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He Cheng let out a sigh of relief and said, “It’s good that he’s alive. Although I won’t return to the Lu family, I still hope he can live. But…” He opened his mouth but didn’t continue, then got back into the sedan chair and left.
Lu Man found it somewhat amusing, He Cheng must have had the same thought as her. Knowing that the man was alive, they started to dislike him again, but the local young man was too embarrassed to say it out loud. Both of her children disliked him so much, which showed how much of a failure Lu Fangrong was as a father.
Back in the room, Lu Man coaxed Jiang Yue to sleep and saw Mama Wang carrying a thick stack of undergarments made of white silk, while Xing carried a thick stack of cotton robes made of brocade coming in.
They put the clothes into the large wardrobe in the bedroom, and Mama Wang said, “These are ten sets of undergarments and pants for Third Young Master, three cotton robes, and two lined jackets, freshly made by the sewing room, and I just finished ironing them with the help of others.”
Seeing Xing leave, Mama Wang whispered to Lu Man, “Third Young Madam, take my advice, don’t think about anything else, just live a good life with Third Young Master. Third Young Master is capable and doesn’t mess around with women, he’s better than the two masters of the Lu family and many other men out there…”
Mama Wang was afraid that Lu Man would still be as stubborn as she was before Jiang Zhanwei left two years ago, so she often repeated these words in her ear.
Lu Man smiled and said, “I know. In this situation, I can’t afford to think about anything else.”
Mama Wang continued, “The east wing has also been tidied up, the young miss can move in at any time.”
The east wing of the main courtyard used to be Jiang Zhanwei’s private study, it would now temporarily serve as Jiang Yue’s bedroom, and his private study would be temporarily moved to the west side room of the main hall.
The old lady had already said that there were too many masters in Donghui Courtyard, and the number would increase in the future, the courtyard was too small to accommodate everyone. After a while, the bamboo grove to the west of Donghui Courtyard would be cleared, and several small courtyards would be added.
Lu Man hesitated, now that Jiang Zhanwei was coming back, would her family continue to live here? If Jiang Zhanwei was granted a title of nobility, the Emperor might bestow a residence upon him, and they had already been given a separate residence before.
The old lady saw through Lu Man’s thoughts and said that the decision to let their family branch out was a temporary measure, to prevent Hong from making Lu Man suffer any more. Jiang Zhanwei’s grandparents, father, and stepmother were still alive, and their family couldn’t live too far away. Besides, the Princess and the old Marquis were in poor health and couldn’t be without Lu Man, and the old Marquis especially couldn’t be without Jiang Yue. And then there were her precious Night Yellow Flowers, which must be brought into the glass greenhouse during the winter…
After Mama Wang left, Lu Man went over and opened the large wardrobe. There were two large wardrobes carved from wood in the bedroom, one belonged to Lu Man and was always full of colorful clothes. The other large wardrobe had previously been empty, with only a few slightly worn garments inside. Over the past few days, Mama Wang had led the servants to gradually fill it with clothes, some newly made and others brought from the study in the front courtyard, and now it was almost full.
Jiang Zhanwei had only spent one day and two nights in this room, sleeping one night and standing guard the other. When he left, he hardly left any trace. To her, he was a familiar stranger, a man she resented yet felt somewhat sorry for.
In two days, he would move in with a strong presence, and this place would be filled with his aura…
Starting the next day, the Princess Changting’s residence and Donghui Courtyard began cleaning, with tasks such as whitewashing walls, painting, and replacing window paper already completed.
On the third day, Jiang Zhankui, Jiang Zhankun, and Zhanyu stopped attending classes, as the Princess had specially granted them a three-day holiday. It was said that the Imperial Academy would also be on holiday the next day.
That afternoon, part of the Xie family’s army led by Grand Marshal Xie had already set up camp ten miles outside the capital.
This explosive news quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys, reaching the Princess Changting’s residence.
The masters of the Princess Changting’s residence who were at home spontaneously gathered at the Crane Hall. Lu Man, Jiang Yue, Jiang Zhankui, Jiang Jiu, and He Mingzhu also went there.
Everyone chatted and laughed in the Crane Hall for the afternoon, waiting for the men from the yamen to return, continuing to discuss the big event.
The men explained the process: the army would set out at the hour of Mao (around 5-7 AM) the next day, and the number of soldiers entering the capital wouldn’t be large, only ten thousand, along with the prison cart carrying Prince Wanyan Tu. At the hour of Chen (around 7-9 AM), the crown prince would represent the Emperor to personally welcome the Xie family’s army outside the city, and after completing the captive presentation ceremony, the army would enter the city.
The Emperor and civil and military officials would be waiting for the heroes of the Dachun Dynasty in the Golden Phoenix Hall. A banquet would be held at noon to reward officers of a certain rank and the bravest soldiers, with some heavyweight and senior officials accompanying. Marquis Jiang would certainly be one of the guests, and even Second Master Jiang had been invited.
Second Master Jiang was so excited that he was still in a daze. After being in officialdom for so long, this was his first time receiving such an honor. Goodness, the accompanying guests were mostly officials of the second rank or above, with very few of the third rank, and those had noble titles.
Princess Changting saw that her second son’s face was flushed, his eyes unfocused, still in a state of intense excitement. She frowned and called out, “Second son, second son, second son.”
Second Master Jiang didn’t hear until Third Master Jiang, who was sitting next to him, pulled at him, and he reacted, smiling at the Princess and saying, “Mother, what do you need from your son?”
Princess Changting said, “Do not let momentary gains and losses bring you joy or sorrow. You’re a grown man, you should learn to control your emotions.”
The old lady rarely educated her sons in front of her daughters-in-law and other juniors, but this second son was really shallow…
Second Master Jiang quickly laughed and said, “Oh, Mother is right to scold me. Your son also lets his guard down and speaks freely because he’s at home.” He then boasted with a smile, “Those people used to say I was a good-for-nothing, that I became an official entirely because of my mother. Haha, now they’ve slapped themselves in the face. If I were a good-for-nothing, how could I have given birth to a son who is both scholarly and martial, with exceptional wisdom?”
This blunt truth was even more cringe-worthy than the old Marquis’s lack of clarity. Not only did it make the Princess so angry that she closed her mouth, but everyone else also lowered their heads, pretending not to know him. Without mentioning the Second Master’s wife and Jiang Zhanyu, who hung their heads so low that others couldn’t see their faces, even Jiang Zhankui, who had always distanced himself from the Second Master, blushed.
Lu Man discreetly laughed to herself. One mother gives birth to nine sons, and each son is different. Perhaps the Second Master’s intelligence was like his grandfather’s, full of pits in his head. It was a pity that such a great beauty and talented woman like the Second Master’s wife had married such a big good-for-nothing. No wonder she was always in a bad mood, even getting herself drunk on her wedding night…
Princess Changting shook her head helplessly, no matter how angry she was, he was still the son she had given birth to. She changed the subject and asked, “Has He Cheng, the young man from the He family, arrived?”
He Cheng, who was sitting at the end, stood up and cupped his hands with a smile, saying, “I’m here, I’m here. I just saw that the Princess was speaking happily and didn’t want to interrupt your conversation, so I sat down here first.”
Because He Mingzhu was there, the Princess had someone invite He Cheng to come for dinner.
Princess Changting stood up and smiled, “It’s good that you’re here. Let’s go have dinner.”