When my vicious stepmother mistakenly married me to the Immortal Lord

Xiuyun followed closely behind, and the three of them walked through the winding corridors and headed towards the warehouse.

On the way, we passed a martial arts training ground.

In the morning light, several young servants in tight clothes were practicing martial arts diligently. The swords flashed like weaving threads, the fists whistled, and each move was full of power and rhythm, which attracted Jiang Song to take a few more glances.

These people seemed to be quite skilled in martial arts, and every attack and defense seemed well-trained, which was beyond the reach of ordinary security guards.

"Young Madam, these are the Second Young Miss's sparring partners. The Second Young Miss has loved martial arts since she was young, and she is also exceptionally talented. She is deeply loved by the Master and the Madam, so they specially invited a famous teacher to guide her and train this group of elite soldiers."

Jiang Song's heart moved slightly. The "Second Miss" that Xie Ruyi mentioned was Xie Changyan's sister Xie Yunni.

Xie Yunni's name is prominently listed on the top ten list of Fengwu Academy this year. She is indeed a woman who should not be underestimated.

"So that's how it is. The second young lady is studying in the academy now?" Jiang Song asked casually. He had been in Xie's house for two days and indeed had not seen the second young lady.

"Well, after attending the Young Master and Young Madam's wedding banquet, I returned to Fengwu Academy early yesterday morning."

"The Second Young Miss is not only exceptional in martial arts, but also among the best in her studies. She is the pride of our Xie family..."

Speaking of his second young lady, Xie Ruyi seemed to have a lot to say, but soon he suddenly remembered something, stopped talking, and smiled a little awkwardly.

"Oh, I made a mistake. I shouldn't have brought up such a topic. However, there's no need to worry too much about the fact that Young Madam missed the Fengwu Academy selection for some reason. She'll still have a chance to shine next year."

"Don't worry, if you want to try again, Master, Madam, and even the Young Master will fully support you."

Xie Ruyi had also heard a little about Jiang Song's affairs, so she kept trying to make amends so as not to hurt Jiang Song's feelings.

However, Jiang Song just smiled calmly, without any ripples in his heart. "Thank you for your kindness, Ruyi. I have my own plans."

"If the young lady still wants to continue studying martial arts, she can seek guidance from the second young lady in private. She is proficient in spearmanship and her swordsmanship is also unparalleled. She will definitely be able to give the young lady a lot of guidance."

"Although the Second Miss has a straightforward personality, she is extremely caring towards her family. If the Young Madam is interested, she will definitely not refuse."

Xie Ruyi saw that Jiang Song did not show any displeasure, so he made his suggestion with confidence.

"Ruyi is absolutely right. If I have the chance, I will definitely ask the Second Miss for advice."

The three continued forward and soon arrived at the warehouse.

An old housekeeper had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Jiang Song coming, he hurried forward and bowed respectfully, "Young Madam, the gifts have been prepared according to the gift list. Please review them."

As the old butler spoke, he led them into the warehouse.

The warehouse is filled with all kinds of treasures, silks, medicinal herbs, tea and wine, all neatly classified and placed on the shelves.

In the imperial capital, those official families called the Xie family a declining aristocracy, but in fact, the Xie family just had no children holding important positions in officialdom. Their background and wealth should not be underestimated.

The treasures in the warehouse are a testament to the Xie family's accumulation over generations.

What's more, the Xie family's private property is spread all over the country. From the prosperous imperial capital to the remote countryside, there are Xie family's industries and fields, which shows their economic strength.

However, people have always only paid attention to those families active in the court. For low-key giants like the Xie family, they often only know their names but not their depth.

The gifts needed for tomorrow's visit have been placed in sixteen wooden boxes. Each box is covered with red paper, on which the contents of the box are neatly written with ink.

Jiang Song checked them one by one and saw precious coral ornaments, fine silk brocade, rare medicinal supplements, and several jars of aged fine wine produced by the Xie family.

"Young Madam, these gifts are prepared according to the specifications of the return gifts for the dukes and marquises in the capital. Please take a look and see if there is anything that needs to be added or adjusted?" The old butler waited on the side, awaiting Jiang Song's instructions.

