Madam Du gazed at the green leaves outside the window, her vision blurred and her heart heavy. She whispered, “How can I not be anxious? You’ve seen the situation. Twenty years… twenty years… it feels like a dream.”
The memories of the past were still vivid, yet no one had anticipated Jiang Changyang’s return in such a manner. Lady Dugu sighed deeply, “I think you’re overreacting. It hasn’t come to that point yet. Although your husband spoke harshly, it was because you pushed him too far. Your twenty years of service can’t be easily erased; he won’t dare to do anything to you. When he returns, humble yourself a bit. Your brother will find a way to smooth over the Cloud Xiao incident. At worst, you’ll be accused of being willful and unable to bear injustice.” She playfully nudged Madam Du’s arm, feigning lightheartedness, “After all, you’ve been married for twenty years. He’s quite a devoted man.”
Devoted? That depends on who you’re talking about, Madam Du thought. The damage to their marital relationship seemed irreversible. The key was to decide the next move; she couldn’t admit defeat yet. Teary-eyed, Madam Du stroked her arm, “Now that it’s come to this, what good solution could my brother have?”
Lady Dugu lowered her voice, “Your brother has already thought of a plan: pin this on the Xiao family!”
“The Xiao family!” Madam Du’s eyes widened suddenly.
Lady Dugu spoke with a hint of pride, “Although your son was raised under your name and grew up with you, there’s still that layer of separation. His birth mother is still alive, and people’s hearts are unpredictable. He’s now enjoying the Xiao family’s fortune, entering the Secretariat at such a young age. He might develop other thoughts. Even if he doesn’t, don’t forget the Xiao family behind him! From that old man and that woman of the Xiao family to Xiao Yuexi, and then to Xiao Xuexi – who among them is willing to fall behind? They’re full of schemes and won’t let go easily. We might as well take this opportunity to drag them into this. Let them fight it out.”
Especially since Jiang Changzhong was useless, unable to get along with his comrades despite being away for so long. Those small merits were all fabricated by Du Qian’s money and tricks. How could they talk about great achievements? Their side had already softened so much; how could they compare with others? So they had to clear things up first.
As soon as this pressing issue was mentioned, Madam Du immediately set aside her grief. She paced back and forth, her earlier dejection and sorrow swept away. She said spiritedly, “Right! The Xiao family might still be angry at Jiang Dalang for the last incident. It can be said that there’s a reason for it! Let’s do it this way.”
Lady Dugu reassured her, “I can’t stay here for long. Don’t overthink things. When he returns, if he wants to deal with Yan Biao and the others, don’t be reluctant. Let him do it. In the future, you should consult with your brother before taking action.”
Madam Du expressed some regret, “With this plan failing, I’m afraid Cloud Xiao will be upset for a while.”
Lady Dugu replied, “It might not be entirely without effect. Remember when someone named Liu was promoted to You Shiyi, but was accused of being unfilial? Even though his father spoke up for him, wasn’t he still suspended and sent home? The imperial will is hard to predict. Let’s wait and see.”
“Then, sister-in-law, please tell my brother about the matter I mentioned in my letter this morning – the one about arranging for Zhong’er to make a good showing soon. It needs to be done quickly,” Madam Du said. Seeing Lady Dugu’s agreement, she felt slightly more at ease. After seeing Lady Dugu out, she closed the door and sat in her room, not going anywhere, quietly waiting for Jiang Chong to return home.
Meanwhile, Jiang Changyang and Mudan had been standing under the scorching sun at the gate for a while, both feeling uncomfortable from the heat. Seeing that no one was coming out, and noticing fine sweat on Mudan’s nose, Jiang Changyang said, “Let’s not wait anymore. Let’s go.”
Knowing he was concerned for her, Mudan smiled and said, “Since we’re already here, why don’t we wait a bit longer?”
Jiang Changyang replied, “Alright, we’ll wait a little longer then.”
Suddenly, they saw a noblewoman wearing a scarlet robe and a high bun, adorned with various gold-framed jeweled and rhinoceros horn combs, flower-shaped ornaments, and painted eyebrows. Her lips were painted in a half-coquettish style. She was accompanied by several richly dressed young men. Upon seeing them, she exclaimed in surprise, “Oh!” Then she approached Jiang Changyang warmly, greeting him, “Dalang, since you’re here, why are you just standing outside? Why don’t you go in?”
Although Jiang Changyang was not familiar with Lady Dugu, he smiled and said, “I’ve angered Grandmother. I’ll go in when she’s willing to let me in.”
Little fox, Lady Dugu cursed silently but still maintained a smile on her face. “You probably don’t recognize us. I’m your aunt, and these are your cousins.” After claiming this relationship, she smiled and looked at Mudan, “Oh, is this the new bride? Such a fresh and beautiful face, I love it!”
Jiang Changyang frowned slightly, inconspicuously shielding Mudan behind him. He bowed slightly, “Madam, you must be busy. I won’t disturb you.” He then took half a step back, making way for her.
