Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

After leaving Lan Yue Residence, Yan Nan strode towards the academy's ceremonial hall with lightning speed. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, his expression hurried, as if he had urgent business to attend to. When he reached a secluded spot, he suddenly stopped, looked around, and then whispered, "An Wu!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a dark figure emerged like a ghost from beneath a dense grove of trees not far away. This person was dressed in a black bodysuit, his face covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of gleaming eyes. In the blink of an eye, this person had arrived before Yan Nan Hui with the speed of the wind, kneeling on both knees and respectfully calling out, "Master!" Then, he quickly rose, standing quietly to the side with his hands at his sides, awaiting Yan Nan Hui's instructions.

Yan Nan nodded slightly, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes, and then said in a low voice, "Go and investigate carefully the maid named Dingding who is by Lan'er's side. Find out her background, her daily whereabouts, and who she associates with. Remember, this matter must not be leaked at all."

Upon hearing this, the man in black, known as Dark Five, respectfully replied, "Yes, Your subordinate obeys." With that, he flashed and disappeared back into the shade of the trees, vanishing without a trace.

Yan Nan slowly turned around, her gaze fixed on the direction of Lan Yue Residence, a faint smile appearing on her lips. That smile seemed to contain endless depths, making it difficult to decipher…

In Shaozhou City, a bustling and vibrant metropolis, Lin Dayou, the head of Zhenyuan Escort Agency, was busy at work. Suddenly, a subordinate rushed in and handed him a message from Jiang Nihuang. Lin Dayou took the message, quickly glanced at it, his expression changed slightly, and then he turned to leave.

However, just as he was about to step out the door, a waiter rushed in, looking flustered. The waiter was panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat. He came to Lin Dayou's side and whispered a few words in his ear.

Lin Dayou listened to his waiter's words, his brows gradually furrowing into a deep frown. His gaze became serious, as if he were pondering something important. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "I understand. This matter is of utmost importance. You continue to keep an eye on the situation over there, and report back immediately if there is any disturbance."

The man nodded hurriedly and replied, "Yes, boss! I understand." Then he turned and left in a hurry to carry out his orders.

After the waiter left, Lin Dayou pondered for a moment, then summoned several trusted men and instructed them to take the generous gifts he had prepared beforehand. Together, they rode swiftly towards the Jiang residence. Along the way, Lin Dayou secretly pondered the meaning behind Jiang Nihuang's message and the waiter's report…

At that very moment, in the spacious, bright, and magnificent hall of the Jiang family, several figures were already seated upright. Jiang Chunlai and his wife, Jiang Huangshi, sat at the head of the table, like two towering mountains, exuding majesty and solemnity. Below them sat their four children, each with their own unique temperament and demeanor.

The eldest son, Jiang Yanming, possessed striking features and a sturdy, upright posture, exuding an air of righteousness. The second son, Jiang Chang'an, however, was pale, as if hesitant to speak. The eldest daughter, Jiang Nihuang, was captivatingly beautiful, her eyes alluring and alluring; though over forty, she still possessed a youthful charm. The youngest daughter, Jiang Xiuzhi, was plump and radiant, her features equally captivating. Despite this, a solemn and oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire hall.

Just then, Jiang Chunlai, who had been silent all along, slowly opened his mouth. His slightly weary voice echoed in the room: "Regarding Jiang Zhuzhu's marriage, I'm sure everyone knows the whole story! The Yao family didn't even consult us before arranging Zhuzhu's marriage. It's too late now, there's no point in complaining. However, your mother and I have discussed it, and since that's the case, the second son's family definitely needs to separate and live separately. After all, we're getting older and our health isn't what it used to be. While we're still relatively agile, we should separate this family as soon as possible so that the children can each have something to strive for, right?"

At this point, Jiang Chunlai paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone, before continuing, "While our family may not be extremely wealthy, we would never mistreat any of our children. Nihuang and Xiuzhi, although you are both girls, our Jiang family has never held the old-fashioned idea of ​​favoring sons over daughters. The fields and deeds in Shaozhou City will be equally divided between the eldest and second sons' families. As for the capital, there's still a courtyard house and an estate left. You two sisters can discuss it carefully and see which one you want. As for us, the old man and woman..." For now, we'll live in this ancestral house. When we're gone, it will be left to the eldest son. Also, your mother's dowry will be equally distributed among her grandchildren after her passing. When the four heard this news, their hearts felt heavy, as if a huge boulder was pressing down on them. They had originally thought that if it weren't for Jiang Zhuzhu's unexpected turn of events, they could have waited until Jiang Chunlai and Jiang Huangshi passed away before considering dividing the family property. After all, logically speaking, that would have been the most appropriate time.

