"Oh? What did she say to you?" Jiang asked curiously.
Jiang Qianniang shook her head. "She didn't say anything to me, but I heard her tell a story to her maid. Aunt, do you know about the history of the 'pseudo-dynasty' in the early days of the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
Jiang thought for a moment and asked, "Is it the part about Xia Weiming's rebellion?"
Jiang Qianniang nodded. "Emperor Gaozu came to settle scores after the autumn harvest and killed the entire Xia family, including everyone in the capital. Everyone with the surname Xia was implicated, and many who originally had the surname changed their names. There was a family in Chuzhou named Mao whose daughter had married a carpenter named Xia years earlier. This carpenter was framed by another carpenter in their village, accused of being a remnant of a rebellion, and thrown into jail. The Mao family had nothing to do with this incident, but one night, a group of people broke into the Mao family's home and stole all their valuables. The government turned a blind eye. Such incidents were common at the time, and for the twenty-plus years of Emperor Gaozu's reign, no family dared to marry their daughter to a man with the surname Xia. People later called this the 'disaster of in-laws.'"
"The trouble caused by in-laws?" Jiang murmured.
"At the time, I thought Mrs. Gao was just casually reciting an anecdote and didn't take it seriously. But after returning home, I thought more and more about it. Previously, the Han family wanted to do a grain and oil business in Shunzhou and asked our Jiang family to be their connection. My father, thanks to this in-law relationship, helped out for a while, but he didn't expect that the business would be snatched away by the Gao family in the end. Not long after that, problems arose with the Jiang family's land, and they had to face off against the Gao family again."
Jiang frowned and said, "It's me who has caused trouble for the Jiang family."
Jiang Qianniang shook her head. "Aunt, please don't say that. How can we, as daughters, make the decision on our own about marriage? No matter which family we marry into, it's all for the benefit of the family."
Jiang felt much better after hearing this. With red eyes, she asked, "If it wasn't arranged by the elders, who would be willing to marry a man who has both sons and daughters and is two years older than her?"
Jiang Qianniang took Jiang's hand and said, "So no matter what, the Jiang family still owes you, Aunt. My father knows this in his heart. Just rest assured, Aunt."
After the conversation, the relationship between the aunt and niece became much closer.
"What should we do now? Do I need to go to the master and persuade him?" Jiang asked, wiping her tears.
Jiang Qianniang asked, "Will Mr. Han mention such a major event in the Han family to you, Aunt?"
Jiang shook her head and said bluntly, "Maybe it's because I haven't been in the Han family for long. For a long time, I felt like an outsider. The Han family wouldn't tell me anything, so it's good that they finally let me know."
Jiang suspected she had no children, while the children left by Master Han's deceased wife were already grown. Old Master Han even hinted at bypassing Master Han and allowing Han Yunqian to manage the Han family. Master Han seemed indifferent to their relationship. Since their marriage, they had achieved very few things, and Master Han seemed to have no desire to add to the family. All of this made Jiang feel a sense of belonging within the Han family.
"Then, Aunt, please don't mention it for now. It would be bad if you bring it up," Jiang Qianniang said. "Don't worry. The Han family must have had some smart people to get to where they are today. We're going to the Yanbei Palace to meet the Xiao family's young mistress today. Someone with ulterior motives will definitely see this. If he's smart enough, he won't just sit there and wait for death. And after this incident, your status in the Han family will definitely change. The Han family won't neglect you anymore. They'll definitely need you someday."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com