Half in the river wind, half in the clouds

Jiang Feng was still frightened after leaving Zuiyue Tower, but he didn't feel the heat, so he walked away with big strides. Lu Ma and You Ran didn't know what happened, so they had to follow closely. As soon as they turned the corner, a man's voice came from behind, "Miss, please stay!"

Jiang Feng turned around and saw a coachman. Madam Lu asked, "What's the matter?"

The driver pointed in the direction they were coming from and said, "That gentleman hired my carriage and asked me to take the girl to the Jiang family in the north of the city."

Where the driver pointed, Li Longye was standing in front of Zuiyue Tower with his hands behind his back.

Seeing this, Jiang Feng did not even try to thank him, but got on the carriage in three steps at a time without hesitation. His agility and agility were truly rare.

Being handsome only lasts for three seconds! Because he was too anxious and nervous, he bumped into the car door, and the maids and women behind him hurried forward to help him.

The guards behind Li Longye laughed unkindly like a goose.

I wasn’t blamed at all!

Li Longye also felt that this scene was very soothing.

Jiang Feng rushed into the west wing and even refused Jiang Fei's apology with rouge.

This Li Longye's eyes were as bright as a thief's, and he definitely had bad intentions. He was definitely not someone she could afford to offend. The princes and nobles had many wives and concubines, and they had all kinds of beauties they wanted. Now that she was in the desolate Liangzhou, it was possible for her to be tempted by something new. She just wanted to stay away from him and never see him again, and maybe that would be enough.

She wanted to go to Jiang's mother's Buddhist temple immediately to pray and pray that in this spring when all things flourish, the bearded man's hormones would be secreted less!

Knowing that brother-in-law Liu was fine, she stayed at home even more, fiddling with her picture books every day, one of which was "Dream of the Red Chamber" and the other was "Doraemon". She was a master of imitation in her previous life, but now she has become an original creator.

Jiang's mother was not around, and when Old Lady Jiang saw her, she wanted to punish her. Jiang Feng was not very good, but Old Lady was so angry that she took Musk Heart Pills.

He simply didn't see her, ignored her, and saved her the trouble of greeting her every day. Jiang Feng was also happy and at ease, just killing time by himself.

When Jiang Lan's morning sickness was over and her fetus was stable, Madam Liu rushed back from her post, and Jiang's mother finally got away. Seeing that the house was in order, she couldn't help but feel secretly satisfied. Seeing that Jiang Feng had lost a lot of weight, she asked You Ran to ask him about it. Only then did she know that he had not eaten or drunk anything for more than a month, and it was good enough if he could eat a meal a day.

Jiang's mother didn't know that Jiang Feng was now facing internal and external troubles, and was hiding from the letters that Li Longye sent through various channels. The family had to be wary of Mrs. Jiang's "looking for trouble", and they were filled with fear and distress.

Jiang's mother had always been straightforward in educating Jiang Feng, without any consolation or guidance. Now because she didn't eat well, she scolded her, "You've been taking medicine since you were a child. I spent so much effort to raise you! But you, on the other hand, make trouble when I'm not around for a day, and you don't even eat well. Look at how skinny you are. You don't look blessed at all!"

Jiang's mother's scolding turned into a personal attack. Jiang Feng raised his head and looked at Jiang's mother with anger in her eyes. He slowly asked, "Why?"

Jiang's mother stopped her endless PUA and asked sternly, "What?"

Jiang Feng murmured, "Is it because I am alive and my brother is dead? Is it because I caused you to be unable to give birth to a son that you cannot hold your head up in front of grandma? Or is it because I refused to marry my cousin that you cannot maintain your relationship with your mother's family?"

Jiang's mother clutched the armrest tightly with a strange expression.

"You don't have any contact with my uncle, isn't it because you personally broke off the marriage between my eldest sister and that second-generation rich cousin? Why can't you do the same to me now?" Jiang Feng asked.

"Qingyuan is absurd, but Yuanhe is well-behaved. How can they be compared?!" Jiang's mother found the flaw and replied.

