Chapter 17

◎Looking at the Right Husband◎

The Zuo family's patriarch was celebrating his 70th birthday, and invitations had been sent out to all sorts of prominent figures. The Jiang family was also on the list of invitees, and the Zuo family even sent a separate invitation to Jiang He.

Jiang's father also knew about this matter. It was because the Prince of Zuo was trying his best to facilitate this marriage with the Jiang family, fearing that Jiang He would refuse.

Zuo Ji was among Jiang's father's choices, and since the Prince of Zuo was also interested, he was happy to see it happen. If Jiang He really took a liking to the handsome Zuo Ji, it would be good to marry him as her husband.

Jiang He was summoned to the main courtyard by her father early in the morning and changed into the clothes he had prepared for her.

She usually prefers smart clothes, but when she was a playboy, she liked loose and luxurious clothes. She hasn't worn them much in recent years. Now, she's wearing bright brocade robes and a face as white as jade with eyes like stars, looking just like a dashing playboy. But thanks to her calm demeanor, she doesn't seem frivolous.

Father Jiang smiled with satisfaction and said proudly, "That's right, with He'er looking like this, any young man would be unable to take his eyes off her."

"As long as Father is satisfied." Jiang He felt a little uncomfortable, but did not say it aloud.

The carriage was already prepared, and they were just waiting for the appointed time to go to the Zuo family's banquet. Taking advantage of the free time, the Jiang family suddenly wanted to go and take a look at the small courtyard.

It is said that men are extremely weak during their period and should not be troubled or worried. In addition, she has been focusing her energy on managing the business these past few days and has not visited Xue Lingyu.

But he probably doesn't want to see me, Jiang He thought.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Yang Le come up to her with a look of surprise and delight. "Miss, you've finally arrived! Young Master Xue has been waiting for you."

Yang Le was a little anxious, and she didn't know if she had said something wrong. After hearing the news that the young lady was going to meet the young master of the Zuo family, the young master Xue remained silent and didn't even eat much.

If this continues, his health will definitely deteriorate and he will be unable to complete the tasks assigned by his lord, which will be difficult for him to explain.

Jiang He was amused. Xue Lingyu was actually looking forward to her coming? He was probably too busy keeping his distance from her to touch him. Even so, she still stepped inside, saying as she went, "Let's go in and take a look."

Xue Lingyu's room was filled with the things she had given him, and the cotton quilt was also draped over him. He wondered what kind of monster this little life had been that had ravaged his face to such a pale and miserable state.

The commotion Jiang He made outside reached Xue Lingyu's ears, but this time he was prepared and not frightened.

Seeing that his complexion was indeed poor, Jiang He squeezed his cold hand and frowned, saying, "Should we call Doctor Ji to take a look?"

Xue Lingyu had successfully convinced himself to accept Jiang He's touch, but he was still somewhat surprised. Were all women's hands so warm? As he pondered for a moment, the warmth from Jiang He's hands gradually spread to his body.

Xue Lingyu lay half-reclined on the bed, and it took her a long time to wake up from this dreamlike feeling. She shook her head and said, "No need, I'm just a little cold."

"Were you always this sensitive to the cold?" Jiang He asked again.

She has an older brother who has always been very sensitive to the cold and relies on various medications to stay healthy. Every period of her life is a torment for him. At this time, her father would ask a servant to bring brown sugar ginger water and a heater to her brother's courtyard.

Xue Lingyu used to love looking good, even wearing thin but nice clothes in winter, so she thought he wasn't afraid of the cold.

Xue Lingyu nodded reluctantly.

For some reason, whenever Jiang He mentioned the word "past," he would think of the grudges he had with her.

He had never treated Jiang He well in the past; in fact, he was quite rude to her.

"Drinking some brown sugar ginger water should help, and add a few more heaters." Jiang He instructed Yang Le, "Go find Yuan Ge by my side and ask her to take care of these things. Also, if your young master needs anything else, have Yuan Ge take care of it as well."

The implication was that Xue Lingyu would get whatever she wanted.

