Jiang Mengzhen's smile faded, and his eyes became even colder, but he quickly lowered his head and took a sip of tea. When he raised his head, his expression was already gloomy: "Thank you for your concern for my marriage, Grandpa. But I will never marry Censor Li. Please reject the Li family to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Jiang Mengzhen's grandfather's face turned a little ugly. His second son, Lin Yun, who married into the Prince Mu's mansion and became the Prince Mu, came out to smooth things over. Seeing his father being humiliated, he said, "Your grandfather has good intentions. Censor Li is only seven years older than you. She is also handsome. More importantly, there are no messy concubines in the family. If you marry her, you will be her legal husband. What's more, she is highly regarded by the emperor and will definitely earn you an imperial decree."
In fact, according to him, Jiang Mengzhen is somewhat unworthy of Li Yushi, after all, Jiang Mengzhen's biological mother Jiang Min is not doing well now.
Although married women are like spilled water, as long as there is blood ties, how can a married woman sever her relationship with her biological parents? Jiang Mengzhen is indeed capable, but he is too sharp. Women want a husband who is suitable for the family, not a man who is better than women in every way and is unwilling to stay at home.
But after all, she was a relative and the only child left by his younger brother, so he softened his tone and said, "Tong Yuan has already married, so you two are not suitable for each other. You should at least go and see that Li Yushi, maybe you will fall in love with her."
Lin Tongyuan was the one that Old Master Lin had arranged for Jiang Mengzhen, but Jiang Mengzhen had already married someone else, and it was impossible for Lin Tongyuan to stay with him. Even if Old Master Lin agreed, his arrogant nephew would never agree to let Jiang Mengzhen marry Lin Tongyuan as a concubine.
Jiang Mengzhen is no longer the same person he was before he got married. It is no longer the turn of Old Master Lin and Jiang Min to decide his marriage.
Jiang Mengzhen's attitude was very cold and hard: "Thank you for your kindness, uncle, but there is really no possibility for me and the censor. It would be bad if I go to see him and then refuse. It's better to refuse early and say that I am not worthy of the Li family."
Of course, Lin Tongyuan didn't give up so easily, but he couldn't say anything else that would bring down his status, so he turned his gaze to his daughter beside him: "Bingxin, you have a good relationship with your cousin, tell me, should your cousin get married?"
As the daughter of a royal family, Xie Yin, who was in her early thirties, already had several children with the famous Buddhist nun Bing Xin. She had been sitting on the sidelines watching, but when her name was suddenly called, she looked a little dazed.
But she quickly reacted and said, "It's up to my cousin to decide what he likes. I think my cousin is a good match, and he's worthy of a few Li Yushis."
She was not young, but in her father's eyes she was still a child. Lin Tongyuan pointed at his daughter with his fingertips without giving her face: "You are still a scholar, how can you speak nonsense like a few Li Yushis?"
Jiang Mengzhen was so capable and talented. If he had not been born a man, he would have been famous all over the world. In her opinion, Li Yushi was too obsessed with fame and fortune, and his talent in poetry and literature was far inferior to Jiang Mengzhen, so he was naturally not worthy of him. She originally wanted to mention his identity as a lay Buddhist, but when she was about to say it, she took it back.
As for what she had just said, she also felt that it was inappropriate, but words once spoken could not be taken back. If she argued with her father on the spot, that would be the face of Prince Luomu's Mansion. So she simply kept her mouth shut and did not offend anyone.
After his daughter said so, Lin Tongyuan also fell silent, and did not mention the matter of letting Jiang Mengzhen and Li Yushi get married. Anyway, it was the old man who wanted to worry about this, and he, the Prince of Mu, would not get any benefits. If he angered Jiang Mengzhen, he would be a bad guy in vain.
After the younger generations had left, Old Master Lin dismissed the servants and left only Jiang Mengzhen in the room, saying that he wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with her.
Jiang Mengzhen readily sat down in front of Old Master Lin and called softly, "Grandfather."
The latter had a stern face and wanted to ignore him, but after not seeing him for such a long time and raising him up in the palm of his hand, he softened his heart and walked down the stairs, but his tone was still a bit blaming: "You just rejected me without thinking when you were outside. Aren't you deliberately not giving face to grandpa? It's okay for you to hurt my feelings, but at least you should go to Li Yushi's place to check, otherwise if it gets out and offends the Li family, those gossipers outside will not know how to frame you!"
Old Master Lin didn't like him before, because he reminded him of his youngest son who died young, but he was always good to Jiang Mengzhen. In addition, Jiang Mengzhen tried to please him and act pitiful, so the relationship between the grandfather and grandson was very deep.
His kindness to Jiang Mengzhen was often mixed with selfishness, and naturally not as pure as his kindness to his own children, but overall, Old Master Lin took good care of him and always thought of him for his own good.
Jiang Mengzhen still had some genuine feelings for his grandfather, so he leaned over and said in a flattering tone, "Of course I know that grandpa is thinking of me, but because of what was mentioned outside, I can't go to see Li Yushi anymore."
Old Master Lin was also surprised: "Why don't you want to see him? Don't tell me that you are staying faithful to that loser from the Wei family." He also knew his grandson a little. If the other party wanted to know the general situation, he would rarely lose face like today.
If he was honest, it would be fine, but he was a very smooth and slick person. This was the first time Jiang Mengzhen rejected his proposal outside and did not give him any room for maneuver. Naturally, he could not accept it for a while.
