Upon entering the estate, the first thing that caught the eye was a small, standard courtyard house.
Uncle Zhong summoned his wife to meet Jiang Lanyue. Aunt Li had begged her way to the capital; Uncle Zhong had rescued her, and the two had married, after which she had worked on the estate.
Aunt Li respectfully knelt and kowtowed. Shanhu helped her up, and Jiang Lanyue exchanged a few words with a slight smile before dismissing her.
Exhaustion suddenly overwhelmed her; after washing up, Jiang Lanyue went to sleep, knowing a tough battle lay ahead.
…
The next day, the sun shone brightly, and the sky was cloudless.
The gates of the Wei residence were nearly breached as countless congratulatory gifts poured in like a river.
Mother Wei smiled so broadly her mouth almost cracked, enjoying the flattery and adulation, suddenly feeling that all the hardships she had endured were worthwhile.
Looking at her relatives who had looked down on her when she was down on her luck, now fa wning over her like lapdogs, Madam Wei rolled her eyes, secretly pleased.
“My Chi’er is destined to be the Grand Secretary, how can your son compare to him?”
Madam Zhao gritted her teeth, remembering her purpose, and forced herself to agree: “Yes, yes, my dear aunt, Chi’er is destined for greatness, how can he compare to us commoners? I only beg you, my dear aunt, for the sake of my child, to help me put in a good word with Chi’er, so that my son An’nian can study at Tiande Academy. When An’nian becomes successful, he will definitely be filial to you.”
Madam Wei mocked Madam Zhao sarcastically, seemingly wanting to vent her past grievances, only feeling satisfied when Madam Zhao was so subservient.
“Hmph! It’s just getting into Tiande Academy, it’s just a matter of saying a few words to my Chi’er.”
This was considered a promise, and Madam Zhao continued to flatter her, coaxing Madam Wei into giving her many nice gifts.
On the other hand, Wei Chi skillfully navigated the complexities of the situation. Drawing on his past life’s experience, he seized the opportunity to ingratiate himself
with the heir of Prince Ke. Five years later, the current emperor, having lost popular support due to his cruelty, was deposed by his own relatives. Lacking an heir, Prince Ke’s heir was adopted and became the new emperor.
The new emperor, disregarding Wei Chi’s past criticisms of his studies as Grand Tutor, instead valued his talent and heavily relied on him.
The two became inseparable, creating a peaceful and prosperous era together. Wei Chi, too, became a renowned and respected minister, his name etched in history.
Now, returning to their humble beginnings, he was determined to support the heir’s rise to power and create a glorious future together.
However, he clearly forgot that back then, they were merely strangers with little connection.
Upon returning to the Wei residence, Wei Chi was summoned by the old woman in his mother’s courtyard.
Seeing her son, Wei’s mother showered him with concern. Wei Chi listened quietly to his mother’s care, displaying remarkable obedience and filial piety. His mother attributed this to Wei Chi’s divorce from Jiang Lanyue.
Without Jiang Lanyue, their mother-son relationship had improved.
Thinking of this, Wei’s mother couldn’t help but nag, “Now that you’ve seen Jiang’s true colors, don’t get entangled with her anymore. Since you’re divorced, I’ll find you a well-bred lady to manage the household.”
Wei Chi frowned and shook his head. His mother was always kind-hearted, but prone to making things worse. To avoid complications, she told him about her affair with the Liang State Duke’s mansion and the truth about her divorce from Jiang Lanyu e.
Upon hearing the former, Wei’s mother smiled broadly, but the smile froze on her face after the latter part of her sentence.
“Chi’er, I wholeheartedly support your marriage to Miss Shen, but why did you agree to let Jiang Lanyue run away with our family’s money? Even if you want to marry Miss Shen, you don’t need to divorce Jiang Lanyue. She’s just an orphan with no one to rely on. Even if you demote her to a concubine, she wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.”
“If you ask me, just keep her in the manor. Why send her to the estate? Be careful she’s too ambitious and runs off with our money.”
