“I know you’re feeling indignant on behalf of your uncle. Fortunately, his condition has improved and he’ll be able to return home soon. I’ll find him a better doctor then, and whatever his illness may be, I’m sure he’ll recover.”
"As for the rest... His Majesty's attitude is clear, so you shouldn't insist."
He lowered his voice.
"At worst, we'll investigate privately and get revenge for him."
Jiang Wan remained silent.
Jiang Linyuan's words made perfect sense, but he didn't know that only Emperor Jingyuan could accomplish what she wanted to do.
She obediently replied, "I understand, Father."
Jiang Linyuan nodded and turned to walk towards the banquet.
Jiang Wan stood there, her smile gradually fading.
Soon, Pei Tang's birthday banquet will begin.
Pei Tang wore a phoenix-tail dress adorned with butterflies and flowers, and a ruby pomegranate headdress. She swayed gracefully as she walked, radiant and captivating.
Clearly, it was the Empress who deliberately dressed her up.
As Emperor Jingyuan's most beloved daughter and the hostess of today's banquet, she entered the hall amidst the attention of everyone and sat with Pei Xuan below the Emperor and Empress.
On the other side, the concubines and several princes and princesses sat in order.
Jiang Wan raised her eyes and looked at the group of people.
Pei Feng sat behind Consort Yun, his face somber.
Ever since the imperial physician announced that the scars on his face could not be removed, he had become completely dejected.
After the court officials who had once followed him realized that he had no hope of ascending the throne, they gradually abandoned him. Pei Feng became despondent and rarely appeared in public.
Pei Xi, who sat next to him, was very lively. His eyes darted around the table, seemingly observing something.
Consort Yun glanced at him, and he composed himself and adopted a dignified sitting posture.
Pei Jin sat opposite him, her head slightly lowered, as silent as ever.
A while ago, he interfered in the affairs of merchants, and Emperor Jingyuan noticed his relationship with the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and treated him coldly.
He must be having a hard time too, and he can no longer care about Song Tingyue in prison.
Jiang Wan chuckled inwardly.
I vaguely felt a cold gaze coming from my side.
She turned her head and met Gu Yurong's indignant eyes.
Perhaps because of the warning from the old lady, Gu Yurong no longer made a scene. Although she could not hide the resentment in her eyes as she stared at Jiang Wan, she still sat obediently in her original place and dared not do anything reckless.
Jiang Wan completely ignored this hatred, which posed no real threat.
She looked at the matriarch in front of her and whispered, "Grandmother, I heard that a few days ago another censor impeached the general, saying that he was incompetent and muddleheaded in guarding the tiger tally."
"The censors are always full of sour words, finding fault with others." The matriarch of the Yuan family also knew about this matter, and said coldly, "Ziyu has already handed over the tiger tally, what more do they want?"
"When the imperial censors offer advice to the emperor and reprimand the officials, they cannot easily offend him."
Jiang Wan pointed to the seat below Consort Yun.
"Look, that's Censor Xu's wife, Lady Zhang. Censor Xu is very popular with the Emperor, and his words carry a lot of weight."
"I have already spoken to Madam Sun of the Minister's residence and asked her to introduce me to Madam Zhang. If I can get along well with her, I'm sure those censors will be more lenient with the general."
The elder lady looked in the direction she was pointing.
Perhaps because the marriage with the Xu family was about to take place, Consort Yun specially arranged for the women of the Xu family to sit next to her, showing them great care.
As the head of the Imperial Censorate, the Xu family held a pivotal position among the officials who spoke out against the emperor, something the matriarch of the family was well aware of.
Furthermore, the upcoming marriage of Xu's daughter to the Third Prince adds to the family's prestige.
The matriarch glanced at Jiang Wan, then lowered her eyelids and said, "No need."
She didn't believe that Jiang Wan would make friends with others for Song Ziyu's sake.
Even if you do befriend them, you won't be able to say anything nice about them.
With Jiang Wan's cunning, she could easily add a few more charges against Ziyu with just a few words, which would only worsen the situation for the General's Mansion.
As the matriarch pondered, she remarked that she had made the right choice in coming.
Gu Yurong is secondary; the most important thing today is to keep an eye on Jiang Wan and prevent her from saying anything inappropriate.
The matriarch said, "I suddenly remembered that I left the heart-protecting pills I brought with me in the carriage today. It's almost time to take the medicine. Could you go and get them?"
Jiang Wan knew that this was an attempt to get her out of the way, so she nodded and said, "Grandmother, I'll go now." Then she got up and left.
The matriarch felt relieved when she saw that she had left obediently.
As for the Zhang family mentioned by Jiang Wan…
She had never thought about this before, but now that she was reminded, she realized that if she could maintain a good relationship with the Xu family, it would indeed be beneficial to the General's Mansion.
Now that we've met, this is an opportunity to show goodwill.
After a moment's thought, the matriarch said to Granny Wu, "I'm getting old and can't stand sweets anymore. Send this plate of fresh flower milk cake from my table to Miss Xu. She loves this the most."
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