Binding Spring Love

After accepting the gifts, Song Wan and Heng Zhi entered the main hall. Since Old Madam Jiang and Jiang's mother were not present, she was the person with the highest status in this inner courtyard.

Younger people would often come up to her and greet her, and she would ask them a few questions in return.

The person he most wanted to see had arrived, and Jiang Yan had no more interest in coaxing the younger ones, so he retreated behind the sandalwood screen and looked at Song Wan with restrained affection.

Before long, a servant from the outer courtyard came to report that Duan Yiting's sedan chair had arrived at the entrance of the Marquis's residence. The people in the main hall immediately fell silent as Song Wan led the way to go outside to greet him.

After about half a cup of tea's time, a small sedan chair was seen being carried in from afar. After the sedan chair stopped, everyone bowed their heads in greeting.

Song Wan saw a pair of black official boots emerge from the sedan chair, followed by a slightly high-pitched, hoarse, aged male voice: "Get up, what are you all standing here for?"

The sound was extremely harsh, yet no one dared to utter a sound.

Duan Yiting stood in front of the sedan chair, with a young eunuch rushing forward to help him. Jiang Xingjian accompanied him, his face also showing some respect.

This person is so unpredictable that we must treat him with utmost care.

Song Wan lifted the shawl on her body and stepped forward to stand next to Jiang Xingjian.

Duan Yiting glanced at her, then his gaze casually swept over Jiang Yan, who was practically invisible, before he looked away. No one knew his purpose for coming and dared not speak. Only Lin Jiayue stood at the end of the line, her round eyes wide open, but she hadn't expected the old eunuch to be so sharp, instantly fixing his gaze on her.

Lin Jiayue blinked blankly for a moment before lowering her head.

"My grandmother has been unwell recently, so she has been unable to pay her respects to Master Yin. I hope Master Yin will forgive her."

"It's alright."

As soon as he finished speaking, Duan Yiting turned around, sat back in the sedan chair, and shouted that he was going back to his residence.

In an instant, everyone in the Chengyang Marquis's mansion, young and old, was stunned.

Jiang Xingjian's face was pale, while Song Wan frowned slightly.

Logically speaking, Duan Yiting was already over sixty years old and her body was severely hunched over, so how could her feet be so unusually large? However, she had never met many men in her life, and apart from her father, brothers, and Jiang Xingjian, she had no other close relatives, so she had no way to compare them.

Putting aside these strange thoughts, Song Wan lowered her head and pinched the shawl draped over her body, wondering to herself if it had played a role.

Jiang Xingjian chased after him, seemingly wanting to explain, but he couldn't stop him even when he reached the outer courtyard.

For a time, everyone in the Marquis's mansion was on edge, while Song Wan stood aside with her head down, feeling a sense of relief.

"Lord Yin has always been so easygoing, so there's no need for you to worry, my lord."

Qingwei was originally a palace attendant in charge of court audiences and banquets. She had dealt with Duan Yiting before and knew that although he was capricious, he had rarely committed murder in recent years, so she reassured Jiang Xingjian.

"Thank you for your guidance, Auntie."

"You're too kind, Lord Marquis."

Having helped manage household affairs at the Marquis's residence these past few days, Qingwei has developed a strong liking for Jiang Xingjian, and is now naturally willing to offer words of comfort and guidance.

"Since Lord Yin previously came to pay his respects to the old lady, he must have some connection with her. Why don't you go and inquire about it, Lord Marquis? Perhaps you can get the answer."

Jiang Xingjian found this very reasonable, so he sent everyone away and went to Fuhetang by himself.

In front of Fuhe Hall, Jiang's mother was blocking the doorway, preventing him from entering.

Jiang's mother had been taking care of Old Madam Jiang all this time, and no one else in the mansion had seen her. Today, Jiang's mother's repeated obstruction aroused Jiang Xingjian's suspicion.

"Is Mother hiding something from me?"

