Northern Xinjiang is far away, Mrs. Tao's letter was just sent away, but Jiang Yashuang came back after a long journey.
He is still the leader this time, and as Empress Tongjiang said before, he returned to Beijing with a Jie Yuan.
Duke Qin was very happy for this. Although he was afraid of Jiang Yashuang's pride and refused to hold a banquet to celebrate him, he privately rewarded him greatly.
Jiang Yashuang left the Duke of Qin's mansion and first went to the other courtyard to see her grandmother, Mrs. Tao. The old lady asked him a few questions about the way and then sent him to see Jiang Qianyue and the others: "You were not here when your uncle and aunt came back. Now it's time to invite them." Hello. If they want to keep the food, you can use it there."
"My grandson will obey my grandmother's orders!" Jiang Yashuang went to the Jibei Hou couple without stopping. As the youngest grandson of the Jiang family, he has a good temperament and is successful in studies. Naturally, he is very favored by any elder he goes to.
The Marquis of Jibei and his wife not only kept his meal, but also held him to ask questions for a long time after the meal, before letting him go.
It was getting late at this time, so Jiang Yashuang had no choice but to send someone to deliver a message to the Ruan family and go directly back to the other courtyard for resettlement.
On the Ruan family side, Qiu Jinglan and her sister were relieved when they received the good news: "Jie Yuan? That's great!"
Although Qiu Jinglan had already won Jinshi at Jiang Yashuang's age, he still didn't get Jieyuan - even though he passed the Boy's Examination, he didn't even get Jieyuan... Now that his brother-in-law-to-be has won two yuan in a row, Qiu Jinglan Naturally, he was happy for his sister. After thinking about it, he asked Qiu Yilan: "He is so good at school, so you should work hard on your homework! Otherwise, we won't be able to talk about it together and someone will take advantage of him!"
Qiu Yilan wailed in her heart, thinking that you were too considerate!
She pretended not to hear this and said, "Will you come and tell him about Qiu Feng tomorrow?"
"First ask him about his journey and the provincial examination!" Qiu Jinglan came over with a glare, "He has traveled thousands of miles to return to Beijing, why don't you say a few warm words!"
"..." Qiu Yilan had the urge to vomit blood, "Who was so cruel to him in the first place?" Don't pretend to be innocent and accuse me of not being gentle enough. You are hundreds of times less gentle than me, okay
Qiu Jinglan said calmly: "If you don't be mean to him, how do you know he is sincere to you?"
Well, you have a point! ! !
Qiu Yilan decisively changed the subject: "It's clear that yesterday..."
...Although he managed to get by with Qiu Jinglan, Qiu Yilan was still dragged up early the next morning!
Because she also has a cousin Ruan Ciyi!
Ruan Ciyi has always had a good impression of Jiang Yashuang, and now that she heard that he won Xie Yuan, she has an even better impression! But while her favorability increased, she also felt a lot of crisis for Qiu Yilan: "I have a good family background, good academic performance, and a better temper! Who wouldn't want such a talent? If you don't hurry up, don't be taken advantage of. Loophole! Even if it doesn’t shake your position as the head wife, hammering a nail into the backyard is enough to give you a headache!”
So, "Come on, come on, try these hairpins on your clothes! When you're done, go to the kitchen and cook two of your best dishes! When you let him have lunch later, ask your brother to tell him about you." Dishes specially made for him..."
It's not over yet, "I told your brother that after they finish talking about things, they will leave some time for you to talk alone. Remember to ask more about the hard journey and studying hard for the autumn exam, and pretend to be a little bit more like me." Be considerate and virtuous!”
At noon that day, Qiu Jinglan was called away by Ruan Ciyi. Qiu Yilan told Jiang Yashuang everything, and said sadly and angrily: "...Don't come here again, otherwise my cousin will definitely come back again and again. He forced me to go to the kitchen for the first time!”
Jiang Yashuang burst out laughing when she heard this: "This is what sincerity is all about. Is it possible for gold and stone to open up? It turns out that Sister Ruan loves me so much, so I must give her a generous gift!"
Then he said happily, "I've tasted your cooking, it's even more delicious than the chef's!"
"Let me just say that my craftsmanship is good, right?" Qiu Yilan said proudly, "Zhuang Man comes to see me every once in a while just to enjoy the food I cooked..."
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Yashuang pulled him into his arms - he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! I just heard from my brother that you got up early and cooked those dishes for me, and I was so touched! It turns out that when Zhuang Man came, You cook for her and cook for her? So who am I?”
"You're my cousin! Such a considerate thing!" Qiu Yilan poked his chest with her finger in a funny way, "Who told you that you weren't there at that time? Otherwise, how could I have stopped you from eating it?"
