That afternoon, everyone in Yilan Courtyard became extremely cautious.
After all, even after Fourth Young Madam had married in, the household affairs of Yilan Courtyard had still remained firmly in Nanny Jin’s hands. Yet now, she had been taken away in such an undignified manner.
What was truly frightening was that in this entire conflict between Jiang Lingyuan and Nanny Jin, Jiang Lingyuan had barely done anything. She had hardly even interacted with Nanny Jin. And yet Nanny Jin had already been dealt with.
Those who understood this point realized that Fourth Young Madam was far from simple.
Those who did not understand were still wondering what exactly Nanny Jin and Xiangxue had done wrong.
It was already dark when Lu Yun finally returned.
From that day onward, Yilan Courtyard no longer had Nanny Jin and Xiangxue.
Many people still had no idea what had happened, and it was unlikely they would ever learn the truth.
When Lu Yun saw Jiang Lingyuan waiting for him at the entrance, he was no longer as cold and distant as before.
He immediately walked over and walked beside her.
After hesitating slightly, he said,”It is cold outside. Madam did not need to wait for me personally.”
Jiang Lingyuan smiled, “Alright. It is getting late. Fourth Master, would you like to wash up first or have dinner first?”
Yu Bai had discovered that Nanny Jin was lending money at high interest and immediately informed Lu Yun.
Knowing the matter could not be delayed, Lu Yun had rushed back to the manor at full speed.
After handling everything, he only felt uncomfortable and sticky from the journey.
“I’ll wash up first.”
“The hot water is already prepared. Fourth Master, please go wash up.”
It was Lu’e and Shuanghua who came to serve him.
Usually, Xiangxue would always have been among those assisting Lu Yun during his bath. Now Shuanghua had replaced her.
She followed Lu’e carefully, obeying her every instruction.
The bathing room had completely changed.
The old wooden tub had been replaced with a proper bathing pool, which was much larger. It was undeniably far more comfortable. There was even a small table beside it with tea and snacks. A shelf had been added, holding various bottles and jars. In the corner stood a beauty couch covered with pure white fur.
Even such a small bathing room had been arranged to be extremely comfortable.
Lu Yun paused slightly at the unfamiliar surroundings.
However, because he had first gone to Songhe Courtyard and heard some explanations from the Old Madam, he was able to adjust.
Seeing that all his belongings had already been arranged, he said,”You may leave.”
He had never liked being attended to while bathing.
Sitting in the bathing tub, Lu Yun gave a soft laugh.
He truly had underestimated Jiang Lingyuan.
He had only ever heard from others about how glorious the Shen family had once been, and because of that, he had inevitably overlooked them.
Now, Jiang Lingyuan had given him a sufficient lesson.
He remembered the Old Madam saying that when the Shen family declined, what they left Jiang Lingyuan was a complete mess.
And Lady Ruyi had only personally taught Jiang Lingyuan for six years before passing away. At that time, Jiang Lingyuan had been only eleven years old.
He wondered how she had managed to survive those following five years.
Not only had she survived. She must have completely taken control of everything Lady Ruyi had left behind. Or perhaps there were even more things he still did not know about.
He truly had no idea how many hidden cards Jiang Lingyuan held.But now he knew one thing clearly. His wife was not an ordinary woman.
Thinking that Jiang Lingyuan was probably waiting to eat with him, Lu Yun did not soak for long.
He came out of the bath, dried himself, put on his inner robes, wiped his hair until it was half dry, and went to the eastern warm chamber.
Perhaps because he had just come out of the hot water, his pale cheeks carried a faint flush.
His normally neat and dignified appearance was softened by his loosely hanging hair, giving him a rare trace of carefree elegance.
Jiang Lingyuan had to admit, putting aside his identity, Lu Yun’s appearance alone was enough to attract women.
A freshly bathed Lu Yun was quite pleasing to look at.
Although she appreciated the sight, her expression remained completely calm.
“Shall we eat now?”
Lu Yun nodded.
