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The incompetent Second Master, a bumbling fool, failed to advocate for his son’s interests, shirking away trouble and sacrificing the illegitimate for the legitimate, leading Jiang Zhanwei to withdraw from his engagement to marry the new bride. This infuriated Jiang Zhanwei to the point where he disregarded everything and enlisted in the military to seek advancement at the border.
The previous Lu Man died by hanging, and as a doctor who crossed over, Lu Man helped Jiang Zhanwei achieve great success and saved the seriously ill Jiang Zhanyu. Lu Man, now the favored and trusted daughter-in-law, worked hard to integrate Jiang Zhanwei and his siblings into a family that had previously rejected them.
Otherwise, Jiang Zhanyu would have died prematurely, Jiang Zhanwei might not have returned, and the siblings would have resented the Second Master. In that scenario, the Second branch would have been utterly shattered, leading to devastation.
The Second Master truly failed as the head of the Second branch. Sometimes, the old lady showed extreme favoritism, and difficult matters had to be handled with a gentle touch. This was a common flaw among many family heads.
With Jiang Zhanwei’s forceful return, he finally had a say. He still aimed to assert himself, not for the previously abandoned bride, but to establish a status for his birth mother and secure an “unsurpassed glory”.
Even though this strong demand would greatly trouble the family head, due to “family interests”, he would have to compromise, sacrificing once again the dignity and interests of the Second Master and his wife.
However, within the Second branch, despite their internal conflicts, the First and Third branches still reaped the benefits.
From Jiang Zhanwei’s perspective, striving for the highest status for his birth mother was entirely justified.
Although Lu Man had never met Miss Zhou, she deeply sympathized with her brief and sorrowful life. It could be said that her premature death was directly caused by the Second Master and Second Madam. If the Second Madam had been more lenient and allowed Miss Zhou to leave the household for a remarriage, or if the Second Master had refrained from mistreating her, leading her to give birth to twins, she might not have died so soon.
However, from the Second Master’s point of view, making the proud Second Madam tolerate an additional noble concubine, even after the woman’s death, was an unbearable humiliation they would surely resist.
Thinking of Jiang Zhanyu’s clear and gentle eyes, a true gentleman, Lu Man sincerely hoped that Jiang Zhanwei could achieve his goals, benefiting himself, his siblings, including her and Jiang Yue. With their elevated status, the marriage conditions for Jiang Zhankui, Jiang Jiu, and Jiang Yue would improve significantly.
It seems that he is a pitiful child, risking his life in battle for others.
She worried that he might be too straightforward and hesitated as she advised, “When negotiating, Third Young Master should consider his approach and not be too forceful. Sometimes, a good approach can yield unexpected results. Talk to Grandmother nicely and try not to anger her. Fifth Young Master is truly admirable, he is a genuine gentleman. He was the first in this family to show kindness to Zhankui and Jiu. Second Madam is also good, though a bit aloof. She has helped us when we faced difficulties. Can the Third Young Master achieve his goals while also considering their feelings a bit?”
Jiang Zhanwei, somewhat puzzled by Lu Man’s thinking, responded, “Once certain things are done, some harm is inevitable. The way they treated me and her initially was equally hurtful, even more so. Hmph, should my birth mother have died? She sacrificed her life, and even in death, shouldn’t her son strive for her benefit? Don’t worry, Grandmother still cares for the Second Master and Second Madam, reluctant to see them suffer too much. She will find other ways to make amends. As for the Fifth Brother, he is intelligent and perceptive, he may not dwell on trivial matters.” He sneered, “It’s not difficult to unsettle those in charge, the ones always sacrificed are us.”
Recalling the old Marquis’s words, Lu Man found it somewhat amusing. If Jiang Zhanwei truly caused trouble upon his return, the dynamics of the family would be completely disrupted. In the future, the family would need to think twice before taking advantage of him or pushing him away.
Jiang Zhanwei, thinking about certain matters, held Lu Man tighter and whispered softly, “Manman, I’m glad I married you. It’s fortunate you are the one I married, you’ve changed everything. Otherwise, setting aside achievements, I wouldn’t have returned at all. Thank the heavens for letting you marry me…”
Lu Man remained silent, letting him embrace her quietly.
Both of them set aside their worries, enjoying each other’s company until they heard Xing’s voice outside, “Big Brother Liu Xin has arrived.”
They quickly separated.
Liu Xin reported that the families of the four deceased soldiers had already arrived at the outer hall of the prefectural mansion.
Jiang Zhanwei quickly got up, and Lu Man and Xing helped him change into plain clothes. He said, “Today, Grandmother, along with the men in the household, will meet the families in the outer hall. Don’t wait for me and Zhankui for dinner.”
Zhankui actually returned after dinner and mentioned that his brother and grandmother had gone to the Crane Hall.
Feeling uneasy, Lu Man couldn’t focus on anything else. She wondered how many goals Jiang Zhanwei would achieve in tonight’s negotiations.
Waiting until midnight, Jiang Zhanwei had not returned, so she decided to sleep. Exhausted from two sleepless nights, she was extremely tired.
Before sleeping, she placed half a Huang Ke Lai pill on the table and left a note reminding him to take the medicine and not wet the wound on his back.
That guy never took care of his own body and never listened to advice from others.
As she drifted off to sleep, feeling a familiar scent, she murmured, “The Third Young Master is back.” Adjusting her sleeping position, she soon nestled into his embrace and fell asleep.
Hearing her peaceful snoring and catching a faint scent of blood, Jiang Zhanwei sighed quietly and closed his eyes to sleep.
However, feeling her soft body against his, touching her delicate skin, and smelling her unique fragrance, he couldn’t help but feel tenderness. The woman he had longed for was sleeping beside him, yet he couldn’t do anything.
Feeling restless, Jiang Zhanwei got up, unable to resist the temptation, and took a cold shower.
Upon returning to bed, he reached out to embrace her slender waist. His body felt cool, which woke up Lu Man.
She opened her eyes and asked, “Why did the Third Young Master only come back now?”
Jiang Zhanwei replied, “I had a long conversation with Grandmother, which took a while.”
Concerned about the negotiations, Lu Man lifted her head and inquired, “Did Grandmother agree to those conditions?”
Although she couldn’t see Jiang Zhanwei’s expression clearly in the dim light, she sensed a slight ease in his tone.
Jiang Zhanwei smirked and said, “Grandmother offered a hundred thousand taels of silver to drop the last two items, but how could I agree to that? After some negotiation, Grandmother compromised on all three matters.”