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Lady Yang glanced over there and apologetically whispered, “Sister Lu, I’m sorry. My little sister-in-law talks too much, and when husband came back, he scolded her harshly…” Feeling this wasn’t the right place to discuss the matter, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and said softly, “Our mansion didn’t invite Miss Shu, it was Princess Chang’an who brought her. She is now the adopted granddaughter of Princess Chang’an.”
Lu Man chuckled and, covering the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, replied, “So, she’s climbed up the social ladder.” Was it to match her status with Jiang Zhanwei better?
Unfortunately, Miss Shu was bound to be disappointed. Not to mention that Jiang Zhanwei no longer had thoughts of divorcing her, even if he did, the massive secret had formed a temporary inseparable alliance between herself, Jiang Zhanwei, and Princess Changting.
At that moment, a servant came to report that Princess Changting had arrived.
Madam Xie quickly got up and went out to greet her personally.
Princess Changting arrived, with Jiang Zhanwei assisting her.
As soon as they entered, they attracted everyone’s attention.
Lu Man was somewhat surprised. Why did the Princess bring him along? That old lady loved to show off everything. She started by showing off the “talented” daughter-in-law, the Second Madam, then flaunted Lu Man, the “divine physician” grand daughter-in-law, and now she was showing off this “heroic” grandson.
She could have shown off in the front yard, why bring it to the back? Although the segregation of men and women wasn’t very strict in this era, this could easily lead to gossip.
Jiang Zhanwei looked festive today, dressed in a red embroidered cotton robe with a jade belt and a purple gold crown adorned with pearls. He deliberately suppressed his coldness, lowered his eyes, looked humble, and exuded a gentle and refined aura resembling a noble gentleman. Perhaps he wasn’t used to being scrutinized by a group of unfamiliar women of all ages, as his face turned slightly red.
Amidst the soft laughter of the young ladies, the old grandmas and aunties began to praise, “Oh, haven’t seen you in years, Third Young Master Jiang looks even more handsome.”
“When he was young, this old lady could tell he was extraordinary, different from others.”
“This is all thanks to Princess Changting’s influence. Even the Emperor says Princess Changting is a heroine among women, so her grandson must be exceptional.”
……
These words made Princess Changting even more delighted, and Jiang Zhanwei’s face blushed a bit more.
Princess Changting held Madam Xie’s hand and said, “I thank the Duke and Xie Yu for their appreciation and support of Zhanwei. I have already allowed Zhanwei to kowtow to them. Also, I want to thank you for taking care of him for many years. I know he used to come to your mansion to eat and drink when he was young. Now that he has grown up and made something of himself, he must not forget those who have been kind to him. I specially asked him to come and pay his respects to you by kowtowing.”
Madam Xie was overjoyed, repeatedly saying, “I dare not accept.”
Lu Man felt somewhat embarrassed, she was far behind compared to this old lady. No wonder the Emperor had established her as an exemplary member of the royal family.
Madam Xie sat down, and Jiang Zhanwei knelt down to kowtow to her, saying, “Thank you, Madam Xie, for your care and kindness towards me. I will always remember it.”
Madam Xie helped him up personally, smiling, “Good child, I know you have always worked very hard. I’m happy to see you succeed.”
People continued to praise, complimenting both Princess Changting and Jiang Zhanwei.
Madam Wang, the mother of Wang Haobai, also let out a few hearty laughs, saying, “Princess Changting indeed knows how to educate her grandson. Your lineage and family background truly put us ignorant women to shame. If it were me, and my grandson had risked his life and achieved such great feats, I wouldn’t bear to send him off to difficult places again, let alone…” Realizing she might be saying something inappropriate, she stopped herself and continued with a smile, “It’s Princess Changting’s foresight that has led to such outstanding individuals emerging. The other day, the Empress even advised me to learn from Princess Changting.”
While seemingly praising Princess Changting, her words were actually inciting the relationship between Princess Changting and Jiang Zhanwei.
Princess Changting wasn’t one to be outdone, she coldly snorted, “The Empress advised you to learn from me?” Seeing Madam Wang nod, she continued, “The Empress must have a high opinion of you. But with your narrow-mindedness and lack of vision, there are things you can’t learn.”
This left Madam Wang red-faced and unable to retort.
Jiang Zhanwei respectfully bowed to the elder female relatives before turning to leave.
As he almost reached the door, a soft voice called out, “Young Master Jiang.”
Jiang Zhanwei’s steps faltered slightly as he turned to see Shu Mingwei, who had almost become his wife and had haunted his dreams for two years.
Jiang Zhanwei felt guilty towards her.
Since he was seventeen and betrothed to her, he had always thought she would be his partner in this life. He looked forward to marrying her, building a warm home, giving his lonely heart solace, and showing his younger siblings more love.
Later, he was forced to break off the engagement with her and marry Lu Man. Regardless of what lay ahead with Lu Man, he knew he could no longer have any relationship with Miss Shu. Even when he entertained the idea of achieving success and then divorcing Lu Man, he never considered remarrying Miss Shu. At that time, he didn’t know how many years it would take until he had the power to make such decisions.
Subsequently, as he gradually got to know Lu Man, he witnessed her kindness, beauty, unmatched intelligence, and her exceptional care for his siblings. He realized how fortunate he was to have the most wonderful woman in the world and couldn’t bear to leave her.
When he first established the Black Furry Camp, Miss Shu’s brother had approached him, revealing that Miss Shu only had eyes for him and was willing to wait for him to divorce Lu Man before marrying her. Although he was touched by this, even though he hadn’t fully fallen in love with Lu Man at that time, he had developed feelings for her and didn’t want to hurt such a good woman. He told Miss Shu’s brother to let her remarry and seek her own happiness.
Later, a person from the Xia family accidentally informed Lu Man about his previous ill intentions, causing Lu Man to be thoroughly upset with him. While he had been infuriated by the Xia family girl at the time, he harbored no resentment towards Miss Shu. In his eyes, Miss Shu was also a victim, it was indeed the fault of the Jiang family…
Fortunately, nearly two years of separation and mutual longing allowed Lu Man to accept him back, and the couple reconciled…
Jiang Zhanwei subtly nodded at her before striding out.
While others didn’t notice Jiang Zhanwei’s gesture, Shu Mingwei did. Tears welled up in her eyes once again, he still thought of her and remembered her. But why hadn’t he divorced Lu Man yet after returning for so long? Was it because he hadn’t had the chance yet, or had something unexpected happened?
Princess Chang’an’s granddaughter, Sun Yuchen, saw the tears in Shu Mingwei’s eyes and took her to be by Princess Chang’an’s side.