Chapter 89

◎Her clothes were loosened, and she struggled to suppress her moans.◎

Although the Jiang family now owns half of the capital's business district and holds a pivotal position, their ancestor, Jiang He's grandmother, started from scratch with only a few taels of silver.

When the family business was doing well, the patriarch had already done a lot of good deeds and made many good connections. He was a well-known righteous merchant at the time. Unfortunately, the business later suffered a great ups and downs, and the Jiang family returned to poverty overnight. The patriarch was old at that time and could no longer bear the ups and downs of the business world, so he passed the family business to his daughter, Jiang Shangyi.

Jiang Shangyi inherited her mother's mantle and built her own business from scratch, which led to the current scale of the Jiang family business. Because she was ambitious and had a solid family background, she gained the appreciation of the Jiedushi of Hedong and married his eldest son, who was also Jiang He's father, to her.

The Jiang family moved from an ordinary house to a new mansion. Jiang Shangyi spent a lot of money to hire famous scholars to teach Jiang He. At that time, Jiang He was only seven or eight years old and was very mischievous. Although she was young, she had mastered abacus calculation to a high degree, which amazed even the shopkeeper.

However, Jiang Shangyi still hoped that a scholar could emerge from her family, pass the imperial examination, sit in the hall of fame and be respected, so that she wouldn't have to struggle for a living like she did and be looked down upon.

Jiang He, however, was clearly not interested in reading, which angered the great scholar so much that he pointed at her and scolded her for being an incorrigible child.

Jiang Shangyi's initial wish was obviously dashed, but seeing that her daughter liked to play with the abacus, she thought that at least she could inherit the huge family business. Although doing business was hard work, it was still a way out, and she wouldn't be left with nothing.

After driving away those great scholars, Jiang He became increasingly mischievous. Those who could play with her were mostly sons of merchants or playboys from aristocratic families. Over time, her reputation as a playboy spread.

The boldest thing she ever did was to sneak over the wall to see how the plum blossoms were blooming at the Prime Minister's house out of curiosity. However, she knew she couldn't go in, otherwise the servants inside might throw her out and tell her mother.

Then her mother would give her a severe scolding.

Jiang He was still quite small at that time, but Jiang Shangyi not only invited a great scholar for her, but also used some unknown means to invite a martial arts champion who had been retired for many years to come and teach her martial arts.

Although martial arts training is tiring, it can strengthen the body, and Jiang He is also at an age where she is mischievous and active, so she learned a lot from the martial arts champion.

Climbing over a wall wasn't difficult for her, but she didn't know that the prime minister, who always had a stern face, actually had a chubby little son at home.

She glanced over and saw the fair-skinned and adorable young master, who looked to be a year younger than her. However, his little face was scrunched up like a bitter gourd as he reluctantly painted in the courtyard.

She heard her father say that the sons of noble families had to learn many things every day, and they also had to maintain a certain demeanor, even their smiles had to be carefully chosen.

Jiang He found it hard to imagine how uncomfortable it must have been to grow up being so restricted. It was much better to be like her, able to laugh when you want to laugh, and decide for yourself what you want to learn or not learn.

If her mother pressured her, she would act cunningly or deliberately drive the teachers away.

The young master looked up at Jiang He on the wall and couldn't help but ask in a soft voice, "Who are you, and why are you up there?"

His father made him master the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, saying that these were essential requirements for a young master from a distinguished family. His painting skills had never been very good, so his father told him to make up for it with diligence.

But he didn't like drawing because he didn't have the talent for it, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't compare to others.

"Who I am is not important. I see your hand is sore from drawing. Do you want to take a break? I'll play with you for a while." Jiang He gave him a kind smile and waved. She had never seen such a good-looking person before. Even though he was a little chubby, he was still very cute.

I wish she had a little dumpling like that at home.

The young master rubbed his wrists; they were indeed sore from exhaustion. He even naively wished that someone could draw them for him.

Children of this age can't resist playing. He figured his father wouldn't be back anytime soon, so he got the idea. But seeing Jiang He upstairs, he asked, "But how will you play with me? Can you come down?"

"I'm coming down right now." Jiang He was about to move when she realized she was stuck on the wall. Even if she went back, she would probably fall on her butt, and just thinking about it made her feel pain.

But she couldn't bear to lose face, so she said, "I suddenly remembered that I still have homework to finish. I'll come play with you again tomorrow."