Madam Wei frowned with heartache. Jiang Lanyue left in a hurry yesterday, and she hadn’t had time to check the treasury, so she naturally didn’t know that Jiang Lanyue had taken all the money.
Hearing Wei Chi’s words, she could no longer remain calm.
Others might not know, but she did. The Wei family’s business relied on Jiang Lanyue’s management. The Wei family’s nominal assets were actually registered in Jiang Lanyue’s name.
If Jiang Lanyue left, their Wei manor would be nothing but an empty shell.
Wei Chi confidently shook his head. Lanyue’s heart for him was as clear as the sun and moon; she would definitely wait for him silently.
As for those material possessions, he didn’t need to care about them. He would earn them back himself in the future.
“Mother, please don’t tell anyone about my private agreement with Lan Yue. If the Liang State Duke’s Mansion finds out, they will definitely blame us. Once I’ve established myself in the court, I’ll bring Lan Yue back as my second wife.” ”
Also, we must make this a convincing performance. I’ve already asked the steward to find a new house in the inner city. We’ll move in in a couple of days.”
Since he’d already left the house to Lan Yue, he would definitely keep his promise.
Mother Wei felt a pang of heartache. This house was worth a thousand taels of silver, and her son was just giving it away to Jiang Lan Yue like that?
She really was a vixen, adept at seducing men. No, she had to go to Jiang Lan Yue and get back the Wei family’s things.
And she also had to get her hands on Jiang Lan Yue’s dowry.
…
A carriage slowly pulled up outside the manor. When Uncle Zhong came to report, Jiang Lan Yue was organizing the things she had brought from the Wei residence.
Coral looked at Jiang Lanyue with concern: “Madam, it must be the Old Madam who sent someone to find you!”
Jiang Lanyue’s lips curled into a cold smile: “I was worried she wouldn’t come! Uncle Zhong, is the owner of the neighboring estate here today to check the accounts?”
Uncle Zhong’s eyes flashed, instantly understanding Jiang Lanyue’s intention.
“Yes! This morning, Madam Meng from next door came with her servants to check the accounts, and they’re still at the estate.”
A hint of joy flashed in Jiang Lanyue’s eyes. Madam Meng’s husband was an upright and incorruptible censor who couldn’t tolerate any wrongdoing.
He impeached every official, big or small, who made a mistake.
The news of Wei Chi’s divorce from her hadn’t spread yet, and it seemed that Wei Chi also felt that abandoning his wife after passing the imperial examination at this time would be unsightly, so he was intentionally delaying it for a few days.
If she could use Madam Meng to expose the matter to Censor Meng, it would definitely make him lose face in court.
Outside, the old woman was banging loudly on the door. Jiang Lanyue had changed into a worn-out dress, her eyes were rouged, and her cheeks were lightly powdered, making her look pale.
Anyone who saw her would feel pity, and Jiang Lanyue left satisfied.
Outside the manor, the old woman waited for a long time without anyone opening the door. Relying on her status in Wei’s madam’s courtyard, she shouted loudly, “Jiang! The old lady sent me here, why don’t you open the door quickly?”
The news of Jiang Lanyue’s divorce from Wei Chi had spread throughout the manor, and as a servant of the Wei family, she would no longer address her as the former madam.
Because the old woman’s voice was too loud, the servants from the neighboring manor frequently looked over, quite displeased.
Madam Meng was already annoyed by checking the accounts, and the old woman’s voice made her forehead twitch.
“Who’s making such a fuss outside?”
The two manors were close by, and the steward of the Meng family’s manor had frequent dealings with Uncle Zhong.
He was naturally very familiar with the identities of the people next door.
“Madam, the estate next door belongs to the newly appointed third-ranked scholar. Last night, Madam Wei suddenly arrived with her luggage, seemingly intending to stay for a long time.”
“The person knocking now, judging from the old woman’s words, is Madam Wei’s mother, the old lady, who sent someone to find Madam Wei.”
Hearing that it belonged to the newly appointed third-ranked scholar, Madam Meng impatiently rubbed her temples.
Her husband had many enemies at court; she couldn’t afford to have a private conflict with the family of a newly appointed scholar, lest her husband be impeached.