Jiang Xin Zhi had followed the victorious Guan Liang Han to the capital, and had once again made such a great contribution.
Although Guan Liang Han's unauthorized mobilization of troops was a violation of the law, the lives of the common people were more important than the heavens. Matters had to be prioritized. The imperial court had yet to issue an edict of punishment. The Emperor's meaning was already very clear. The crime did not obscure his merits.
Guan Liang Han was a veteran of hundreds of battles, and he also had the reputation of the Great Jin Dynasty's War God, so these things were not very important to him. However, Jiang Xin Zhi, who had appeared out of nowhere, was different. He had been promoted to Deputy General at such a young age, and this matter was like the icing on the cake. Those who were observant guessed that Jiang Xin Zhi's career would definitely skyrocket in the future. Who would have thought that among the generations of civil officials of the Jiang family, Jiang Xin Zhi would produce a military general?
Thus, for the past few days, there had been an endless stream of horse and carriages in front of the Jiang fu, all of whom had come to curry favor with Jiang Quan.
Jiang Quan secretly wiped away the sweat on his forehead. The entire family of the Prime Minister's fu had already been detained in prison. This matter boded ill rather than well. Even if they were lucky enough to be released in the end, it would be very difficult for the Li family to return to their former situation of unlimited glory and favour. Since the Eighth Prince's power had been damaged, no one in the imperial court dared to act rashly. Even the Xia family did not make any moves.
The Jiang fu relied on the Xia family, and the Xia family relied on Xuan Li. If anything happened to Xuan Li, the Jiang fu would naturally have no future. Jiang Quan had originally been deeply worried about this matter. Who would have expected that Jiang Xin Zhi would appear out of nowhere, and cause the Jiang fu, which was already on the verge of collapse, to once again flourish like a blooming brocade.
He entertained his colleagues who came to curry favor with him, but his heart was very complicated. If it had been Jiang Chao who had brought glory to the Jiang family, it would have been one thing, but it just had to be Jiang Xin Zhi. Jiang Xin Zhi had indeed brought a lot of benefits to the Jiang fu, but he had been so condescending as soon as he returned. If he really gained the Emperor's favor, wouldn't he turn the Jiang fu upside down in the future? In the past, this di eldest son had never placed him in his eyes. Now, he was becoming more and more capable with each passing day. If in the future, all the Jiang fu's property would fall into his hands, then there would be no room for Jiang Chao and Jiang Su Su. As he thought of this, a trace of melancholy flashed across Jiang Quan's eyes.
Jiang Quan's mood was complicated. Naturally, there was someone whose mood was even worse than his. Ever since the incident at the Bo Chang Reservoir, the number of broken cups and saucers in Yan Hua Yuan and Su Xin Yuan had increased rapidly. Coincidentally, Xia Yan had caught a cold and was bedridden. The servants in the fu quietly spread the rumor that Xia Yan had fallen ill because of Jiang Xin Zhi's meritorious service.
The more rumors there were, the more they spread to the streets and alleys of the capital. Everyone discussed spiritedly, saying, "Look, it turns out that Xia Yan, the talented woman whose name had shaken the capital in the past, could not avoid becoming a petty and jealous woman after entering the fu." Her usual dignified, magnanimous, and tolerant attitude was all an act. Otherwise, why would the Eldest Young Master Jiang be so angry that he fell sick after performing a meritorious deed?
These words were passed back and forth, finally reaching the Jiang fu. Almost the next day, Xia Yan recovered from her illness.
Xia Yan had recovered from her illness, but Jiang Chao had fallen ill again. He shut himself up in his own courtyard and refused to leave.
Even the main wife had become like this. Thus, when the other yiniangs and daughters of the Jiang fu met Jiang Ruan, they showed a little fear.
Regardless of the attitude of the other people in the fu, Jiang Xin Zhi and his sister were happy and contented. If there was one person in the fu who was happy, it was the Old Jiang Madame.
