Within a few days, the emperor verified that the evidence submitted by He Jiuniang was genuine and announced it to the world, clearing the Jiang family's name.
Meanwhile, news that He Jiuniang was the granddaughter of the Jiang family spread throughout the capital.
The mansion bestowed by the emperor is currently under renovation. Jiang Ruoya plans to hold a grand family reunion banquet and have her daughter added to the family genealogy once she moves into the Jiang family.
Jiang Ruoya grew up in the capital and knew many people when she was young. They thought she had died more than 20 years ago, but now that they know she is still alive, has inherited the Jiang family business, and her children will inherit the title, many people want to see her and catch up.
However, before this, Jiang Ruoya had been experiencing some emotional distress and threatened miscarriage, so she rarely saw anyone and only wanted to wait until the family reunion banquet to meet everyone again.
Unable to find Jiang Ruoya, these people had no choice but to go to He Jiuniang.
He Jiuniang originally hated these kinds of things the most, but since this matter was related to her own mother, she would meet with anyone who sent a visiting card as a token of her respect.
On this day, Lady Hu, the wife of the Earl of Chang'an, came to visit.
This wouldn't have been unusual; they would have just treated her like a regular guest. However, Hu was Jiang Ruoya's best friend from childhood, and the two were very close. Therefore, He Jiuniang showed more sincerity and was much more friendly than when she met other people.
He Jiuniang greeted her with a smile, but Hu Shi entered in tears.
The Lu family was always filled with laughter and joy; even when they cried, it was because they were so happy they couldn't control their tears.
Most importantly, everyone believes that laughing brings good luck and fortune, while crying brings bad luck, especially when crying in someone else's house.
When Madam Hu first visited, she came crying, not in a happy, laughing way, but in a very sad way.
He Jiu Niang frowned the moment she saw it. How could this person, who had lived most of his life, be so clueless?
The first visit was like a funeral procession; anyone would feel good in that situation.
So, He Jiuniang's smile disappeared.
"What is Lady Chang'an doing? Did you suffer some humiliation at the gates of my Lu family? Why are you crying like this?"
He Jiuniang spoke with a forced smile, her tone was light and airy, and her face clearly showed her displeasure.
Seeing He Jiuniang's emotions and realizing her mistake, Madam Hu hurriedly wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and said, "Madam Lu, you misunderstand. The General's Mansion is of course wonderful in every way. It's just that when I think of Ruoya and your experiences over the years, I can't help but feel sad. That's why you have to see this."
As she spoke, she wiped away her tears and smiled again, but there were still tears in the corners of her eyes, making her look pitiful.
This makes He Jiuniang seem rather harsh.
But He Jiuniang didn't care about any of that. She had a bad first impression of Hu Shi, so she didn't want to get involved. She just wanted to deal with her casually and send her away.
Seeing that He Jiuniang didn't speak, Madam Hu didn't mind and sighed softly, saying, "Your mother Ruoya and I have been close friends for many years. When I learned about the Jiang family's troubles, I asked my family to help us, but we didn't find out anything before the news spread that the entire Jiang family had committed suicide out of fear of punishment. It's really a cruel twist of fate!"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but start crying again, looking genuinely heartbroken.
Considering that the person was ultimately upset about her maternal grandfather's family situation, He Jiuniang ultimately held back.
"Thank you, Madam, for your hard work in helping my maternal grandfather's family. Fortunately, after twenty years, the injustice of that year has finally been redressed, and my maternal grandfather's family can finally rest in peace."
He Jiuniang kept her company as she spoke, and Madam Hu began to cry again: "It's just that you and your mother have suffered so much! You've been forced to separate for so many years, and I don't even know what kind of life you've been living! When I first heard people talk about you, I wondered which young lady you were, that you were so outstanding. I never expected you to be Ruoya's daughter, so I'm not surprised at all."
"You flatter me, Madam."
He Jiuniang smiled officially.
“Your mother and I are good friends. It would be too formal for you to call me that. Why don’t you call me Auntie? That way, our two families can visit each other more often! It will be more convenient for you to have someone you know to help you make arrangements since you’re new to the capital.”
He Jiuniang was puzzled. Did she need her to take care of something?
As for calling her "Auntie," she still couldn't bring herself to do it. Whether she was Jiang Ruoya's friend was still up for debate; she couldn't just randomly claim kinship.
At this moment, Lianhua came in with people to serve tea. She had been accompanying He Jiuniang to receive guests for the past few days.
Since Lei Zi will be pursuing a career in politics in the future, there will be many such situations. Let her learn first so that she won't panic later.
Lotus was beautiful and knew how to dress well. She caught Hu's eye as soon as she entered, but Hu was instantly displeased by Lotus's appearance.
She turned to He Jiuniang and said, "You're such a kind-hearted child, letting the servants dress up like this, they're practically stealing your thunder. General Lu is young and impetuous, you'd better be careful!"
Lotus's eyes widened instantly upon hearing this. What on earth was this lady saying?!
"aunt……"
Before she could speak, He Jiuniang interrupted, "Isn't it natural for young girls to dress up nicely? Do you think all the maids in the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion dress up like old nuns?"
"Pfft..."
The maids around her couldn't help but laugh out loud. Madam Hu's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. She said, "I'm doing this for your own good, but since you don't care, I won't say anything more."
He Jiuniang then explained, "Madam, you misunderstand. This is not a maid, but my second sister-in-law's niece. She is currently being raised under the care of my second brother and sister-in-law and is engaged to my eldest grandson. They will get married when they are a little older."
To be more specific, lest she go out and tarnish Lotus's reputation.
Unexpectedly, Madam Hu immediately asked, "Is she your future granddaughter-in-law who's always out in public?"
That tone, that attitude—where was the heartbroken look from when she first came in?
She glanced at Lotus again, her face full of contempt and disdain, and deep disgust.
It had been a long time since anyone had dared to show such an expression to Lianhua in front of He Jiuniang. If it were in the past, Lianhua would definitely have felt wronged and hid behind He Jiuniang, but not this time.
She looked at Madam Hu with a smile and said, "I didn't expect that Madam would recognize me. That's quite a surprise!"
Hu immediately put on a disgusted look and said to He Jiuniang, "Tell her to leave. I want to talk to you alone for a few minutes."
If it weren't for wanting to see what she was up to, He Jiuniang would have slapped her away long ago.
Seeing how much malice she harbored towards Lianhua, He Jiuniang worried about leaving behind any potential problems, so she let Lianhua leave.
As soon as Lianhua left, Madam Hu said, "You child, you're really foolish!"
He Jiuniang sneered: "What do you mean by that?"
"Oh dear, why don't you understand! Your family is now of high status, and you have plenty of noble ladies to marry. Why would you want an orphan who is always showing her face in public and doesn't have a powerful family to support her?"
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