Jiang Jingshu finally felt relieved.
Her eyes were red-rimmed as she nodded, then looked at Jiang Zhiyu with gratitude. “Thank you, sister!”
Jiang Zhiyu frowned slightly. “Is your memory bad? I’ve said it so many times, how come you still can’t remember? Call me cousin!”
Jiang Jingshu hesitated, seemingly unsure whether she should call her that.
Marquis Zhongyong nodded at this moment. “Since she’s a cousin, it’s not wrong for you to call her cousin.”
Whether leading troops or doing other things, the worst thing is to be indecisive and wavering.
Now that they had decided to designate Jiang Zhiyu as a cousin, they needed to keep that in mind at all times. Jiang Jingshu’s
expression
was somewhat troubled, but she still obediently called out, “Cousin.”
“That’s more like it!” Jiang Zhiyu nodded in satisfaction. “Remember this well, don’t call me by the wrong name again, and don’t say you’re taking my spot. If others hear this, it will not only affect your participation in the selection, but they might even sue the Marquis’s mansion for deceiving the emperor! That wouldn’t be good!”
Hearing this, Jiang Jingshu’s expression truly froze.
That was her original plan.
Only in this way could she gain her mother and father’s affection.
But now, her plan was completely thwarted by Jiang Zhiyu’s words.
Nothing was more important than the selection!
No one could interfere with her selection!
Jiang Jingshu obediently nodded, “I understand, cousin.”
“My cousin is so obedient!”
For a moment, everyone was happy.
Only Jiang Jibai’s brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.
“Father, Mother, what kind of behavior is this?”
“Jiang Zhiyu is clearly your biological daughter, how can you not let her be recognized by the family?” ”
Even if Sister Jing Shu isn’t the eldest daughter of the Marquis’s family, as her adopted daughter, she’s still entitled to participate in the imperial concubine selection. Why deceive the emperor?”
“If this is discovered, it will bring no benefit to my elder sister or the Marquis’s family! I urge Father and Mother to reconsider!”
“You scoundrel!”
The Marquis of Zhongyong slammed his hand heavily on the table.
The fine rosewood table, its wood sturdy, shattered into pieces with his blow.
The Marquis of Zhongyong stood with his hands behind his back, glaring angrily at Jiang Jibai.
“You have no right to make decisions about the Marquis of Zhongyong’s residence! I think you’ve gone mad from reading too much!”
“Guards, take the Second Young Master back to his courtyard. Don’t let him out without my order!”
“Go back and reflect on your actions!”
Jiang Jibai remained ramrod straight, showing no fear, nor did he admit his mistake or beg for mercy.
“Father, an official should be upright and honest! A subject should be loyal and sincere! Please, Father, don’t make the same mistake again!”
The Marquis of Zhongyong was furious, his face turning ashen. He glared at the steward outside the door. “What are you standing there for! Gag him! Drag him out!”
Steward Chen was terrified. Hearing the Marquis of Zhongyong’s roar, he quickly called two servants over to take Jiang Jibai away.
Jiang Jibai flicked his sleeves. “No need for force, I’ll leave! But Father—”
Befo re he could finish speaking, Steward Chen covered his mouth.
“Second Young Master! Please say less! This old servant is sorry for offending you!”
Steward Chen, who was also skilled in martial arts, easily subdued a fifteen-year-old boy who couldn’t even kill a chicken.
Jiang Jibai was taken away by Steward Chen just like that.
But the awkward atmosphere in the room remained.
Jiang Zhiyu was also dumbfounded.
The people in the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion were all so interesting.
Jiang Zhenzhou smiled and leaned closer, “You don’t actually think that the second son is standing up for you, do you? He’s just bookish and stubborn! Don’t flatter yourself!”
Looking at Jiang Zhenzhou’s mischievous grin, Jiang Zhiyu smiled even more brightly than him, “Big cousin, don’t worry, the thing I dislike most is being presumptuous.”
Of course, she knew that Jiang Jibai wasn’t doing it for her.
She wasn’t stupid!
Hearing Jiang Zhiyu’s words, Jiang Zhenzhou’s smile vanished instantly. “Boring!”
“That’s not what you just said! You just said I’m very interesting! Cousin, you can’t forget your roots!”
Jiang Zhenzhou, “?”
Regardless of the doubts in Jiang Zhenzhou’s eyes, Jiang Zhiyu turned to look at the Lady of the Marquis. “I have a small question.”
Fan Suwan was worried because Jiang Jibai had offended the Marquis of Zhongyong. Now, seeing Jiang Zhiyu, the culprit who caused all this, pop up again, she became even more annoyed.
“What question?”
Jiang Zhiyu asked sincerely. “It’s not a big question, it’s just that, how should I address you two? I am a cousin of the family, so I should be considered from your side. Should I call you Aunt and the Marquis Uncle?”
Fan Suwan was stunned.
The Marquis of Zhongyong was also stunned.
Obviously, they hadn’t thought about this question at all.
Jiang Zhenzhou looked at Jiang Zhiyu in shock. “Aunt? Uncle? Are you serious?”
Call her biological mother Aunt?
Calling her biological father “uncle”?
What’s wrong with her brain?
Her sister, who’s been living away from home for seventeen years, is really something else!
Faced with Jiang Zhenzhou’s question, Jiang Zhiyu nodded earnestly, “Of course I’m serious! Otherwise, what should I call her from now on?”
The Marquis of Zhongyong felt a throbbing pain in his brow.
Even matters of state had never troubled him so much.
“Call her whatever you want!”
Leaving those words behind, the Marquis of Zhongyong turned and left.
Fan Suwan also wore a complicated expression.
It was one thing for her not to acknowledge Jiang Zhiyu as her daughter, but for Jiang Zhiyu to call her “Aunt,” that was another matter entirely.
But she had to play her part completely.
If she didn’t call her “Aunt,” it would easily arouse suspicion when facing outsiders.
Fan Suwan took a deep breath, “Then call her that!”
“Yes, Aunt!”
Jiang Zhiyu called out readily, without the slightest hesitation, her smile even brighter than before.
To be fair, Jiang Zhiyu was very beautiful, a combination of the best features of both Fan Suwan and the Marquis of Zhongyong.
She resembled Fan Suwan by eight or nine points, but was even more lively and charming.
If Fan Suwan was a peony of national beauty, dignified and elegant, then Jiang Zhiyu was more like an unknown flower in the deep mountains.
Beautiful, yet lively, every smile, every gesture carried a fresh and natural charm.
Her voice was also pleasant, like the sound of flowing water in a mountain stream, crisp and melodious.
It was clear that while Jiang Zhiyu called her “Aunt” with a bright smile, Fan Suwan felt uncomfortable.
She slowly stood up, “I’ll go see the Marquis.”
Before she finished speaking, she had already hurried away.
Inside Ronghua Hall, only Jiang Zhiyu, Jiang Jingshu, and Jiang Zhenzhou remained.
Jiang Jingshu was quite satisfied with the outcome.
Regardless of what others thought, at least her position as the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong was secure, and the selection of concubines would not be affected in any way.
In a good mood, Jiang Jingshu smiled at Jiang Zhiyu.
She was about to speak when Jiang Zhiyu spoke first.
“I have another question!” Jiang Zhiyu asked sincerely, “When are we eating?”