Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Adopted Daughter

Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Adopted Daughter

Song Pingzhang is really fierce. He only asked one question, and he was already so rude to Jiang Ru.

Pei Wu's figure completely enveloped Jiang Ru, and taking this opportunity, Jiang Ru secretly wrote on Pei Wu's back: So fierce.

The movement behind him was like a tickle, gentle and tingling. He could almost imagine Jiang Ru writing on his back with resentment, yet daring not to speak out. For some reason, Pei Wu slightly curled his lips.

Song Pingzhang glanced up and was startled by Pei Wu's faint smile. Pei Wu was usually very quiet in front of him, and he had never seen Pei Wu smile like this before. Song Pingzhang felt a chill down his spine: "What are you laughing at?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Wu's smile vanished: "Did I smile?"

Song Pingzhang suspected he was seeing a ghost and waved his hand, "Never mind, Jiang Ru, come here and write down the names of your family members."

Jiang Ru then peeked out from behind Pei Wu, glanced at the draft paper on Song Pingzhang's desk, and fell into a suspicious silence.

To be honest, she didn't even know her parents' names from her neighbors, since they had both passed away shortly after she transmigrated, and they were complete strangers to her.

Seeing that she didn't move, Song Pingzhang urged, "What are you dawdling about?"

Just as Jiang Ru was about to look to Pei Wu for help, in a flash, she thought of something, lifted her skirt and ran towards her room, saying as she ran, "Wait a minute, I'm going to get the family tree."

Fortunately, she had brought her family tree with her to prove her identity. Although it was unlikely that her family tree would be related to Pei Wu's, since she had a marriage connection with him, as long as she could be associated with Pei Wu in any way, she would be Pei Wu's cousin!

Jiang Ru had kept the family genealogy book hidden away. She rummaged through her cabinets and found the dusty book.

Jiang Ru, clutching the family genealogy, jogged off to find Pei Wu and Song Pingzhang.

She opened the family tree and handed it to Song Pingzhang, who took it and glanced at it.

The bottom row of characters was written by Jiang Ru herself. After her parents passed away, she saw the characters for the names written by the officials and wrote them down on the spot. She then wrote her parents' names on the last row.

Having never studied the writing system of the Great Xia Dynasty, her writing was crooked and illegible, as if it couldn't stand upright.

Song Pingzhang was shocked by the ugliness of her handwriting after just one glance, wincing and gasping, "Your cousin's handwriting is so beautiful, how come yours is so ugly?"

He showed utter disdain for Jiang Ru today, which made Jiang Ru indignant. She secretly scratched Pei Wu's palm, and Pei Wu bent down as if he were really examining Jiang Ru's handwriting. Then he said, "I think Jiang Ru's handwriting is bold and unrestrained, and can be called good handwriting."

Song Pingzhang almost popped his eyes out. They were all officials who had fought their way up from so many people. Writing good handwriting was just a basic requirement for them. To be able to say "good" without batting an eye when faced with a row of scribbles was just a case of Pei Wu seeing beauty in his lover's eyes.

Forget it, they have such a good relationship, he shouldn't play the villain. If Jiang Ru goes out and says he's a wicked father-in-law, it will ruin his reputation.

Song Pingzhang looked at Jiang Ru's family tree and filled in each name for her. There was an official in Jiang's family, but he was Jiang Ru's great-grandfather, and he was only a minor official. So they received very little protection, especially by Jiang Ru's generation, there was basically nothing left.

To be honest, Song Pingzhang's ridicule of Jiang Ru's ugly handwriting was not entirely unreasonable. Her handwriting on the paper was like a dragon soaring through the clouds, penetrating to the core, and each character exuded integrity. She was indeed worthy of being a prime minister.

After they finished writing, Song Pingzhang looked at their drafts and wondered, "Aren't you his cousin? Are distant relatives really this far apart?"