As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared from the young master's sight.

The young master muttered, "He's clearly stuck and can't get down."

The young master couldn't help but wonder which mischievous child it was, and whether he would keep his word.

He had no close friends to play with, and he was secretly looking forward to it.

When Jiang He suddenly opened her eyes, she couldn't help but breathe slightly, raising her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. She thought to herself that this was a dream, but it felt so real, as if it had happened in her life.

She remembered everything from her childhood, but she had no memory of this young master.

If such a person truly exists, they should still be in contact with her.

Jiang He adjusted her breathing slightly, but couldn't fall asleep after closing her eyes.

She always felt like something was missing.

After much anticipation, Xue's father finally welcomed Xue Lingyu back from Fahua Temple. Perhaps it was because he had been listening to the Buddhist chants for several days, but Xue Lingyu's complexion was noticeably better than before he left. When Xue's father reached out to hold his hand, although it was still a bit cold, it was no longer the kind of bone-chilling cold.

"I heard that Master Huiyuan has returned from her travels. Did you have her tell your fortune?"

Xue Lingyu nodded: "I've calculated it, it's an extremely auspicious sign."

Mr. Xue was overjoyed and asked, "What did you calculate?"

"It's about... offspring." Xue Lingyu took a deep breath, not telling her father the truth, "The master said that the child in my womb will be born safely and will achieve great things in the future, so I won't have to worry too much."

For some reason, he didn't want his father to know about his fate in marriage.

Upon hearing this, Xue's father was even happier. He took Xue Lingyu's arm and said excitedly, "That's good, that's good. Childbirth is a major hurdle for men. As long as this child is safe and filial in the future, it doesn't matter whether she achieves anything. As long as your mother and I are alive, we will not let you and your father suffer."

Xue Lingyu looked tired and said softly, "Father, I'm a little tired."

"You must be tired from your journey. Go back to your room and rest. I just made some nourishing soup for you. I'll have someone bring it to you when you wake up."

Father Xue said affectionately, "Knowing that you like the quiet of the temple, I instructed the servants not to pass by your courtyard unless it is urgent, so as not to disturb you."

He guessed that Xue Lingyu liked to stay at Fahua Temple because she liked peace and quiet. Although she had instructed the servants in the past, it was not like now. Now, she could not easily make a sound.

After all, he is about to give birth and needs to rest carefully.

"Thank you, Father." Xue Lingyu didn't feel anything special about this.

He liked staying at Fahua Temple, perhaps not because of the quiet environment.

Xue Lingyu went back to the house and immediately lay down.

Seeing that he had fallen asleep, the servant lowered the bed curtains and went to open the window so that Xue Lingyu wouldn't feel stuffy.

Although the windows were open, Xue Lingyu still felt a bit hot. His back was soaked with sweat, and even his hair was sticking to his cheeks. His breathing became increasingly rapid.

Suddenly, it felt as if a pair of hands loosened his collar, and he immediately felt as if he could finally breathe in fresh air, making him feel much more comfortable.

Xue Lingyu slowly opened her eyes and saw a smiling face.

Xue Lingyu steadied herself and asked in a hoarse voice, "This is the Xue residence. Why are you here at this time?"

Jiang He glanced at the sky outside. "It's already dark. You've been sleeping too long."

After spending a few hours with Xue Lingyu, she noticed that he was really sleepy. Perhaps all pregnant men are like this? Just to be on the safe side, she figured she should ask the doctor about it another day.

"I didn't know how to tell you that I had returned to the manor, so I thought I would have the servants look for you after I got back. I didn't expect you to come here instead." Xue Lingyu looked at Jiang He, pursed her lips and asked, "Was I too late and made you come all this way for nothing?"

"You underestimate me. I received the news of Young Master Xue's return to the manor immediately." Jiang He smiled. Once she was sure she wanted something, she would definitely have someone keep a close eye on it to prevent it from getting away.

As Jiang He spoke, she wanted to immediately go up to him and have a tender moment.

I miss him so much after just one day apart; he really is captivating me.

"Young master, are you awake? The people from the master's courtyard have brought over some tonic soup. Would you like to try it now?" A servant's voice rang out from outside. Xue Lingyu was startled and began to panic, but Jiang He was much calmer and looked at Xue Lingyu with her hands behind her back.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Xue Lingyu looked at Jiang He, who was still not moving. She couldn't let the servant see her in her room.

