Lord Jiang said coldly, “Xi Girl, don’t be too clever for your own good. Some words are not for juniors to speak out of turn.”
Old Madam also said angrily, “My second son was a filial child who cherished his brothers. He would certainly want his mother’s family to live well. He lost his life saving the Meng family and died so young. If the Meng family wishes to make compensation, how could your father possibly refuse?”
Jiang Yixi replied, “The compensation Duke Chengguo Estate intended to give has already been provided by the Old Duke. Moreover, the only ones who truly wish to give compensation are the Old Duke and Young Master Meng, neither of whom currently manages affairs. If the head of household Duke Chengguo and Madam Meng truly intend to give compensation, could I possibly stop them? By speaking those words of mine, not only will I clear up the misunderstanding that I’m trying to climb the social ladder, but it will also make others think more highly of our family.”
Old Madam and Lord Jiang exchanged glances – this was indeed true.
Lord Jiang stood up and said, “Mother, I’ll go to the front courtyard to make some arrangements.”
Xi Girl was right. By putting those words out there, the family’s reputation wouldn’t be diminished but rather elevated, showing their family wasn’t solely focused on profit.
Old Madam’s expression softened slightly. She continued, “Xi Girl, although the matter has been resolved and seems more satisfactory than expected, you did indeed fall into the water with Third Young Master Meng, and were seen by so many people. Your reputation has truly suffered, so you still need to go to the estate to lay low. Don’t worry, you won’t be shortchanged on supplies and food. Today is the twenty-eighth of March. You’ll need to pack your things and have people prepare the estate. Let’s set the departure for the third of April.”
Jiang Yixi curtsied in thanks and added, “Grandmother, I’d like to go to Hu Estate that my mother left behind.”
Old Madam’s face darkened. “Your mother was the daughter of a minor official. Her dowry consisted only of Hu Estate, one hundred and fifty mu of farmland, five hundred taels of emergency silver, some decorative items, and a few pieces of jewelry. All these items are properly recorded in the accounts. I intended to distribute them to you and Xun’er when you married…”
Old Madam thought Jiang Yixi was demanding Mrs. Hu’s remaining dowry. No matter what, she was the Madame of a Count’s household, born into a Marquis family – how could she possibly embezzle her daughter-in-law’s dowry, especially when Mrs. Hu’s dowry was pitifully small.
Jiang Yixi quickly explained, “Grandmother has misunderstood. With my accidental fall into the water, the Eldest Uncle’s accidental fall, and that dream my father sent, I’ve been feeling uneasy. At the estate, I’ll copy scriptures daily and frequently visit the Buddha, praying for Grandmother’s longevity and the eternal prosperity of our Jiang family. As a young lady, it wouldn’t be proper for me to frequently visit temples too far away. I heard from Mama Wu that Hu Estate isn’t far from Zhaoming Nunnery – only a fifteen-minute walk.”
Old Madam’s gaze toward Jiang Yixi immediately softened. She had also visited Zhaoming Nunnery to offer incense – it was the largest nunnery in the Jinhe Dynasty, with extremely popular incense.
She beckoned with a smile, “Good child, come sit by your grandmother.” Taking Jiang Yixi’s hand, she said, “You’re such a sensible child. It’s remarkable that at such a young age, you can think this far ahead for your grandmother and family.”
Jiang Yixi said, “I am also part of this family. Only when Grandmother and the family are well will our support be strong.”
Old Madam nodded repeatedly, “Exactly, exactly. You may go. Once this blows over, I’ll have someone bring you back. Your monthly allowance in the residence is two taels. Since you’ll be covering your own food expenses at the estate, I’ll have the Eldest Uncle’s wife add three more taels, sending you five taels monthly. I’ll also give you an additional fifty taels separately. After all, you are a young lady of a Count’s household – you mustn’t suffer any hardships.”
Jiang Yixi rose and curtsied in gratitude. Internally, she scoffed—after Jiang Chen’s death, the Duke Chengguo Estate had sent Old Madam five thousand taels of silver, yet now they were brushing her off with a mere fifty taels.