When he decided to bring Pei Wu under his wing, he investigated Pei Wu and knew almost everything about Pei Wu's family. As for Jiang Ru, he only knew that she was his cousin and didn't pay much attention to her. He never expected that she was such a distant cousin.

Jiang Ru raised her chin, feigning indignation: "So what? It's only good if the couple are distant relatives."

She was easily provoked, as if Song Pingzhang had touched a sore spot. Song Pingzhang smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? I'm not going to say anything to you."

Now that things have come to this, the relationship she forcibly created with Pei Wu back then is no longer important. After all, even if she told Pei Wu now that she had absolutely no relationship with him, Pei Wu wouldn't say anything.

However, Song Pingzhang glanced at it twice and hissed, "Something's not right."

Jiang Ru's family tree and Pei Wu's family tree, which can be loosely connected three generations ago, are not related. Although Pei Wu's family tree is unknown, Jiang Ru's family tree is. If you look closely, you can find that something is wrong.

Song Pingzhang looked at it carefully again and was about to speak when Pei Wu suddenly said, "Teacher, now that it's all written down, isn't that enough?"

Actually, the closeness of their relationship doesn't matter. Whether Jiang Ru is Pei Wu's aunt or cousin, they can still get married. Song Pingzhang glanced at the oblivious Jiang Ru and nodded, saying, "It's possible, but..."

Without a "but," Pei Wu reached out and took Jiang Ru's wrist, saying to Song Pingzhang, "In that case, I'll take my cousin back first."

Song Pingzhang was unusually silent, unsure whether Pei Wu was doing this on purpose or if it was just a playful exchange between the two of them. However, Pei Wu interrupted him several times, clearly not wanting him to say what he meant. Since the two of them had such a good relationship, he didn't want to bother anyone by bringing up this matter unnecessarily. What if Jiang Ru just liked calling him "cousin"?

Although it's indeed not a good match, if they can get married, what can't they do? Thinking of this, Song Pingzhang waved his hand: "It's alright, you can go now."

Just as the two were about to leave, Song Pingzhang called them back: "By the way, if you're going to get married, you'll have to hold your coming-of-age ceremony and hairpin ceremony first. Jiang Ru hasn't had her hairpin ceremony yet, has she?"

In the Great Xia Dynasty, if a woman is engaged, she can hold her coming-of-age ceremony at the age of fifteen. If she is not engaged, she usually holds it at the age of twenty. However, in any case, the coming-of-age ceremony is held after the engagement and before the marriage. Therefore, since Jiang Ru is getting married now, the coming-of-age ceremony must be held earlier.

Pei Wu is the same; the coming-of-age ceremony is supposed to be at twenty, but now it has to be brought forward.

Jiang Ru felt overwhelmed upon hearing this and nodded, saying, "I've never done it before."

Back in Jinzhou, Pei Wu had considered arranging a marriage for her, but since she hadn't been betrothed, it wasn't held. Now it's time to make up for it.

Upon receiving the reply, Song Pingzhang waved his hand and said, "Alright, you can go back first, I'll make the arrangements."

Jiang Ru whispered to Pei Wu, her attitude towards Song Pingzhang used to be lukewarm, but now she said very sincerely, "Lord Song is really reliable."

Her opinion of a person often changes. When she's unhappy, she's secretly cursed Song Pingzhang several times, but when she's happy, she'll praise him without reservation.

After praising him, she didn't wait for Pei Wu's reaction and continued to pull him out. Pei Wu's proposal could be considered a marriage proposal, but the actual wedding would have to wait at least a month, since the preparations would take too long.

As the two were walking, Pei Wu asked Jiang Ru, "If we get married, should we invite your relatives over? If so, give me a list and I'll send someone to invite them."

Jiang Ru had no relatives in Shuzhou, and the few she did have were not doing well, plus they were far away and wouldn't come even if she called them. She held Pei Wu's hand and whispered, "Let's not call them. I don't like them."

