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Lu Fangrong was extremely helpless. With Cheng, he had a total of five children, but now, all five of them were distant from him, some even harboring hatred. Even Chang and Feng, who used to be very close to him, now showed nothing but hostility and resentment when they saw him.
Contemplating his situation with Mingzhu, he knew he had to carefully consider his next steps.
Unwilling to leave immediately, he decided to try to mend his relationship with Lu Man by approaching her again. As he was speaking incessantly, two carriages approached. An elderly man, dressed in a luxurious purple embroidered silk robe with a gray-white beard, his face glowing red, and sharp eyes, stepped down from one of the carriages.
Lu Man noticed him and quickly knelt down, “Grandfather.”
Old Marquis Jiang pointed at Lu Fangrong and asked, “Is he the one who came here to bully our daughter-in-law and the He family?”
Lu Man remained silent, while Xing, who was with her, spoke up, “Reporting to old Marquis, yes, our young Madam has been crying every day because of this.”
Upon hearing this, the elderly man’s eyes widened in anger. He immediately started hitting Lu Fangrong, cursing, “You insolent brat, daring to come here and cause trouble in my house. The He family is the maternal home of my granddaughter, protected by me and Changting. If you dare to bully them, I’ll beat you to death…”
He continued to beat and kick Lu Fangrong, who couldn’t retaliate due to his walking stick and ended up justifying, “Old Marquis, you’ve misunderstood. I am Manman’s biological father. Our Lu family is her maternal family… Ouch, ouch…”
Suppressing her laughter, Lu Man pretended to intervene, asking the guards to stop the fight. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t separate them.
Accompanying Lu Fangrong were a long-time follower and a coachman who were too afraid to intervene, kneeling and begging for mercy.
The Old Marquis continued his tirade, “Nonsense! Who is the Lu family? Changting and I don’t know them. The He family is the maternal home of our daughter-in-law…”
Seeing Lu Fangrong’s nose bleeding and his hair disheveled, the guards finally managed to restrain the elderly man.
Lu Fangrong quickly hopped onto the carriage with his walking stick, and the carriage sped away.
Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Lu Man knelt before the elderly man and thanked him, “Thank you, Grandfather, for protecting my maternal family. We have some family matters today, so please allow my mother to prepare your favorite dishes another day for you to enjoy as our guest.”
The old Marquis tugged at his beard, saying, “But I want to be your guest now and eat the delicious food your mother makes.”
Lu Man reminded him, “Grandfather, don’t forget you just said that grandmother asked us all to have dinner at the Crane Hall.”
It dawned on the old Marquis, and he slapped his forehead, “Oh, yes, I forgot. Alright, I’ll go play with little Yue and Jiu.” With that, he boarded the carriage again.
As the old Marquis left, Lu Man knocked on the door and said, “Aunt Fu, Lu Fangrong has already left.”
Inside, He Mingzhu was still sitting on the kang, tears streaming down her face.
Lu Man gently pulled her sleeve, advising, “Mother, stop crying. He has been driven away and won’t dare to come uninvited again.”
He Mingzhu cried out, “That despicable person, after doing so many heartless things, now wants to ruin my reputation.”
Lu Man was pleased with her response and remarked, “He is quite cunning, aiming to tarnish your reputation. Regardless of your wishes, he will force you to marry him again.”
Mrs. Fu interjected angrily, “Heartless scoundrel, how can his heart be so wicked? He let his mother drive away Madam back then, and now he’s tarnishing Madam’s reputation.”
Lu Man added fuel to the fire, “Mother, he might not dare to cause a scene at our doorstep again, but you must be cautious when you go out. Beware of any chance encounters he might engineer, creating a situation where you can’t explain yourself. Then, whether you want to marry or not, you’ll be forced to. He is capable of such things…”
He Mingzhu looked up in shock, “Would he be that shameless?”
Mrs. Fu chimed in, “Oh, Madam, he is exactly that shameless.”
Lu Man concluded, “Mother, think about it. Has the old Lu family ever refrained from despicable acts?”
After frightening He Mingzhu a bit, Lu Man returned to Donghui Courtyard.
As Lu Man left, Mrs. Fu whispered, “Madam, Manager Li is very kind. He has been waiting for you for so many years and has been protecting Young Madam Man and Renhe Hall. Your good fortune has led you to encounter his deep affection. Don’t reject this blessing and miss out on such a good man, only to fall into Lu Fangrong’s schemes again…”
He Mingzhu and Fu Qin had grown up together, sharing more than twenty years of life. Though considered servants, they had developed a sisterly bond. He Mingzhu could confide in Fu Qin what she couldn’t tell her children.
He Mingzhu stared blankly at the window, the thick paper blocking out the world outside. Yet, she seemed to envision a gentle young boy of about fifteen smiling at her, offering, “Senior Sister, Master is seeing patients. Here, have some rock candy, your favorite.”
The image shifted to a tall, heroic young man who chased away some troublemakers attempting to harass her, reassuring, “Don’t be afraid, Miss. I’ll protect you, and no one will dare to bully you again.”
Tears welled up in He Mingzhu’s eyes as she cried, “Yes, no one dares to bully me now, but both you and your mother have been bullying me all along…”
In the eastern side of the Crane Hall, everyone was discussing their visit to the Xie family tomorrow, waiting for the master to return from his official duties.
Yesterday, the Princess Changting’s residence, the Donghui Courtyard, and even the Yuling Courtyard all received invitations from the diligent Duke Xie’s mansion. They invited everyone for a celebration as the Xie father and son returned safely, coinciding with the twenty-ninth day of the month, a rest day.
Except for the Second Madam, who disliked crowds and the still-absent Jiang Zhanwei, all the masters of the Princess Changting’s residence were planning to attend. Due to his familiarity with many people from the Xie family, He Cheng would also be going. However, He Mingzhu was reluctant, citing the abundance of aristocrats she wasn’t accustomed to socializing with, despite her familiarity with the Xie matriarch.
The Second Master was the last to return, carrying two small boxes. After sitting down, he beckoned to Jiang Jiu and Jiang Yue, saying, “I heard that Fuyi Silver Pavilion has brought in some jewelry and pearl flowers suitable for young ladies. I took a detour on my way back from the office to buy them. They are indeed beautiful. Jiu and Yue, wear them as you visit tomorrow.” He smiled warmly, his demeanor particularly amiable.
The two masters of Fuyi Silver Pavilion and Shufang Studio who sold jewelry and cosmetics were quite diligent, as the Second Master often paid attention to them. Whenever they had new stock, he would personally go to make purchases.
This was the second time the Second Master had given Jiang Jiu a gift, the first being a puppy-shaped sugar candy. It was also the first time he had gifted Jiang Yue.
Everyone could see that the Second Master was now very satisfied with Jiang Zhanwei, showing his approval.
Seeing this, even Lu Man felt a bit sorry for him.
In this household, many already knew about the agreement between Jiang Zhanwei and Princess Changting, except for the Second Master’s family.