Chapter 581
“Princess, His Highness ordered me to stay by your side and protect you,” Xu Mu said with some hesitation.
He was worried that if he left and Li Zhiwei encountered danger, he would have no way to answer to Xu Heming afterward.
Especially now, with people from Lanwan still in Lucheng, if anything happened to the Princess, it would be his fault.
Besides, surely Prince An would not want him to take such a risk and leave the Princess at a time like this.
“All right, if you’re going, then hurry up and go. With them here, I’ll be perfectly safe,” Jun Mowen said, looking displeased.
“That’s right. Ordinary people can’t get in here,” the Old Man added quickly.
“You two discuss it and decide who will go. I won’t feel at ease leaving either of you behind,” Li Zhiwei instructed Xu Mu and Xu Chuan.
Xu Mu and Xu Chuan exchanged a glance. Neither of them wanted to go, yet both wore conflicted expressions.
They did not want the Princess to be injured, but they were also worried that Prince An might be used by others because of this.
“Here, you may find these useful. Take them and set out at once.” Jun Mowen pointed at the bottles and jars on the table.
“These are top-grade healing medicines. Take them with you and go find your prince,” Li Tingzhou said excitedly.
In the end, Xu Chuan decided to go find Xu Heming, while Xu Mu stayed behind to protect Li Zhiwei.
Lucheng, the Jiang Residence
“Are you telling the truth? They’re all dead?” Madame Jiang asked the servant excitedly.
“Madam, it’s true. There was an enormous fire in the rear courtyard of the county office, and it still hasn’t been put out. I’m afraid no one could have survived,” the servant said regretfully.
“Good! Hahaha, that fire burned beautifully!” The thought of the way those people had behaved earlier that day filled Madame Jiang with delight.
Those people had been so arrogant when they condemned her. Yet now, they had been burned alive.
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She even wanted to go and see their miserable state with her own eyes.
“Madam, the Eldest Young Master seems to have been there too,” the servant reminded her in a quiet voice.
He wondered whether Madame Jiang would still be able to laugh after hearing that.
Madame Jiang froze for a moment. Then she remembered that Jiang Yuanrang had chosen to stand with those people and condemn her that day, and so—
At that thought, Madame Jiang suddenly felt relieved. Since Jiang Yuanrang had refused to return with her, then so be it if he was dead.
“From now on, there is no Eldest Young Master in this household,” Madame Jiang said coldly without hesitation.
Yet inwardly, she was already thinking about what the Jiang family would do without Jiang Yuanrang.
“Aunt!”
Having received the news, Jiang Siyue stumbled into Madame Jiang’s courtyard.
“Aunt, it isn’t true that Cousin is gone, is it?” Jiang Siyue looked at Madame Jiang with red-rimmed eyes, her face full of pleading.
If Jiang Yuanrang was gone, what reason did she have to remain at the Jiang residence?
“He’s gone, then he’s gone,” Madame Jiang said, somewhat displeased.
“Aunt, what am I supposed to do?” Jiang Siyue asked, looking at Madame Jiang unhappily.
“The Jiang family has more than one son.” Madame Jiang closed her eyes before speaking.
“Aunt?” Jiang Siyue did not understand what she meant.
“Yue’er, if I had you marry Brother Jie, would you be willing?” Madame Jiang knew that she had no other choice. She could only have Jiang Yuanjie adopted into their branch.
Only by having him marry her niece would she feel at ease.
“Aunt, you want me to marry that son of a concubine?” Jiang Siyue’s heart jolted. She had never expected Madame Jiang to say such a thing.
“Yue’er, the Jiang family must have someone to inherit it.” Madame Jiang looked at Jiang Siyue, forced to face this reality.
“Aunt, you’re not planning to hand the Jiang family over to that son of a concubine, are you?”
Jiang Siyue gritted her teeth, deeply unwilling. Why was her aunt so determined not to help her and Jiang Yuanrang?
“Jiang Yuanrang is already gone. I can only choose someone from the Jiang family, and Jiang Yuanjie is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate at present.” Madame Jiang did not conceal the truth from Jiang Siyue.
“Aunt, no—” Jiang Siyue gritted her teeth.
She wanted to say that although there was no one left in the Jiang family, there were still people in the Jiang family’s maternal clan.
But if someone else from that family were brought in, what place would there be for her?
The thought made Jiang Siyue feel even more resentful.
“Yue’er, do you know why I chose you?” Madame Jiang looked at Jiang Siyue and asked earnestly.
She naturally knew that Jiang Siyue wanted to suggest bringing in someone from the Jiang family’s maternal clan.
But as a woman confined to the inner household, it would not be easy for her to bring in one of the Jiang clan’s nephews. The best solution was to choose someone from the Jiang family’s second branch.
Fortunately, Jiang Yuanjie was not Madam Feng’s son. Otherwise, who knew how Madam Feng would mock her?
Still, Madam Song was no pushover either. It remained to be seen whether she would agree to let her son be adopted into the main branch.
“Nanny Tang, go and invite Concubine Song here,” Madame Jiang said, no longer looking at Jiang Siyue. She ordered Nanny Tang to summon Concubine Song from the second branch.
After all, Concubine Song was Jiang Yuanjie’s birth mother.
If Madame Jiang wanted to adopt her son, she first had to reach an agreement with her, lest Madam Feng interfere later.
“Aunt, is he really the only choice?” Jiang Siyue asked unwillingly.
“Yue’er, we have no other choice.” Madame Jiang sighed and spoke honestly.
Jiang Siyue clenched her fists.
But when she thought of how Jiang Yuanjie was safe and had always liked following her around, she felt somewhat relieved.
At least Jiang Yuanjie liked her.
He should obey her in the future as well.
The Jiang family would still be under her control.
After thinking it through, Jiang Siyue finally gritted her teeth and said, “I’ll do as you say, Aunt.”
As soon as Nanny Tang arrived at Madam Song’s courtyard, Madam Song’s eyes lit up. She knew that her opportunity had come.
“Oh, isn’t this Nanny Tang from the Madam’s courtyard? What has brought you here today?” Madam Song asked with a smile.
“Concubine Song, Madam invites you to the Serenity Courtyard,” Nanny Tang said respectfully.
Madam Song was overjoyed when she heard this.
She had been waiting for this day for a very long time.
It seemed that the Madam of the main branch had finally grown anxious enough to come looking for her.
Madam Song was secretly triumphant. So what if she was only a concubine? From now on, her son would be the one to inherit the entire Jiang family.
Although she was delighted inside, she deliberately looked at Nanny Tang with confusion and asked, “Nanny, may I ask why Madam has summoned me?”
“If you have any questions, Concubine Song, you’ll know once you arrive at the Madam’s courtyard.” Nanny Tang did not answer directly, but her tone remained exceedingly polite.
After all, if the Fourth Young Master truly became the next head of the Jiang family, Concubine Song’s position in the household would no longer be what it once was.
“Then please give me a moment to freshen up.” Madam Song smiled and nodded at Nanny Tang before entering the inner room.
“Mother, what did Nanny Tang want with you?” Jiang Jinyu asked quietly from inside the room.
“Silly girl, our good days are about to begin.” Madam Song beamed with delight.
Jiang Jinyu was puzzled. How did Nanny Tang’s visit mean that their good days were about to begin?