Pei Wu could also imagine that if Jiang Ru was doing well at home, she wouldn't have come looking for him. He told Jiang Ru, "I will treat you well in the future."

Jiang Ru smiled and said, "I know."

She could see Pei Wu's good qualities.

Actually, Jiang Ru has a few relatives, but winter is coming soon, and they probably can't leave home. Plus, the distance is too far, so it would be quite a hassle for them to come.

Especially in ancient times when transportation was underdeveloped, a trip here would be too expensive, requiring a lot of money.

Jiang Ru looked up at Pei Wu: "What about you? Will your uncles and aunts come?"

Given Pei Wu's current situation, he could afford to send his relatives over, but after thinking about it, he shook his head and said, "No, the long journey is too tiring, so I won't invite them. I will write a letter to my aunt to tell her that you and I are married. If we have the opportunity to return to Jinzhou in the future, we can host a separate banquet for them."

Tanzhou is too remote. It will probably take them more than a month to get here and more than a month to get back. They can't leave their farm work at home, so it's really not a good idea for them to come.

Jiang Ru nodded: "That's fine."

Now that they were truly getting married, Jiang Ru squeezed Pei Wu's hand until it was warm before anxiously saying, "Then shouldn't I call you my husband from now on?"

Her anxieties were always quite unique. Pei Wu's palm stiffened; the topic warmed his heart. Jiang Ru probably didn't know what marriage meant, because the issues she was struggling with were trivial matters when it came to marriage.

It took Pei Wu a long time to calm himself down before he told Jiang Ru, "Call me that later."

Pei Wu adapted to the change in relationship quickly and showed no panic about the unknown marriage, which made Jiang Ru feel inferior to Pei Wu. She could only pretend to be very comfortable with it: "Then you have to call me that too."

What should she be called? Naturally, she should be called "Madam".

The thought that Pei Wu would one day call her by that name sent a shiver down Jiang Ru’s spine, and she couldn’t care less about anything else.

Pei Wu held her hand and murmured an "Mmm".

...

The preparations before marriage were extremely complicated. Although the two lived under the same roof, everything still had to be done through a matchmaker. After the two exchanged their marriage certificates, they also had to have their birth dates and times matched to see if they were compatible.

Whether Pei Wu did anything to it is unknown, but Jiang Ru received a good result. It was said that there was no major clash between the year and month pillars of the two, and the day pillars did not have any heavenly or earthly clashes, which meant that they were an excellent match and a perfect couple.

A few days later, Song Pingzhang took Jiang Ru out for a trip. The place they went to was not too far from the Tanzhou government office. The servants outside the door had been waiting for a long time and led the two of them into the house.

This house was even larger than the one Jiang Ru and the others were currently living in, which showed that the owner of the house was extremely wealthy. When they entered the main hall, Jiang Ru saw an old man who was about the same age as Song Pingzhang. He had a white beard, was calm and composed, and had an air of authority that he could command without being angry.

Song Pingzhang told Jiang Ru, "You can just call him Lord Cheng. Lord Cheng was the top scholar in the fifth year of Yongcheng and was also the prime minister of the previous dynasty."

When he was prime minister in the previous dynasty, Song Pingzhang was also an official in the capital. However, he was not as powerful as Lord Cheng at that time. It was only after Lord Cheng resigned that Song Pingzhang was promoted to prime minister.

Jiang Ru, who was the top scholar decades earlier than Pei Wu, obediently called him "Lord Cheng".

Lord Cheng's gaze was sharp as he sized Jiang Ru up and down before saying, "It's her."

Song Pingzhang nodded: "Yes, look at her, she's beautiful inside and out, graceful and elegant, intelligent and quick-witted..."

If it weren't for the fact that it wasn't appropriate to embarrass Song Pingzhang now, Jiang Ru would almost have laughed at his words. Song Pingzhang's previous attitude towards Jiang Ru was probably that of "the cousin of a good student" or "the sister of a good granddaughter," but now he was praising her like this without batting an eye.

