He went to the capital, to the residence of the Minister of Works.
Cheng sat on the bed with a sullen face, staring blankly at the three dishes and soup laid out in front of her, a disdainful smirk on her lips.
Fu Ting won't let her go out, so she'll go on a hunger strike! If the matriarch of the Minister's mansion were to starve to death, who knows what kind of criticism the Minister of Works would face?
He won't let her have an easy time, so she'll naturally find a way to turn the mansion upside down!
"Madam, please eat something! Master is not in the manor, and without the Second Young Master and the Concubine's permission, I cannot leave and will not be able to see Old Master Cheng and the Old Madam! Please eat something first, and I will think of another way later!" Cheng's maid pleaded earnestly.
Cheng sat motionless like a statue, not even blinking.
The maid had no choice but to go back and report to Aunt Li.
Cheng has been on a hunger strike for three days. If she were to starve herself to death, none of the servants in the mansion would escape responsibility, especially those who served her closely!
Aunt Li lifted her eyelids slightly and said calmly, "I'll go see Madam."
The maidservant hurriedly followed.
Upon seeing Aunt Li enter, Madam Cheng simply closed her eyes.
They completely ignored Aunt Li.
She wouldn't even stoop to argue with a lowly concubine!
Aunt Li sat down at the table, looked at the rather exquisite three dishes and soup on the table, and said, "Master is in Yuzhou and will not be able to return to the capital for some time!"
Cheng raised an eyelid but didn't move.
"I estimate it will take at least four or five more days, and possibly seven or eight if it's slow. If Madam can't hold on any longer, she can have a drink of water. Even if she dies, she must die in front of Master, otherwise all her suffering will have been in vain!"
The maid standing to the side, her heart pounding, stole a glance at the ashen-faced lady and silently took two steps back.
Cheng was so angry that she wanted to smash all the plates on the table onto Aunt Li's head, but she was too weak to even get out of bed, let alone hit anyone.
"Oh, right, there's something I forgot to tell you, Madam. A few days ago, Master sent someone with a message to me, saying that he met my mentor's family in Yuzhou and asked me to send someone to clean and tidy up their residence. I should have informed you, Madam, but I was afraid you might do something rash..."
When Aunt Li's gaze met Cheng's murderous stare, she lightly withdrew it and cut off her words at the opportune moment.
"So what if Second Uncle is in Yuzhou? Even if he comes back... What did you just say? Who did Fu Ting meet in Yuzhou? Second Uncle... his whole family? Li Yun, explain yourself clearly, who exactly did Fu Ting meet in Yuzhou!"
Cheng Shi, supporting herself on the edge of the bed, stood up unsteadily, her eyes gleaming with a cold, eerie light.
But Aunt Li could clearly see fear, guilt, and many other indescribable emotions in her eyes.
She stood up with a smile, walked two steps away from Madam Cheng, raised her chin slightly, and said with a smile, "You heard me right, Master met Grand Tutor Cheng in Yuzhou... and her daughter, Cheng Mei! What a coincidence, Sister Mei is also in Yuzhou. Because of a painting theft case, Sister Mei and her father reunited in Yuzhou!"
Cheng was trembling all over, her eyes filled with shock and fear. "Cheng Mei is back too? What does the painting theft case have to do with Cheng Mei? Second Uncle protected Jiang and her brother because he took Jiang's brother as his disciple. What does that have to do with Cheng Mei!"
Aunt Li looked at Madam Cheng with pity, but her tone carried a hint of indescribable pleasure. "Yes, Madam doesn't know yet, does she? The mother of the Jiang siblings rushed from Guyang County to Yuzhou intending to seek justice for her children. Guess what? Hahaha...!"
From Aunt Li's laughter, Cheng heard the facts and truths that she was unwilling to face and could not believe. She walked step by step to Aunt Li, grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard.
"You're talking nonsense! How could the mother of the Jiang siblings be Cheng Mei! The Jiang family's surname is Jiang, and her brother's surname is Jiao. What rubbish are you spouting!"
“If Madam hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. Sister Mei’s husband’s surname is Jiao, and he’s from Huaigu Village in Guyang County. Our eldest son’s given name after changing his surname is Jiao Yan, right…? Master has been gone for so many days. I’m sure it’s not just about reuniting with old friends, but also about staying to reunite with relatives or something…”
"No! This is impossible! Impossible!" Madam Cheng tried to push Aunt Li with all her might as a madwoman, but Aunt Li pushed her away hard and she fell heavily to the ground.
When Cheng fell, even her hair was disheveled.
She waved her hands and shouted incoherently, "You're lying to me! This isn't true! Cheng Mei can't be Yuan'er's adoptive mother, I don't believe it!"
Aunt Li looked down at her, saying with no small amount of sarcasm, "Cheng Lan, you used every means and schemed every day, but did you ever expect to end up like this? Sister Mei's family was destroyed because of you and your mother, yet she raised your son. Your only son, whom you could rely on, has fallen in love with Sister Mei's daughter. Tell me, which is greater, the debt of giving birth or the debt of raising? Is a heartless birth mother more important, or your beloved woman and son? Cheng Lan, you are destined to die a tragic death. You have lived a pitiful, pathetic, and hateful joke!"
Cheng kept shaking his head, muttering "impossible" and "I don't believe it," as if he had gone mad.
"Close the door, whether she eats it or not is up to her!" Aunt Li said, turning and leaving the room.
At the same time, several fast horses set off from the capital city of Shangjing and headed straight for Yuzhou.
When Jiang Shan was summoned back from outside to receive the imperial edict, he was still completely bewildered.
The imperial edict was received at the entrance of Jiang's Private Kitchen.
Master Wu invited the teachers from the academy to dinner at Jiang's Private Kitchen. Master Xunmei gave his disciple face and brought Sanlang to the banquet.
As soon as the grandfather and grandson arrived downstairs, a palace guard, accompanied by a eunuch, came from the Jiang residence to the shop and ran into Mr. Xunmei.
The eunuch recognized Mr. Xunmei, so he stepped forward, bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, and exclaimed with delight, "Grand Tutor, this old servant is so glad to finally meet you!"
Mr. Xunmei warmly stepped forward to help the eunuch up, and said with a smile, "It's been many years since I've seen Eunuch Hou. How have you been?"
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Eunuch Hou explained his purpose.
After a moment's thought, Mr. Xunmei, too lazy to bother with any more trouble, accepted the imperial decree in the shop.
This is a big deal!
An Jing immediately ordered everyone to set up incense tables and candlesticks, and then sent people to find the ancestors who had received the imperial decree!
So many people, some shopping, some buying groceries, some inspecting shops, some riding horses, waited for almost an hour!
Jiang Shan had gone quite far, so in the end, Fu Qiyuan had to personally go and bring her back, circling half of Yuzhou City.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Jiang Shan asked, looking around as he got off the carriage.
Fu Shuzhi scratched his head, "Grandma, we've been waiting for you and the young master, hurry up!"
Jiang Shan stepped forward and saw a group of people kneeling on the ground at the door.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