The Old Jiang Madame had been bedridden all this time. After all, she was a person in her sixties. Sickness came like a mountain, but went away like spinning silk. When she heard that Jiang Xin Zhi had been promoted to Deputy General, she was already very happy. However, after Jiang Xin Zhi returned to the capital, he was busy with military affairs, and the Old Jiang Madame's body had not recovered. When she finally got up and walked, she impatiently called the Jiang siblings over.
In Gui Lan Yuan, the Old Jiang Madame looked at the imposing young man in front of her with satisfaction. She was getting on in years. In the past, the one she had doted on the most was Jiang Chao, who had been raised by her since childhood. But recently, Jiang Chao had repeatedly disappointed her. On the other hand, this Jiang Xin Zhi, who had suddenly returned to the capital after a victory, caused her to have a whole new level of respect for him.
Compared to the Old Jiang Madame's warmth, Jiang Xin Zhi appeared polite and distant. He was too polite, but not close enough. After a while, the Old Jiang Madame also saw Jiang Xin Zhi's attitude, and her expression gradually became less amiable.
Moreover, Jiang Xin Zhi was also someone who had been honed in the army. Regarding the Old Jiang Madame's deliberate silence, Jiang Ruan did not say anything and only smiled without saying anything. The Old Jiang Madame reminded Jiang Xin Zhi to help the Jiang family more, and if possible, to help Jiang Chao as well. He would inherit the Jiang fu in the future, and in any case, Jiang Chao was his younger brother.
Jiang Xin Zhi, however, remained calm and collected as he pushed the words back. Finally, he did not agree to anything.
The Old Jiang Madame had been extremely astute all her life, and when she encountered the Jiang siblings being so stubborn, she was naturally somewhat displeased. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, her attitude gradually cooled down. She waved her hand and said that she was tired.
After Jiang Ruan left, she said to Cai Que, who was beside her, "I originally thought that he was a treasure, but in the end, he is someone who does not know how to adapt to circumstances."
"Eldest Young Master has a grudge against Madame, but after this resentment, everything will naturally be fine. After all, we are still one family," Cai Que advised.
"How is it a grudge? It is clearly a grudge." The Old Jiang Madame sighed deeply, "Let them toss and turn, it is time for Xia Yan to suffer." Although she loved Jiang Chao dearly, she could not do without him. After all, Jiang Quan was not her biological son, so she only needed to protect the prosperity of the Jiang fu. To her, whether the future head of the Jiang fu was Jiang Chao or Jiang Xin Zhi, it made no difference to her.
Jiang Ruan and Jiang Xin Zhi walked out of Gui Lan Yuan, and Jiang Ruan said, "Zumu must be angry with you."
"I do not care for the position of Jiang fu." Jiang Xin Zhi's voice was low, "Don't mention help."
"It is best that there is no need." Jiang Ruan smiled.
This was because the Jiang fu would eventually collapse in the future. There was no need for a dying person to worry about the flourishing flowers in life.
As she spoke, she saw a corner of a robe peeking out from the garden. Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, and suddenly raised her voice, "Since zumu wants to recognize Eldest Brother as the head of the family, it is naturally zumu's intention. Eldest Brother must think carefully. "
Jiang Xin Zhi was slightly surprised, but when he saw Jiang Ruan's expression, he seemed to understand something, and laughed, "Exactly."
Jiang Ruan and Jiang Xin Zhi glanced at each other and both laughed.
The two siblings of the Jiang fu were carefree and leisurely, but naturally, there were also people who were not so carefree. For example, the Grand Chancellor fu that had been sealed up, and the Li family members that were locked up in prison.
Everyone in the Grand Chancellor fu had been locked up by the officials, but Li An had been left out. The Second Young Master of the Li family had absconded to avoid punishment, and the entire capital had been searched for him, but his shadow had not been found. This was a major event in the capital, so every day, there were bailiffs searching the capital for him.
