Chapter 551
Chapter 551
"No one told me to say this." Jiang Yuanrang glanced at Jiang Siyue, then spoke.
"I never planned to marry you. As for what Mother said, I never agreed to it." Jiang Yuanrang didn't care about Jiang Siyue's feelings and said exactly what he thought.
He had thought it through—if Madame Jiang wanted a child, it didn't necessarily have to be his. After all, he wasn't even a biological child of the Jiang family himself.
When the time came, she could simply adopt one from the clan.
Even if she was unwilling to adopt a child from the clan, the Jiang family was not without relatives who could provide one for adoption.
This Jiang family didn't absolutely need him either.
However, the fortune he had built up for the Jiang family over the years should rightfully have a share for himself. He would fight to get what belonged to him.
As for the rest, whatever Madame Jiang wanted to give to others was her own freedom—he wouldn't interfere.
When Madame Jiang had secretly kept him back then, her intentions had been ill from the start.
Although she had raised him for nineteen years, she had also caused him to be separated from his biological parents for nineteen years.
So why should he, because of her selfishness, marry a woman like Jiang Siyue?
He didn't believe that someone as greedy as Jiang Siyue would be satisfied with just a child.
"You're lying to me!" Jiang Siyue's eyes were red as she looked at the person who had spoken those heart-chilling words—it was actually Jiang Yuanrang.
How could he say something so cruel?
All she wanted was to marry him.
They had at least grown up together and shared a bond of childhood.
This woman in front of him—how long had he even known her?
"I don't believe it, Cousin. You're deceiving me, right?" Jiang Siyue shook her head, crying as she spoke.
"If you want to marry her, that's fine too." Wen Xiu looked at Jiang Yuanrang, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"Wen Xiu, don't be angry. I won't marry her. This was all my foster mother's idea—I didn't agree." Jiang Yuanrang quickly tried to explain.
He secretly felt relieved that he hadn't mentioned what Madame Jiang had suggested about him having a child with Jiang Siyue.
"If you want to marry her, I can accommodate you. As for our engagement, I naturally can have Qingli go to the palace and ask the Empress to revoke the decree." Wen Xiu said unhurriedly.
But a promise from a gentleman is as good as a signed treaty—once spoken, it's hard to retract.
Having the Empress revoke a decree was no easy matter.
"No, don't revoke the decree. The only person I want to marry is you." Jiang Yuanrang looked at Wen Xiu with a pleading expression.
He didn't know whether the Wen family could actually get the decree revoked.
But in his heart of hearts, he didn't want that to happen.
At the Prince An Manor
Li Zhiwei had been busy these days learning how to manage the affairs of the Prince An Manor.
The Old Princess Consort said that even though she didn't have to take charge of the household for now, she still shouldn't slack on what needed to be learned.
It was only then that Li Zhiwei realized just how many responsibilities the mistress of a distinguished household had to handle.
Xu Qingshi, on the other hand, was not having a good time. Ever since he had pulled Li Zhiwei aside and tried to elope with her, he had been confined to the manor.
"Until you've thought things through, you're not going anywhere."
Those were Xu Heming's exact words at the time.
When Xu Heming found out that Xu Qingshi had tried to run away with Li Zhiwei, he nearly broke Xu Qingshi's legs.
He hadn't even warmed up to his wife yet, and this brat was already trying to steal her away.
"Your Highness, Qingshi is still young. Just guide him properly." Li Zhiwei quickly grabbed Xu Heming's hand, afraid that if Xu Qingshi got beaten because of her, it would not only harm the father-son relationship between Xu Heming and Xu Qingshi, but others would also mistakenly believe that she had urged Xu Heming to do such a thing.
"Then I'll sentence him to seclusion. He can come out when he has thought things through." Xu Heming said coldly.
Because he had to accompany Li Zhiwei and the others to Lu City, Xu Heming had been so busy lately that he hardly had time to stop.
He had barely managed to carve out some time to come home and see his wife when he heard about what his son had done.
Xu Heming felt like he was about to spurt out a mouthful of old blood.
"Your Highness is right!" Li Zhiwei breathed a small sigh of relief upon hearing this. It was just seclusion—at least the child wouldn't go hungry and wouldn't be beaten.
It just meant he had to stay in his courtyard and not come out.
What Li Zhiwei didn't know was that, for Xu Qingshi, this was worse than being beaten by Xu Heming.
With his restless nature, being locked inside the manor was practically worse than death.
Unfortunately, Li Zhiwei had been busy too, only remembering to send someone to deliver food to him. She didn't have the time to go visit him herself.
In the capital, due to Prince Lanhuai's arrest, everyone was whispering about it, all wondering what the prince had been arrested for.
When Shangguan Mu heard about it, he merely raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't even made a move against him, and the prince had already been caught. But regardless, he could use this matter to claim some credit from his dear sister.
"Third Brother, you don't actually think all this is your doing, do you?" Shangguan Yun looked at Shangguan Mu with a sneer.
Did her third brother really think she was that foolish?
Ever since she had been set up by Prince Lanhuai last time, she had been keeping a close watch on matters concerning the Prince Lanhuai's mansion.
Among the people Shangguan Mu had brought this time, there were actually some that had been left to him by their mother, the Empress.
Previously, Shangguan Yun hadn't wanted to bother with it all, but now she thought differently.
What Shangguan Mu had done was too bizarre.
"What does Ninth Sister mean by that? If it wasn't me, do you think Prince Lanhuai would have been caught by some coincidence?" Shangguan Mu said without even blushing.
Even if this matter wasn't done by him, he had to claim credit for it anyway.
Shangguan Yun was just a woman, but the envoy was about to enter the capital, and the envoy wouldn't just listen to him alone.
Moreover, now that her leg was injured and she still couldn't walk, some things needed to be done by someone else.
Shangguan Yun was the best person for the job.
"Brother, you should think carefully about what you promised Father." Shangguan Yun didn't bother arguing with Shangguan Mu over meaningless things.
After all, she had promised their father that she would sign the hundred-year treaty with the Lanuo Kingdom.
Shangguan Mu, on the other hand, had made no progress at all.
She wondered what Shangguan Mu would present to their father to report when he returned.
"I have my own arrangements for this matter. No need for you to worry, Imperial Sister." Shangguan Mu said irritably.
In truth, he was anxious about it too. That damned emperor of the Lanuo Kingdom.
Why hadn't he signed the hundred-year treaty yet?
Did he really want to go to war with their Qinling Kingdom?
If so, the Lanuo Kingdom shouldn't blame the Qinling Kingdom for showing no mercy.
"You think I care about your mess? Just look at everything you've done since you arrived in the capital—what have you accomplished?" Shangguan Yun said mockingly.
If he couldn't get things done himself, fine, but at least he shouldn't drag her down with him.
"I may not have accomplished much, but that's still better than someone who got tricked by others and lured into someone's mansion. Who knows if she's still pure or not." Shangguan Mu lashed out at Shangguan Yun without mercy.