vstars Chapter 513 Jiang Lian'er and Jiang Fei'er are about to get married
Chapter 513 Jiang Lian'er and Jiang Fei'er are about to get married
Jiang Xiaoqi has been working at the Hanlin Academy for a year now, and the case of the First Prince can be considered truly closed due to the Third Prince's involvement.
I've finally been relieved of one job, but I'm still working as the Second Prince's lecturer.
Furthermore, the frequency of the event was changed from once every three days to once every other day, supposedly by order of the emperor himself.
It is said that the Second Prince's studies have progressed rapidly under the guidance of Jiang Xiuzhuan, and his calligraphy has also improved by leaps and bounds.
Jiang Xiaoqi really wanted to reply with a "hehe" to them. What did they mean by saying he taught them well? He might have believed it a little in the past, but now he didn't believe it at all.
It was clearly the Second Prince who used himself as a stepping stone to subtly and gradually reveal his excellence to others.
Although he still acts like a mentally challenged child, he now retains more innocence and clarity, and less of the foolishness he once seemed.
Of course, this meant that in front of the emperor, he remained largely the same as before in front of the other princes, continuing to deceive all potential enemies.
How could the emperor not notice these subtle changes? But what use is being good at studying?
I once had high hopes for this legitimate son, but fate has not been kind to me, and the child's spirit has been scattered.
Zhao Yong himself was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, so he naturally preferred the eldest son as his future heir.
He had personally raised this child for several years back then, so how could he not feel heartache and regret?
But now, apart from lamenting the cruel twist of fate, the emperor himself is helpless.
I've seen all sorts of doctors, from imperial physicians and renowned healers to itinerant doctors; I've even consulted eminent monks and enlightened masters.
The emperor and empress had tried everything they could think of, but nothing could be changed.
In the end, the two accepted their fate, and the second prince, the legitimate son, was no longer destined for the throne.
He was raised well by the Empress's side and never left the palace, even after he had come of age.
The chief eunuch saw the emperor staring blankly at several large characters and knew that His Majesty was once again lamenting the fate of his eldest son.
Having just dealt with the Third Prince and his entourage, the Emperor knew that if he had established a Crown Prince earlier, these illegitimate sons wouldn't have had to put in so much effort.
Everyone was eyeing that supreme position, but did they really think becoming emperor was such a simple thing?
With great power comes great responsibility; a ruler bears the burden of the well-being and happiness of all his subjects.
Being an emperor is not difficult, being a tyrant is even easier, but being a capable and wise ruler is not only difficult, but also very tiring.
They only saw the benefits that power brings, but not the responsibilities behind it.
The third brother treated human life as worthless. He could transport several ships of gunpowder into the capital without hesitation. What did human life mean to him?
A stepping stone to a high position? Or just insignificant cannon fodder?
My Great Zhou must never be passed on to someone like that!
How are the younger children doing with their studies these days?
This question concerns the sixth to tenth princes, all of whom are still young and currently attend school together under the instruction of renowned scholars.
"Your Majesty, the young princes have been studying very hard lately, and their teachers have spoken highly of them."
Is the emperor feeling that he's ruined all his prosthetics and is now focusing on practicing his urinal?
"Hmm, have them hand in some of their recent coursework and calligraphy practice another day, so I can review them myself."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Jiang Residence —
With no cases to worry about, Jiang Xiaoqi finally had time to discuss her sixth sister's marriage with her grandmother.
But before he could say anything, Madam Chiang dropped two bombshells.
"What?! A wedding in May?! That's so rushed!"
"What's this rush? Fourth Sister has been engaged for a long time, and the Wang family has been testing the waters several times with their words."
When the Xiao family heard that the Wang family had arrived, they also wanted to set a wedding date together, saying that it would be best to have double happiness, with the two sisters getting married together, so as to save them the trouble of doing it twice.
Your grandfather thought about it and agreed. After all, your fourth and fifth daughters were already engaged, and they were both of marriageable age. There was no need to delay any longer.
Jiang Xiaoqi was helpless. This was definitely something Wang Jue and Xiao Ming had planned. The two of them now considered themselves brothers-in-law and liked to do everything together.
