Chapter 578
“I have never seen that prince,” Xu Chuan said, shaking his head. That was precisely what worried him.
“Father, Mother, let’s return to the county office first.” Li Zhiwei thought it over. The inn might not be safe, so they should leave as soon as possible.
“Big Brother, are you coming back with us, or do you still need to return to the Jiang residence?” Li Zhiwei asked, turning to Li Tingzhou, who stood nearby looking somewhat dazed.
“I’m not going back to the Jiang residence.” Li Tingzhou’s voice was a little sullen.
“Then don’t go. Our Li family isn’t short of a few possessions,” Li Zhiwei said with a smile.
She secretly heaved a sigh of relief. At last, her big brother’s return to the Li family was settled.
“That’s right, that’s right! Whatever you need, we’ll buy it for you,” Lady Yao said, nodding repeatedly with a smile.
“Then you’d better prepare plenty. After all, you still have to help me find a wife,” Li Tingzhou said playfully, glancing at Wen Xiu.
“You little rascal—you’ve only just come back, and you’re already thinking about a wife.” Li Tianyou seemed to remember what his son had been like as a child—just as lively, adorable, and close to them as ever. His eyes reddened.
If not for Madame Jiang, their son would have grown up safely by their side.
Jiang Yuanrang had said he would not pursue the matter, so for the time being, they would let Madame Jiang off.
But if Madame Jiang provoked them again, they certainly would not show her any mercy.
“Princess, let’s return to the county office first.” Xu Chuan, who had just stepped outside, spoke with obvious concern.
“Old man, why don’t you come with us to the county office first?” Li Tingzhou asked Jun Mowen, who was standing nearby.
“Go? Of course I’ll go. I’m an old man who’s never even set foot in a county office before. Today, I’ll enjoy the honor of accompanying you,” Jun Mowen said with a laugh.
“Elder, this way, please!” Li Tianyou said courteously, cupping his hands toward Jun Mowen.
“Good, good, good!” Jun Mowen did not stand on ceremony. He thought to himself that the Li family was far more genuine than the Jiang family.
While harmony prevailed on the Li family’s side, the Jiang residence was shrouded in gloom.
“Nanny Tang, what should we do?” Madame Jiang twisted the handkerchief in her hands. The thought that Jiang Yuanrang would never return filled her with unbearable misery.
Did she truly have to hand the Jiang family over to the second branch? How could she possibly accept that?
“Madam, the young master most likely won’t be coming back,” Nanny Tang said with a sigh.
She had opposed Madame Jiang’s decision from the beginning, but Madame Jiang had insisted on going her own way. Now that the truth had come to light, it was only natural that the young master no longer wished to return to the Jiang family.
“I raised him for nineteen years, and yet he can be this heartless.” Madame Jiang’s eyes reddened as she choked back a sob.
Nanny Tang lowered her head and said nothing.
“Madam, there is still one way,” Nanny Tang said softly after giving it some thought.
“What way? Tell me quickly.” Madame Jiang hurriedly urged her.
“Have the second branch’s son born to a concubine adopted into the main branch, and marry him to Miss Jiang Siyue,” Nanny Tang suggested.
After thinking it over, Nanny Tang realized that the only member of the second branch who was still unharmed was that son born to a concubine.
“No!” Madame Jiang rejected the idea without a moment’s hesitation.
If the family property went to that boy, wouldn’t it merely benefit the second branch?
“Madam, think about it. The Second Master and those two young masters of the second branch are seriously ill now. There’s a good chance they may never recover.” Nanny Tang spoke cautiously, pausing to study Madame Jiang’s expression.
“That son born to a concubine is probably not favored, either. If you adopt him and treat him as your own son, it may not be a bad turning point for you,” Nanny Tang continued.
“But his biological mother is still alive.” Madame Jiang frowned.
She felt that the boy was already grown. Even if he were adopted into her family, it would be too late to raise him into someone truly loyal to her.
