Jiang Sihe knew that the First Lady might have already seen that she was the mastermind behind this. The First Lady was deliberately helping her!
She walked up to the First Lady, gave a coquettish smile, and whispered, "Thank you, Mother!"
The First Lady was both angry and amused. She tapped Jiang Sihe's forehead and said, "You're the smartest one..."
There was not a trace of blame in her eyes, only full of doting.
Jiang Sihe thought that it was really worth it to exchange her tragic ending in her previous life for the First Lady's love in this life...
When Jiang Jingshu and Yuan Qingyun were pulled apart, they were almost like madwomen. Their clothes were torn, their hair was in a mess like a bird's nest, and their faces and necks were full of scratches...
Anyway, judging from their appearances, neither of them had gained an advantage...
When Lord He and Jiang Zongyuan rushed to the back hall, they were so angry that they almost jumped up.
Jiang Zongyuan pointed at Jiang Jingshu, so angry that he couldn't utter a single word...
Lord He flicked his sleeves and asked the Elder Lady He to take Yuan Qingyun to the inner hall to talk. He didn't want to make a fool of themselves outside.
Once inside the inner hall, Lord He scolded the Elder Lady He.
"Qingyun has been spoiled by you. Fortunately, this time it's just a concubine-born daughter of the Jiang Mansion. It's easy to handle. But what if she offends a princess or a young lady of noble birth next time? How can we deal with it?"
When the Elder Lady He heard her son scolding her, she got angry too. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
"Your younger sister passed away early and only left Qingyun, my precious granddaughter. What's wrong with me spoiling her? She's just a little girl. What kind of trouble can she cause? The First Lady of the Jiang family said it was just a fight between children..."
Lord He's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Listen to what she was saying!
"Mother, I know you dote on Qingyun, but I'm also afraid that she'll cause trouble and implicate the He Mansion..."
The Elder Lady He was even more unhappy. "I can tell. You're嫌弃 Qingyun because she doesn't have the He surname. Take a look at your daughter. Is she of any use? I'm afraid even if we send her to be Pei Yanchao's concubine now, he won't want her..."
While Lord He and the Elder Lady He were talking in the inner hall, Jiang Sihe and the others were talking in the outer hall.
Jiang Zongyuan pointed at Jiang Jingshu angrily and said, "From today on, you're not allowed to step out of the Jiang Mansion until you come of age!"
Jiang Jingshu had a swollen eye but still looked haughty. "But Mother is going back to the other courtyard. Daughter wants to go back with Mother!"
"No. You'll stay in the mansion and learn the rules properly. I'll ask the First Lady to find a nanny for you. You can't see your mother until you've learned the rules well!"
Jiang Jingshu realized that she was being confined. She was very reluctant, but seeing her father's cold and serious face, she didn't dare to say a single word of refutation.
Jiang Sihe winked at the First Lady.
See, I told you. You don't need to say a single word. Father won't let you take her out in the future.
The First Lady shook her head with a smile. This child was getting more and more naughty!
In the end, the matter was left unsettled. After all, neither family wanted to offend the other, just as the First Lady had said.
It was just a fight between children...
"Grandmother, why don't you stand up for Yun'er? Look at how that madwoman beat me up!"
Yuan Qingyun had two swollen eyes and several scratches on her nose and face. She cried and complained to the Elder Lady He.
"Enough. Why were you so reckless today? This incident is already embarrassing enough. What else do you want?"
Yuan Qingyun cried even harder. "Grandmother, you love Yun'er the most. What's wrong with you today? It was clearly that crazy girl who was too much. I just scolded her a few words..."
"Miss Yuan, you need to treat the wounds on your face as soon as possible. If it's too late, it's easy to leave scars..."
Nanny Chang saw that the old lady was unhappy and quickly advised.
Yuan Qingyun immediately stopped crying and quickly stood up. "Nanny Chang, go find a doctor quickly. I want the best ointment..."
The Elder Lady He watched Yuan Qingyun drag Nanny Chang out in a hurry and sighed secretly.
Had she spoiled this child too much?
"Grandmother, Yu'er has brought you a bowl of soothing soup!"
He Wenyu walked in. She looked gentle and dignified, holding a bowl of soup in her hand.
This girl still remembered her at this time. She was quite thoughtful.
"Good child. You're so thoughtful. Put it here."
He Wenyu couldn't help but be surprised. Jiang Sihe was really accurate in calculating people's hearts. The soothing soup in her hand was just what Jiang Sihe had reminded her of on the way to the back hall, seemingly casually but actually very deliberately.
It seemed to be really useful now. Grandmother was rarely so kind to her!
"Yu'er, Mrs. Pei's intention today is still to form an alliance with our He Mansion. As long as you get in touch with Minister Pei more, I'm sure you can win his heart... If it really doesn't work, then use some means..."
Hearing her grandmother's words, He Wenyu's face turned pale. Today, she had already flattered Minister Pei as coquettishly as her grandmother had told her to, but he was completely unmoved.
Now she still had to use some means? She asked in a trembling voice.
"What means?"
The Elder Lady He picked up the bowl of soothing soup and took a sip. If it weren't for the fact that this girl was still filial to her, she wouldn't have bothered to give her advice.
Such a stupid girl. She was so dull.
"Once the deed is done, the matter will naturally be settled..."
He Wenyu was so shocked that she took several steps back. She had been taught to be well-behaved and never dared to do anything against the rules. Today, she had already been forced by her father and grandmother to do such a shameful thing. Now she still had to...
"I knew your mother taught you to be as dull as a block of wood. If you want to achieve your goal, sometimes you have to use some means..."
He Wenyu's face was pale, and she didn't want to respond to her grandmother's words.
"Wenyu, you also know the situation of our He Mansion. When His Majesty ascended the throne, your father supported the Empress Dowager. Now that His Majesty has taken over the government, the Empress Dowager is in decline day by day. We have to find some other ways out. Your younger brother is still young. If you can't marry into the Pei family, I'm afraid our He Mansion won't be able to hold on for long...
If the He Mansion is in trouble, your younger brother's future prospects will also be affected..."
He Wenyu still didn't reply. Seeing that this couldn't move her, the Elder Lady He said again.
"Minister Pei is a bit cold by nature, but if you marry into his family, you'll surely warm his heart over time. Then your life will be better... In this way, your younger brother's future prospects will also be guaranteed. Otherwise, I'm afraid it'll be difficult for him to get into the academy..."
Mentioning her younger brother's matter of getting into the academy, He Wenyu finally reacted.
"Grandmother, you and Father clearly promised me that if I did as you told me today, you would let my younger brother get into the academy. And my younger brother is the only legitimate son in the mansion. How can you treat him like this?"
"Look, you're just so naive. Your mother has been dead for three years. Your father will surely take a new wife. Then it's really hard to say whether your younger brother will still be the only legitimate son in the mansion..."
He Wenyu understood that her grandmother was forcing her with her younger brother, trying to make her agree to plot against Pei Yanchao...
"Mrs. Pei is having a birthday in a few days. She said she would send us an invitation. As long as you nod, Grandmother and Mrs. Pei will make the arrangements.
If this matter is successful, you'll be the young mistress of the Pei Mansion. With Minister Pei as your brother-in-law, your younger brother won't have to worry about getting into the academy. He can even get into the White Deer Academy..."