Jiang Xiaoqi rubbed her forehead. "Grandmother, isn't this a bit too hasty? Besides, Sixth Sister hasn't even settled down yet. With Fourth and Fifth Sisters getting married, won't Sixth Sister feel bad?"
Jiang Xiaoqi made up an excuse, knowing that his sixth sister wouldn't be upset about something like this.
However, if the fourth and fifth sisters go out together, only the sixth sister and he will be left at home, which is dangerous!
But Madam Jiang just smiled mysteriously, "Mingfei, don't worry. Your grandmother has also made arrangements for your sixth sister's matter."
It turned out that, with the help of Madam Ouyang, Old Madam Jiang had already taken a liking to a talented young man, the son of a high-ranking official in the court, who was said to be of excellent character and learning.
The Ouyang family and that family were acquainted, and Old Madam Jiang had already sent someone to inquire about it indirectly. It turned out that the other family was also interested in forming a marriage alliance with the Jiang family.
"Whose house is it exactly? I haven't heard a thing!"
Jiang Xiaoqi never expected that her grandmother was secretly plotting something big. She hoped that her grandmother wouldn't be marrying some spoiled brat from an official's family!
That would ruin Sixth Sister's life. She knew all five of her brothers-in-law well, so she couldn't be careless with the last one.
"It was suggested by Madam Ouyang. Although he is also a son of a concubine, he is very ambitious and has already become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). He will likely pass the Jinshi (a successful candidate in the imperial examination) in two years."
That way, she's not inferior to her other sisters. Your sixth sister isn't very talkative, so she should complement someone with a lively personality.
"Grandmother, you've described so much, but you haven't said which family this person belongs to."
That's the key point. You tell me, I have some connections in the court. I need to personally inquire whether they're reliable or not before I can feel at ease.
Madam Jiang smiled mysteriously, "Oh dear, this can be considered our Jiang family's high status. The other party is a branch of the Ouyang family. The child's father works at the Dali Temple. Have you heard of Lord Ouyang Ming?"
"That refers to the eldest son of Lord Ouyang, born out of wedlock."
A branch of the Ouyang family? Ouyang Ming?
I seem to have some recollection of it; it was this Ouyang Ming who submitted the memorial reporting the death of Yang Guozhong, the Earl of Chengen.
"I have a vague impression of it, but I'm not familiar with it. Grandmother, please don't make a decision so hastily. Let me go and inquire about it first."
"Since you're busy preparing for your fourth and fifth sisters' weddings right now, just focus on those preparations and don't try to do two things at once, lest you make mistakes on both."
Old Madam Jiang took Jiang Xiaoqi's words to heart, and she really couldn't attend to both sides.
Sigh~ These things are clearly the work of the head of the household, and it shouldn't be taken advantage of her strong physique to become the grandmother's responsibility.
Madam Jiang rarely spoke, but said, "Mingfei, have you written to your mother to ask if she's tired of staying in the south? If she is, she should come home."
Jiang Xiaoqi couldn't help but chuckle, "Haha, Grandmother, are you trying to shirk your responsibilities and let my mother come back to take over this mess?"
However, you'll still have to put in the effort. My mother said in her letter that she's not in the south right now, but in the Suzhou-Hangzhou area, planning to open several more branches!
So you're not going back to Beijing anytime soon? Sigh~ There's no end to how much money you can make, but I can't say that, since my daughter-in-law and grandson are supporting the whole family right now.
You can't eat from a bowl and then curse your mother.
Forget it, if she doesn't want to go back, she doesn't want to go back. She's already prepared the dowries for both girls.
When she thought about how the money used to prepare her dowry was sent back by her daughter-in-law, the slight discomfort and resentment in Madam Jiang's heart subsided.
This was, of course, Jiang Xiaoqi's intention; he always wanted to cover for his mother's travels.
Is there any better way than a wealthy woman showering her in-laws with money? Although all of this money actually came from Jiang Xiaoqi.
But why make such a clear distinction between mother and child? His is his mother's, and his mother's is still his mother's.
They are mother and son, and since all the money was spent at the Jiang residence, can the person who spent the money be investigated further?
After all, you're beholden to those who feed you, and you're even more indebted to those who give you money.