Still, being able to go to Hu Estate as she wished was a victory in itself.
Before long, First Madam Jiang and Third Madam Jiang arrived at the Hall of Auspiciousness with the three young ladies. Seeing Jiang Yixi acting so affectionately with Old Madam, everyone was momentarily stunned.
They had already heard that the Duke and Duchess of Chengguo had come to propose marriage, but Old Madam Jiang, Lord Jiang, and Jiang Yixi had all refused.
Lord Jiang had explained to First Madam Jiang the benefits of rejecting the marriage for the family, and she, in turn, relayed these advantages to the others.
Everyone assumed this was a wise decision made by Lord Jiang and Old Madam, and even Jiang Yixi’s refusal was thought to be under their instruction. The matter of Jiang Chen’s dream visit to Jiang Yixi remained a closely guarded secret known only to a few.
The resolution of this matter brought relief to most, but Jiang Yiyan felt as if claws were scratching at her heart. In her eyes, Jiang Yixi was inferior in every way—only because she had grabbed onto Third Young Master Meng did the Duke Chengguo Estate come to propose. Thankfully, Grandmother and Father had refused. If she had actually married Third Young Master Meng, it would have been utterly unjust…
Meanwhile, in the Hall of Blessed Peace at the Duke Chengguo Estate, the Old Duke and Old Madam were bickering.
Old Madam looked particularly dispirited. “I still think you shouldn’t have forced our eldest son and his wife to propose to the Jiang family.”
The Duke Chengguo replied, “I owe a debt to Old General Jiang. Among his descendants, only Jiang Chen was capable—I took him out but didn’t bring him back, and he died saving my grandson. With Jiang Chen gone, it’s not just the loss of one Jiang son; the entire Jiang family is finished.”
He sighed. “After Cimo’s engagement was broken off, I once considered matching Jiang Chen’s daughter with him. But later, I feared Cimo’s eyes might go completely blind, which would wrong the young lady. Then that incident happened—marrying Jiang’s daughter into our Meng family would allow us to care for Jiang Chen’s descendant while also helping the Jiang family.”
Old Madam disagreed. “Cimo is so outstanding; even if he were blind, he’d be worthy of any fine young lady. What do you mean by ‘just happened’? Don’t ever say such things aloud—it would hurt our eldest daughter-in-law and Ciyu to hear.”
“Ciyu is exceptional in every way and has high standards. Being forced into this is upsetting enough, but to have him marry her? If they become an unhappy couple, not only would Ciyu suffer, but the young Jiang lady wouldn’t fare well either.”
The Old Duke waved his large, fan-like hand. “Ciyu is my grandson too, and I want him to be happy. Jiang Chen was a good lad—his daughter surely won’t be bad. When the young lady was pushed into the lake, she must have grabbed Ciyu in desperation—it’s a natural human reaction.”
Grand Matriarch Meng shook her head. “One mother may bear nine sons, each different—you can’t speak in absolutes. The old Marquis Wuxiang was such a capable man, yet among all the sons and grandsons he sired, aside from Jiang Chen, the rest were useless. Moreover, the young Jiang lady lost her mother at two. A girl without a mother’s guidance is always at a disadvantage.”
“She’s still young. Once she enters our household, you and our eldest daughter-in-law can teach her. With good roots, she won’t turn out poorly. Affection grows over time—the young couple will naturally develop feelings as they spend time together. When we married, we hadn’t even met, yet we’ve shared a loving life for most of our years…”
Grand Matriarch Meng quickly cut him off, chiding, “At your age, what nonsense are you saying? Aren’t you afraid the younger generation will hear and laugh at us?”
As they spoke, the Duke Chengguo and Madam Meng returned.
They found it hard to believe that the Jiang family and Second Miss Jiang were unwilling.
Old Duke stood with wide eyes, roaring at Duke Chengguo, “Tell me, did you put on a sour face and let them see you were unwilling? I’ve been saying all along that since Jiang Chen gave his life to save Cimo, we must treat his descendants well.”