“I’m not your sister. If you insist on calling me that, you can call me cousin.”
Jiang Jingshu’s smile froze on her face. The words she had prepared suddenly became unspeakable.
“This…”
Jiang Jingshu looked panicked and helpless, her eyes seemingly welling up with tears.
“Mother, I…”
Fan Suwan frowned. “Zhiyu, why are you being so fierce? What’s the difference between a sister and a cousin? Why be so serious?”
“I’m doing this for the sake of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion!” Jiang Zhiyu said earnestly. “A cousin is a cousin. She keeps calling me sister. If outsiders hear this, won’t they question my identity? I don’t care, but I don’t know if the mansion will be in trouble because of this.”
Every word seemed to be for the sake of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion, but it sounded incredibly grating.
Marquis Zhongyong’s sharp eyes were fixed on Jiang Zhiyu. “Are you blaming us for not acknowledging your status?”
Jiang Zhiyu shook her head, looking completely innocent. “No! Why would I blame you? I’m already very content! I’m doing this entirely for the sake of the Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion! If you think I’m being unreasonable, then let her call me ‘sister’!”
Hearing Jiang Zhiyu’s words, Fan Suwan’s face turned red with anger.
So sharp-tongued, where was the demeanor of a legitimate daughter of a marquis’s mansion?
If she were really allowed to enter the palace for the imperial concubine selection, the entire Marquis Zhongyong’s mansion would probably be killed by her!
A glint flashed in Jiang Jingshu’s eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
When Jiang Jingshu raised her head again, her eyes had returned to gentleness, filled with self-reproach and guilt. “Father, Mother, please don’t blame my sister. In the end, I took her place, so it’s understandable that she’s angry. I’ll move out of Yilan Courtyard and let my sister live there!”
“No!”
Jiang Zhiy u refused.
“I’m just a cousin of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s family, how can I take your courtyard, the eldest daughter of the main wife? What would that look like if word got out? The guest courtyard is fine, I’ll stay here!”
Fan Suwan glared at Jiang Zhiyu, trying to use a feigned retreat?
She wouldn’t let her have her way!
“Since you said the guest courtyard is fine, then you can stay here!”
Jiang Zhiyu nodded with a smile, “Okay, okay!”
Seeing Jiang Zhiyu like this, Fan Suwan felt a lump in her throat, unable to spit it out or swallow it down.
Just then, there was another commotion outside.
Soon, two young men with nine-tenths similar faces, but completely different clothes and demeanor, walked in.
One was dressed in red, with black hair flowing down his shoulders, unrestrained and flamboyant.
The other was dressed in green robes, wearing a jade crown, calm and reserved.
The two were none other than Jiang Zhenzhou, the eldest son of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s family, and Jiang Jibai, the second son.
The two were twins, born only a quarter of an hour apart, but their personalities were worlds apart.
Jiang Zhenzhou was a veritable little tyrant, fond of horseback riding and archery, often going hunting outside the city with his friends.
Jiang Jibai, on the other hand, loved reading and calligraphy; though only fifteen years old, he was already a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.
Upon entering the house, the two simultaneously greeted Marquis Zhongyong and Fan Suwan.
Before Marquis Zhongyong and Fan Suwan could say anything, Jiang Zhenzhou had already turned to look at Jiang Zhiyu.
“You’re Jiang Zhiyu? I heard you’re my biological sister?”
Jiang Zhiyu shook her head. “Cousin, you must have misheard. I’m just an orphan from a distant relative of the Marquis’s wife. The Marquis’s wife is kind-hearted and willing to take me in. If you’d like, you can call me cousin.” ”
What if I don’t want to?”
“Then I’ll call you cousin. You can call me whatever you want. We’ll each call each other what we want.”
Jiang Zhenzhou was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. “Interesting! You’re quite an interesting person!”
Jiang Jibai frowned slightly. “What cousin? Since we were switched at birth, we should switch back now. How can you put someone else in the wrong name? What kind of decorum is this?”
As soon as these words were spoken, Ronghua Hall instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone present knew Jiang Jibai’s personality very well.
Perhaps because he loved reading too much, Jiang Jibai, despite his young age, already acted like an old scholar, constantly talking about rules and etiquette.
In Jiang Jibai’s view, black is black, and white is white. No matter what, one must follow rules and regulations, uphold propriety and morality, and distinguish right from wrong.
Upon hearing Jiang Jibai’s words, Jiang Jingshu’s eyes immediately reddened.
“Jibai, are you unwilling to acknowledge me as your sister?”
Jiang Jibai looked at Jiang Jingshu with suspicion. “What makes you say that? Whether you are the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion or not, you are still my sister. As long as Father and Mother declare you their adopted daughter, you will still be the daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong.”
Jiang Jingshu was not comforted by these words; in fact, she was even more heartbroken than before.
She had been the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion for so many years. If now it was suddenly announced that she was the Marquis of Zhongyong’s adopted daughter, how could she face anyone?
Most importantly, how could she enter the palace for the imperial concubine selection?
Jiang Jingshu had watched Jiang Jibai grow up and knew his temperament well. She couldn’t reason with him, so she could only look at Fan Suwan with tears in her eyes.
“Mother, Brother Jibai is right. Let’s do as he says!
I’ll be the adopted daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion from now on, so I won’t have to go to the palace for the imperial concubine selection.
I’ll have more time to stay by your side and fulfill my filial duties! That’s a good thing!
But I wonder if my sister can adapt to going to the palace for the imperial concubine selection right after returning, or if she’ll be scared…”
Before Fan Suwan could answer, Jiang Zhiyu objected to Jiang Jings hu’s words.
She had only returned to the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion to obtain the Jiang family’s heirloom jade pendant; she hadn’t intended to sacrifice her future for it!
” I don’t want to go to the palace for the imperial concubine selection!”
“What are you saying, cousin!”
Jiang Zhiyu scolded playfully. “Who in the entire capital doesn’t know that you are the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion?
I’m just a cousin seeking protection! How can you say such things in return? Let’s not mention
it again!” Although Fan Suwan was surprised by Jiang Zhiyu’s words, she still gave her an appreciative look.
While her personality wasn’t likable, she was at least self-aware.
Fan Suwan stood up, walked to Jiang Jingshu’s side, and firmly grasped her hand.
“Jingshu, you are the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion, and that will never change! The imperial concubine selection is in a month, so you must prepare well and not let these things disturb your mood!”
Jiang Jingshu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but her face was full of hesitation. “But my sister—” ”
It’s my cousin!” Jiang Zhiyu corrected.
Fan Suwan gave Jiang Zhiyu a strange look.
Why did she feel that Jiang Zhiyu didn’t seem to want to acknowledge her ancestors at all?
But how could that be?
With the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion so wealthy, how could Jiang Zhiyu possibly look down on it?
After much thought, Fan Suwan still felt that Jiang Zhiyu was using a feigned retreat to advance.
Jiang Zhiyu knew her status couldn’t be changed, so she deliberately acted indifferent to make Fan Suwan and the Marquis feel guilty, thus gaining more benefits. She
was certainly a bit cunning!
However, as long as it didn’t affect the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion or Jing Shu’s selection for the imperial concubine, it was all harmless.
Fan Suwan gently patted Jiang Jing Shu’s hand,
“As your cousin, a cousin of the Marquis’s family, your father and I will certainly not mistreat her.
We will definitely help her find a good marriage in the future. With the Marquis’s family as her backing, and with you, her imperial cousin, by her side, her life won’t be bad!”