Jiang Ru lowered her head and acted like a demure lady, only to be met with a snort from Lord Cheng. "If it weren't for your good student getting married, you probably wouldn't have come to see me."

Judging from his tone, Song Pingzhang didn't seem to have a very good relationship with Lord Cheng, but Lord Cheng didn't seem to want to send them away. Song Pingzhang said a few more words, mostly about how he came to visit because he missed his colleague. In short, Lord Cheng didn't make things difficult for him.

If Song Pingzhang hadn't brought Jiang Ru here, Jiang Ru wouldn't have known that a top scholar was actually living in this small town of Tanzhou.

But why would her marriage to Pei Wu involve Lord Cheng?

Perhaps out of inherent admiration for intellectuals, Jiang Ru actually had many questions, such as why Cheng, a top scholar, didn't become an official, and whether Song Pingzhang and he had a bad relationship.

Song Pingzhang's explanation wasn't very heartfelt, and Jiang Ru thought it was unlikely to work. However, Lord Cheng, who was at the head of the table, finally pondered and said, "Originally, I didn't want to agree."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ru felt Song Pingzhang's breathing tighten beside her, as if he was about to say something. Then Lord Cheng continued, "Your student came to see me a few days ago. If it weren't for his sake, I wouldn't have agreed."

Song Pingzhang was stunned: "Pei Wu has been here."

Lord Cheng nodded: "I see. He's a promising talent. No wonder he's become the Left Chancellor at such a young age. He's much more capable than you."

It sounded like a compliment to Song Pingzhang's good judgment, but also like a scolding for his incompetence. Song Pingzhang's face darkened, but since he needed a favor, he remained silent.

Upon hearing Pei Wu's name, Jiang Ru perked up. She couldn't understand what the two were saying, but the mere mention of Pei Wu always caught her attention.

After the two finished their cryptic exchange, Lord Cheng, who was seated at the head of the table, finally looked at Jiang Ru. Compared to his less-than-friendly tone when speaking to Song Pingzhang, Lord Cheng was incredibly kind when talking to Jiang Ru: "Come here, after you've paid your respects, you'll be my goddaughter."

Jiang Ru: ""

When did she recognize a father?

Although Lord Cheng is indeed very capable and a cultured man, Jiang Ru doesn't just recognize anyone as her father!

Jiang Ru looked at Song Pingzhang in shock. Song Pingzhang nodded to her and said, "It was your cousin's idea."

Upon hearing Pei Wu's name, Jiang Ru's previous doubts vanished. She trusted Pei Wu and knew he wouldn't harm her.

Although her behavior was truly bizarre, Jiang Ru still stepped forward and bowed to Lord Cheng, who was seated at the head of the table.

Perhaps because she had never acknowledged her father, Jiang Ru's cheeks were a little red. She bit her lip and then let go, unable to speak.

Lord Cheng nodded in satisfaction and beckoned to her: "Come here and let me take a look."

Jiang Ru walked over. Lord Cheng was old after all, and he hadn't seen clearly before. Now that he was closer and looked at her closely, he was satisfied and said, "Not bad, she looks clever and pretty." Then, she changed the subject and said, "Come, call me 'Father' so I can hear it."

Jiang Ru: "..."

Why on earth did Pei Wu ask her to acknowledge him as her father?!

Jiang Ru moved her lips, wanting to ask Song Pingzhang for help, but Song Pingzhang ignored her and instead urged, "Shout!"

"Never mind, Pei Wu wouldn't do anything bad to Jiang Ru," Jiang Ru thought to herself, then said, "Godfather."

The young woman before him blushed, her eyes, brimming with tears, drooped, making her appear even more pitiful. Lord Cheng, who had no daughters of his own, was overjoyed to have a goddaughter in his fifties. He laughed heartily, "Good, good daughter."