"I'm not leaving." Jiang He rolled onto the bed, casually lowered the bed curtains, and whispered in Xue Lingyu's ear, "Tell him to come in and say you want to drink some nourishing soup, or I'll walk out right now in broad daylight."

She was so shameless. Although the bed curtains concealed their figures, Jiang He hugged him and pressed her body closer and closer. Xue Lingyu had no choice but to say to the outside, "I'm awake. Bring it in."

The servant pushed open the door and entered.

The next second, Xue Lingyu couldn't help but widen her eyes.

"Hmm..."

Jiang He is so arrogant...

His clothes had been loosened by her earlier, and now she had taken advantage of the opportunity, making him very embarrassed. He tried his best to suppress his moans so that they wouldn't leak out from between his teeth. If the servant girl found out, he would lose all face.

The servant placed the tonic soup on the table, and vaguely heard a strange sound coming from the bed curtains. He immediately asked with concern, "Young master, are you feeling unwell?"

Xue Lingyu felt numb all over and managed to say with difficulty, "N-nothing, you can go out now."

The maid felt something was off, but still said, "Then this servant will take her leave."

After the servant left, Jiang He withdrew her hand from his clothes. Xue Lingyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his face was flushed and his fingers were trembling. Jiang He, on the other hand, was refreshed and calm.

Xue Lingyu was tidying her clothes on the bed, but this time she refused to let Jiang He stay on the bed any longer.

Jiang He decided to go and see what the tonic soup looked like.

She lifted the lid of the soup bowl and smiled meaningfully, "Carp milky white soup, Lord Xue is so thoughtful to have planned this for you in advance."

"It's just a pity that I benefited in the end."

Jiang He emphasized the word "cheap" very much.

Xue Lingyu couldn't help but quicken his movements, feeling both ashamed and annoyed with her.

Jiang He was not only a scoundrel, but she also personally fed Xue Lingyu soup, watching him swallow it spoonful by spoonful until the bowl was empty. However, while feeding him the soup, she couldn't help but take advantage of him a little.

"The Xue family seems to have treated you quite well, so why are you still so thin?" Jiang He frowned as she looked at his face.

Xue Lingyu explained, "I was throwing up everything I ate a while ago, so I lost a lot of weight."

"Is there anything you want to eat?" Jiang He suddenly asked him.

Xue Lingyu hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I'd like to eat something spicy."

"The spicy chicken at Ruyi Restaurant is pretty good. I'll take you there to try it another day."

Jiang He said this, but Xue Lingyu reacted strongly and quickly waved her hand, saying, "No, no need."

Jiang He stared into his eyes and asked, "You seem very scared. I'm here, what are you afraid of?"

Afraid of upsetting Jiang He by bringing up the past, Xue Lingyu said, "I'm not afraid of anything, I just suddenly don't want to eat."

Jiang He couldn't figure out his thoughts, nor did she notice anything else strange, so she didn't ask any further questions for the time being.

She covered the soup bowl, and a crisp sound gently brushed against Xue Lingyu's eardrums, but his attention was immediately drawn to her hand.

Jiang He's hands are beautiful, long and straight, fair and warm.

But Jiang He's next words caught him completely off guard.

I'll stay here with you tonight.

Jiang He didn't stay all night. She came out of the window in the middle of the night. Xue Lingyu guessed that she must have climbed over the wall. There was a wall behind his yard, and not many people would pass by except him. Jiang He had been very good at climbing over it before.

When Su Yawan heard that Jiang He had asked Xue Lingyi for help, she came to find her with great concern.

The two met at Ruyi Restaurant again, as was their usual routine.

"Besides agreeing to your request, did Xue Lingyi make any other demands?" Su Yawan was worried that the Xue family might try to harm Jiang He again while she couldn't remember those things.

Su Yawan now has a very bad impression of the Xue family.

"No, she agreed very readily."

This relieved Su Yawan. Perhaps Xue Lingyi felt indebted to Jiang He, so this was her way of making amends.

"Alright, let's not talk about these unpleasant things anymore. I heard that Prince Feng is only halfway to the capital. When you get married, I'll definitely have to have a good drink with him." Su Yawan said, raising his wine glass to Jiang He.

Jiang He returned the toast, staring at the empty glass, and said thoughtfully, "Although the Prince of Feng's fiefdom is far away, his journey seems a bit slow."

