Madam Wang was startled by this abrupt attitude. She raised her eyes and carefully scrutinized Jiang Zhong.

Jiang Zhong felt increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze, unsure where to put his hands and feet. Just as he felt he couldn’t endure it any longer, Madam Wang finally withdrew her gaze, graciously letting him off the hook. She then smiled as radiantly and charmingly as a blooming flower: “My, you’re in quite a temper. Have I offended you?”

Jiang Zhong remained silent, his face gloomy. He felt as if thousands of fine needles were pricking him, making him want to cry out and jump, to flee but not knowing how to escape. This sensation irritated him, making him want to explode and lash out at anyone.

“If I haven’t offended you, then you must still hate me? Surely not?” Madam Wang’s smile turned a bit cunning, making her even more enchanting.

Jiang Zhong couldn’t stand to see her like this now. He snorted coldly, “What reason do I have to hate you?” In truth, he did hate her. He hated that she hadn’t considered his feelings back then, hadn’t sympathized with his struggle between filial piety and loyalty, and had acted willfully. He hated how decisively and heartlessly she had left, disappearing for so many years without a word, only to reappear with a new love. He hated that she had raised Jiang Changyang to be this way, showing no respect for him as a father and no understanding of filial piety. He hated that she no longer seemed to hate him, that she could look at him with a smile and tease him so casually…

“That’s good, then we can talk calmly,” Madam Wang chuckled, gently stroking her hand as white as a magnolia petal. She revealed a pair of exquisite red gold bracelets on her wrist, inlaid with high-quality jade pieces the size of broad beans. Slowly arranging the intricate gold embroidery on her sleeve, she said leisurely, “Changyang told me he’s taken a fancy to a girl and wants to marry her. He’s always been sensible in his affairs, so I agreed. But I thought, no matter what, you are still his birth father, so I should at least inform you.”

Jiang Zhong was infuriated. What did she mean by “no matter what, you are still his birth father, so I should at least inform you”? It was merely informing him, not seeking his opinion. She and her son had already decided and were only now notifying him. Moreover, Jiang Changyang hadn’t even mentioned this to him yet, instead sending Ayou to deal with him directly. He felt his dignity had been severely violated. He coldly replied, “Is this girl’s surname He?”

Madam Wang smiled, “Oh, you know already? Yes, her surname is He. I heard her formal name is Weifang, and her pet name is Mudan. She’s beautiful and dignified, gentle and kind, generous and intelligent, truly exceptional. Both her parents are alive, and she has many brothers and nephews. I’m very satisfied.”

But he wasn’t satisfied! Jiang Zhong said, “I don’t approve! Do you know who she is? You’ve raised your son well indeed!”

A flash of coldness passed through Madam Wang’s eyes, and her smile faded, “Of course, I know who she is. You don’t approve simply because she’s not from a noble family, right?”

“Of course! How could someone of her status be worthy of Changyang? Have you lost your mind? No matter how much you hate and resent me, you shouldn’t joke with the child’s future! He’s your flesh and blood too!” Jiang Zhong suddenly stood up, his voice trembling—this time from anger, not excitement.

“I think you’re the one who’s lost your mind,” Madam Wang remained seated, her smile gradually returning. “You speak as if you’re so close to him. You, the father who never raised him, claim to care for his interests, while I, the mother who brought him up, am his enemy? You think I want to harm him because I hate you? You think highly of yourself.” She smiled and accepted a cup of hot tea from a maid beside her, taking a big sip and squinting with satisfaction. “He’s my only son. I can’t compare to you, who has two precious sons with imperial blood.”

“Ayou, back then I…” Hearing her words, which seemed to blame him, Jiang Zhong felt the fire in his heart inexplicably cool, like a candle in the wind that could be extinguished at any moment.

But Madam Wang had no intention of extinguishing his small fire. Instead, she wanted to fan it into a larger blaze. She waved her hand slightly, “Let’s not talk about the past. Changyang is the flesh of my flesh. You’re not, so your opinions are far less important than his. I’m simply informing you. Whether you agree or not is your own business. This matter is settled. You may leave now.”

The dying anger in Jiang Zhong’s heart suddenly flared up again. He pointed at Madam Wang, trembling, “You… you… don’t forget how you were able to take him away back then. Don’t forget what you promised me. You think you’ve found a powerful backer now, that his wings have grown strong, so you can do whatever you want? Let me tell you, he can never escape the fact that he’s a grandson of the Jiang family. Without my consent, you can forget about it! If you insist on this, that woman will never be allowed to enter the Jiang family ancestral hall!”

“Why don’t you just expel Changyang from the Jiang family altogether? That would make everyone happy!” Madam Wang laughed lightly. “You dare to bring up the past? Have I failed to fulfill any of my promises to you? Hasn’t he returned to the capital? Doesn’t he call you father? Has he changed his surname? You say I haven’t raised him well, but could you have done better? Does he gamble or visit brothels? Does he rely on others to support him? Look at him…” Her voice filled with pride, “At twenty, he’s already a fourth-rank general. He’s just achieved another great merit. How many people can do that? Where is the son you raised now? What is he doing? Still drinking milk, I suppose?”