"What are you saying?"

Jiang's mother's eyes darted around, constantly avoiding Jiang Xingjian's gaze.

"Master Yin came suddenly today, but upon hearing that he could not see Grandmother, he turned and left. I would like to ask Grandmother if she has any relationship with Master Yin, otherwise I am at a loss."

Madam Jiang sighed, "How could I not know whether the old lady and Master Yin have a relationship? If they did, our household wouldn't have been nearly emptied out these past few years. You have no idea how much our household bribed him when the harvest on the estate was bad a few years ago."

Jiang's mother was filled with resentment whenever Duan Yiting was mentioned.

In recent years, it's unclear whether Master Yin has become senile or what, but he has been amassing wealth on a massive scale. Every year, their Marquis's mansion sends tens of thousands of taels of silver to the Duan family, yet they have never even seen Master Yin's face once. Every year during festivals, the steward of their mansion would visit the Duan family, but each time he would simply leave the gifts and depart.

Two years ago, she thought that perhaps Lord Yin didn't care about the Marquis's mansion at all, so she secretly stopped paying tribute. However, less than three days later, Jiang Man sent someone to deliver a message saying that she was being harassed by eunuchs in the palace and asked her if she had done something wrong.

That rootless old man has no descendants, and I don't know what he needs all this money for.

Jiang's mother was so angry that her teeth ached from clenching them, but she dared not utter a single word of her thoughts.

Jiang Xingjian, however, couldn't stand his mother's rambling. As her son, he knew her personality all too well.

Jiang Xingjian forcefully pushed open the door of Fuhe Hall and strode inside. He was immediately stunned and disbelieving upon seeing Old Madam Jiang.

"Grandma, grandma."

Old Madam Jiang's eyes were sunken and cloudy. When she heard her grandson's voice, her dry eyelids only twitched slightly, but she did not react at all.

"What's going on? Why haven't they summoned the imperial physician?"

Jiang Xingjian lifted the quilt of Old Madam Jiang, and under the quilt was only a skeleton. The old lady, who used to be slightly plump, was now so thin that she was just bones and skin.

As Jiang Xingjian lifted up Old Madam Jiang, he was about to call the family physician when he heard two hoarse, grinding sounds emanating from the old lady's throat.

With red eyes, Jiang's mother said, "You think this was my idea? It was the old lady who told me to do it this way."

A string of clear tears rolled down her cheeks. Jiang's mother took a handkerchief and pressed it to the corner of her eye: "You have just arrived at Shenshu Camp. If the old lady passes away now, you will have to go home to observe the mourning period. This newly obtained substantive post will surely be lost. The Marquis's mansion made a big fuss before. Your sister pleaded with the Emperor in the palace for a long time, but she still couldn't get you out of Shanglin Garden."

"Now that she's been assigned to a powerful government post with real military authority, the old lady is overjoyed. How could she possibly allow herself to be a burden to you?"

"The old lady's health has been failing for a long time. These days, the family doctor has been keeping her alive with veterinary medicine, which is why she's still clinging to life, but she's long gone."

"The physician also said that the old lady will stop taking this medicine as soon as possible..."

"The old lady treated me like her own mother all her life. As her own mother, could you bear to see her suffer like this?"

Jiang's mother sat on the couch and cried hysterically.

"What else can we do? We marry a wife who can't do anything, and take a concubine who only causes trouble. We have no one to help us and no money to spend. The money we earn from the ice shop and the rouge shop isn't even enough to bribe Eunuch Duan and the Empress once."

"We need to bribe the officials in charge of the Imperial Seal and the Eastern Depot. If you lose your job in the Divine Pivot Camp now, what will become of our Marquis's mansion? The old lady said that this century-old foundation must not be ruined in her hands."

Jiang Xingjian's face was ashen. He clenched his fists tightly, his voice hoarse: "So, Grandmother is just going to keep dragging this on? How long will this drag on?"