The days flowed by like flowing water. Jiang Li was still as domineering as before. From time to time, she would say a few provocative words, but Jiang Ruan ignored her. On the other hand, Jiang Su Su and her mother's attitude towards her was somewhat subtle. She did not know whether it was because she now saw people differently, or because Jiang Su Su and her mother could no longer keep their composure. Although the Old Jiang Madame treated Jiang Ruan indifferently, she would not deliberately suppress her. In the blink of an eye, it was time for Jiang Quan and Jiang Chao to return to the fu.
It was already the end of the year, and there were many social engagements in the officialdom. Jiang Quan had said a few days ago that he would return to the fu, but his superiors had something to do and delayed his return until today. Naturally, Xia Yan was extremely happy. Early on, she ordered people to tidy up and start preparing. She only said that they wanted to have a lively reunion dinner. Jiang Quan had worked hard for the Jiang fu for a year, so they should reward him well.
Jiang Li and Jiang Su Su were also very happy. Although Jiang Su Su appeared indifferent, she could not stop smiling. Although Jiang Quan was not kind to his di daughter, he truly loved Jiang Su Su. In her previous life, he was willing to offend the Emperor of the Imperial Palace in order to protect Jiang Su Su. This was evident from this. Jiang Su Su should have been Jiang Quan's proudest daughter. He was not stingy to give all his love to Jiang Su Su, and even used Jiang Ruan to pave the way for Jiang Su Su. Now that she thought about it, she did not know whether to be sad or angry.
It could only be said that Jiang Quan truly loved Xia Yan, which was why he loved their daughter so much. Jiang Chao was also the same. On the other hand, Jiang Quan had never paid attention to Jiang Ruan and Jiang Xin Zhi. He did not beat or scold them, nor was he affectionate with them. Instead, they were like two insignificant outsiders. Even Jiang Li, because of the power of Second Yiniang's maiden family, could receive Jiang Quan's good attitude. Only the brother and sister did not.
Thinking about it, Zhao Mei and General Zhao had long broken off their relationship, so there was no help in the officialdom. In the beginning, it was Zhao Mei who had taken the initiative to marry. She had not gained any advantage in terms of affection or power, so why would Jiang Quan feel even the slightest bit of pity? This was so that she and Jiang Xin Zhi could become stepping stones for Jiang Su Su and her brother. If they obstructed Jiang Su Su and her brother's path, they would be ruthlessly eliminated.
Lost in thought, Jiang Ruan forgot about it, and accidentally spilled a few drops. Bai Zhi saw this and hurriedly said, "Miss, please be careful."
Jiang Ruan returned to her senses and straightened the teacup. "Has father returned?"
Lian Qiao walked in from outside. Upon hearing Jiang Ruan's words, she replied, "He just returned and is currently talking to Old Furen and Taitai." She glanced left and right before lowering her voice to say, "However, his complexion does not look too good. It seems that he has encountered something unpleasant."
Bai Zhi said: "Maybe it's official business."
Coincidentally, Dewdrop rushed in with a sly smile on her face. Lian Qiao reprimanded her, "What are you doing out of the blue? Aren't you afraid of disturbing Miss?"
Jiang Ruan replied, "If you have something to say, then say it."
"Young lady, you're really godly." Dewdrop blinked her eyes and said, "This servant just went to the front to ask around and found out the reason why Master is so unhappy."
Lu Zhu's small mouth was sweet, and her mind worked quickly. Usually, when interacting with people in the marketplace, she was somewhat slick and slick, and very easily became involved with the maids and older women. Thus, Jiang Ruan often asked her to go out and keep an eye out for news, so that she would not be completely blind in the Jiang fu. Dewdrop was also smart and could always find out some information.
This time, Lian Qiao did not care about reprimanding her and listened carefully to her.
