Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

"aunt."

Jiang Sese curtsied to Aunt Sun, looking at her earnestly with a gentle yet firm expression. "Sese understands that Aunt is doing this for my own good. However, this is a matter of life and death, so please allow Sese to go back and think it over carefully."

Looking at Jiang Sese's stubborn eyes and her incomparably beautiful face, Aunt Sun sighed silently and said gently, "Aunt understands. Then think about it again."

Jiang Sese said sincerely with gratitude, "Thank you for your consideration, Aunt."

Aunt Sun was indeed very good to her, and this was truly the best marriage Aunt Sun could find for her. If Jiang Sese were alone, she certainly wouldn't have been able to find such a match.

Don't be fooled by his claims of being a poor scholar; even the poorest scholar is still far superior to an ordinary person.

Every scholar who passed the imperial examinations is a potential asset; the younger they are, the more valuable they are, since youth is the greatest asset. If they take the exams for several more decades, they might just pass again.

Passing the imperial examination qualified one to become an official.

Jiang Sese silently made plans in her mind.

I walked along the path back to the west courtyard.

Jiang Sese pondered Wu Weizhen's uneasy demeanor and felt that something was amiss.

It's understandable that such a personality would be intimidated in a place like the Xie family mansion, but as a man who is to support the family in the future, he is a bit too weak.

Just as he was pondering this, he heard two maids speaking in hushed tones near the artificial rockery not far away.

They had their backs to the path and were clearly unaware that someone was approaching.

Jiang Sese also subconsciously stopped, and Hongdou and Lü'e, who were following behind, also stopped and slowed their pace.

"...Did you see that? That old woman outside is here again?"

"That's right, he even brought a scholar with him. He looks very refined, like a xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examinations at the county level)."

"Is it the one who just went into the flower hall?"

"Yes, that's him. You didn't see it, his old mother was still tugging at his sleeve at the side gate, giving him instructions!"

The maidservant covering her mouth laughed, unable to resist mimicking the other's tone, "My dear, this is the Xie family mansion. You'd better be on your best behavior. Although that girl is an orphan, she lives in the Xie mansion, and her aunt is still a concubine. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse! If we can get on her good side, our family will be richer!"

"Tsk tsk, you didn't see it, she was practically spitting out saliva."

"Wow, what happened next?"

"And then? The scholar's face turned bright red with embarrassment, and his mother shoved him through the side gate. Judging from what I saw, this family didn't seem like good people. That old woman outside, her eyes darted around, her scheming...tsk tsk..."

The gossip of the two maids drifted clearly into Jiang Sese's ears.

Green Calyx and Red Bean also heard it. Red Bean's expression changed slightly, while Green Calyx looked somewhat belatedly aware of what was happening.

Jiang Sese paused slightly in her steps.

Hongdou looked at Jiang Sese, hesitating to speak: "Miss..."

Jiang Sese came to her senses and instructed Lü'e, "Lü'e, go and pack the soufflés from the kitchen into a food box and bring them over. We're going to Tingsong Courtyard now."

Green Calyx looked shocked: "Huh?"

But at Hongdou's prompting, she quickly realized what was happening and said, "Yes, this servant will go right away."

Jiang Sese leisurely led Hongdou towards Tingsong Courtyard.

Jiang Sese turned to look at Hongdou, smiling at her, "Hongdou, aren't you going to ask me why I went to Tingsong Courtyard?"

Hongdou slightly raised her eyes. "Young lady, you're really beautiful."

The skin is as smooth as fine mutton fat jade soaked in honey, without the slightest flaw. Instead, it gleams with a layer of lustrous pearly light under the sunlight, as if a touch of the fingertip would release a sweet, moist sheen.

Hongdou thought differently from others, who only felt that Jiang Sese was already very beautiful.

But Hongdou was thinking that her cousin was only fifteen this year, and she wondered how beautiful she would be in two years.

Since being transferred to serve Jiang Sese, Hongdou feels that besides the increase in her monthly salary, her eyes feel much more comfortable every day.

Upon hearing Jiang Sese's question, Hongdou smiled and replied, "Miss, you must be going to see the eldest young master."

If it were someone else, they certainly wouldn't dare to make such a guess.

But after serving Jiang Sese for a few days, Hongdou discovered that Jiang Sese was not as afraid of the eldest young master as the others in the mansion; she was more curious about him.

Therefore, Hongdou boldly guessed that Jiang Sese was going to see the eldest young master.

Otherwise, why would she suddenly go to Tingsong Courtyard after hearing the gossip of those two maids? Was she going to find Qingshuang? Qingshuang couldn't help with her marriage.

Jiang Sese stopped in her tracks, looked at Hongdou in surprise, and exclaimed, "The fact that the young master gave you to me shows that he is truly a good person."

Having such a clever and quick-witted maidservant by your side can also help guide your master.

Hearing Jiang Sese praise Xie Jue, Hongdou was also pleased: "Of course, the eldest young master is a good person. You don't know, our eldest young master has a very good reputation."

Jiang Sese had read the novel, so she knew how capable Xie Jue was.

The book states that Wanping suffered a locust plague two years ago, resulting in poor harvests and widespread famine.

Xie Jue had not yet joined the cabinet at that time, nor was he in Wanping. However, he submitted a memorial advocating the opening of granaries to distribute grain and personally supervised the work-for-relief program, allowing disaster victims to repair water conservancy and build roads. This not only provided them with a way to survive but also promoted the construction of water conservancy farmland.

Some officials felt the expenditure was too high, and some powerful families hoarded goods hoping to profit from the national crisis, but Xie Jue easily suppressed them all.

Xie Jue held a very high position in the hearts of scholars, who all said he was a literary star descended from heaven.

Xie Jue himself is also very good at leveraging and creating momentum. He is adept at manipulating people's hearts and minds, and he can usually achieve great results with little effort, exchanging the greatest benefits for the least loss.

After the disaster subsided, the people were grateful to him, and many places in the suburbs of Beijing secretly erected longevity tablets for him.

When Xie Jue returned to the capital, the people of the city lined the streets to welcome him, vying to catch a glimpse of him.

Moreover, the novel only touches on him briefly. Because he is not the male protagonist, the novel does not spend too much time writing about him. The author cleverly lets the reader know that what is revealed in the book is only the tip of the iceberg of Xie Jue's character.

Jiang Sese and Hongdou were talking when they arrived at Tingsong Courtyard.

Green Calyx brought a food box from the kitchen and took a shortcut over. She was now waiting outside Listening Pine Courtyard with the food box in hand.

Jiang Sese asked Lü'e to give the food box to Qin'an, and then asked Qin'an to pass on a message that she wanted to see the eldest young master.

Upon hearing this, Qin'an smiled and said, "Miss, there's no need to announce your arrival. The eldest young master already gave the order that if you come, you can just go in."

Jiang Sese: ? ? ?