Chapter 12: The Jiang Family
Yanjing City had witnessed numerous events recently, with storytellers in roadside taverns adding many new tales to their repertoire.
The most sensational one was "The Charming Nun's Midnight Rendezvous with an Ascetic Monk, A Capuchin Monkey Startles the Illicit Lovers."
Some days ago, a group of noble ladies returning from offering incense at Helin Temple brought back shocking news.
At Helin Temple in Qingcheng Mountain, Liaowu—the most cherished disciple of Abbot Tongming—turned out to be a licentious monk who had defiled many women from nearby villages, even preying upon the abbess of the neighboring nunnery.
Given that Helin Temple was a renowned monastery frequented by many noblewomen for prayers, those who had visited now fell silent about the scandal, fearing association with moral corruption. When the matter was reported to the Hongxiao Emperor, he was enraged and severely punished all involved. Even the century-old Helin Temple was ordered closed.
Though many had witnessed the clandestine meeting between the monk and nun, while the women remained silent, men vividly described Jing An Shitai's youthful beauty, treating it as a romantic affair.
Beyond provoking the emperor's fury, this scandal unexpectedly implicated Jiang Li, the legitimate daughter of Grand Secretary Jiang Yuanbai.
Eight years ago, Second Miss Jiang Li had pushed her stepmother, causing a miscarriage, leading Jiang Yuanbai to banish her to the family temple for moral cultivation—vanishing from public view. During Liaowu's scandal, it was discovered that Jiang Li was residing in Jing An Shitai's nunnery.
Even if Jiang Li were vicious and domineering, sending her to the family temple or even having her tonsured as a nun would be understandable. But to place her under such a corrupt nun's care made Jiang Yuanbai's actions questionable.
Madam Liu, wife of Chengde Official Liu Yuanfeng, encountered Jiang Li at Jing An Shitai's nunnery during a late-night incense visit to Helin Temple. Jiang Li was being mistreated by the wicked nun, forced to kneel in the prayer hall without food or water. Liu Yuanfeng's memorial was tactfully written: aware of Jiang Yuanbai's vast influence and the imprudence of offending him, it avoided blaming Jiang Yuanbai directly. Instead, it argued that while Jiang Li had erred, she was young, and as the saying goes, "a child's faults reflect the father's failures." How could a biological daughter be abandoned to a morally corrupt person? Ji Shuran, as mistress of Jiang Yuanbai's household, was criticized for excessive harshness as a mother.
Criticizing Ji Shuran meant targeting the Ji family and slapping Ji Yanlin in the face. The memorial insinuated that Ji Shuran had sent Jiang Li to Jing An Shitai out of personal vendetta, intending for her to suffer.
Though the memorial seemed minor, it resonated deeply with the Hongxiao Emperor. Not born to the former empress, his biological mother died after his birth, and he was raised under the empress's name. While she had her own crown prince, she showed him no affection. After enduring humiliation and the crown prince's early death, Hongxiao Emperor fought his way to the throne.
Liu Yuanfeng's memorial reminded the emperor of his own past—a deceased biological mother and a harsh stepmother—instilling in him the same aversion toward Ji Shuran as he had for the former empress. Unconsciously, his sympathy leaned toward Jiang Li. When summoning Jiang Yuanbai to the study, he offered a few words of advice.
Upon leaving the study and returning to the Grand Secretary's residence, Jiang Yuanbai's first order was to immediately bring Jiang Li back to Yanjing.Upon receiving this news, Ji Shuran hurried over in haste. The moment she entered the room, she exclaimed, "Master, why is the decision regarding Second Miss so sudden..."
Jiang Yuanbai slammed the memorial in his hand onto the table with a sharp "thwack," and Ji Shuran immediately fell silent. She rarely saw Jiang Yuanbai this furious.
Jiang Yuanbai turned his head.
Though already a father of several children and well past the age of forty, as the Grand Secretary and the emperor's former tutor, Jiang Yuanbai no longer possessed the dashing handsomeness of his youth but had gained the unique charm of a mature man. Moreover, it was no exaggeration to say he stood at the pinnacle of civil officials—elegant as a pine tree, exuding scholarly refinement.
However, his usual gentle demeanor was entirely absent now, replaced by concealed anger.