There was no one around, and Old Master Lin was not a fool, so Jiang Mengzhen whispered, "I already have someone I like. After the mourning period is over, she will naturally come to marry me."
Old Master Lin exploded on the spot. He had never thought that Jiang Meng, a son of a wealthy family, would do such a thing as giving and receiving things in private. "If you like someone, I have no objection, but you are not stupid. How can you bet on a lifetime commitment with someone in private!"
Jiang Mengzhen smiled and said, "My child fell off the cliff before, and she saved him. Promises of marriage have existed since ancient times, so how can it be said to be a private transaction?"
Old Master Lin still frowned, and the wrinkles on his face became deeper. He then asked, "What's that person's name? How old is he? Who is in his family? What's his status?"
Jiang Mengzhen did not mention Hao Cheng's name, but only said: "She is now eighteen, her parents have just passed away, she is the only one in the family, she has the title of scholar, and will take the imperial examination next year, her family is also well-off."
"Only eighteen? How can you control such a young woman!" Regardless of other conditions, Mr. Lin rejected the proposal based on age alone. He tried to persuade Jiang Mengzhen earnestly: "Grandpa said that young women like this are the most likely to make promises verbally. When she is older and successful, she will despise you. How can she compare to Li Yushi? She has a husband before and is caring for you."
Seeing that Jiang Mengzhen was indifferent, he continued, "From what you said, this woman is from a poor family. She has few contacts now, so she naturally thinks you are good. When she becomes successful, she will leave you behind. Listen to grandpa, this kind of woman is not worth having. She saved your life, we can repay her in other ways. Helping her in her career is also a reward, why bother putting yourself in it."
Old Master Lin seemed to be able to imagine how that lowly woman from a poor family deceived his grandson. He thought he saw it clearly. Although his grandson's methods were ruthless, he was soft-hearted. Because of his age, he must have low self-esteem, and he had little contact with women, so he didn't know what love was.
As long as the younger boy didn't suffer a big loss after being cheated once, he could just take it as a lesson. His grandson is already 28 years old, and his youth is almost at the end of his years. How can he withstand such consumption
"Grandpa, you don't believe in my judgment. Didn't you praise me before for my ability to judge people?" Jiang Mengzhen had already anticipated this situation and did not force it. His tone still sounded very calm.
"That was someone else. How could it be the same as this kind of mixed emotion? Grandpa is just afraid that you will be blinded by love and become blind for a while!" How many smart men become fools when they meet the girl they like. It would be fine if they were of the same age, but she is ten years younger than Jiang Mengzhen.
He naturally thought that his own child was good, but to be fair, Jiang Mengzhen was too old and had been married. Apart from his identity and status, there was nothing worth coveting about him. The woman was from a poor family, so he naturally worried that she was just trying to curry favor with the rich and powerful.
Jiang Mengzhen patted his hand gently: "Grandpa, don't worry. If she is insincere, I will not let her go."
"I'm afraid that you will be too soft-hearted and get yourself into trouble!" Old Master Lin sighed. He had seen too many infatuated women and resentful men, like the married Di Qing and the one from the Zhang family. In this world, men have to suffer more. Jiang Mengzhen said cruelly now, but when he was really moved, it was not so easy to be cruel. He was still obsessed and entangled, making both of them miserable.
Jiang Mengzhen was very stubborn: "No matter whether she is good or bad, since I like her, it is better to be with her than to marry Li Yushi. She comes from a poor family, so she will be more tolerant and tolerant of me. Don't worry, I know what to do."
Seeing that Mr. Lin had a cold face and refused to give in, he paused and dropped another bombshell: "I was previously in a small town and was chased to a cliff. When I fell down, I injured my lower abdomen. The doctor said that I was afraid that I would not be able to have children."
"What!" Old Master Lin was so shocked that he almost jumped up. Why had he never heard that Jiang Mengzhen had been injured before
"You contacted your cousin before, right? You didn't come to my birthday party because you were injured? Why didn't you tell me then? If it wasn't for that person, would you still keep it a secret?"
Jiang Mengzhen acquiesced to his guess and continued, "If I remember correctly, then Li Yushi only has one son, so she has to marry another for the sake of the incense. I once told you that if we get married, I will only allow my wife to have me, otherwise I would rather not marry."
Old Master Lin looked even more worried: "Then are you going to hide it from that person? What will you do if she gets angry at you for having no children?" Old Master Lin felt that this matter was even more unreliable.
Jiang Mengzhen said, "She knew that it would be difficult for me to have children. The doctor told her that when she saved me."
"That's even worse. A young woman like this can't even care about her offspring. She must have other intentions. And if you're unwilling to let go, she'll say that having no offspring is the greatest shame. What can you do to her?"
If Jiang Mengzhen softened his heart, wouldn't his grandson be completely taken advantage of? It didn't matter if he didn't love someone, but if he had to endure the person he loved marrying another man and raising a child with another man, Jiang Mengzhen would definitely go crazy.
Jiang Mengzhen pursed his lips: "She won't, I believe her." Hao Cheng gave him much more than he thought. He believed in his character. If she really changed her mind, he would kill her himself.
You could say he was crazy. If she had rejected him repeatedly, he would have left. But since she dared to come back and provoke him, she should have recognized his true nature long ago.
Old Master Lin sighed, but Jiang Mengzhen smiled slightly: "I looked up an auspicious date and I think March next year is a good time. But if there is no suitable elder to decide our marriage, it will always be against etiquette. I want her, you must help me!"