The Second Young Master of the Li fu had always been extremely clever, but no one knew where he was hiding. However, with his cautiousness, it was likely that he would not be caught so easily.
In a small alley of the capital's slum, a dirty inn was teetering on the verge of collapse. The continuous days of rain had already torn off half of the inn's roof. In the midst of the wind and rain, it seemed as if the inn would collapse in the next second.
A man dressed in grey walked in. The innkeeper was leaning over the table to take a nap. He did not expect that someone would come at this time, and hurriedly greeted him politely, "Sir, would you like to stay or eat?"
"A middle room." The man dressed in grey took out a small piece of silver, "Send the food to the room." After saying this, he walked upstairs. The inn had been in disrepair for many years, and it was located in a dark alley of the slum. The rich did not want to stay in such an inn, and the poor did not have the money to stay in such an inn. Therefore, there were very few customers in the inn.
The innkeeper smiled and went upstairs to find a room for the man dressed in grey.
After finding the room, the innkeeper went downstairs. The man dressed in grey closed the door and slowly took off his dusty coat. Under the dirty coat was a handsome face, but his expression was somewhat sinister and gloomy.
This person was Li An.
Li An, who had always been extremely clever, arrogant, and conceited, could only hide like a stray dog from the authorities. Ever since he was young, everyone had flattered him, saying that he was the hope of the Grand Chancellor fu. He looked down on Li Yang, who was a playboy, and looked down on Li Dong, who only knew how to indulge in debauchery.
He wanted to be above others and enjoy the admiration of others. In fact, he had indeed achieved this. Therefore, he did not expect that one day, he would be defeated so miserably, especially by the hands of an eleven year old girl!
In these few days, he carefully thought about the ins and outs of the entire matter, and finally confirmed that this was Jiang Ruan's doing. He could not hide the shock in his heart. From the time Jiang Ruan castrated Li Yang, it seemed that she had planned to target the Li family step by step. Regardless of her intentions, this kind of naked provocation had caused the Grand Chancellor fu to suffer such a big loss. How could Li An be reconciled to this?
In particular, recently, there had been news circulating in the marketplace that the Emperor had seen the countless jewels in the Grand Chancellor fu, which were even more abundant than the national treasury. He was furious and already had the intention to kill. In a few days, he would execute the entire Grand Chancellor fu.
Although this was just a rumor in the marketplace, it came from the palace. Moreover, the truth and falsehood were mixed together, causing people to be unable to tell the truth from the falsehood. Li An himself was clear that even if it was to fill up the national treasury, the Emperor would very likely take the lives of the Grand Chancellor fu.
But if this happened, the Grand Chancellor fu would no longer have a chance to rise again!
No, he had to do something. He could not sit still and wait for death. He could not watch the Grand Chancellor fu collapse because of a small reservoir.
He had already inquired about the news that the rain in the capital had not stopped. The rich often went to the most famous temple in the capital — Bao Guang Temple to pray.
The day after tomorrow, Jiang Ruan would go with the rest of the Jiang family's young ladies to donate incense money.
Bao Guang Temple was located on a cliff far away from the city. The mountain was high and the valley was deep, and the journey was long. Because of this, the incense was flourishing, and people believed that this would show their sincerity.
And all the young ladies of the Jiang fu going to Bao Guang Temple was undoubtedly a great opportunity.
He had to make a comeback before the Emperor made a decision about the Grand Chancellor fu. This matter had to start with Jiang Ruan. But now, he could not openly appear, let alone get close to Jiang Ruan.
The only way was to first capture her, and then … make her admit that everything was a conspiracy.
Since childhood, Li An had used schemes to hurt people, but he had never made such a direct decision. But, this was the only way.
This was also the first time he had personally made a move. He believed that Jiang Ruan would not be able to escape even if she grew wings.
Slowly, he took out a bronze medallion from his bosom. It was the size of a palm and was incomparably exquisite. Li An held the bronze medallion tightly in his hand, and then slowly smiled.
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