Chapter 470 Something Odd

At the middle of the last lunar month, Qiu Yelan finally finished her postpartum confinement. The next day of her baby’s one-month birthday banquet, Gu E’nuo brought her the account books and keys, together with two embroidered handkerchiefs, “I made them in my free time. It’s just a little token of my affection even though I’m not good at embroidering. Madame, hope you not mind.”

Qiu Yelan accepted it. And then she casually asked what Jiang Huishan was doing and called someone to take something that fit children to her. When she just sent Gu E’nuo away, Mulian came in and said, “My madame, Madame Tao asked you over there, saying that there is something to discuss.”

“I’ll be going!” Qiu Yelan nodded.

The lunar new year was coming. And Chu Yitong’s pregnancy reaction was more intense than Qiu Yelan’s when she was pregnant with her daughter. In a situation like that, Qiu Yelan took the responsibility of running the fourth branch. So, she had thought that Madame Tao called her over to give her some advice as Madame Tao was worried about whether she could do it well.

However, when Qiu Yelan arrived there, Madame Tao didn’t mention it. Instead, Madame Tao said, “Your youngest grand aunt has decided to choose Miss Feng.”

“Huh?” Qiu Yelan was taken by surprise at first. And soon she remembered it was about Jiang Yalan’s thing. It had been nearly a year since the time when she was ordered to ask Ruan Ciyi about Feng Ruyan. It seemed that Madame Ou had really made a great effort to find a step-wife for her grandson this time since she had taken so long to decide. So, Qiu Yelan said, “That’s a happy event. When will it be set?”

“Now it is the last lunar month. According to traditional rules, they can’t do anything this month.” Madame Tao said, “So, they decide to send the bride price till in the next first month. And they have talked with the Feng Family, who has agreed as well. There is only one problem here.”

With that, Qiu Yelan knew that the reason why she was asked over there was because of this problem.

“Except for the first month, there is not a day that suits them next year. Your youngest grand aunt thinks that although Yalan has been married once, he does not have a son or a daughter. The wedding should not be delayed any further. She plans to let them get married in the first month!” Madame Tao said, “In that case, it is short on time. Moreover, in the first month, your sixth uncle and sixth aunt are still in mourning in Sir Jibei’s Mansion!”

“So?”

“I have discussed with your youngest grand aunt. And we decided to hold Yalan’s wedding in Marquess’s Mansion.” Madame Tao said, “I have told Shuijin about that. But as you know, she is too busy. So, you also need to give a hand at that time!”

“That is what we should do.” Qiu Yelan had thought it was something else. So, after hearing that, she nodded, “My Grandmother, please rest assured!”

After the matter was finished, Madame Tao asked about the three children in her yard, “Have Jingkun and Jinglang been naughty these two days? How about Huiying? Did she still cry last night?”

The name of Jiang Yashuang and Qiu Yelan’s first trueborn daughter had just been decided the day before yesterday, which was called Jiang Huiying.

Qiu Yelan smiled and replied one by one. And then she said, “My grandmother, I was afraid of delaying and making you wait when I heard that you summoned me today. So, I didn’t bring them here. I’ll bring them to pay respect to you later!”

“No!” Madame Tao shook her head, “It’s so cold. It’s better to let them stay in the yard. Do not make them go to that trouble!”

When they were on that, Mom Hu hurried in, “Madame, the nineteenth young madame, something has happened to the fifth young master!”

Both Madame Tao and Qiu Yelan were stunned, “What’s going on?”

“Mistress Yue has lost her baby. It is said that she was pushed by the thirteenth junior young master!”

“How could Jingman push Penglai Yue?” Madame Tao frowned at the words, “What in heaven is going on? How is it going on now?”

Qiu Yelan, in her postpartum confinement, heard the news that Penglai Yue was pregnant. At that time, she said to He Shuijin, who went to visit her, that Madame Jin and Jiang Jingman would have a difficult time in the future.