Jiang Ru didn't know who to blame. It was strange, she had been in this world for so many years, and today a father suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and it just so happened that Pei Wu had found him for her.

After recognizing their father, Lord Cheng invited them to stay for a meal. Madam Cheng was also at the table. Madam Cheng was well-maintained, perhaps because she had lived a good life in Tanzhou. There were no signs of hardship on her face. She was a dignified and elegant beauty. She was also kind-hearted. When she saw Jiang Ru, she held her hand and talked to her for a long time.

It was also from the conversation that we learned that Lord Cheng and Madam Cheng had no children, so Madam Cheng was also happy with this daughter who appeared out of nowhere, and put a jade bracelet on Jiang Ru's wrist at the dinner table.

Madam Cheng said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. This is a bracelet that has been passed down in my family. I gave it to my daughter."

This bracelet is somewhat inappropriate for Jiang Ru's age to wear, and a family heirloom bracelet must be extremely valuable. Jiang Ru was hesitant to accept it, but Madam Cheng held her hand tightly, so she couldn't take it off. Moreover, Song Pingzhang nodded to her, indicating that she could accept it, so she had no choice but to wear it.

Wearing such a bracelet on her wrist, Jiang Ru didn't dare to move at all, for fear of bumping or damaging it. Not only that, Madam Cheng was too hospitable and kept putting food on her plate, forcing Jiang Ru to eat until her stomach was about to bulge before she could stop.

After dinner, they stayed at the Cheng family's house for a while before Song Pingzhang took Jiang Ru away. Before leaving, Song Pingzhang reminded Jiang Ru to say goodbye. Jiang Ru looked at the two of them and resignedly said, "Godfather and Godmother, I'll go back now."

Lord Cheng and his wife smiled broadly and agreed.

Once outside the Cheng residence, Jiang Ru finally asked the question she had been holding back all the way: "Lord Song, why did I agree to acknowledge these adoptive parents?"

Song Pingzhang said, "If you are going to marry Pei Wu, you will need a maternal family. Although Tanzhou is small, it is home to many former officials of the previous dynasty. Cheng Hao is the godfather that your cousin and I have chosen for you. If anything happens in the future, he will be able to protect you."

Cheng Hao was demoted several times during the Yongcheng era, but was later reinstated during the reign of Emperor Wen, serving as prime minister for five years. Had Emperor Wen not become incompetent in his later years, he would not have retired to his hometown.

Even though he had already resigned from his official post, Emperor Wen still bestowed upon him the title of Duke before his death, granting him endless glory.

This also means that if Jiang Ru recognizes him as her godfather, the Duke's Mansion can protect her no matter what happens in the future.

Even if the emperor wanted to touch her, he would have to consider the influence of the Duke's mansion. In particular, although Cheng Hao had resigned from his post, many of his old ministers were still around. Touching Cheng Hao would chill the hearts of these old ministers.

Song Pingzhang muttered to himself, "I don't know when your cousin came to see Cheng Hao, but he actually managed to persuade him in advance."

After all, this is ancient times. Although Pei Wu will definitely treat Jiang Ru very well after marriage, if Jiang Ru doesn't have a family, people will always think she is lonely and pitiful. And since she is the adopted daughter of the Duke, compared with Pei Wu, people will think that Pei Wu got a good deal.

This was the future that Pei Wu had planned for Jiang Ru.

He did all these things behind my back, and Jiang Ru felt a pang of jealousy, muttering to herself, "He just loves doing things secretly behind my back."

She and Pei Wu went out together almost every day, and she had no idea that he had done these things behind her back.

Her eyes were stinging, but Song Pingzhang felt like he had been granted a pardon: "As long as you recognize Cheng Hao as your godfather, he can take care of your coming-of-age ceremony and marriage. I can finally have some peace and quiet. Cheng Hao has been idle for so long, so it's good to keep him busy."