The dining area was in the eastern warm chamber.
After the renovation, Jiang Lingyuan had combined the two western rooms into a flower hall, which she used for handling matters or receiving guests.
The eastern warm chamber had been converted directly into a dining area. There was now a round table, six rosewood chairs, and several cabinets. The heated brick platform remained, so during colder weather they could eat directly there.
The furniture had also been changed from the original red lacquer style into a unified set of huanghuali wood furniture, making the room appear brighter and more elegant.
Now that Lu Yun knew Jiang Lingyuan possessed considerable wealth, he was no longer surprised by the expensive furniture.
On the round table were six dishes and two soups. Because it was dinner, the dishes were relatively light.
The two sat down to eat.
Lu Yun spoke first, “The matter with Nanny Jin… I owe you thanks.”
Jiang Lingyuan had originally thought that as long as Lu Yun discovered Nanny Jin’s abnormal behavior and dealt with it, that was already enough.
She had assumed that with Lu Yun’s personality, he would not voluntarily discuss the matter with her. But he had.
This surprised her, and at the same time, she felt a little admiration.
A person who could recognize their own shortcomings and openly admit them was someone who could go much further in life.
Jiang Lingyuan said,”Actually, I was quite nervous when I took that step. Fortunately, Fourth Young Master is not someone stubborn and self-righteous, so there is no need for you to thank me.”
“After all, we are husband and wife.”
She was not merely saying empty words.
To some extent, they needed to be honest with each other.
After becoming husband and wife, there were many situations where their fortunes were connected.
One person’s glory benefited both, and one person’s downfall affected both.
Moreover, it was not easy for them to separate through divorce.
Lu Yun gave a bitter smile,”There is something you may not know.”
“When I asked Yu Bai to investigate her, I discovered she had also been lending money at high interest.”
“If she had only embezzled household allowances, then as my wet nurse, I would have given her some leniency.”
“At most, I would have sent her to a manor to retire. But now, I cannot let her go.”
Hearing that Nanny Jin had actually been involved in such a thing, Jiang Lingyuan thought , ‘Was she crazy?’
How could anyone dare touch such dirty money?
But after thinking carefully, she realized something seemed strange.
After considering her words carefully, she said,”I have traveled to many places over the years and seen many things.”
“Nanny Jin should know that if lending money at high interest was discovered, the consequences would be devastating. She should not have easily taken such a risk.”
“I think perhaps something happened to someone close to her?”
Lu Yun nodded.
“Her son developed a gambling addiction. She needed money to repay his debts, and she also wanted to hide it from the household, so she took the risk.”
“Actually, when we searched her room, we did not find much silver.”
Jiang Lingyuan immediately understood the hidden circumstances. But Lu Yun’s mother had apparently never noticed any of this.
Thinking of how Eldest Madam still looked down on Jiang Lingyuan even now, Lu Yun found it deeply ironic.
Since Lu Yun had already considered everything, he would naturally handle the matter of Nanny Jin’s illegal lending properly.
Jiang Lingyuan did not ask further.
As for what would happen to Nanny Jin and Xiangxue, she did not want to know. Their ending would certainly not be a good one.
Actually, the most foolish person was Xiangxue. She had followed Nanny Jin blindly.
Nanny Jin was involved in illegal lending, and Xiangxue had actually dared to participate as well.
After dinner, Lu Yun asked,”I noticed you changed the left side room into a study. May I take a look?”
There were some account books inside the study.
But Jiang Lingyuan trusted that Lu Yun would not casually look through her things.
So she nodded, “Of course.”
Looking at Lu Yun’s expression, it seemed he had no intention of returning to the front courtyard tonight.
Jiang Lingyuan felt slightly nervous.
She knew consummating their marriage was unavoidable. But she still could not bring herself to do it with Lu Yun right now.
However, she had always been good at maintaining composure.
She calmly instructed the servants to prepare the bathing room. Then she went for a walk with Michun to help digest dinner, planning to return later to wash up.