After all, Penglai Yue had enchanted Jiang Yawan to death. Since she was taken into the family as a mistress, Jiang Yawan had never gone to his wife and other mistresses’ places. Madame Jin, the first wife of Jiang Yawan, was completely ignored. Besides, Jiang Jingman, the only alive male heir of Jiang Yawan, couldn’t see his father in a month or so.

If Penglai Yue gave birth to a boy, it could imagine that there would be less room for Madame Jin and Jiang Jingman in Jiang Yawan’s heart.

But no one had expected that Penglai Yue would have a miscarriage just in less than one month. And it was uncertain whether there was something there.

“Now there are two sides to what happened. I can’t figure it out. But the fifth young master is going to kill the thirteenth junior young master!” Mom Hu said quickly, “Madame, please go there to decide. In my view, the fifth young madame seems not likely to be able to stop the fifth young master!”

“B*st*rd!” Madame Tao’s whole frame was quivering with anger, “What happened to Jingzhui was still not enough? They don’t treat their own flesh and blood as human beings, do they?”

… It was reasonable that why Madame Tao was so angry now. Since Jiang Jingzhui killed himself with hatred, the whole Jiang Family tacitly decided that they should not hit their children, no matter how big mistakes they had made. Otherwise, if their children followed in Jiang Jingzhui’s footsteps, it would be too late for them to regret!

However, Jiang Yawan beat Jiang Jingman so hard that Mom Hu rushed to report personally. How could Madame Tao not be angry? Although Jiang Jingman was not her blood nor a junior that she often saw, his family was the guest in Marquess’s Mansion now!

If something, even if it was made by his father, really happened to Jiang Jingman in Marquess’s Mansion, how could Marquess’s Mansion not take the responsibility? Marquess Qin, the real person in charge of Marquess’s Mansion, was still alive. And he was the one that most valued the blood of the Jiang Family!

Without saying a word, Madame Tao stood up, “Let’s go and see!”

In this case, Qiu Yelan could not ask for leave. She hurried to go forward to support Madame Tao. And she said, “My grandmother, please calm down. I think my fifth brother may do it out of a moment of anger. And now he may have stopped…”

What she said was just her rhetoric. But when she was there, she found she got it right. Jiang Yawan had stopped. But it was not because he began to care for his son but because Penglai Yue put great efforts to stop him.

Right. It was Penglai Yue who stopped Jiang Yawan rather than his wife Madame Jin or someone else. When Qiu Yelan helped Madame Tao into the yard, Penglai Yue was crying, “… For my sake? My young master, have you thought about what I can do if you really hurt the thirteenth junior young master. I don’t blame him. It’s just an accident! I’m still young… As long as you care about me, I can have your babies! Young master, please, for my poor baby’s sake, let go of the thirteenth young master!”

When they arrived inside, they found the room in a mess. And among that, Jiang Yawan was sitting at the top seat, looking livid. Penglai Yue, very pale, did not rest on the couch but knelt in front of Jiang Yawan and sobbed. Madame Jin and a few servants felt overwhelmed and stood not far from the two, twisting their handkerchiefs, with darkened faces.

Jiang Jingman, disheveled, knelt down. His face was black and blue. And there was some blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were closed. And his body trembled slightly. Others could not tell whether it was because he was emotional or because he got beaten badly.

When Madame Tao saw this, she frowned and coughed!

“My second grandaunt, what brings you here?” Jiang Yawan looked towards the source of the voice. When he saw Madame Tao, he was slightly shocked. He hastily got up to greet her, saying awkwardly, “I have been lax with my son. But I haven’t thought that it will get you here!” While he was talking, he passed by Jiang Jingman and raised his leg to kick him, cursing, “You son of a b*tch!”

“Enough!” Madame Tao interrupted unhappily, “I heard that something happened in your branch, thinking that what couldn’t be said properly in such an important festival. So, I purposely came to see… I came here so hurriedly that I still do not know what happened. It seems that people are here now. Can you talk to such old bones like me?”