"How does cousin Yuanhe compare to Gao Hui?" Jiang Feng continued to ask. Gao Hui was better than Yuanhe in every way, and according to Jiang's mother's logic, she should marry Gao Hui.

"Gao Hui and your second sister were engaged when they were young! Even though you are my own flesh and blood, there is absolutely no reason for me to snatch someone else's marriage for you!" said Jiang's mother.

"Since it is an arranged marriage, is there a token of love? Did anyone from the Gao family or our family hear it on the spot? The saying that our two families have arranged an engagement is just what my grandmother said, and my mother just followed suit!" Jiang Feng replied with his neck straightened.

"Pa!" Jiang's mother didn't say anything, she stood up and slapped him hard.

Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound in her ears and a sweet taste in her mouth. She held back the tears in her eyes and ignored her red and swollen cheeks. She straightened her back and said, "So, you love your brothers and sisters very much, and they treat you as their own mother, so you want to be mother and son for a long time. You just hate me and want to send me away?"

Mother Jiang's right hand was shaking and numb. Jiang Feng's series of questions had made a hole in her heart, and it hurt so much. She looked at her daughter who was born after ten months of pregnancy. For the first time in more than ten years, she doubted her own behavior. Finally, for the first time, she softened her heart and explained patiently: "You know that Ah Hui was chosen by your grandmother! Your two brothers are Ah Fei's brothers from the same mother. That's the truth. If I force them to let you marry Ah Hui, you will never be able to return to your mother's family in this life! You will no longer have a mother's family to rely on!"

Jiang Feng showed sarcasm on her face and said, "My daughter is really flattered. Mother, you are planning this for my own good? But since my mother got married, she has cut off contact with my uncle because of my elder sister's marriage. She doesn't have any brothers from her natal family to rely on. Isn't she living a good life? If I get married, my natal family, parents and brothers behind me will only treat me as a burden and never stand up for me. What's the point of having such a natal family?"

"You are young and impetuous, and you don't understand many things." Jiang's mother murmured.

Jiang Feng smiled bitterly in his heart. What else did she not understand? She was not a child who could be easily fooled.

During this month, she had seen the situation clearly: Li Longye was a playboy and a dissolute man, and the palace was filled with one principal wife and four concubines; there was no possibility for her and Gao Hui. Not to mention Old Lady Jiang, if the Gao family knew of Li Longye's intentions, Aunt Gao would never marry her as a daughter-in-law.

Shen Guxing was the moon in the sky, and she was an ant on the ground. Although she never underestimated herself, she was also aware of the huge difference between the two.

Therefore, if she didn't want to be Li Longye's concubine, her cousin Yuanhe was her only choice.

This was a decision she made after more than a month of desperate struggle and resignation.

But this decision made her feel hopeless.

She felt relieved after confronting Jiang's mother. She calmed down, gathered her skirt, bowed down, and said slowly: "Mother, I agree to marry my cousin. If I can't marry him as soon as possible, it's also good to get engaged first."

Jiang's mother was surprised, and the girl's eyes were determined.

Why? Why did you suddenly change your mind?

After many years of negotiation, Jiang's mother hesitated when she finally agreed.

That night, Jiang's mother hesitantly told Jiang's father about the matter. After a long while, Jiang's father said, "You only have one daughter, and you are willing to marry her so far away."

Mother Jiang forced a smile and said, "Why only one daughter? Alan and Afei are also my daughters."

Father Jiang stopped talking.

After some time, when Jiang Fei was dragged to several banquets by the governor's wife, rumors of her marriage finally began to spread again. Jiang's father still favored Gao Hui.

Before the arrival of midsummer, Liu Nezhi and Jiang Zuo returned one after another. Liu Nezhi was promoted to the rank of Qingche Duwei for his meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion.

Jiang Zuoguan is appointed as the proofreader of the Secretariat and will take up the post soon.

The Jiang family received frequent good news, and Old Mrs. Jiang was so happy that her wrinkles deepened a little and she was no longer sickly.