Jiang Yashuang sneered and said, "No need to explain—I'll just ask you: Every time I come over next time?"
"I'll cook for you!" Qiu Yilan spat, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Did my brother tell you about Qiu Feng?"
Jiang Yashuang said: "I mentioned it a few times. I'm not sure about this matter yet. Let's go back and ask my grandmother and sister."
"And what's going on with the Seventh Prince?" Qiu Yilan had been guessing for a long time about the inside story of the Queen's Party's candidate for crown prince, and she still couldn't figure it out. When Jiang Yashuang came back, she naturally couldn't wait to ask.
Jiang Yashuang said: "Originally, the fourth aunt planned to choose King Lu, but when she was about to decide, Xue Chang submitted a petition, saying that the prince should be smart and courageous, otherwise King Qi behaved like he did during the last earthquake. It’s very inappropriate, far less calm than King Yan—of course King Yan is not blessed enough.”
Qiu Yilan was surprised when he heard this: "Xue Xiang would actually say that?" Isn't this helping the Queen Mother's party
"If it weren't for the party, Donggong would have chosen virtuous people to benefit the country." Jiang Yashuang said calmly, "It's not surprising that Xue Chang's position is like this. To be honest, after the earthquake before, I don't think the King of Qi can actually do it." mesa."
"But he said these words after Xue Nongying almost died!" Qiu Yilan muttered in her heart, "Even if he didn't die because of Xue Nongying, he didn't care about the Queen Mother Gu, and he didn't move out of the earthquake. The reason for stepping on the Jiang family, right? You have to give me, the soon-to-be wife of the Jiang family, some face, right?"
She thought for a while and asked, "Do you know the truth about Xue Nongying's injury?"
"The idea of 'amnesia' that you came up with is very good. I heard from my brother that Concubine Gu and Qiu Shen indeed sent people to visit the Xue family - I think Queen Mother Gu didn't know about it until now." Jiang Yashuang said with a smile. , "The ants are greedy for life, but this plan of yours hits home!"
"Then Mr. Xue still said such things?!" Qiu Yilan was stunned.
Jiang Yashuang laughed loudly and stretched out her hand to rub her face hard: "Silly girl, Xue Chang is clearly digging a hole for Queen Mother Gu! Anyway, neither King Lu nor the Seventh Prince can get rid of my Fourth Aunt. Palm, what if I change it? Do you think that if Fourth Gu chooses Prince Lu, Xue Chang will still fall in love with him? Even if Concubine Gu doesn’t confess, will the Queen Mother not see Xue Chang’s favoritism?”
"But now the seventh prince is recognized as the smartest among the princes. To put it bluntly, King Zhou is inferior to King Yan, and even King Yan's reputation is not as good as him. Is it any wonder that Xue Changruo turned to him in the battle for the crown prince? There is no legitimate prince in this dynasty, and the eldest son of the emperor has been proven unlucky by the earthquake... Isn't this the right time to establish a virtuous person? "
Qiu Yilan suddenly realized: "So it's not that Mr. Xue doesn't intend to take revenge, but that he intends to endure it first, and he is also forbearing to pave the way for the Jiang family?"
"This credit should be credited to you!" Jiang Yashuang lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead, smiling, "If you hadn't saved Xue Nongying, how could such a good thing have happened?"
"This is because Mr. Xue is kind and kind to my brother. Otherwise, if I don't know Xue Nongying and don't care about Mr. Xue, how could I use such precious pills to save him?" Qiu Yilan pondered, " So Xue Xiang plans to join forces with your family secretly and maintain the status quo on the surface? "
Sure enough, no one who can get along with the important ministers is an economical lamp - Xue Chang clearly wants to avenge his private revenge in an open and just manner under the banner of justice and selflessness for the country and the people!
It's no wonder that Empress Jiang made a substitution at the last minute and replaced the mediocre and incompetent Prince Lu with the Seventh Prince, who was recognized as smart.
It's just that although Xue Chang's move was a good thing for the entire queen's party, it was an eyesore for some people - that night, Duke Guo of Qin and the Marquis of Ji Bei gathered their nephews and staff in the study to discuss the matter of competing for the reserve.
Jiang Tianyao said as soon as he came up: "Xue Chang expressed his position too readily. There must be no fraud in this, right?"
Jiang Tianqi has always been at odds with this cousin, and now he said lukewarmly: "The elder brother is too suspicious. Who doesn't know that Xue Xiang regards Xue Nongying as the successor of the mantle? Even if he resorts to bitter tricks, it is impossible for Xue Nongying to be true." Risking his life! As for Xue Nongying’s injury, Qi Shuluo has always been a member of our family—does the elder brother suspect that we instigated Qi Shuluo to lie to you?”
