Chapter 569
Chapter 569
The person who had arrived was Jiang Yuanrang, who had hurried back.
“Hmph, you’re really slow!” Jun Mowen said disdainfully.
He thought to himself, Young people really are a little lacking in stamina.
Otherwise, why would this old man have arrived so long ago, while that brat was only just showing up?
Then again, perhaps the brat had deliberately taken his time just to make a fool of him.
“Old man, calm down. My birth parents came by, so I was delayed.” Jiang Yuanrang hurried over to Jun Mowen and explained in a low voice.
“Hmph. If you help that adoptive mother of yours bully this old man, don’t blame me for disregarding our old ties!” Jun Mowen snorted unhappily.
“Rest assured. This junior won’t get involved in matters between you and my adoptive mother.” Jiang Yuanrang quickly made his position clear.
“At least you know what’s good for you. Hurry up and take this old man to see her!” Jun Mowen said, satisfied at last.
“Wait, Old Man, that wouldn’t be appropriate, would it?” Jiang Yuanrang hurriedly took a step back and stared at Jun Mowen in alarm.
After all, if he refused to help Jun Mowen but then turned around and helped him seek out his mother, he would be in the wrong either way.
“What’s inappropriate about it? Just tell me whether you’re helping me or not.” Jun Mowen glared at Jiang Yuanrang irritably.
“Fine, I’ll sneak you in. But don’t tell anyone that I was the one who brought you inside,” Jiang Yuanrang suggested after thinking it over, trying to find a compromise.
“Don’t worry.”
Jun Mowen nodded in satisfaction.
Jiang He, who was standing nearby, was speechless. Were these two treating him as though he didn’t exist?
He had heard their entire conversation loud and clear.
Could it be that they intended to use him as a mere tool?
“Young Master—” Jiang He pulled Jiang Yuanrang aside, wanting to tell him that this was inappropriate.
“Steward Jiang, Mother was in the wrong first. Back then, because of what Mother did—smashing his signboard—the old man secluded himself in the mountains for nineteen years and refused to treat patients except on rare occasions. With his medical skill, just think of how many people he could have relieved of their suffering. Yet all of that was ruined because of Mother’s selfishness. He’s only angry because of it. Besides, it’s not as if he can do anything to Mother, right? Let him curse her a few times. It won’t cost her any flesh.”
Jiang Yuanrang waved a hand and spoke to Jiang He with a solemn expression.
After hearing this, Jiang He found himself unable to refute him.
What the young master said did seem to make sense.
Besides, with both him and the young master present, Jun Mowen surely couldn’t do anything to harm Madam Jiang.
Once Jiang He had thought it through, he stopped trying to dissuade them.
Jiang Yuanrang then led Jun Mowen toward Jing’an Court.
Jiang He followed behind them with an uneasy expression. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
The two had just reached the entrance to Jing’an Hall when they ran into Nanny Tang, who was coming out to look for someone.
“Eldest Young Master, you’re finally back.” Nanny Tang greeted Jiang Yuanrang happily.
Jiang Yuanrang had originally intended to slip away unnoticed, but now he could only give an awkward smile.
Well, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to escape this matter after all.
As Nanny Tang passed him, Jun Mowen’s nose twitched.
Something about that scent was wrong.
“Nanny, did you need me for something?” Jiang Yuanrang asked, puzzled.
“Eldest Young Master, Madam asked you to dine with her tonight.” Nanny Tang smiled as she spoke, her eyes failing to notice Jun Mowen beside him.
“Nanny, tonight won’t do. I have something to attend to. Perhaps another day.” Jiang Yuanrang was thinking about the Li family, who were still at the county office, as well as Wen Xiu.
He refused without a second thought.
His parents and younger sister had finally come to Lu City. As their host, he ought to show them proper hospitality.
“Eldest Young Master, Madam has already ordered the kitchen to prepare all your favorite dishes. Besides, it’s been so long since you last dined with her.” Nanny Tang had not expected Jiang Yuanrang to refuse.
She couldn’t help becoming anxious. If the eldest young master didn’t stay today, wouldn’t Madam’s carefully laid plans come to nothing?
“It’s only a meal. What are you so afraid of?” Jun Mowen said with an enigmatic smile.
He could never have mistaken that scent. If this nanny had suddenly announced that Madam wanted to invite him to dinner, she clearly had no good intentions.
Still, he was rather curious. What kind of vicious scheme could that malicious woman possibly have devised?
“No, I really do have something extremely important to do tonight.” Jiang Yuanrang remembered that he had already arranged for his sister and the others to stay at the county office. He had to treat them properly for their first meal together.
However, when he thought of the Li family wanting to meet Madame Jiang, he wondered if he could mention it to her later and see whether she would be willing to entertain his family together with him.
“This…” Nanny Tang looked at Jiang Yuanrang, completely at a loss.
She was anxious and helpless at the same time.
“Never mind. I’ll speak to Mother about it myself later.” Jiang Yuanrang had always been gentle and never made things difficult for the servants.
Jun Mowen merely gave a mocking laugh before following Jiang Yuanrang into the hall.
“Yuanrang!” Madame Jiang called out happily when she saw him enter.
But the moment she saw the old man behind Jiang Yuanrang, her face darkened.
“What did you bring him here for?” Madame Jiang pointed at Jun Mowen and demanded angrily.
“Mother, this old gentleman kept saying that he had something to discuss with you outside. I thought it must be extremely important, so I brought him in to see you.” Jiang Yuanrang pretended not to know what was going on and offered an explanation.
Jiang He, who was standing nearby, lowered her head, the corners of her mouth twitching faintly.
If she hadn’t just witnessed the intimate way the eldest young master had spoken with this man, she might actually have believed him.
“Ask him to leave. I don’t know him.” Madame Jiang spoke somewhat guiltily.
“Madam Jiang, is it that you truly don’t know this old man, or that you don’t dare admit to knowing me?” Jun Mowen walked up to Madame Jiang and asked in a displeased tone.
“A beggar? How could I possibly know you?” Seeing Jun Mowen’s ragged clothes, Madame Jiang felt somewhat reassured.
Even if the man was still alive, so what? Did he really think he could bring down the Jiang family?
Besides, so many years had passed. At worst, she could simply give him some money and send him away.
“If I’ve ended up like this today, isn’t it all thanks to you, Madam? Back then, if you hadn’t called me a quack and claimed that even an ordinary cold suffered by your son meant he wouldn’t live past the age of five—” The thought made Jun Mowen furious.
If not for this woman, why would he have had to spend nineteen years in the depths of the mountains?
“Your medical skills were inadequate. You have no one to blame but yourself.” Madame Jiang turned her face away, showing not the slightest remorse for having slandered him.
“You swapped one child for another and still blamed me for having poor medical skills? Your son was a doomed short-lived wretch!” Jun Mowen declared forcefully.
“You’re talking nonsense! My son is perfectly fine. How could he possibly be short-lived?” Madame Jiang shouted in a rage.
All these years, Jiang Yuanrang had grown up by her side, and she had deceived herself into believing that he was truly her son.
Even now that the Li family had found him, so what?
As long as she refused to acknowledge the truth, Jiang Yuanrang would remain a child of the Jiang family.