Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 361 In-laws
After returning home, Lin Zhiqing stayed indoors and remained in the courtyard.

The others knew she was clever and didn't bother her.

Not long after, rumors began to circulate in Shengjing City.

For example, the Marquis of Anping and the Marquis of Zhenyuan intended to form a marriage alliance.

Marquis Anping was the father of Princess Pingning.

The fact that such news was circulating at this time made those with keen minds realize that something was amiss.

The most taboo thing for matters of the imperial court is to get involved with matters of the inner quarters, yet they are inextricably linked to matters of the inner quarters.

The atmosphere between the Lin and Jiang families was tense. Others might not care, but as officials in the same court, many people had their own judgment.

Unless the Marquis of Zhenyuan is mentally ill, there is absolutely no way he would agree to a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Anping at this time.

The Zhenyuan Marquis's family's use of an orphan girl to erect a memorial archway had already caused a great uproar, and now there's Lin Congrong standing between the Lin and Jiang families.

If Jiang Liuyun were to actually be engaged to Princess Pingning, wouldn't that confirm his previous pretense and his current accusation of praising the powerful while belittling the weak?
Some even speculated that the rumors were spread by the Lin family in order to put the Jiang family in a difficult position.

If one agrees to a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Anping's family, then one will bear the reputation of being unrighteous and heartless.

Refusing to form a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Anping's family would mean losing a powerful in-law.

No matter what choice they make, it will be a very difficult situation for the Jiang family.

Meanwhile, inside the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence, Jiang Yunhe was furious:
"Marquis Anping was impetuous and rude when he was young, but now that he's older, he seems to be getting worse!"

"Why are you talking about marriage at a time like this? Isn't that just putting the Jiang family in a very difficult position?"

Jiang Liuyun, standing to the side, lowered his brows, kept his head down, and remained silent.

He knew why Jiang Yunhe was so angry.

If it were simply a matter of discussing marriage, why would it come to this?
Jiang Yunhe was angry because Marquis Anping hadn't brought up the matter of Princess Pingning and Jiang Liuyun at a good time.

Jiang Yunhe had previously considered forming a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Anping's family, creating a powerful alliance.

However, at that time, the Lin and Jiang families had just fallen out, and it was not appropriate to shift the focus too quickly.

Secondly, this move could be seen as an attempt to curry favor with others and form cliques for personal gain.

The best time is to wait until the matter between the Lin and Jiang families has calmed down before discussing it.

However, to everyone's surprise, before the Zhenyuan Marquis's Mansion could even make a move, the Anping Marquis's Mansion was already impatient.

The Marquis of Zhenyuan's mansion is currently constrained by rumors and pressure from the court, making it impossible for them to agree, but refusing would be a real pity.

Thinking of this, Jiang Liuyun curled the corners of his mouth with a hint of mockery.

His father did not take his marriage seriously, as before, but only as a bargaining chip to gain benefits.

He was nothing more than a puppet in his father's hands.

Jiang Yunhe caught a glimpse of Jiang Liuyun's actions, and his anger intensified, but he patiently spoke again:
"Yun'er, given the current situation, only you can stabilize the Marquis of Anping's residence and save this marriage."

Jiang Liuyun frowned: "Didn't you promise me before that you would reinstate my engagement with Lin Zhiqing?"

“This doesn’t conflict.” Jiang Yunhe’s eyes were sharp: “Lin Zhiqing has escaped, and we can’t do anything about her for the time being. We might as well stabilize the Anping Marquis’s residence first.”

“No way! If the Marquis of Anping’s mansion marries Princess Pingning into the family, will she become the eldest daughter or the youngest daughter?” Jiang Liuyun stared intently into Jiang Yunhe’s eyes.

Jiang Yunhe took a light breath:

"Don't look at me like that. I'm asking you, you are the heir of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, and you will inherit my mantle in the future. Do you really intend to leave the position of your principal wife to that..."

“Father!” Jiang Liuyun interrupted him.

"Ha!" Jiang Yunhe sneered, "I've heard that you've been visiting Cangxianglou less often lately, but you've been keeping an eye on the Lin family's movements."

"What, you want to have it all?" Jiang Liuyun's heart was stung by those words. He turned his head away, seemingly unwilling to say anything more.

Jiang Yunhe didn't press the issue further, but simply spoke again:
“Marquis Anping is a fool. He is good for nothing except his martial arts skills, but he is a veteran general with military power and can help us succeed.”

“Princess Pingning is all show and no substance. She’s just a woman. You can easily coax her into waiting for you with a few sweet words.”

"Furthermore, you've done it before, so why are you unwilling now?"

"Father, I've only done this twice, why do you stop me every time?" Jiang Liuyun's eyes showed a rare look of sadness.

Jiang Yunhe sensed it, but he chose to ignore it: "This is the last time."

He said calmly.

Jiang Liuyun took a deep breath and did not answer, but instead stared intently at Jiang Yunhe.

The two remained deadlocked for a long time.

Finally, Jiang Liuyun was defeated once again:

"After everything is over, will you agree to let me be with her?"

“Of course.” Jiang Yunhe seemed to have been waiting for him to say this.

Jiang Liuyun compromised once again: "Alright, I promise you, I will keep Princess Pingning in check, and I hope Father will remember what you promised me."

“Of course.” Jiang Yunhe raised his chin high.

Jiang Liuyun didn't say anything more; he compromised once again.

Jiang Yunhe patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction:

"Yun'er, I'm doing this all for your own good. Why not do things that are beneficial to you and to the Jiang family?"

Jiang Liuyun remained completely silent.

Jiang Yunhe ignored his mood and smiled.
"If you can keep the Marquis of Anping's residence stable, then we can start by targeting the Three Departments."

"You have already offended the Minister of Justice to death. It will take some effort to bring him back now."

"Pull it back? Father, what do you mean?" Jiang Liuyun asked again, his eyes filled with confusion.

Jiang Yunhe's expression was cold and stern:
"With the three courts re-examining the case, do you think the Lin family won't try to cause trouble? Do they really think they can rest easy now that Zheng Kuo is dead?"

Two questions in a row sent Jiang Liuyun's heart sinking to the bottom:
"Father, he killed Mother Mole!"

"It is still undetermined who killed Mole Girl, but Lin Zhiqing is more likely to be the murderer."

"And even if we kill Mole Girl, so what? Like I said, she's a woman, you can just coax her and she'll be fine."

Jiang Liuyun strongly disagreed: "Father, this is different!"

"Nothing's different. The son of the Minister of Justice is going to the Green Bamboo Poetry Gathering in the east of the city in a few days. Go and have a look." Jiang Yunhe was clearly prepared.
“That kid is restless. The previous incriminating evidence against the Minister of Justice is no longer useful, but if we add a new one, the Minister of Justice can be used by us again.”

“Father,” Jiang Liuyun said, clearly disapproving of the matter.

Jiang Yunhe closed his eyes impatiently: "Yun'er, you don't even have the ability to negotiate with me."

“You forgot, Lu Huai already discovered what we leaked out.”

"By controlling the Minister of Justice, we can not only manipulate the retrial of Lin Congrong, but also have the Ministry of Justice cover up our private property."

"No matter how hard the Ministry of Revenue investigates, it can't bypass the Ministry of Justice."

"Don't forget, I can take back what I promised you at any time!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liuyun clenched his fists tightly, but soon relaxed them again.

He compromised once again.