"Third brother, you are overthinking. I just thought that although Xue Nongying was close to death, he was not dead after all." Jiang Tianyao said calmly, "Xue Chang may not be able to afford such a degree of loss! At this moment, he readily formed an alliance with our family. , shouldn’t we handle it with caution?”
"If you were the eldest brother who lured him here, you probably wouldn't be suspicious, right?" Jiang Tianqi said with a mocking look on his face, "It's just that even though the fourth brother has been in Northern Xinjiang for many years, can't he make a splash in his room?" "
Qin Guogong frowned slightly: "First, take out the regulations for seizing the crown prince. After all, Xue Chang has promised to cooperate with us. Then we will see whether he fulfills his promise or not, and we will know whether it is true or not."
Jiang Tianyao and Jiang Tianqi knew that they had offended their elders, so they kept silent.
"My lord, I thought that since the seventh prince is recognized as the smartest among the princes, then he might as well suppress King Zhou and take over the East Palace! This will not only make the ministers have nothing to say, but also conveniently cover Prime Minister Xue's statement; It seems that the Empress has a keen eye for talents, unlike Empress Dowager Gu who only chooses her relatives!" After a moment of silence, one of the staff came out and said, "I wonder what the Duke thinks?"
The Duke of Qin and the Marquis of Jibei looked at each other and nodded slightly: "That's a good thing." This was also their plan - since they have advantages, they must carry them forward.
"It's just that no matter how smart the seventh prince is, he is only fourteen years old now." Most people affirmed this idea, but some people expressed concerns about the details, "Maybe he is good academically. This is the reason why the prince is rated as smart. But After all, he is not as good as King Zhou who is several years older than him in terms of conduct, right?"
"And the prince has reached the age of living alone in a palace, and it is not appropriate to raise him in front of the queen." Someone said calmly, "From this point of view, it seems that we should hire a teacher for the prince to give him guidance to suppress the King of Zhou and show his reputation and talents? "
Jiang Tianqi glanced at the person who said this and saw that it was a staff member who was friendly with Jiang Tianyao. He sneered in his heart and asked lightly on his face: "Then who should be the teacher?"
"Xue Xiang is older, and now he has to worry about his grandson, and he is not from the Jiang family after all." As expected, the aide turned his attention to Jiang Tianao - but the following words had not been spoken yet, and Jiang Ya, who had been standing quietly behind Qin Guogong, remained silent. Shuang suddenly interrupted and asked, "Should we discuss this matter with Fourth Aunt first?"
"..." The room was silent for a while, and then the Marquis of Jibei broke the silence with a dry cough: "Nineteenth said that even if the Queen agrees to hire a tutor for the Seventh Prince, the candidate should be reported to the Queen to make the decision... Let’s not talk about this first, let’s talk about the recent news in the Gu family!”
After everyone dispersed that night, Duke Qin called Jiang Yashuang back: "You don't seem to want your uncle to be the seventh prince's teacher?"
"You and my uncle were both here just now, but the third uncle still quarreled with the eldest uncle at every turn, which shows the deep resentment between the two uncles." Jiang Yashuang said calmly, "The first priority now is to deal with the Queen Mother and the Gu family first. Grandfather once said It takes all the strength to fight a lion against a rabbit, but before the seventh prince entered the East Palace, the two uncles took advantage of him. Is this a good thing for the Jiang family? So the grandson boldly spoke out. "
Qin Guogong looked at him: "Are you really thinking about the Jiang family, rather than hating your uncle because of your eighth brother's affairs?"
"Father and mother have the final say on this matter. How can my grandson have a place to talk?" Jiang Yashuang asked back.
"Then what does your father plan to do?" Qin Guogong asked calmly. "In the first half of the year, Oubicheng suddenly came back and brought you the book on the art of war in private. It seems that your father secretly copied it from your second brother. ? It seems that Xiao Er has been keeping a low profile under your father for all these years, but he still showed his mistakes... But I don't know what your father wants to do with him? Is he going to be treated like your uncle did to your eighth brother, or is he to be completely eradicated? He, so as not to block your way!"
Jiang Yashuang's pupils suddenly shrank!
"Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from my grandfather!" His expression changed drastically for a moment, and he breathed out, "Bicheng suddenly came back at that time, and it was indeed entrusted by his father. However, my father did not mention how to treat the second brother, but only encouraged the three of us brothers to live well. Work hard and don’t be outdone by your second brother!”