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

As soon as Jiang Qian finished speaking, some people below stood up abruptly.

It was his most beloved eldest grandson, Jiang Lai, who was in his early thirties and had been working in the Yangzhou business for more than ten years. Because of his grandfather's favor, he spoke with more confidence than others.

Jiang Lai disagreed, saying, "Grandfather, I cannot agree with you. You just said that we can't share the same surname, Jiang. That girl is a princess now. If she's willing to help the Jiang family, it's a tremendous opportunity! If we hesitate and are timid, we'll miss this chance, and we'll never have another one like it! Besides, so much time has passed since then. That girl's status is different now, and her mind is naturally different too. If we bring generous gifts and say a few kind words, would she really turn her own people away?"

Jiang Qian slowly stood up, leaning on his cane. His gaze towards Jiang Lai was so calm that it made Jiang Lai feel uneasy.

"Kneel down." Jiang Qian's voice carried the unyielding authority of someone who had never spoken before.

Jiang Lai was stunned for a moment, then met his grandfather's cloudy but sharp eyes, and quickly lowered his body and knelt on the cold brick floor of the ancestral hall.

Jiang Qian, leaning on his cane, walked up to him, looked down at his most beloved eldest grandson, and said with disappointment in his voice, "You're thirty this year, not thirteen. If you can't even understand this simple principle, how will you take over the family business in the future? You just said it's been a long time—fine, then let me ask you, what were you doing when Se Se's parents passed away? Where were you when she went to the capital alone to seek refuge with relatives? And you still have the nerve to say that you can't even share the same surname as Jiang?"

In truth, Jiang Qian was just as excited. Upon hearing the news that morning, he immediately went to offer incense and kowtow to his ancestors. The Jiang family of Jiangdu in Yangzhou had actually produced a princess!

This honor, this opportunity, is enough to completely turn his family's fortunes around. How could he not be burning with excitement? How could he not be overjoyed?!

Jiang Qian truly never expected that while Jiang Qing lacked such good fortune, his daughter would have such a blessing.

Jiang Qing was the only son of one of his concubines; his mother died early.

Later, Jiang Qian also sent his clansmen to offer condolences and assistance, but presumably the clansmen were lazy and gave up when they saw there was no benefit. Naturally, Jiang Qian did not always keep the son of one of his concubines, nor the daughter of that son, in his heart.

Now, to try and take advantage of this situation would be extremely awkward, both morally and logically.

Jiang Qian sighed deeply and said earnestly, "Back then, you all ran away faster than rabbits, afraid of getting tainted by her bad luck. Now that she's become a phoenix, you suddenly remember your blood ties? Where's your shame? Are you going to approach her with those faces to acknowledge her as a relative, or to remind her of the shame of being abandoned by her clan back then?"

Jiang Qian's words were like a whip, striking everyone's faces, especially those who had indeed avoided him back then, who blushed with embarrassment.

Jiang Qian shook his head, looking at Jiang Lai: "What great opportunity are you talking about? I think you've lost your mind! What do you think a princess is? She's a noblewoman appointed by the imperial court! She's in the capital now, she's seen the world!"

"You think that by bringing lavish gifts and shamelessly approaching her, she'll be moved to tears and acknowledge you as her family? You think she'll forget how you all avoided her like the plague back then?! Foolish! Naïve! You're just humiliating yourselves and bringing disaster upon the Jiang family!"

"If we were to act in this way, it would only reinforce her belief that the entire Jiang family, from top to bottom, is composed of sycophants and opportunists! Not only would we gain absolutely nothing, but she would also utterly despise us and sever all ties with the Jiang family! Even... if she holds a grudge from the past, a single word from her could bring the Jiang family's business in Yangzhou to a standstill!"

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone's heads, causing their faces to change and cold sweat to pour down their backs.

They only thought about the benefits of currying favor, forgetting what they had done back then, and forgetting that the other party now possessed enough power to bring them to their doom.

"Then... sir, what should we do?" someone asked in a trembling voice.

Jiang Qian glanced at everyone's expressions, nodded, stroked his beard, and pondered, "Now that things have come to this, the only right thing to do is to admit our mistakes and show sincerity."

Jiang Qian asked Jiang Lai to personally write a "Letter of Apology" and then sent people to repair the graves of Jiang Sese's parents.

Meanwhile, a pavilion was set up outside Jiang Qing's old residence, with steady and polite members of the clan taking turns to guard it, simply to show that the Jiang clan always remembered her, regardless of whether the princess returned to see it.

In addition, have someone copy the page about Se Se's parents from the family genealogy, along with some Yangzhou specialties, to be taken to the capital in the future, as a way of expressing longing for their homeland.

After giving his instructions, Jiang Qian continued, "Haste makes waste, and greed will only lead to ruin. This matter concerns the future of our Jiang clan for hundreds of years to come. Anyone who dares to disobey or act rashly for personal gain and jeopardize this important matter will be severely punished according to clan rules!"

"Each branch of the family must keep their children in check. These next few days, everyone better behave themselves! Anyone who causes trouble at this critical juncture and tarnishes the Princess's reputation, I will personally break their legs!"

Jiang Qian's words acted like a stabilizing force, calming the previously agitated Jiang clan members down.

To truly win over the people of your clan, especially to make these clan members, each with their own agendas and interests, obey, you can't simply rely on age or seniority to subdue them. Using age to oppress others is called abusing one's age.

But Jiang Qian is truly capable. He took over the business at seventeen and became the undisputed leader in Yangzhou's business world by thirty. Now at seventy-one, he is still incredibly sharp-minded.

The Jiang and Sun families quickly sent people to the capital.

As soon as the Sun family arrived in the capital, they went straight to the Xie family to find Concubine Sun. They weren't unaware that Concubine Sun had entered the Xie family, but what use was it to her? She was just a concubine. The principal wife was still alive; what right did a concubine have to act?

Therefore, the Sun family knew that there was no profit to be gained from Aunt Sun. Since there was no profit to be gained, and given the long distance involved, maintaining the relationship was simply unnecessary.

When Jiang Sese went to the capital, many people laughed at her. Some thought she probably wouldn't even make it to the capital and would be kidnapped on the way. Others thought that even Aunt Sun herself was in trouble, and might only be able to find her a servant or something.

Unlike the Jiang family, the Sun family and Jiang Sese were not really acquainted. A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup... So they had to find Aunt Sun. They weren't familiar with Jiang Sese, but Aunt Sun was definitely familiar with her! Jiang Sese came to the capital to seek refuge with her!

Therefore, the Sun family felt perfectly justified in taking advantage of the situation!

If it weren't for Aunt Sun, if it weren't for the Sun family, would that brat be where she is today?!