Su Yawan teased, "What, so eager to meet your future husband? Don't worry, this is a marriage bestowed by His Majesty, there's no way you can escape it."

Jiang He wasn't in a hurry, but she felt something was amiss.

She didn't mention Xue Lingyu to Su Yawan, since she didn't know when this relationship would end. After all, the Xue family would never allow their legitimate son to become a concubine, no matter how outrageous his behavior had been before.

Not to mention, if she were to marry a man who was pregnant with another man's child, her father would probably be so angry that he would die.

After agreeing to her request, Xue Lingyi actually used her private power to investigate. There weren't many powerful figures in the capital who had such financial resources and had been making frequent moves recently. At first, she didn't find anything conclusive, but soon, Xue Lingyi handed a list to Jiang He.

Recently, through the Ministry of Revenue, someone bought up all the farmland that was publicly listed for sale in the city. There is nothing wrong with buying land, but the fact that they bought almost all of it is quite surprising.

This person is hoarding and acquiring land.

Moreover, these are all fields located on the border of Hejia Lufang and Jiangjia Beifang, as if they had long ago planned to annex and expand their territory after the two wards went bankrupt and were sold off.

The register in Jiang He's hand lists people who have recently sold their land.

There were established families and merchants among them, including a name that Jiang He recognized. It was a wealthy merchant who had long since retired from public life. His family was not short of money and had not experienced any major changes. Why would he suddenly sell land?

These people seemed to have planned it in advance, putting their items up for sale at the same time.

The person behind this was incredibly cunning; he openly and legitimately used the Ministry of Revenue's connections, leaving no room for criticism.

The buyer of these lands was someone Jiang He never expected.

“Prince Feng?” Jiang He frowned.

Why would the Prince of Feng, who is far away in his fiefdom, suddenly take such action in the capital?

This is absolutely unbelievable.

He Sui was also quite surprised. If he remembered correctly, wasn't Jiang He supposed to marry the eldest son of the Prince of Feng? But even after knowing that Jiang He would be his son-in-law, the Prince of Feng still showed no intention of backing down.

If Prince Feng really wants to get a share of the pie from the Jiang family, he will probably become even more arrogant after Jiang He marries Prince Feng's eldest son.

He Sui calmly analyzed, "Prince Feng is old and has only one legitimate son. I heard that this son is very much loved by her. She shouldn't put her son in such a difficult situation."

"Besides, Prince Feng is royalty, of noble birth, and has no reason to compete with us merchants for these things..."

He Sui also didn't quite believe that it was Prince Feng who had secretly orchestrated all of this.

He had been collecting information lately, so he casually remarked, "I've heard that the Prince Feng's mansion doesn't only have a legitimate son, but also a young master of similar age. I heard he'll be coming to the capital this time. Although he has no official title, the Prince Feng treats him no differently than a proper young master."

It is said that Prince Feng only married one principal wife, but she died in childbirth. Prince Feng then vowed never to remarry and raised his legitimate son alone. Now, however, he has an adopted son without any official status, which is quite interesting.

However, these are all matters within Prince Feng's family.

Whether it's Prince Feng himself wanting to take action against the Jiang and He families, or someone using her name to do things, she won't let it go easily.

She smiled slightly at He Sui, "Now we just wait for Prince Feng to enter the capital."

To show the emperor's respect for his aunt, Prince Feng, the emperor personally appointed an envoy to bring her to the capital. The journey was originally scheduled, but halfway there, Prince Feng asked the envoy to go ahead, saying that she had some family matters to attend to and would be delayed for a while. She asked the envoy to apologize to His Majesty on her behalf.

Prince Feng was of noble status, so the Emperor Wei would not blame him. The envoy could not refuse Prince Feng's request, so he had no choice but to agree.

However, the envoy had been quite puzzled these days, and just before leaving, he asked, "Your Highness Prince Feng, I heard that the young master is in poor health. I wonder if he is alright after all the travel he has been on? To be honest, I have not yet had the chance to pay my respects to the young master in person."

A hint of sadness flashed in Prince Feng's eyes, but he pretended to be calm and said, "Yu'er is fine. Thank you for your concern, envoy. When we arrive in the capital, I will take him to the palace to pay homage to His Majesty."

This means that they do not want the envoy to meet Zhou Yu.