Seeing that Xue Lingyu remained unmoved, Jiang He's eyes flickered slightly. "Today is the old master of the Zuo family's birthday. If you feel better, I would like to take you there."

He was just a concubine; wouldn't bringing him along be humiliating? Xue Lingyu, taking Jiang He's words as a veiled jab at his current status, coughed lightly and asked, "Has it been decided to marry the young master of the Zuo family?"

Xue Lingyu had met the young master of the Zuo family before. He was indeed exceptionally handsome, but he was like a dull block of wood, lacking any spirit. He felt from the bottom of his heart that Jiang He would not like someone like that.

"It's not even a question," Jiang He said nonchalantly, then gave Xue Lingyu a deep look that made his scalp tingle before saying quietly, "Do you want to be the head of the Jiang family?"

Her question caused even Yang Le to hold her breath.

Xue Lingyu's eyes widened slightly, her chest heaving with anger, and she said in a tearful voice, "Jiang He, if you still hold a grudge and want to humiliate me, then do it openly and honestly. You're always being sarcastic and mean. What exactly do you take me for... what do you take me for?"

He's already a concubine, and she's still asking him if he wants to be the master. Isn't that just reminding him that he gave up being the master three years ago and is now rushing to be a concubine?

Xue Lingyu was very agitated, while Jiang He was much calmer. She released Xue Lingyu's hand and said with an ambiguous expression, "Then consider this my way of humiliating you."

The warmth vanished in an instant, and Xue Lingyu felt a sudden chill in her palms, followed by Jiang He's departing figure and the sound of her footsteps that never stopped.

He had only been in the Jiang household for three days, and she was already rushing to marry him as her legal husband. If that was the case, why did she take him in to have children?

Xue Lingyu was so angry that she was breathing cold air. She even thought defiantly that she should just let Jiang He go and have a child with that young master of the Zuo family.

With three husbands and four concubines, they could easily take in six more.

Yang Le witnessed this scene and couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat.

No one in the manor has ever dared to speak to Miss in such an attitude. It seems that Young Master Xue is truly an exception for Miss.

On the way to the Zuo family, Jiang's father noticed that Jiang He's expression was a bit off, and she didn't seem to have any joy about going to meet her future husband. If Jiang's father asked her directly, Jiang He definitely wouldn't tell him, so he quietly summoned Ruiming to investigate.

Ruiming accepted the order.

Upon entering the Zuo family home, one sees Zuo Pinggong warmly greeting guests in the courtyard, while standing beside her is a meticulously dressed young man whose striking good looks unsurprisingly outshine all the male guests present.

Although Zuo Ji, the youngest son of the Prince of Zuo, was born to a concubine, his reputation for beauty spread throughout the capital. Moreover, he was raised in the mansion from a young age and taught to be virtuous and gentle, and was raised entirely according to the requirements of the lord of a noble family. If he were not a concubine's son, the Prince of Zuo would even have wanted to send this son into the palace to seek further advancement.

This was the first time Jiang's father had seen Zuo Ji. He was undeniably handsome, and even as a man, he found him incredibly beautiful. However, Jiang He remained unmoved and didn't even glance at him twice.

Even such a beauty couldn't catch her eye? Father Jiang couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

Zuo Pinggong quickly spotted Jiang He and his son. She walked over and bowed to Jiang's father, then looked at Jiang He and deliberately spoke in a more intimate tone, "Jiang He, I haven't seen you in a long time since our last meeting. We should try to get together more often in the future."

Zuo Pinggong began to introduce to Jiang He, "This is my younger brother, Zuo Ji. He has never left the house since he was a child, so you have never met him. But I remember I often mentioned him to you before."

Back when she was fooling around, Zuo Pinggong often mentioned that she had a younger brother who was as beautiful as an angel, but everyone knew what kind of people her friends were, so she kept it a secret and wouldn't let her see him.

"Miss Jiang." Zuo Ji first bowed to Jiang He.

Jiang He glanced at him; he had a refined and elegant demeanor, but seemed a bit too rigid, clearly someone who was extremely disciplined.

“Young Master Zuo,” Jiang He said calmly.

