“The bride hasn’t even entered our household yet, and there’s already talk of a worthy concubine. How are we supposed to explain this to the Duke of Dongping’s family?” The Duke of Anguo looked displeased.
Madam Wei sneered, “Once this generation of the Duke of Dongping passes, their title will be lost. They’ll be no different from commoners then. Their daughter lost her mother at a young age. She should be grateful to marry into our Duke’s family. How dare she be picky?”
The Duke of Anguo became even more dissatisfied hearing this: “That’s not the point—”
“My lord, can’t you see? Our third son has grown up and has his ideas now. He can’t be controlled by force anymore. If we don’t allow him to be with Qiao Niang, he might do something foolish again.” Madam Wei wiped her tears as she said this. “If anything happens to our third son, I won’t be able to go on living either—”
Seeing the Duke still hesitating, Madam Wei chided, “My lord, it’s just a concubine. What’s there to worry about? Don’t concern yourself with matters of the inner courtyard. Leave it to me to handle.”
The Duke of Anguo sighed, “Alright then. First thing tomorrow morning, you go to the Duke of Dongping’s mansion and explain the situation to them properly.”
“Don’t worry, my lord. I’ll handle this matter well. Let’s go check on our third son now.”
That night, Ji Chongyi developed a fever, worrying Madam Wei so much that she couldn’t sleep soundly. Early the next morning, when the wife of the heir, Madam Guo, came to pay her respects, Madam Wei told her, “You must have heard about what happened last night. Please go to the Duke of Dongping’s mansion on my behalf.”
Although Madam Guo felt somewhat conflicted after hearing Madam Wei’s instructions, she dared not refuse and hurried to make arrangements.
Madam Wei leaned back on her pillow and closed her eyes.
The heir’s wife was the future Duchess of Anguo. Sending her to visit showed enough respect to the Duke of Dongping’s family. As long as they quickly brought the Fourth Miss Jiang into the family, this storm would pass.
The breakfast stall at the entrance of Yusongzi Alley was already set up, with many people gathered around it. A new day began with a bowl of tofu pudding topped with wood ear mushrooms and tender meat strips.
A scream broke the morning tranquility of the Duke of Dongping’s mansion.
A-Man hurriedly entered the room: “Miss, the master is beating the Second Young Master!”
Jiang Si stood up from her dressing table and strode out.
“Miss, this isn’t the way to Ci-xin Hall—” A-Qiao reminded her.
Ci-xin Hall was where the Duke of Dongping’s mother lived. Usually, the young ladies would first visit their mothers before going together to pay respects to the old madam. But Jiang Si had lost her mother at a young age, and her elder sister of the same mother had already married out, so she usually went alone.
“Let’s go see the Second Young Master first.” Jiang Si quickened her pace.
A-Qiao became even more puzzled and exchanged a glance with A-Man.
A-Man was equally confused and shook her head slightly.
When the young miss was under ten years old, she had been very close to the Second Young Master, often playing together. As they grew older, they became distant, especially in the past two years when she barely spoke to him when they met.
Today, the young miss was behaving unusually.
They say people can change drastically after experiencing a shock, and the young miss had certainly suffered a great shock last night.
The two maids came to the same conclusion and felt even more resentful towards Ji Chongyi, the Third Young Master of the Duke of Anguo’s family.
The Duke of Dongping’s family had four young masters. Except for the Fourth Young Master who was still young and lived in the rear courtyard, the other three young masters had their separate courtyards in the front. Jiang Zhan lived in the Listening to Bamboo Courtyard.
As soon as Jiang Si reached the courtyard gate, she heard a strong voice scolding: “You little beast! I was wondering why you’ve been so quiet lately. So you’ve been sneaking out through the dog hole to cause trouble. Do you like crawling through dog holes? Today, I’ll beat you until you’re more miserable than a stray dog on the street!”
“Stray dogs aren’t miserable,” a weak voice followed, which quickly turned into a scream, “Father, please be gentler. Don’t hit my face, don’t hit my face— Oh, Fourth Sister is here.”
The tall man chasing and beating Jiang Zhan heard this and kicked out: “How could your Fourth Sister be here? You little beast, still trying to fool me!”