“Madam, you can have Miss Jiang Siyue give birth to a child as soon as possible, then raise a new heir yourself,” Nanny Tang urged.
Madame Jiang fell silent.
She was indeed beginning to waver.
“What if Siyue refuses?” Madame Jiang asked.
After all, Madame Jiang felt that Jiang Siyue would likely look down on a son born to a concubine.
“Madam, rest assured. I have my ways of making Miss agree,” Nanny Tang said with a smile.
Nanny Tang thought that Madame Jiang’s previous method would not work on the eldest young master, but Miss Jiang Siyue and the Fourth Young Master met every day. There would be plenty of opportunities.
Besides, she had already seen through it.
Young Master Jie clearly had feelings for Miss Jiang Siyue.
“Go and take care of it.”
Madame Jiang thought that as long as the main branch did not end up without an heir, she could grit her teeth and accept the arrangement.
Still, whenever she thought of Jiang Yuanjie, the son born to the second branch’s concubine, there was nothing about him she liked.
The thought of such a boy inheriting the Jiang family someday made her feel that he was getting far too good a deal.
The Imperial Palace
“Prince Lanhuai, do you have anything else to say?” Zhu Jingchen angrily threw a stack of evidence before Prince Lanhuai and demanded an answer.
Prince Lanhuai froze at first and tried to deny everything.
But when he saw the evidence before him, he flipped through it in disbelief. He had never imagined that the emperor had investigated everything—including even the iron mine he had only recently discovered, which had now been laid bare before him.
“Heh.” Prince Lanhuai let out several soft laughs.
“Yes. I did all of it.” Prince Lanhuai knew that denying it would be useless.
But so what?
He still had another card to play.
Those things were not here.
“Guards! Prince Lanhuai has committed the grave crime of treason. He is hereby stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner. Exterminate his entire clan!” Zhu Jingchen declared without giving Prince Lanhuai a chance to explain.
“Exterminate my entire clan? Hahaha! Your Majesty, have you forgotten that you are part of my clan as well?” Prince Lanhuai laughed wildly.
“Investigate everyone. Anyone who has colluded with Prince Lanhuai’s household is to be killed without mercy!” Zhu Jingchen said, waving his hand.
After Prince Lanhuai was dealt with, Zhu Jingchen felt as though one burden had finally been lifted.
“Your Majesty, will Prince An be able to return from Hexian County on schedule?” Zhang Yanchu thought of the envoys from the Qinling Kingdom, who would be arriving in the capital within the next few days.
By then, there would certainly be a fierce battle of wits.
At present, they still did not have enough weapons.
They needed sufficient funds.
The gold mine in Hexian County was one of their sources of funding this time.
“Now that Xu Heming has gone, what is there to worry about?” Zhu Jingchen said aloud, though he was somewhat uneasy in his heart.
The conflict with the Qinling Kingdom was already on the verge of erupting.
“Your Majesty, once the envoys arrive, they likely won’t be as foolish as the Third Prince. We should discuss our countermeasures as soon as possible,” Zhang Yanchu said carefully.
Lucheng
Li Zhiwei and the others had just returned to the county office when they realized that something was wrong.
“Wait!” Jun Mowen stopped everyone who was about to enter.
“Leave at once.” Jun Mowen’s expression was grim.
As a physician, he was more sensitive to smells than anyone else.
There was clearly a large amount of soporific powder in the courtyard.
“What’s wrong?” Li Zhiwei asked the old man in confusion, wondering whether he had noticed something.
“Have you offended someone?” Jun Mowen asked, puzzled.
Li Zhiwei thought it over. Aside from the Jiang family, they had not come into contact with anyone else.
“The courtyard is completely silent. Don’t you think it’s too quiet?” Jun Mowen asked, sweeping his gaze around.
“Is someone inside?” As Li Zhiwei asked, she turned back to look at Xu Mu and Xu Chuan, wondering why they had not noticed anything.