He didn’t acknowledge this sudden appearance of an aunt and cousins. Lady Dugu understood this well. She smiled at the servant beside her, “Quickly go inside and tell them that the young master is standing out here suffering.”
The servant hurried inside. Lady Dugu nodded at Jiang Changyang and Mudan with a smile, then left with her sons. Looking at Jiang Changyang’s behavior, she thought that her niece’s little scheme might not go as planned.
When the old madam learned that Jiang Changyang and Mudan had been standing at the gate for a long time, she assumed they were afraid and had come to ask for her forgiveness. Partly to irritate Madam Du, she ordered someone to call them in, serve tea and pastries, and even allowed Mudan to sit down. Although her attitude was neither warm nor cold, she didn’t make things difficult for them.
Seeing that she wasn’t putting on airs today, not lying in bed but reclining on a couch with an unhappy face, and noticing that Madam Du and others were not around serving her, Jiang Changyang, combined with the strange atmosphere in the mansion when they entered, vaguely guessed that something must have happened. However, he didn’t ask and calmly drank his tea.
The old madam pondered her thoughts silently for a while. Seeing that the two of them had come in, paid their respects, and said nothing, even more composed than herself, she said unhappily, “So you finally know to be afraid? If I didn’t care about blood relations, I would certainly…” She went on with a long tirade.
Jiang Changyang and Mudan both lowered their heads in silence, letting her speak. Suddenly, they saw Jiang Changyi limping in to pay his respects: “Grandson greets Grandmother.” He then went to greet Jiang Changyang and Mudan. His forehead was scratched, his robe torn and covered in dust, and he was limping.
The old madam frowned unhappily, “What happened to you? I told you to go fetch a doctor, and not only do you come back so late, but you’re in this state.”
Jiang Changyi replied shamefully, “Grandson was a bit too anxious and fell off the horse. Fortunately, I didn’t break any bones. But I delayed the important matter.”
“You! When will you ever learn to be steady?” The old madam tapped Jiang Changyi’s forehead in frustration. “I think the only way for you to become more steady is to get married soon.”
Hearing this, Jiang Changyi was secretly delighted but pretended to be alarmed, “There’s an order to these things. Second Brother hasn’t yet…”
The old madam said indifferently, “There are priorities in everything and exceptions to every rule. He’s at the border and can’t worry about such things. Isn’t the Xiao family pressing urgently? Your mother’s health isn’t good either. If you get married, you can help her with some household duties and save her from exhaustion. How did the doctor say she was earlier?”
Jiang Changyi held his breath, waiting for the old madam to finish before carefully saying, “The doctor arrived at the door earlier, but Mother refused to see him. She said she had already taken medicine and was better, so she thanked the doctor profusely and sent him away.”
Of course, how could she dare to see a doctor when she was faking it? The old madam snorted heavily, but still mindful of her face, didn’t say anything unpleasant. The grandmother and grandsons sat in silence, each lost in their thoughts. Suddenly, they heard a commotion outside again.
The old madam, exhausted from the past few days, became anxious at the sound of the disturbance and quickly asked what was happening. It turned out that a palace messenger had come to summon Jiang Changyang to the palace.
The old madam secretly wondered how the palace messenger knew Jiang Changyang was here. She suspected that Jiang Chong had an audience with the emperor, said he was fine, and the emperor deliberately sent the messenger here to investigate. She had to go out and meet the messenger herself, so she called Jiang Changyang and Mudan to support her as they went to the front to meet the palace messenger.
The messengers turned out to be two handsome young eunuchs. They discreetly observed the cheerfully chatting old madam, accepted some money, exchanged a few polite words, and urged Jiang Changyang to mount his horse and enter the palace. The old madam quickly signaled Jiang Changyi to inquire why Jiang Changyang was being summoned to the palace at this time. The two young eunuchs just smiled, saying nothing. But everyone could vaguely guess what it was about.
Mudan looked at Jiang Changyang worriedly. Jiang Changyang said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, wait calmly for my return.” Then he turned and left steadily.
If nothing else, Jiang Changyang’s calmness in the face of this situation was rare. The old madam thought about how this child once cuddled in her arms, sweetly calling her “Grandmother,” and wondered how he had become like this. She watched Jiang Changyang leave with complex emotions, unable to express her exact feelings. Turning back to see Mudan, she said coldly, “See? This is all because of you! A virtuous wife brings her husband less trouble, you…”
Suddenly, she heard Jiang Changyi say quietly, “Grandmother, sister-in-law must be feeling very upset too.”
The old madam glared fiercely at Jiang Changyi – this little brat dared to talk back to her! Although Jiang Changyi was somewhat afraid, he still puffed out his chest, showing that he was very brave. The old madam finally withdrew her gaze, saying nothing, and let Mudan support her back to her room. She then left Mudan aside, reclined on her couch, called Hong’er to bring a Go board, and had Jiang Changyi play with her, while secretly observing Mudan.