“The thing I regret most in this life is that I was soft-hearted enough to let you take him away. You’ve raised him to be so disrespectful to his elders! Just look at how arrogant you’ve made him!” Jiang Zhong glared at Madam Wang, gritting his teeth in anger.

“The thing I regret most in this life is that you turned out to be his father! What’s wrong with being arrogant? Not everyone can afford to be arrogant.” Madam Wang waved her hand in front of Jiang Zhong’s face. “Stop glaring. You’re already old and unsightly enough. Glaring like that makes you look even more like a boring old fogey.”

How could she say such hurtful things? The thing she regretted most was that he was Jiang Changyang’s father! This was unbearable. “You…” Jiang Zhong’s eyes widened even further. He felt all his blood rushing to his head, making him short of breath and dizzy. He almost wanted to smash the screen in the middle of the main hall. But he knew he couldn’t. He forced himself to calm down, trying not to lose his composure too much.

Seeing his fierce look, with his face red and his neck swelled, Madam Wang laughed, “Look at you… Been the Pig Duke for too long, haven’t you? You’ve gotten fat. No matter how hard you try to glare, your eyes aren’t as big as they used to be. Stop getting angry. If you’re not happy being here, just go home. Think it over when you get back. Don’t end up feeling like everyone’s wronged you again, unwilling to consider your thoughts.”

Jiang Zhong could no longer contain his fury, almost jumping in rage: “You’re the one who needs to think carefully. That woman can’t bear children! You still want such a daughter-in-law?”

Madam Wang’s heart skipped a beat. How could this be? She had never heard Jiang Changyang mention this.

Seeing her sudden silence, Jiang Zhong felt a moment of triumph. He had finally scored a point. He sat down calmly and said earnestly, “This child is thoughtful. I guessed he hadn’t told you. If he likes her that much, he can take her as a concubine. That’s the biggest concession I can make.”

Madam Wang couldn’t stand his smug look. She gave him a cool glance and said coldly, “You’re wrong again. We have no secrets between us. He told me about this. He said it was a malicious rumor spread by ill-intentioned people. You’ve always prided yourself on being clever, yet you believe such nonsense! And you’re even helping to spread it. How ridiculous! A concubine? Hah! Truly laughable! As if we need your permission! It’s absurd! Look, now I regret again that you’re his father.”

“You’ve gone too far!” Hearing her repeated “ridiculous” and that unpleasant sentence he never wanted to hear again, Jiang Zhong was momentarily speechless. After a moment of silence, feeling he could no longer sit facing this woman, he stood up wearily and said, “Do as you please, then. But remember my warning: I will not agree to your reckless behavior. If you don’t believe me, we’ll see what happens.”

Madam Wang didn’t even look at him, “I’m a bit tired, so I won’t see you out.” As soon as Jiang Zhong left, Madam Wang rose with a stern face and ordered, “Prepare a fragrant bath for me, bring good wine and food, and wait at the entrance of the street. As soon as Jiang Changyang returns, tell him to come see me!” That little brat was rebelling, truly forgetting his mother once he got a wife. He even dared to deceive her, almost making her lose face.

Meanwhile, Jiang Changyang, Wu, and the others rushed through the ward gate just as the final drum beat sounded. Watching the heavy gate close behind them, Jiang Changyang turned to Wu and Shun Hou’er with a pleased expression, “We timed that perfectly.”

Wu didn’t answer, just nodded towards something ahead. Jiang Changyang turned to look and saw Jiang Zhong sitting high on his horse, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, glaring at him grimly. Why hasn’t he left yet? Of course, as a duke, his main gate faced the main street, allowing him much more freedom of movement without passing through the ward gate. Jiang Changyang dismounted and bowed, “I was delayed by some matters and arrived late. My apologies for keeping you waiting. It’s already late today. Perhaps we could discuss another day?”

After this period of interaction, Jiang Zhong began to grasp some of his temperament. It was clear that today he had deliberately avoided him, letting Ayou deal with him instead. Remembering Ayou’s detestable behavior earlier, Jiang Zhong’s heart hardened. He said coldly, “If you want to discuss your marriage to the He girl with me, today is the only day I’m available. It’s up to you whether we talk or not.”

Jiang Changyang was silent for a moment, then said, “Then let’s talk at my place.”

Jiang Zhong stubbornly replied, “Come to Duke’s mansion to talk!” He had many more questions for Jiang Changyang, such as the incident of throwing the imperial object, the apology banquet of Madam Du, and today’s matters concerning Jiang Changyi and Xiao Xuexi. Each of these issues was inextricably linked to Jiang Changyang.

“I have to enter the palace tomorrow, so I need to make preparations tonight,” Jiang Changyang didn’t want to discuss anything with him now, obviously intending to part on bad terms. At this moment, he didn’t want to provoke Jiang Zhong further.