Chapter 560
Chapter 560
“Madame Jiang, the eldest young master left the residence with Miss Wen early this morning. He didn’t say when he would return,” the servant repeated what he had just told Cuiyue.
“Madam, don’t worry. Since the eldest young master isn’t at home, we can simply send those people away,” Nanny Tang hurriedly comforted Madame Jiang.
“Nanny, do you think those people have already met Rang'er? Could they have come this time to take him away from me?” Madame Jiang clutched Nanny Tang’s hand tightly, speaking unwillingly.
“Madam, don’t panic. The eldest young master is now the head of our household,” Nanny Tang said quickly, seeing that Madame Jiang was completely at a loss.
“Go and send them away first. Be discreet—absolutely do not let the eldest young master find out about this. Also, find out where he has gone and do your best to delay his return by a few days,” Nanny Tang instructed the servant after calming Madame Jiang down.
Though somewhat confused, the servant quickly acknowledged the order.
“Nanny Tang, no, you must find a way to get Yue'er pregnant with Rang'er’s child as soon as possible. We can’t let Rang'er leave so soon,” Madame Jiang said anxiously, still gripping Nanny Tang’s hand.
Jiang Yuanrang was now the pillar of the Jiang family. He could not leave at a time like this.
“This old servant will arrange it at once. The moment the eldest young master returns, we’ll make sure he and the young lady consummate their marriage. The young lady is young and clearly fertile,” Nanny Tang hurriedly assured her.
“Find out where Rang'er is and take Yue'er to him. This must succeed!” Madame Jiang said solemnly, holding Nanny Tang’s hand.
She had a feeling that those people had come this time specifically to take Jiang Yuanrang away.
She had raised Jiang Yuanrang for nineteen years. Wasn’t it all for the Jiang family’s wealth and estates?
Now that Jiang Yuanrang had finally grown capable enough to support the entire Jiang family, those people had come to reap the rewards. How could she possibly accept that?
“This old servant will take care of it at once,” Nanny Tang said with a nod.
Li Zhiwei and the others waited outside the residence for half a day, yet no one came out to greet them.
Instead, the Jiang residence’s gates were firmly shut, looking nothing like a household that welcomed guests.
“Princess Consort, what should we do now?” Xu Mu asked, feeling at a loss.
“Go knock on the gate!” Li Zhiwei said angrily. Was this Jiang Yuanrang’s idea of hospitality?
“Zhiwei, why don’t we find somewhere to settle down first? Didn’t those people say that your elder brother isn’t at the residence?” Lady Yao suggested after a moment’s thought.
“I don’t believe that my elder brother left no one behind. Besides, Deputy General Fang’s people must have someone stationed at the residence. As long as they see us, they’ll certainly recognize who we are. Yet the Jiang family has simply shut their gates and refused to receive us. What exactly are they trying to do?” Li Zhiwei said unhappily, staring at the Jiang residence.
If the Jiang family hadn’t hidden her brother all these years, how could he have been separated from his family for nineteen years?
And now that they had finally come, this was how the Jiang family treated them.
“You should leave at once. The masters of the residence aren’t at home. Come back another day,” the servant said nervously, poking his head out through the side gate after seeing them knocking.
“Why didn’t you say that earlier?” Li Zhiwei demanded.
“Miss, I’m only a gatekeeper. How would I know whether the masters are home?” the servant complained inwardly. At a glance, these people were clearly no ordinary guests. Every one of them looked like someone he could never afford to offend.
But the masters had given their orders, and he dared not disobey.
“Your Highness, station some men here. When my elder brother returns, have them tell him to come find us immediately,” Li Zhiwei said after taking a deep breath. She knew that getting through the Jiang family’s gates today would probably not be easy.
They had endured a long and exhausting journey. For now, their priority was to find somewhere to settle down.
“Then let’s find an inn and wait there,” Lady Yao said, somewhat disappointed.
Yao Qisheng and the others merely sighed. They had never expected the Jiang family to treat them this way.
“We’re not staying at an inn,” Li Zhiwei said, shaking her head.
Prince An had ordered her to make a grand display of their presence. How could they stay at an inn?
They would go to the county office.
“Not an inn? Then where will we stay?” Lady Yao asked, puzzled.
“Mother, don’t worry. Now that we’ve arrived in Lu City, someone will naturally arrange accommodations for us,” Li Zhiwei said unconcernedly.
In the past, the Li family had always preferred to keep a low profile.
But now, for the sake of cooperating with Prince An, she would be as conspicuous as possible.
Before Lady Yao could say anything more, a group of people came hurrying toward them.
The man at the front wore the scarlet robe of a ninth-rank official. As he ran, he kept one hand on his hat to prevent it from falling off.
As soon as they entered the city, Li Zhiwei had sent Xu Mu to notify the county magistrate.
The magistrate of Lu City was Lu Jinchang. When he learned that Prince An, Princess Consort of An, and the Vice Minister of Revenue had arrived in Lu City, he hurried over in fright.
Lu Jinchang had run all the way there, afraid that if he arrived too late, Prince An would punish him.
After all, Prince An’s fearsome reputation had long since spread throughout Lu City.
If he failed to receive them properly, there was no telling whether this living King of Hell would remember him.
“Your humble servant, Lu Jinchang, magistrate of Lu County, pays his respects to Prince An and Princess Consort of An. May Your Highnesses live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years! Greetings, Vice Minister Li!”
Lu Jinchang led his people in kneeling before Li Zhiwei and the others.
Li Tianyou said nothing. He understood the situation perfectly.
He was only the Vice Minister of Revenue, and his status was inferior to that of Prince An.
At a time like this, he only needed to stand to the side and serve as a supporting figure.
Still, Li Tianyou was displeased that the Jiang family had refused to let them enter the residence.
Yet he was not surprised. If the Jiang family had truly been so righteous, they would never have secretly kept his son, Li Tingzhou, in the first place.
In fact, Li Tianyou was secretly pleased by the Jiang family’s ruthlessness. The more heartless they appeared now, the more his son’s heart would turn toward the Li family later.
By treating them this way, the Jiang family was merely pushing his son toward them.
He was almost delighted, but he could not show it. He could only rejoice inwardly.
Li Zhiwei glanced at Xu Mu, signaling him to have everyone rise first. She still wasn’t accustomed to people kneeling before her, but she was now the conspicuous Princess Consort of An. Such formalities could not be avoided.
“Lu Jinchang, rise,” Xu Mu said coldly in Prince An’s voice.
“Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you, Princess Consort,” Lu Jinchang said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
He could not understand why this living King of Hell had come to Lu City.
Could it be that the small amount of tax money he had withheld last month had been discovered by the emperor?
But he had only intended to use those silver funds to provide relief for the disaster victims in Lu City.
Lu Jinchang sighed inwardly. He had already begun drafting an explanation in his head, wondering what he should say if Prince An questioned him so that he would not be punished too severely.