The Marquis of Xuanping returned to the marquis's mansion as if in a daze. At that time, the marquis's wife was waiting eagerly with the brother and sister.
Seeing him coming back, the three of them stepped forward together and asked, "My lord, how did it go?"
The Marquis of Xuanping gave a bitter smile, shook his head and said nothing.
The mother and the two children exchanged a look and followed the marquis into the mansion.
After sitting down in the main hall, the marquis said, "Today, I went directly to see His Majesty with a memorial proposing to appoint a new heir apparent. His Majesty's meaning... The Marquis of Xuanping's mansion can do without me, but it cannot do without Jiang Ye."
As soon as he said this, the mother and the two children were all shocked.
Jiang Wenlan, who had an unstable temper, immediately exclaimed, "What does His Majesty mean by this! Father, you are the Marquis of Xuanping and the pillar of our marquis's mansion. How can it do without you!"
The marquis's wife didn't stop her. Instead, she also said, "Yes, my lord. Is there... some misunderstanding? Why would His Majesty say such a thing?"
It would be absurd for an ordinary family to say that it can do without a father but not without a son, let alone this being the emperor's intention.
The current emperor is no fool.
"There's no misunderstanding," the Marquis of Xuanping sighed deeply. "Anyway, His Majesty has made his words very clear. Soon, Jiang Ye will also move back. In the future... treat him kindly. It will do you good."
This was the marquis's sincere advice.
After saying that, the Marquis of Xuanping got up and left directly.
Jiang Yunfan's face turned a little pale. "Mother, this..."
"Don't be anxious," the marquis's wife forced herself to stay calm. "Don't be hasty. Although His Majesty has said so, this matter is not completely without room for maneuver."
Jiang Wenlan sat down angrily. "Since His Majesty has said so, how can there be any room for maneuver? It's just a pity that brother has been so kind to the princess these days. He has given away so many good things, big and small. He originally wanted to win the princess's support. Now, with His Majesty's words, even if the princess comes, it won't help!"
Jiang Yunfan stood beside her, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His face was full of unwillingness.
It wasn't really a grievance for him to court Jiang Ning'an. But since he was born, his goal had been the position of the heir apparent of the marquis's mansion.
Now, wasn't this clearly telling him that the past ten-odd years of his life had been in vain?
"Are you really my daughter? Why are you so short-sighted?" the marquis's wife said, hating that her daughter couldn't become a useful person. "So what if Jiang Ye is in His Majesty's favor? If he's gone, who will His Majesty favor?"
Jiang Wenlan's eyes widened immediately. "Mother, are you going to take action against him?"
The marquis's wife sneered. "Isn't he coming back to the marquis's mansion soon? It's really ridiculous. We mother and the two children have been in the marquis's mansion for so many years and have already taken control of everything here. So what if he comes back?
This marquis's mansion is not like the shabby little courtyard he lives in. In the marquis's mansion, if I want him to have a hard time, he won't be able to have an easy life!
If he dies or is disabled, the position of the heir apparent will naturally still be your brother's. This is the law!"
Hearing the marquis's wife's words, a glimmer of light returned to Jiang Yunfan's eyes. "Mother, thanks to you."
He had been in a complete mess just now. If it weren't for the marquis's wife, he might not have recovered his senses by now.
The marquis's wife smiled, but her smile was as cold as ice. "There's still a long way to go in the future. Your father can't fight for you, but you still have your mother."
As a mother, she naturally had to strive for the best future for her own children!
---
Jiang Ye's Residence.
Not long after the emperor left, Jiang Ye began to order his servants to pack up his things.
By dusk, all the things except those in the main house had been packed up.
Seeing that the weather was getting a bit cooler, Jiang Ning'an was going to go back.
Meng Chun was about to lead some people in to put away the delicate items that Jiang Ning'an had used at noon, but was stopped by Jiang Ye. "A lot of things are going to be cleared out today anyway. I'll do the packing."
Meng Chun didn't say a word, but looked at Jiang Ning'an.
Jiang Ning'an didn't care at all. "The heir apparent is really diligent."
After saying that, Jiang Ning'an led Meng Chun away.
Although there was ice in the room, it was still far less comfortable than her Lanyue Pavilion. At this moment, she couldn't wait to climb over the wall and go back. As for these trivial matters, she didn't care.
As soon as she left, the servants also left. The courtyard suddenly became much emptier.
At this time, a servant in the courtyard stepped forward and said, "My lord, may this humble one go in and start packing?"
"No need. I'll do it myself."
"...Yes."
Jiang Ye went back into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.
The things that Jiang Ning'an used were naturally of the best quality. They were light in color and cool to the touch. It seemed that her body temperature and fragrance still lingered on them.
Jiang Ye pressed his hand tightly on them. His eyes were dark, and his Adam's apple rolled involuntarily.
Although he said he was going to pack, Jiang Ye didn't move for a long time.
---
At this time, it was the time for every family to have dinner.
The Xie Family.
Xie Wei was having dinner with his three sons. On normal days, Xie Wei would talk to his other two sons who hadn't entered official careers about things in the officialdom to let them get used to it. But today, he was unusually silent. He just kept drinking cup after cup of wine, obviously preoccupied.
As soon as he stopped talking, the atmosphere at the dinner table became extremely solemn. Even the sound of the chopsticks and bowls colliding became very soft.
After three rounds of drinking, Xie Wei finally spoke up under the influence of alcohol. "I called you here today because I have something to discuss with you."
The second and third sons of the Xie family exchanged a look and both looked at Xie Yunzhou.
Xie Yunzhou's face remained calm. "Father, please speak."
Xie Wei sighed deeply. "There are some things I won't hide from you anymore. Many years ago, I... made some mistakes. To be honest, there should actually be four male descendants in our family."
As soon as he said this, Xie Yunzhou's hand holding the cup tightened suddenly. The cup creaked as if it was going to break at any moment.
The second and third sons of the Xie family quickly lowered their heads and tried to minimize their presence.
"Now, all of you have grown up. I haven't treated you badly over the years. But your younger brother has been living outside these years. I really can't bear it. So—"
"So, father is going to bring that illegitimate son into the family?"
Seeing that there was no look of surprise on Xie Yunzhou's face, Xie Wei couldn't help being stunned. "Yunzhou, you've known about this for a long time?"
"Yes," Xie Yunzhou looked directly at Xie Wei. "Father, not only do I know, but almost everyone in the Xie family knows."
If it had been in the past, Xie Wei would have been nervous and embarrassed to hear this. But now, Xie Wei was only happy. "I see! You guys are really something. Since you've known for a long time, why did you still hide it from me? You made me unable to eat well tonight!"
Saying this, Xie Wei seemed to really have a good appetite. He immediately drank half a bowl of soup in one breath.
Xie Yunzhou watched his every move with cold eyes. "Father, you don't think that just because we know, we'll agree, do you?"
Xie Wei's movement stopped.
He looked up and happened to meet Xie Yunzhou's extremely cold gaze.
And there was a clear look in Xie Wei's eyes, showing no sign of being drunk.