"I heard that for some reason, she quarreled with Assistant Minister Shen. Assistant Minister Shen was extraordinarily angry, and Master also argued until his face and neck were red. The strange thing was that despite the quarrel, Miss Shen specially wrote an invitation to Third Young Lady, inviting Third Young Lady to the fu to play. However, Master flew into a rage. Not only did he not allow Third Young Lady to leave the fu, he even grounded Third Young Lady. "
"What does this mean?" Lian Qiao asked curiously, "That day, Third Young Lady and Miss Shen did not seem to have such a good relationship. Why did they not invite Second Young Lady, but only Third Young Lady?"
Dewdrop smiled mysteriously, "The servants are all spreading the news that something has gone missing in the Shen fu. With such actions, it seems that they are suspecting Third Young Lady." Ruan Ju's maids were quite critical of Jiang Li. Usually, Jiang Li's eyes were at the top of her head, and her tone was unkind. She was far from Jiang Su Su's way of conducting herself, so all the maids and older women in the fu were somewhat fed up with her. Therefore, when something happened to her, there were many who rejoiced in her misfortune.
Bai Zhi said, "To suspect the Jiang fu's Young Lady to this extent, it is no wonder that Master flew into a rage. If Third Young Lady went, wouldn't that be slapping the Jiang fu's face and admitting to stealing something? However, why did the Shen fu borrow Miss Shen's hand to send an invitation to Third Young Lady? Could it be that they could even find out anything? This servant saw that although Third Young Lady is usually somewhat domineering, she is not someone who takes advantage of others. There are many suspicious points in this. Besides, Master and Shen daren have a deep friendship, so it is unlikely that they would quarrel to this extent over some worldly possessions. What exactly did the Shen fu lose? "
What did they lose? Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, and unhurriedly picked up the teacup and took a sip, "It should be something very important."
The Shen fu was in a state of turmoil. Assistant Minister Shen had discovered that his account book had gone missing. At that time, as an outsider, she had come to the Shen fu for the first time, so naturally, she was not clear about the structure of the Shen fu. Moreover, only Jiang Li had left the banquet, so it was difficult not to suspect Jiang Li. However, Jiang Li would not have gone to retrieve the account book on her own for no reason, so it could only be Jiang Quan's idea. There was nothing wrong with Assistant Minister Shen's way of thinking. The Shen fu and the Jiang fu's good relationship had originally involved a pile of unclear and unclear relationships of interest. If Jiang Quan were to get hold of Assistant Minister Shen's weakness, from then on, Assistant Minister Shen would have to lower his head in front of Jiang Quan. It was just that this matter was extremely improper, so it was no wonder that Assistant Minister Shen wanted to shed all pretense of cordiality.
Right now, Jiang Quan was really wronged. This matter indeed had nothing to do with him. Jiang Ruan smiled. The relationship between people was extremely fragile. Even if Jiang Quan and the Shen fu were to forcefully maintain a friendly facade because of the matter of the account book, today's matter would be like a thorn that was deeply buried in Assistant Minister Shen's heart. There would come a day when this thorn would break through the soil and sprout. At this moment, the battle line between Jiang Quan and the Shen fu had already begun to break.
Jiang Li had wanted to harm her, but she had become the scapegoat. This could be considered a small punishment as a warning to the greater good. Henceforth, the Shen fu would view Jiang Li as a thorn in their side, and Jiang Quan would not be happy in his heart. This could also be considered as Jiang Li bringing this upon herself.
In her previous life, Jiang Quan had ultimately taken the Shen fu's account book and grasped the Shen fu's Achilles' heel. However, at that time, the Jiang fu was already flourishing with each passing day, and the Shen fu could only bow its head in submission. It was still early in this life, and the Jiang fu still needed to rely on the Shen fu for many things. The premature rupture of the alliance was a disaster rather than a blessing for Jiang Quan.
Jiang Ruan patted her clothes and stood up, "Since Father and Second Brother have already returned to the fu, we can't not go and take a look. There's no need to say that we are disrespectful or unfilial. Let's go. I haven't seen Father and Second Brother for five years, and I don't know how they look now."
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
