The trees are towering, and the vegetation is serene.
It was still that same large courtyard, with high walls and deep locks, and bluestone paving the ground. There were no fewer than a hundred palace maids coming and going, yet it was completely silent.
The air was as quiet as a tomb.
Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared at the courtyard gate. It was Song Yi, who looked like a scholar and was nothing like a merchant.
Song Yi entered the courtyard in a few steps, passed through without hindrance, and finally stopped at the deepest part of the house.
The people inside seemed to have been waiting for him. As soon as he appeared, the maid kneeling by the door pushed open the door and invited him in.
Song Yi strode in, his steps still careful not to make a sound.
He walked past bookshelves taller than himself and came to a screen in a few steps.
Behind the screen sat a man in black robes, sitting cross-legged. The room was dimly lit, making it impossible to see his face clearly, but his imposing presence made people afraid to look directly at him.
"Your Highness."
Before speaking, Song Yi knelt down respectfully before moving to the man's side. After a brief whisper, the man chuckled softly.
"They're clever enough to have someone follow them."
"Why is Your Highness praising her? It's because she caused Your Highness to have an affair with that cripple. That cripple is of bad character and a shameless scoundrel. If word gets out, how will Your Highness face the consequences?"
An old nanny suddenly entered from outside; she was the same one who had brought food to the man in black last time.
The old woman, who held a high position, brought in some nourishing congee and side dishes. Upon seeing the wine cup on the man in black's table, she quickly told the maid to put it away.
"Your Highness's injuries have not yet healed; how can you drink alcohol?"
After saying that, he pointed at Song Yi and said, "It's all your fault. If you hadn't been telling His Highness every day that the eldest daughter of the Jiang family was exceptionally intelligent and had a talent for business, and that His Highness should recruit her, why would His Highness have sent that cripple to test her?"
Seeing that the old woman was so busy that her feet barely touched the ground, yet she still remembered to criticize him, Song Yi greeted her with a smile and helped her place the side dishes on the table.
"Don't worry, Granny. I was the one who negotiated with that cripple from beginning to end. We met discreetly. Besides, I've already ordered my guards to deal with him. From now on, there will be no one like him in the capital. He certainly won't implicate Your Highness."
"Really? Then I'm relieved. But speaking of which, Miss Jiang is really careful. Usually, when a young wife encounters someone like this, she either just cries or finds a few people to deal with the cripple. After all, he's just a mere merchant, and the kind who does no decent things. With the power of the Marquis's mansion, it wouldn't be difficult for him to disappear. But she went and sent Fourth Miss Pei to the imperial concubine selection, and even had Old Madam Pei deal with Fourth Master. The witness was Fourth Madam herself, so we couldn't find any evidence against her."
"That's right. The young mistress is always decisive in business and is not a timid person. I was just waiting for her to kill someone to cover it up, but I didn't expect her to do things the way she always does."
The old woman asked in confusion, "She's so mature for her age. Has Old Madam Pei given her some guidance? That old lady has served two dynasties and is always very careful in her actions."
"No, according to the information sent back by the secret guards, the young mistress was in charge of this whole thing from beginning to end."
"I see. No wonder you speak so highly of her."
"Granny, this is nothing. I'll take you to Donglai Street another day. Those so-called jade beds and gold horses are all utterly inferior. Not only are priceless glass doors and windows everywhere, but even the street lamp shades exposed to the sun and wind are made of glass. Don't laugh at me, but I can't sleep peacefully at night, afraid that one day I'll open my eyes and find two lamp shades missing."
"Look at you, you didn't make her work for His Highness, but instead you made yourself work for her."
"Well, there's nothing I can do. It was agreed upon beforehand. But after following her on business trips for a while, I have indeed made some progress. She's good at business and is also the young mistress of the Marquis's mansion. If we can bring her to His Highness's side, wouldn't the Marquis's mansion also become an ally of His Highness..."
"You wish! Don't you even consider whether she'll give you that chance?" The man in black, who had been silently drinking his porridge, suddenly chuckled.
"Besides, I was just testing her, and yet you've all developed so many suspicions."
"What! I always thought you had taken a liking to her..."
"Just boredom." The man in black said, slightly raising his chin as he looked at the garden full of flowers and plants.
The flowers and plants were lush and vibrant, yet he saw no joy or sorrow in them.
These priceless and precious flowers and plants were no different from weeds in his eyes.
"After Father Emperor reprimanded the nobles who were lending money at exorbitant interest rates, my eldest and second brothers have both quieted down."
“This is really boring. Send someone to check on Miss Jiang again. She did a good job this time, and the old lady of the Pei family will probably reward her.”
The Marquis's Residence.
Jiang Shuwan had just gone to see the servant who was being carried away when she was summoned by Old Madam Pei.
"Are your men alright?"
"Old lady, how did you know I sent someone to follow the cripple?"
"Young mistress, the old lady has also sent people to follow us," said Mama Chang as she served tea.
Jiang Shuwan's gaze towards Old Madam Pei also began to show admiration.
"Grandma, I don't know when you discovered that the cripple had a problem."
"The afternoon he arrived."
"..."
Jiang Shuwan was shocked.
"There's no need to look at me like that. When I said I was willing to exchange 100,000 taels of silver for the marriage certificate, I've been the matriarch of the Marquis's mansion for decades. I've seen all kinds of people. Let alone a mere merchant, even if the other party is a high-ranking official of the first or second rank, they would still give me face. That cripple refused to comply to the death, and I knew that there must be someone behind him. It's just that you weren't there at the time. If you had been there, you would have also discovered the problem."
"Besides, didn't you discover the problem quickly too? Otherwise, how could a mere merchant have the audacity to stand up to the Marquis's mansion?"
Jiang Shuwan nodded. She did indeed think that the cripple was too arrogant, which was why she began to suspect that he had someone backing him.
"Grandma, how are the people you sent doing?"
"Have you found any leads?"
"No, they were all knocked unconscious." Old Madam Pei shook her head, her face very solemn.
The guards he sent were left behind by the old Marquis, each one a top-notch fighter, far superior to Jiang Shuwan's servants.
Such a person, whose martial prowess was no less than that of the Imperial Guards, was easily defeated.
Looking across the capital, there are no more than five people with this kind of ability.
On the other side, Jiang Shuwan's mind was also racing.
According to the timeline of the previous life, at this point, the eldest prince and the crown prince were fighting to the death. The old marquis resigned from his post to observe mourning, and the marquis's mansion had no power, which allowed the mansion to escape this turmoil.
In this life, the old lady's life was saved, and the old marquis remained the commander of the Imperial Guards.
Goodness~~
Could they be involved in the succession controversy?
The Marquis's Mansion has always been upright and honest, serving only as a loyal subject of His Majesty. Those princes probably want to force the Marquis's Mansion to take sides by using Pei Shushu's marriage.
Fortunately, she was an outstanding young socialist woman who had always abided by the law and never considered resorting to murder and robbery to resolve the matter; otherwise, she would have been caught red-handed immediately.
Thank goodness!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com