Chapter 10: Being Standing in Line

"Have you heard of the Duke of Zhao's mansion in Yanjing? Tomorrow, visitors will arrive, and they are none other than the Duke's heir. With such a reputation, there's no need to explain in detail for the two sisters." Since Jiang Yu had already revealed the truth, Jiang Nan also didn't hide anything. The person who had been smiling gently just a moment ago, upon mentioning the Duke of Zhao's mansion, had now restrained his smile and appeared solemn.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Yuan felt a buzzing in her ears, as if a thunderbolt had struck on a clear day. Was it an illusion? Why did she see Jiang Rou's face turning red, her lips trembling, but she couldn't hear what she was saying?

Behind Jiang Nan, the bonsai on the octagonal table reflected a cold light, sending shivers down her spine.

"Yuan? Are you alright?" as if someone was calling her, Jiang Yuan stiffened her neck and slowly turned her head, meeting Jiang Yu's concerned eyes.

"Why are you so frightened, Yuan?" Jiang Yu furrowed his brows as he held her hand, which had turned ice-cold. "Why are your hands so cold?"

A warm sensation spread from his palm, and she took a deep breath, finally suppressing her inner terror.

"I'm just afraid of the heir's arrival," speaking the truth made Jiang Yuan feel much better.

How could she not be afraid? Her palms were ice-cold, and subconsciously, she wanted to run away.

The Duke of Zhao's mansion, if even she, a member of the Jiang family, had never heard of it, then her years of upbringing in a prestigious family were in vain.

As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss. Unfortunately, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, who didn't know about the Gu family in Yanjing? Even if the entire Jiang family were to confront the Gu family, it wouldn't be enough to cause them any trouble.

How much trouble had she caused this time?

"She's still a young girl after all," Jiang Nan comforted softly, with a hint of concern in his eyes. "Don't be afraid, Seventh Sister. Tomorrow, all you need to do is pay your respects, and then you can stay in the back hall for the meal. Set up the screens as usual, and remember to avoid making any noise. The heir doesn't like loud disturbances."

He then turned to Jiang Rou and instructed, "Given the heir's status, you must not have any inappropriate thoughts. Not even a hint of it!"

Although not as sharp-witted as Jiang Yu, Jiang Nan was also a discerning person. Unlike Jiang Rou, he didn't blindly follow Zhang Mama's words.

As for Jiang Rou, being a young girl, she only cared about trivial matters that couldn't be brought to the table. Jiang Nan wanted to advise her to live a peaceful life and worry less. But how could he reason with a young girl who had been sheltered in the inner courtyard for over ten years?

In the end, he could only give her more guidance to prevent her from making mistakes.

Being scolded in the Si Fang Hall by Jiang Nan, Jiang Rou bit her lip, her face turning pale.

She was just excited and made a rash request, "Since the heir has some connection with our mansion, can he help my brother a little?" She was then publicly reprimanded by Jiang Nan in front of Jiang Yuan.

Fifth Sister's eyes were filled with tears, and she had already shed a few tears.

"Why did you scold her? How could she know the severity of the situation? At least she's more competitive than Yuan," calling for a maid to come in and help Jiang Rou to freshen up, Jiang Yu patted Jiang Yuan's back, waiting for her to calm down before sitting back down.

"If her words were to spread and be heard by the heir, what would he think? It's better to scold her now than to let her speak thoughtlessly."

After being helped into the side hall, separated by a curtain, Jiang Rou heard him say this and realized her own recklessness. She had been given an unexpected opportunity and had developed delusions.

The Duke of Zhao's mansion was something that made her fearful.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, most of the court's power was in the hands of the aristocratic families, and the conflict between the imperial power and the aristocracy had deepened. Among the seventy-two aristocratic families of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Jiang family, which had risen to prominence only forty years ago, had barely squeezed into the middle and lower ranks by leveraging military achievements.

In Jiang Yuan's eyes, the Duke of Zhao's mansion was like a towering mountain and a bright star. Those who could contend with imperial power were always the powerful ones.

Among the aristocratic families, the Zhu family, the Guan family of Youzhou, and the Gu family of Yanjing stood out. While they competed with each other, they also colluded and confronted the royal family. The Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who held the power of the three armies within the capital, made the aristocratic families cautious and restrained. The Prime Minister had his own ways to win over the three families and often sowed discord among them.

In Jiang Yuan's understanding, this was the more subtle "struggle between the Emperor and the various vassals." It was a sign of troubled times.

Getting involved with such people would bring nothing but trouble!

However, what she didn't expect was Jiang Yu's mention of the "connection." Jiang Yu explained it plainly, but to Jiang Yuan, it clearly had another layer of meaning!

It turned out that the Duke's wife came from the main branch of the Xu family, a prominent family in the current champion marquis lineage. The wife of the prefectural governor's mansion was originally a member of the Xu family, who had willingly become a pawn of the Duke's mansion to marry into the Jiang family and control the emerging aristocratic families in the Jiangnan region!

What's worse, the prefectural governor and the inspector general had both been under the wing of the Minister of Rites. And this Minister of Rites was also a disciple of the Gu family!

With such entanglements, the Jiang family could be considered as a pawn of the Gu family!

After traveling through time for ten years, Jiang Yuan finally realized today. In the past, she was limited by her identity as a woman and could not have much contact with external affairs. She used to think that the Jiang family was just an ordinary aristocratic family in Jiangnan, but in Jizhou, they were considered a prestigious family. At a family banquet, she uncovered a shocking fact: the Jiang family had already taken a side, and it was against the imperial power!

What troubled Jiang Yuan the most was that her own Jiang family, with a clear and upright family background, had been involved in such a deep and unfathomable whirlpool. In history, how many people who opposed the imperial power could have a good ending?

She, like a bud-like young girl, a well-bred noblewoman, suddenly discovered that she was not as pure and innocent as she had thought. The peaceful days she had always believed in could be disrupted at any time. The disparity was enough to overturn all her understanding of the past ten years.

At this moment, Jiang Yuan only regretted that her mind was too clear. Why could she understand the deep meaning in Jiang Nan and Jiang Yu's words? If she could be like Jiang Rou, listen and then let it go, without delving into it at all. After being taught a lesson, she could immediately put on a smiling face in front of the Xu family, that would be true fortune!

After dinner, everyone had a cup of tea and then dispersed.

In the deep twilight, under the eaves of the corridor, a thin figure of a man leaned against the vermilion pillar, slightly tilting his head back, playing with the warm jade at his waist.

Beside him, a man was sitting on the railing, facing away from the lotus pond. In the moonlight, his square and distinct facial features could be vaguely seen.

"Younger brother, you're wrong. Yuan is much more intelligent than Rou."

The man standing there squinted his eyes slightly, with a look of dissatisfaction.

"I'd rather she be more foolish."

"But we can't keep it from her forever."

"Yes, how long can we keep it from her?"

Family matters cannot be hidden from the clever seventh sister.

The general situation of the world cannot be hidden from the discerning people of the Great Zhou. The only difference is whether it's sooner or later.