Jiang Yawan was awkward, “My second grandaunt, it may make you laugh… My beloved mistress had got pregnant, which was a happy event. But I didn’t expect that the son of a b*tch would lose his head and do it to his unborn sibling just because he was worried that his favor would be shared! If he hadn’t been discovered, I’m afraid that even the life of my mistress would not have been saved!”

With that, he glanced at Jiang Jingman in disgust, “My mistress is still asking a favor for him, but the b*st*rd… I think I should send him back to Kui County after the new year. And he shall stay around his great grandfather and never leave Kui County!”

Madame Tao had a look at Madame Jin out of the corner of her eyes and found her face was suddenly white, which made Madame Tao suspicious, “From what Jiang Jingman dressed when he arrived in Jing City and the thing that Yashuang suggested that he and Jiang Jingmu went into the clan school, Madame Jin is not a wise first mother… Now Jiang Yawan is going to get Jiang Jingman back to keep the grave, which is clearly to ruin his future and severe their father-son relationship! Is that because her own son Jiang Jingzhan has died and Jiang Jingman is the only one that she can rely on? As Jiang Jingman’s future is ruined, she will also have a difficult time… Or is that because Jiang Jingman’s killing the baby in his concubine-mother’s belly has something to do with her and she is afraid that Jiang Jingman will expose her out of despair?”

But after waiting for a moment, she saw Jiang Jingman lowered his head and did not make a sound, and so she was a little unsure, “Is that really because he wanted to protect his position?”

However, Madame Tao and Jiang Jingman were not related by blood. And there were no feelings between them. The reason why Madame Tao hurried there was that she was afraid that the Jiang Family would once again beat a son to death or push a son over the edge. Now, Jiang Yawan had stopped beating his son and Jiang Jingman had nothing to say when faced with clear evidence.

Madame Tao was not willing to be the judge. So, she thought for a while and said, “I see! In this case, the kid is really wrong!”

When Jiang Yawan was about to speak, suddenly someone outside the door hurriedly answered, “My grandmother, although this is the case, my fifth brother has only one son. If he is sent back to his hometown, won’t my fifth brother be lonely? And how old is Jingman now? Such a young child often does something wrong. My fifth brother, why not give him a chance to correct himself?”

With that, Jiang Yayun hurried in. He first showed his respect to Madame Tao and then said to Jiang Yawan, “My fifth brother, think about it. Don’t you think it is right?”

Jiang Yawan’s face looked bad. As he glanced at Penglai Yue, who had stopped sobbing after Madame Tao came in and now knelt by the couch, he frowned, “My first brother, how kind of you! But he is so cruel at such a young age. If I have him stay, won’t he hurt my other children? Or should I never have another child because of him?”

“It was my concubine-mother who first said that when she had a son, using me as a servant was even a favor to me!” Jiang Jingman did not say a word before but now suddenly said, “I think I am also my father’s blood. She is a mistress, coming from the brothel. How could she trample me like that? So, I was so angry that I pushed her…”

“You dare to set your concubine-mother up?” Jiang Yawan got mad. He rolled up his sleeves and wanted to go on to beat his son. But Jiang Yayun held down him, frowning, “My fifth brother!”

He seemed to have some other emotions in his shout so that Jiang Yawan, who was already furious and looked at Jiang Jingman without any affection of a father to his son, just gave a cold snort after a moment of stagnation! He didn’t insist on punishing his son but said coldly, “Anyway, it’s him who harmed his brother or sister from another mother. Even if he is not sent back to Kui County, he must be punished!”

“Of course. But a stumble may prevent a fall. My fifth brother, anyway, he is your blood, right?” Jiang Yayun heaved a sigh of relief and mediated, “Jingman, how could you be so silly? If what your concubine-mother said hurt your heart, you could report to your elders and ask them to help. How could you do something by yourself?”

… Anyway, with the efforts of Jiang Yayun, the storm ended hastily.

“There is something odd…” Qiu Yelan did not feel that there was something wrong, but when she helped Madame Tao leave, she happened to find that when Jiang Jingman was shouted to be given lashes, he was fearless. Instead, he seemed to know he could end up with impunity.