She had no interest in Zuo Ji whatsoever; she was merely maintaining a facade of politeness. She knew exactly what the Zuo family was up to, and even if they were to form a marriage alliance, she would not marry a man with ulterior motives.

Seeing her somewhat indifferent attitude, Zuo Ji smiled rather awkwardly.

Father Jiang saw everything and realized that his trip had been in vain. He tried to smooth things over by saying, "I have not yet paid my respects to the old master. I wonder if the old master is available now?"

Zuo Pinggong replied, "Of course it's convenient. This way, Lord Jiang."

Before leaving, Father Jiang instructed, "He'er, you stay here and look after Young Master Zuo. I'll be right back."

Jiang He knew that her father was still unwilling to give up and wanted to match her with Zuo Ji, but out of consideration for his feelings, she agreed. If Zuo Ji knew what was good for him, he probably wouldn't pester her.

Zuo Ji should have known her intentions today, but he still insisted on staying with her.

She was about to find a place to sit down and pass the time when she saw that Zuo Ji was still standing, his legs seemed to be trembling, and he was clenching his palms tightly. She pointed to the seat next to her and said, "Young Master Zuo doesn't look well. Why don't you sit down and rest?"

Zuo Ji bit her lip and nodded, "Thank you, Miss Jiang."

The two remained silent, but Zuo Ji was noticeably more reserved.

Finally, a waiter brought over fruit wine and poured a glass for Jiang He. Jiang He lowered her head and sniffed it. The wine smelled very fragrant. When Zuo Ji saw that she was about to drink it, he looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Jiang He pretended to drink it, but spilled the wine on her sleeve to make it look like she had really drunk it. She showed the empty glass to Zuo Ji, curled her lips, and asked in a slightly creepy tone.

"Young Master Zuo, is there something wrong with this wine?"

Faced with her questioning, Zuo Ji seemed startled and shook his head, feigning composure.

It was no secret that Xue Lingyu became a concubine in the Jiang family. Three years ago, the Xue family rejected the Jiang family's marriage proposal and declared that they would not marry their son to a lowly merchant family. At that time, the Jiang family was a well-known and wealthy family in the capital. The Xue family's words caused the Jiang family to lose face, and afterwards, not many families in the capital were willing to marry their sons into the Jiang family.

But things are different now; countless people are coveting the position of the head of the Jiang family.

The Jiang family's immense wealth also attracted the attention of the Zuo family.

Although the plan seemed foolproof, Zuo Pinggong still had some reservations. "Mother, won't this damage the Zuo family's reputation? And Ji'er is so naive..."

The Prince of Zuo said in an unquestionable manner, "Once the deed is done, the position of the head of the Jiang family can only be held by Ji'er, and the Jiang family will inevitably be used by the Zuo family. Besides, there are so many people here today. As long as the plan succeeds, even if Jiang He wants to renege on the debt, the head of the Jiang family will not agree."

"Besides, although Jiang He has taken Xue Lingyu as a concubine, everyone knows about the conflict between the Jiang family and the Xue family. It is still unknown whether taking her back will be torment or pampering. Once Ji'er marries in, it will be a piece of cake to control a concubine."

The Left Prince's eyes were full of ambition, and he seemed to have a grand vision.

A note from the author:

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2021-12-29 20:38:06 and 2021-12-30 13:12:07!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmines: Su Chan (3);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

◎Latest Comments:

[The author's writing is excellent; a hidden gem!]

【Sticking!】

The female lead's brother seems like he's made of ice, and he appears to have a severe case of uterine coldness. Wouldn't someone like that be unable to have children? If he can't have children, what will happen when the old emperor dies and another princess ascends the throne?

[Actually, I find it strange. Isn't the female lead the daughter of a merchant? And Zuo Pinggong is the heir of a prince. Although the female lead's brother became a favored concubine and his family business grew, I feel that their statuses are not equal. Why does this prince keep trying to win over the female lead and even want to marry his half-sister to her?]

[You overlooked something, didn't you? It's true love!]

My daughter is so smart!

Oh dear...

【come on】

[Sprinkling flowers! Sp ...

-over-