Seeing this, Jiang Si spoke up: “Father—”
The tall figure stiffened and slowly turned around.
Duke Jiang Ancheng’s expression softened instantly upon seeing his youngest daughter, even showing a hint of appeasement: “Si’er, why are you here?”
“I heard Father was disciplining Second Brother, so I came to see what was happening.” Jiang Si replied to Jiang Ancheng, then looked at Jiang Zhan.
The sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth was at the age of rapid growth, as straight as a new bamboo shoot. Even though he looked somewhat disheveled from being chased and beaten, he was still strikingly handsome.
Jiang Zhan, like Jiang Si, had inherited their mother’s looks.
Jiang Si curtsied slightly to Jiang Zhan, “Second Brother, are you alright?”
Jiang Zhan’s eyes suddenly widened. Meeting Jiang Si’s gaze, his ears turned red, and he waved his hands repeatedly, saying, “Don’t worry, Sister. I’m good at running.”
“You little beast, you’re quite proud of how fast you can run, aren’t you?” Jiang Ancheng’s anger, which had just begun to subside, was ignited again by Jiang Zhan’s words.
Jiang Zhan instinctively wanted to run but remembered his sister was watching and couldn’t lose face. He forced himself to stand straight and said, “Father, please calm down. I have thick skin and tough flesh. Even if you don’t hurt your hands beating me, be careful not to frighten my sister.”
His sister had smiled at him today. Even if he was beaten worse than a dog by his father, it would be worth it.
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhan’s nose began to tingle with emotion. He quickly averted his gaze, afraid Jiang Si would notice.
At this moment, Jiang Si also felt a pang of sorrow.
In just a few months, her brother would drown while boating with friends. At the time, the officials had concluded it was an accident, but later she learned that there was more to her brother’s death.
Now, she not only had to save her brother’s life but also ensure that those responsible for his death were punished accordingly.
“You little beast, you may be content to crawl through dog holes, but have you ever thought about what would happen if thieves came in through those holes?”
Jiang Zhan rubbed his forehead.
Father’s worries were certainly justified—last night, he was attacked by a thief with a brick! However, this incident absolutely must not be spoken of!
“That dog hole is already sealed. I promise I won’t use it again,” the young man vowed.
Jiang Ancheng snorted through his nose. If not for his daughter’s presence making it inappropriate to unleash his full fury, he would have broken this rascal’s legs on the spot.
“Have you had breakfast yet?” he asked.
“Not yet. I was planning to pay respects to Grandmother first and then return to eat. Would you like to go with me to Cixin Hall to pay your respects, Father?” Jiang Si inquired.
Seeing Jiang Ancheng look at her with anticipation, Jiang Ancheng responded without hesitation, “Let’s go together.”
It was the first time his youngest daughter had looked at him with such expectation. They hadn’t been close since she was a child, and now he was caught off guard by this change in demeanor.
Jiang Si smiled warmly.
In her past life, she was so ignorant. She resented her father for not achieving any great feats like their neighbor, Earl Yongchang, who had made distinguished contributions, ensuring the family’s noble rank continued for generations. Her father’s lack of accomplishments made her feel humiliated and belittled by others. But she had forgotten that the love he gave her was truly priceless.
“Si’er, why aren’t you moving?” Jiang Ancheng asked.
“I’m coming.” Jiang Si lifted her skirts slightly and hurried to catch up.
In her previous life, on this very morning, the An’guo Ducal Estate sent the Heir’s Wife, Madam Guo, to propose that the marriage between the two families be brought forward. At that time, her elder brother hadn’t caused a scene with his dog hole antics, so her father had gone out early that day. Her grandmother, not waiting for her father to return and discuss the matter, had agreed to the proposal.
She still remembered how furious her father had been when he returned and learned of this decision. He’d even quarreled with Grandmother over it and then came to ask for her thoughts.
At that time, she naively said, “Am I not better than a dead person? Calling off the engagement just like that—could Father find a better marriage arrangement for me?”
Her father fell silent. When he left, his back appeared as though it had aged several years.
It was a pity that she had a pair of fine eyes but could not see what was truly important.
“Father, Fourth Sister, wait for me! I’m coming too!” someone shouted from behind.