Jiang Song pretended to examine them. "These gifts are already very comprehensive. There's no need to add anything else. Thank you, butler, for your trouble in preparing them."

She recalled that when she got married from the Marquis of Anding's Mansion the day before, the so-called "dowry" was not even as good as the share of the first and second-class maids in the mansion, and she couldn't help but sigh.

At that time, the eight boxes were filled with some ordinary clothes, jewelry and a few worthless ornaments. Compared with the return gifts prepared by the Xie family today, there was a world of difference.

The Xie family's wedding reception and the entire wedding ceremony were very perfunctory. Only one day later, they prepared such a generous return gift. What was the meaning?

Forget it. Jiang Song couldn't understand what kind of tricks these powerful people were playing, so he decided not to delve into it and just focus on doing his own job.

"In that case, I will arrange for people to load these gifts onto the truck and send them to the Marquis of Anding's Mansion tomorrow morning." The old butler bowed in response and then turned around to arrange matters.

*

Anding Marquis Mansion, Fanghua Courtyard.

The night was deep and the courtyard was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of birds and the long and dull sound of the night watchman in the distance.

Jiang Buli soaked his feet in the warm medicinal soup. His wife Du Shulan loosened her clothes and was massaging his sore shoulders and neck with gentle and delicate movements.

Jiang Buli closed his eyes, enjoying his wife's gentle care, "Shulan, are Song'er and the others coming over tomorrow?"

Du Shulan paused for a moment, "Yes, it's coming. The Xie Mansion's steward has already sent someone to pass on the message today."

"Shulan, let Yun'er stay in her own yard tomorrow and don't come out."

"Master, I understand what you mean." Du Shulan sighed softly and continued her movements, with a hint of helplessness and pity in her tone.

"Yun'er... she's been in a bad mood ever since Song'er got married. Although she doesn't say it, she must be reluctant to leave her sister. It would be better to let her stay away."

Jiang Buli opened his eyes and looked out the window at the pitch-black night sky, his brow furrowed. "The Xie family's wish is that this marriage will fall to Yun'er. Ultimately, we made a mistake in our promise, so it's best not to cause any more trouble."

Du Shulan stopped what she was doing and sat down next to Jiang Buli. "Does the Marquis feel guilty? Or are you blaming me for letting Song'er marry him?"

"Shulan, why are you talking about this out of the blue?" Jiang Buli turned around and held Du Shulan's hand, his tone filled with helplessness and comfort, "You know very well that's not what I meant."

"It's Song'er's blessing to marry into the Xie family. The Xie family is noble and has a deep foundation. Even if Xie Changyan is a little frail, this marriage is still a great opportunity for a concubine like her."

Seeing Jiang Buli's apologetic look, Du Shulan quickly brainwashed him again to prevent him from feeling sorry for Jiang Song the next day.

"What's more, the Xie family has clearly stated that after Xie Changyan's death, Song'er can marry someone else as his legal wife, and the Xie family will prepare a generous dowry for her to ensure she has no worries about food and clothing for the rest of her life."

"This arrangement is extremely thoughtful. What else can we be dissatisfied with?"

Jiang Buli was silent for a moment after hearing Du Shulan's words, then sighed softly, "You're right, this marriage is indeed a good destination for Song'er. But... I always feel a little sorry for her."

"My Lord, could you bear to let our Yun'er marry a sickly man and live a life of widowhood? Yun'er is your own daughter, how could you bear to let her suffer such an injustice?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Buli fell silent.

Of course he couldn't bear to see Jiang Jun suffer any injustice, but Jiang Song had just lost his mother and was pushed out to take the blame. To be honest, he didn't feel good either.

What's more, there is a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and between close and distant relatives... His heart leaned towards his legitimate daughter Jiang Yun, whom he had carefully raised and nurtured, without hesitation.

"Forget it, now that things have come to this, there's no point in saying more." Jiang Buli waved his hand, unwilling to continue the topic. "It's getting late, Shulan, let's go."

Seeing this, Du Shulan knew that Jiang Buli had made up his mind, so she said no more and got up to help him rest.