I had long heard that Prince Feng doted on his eldest son, and the envoy was deeply moved by this. He spoiled Zhou Yu so much that he wouldn't even let him walk a few steps. I'm afraid that apart from Prince Feng and the servants who attended to Zhou Yu, very few people had ever seen Zhou Yu's true face.

However, once they arrive in the capital and marry the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, they will surely have to show it to everyone.

After seeing the envoy off, Princess Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief, but her gaze grew even sharper. She ordered her confidante, "Bring that rebellious son to me!"

The trusted aide obeyed and immediately brought Zhou Dian, who was bound hand and foot, before Prince Feng.

Looking at Zhou Dian, this ungrateful wretch whom he had taken in as his adopted son, Prince Feng couldn't help but want to kill him as soon as possible. She had always been indifferent to worldly affairs, only wanting to raise the child left by her husband properly, and dared not think about anything else.

Although Zhou Dian came from a humble background, she saw that he and Yu'er got along well, so she raised Zhou Dian by her side so that he could be a playmate for Yu'er.

Because Yu'er was frail, she planned to hand over half of the Feng Prince's Mansion's property to Zhou Dian to manage, and the other half as Yu'er's dowry. Unexpectedly, it was this black-hearted Zhou Dian who secretly plotted to murder Yu'er!

“I originally thought Yu’er died of a cold, and I blamed myself for not taking good care of him. Every night when I closed my eyes, I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. But now it turns out that you were the one who planned this. Yu’er was only thirteen years old when he died!”

If His Majesty hadn't ordered her to bring Yu'er to the capital, she wouldn't have reopened the coffin, nor would she have discovered that the death of her legitimate son was caused by this adopted son.

After Yu'er's death, her health deteriorated day by day. She lost interest in attending the annual palace banquets and handed over her business to her adopted son. She had originally intended to report Yu'er's death to His Majesty in person, but now that the truth has been discovered, she naturally decided to clean house first!

Zhou Dian looked at Prince Feng, who was in a state of extreme rage, with eyes that seemed to look like he was about to strangle him at any moment.

Zhou Dian couldn't help but smile. "Mother, Yu'er is not capable of inheriting the family business. It is only right that you give everything to me. Besides, I am helping him."

Zhou Dian paused, then laughed lightly, looking at Prince Feng with a sarcastic gaze, "But are you really without any fault? Seeing him tormented by illness, seeing him suffer because he can't live like a normal person, you ignored him and only wanted him to live. Ask yourself, do you really love Yu'er?"

"Shut up!" Feng Wang roared, his eyes blazing with fury.

This adopted son not only killed her legitimate son, but also used her name to stir up trouble in the capital, attempting to infiltrate his influence. Recently, he has become increasingly brazen, even attracting the attention of the imperial court.

From both a moral and logical standpoint, they cannot be kept any longer.

Prince Feng didn't want to waste any more words with him, and coldly asked, "I'm asking you, do you plead guilty?"

Now that the evidence is irrefutable, Zhou Dian frankly admitted, "My son confesses."

Prince Feng squeezed his eyes shut and ordered the guards, "Drag him away. I don't want to see him again."

Immediately, guards came forward and dragged Zhou Dian away. Zhou Dian had been smiling, but at the last moment, he suddenly struggled and accused her with resentment: "Mother, Mother, why do you not have any place for me in your eyes? I am also your child!"

Prince Feng seemed not to hear him and did not budge an inch.

After Zhou Dian's death, there were still many things waiting for Prince Feng to deal with. When his confidant asked how to handle the matter of the bestowed marriage, Prince Feng said, "When I see His Majesty, I will personally apologize to her while holding Yu'er's ashes."

As she spoke, tears welled up in Prince Feng's eyes. She was over fifty years old and felt that she had no hope left. The Emperor's bestowal of marriage was a great honor. If she could really see her eldest son's wedding, she would have no regrets in this life.

Unfortunately...

Prince Feng said with great sorrow, "Yu'er, if only you were still alive."

A note from the author:

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 21:35:04 on March 6, 2022 and 19:58:23 on March 7, 2022!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 1 yogurt;

Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Mumu^_^ 5 bottles; Suchan 4 bottles; 41713647 3 bottles;

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

◎Latest Comments:

Why is the next chapter locked?

[Could it be Ji Xue? This plot development is absurd.]

Wow, you can do that?

【fan】

Will there be another update today, author?

[Feng Wang is such a pitiful tool.]

-over-