The Red Mansion.

Chapter 84: Speculating on Jiang Nian's Background
Ruizhu nodded and sighed, "Prince Zhongyi is so kind to Master Jiang! He even asked His Majesty to grant him the rank of Third-Class Guard! Master Jiang is becoming even more unfathomable!"

Qin Keqing subconsciously fixed her eyes on the purse in her hand, as if thinking about something.

Ruizhu stepped forward and lowered her voice, saying, "Young lady, Master Jiang is unfathomable, a man of both civil and military talents, and he has extraordinary abilities. He has also been very kind to our family. To protect you, he first punished those distant relatives and then punished Master Jia of Ningguo Mansion. Since punishing Master Jia, although no powerful people have come to harass you again, there have been a few ignorant young men who have come to trouble you, and they were all dealt with by Master Jiang. Our family now relies on Master Jiang for its stability. I think Master Jiang probably has feelings for you. If you could marry him, wouldn't it be a good marriage? We can also have a long and stable life."

Ruizhu raised the corner of her mouth slightly and continued, "When you become Master Jiang's legal wife, Miss Xue and Ying'er will be subdued!"

At this point, Ruizhu pointed to the purse in Qin Keqing's hand and said with a smile, "Miss, you are good at making purses. Why don't you make one for Mr. Jiang?"

Qin Keqing glared at Ruizhu and scolded her lightly, "Don't be so presumptuous!"

But in his heart he thought: "How could you know that this purse in my hand is made for him!"

Without saying anything more, Qin Keqing continued to sew the purse.

Because Jiang Nian was a third-class guard, he seemed even more mysterious. Also because of Ruizhu's words, Qin Keqing decided to finish making the purse and give it to Jiang Nian as a token of her appreciation.

Since she has fallen in love with him and her feelings are deepening, she will take the initiative to pursue him...

She is not Xue Baochai, nor is she Lin Daiyu, she is Qin Keqing!
……

……

As a cabinet scholar, Qu Tai often went straight home after finishing his shift at 4:15 pm and would be back home before 5:00 pm.

But that is not the case today.

Because of the summons from Prince Zhongyi, Qu Tai hurried to Prince Zhongyi's mansion after finishing his duty today and had a secret conversation with Prince Zhongyi for a while. When he returned home, it was already past midnight.

It gets dark late in the summer, and even after midnight, the setting sun still casts golden light on the sky.

As soon as Qu Taifu returned home, he walked into the study without changing his clothes and had a secret conversation with his son Qu Jishan.

Qu Jishan was the first to speak: "Father, Nian'er failed the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination!"

Qu Tai nodded slightly: "I already know about this."

Qu Jishan sighed, "Father and I clearly gave Nian'er the questions for the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination. We also gave him the answers or abridged versions of them, and Nian'er memorized them all. Logically, Nian'er should have passed, but he didn't."

Qu Jishan paused and continued, "Brother Nian came to see me today and said that although my father and I had given the exam questions, we only gave abbreviated answers to the other three questions except for three. Although he answered according to our abbreviated answers, his literary talent was limited, which is why he failed to pass the exam."

After hearing this, Qu Tai nodded and said, "I guess that's the case."

Qu Jishan turned and asked curiously, "Why did the Thirteenth Prince summon father today?"

Qu Tai's expression became serious, and he whispered, "The Thirteenth Prince summoned me because of Nian Ge'er."

Qu Jishan became increasingly curious: "Oh? What exactly is it? Please tell me clearly, father." Qu Tai said: "The Thirteenth Prince said that he has asked the emperor for permission to appoint Nian'er as a third-class guard."

When these words came out, Qu Jishan was suddenly surprised and blurted out: "Is this really true?"

Qu Tai continued, "The Thirteenth Prince also said that since Nian'er is only fifteen, he will not be assigned to duty for the time being. He should concentrate on his studies and wait until he reaches adulthood next year before returning to the court to serve. The Thirteenth Prince also instructed me to be Nian'er's teacher, teaching him Confucian classics, history books, legal codes, and current affairs."

Qu Jishan's face was full of doubts, and he whispered, "Father, this is strange!"

Qu Tai said, "Do you think that the Thirteenth Prince is too fond of Nian'er, and that's why you find it strange? I feel the same way. I really don't understand what the connection between the Thirteenth Prince and Nian'er is. I do have a thought, but I can't say it out loud."

Qu Jishan's expression tensed, and he hurriedly asked, "Father, what do you want?"

Qu Tai hesitated for a moment and whispered, "It's okay to tell you, but you must remember not to leak it."

Qu Jishan nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, father. I have always kept my mouth shut and will never leak a single word."

Qu Tai said slowly and in a low voice, "I suspect that Nian'er is the Thirteenth Prince's illegitimate son who was born among the common people! Although it seems incredible, if you think about it carefully, this is the only way to explain why the Thirteenth Prince treats Nian'er with such love."

Qu Jishan frowned and fell into deep thought.

Suddenly, a thought suddenly occurred to him, exploding in his mind like thunder: "Could it be that Brother Nian is the illegitimate son of the emperor who was exiled to the common people?"

Qu Jishan knew that Emperor Taishun had traveled south of the Yangtze River more than a decade ago and had spent considerable time in Jiangning. If one were to calculate the timeline, it would make sense that Emperor Taishun had given birth to Jiang Nian in Jiangning at that time. However, Prince Zhongyi had not traveled south of the Yangtze River to Jiangning more than a decade earlier.

Qu Jishan considered this: If Jiang Nian was a commoner prince of Emperor Taishun, Prince Zhongyi's exceptional love for Jiang Nian made sense. Jiang Nian's failure in the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination might not have been due to a lack of talent, but rather to his status as a prince, which hindered his ability to pass the examinations, leading to his secret dismissal by Emperor Taishun. Subsequently, Emperor Taishun appointed Jiang Nian as a third-class imperial guard, paving a unique path for him, concealing his true identity while also facilitating his entry into the imperial court.

As for why Emperor Taishun concealed this commoner prince, Qu Jishan also felt that it was reasonable considering Emperor Taishun's identity and situation.

Furthermore, Qu Tai had previously told Qu Jishan that Jiang Nian had an extraordinary origin, perhaps descended from heaven, and was favored by heaven. If Jiang Nian was a prince, then this favor from heaven would make sense.

The more Qu Jishan thought about it, the more he felt that his speculation made sense, but he was also shocked by it. His heart was in turmoil and his face was stunned.

Seeing Qu Jishan's strange expression, Qu Tai couldn't help but ask, "Why are you so stunned and shocked?"

Qu Jishan hesitated for a moment, then said calmly, "I'm just surprised by what happened to Nian'er."

He knew that his speculation was serious, even terrifying. As a man well versed in the ways of the world and adept at seeking benefits and avoiding harm, he believed that this speculation must be kept strictly confidential, not even to his father Qu Tai.

In fact, Emperor Taishun and Prince Zhongyi both knew that with Jiang Nian being awarded the rank of third-class guard, it was inevitable that some people would speculate about Jiang Nian's background.

However, even if you speculate it, you may not dare to spread it; even if you spread it, others may not believe it.

As long as Emperor Taishun keeps this a secret and prevents the spread of this news, it shouldn't matter in the next few years. As for a few years from now, Emperor Taishun's throne should be secure, and even if he recognizes Jiang Nian as the prince, it won't be a big deal...

(End of this chapter)