Wutong Courtyard.
Shen Ruzhi slammed the bed in anger. “That Pei Anqing!”
“I knew he was restless, but I never expected him to be so vicious. Everything that happened today was actually their scheme.”
“I told you long ago that your concubine-born younger sister was a ‘white lotus,’ but you wouldn’t believe me.”
Jiang Wanning brought a plate of fruit to Shen Ruzhi and said with a grin, “Previously, my heart was blinded.”
“I treated our Zhizhi’s good intentions as something foul. It won’t happen again in the future.”
In her previous life, because of the provocation from Jiang Wanru and Pei Anqing, Jiang Wanning had cut off contact with Shen Ruzhi. But while she was locked in the dungeon, she didn’t know how Shen Ruzhi had gotten the news, but the girl had actually charged in with a sword to save her.
Pitifully, those amateur martial arts skills of hers had been taught by Jiang Wanning herself.
Shen Ruzhi had lost her mother at a young age, and her father was someone unwilling to resort to flattery, so he had already offended many people in the imperial court. In the end, Shen Ruzhi was hacked to death by Pei Anqing—who had already become the Prince of Langya—and her body was dumped at the gates of the Shen Manor.
Jiang Wanning had learned from the soldiers guarding the dungeon that Master Shen had piece by piece put her back together and placed her in a coffin…
“Why are you crying?”
Shen Ruzhi sat up straight. “Are you thinking about that scumbag again?”
Jiang Wanning wiped her tears. “I just feel that I did wrong in the past. I trusted the wrong person and let you and your father down.”
“Hmph, at least you know.” Shen Ruzhi patted Jiang Wanning on the head. “My father has mentioned you several times.”
“You didn’t even think to go visit him.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll bring gifts to see Uncle Shen,” Jiang Wanning said with a smile.
“But having said that, your retaliation against Pei Anqing was indeed quite satisfying. But are you really going to marry that old man, the Prince of Langya?”
Jiang Wanning’s face turned red, and she lowered her head. “How is he old?”
“He is seventeen years older than you. Is that not old?” Shen Ruzhi pointed a finger toward the door. “His son is already that big.”
“Rumor has it that the reason he hasn’t remarried all these years is that he can’t forget his late wife.”
“Don’t you think he doesn’t look like he’s thirty-three?” Jiang Wanning suddenly looked up.
Shen Ruzhi scratched her head. “Now that you mention it, if he shaved his beard, he really wouldn’t look it. But the fact that he’s old is still the truth!”
Jiang Wanning sighed. “Anyway, I don’t think he’s old.”
“He doesn’t look anything like Pei Anqing. Who knows what’s going on there.”
“True!” Shen Ruzhi slapped the table. “Thinking about how those two will have to pay their respects to you every day in the future makes me feel great.”
“So what if he’s a bit old? It’s only seventeen years. As long as you don’t marry Pei Anqing, I’d be happy even if you married my father and became my mother.”
Jiang Wanning pinched Shen Ruzhi’s waist. “Be careful, or Uncle Shen will beat you.”
“Hahaha, my father is an old blockhead. He’ll be alone for the rest of his life.”
Jiang Wanning didn’t reply. They both knew that Master Shen could never forget his wife. Over the years, many had come to play matchmaker—some even trying to shove their teenage daughters onto him to climb the social ladder—but they were all scolded and turned away by Master Shen.
“If only my father were like yours,” Jiang Wanning sighed.
“The Marquis is very good, except for that one thing… but that wasn’t his fault either. It’s more likely that the Liu woman intentionally climbed into his bed.”
Jiang Wanning nodded.
She naturally knew her father wasn’t to blame. She simply felt her father’s personality was too easy for others to manipulate.
Her father was too upright and didn’t understand how to please people. He was a master at leading troops in battle, but he understood nothing of the struggles within the inner manor. Ever since Concubine Liu entered the manor, she had grasped her father’s character perfectly. In front of others, she was virtuous, gentle, and never fought for anything; she would admit fault if she was wrong, and even if she wasn’t.
Her upright father would always tell her mother how pitiful Concubine Liu was and how good her temperament was. Although he simply felt that the Liu woman wasn’t bad—and he felt guilty for not loving her while delaying her life—he forgot that when he sought to marry her mother, he had promised never to take another wife or a concubine.
What a proud person her mother was.
Back then, because of the matter with Concubine Liu, her mother was mocked and ridiculed by the people of the capital, leading her to eventually refuse to attend any banquets. It just so happened that every time she saw her husband, she had to listen to him talk about how gentle and virtuous the Liu woman was, and how he had wronged her.
It was precisely because of this that her mother gradually had nothing left to say to her father, and in the end, their hearts grew apart.
In her previous life, her mother wasn’t just poisoned; she also suffered from a sickness of the heart.
Who exactly was the person Jiang Wanru mentioned? Since it was her mother who had offended that person, why did they imprison her father after finished tormenting her mother?
For now, she had to keep the Liu mother and daughter around. Only then could she lure out the person behind them.
Having lived a second life, she had to protect her family and friends, and… him.
As the two were talking, Madam Zhou walked in. Behind her followed seven or eight maidservants carrying food boxes.
“Mother, why did you bring the meal over here?”
“I knew you two sisters haven’t seen each other in a long while and must have much to say, so I brought the meal over.”
“Where’s Father?” Jiang Wanning craned her neck to look outside.
“He’s not hungry.” Madam Zhou handed the chopsticks to the two girls. “Let’s eat.”
“Zhizhi, just like before, eat as much as you want. Here with me, behind closed doors, there aren’t that many rules.”
Shen Ruzhi smiled and took a bite of the sweet and sour pork ribs. Stuffing her mouth, she said unclearly, “Auntie, I’ve missed your cooking for so long.”
As she spoke, she stuffed another piece in.
“I haven’t eaten Mother’s cooking in a long time either.” Jiang Wanning looked at the table full of food prepared by her mother, already pushing her father to the back of her mind.
“Ningning, don’t go competing with Zhizhi. Didn’t I make your favorite breakfast for you this morning?”
Jiang Wanning smiled and ate without a word.
“Auntie, she just doesn’t want me to share your love,” Zhizhi added.
The three laughed together. After finishing the meal, Madam Zhou ordered the items to be cleared away. She then instructed Haitang and Shaoyao to stand guard outside before saying, “When I entered the courtyard just now, I heard you mentioning that the Prince and the Heir don’t look alike.”
“Mother, you know about this?”
Madam Zhou looked at them both and nodded. “The Heir is indeed not the biological son of the Prince of Langya.”
Both Zhizhi and Jiang Wanning sat up straight, becoming serious.
“That Prince of Langya is said to be a beggar the Crown Prince picked up during a military march. Later, he joined the army and performed many great deeds, soon becoming the Crown Prince’s right-hand man. The Prince of Langya eventually got his own army. This Heir is actually the son of one of his deputy generals. During a battle, that general died while protecting the Prince. The Prince of Langya then took the orphaned child as his adopted son.”
“So, it’s not as the rumors say, that the Prince of Langya is deeply devoted to his wife and unwilling to remarry?” Zhizhi asked.
Madam Zhou shook her head. “The reason the Prince of Langya took him as an adopted son is that he himself was struck by a peculiar poison and won’t live for more than a few years. He plans to pass the title to the Heir after his death. The Emperor used iron-fisted methods to keep this matter strictly hidden. Although your father is a Marquis now, he also came from a military background and has some old colleagues in the army. That is how we found out.”
“Ah! This is bad!” Shen Ruzhi slapped her thigh and jumped up.