So delicate and sweet."
"Fool."
"Spoiled brat".
The two kissed each other until a blush appeared at one end of the alley.
The setting sun lengthened his shadow, stretching it straight out.
Her excessively fair skin blended with the setting sun, like a brush dipped in red ink, creating a splash of color in a water vessel.
Wei Yangwan leaned against the wall, his head resting on his folded hands. "An uninvited guest."
Wei Qin ignored her and went straight to Jiang Yinyue, who was sitting improperly. He knelt down, didn't say a word, and just stared at the woman.
The boy, separated by an invisible barrier, curled his lip. "He's been kicked out of his family. What's the point of coming back? If you ask me, he's already a third-rank official. He shouldn't be stuck being a live-in son-in-law anymore. He should go and establish his own household, buy a house, become the head of the family, and take ten or eight concubines. How impressive would that be! Alas, even the most beautiful water can't compare to the charm of a gentle stream."
Wei Qin could easily hear the boy's sarcasm, but he simply ignored him and stared intently at Jiang Yinyue.
The boy stretched and said, "Zou Kai, help this prince to his feet."
Zou Kai jumped down from the tree branch, picked up the boy, and disappeared in a few swift steps. He had no intention of interfering in their private matters.
The boy's angry shouts echoed through the alley.
As silence fell, just as Wei Qin was about to speak, Jiang Yinyue stood up, dusted off her skirt, and silently walked past.
"Miss."
“I told you, if this happens again, I will call for help.”
"I just want to see Miss."
“I did see him.” Jiang Yinyue thought of something and said solemnly, “Your Excellency is a third-rank official, so please stop calling me ‘Miss’ from now on. I cannot accept that.”
“Wei Qin will always be loyal to Miss.” Wei Qin stopped Jiang Yinyue. “Wei Yihe is too.”
Jiang Yinyue was unmoved by reason. She took out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve and stuffed them into Wei Qin's leather belt. "Consider those two boxes of rouge and face powder as me being cheated. Here are five hundred taels. We're even now."
"What I owe Miss is more than five hundred taels."
"No need to pay back the debt; consider it a reward for stopping you from bothering me anymore."
Wei Qin looked down at the silver notes in his leather belt, feeling a sense of loneliness as if he had been kicked out of the house.
He had noticed long ago that the woman in front of him had a smile as radiant as a peach blossom, but when she didn't smile, she was as cold as ice. The way she was dismissing him now showed no trace of nostalgia or reluctance.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Please proceed, Your Excellency."
Jiang Yinyue took a step forward, and when she heard footsteps behind her, she raised her voice: "Someone come here."
Several female guards flew out of the mansion and landed between the two men.
With overwhelming momentum and heroic bearing.
"Young master, please wait!"
Having learned from yesterday's lesson, Jiang Yinyue specifically ordered her guards not to look after Wei Qin again, especially Hong Mei.
Although they didn't know why the young couple had quarreled, their duty was to protect their young lady. As the leader, Hong Mei clasped her hands and coughed, saying, "Please, young master, have some self-respect."
The others said in unison, "Please, young master, have some self-respect!"
Wei Qin watched Jiang Yinyue's figure disappear through the wall of people. The bright moon that was so close to the water had become a cold moon that was far away and unreachable in the sky.
He took a step back and lifted his sleeve.
Hongmei led the group in bowing, then took the lead in leaving.
Wei Qin was the only one left in the alley.
The moon was high in the sky, and the sound of the night watchman's clapper echoed at midnight.
Awakened from the nightmare, Jiang Yinyue curled up in a ball, lifting the curtain to glance at the lit-up boudoir. Unlike the crowded east wing of the Wei family, her boudoir could accommodate several of the Wei family's east wing rooms.
The feeling of emptiness also intensified.
Jiang Yinyue put on her outer robe, walked to the table to drink water, her eyebrows twitched slightly, and went to the window, pushing open a crack to peek outside.
In the dimly lit back alley, that figure still lingers.
Alone.
-----------------------
Author's note: 50 small red envelopes~
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