As soon as Jiang Zuo came back, his father and mother sent the steward to Chang'an. Jiang Zuo was going to be an official in the capital, so they wanted to buy a house for their son in the capital.

Old Lady Jiang took her eldest grandson to look at him carefully. The teenager was a foreigner in Chang'an. Although he had a good relationship with Shen Guxing, he was still living under someone else's roof and looked much thinner. She couldn't help but shed tears. Then she thought that Jiang Zuo was more handsome than before, and he had passed the imperial examination and was awarded an official position. He must have a bright future. She cried again with joy. Poor Old Lady Jiang cried with joy and sadness, and her eyes became two peaches.

Although Jiang's mother was a stepmother, she had always loved Jiang Zuo and had high hopes for him. Although she could not express her emotions as freely as Jiang's mother, she was also kind-hearted and wanted to cry. Fei and Feng's eyes also turned red. Jiang's father had many feelings, but he was still restrained and said solemnly: "My son has won the first prize and brought honor to our Jiang family. I am very pleased."

After saying this, he could no longer suppress his excitement and wiped his eyes with his wide sleeves. This time, even Jiang You's eyes turned red.

After wiping it, Jiang's father continued to earnestly instruct: "In the future, when you serve as an official in the court, you must be diligent and self-disciplined, work hard day and night, report the emperor's grace and care for the people..."

He wanted to express his loyalty to the emperor and his patriotism, but he could not bear to see his son so exhausted, so he said, "Go wash up after all the traveling, and we'll talk later."

Jiang Zuo said goodbye and went out, Jiang You followed him out happily. Seeing that his two sons were full of vigor and had their own future, and that his two daughters were graceful, well-behaved and sensible, Jiang's father could finally comfort himself for wasting half his life. He said to Jiang's mother, "Zuo will be going to Beijing soon. I'm afraid that we will be apart more often than together in the future. Our family hasn't been lively for a long time. Why not take this opportunity? My mother-in-law has just returned from her post, and Alan's pregnancy is stable. We can just invite my mother-in-law, the eldest brother of the Gao family, General Guan and other close friends to have a gathering. Don't make a big fuss. If outsiders know and ask about it, just say it's a family dinner."

Jiang's mother thought about it for a moment and felt that it was feasible, so she went to make the arrangements without saying anything else.

Jiang Fei, Jiang Feng and Jiang You were fiddling with the earthenware that Jiang Zuo brought from Chang'an. Jiang Feng was watching it carefully, while Jiang You couldn't let go of the short knife inlaid with gems. Jiang Fei was absent-minded, and from time to time he looked into the main room and asked, "What did big brother want to say to father and mother? Why did he have to chase us out?"

Jiang Feng was studying a small Luban lock, and said without raising his head, "He must be planning how to find a suitable husband for me, why don't you go and listen?"

Before Jiang Fei could say anything, Jiang You held the dagger in his hand and said anxiously, "Ahui is hosting today and wants to invite big brother to drink at Wangshan Pavilion. Dou Lao Er also brought two singing girls bought from Yangzhou. Now everyone has gone, but big brother is talking to father and mother and hasn't come out for a long time."

Jiang Fei spat, "You hang out with Dou Ding all day, and even find someone to sing with you! Don't you have any elegant gatherings? Be careful that your father will whip you if he finds out."

Jiang You thought that among these people, only he and Gao Hui were self-disciplined. Listening to music was far from the moral bottom line.

"There are verdant mountains in the distance, gurgling water under the pavilion, the lingering voice of a beauty, and brothers drinking and chatting happily! Isn't this elegant? Father will never whip me for this!" Jiang You said with a smile.

Jiang Feng laughed and said, "Don't tarnish the word 'elegant'. You are just pretending to be elegant. How can you be elegant?"

Jiang Fei quickly nodded in agreement.

When it comes to verbal battles, Jiang You believes that he is no match for the two girls, and he is too lazy to argue with them. He just said, "What do you two little brats know! I'm going to find Ah Hui first. When Big Brother comes out, you can tell him."

Having said that, he lifted the door curtain and went out.