For some reason, Jiang Ru sensed a hint of schadenfreude in his voice. She rubbed her eyes, still immersed in her feelings of gratitude for Pei Wu. Song Pingzhang chuckled and said, "You, help me put him through the wringer. I can't stand to see him doing well."

She had never seen anyone so openly admit their bad deeds. The soreness in Jiang Ru's nose seemed to lessen, and she asked Song Pingzhang in a nasal voice, "Lord Song, do you have a grudge against Lord Cheng?"

Song Pingzhang's expression hardened, as if he found Jiang Ru annoying: "What are you doing meddling in adults' affairs, you little kid? Go away, go away."

Jiang Ru didn't really want to listen; she was just asking casually. Song Pingzhang waved to her, so Jiang Ru walked away a bit. She planned to wait for Pei Wu to get off work so she could give him a good hug. Pei Wu was really, really good.

However, after she walked away, Song Pingzhang came over himself, as if he wanted Jiang Ru to give him justice, and said indignantly, "I have always said that Cheng Hao's actions are too radical and easy to offend people. Was I wrong to impeach him?"

Jiang Ru: "...You're even impeaching Master Cheng?"

Song Pingzhang nodded confidently: "Of course, I didn't approve of his reforms in the first place, and he ultimately failed."

From this perspective, Lord Cheng truly possessed the magnanimity of a prime minister, tolerating Song Pingzhang's impeachment of him and even allowing Song Pingzhang to place his student's fiancée as his adopted daughter.

There were too many problems left over from those years in Yongcheng. Cheng Hao and Song Pingzhang were in similar situations at the time, either being demoted or on their way to being demoted.

It was only after Emperor Wen ascended the throne that they were given important positions, but the two disliked each other and impeached one another. Later, Cheng Hao was appointed by Emperor Wen and vowed to change the problems left over from the Yongcheng era, and the two became even more at odds.

In the end, Song Pingzhang was the one who had the last laugh. Of course, Cheng Hao's actions back then were still very useful to the Great Xia Dynasty, which is why he was granted the title of Duke.

The two have now made peace, though neither is friendly and they still harbor resentment towards each other.

When Pei Wu returned home, Jiang Ru was being held captive by Song Pingzhang. Song Pingzhang kept nagging, insisting that Jiang Ru give him an answer as to who was right and who was wrong between him and Cheng Hao. Jiang Ru was in agony, but because Song Pingzhang was Pei Wu's teacher, she had no way to escape.

When Pei Wu walked over, Song Pingzhang changed his target to Pei Wu, asking him to judge the matter.

Jiang Ru felt like she had seen a savior and quickly went behind Pei Wu. Pei Wu stood in front of Jiang Ru and took on most of the fire. After listening for a while, he suggested to Song Pingzhang, "I suggest that the teacher and Lord Cheng debate so that a winner can be decided."

Upon hearing this, Song Pingzhang found it reasonable and angrily turned and left.

Jiang Ru watched Song Pingzhang's retreating figure with concern: "What if they start fighting?"

Pei Wu said, "It's alright, they won't actually fight, they'll just talk big."

Finally able to be alone with Pei Wu, Jiang Ru grasped his hand and asked, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​finding me a godfather?"

Pei Wu then said, "After we get married, you should have a family to rely on, otherwise no one will help you."

Jiang Ru countered, "And what about you?"

Pei Wu didn't see anything wrong with it: "I have teachers, so it's not like I don't have elders."

Jiang Ru could guess that if she couldn't find Cheng Hao, Pei Wu would definitely make Song Pingzhang work for Jiang Ru's family, and he himself would not care.

Lately, he's been doing things that make Jiang Ru's nose tingle. Jiang Ru tiptoes and kisses Pei Wu's chin: "I'll be good to you for the rest of my life too."

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Author's Note: Oh dear, I was planning to write the wedding in this chapter, but I couldn't! I'll try my best to include it in the next chapter.