Chapter 13 Guilty Heart
Chen Tang walked all the way to Cuibai Courtyard without asking the maid to inform him and went straight into the house.
Walking around the double-sided embroidered screen with flowers, birds and mountains and rivers, Chen Tang saw Old Madam Jiang sitting on the Luohan couch, her hair neatly combed but her temples already white.
At this moment, Old Madam Jiang and the wife of the Earl of Yongning were having a very pleasant conversation.
Old Master Jiang was an imperial censor, and the Jiang family had a long tradition of poetry and etiquette. They were not the kind of people who would easily think the worst of others. The wife of the Earl of Yongning was also very good at networking and was very diplomatic. Who could have known that behind her smiling face she had dug such a bottomless pit for the Jiang family.
Chen Tang walked over, and the maid saw her and said, "Cousin..."
Hearing the maid's shout, Old Lady Jiang noticed that Chen Tang had come in. She was startled at first, and then her eyes were filled with tears.
Chen Tang looked so much like Jiang that at first glance, Madam Jiang thought she saw her own daughter.
Chen Tang stepped forward, bowed to Old Madam Jiang, and called out with a sob, "Grandma..."
We all lived in Kyoto, not far away from each other, but it felt like hundreds of miles apart.
Madam Jiang didn't care that the wife of the Earl of Yongning was there, and waved her hands repeatedly, "Come here quickly, let grandma take good care of you."
Chen Tang walked forward, and Madam Jiang held Chen Tang's hand tightly and said, "You are injured, aren't you? Why don't you stay in the mansion to recuperate, but come to the Jiang family?"
Chen Tang sniffed and said, "I am here on behalf of my mother to pay my respects to you and grandpa."
The Prince of Jingyang was unconscious, but Chen Tang stood in front of the bridal sedan, insisting that he would wake up even without the wedding, and even gambled with his own life. This matter spread like wildfire as the empty bridal sedan was carried back to the Prince of Jingyang's mansion, and everyone knew about it.
After Prince Jingyang woke up, everyone became even more curious. Chen Tang fainted, and Concubine Ye even called the Second Wife into the palace for questioning. It also spread that Chen Tang refused the marriage in response to the dream instructions of his deceased mother.
Because of this incident, all the incense, candles and paper money in Kyoto were sold out in the past two days. The supply could not meet the demand, as people were using them to worship their ancestors and pray for blessings.
Thinking of her dead daughter, Mrs. Jiang burst into tears, "It is the Jiang family that let your father and your mother down..."
Chen Tang shook his head. "Mother never blamed the Jiang family. She asked you and grandfather to take care of yourselves, and also asked you to protect your cousin and not let her be schemed by those black-hearted people..."
The first sentence sounds normal, but the second sentence is incomprehensible.
Jiang Li looked at Chen Tang, and Mrs. Jiang's heart was lifted, and the wife of the Earl of Yongning reacted even more.
She was proposing marriage to Old Madam Jiang for her son, Miss Jiang, when the second lady of Pingyuan Marquis's Mansion arrived. It was really embarrassing to see the grandparents crying in front of her, an outsider. She served tea to reduce her presence, but as soon as she picked up the tea, she heard the word "calculate". Her heart skipped a beat and she looked up at Shen Tang, and her eyes met Shen Tang's.
There was a hint of coldness in Chen Tang's eyes, which frightened her so much that she knocked over the teacup.
The wife of the Earl of Yongning knocked over the teacup, and the whole house became chaotic.
The maid hurriedly wiped the tea off her body, but Lady Yongning could no longer stay and said hastily, "I'll take my leave now."
Without waiting for Madam Jiang to speak, Lady Yongning stood up and left quickly.
He walked very fast and hurriedly, as if he would be chased out with a broom if he slowed down.
Although Mrs. Jiang was very anxious to know why she had to protect her daughter, she knew that guests were guests and she had to see the wife of the Earl of Yongning off, so she went out anyway.
Madam Jiang was a little surprised by the panic of Lady Yongning, and the look Chen Tang gave Lady Yongning...
Madam Yongning left in a disorderly manner. Madam Jiang retracted her gaze and looked at Chen Tang, "Madam Yongning, what is this...?"
Shen Tang said indignantly, “She is guilty.”
Guilty?
Old Madam Jiang was shocked.
Could it be that the one who was plotting against Li'er was Lady Yongning...
Even at this moment, Madam Jiang did not think the worst of people. Chen Tang said, "The prince of Yongning is seriously ill and will not live long. Once he dies, the position of prince will be the third young master Li. Madam Yongning is now in a mood to propose marriage to her second son who is not in a hurry to get married. Grandmother, don't you think it's strange?"
This is indeed strange.
Although everyone felt that the illness of the Prince of Yongning was most likely hopeless and the position of Prince was in the pocket of the Third Young Master Li, the Prince of Yongning was not dead yet and the Third Young Master Li was not yet the Prince of the Yongning Marquis's mansion.
The wedding banquet standards for a young master in the Earl's Mansion are still one level lower than that for a prince's.
Besides, the Third Young Master Li is not too old. It won’t be too late to discuss marriage after he becomes the Crown Prince. It is indeed a bit too hasty.
But it is reasonable for a mother to want her son to get married soon and have grandchildren sooner...
Thinking about how panicked the wife of the Earl of Yongning was just now, I was afraid that she really had some plan.
A hint of suspicion flashed through Mrs. Jiang's mind, making her face look ugly. She looked at Chen Tang, who suppressed his anger and said, "The Yongning Marquis's Mansion is just trying to replace the original with the fake, using the guise of the legitimate second son to marry the terminally ill prince to bring good luck."
Mrs. Jiang took a deep breath.
Old Madam Jiang's lips trembled with anger.
Jiang Li's face turned even paler.
If the wife of the Earl of Yongning had not fled on the spot, they could still suspect that Chen Tang had misunderstood, but Chen Tang didn't say anything, and the wife of the Earl of Yongning fled out of guilt.
"This is too much!"
As happy as Old Madam Jiang was just now, she is as angry now.
Old Madam Jiang was so angry that she started coughing violently.
Chen Tang quickly raised his hand to pat her back to help her calm down.
"Grandma, don't get yourself sick from being angry..."
How could Madam Jiang not be angry? If Chen Tang hadn't come in in time, she would have agreed to the marriage.
Afraid that Madam Jiang would be angry with him, Shen Tang changed the subject and said, "I have another good news to tell Grandma."
Madam Jiang looked at Chen Tang, and Chen Tang said, "In my dream, my mother told me that my eldest brother is still alive and in Kyoto, and asked my grandfather and uncle not to send people to look for him everywhere."
Ever since the eldest brother disappeared, the Pingyuan Marquisate and the Jiang family have been sending people to look for him, but after more than ten years, there is still no news.
Many people believed that the eldest brother had been murdered long ago, and even his father had given up hope. His uncle refused to give up and even wanted to ask his eldest brother to resign in order to leave Beijing, but was stopped by his father.
My father knew that my eldest brother’s disappearance was not intentional by the Jiang family. The Jiang family loved my mother, and the two uncles loved my eldest brother even more. If they had a choice, the uncles would rather lose their cousin and get my eldest brother back.
Chen Tang had already told his father Chen Sui the news that his eldest brother was in Kyoto, but one more person looking means one more force. Instead of the Jiang family wasting manpower and financial resources to search all over Daqi, it would be better to concentrate on searching in Kyoto.
Madam Jiang grabbed Chen Tang's hand and cried with joy, "Is your elder brother really in Kyoto? You didn't lie to your grandmother?"
Chen Tang shook his head, “When you find your brother, you will know that I didn’t lie to you.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