"Today, the Emperor summoned me to the imperial study. Although Chengde Official Liu Yuanfeng did not mention my name explicitly in his memorial, I was implicated nonetheless," Jiang Yuanbai said. "Bringing Li'er back is the Emperor's will!"
Ji Shuran was startled. "The Emperor's will? Why would the Emperor concern himself with such matters?"
"The current Emperor's birth mother is not the Empress Dowager—" Jiang Yuanbai left the sentence unfinished. As Hongxiao Emperor's childhood tutor who had assisted him in ascending the throne, Jiang Yuanbai understood the Emperor's temperament well. This matter had likely struck a chord with Hongxiao Emperor's personal concerns.
There was no avoiding bringing Jiang Li back now, Jiang Yuanbai thought to himself. The Emperor was no longer the young ruler who sought his guidance on every matter. As the Emperor's power grew and he savored the taste of authority, he became increasingly intolerant of disobedience. Since Hongxiao Emperor had personally intervened, it was clear he expected Jiang Yuanbai to comply. Failure to do so would be akin to defying an imperial decree in the Emperor's eyes.
"Besides, Li'er is indeed a daughter of the Jiang family," Jiang Yuanbai sighed. "Keeping her exiled abroad weighs on my conscience. My lady," he turned to Ji Shuran and asked softly, "you won't blame me, will you?"
At this moment, he reverted to his former gentle self, his eyes tinged with remorse.
Ji Shuran smiled and leaned into him, saying, "What kind of talk is this, Master? Do you take me for a heartless person? Second Miss is a daughter of the Jiang family and your own flesh and blood. She was merely young and made mistakes back then. Over all these years, I've long let it go. If you wish to bring Second Miss back, I'll have the matrons prepare some belongings and clear out a room early."
"Your thoughtfulness is unmatched in this world," Jiang Yuanbai sighed, holding her in his arms.
"These are all things I ought to do, but..." Ji Shuran's voice grew cautious, "I only hope we can get along well with Second Miss." She sounded almost fearful.
Hearing this, Jiang Yuanbai recalled what Jiang Li had done six years ago and couldn't help but frown. He comforted Ji Shuran, "She's no longer a child now. If she dares to act improperly, I will not go easy on her!"
After reassuring Ji Shuran a few more times, Jiang Yuanbai left, presumably to arrange for the personnel to fetch Jiang Li.
No sooner had Jiang Yuanbai left than Jiang Youyao barged in with her maid, exclaiming as she entered, "Mother, do you know that Jiang Li—"
"Youyao!" Ji Shuran cut her off sharply, ordering the doors and windows shut before scolding, "How can you be so reckless!"Jiang Youyao spoke with grievance, "Mother, it's not that I'm being rash! I heard Father is planning to bring Jiang Li back. What's going on? Why would he suddenly think of bringing her back out of the blue?"
Ji Shuran frowned, "Youyao, how many times have I told you not to fixate on Jiang Li? She's nothing but a weed, destined to be trampled sooner or later. You are the legitimate young lady of the Jiang family, why bother competing with her?"
"But..." Jiang Youyao persisted unwillingly.
"Even if she does come back, so what? Right now, I'm the one managing this household. Do you think she'll gain any advantage by returning? This time, she just happened to get lucky, that's all."
"Can Mother prevent her from coming back?" Jiang Youyao asked angrily.
Ji Shuran shook her head. If it were merely someone else's idea or even Jiang Yuanbai's intention, she could certainly pull some strings and have Jiang Li assassinated on her way back to the capital—then it would just be Jiang Li's misfortune. Unfortunately, even the emperor had taken an interest in this matter. If anything went wrong along the way, the entire Jiang family would face severe consequences.
Not only must Jiang Li remain unharmed, but she must also be brought back safely and even with great fanfare, all for the Hongxiao Emperor to see.
The thought was truly irritating.
"No matter," Ji Shuran said coldly, "She's just been given seven extra years to live and has grown arrogant. It might be good that she's returning. Once she's back, I'll naturally find a way to deal with her."
"By then, she won't think coming back to the capital is such a good thing."
The scummy father, scummy mother, and scummy sister are all here now ╮(╯▽╰)╭
Thank you, little fairies, for the flowers and diamonds~ The weekend is almost here again.
(End of Chapter)
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