It's important to understand that the Jiang family was different from other families; they didn't have the strong patriarchal mindset that often favored sons over daughters. Even if Jiang Chunlai were to pass away one day, Jiang Yanming and Jiang Chang'an, as the sons of the family, would certainly divide the inheritance fairly among their two younger sisters, ensuring they received their rightful share. This kind of family atmosphere was truly rare and precious at the time.

However, the current situation is that Jiang Chunlai and Jiang Huangshi, though still in relatively good health, are forced by circumstances to face the thorny issue of dividing the family property ahead of schedule. This is undoubtedly a huge blow and a helpless move for the four siblings. At this moment, Jiang Nihuang's fiery temper could no longer be contained. Her eyebrows furrowed, her almond eyes widened, and she angrily rebuked, "This Yao family is simply too much! They act so unethically, why do they insist on forcing our Jiang family to divide the property? In my opinion, if anyone should be divided, it should be Second Brother. Anyway, I'm not willing to divide the family property now! Our father and mother are still in good health, it's not like it's time to divide the property!"

Jiang Xiuzhi had always been Jiang Nihuang's little follower. Now that her third sister had expressed her opinion, she naturally wouldn't be outdone and quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes, my sister and I think the same way! With parents in such good health, why rush into dividing the family property? Besides, they even went to the trouble of calling my sister back from so far away! I also think it's enough to separate my second brother, otherwise his daughter Zhuzhu might not even be able to find a husband!"

The eldest son, Jiang Yanming, was always taciturn. Seeing his two younger sisters express their opinions, he slowly stood up, respectfully cupped his hands towards Jiang Chunlai and Jiang Huangshi, and said in a gentle voice, “Father, Mother, although what my two sisters said earlier was somewhat angry, it wasn’t entirely without reason. Now that our parents are both alive and well, it’s really inappropriate to be so eager to seek official intervention to divide the family property. However, since the Yao family has already agreed to the marriage with Jiang Zhuzhu, in my opinion, either let the Yao family handle the entire wedding banquet, or simply separate my second brother’s family. This way, we can ensure that Jiang Zhuzhu’s life-long happiness isn’t delayed.”

Then, looking at Jiang Chang'an, she said, "Second brother, what do you say? Although you were unaware of this matter, Yao Shi and Jiang Zhuzhu have gone too far, now even forcing us to the point of dividing the family." Jiang Chang'an felt embarrassed in front of everyone because of Jiang Zhuzhu's matter. So he said, "This matter was originally my fault for not managing the family properly. I agree to separate our second branch. Jiang Zhuzhu's wedding can be handled by our second branch, and we will definitely not bring shame to the Jiang family again." Jiang Chunlai interrupted, "You will definitely handle the wedding, but while everyone is here, let someone come and process the family division documents first thing tomorrow morning." Then he waved his hand, signaling his eldest son to go to the study with him. Jiang Huangshi also pulled Jiang Nihuang and Jiang Xiuzhi into the inner courtyard. Jiang Chang'an was left alone in the hall. Jiang Chang'an slowly raised his cup, drank a sip of the now-cold tea, then slowly stood up, called a servant to help him, and got into the carriage to go to Yanliu Lane.

In the antique-style study, filled with the faint scent of ink, Jiang Chunlai looked solemnly at Jiang Yanming and said earnestly, "Yanming, from now on, the Jiang family will depend on you! You know your second brother is too weak-willed and can't control Yao Shi at all. Plus, Jiang Zhuzhu has committed such a serious offense; their second branch will likely face many difficulties in the future, and might cause a major mess someday. So, if they really have financial difficulties, please lend a hand if you can. But remember one thing: under no circumstances should you help them at the expense of the rest of the Jiang family! Our Jiang family is a large family; the interests and safety of each individual are paramount. We must not sacrifice the greater good for a small gain!"

"Father, I know. Even if you didn't say anything, I would do everything in our family's power to help my second brother if he needs anything in the future. But I've thought about this for a long time and still can't understand why the Yao family would do it, knowing it would offend our Jiang family. If it's because they care about Jiang Zhuzhu, I don't think so." Jiang Chunlai had been troubled by Jiang Zhuzhu's marriage these past few days. Hearing his eldest son's words, he finally understood. The Yao family was related to him by marriage. Although his wife, Huang, didn't treat Yao like a daughter, she treated her better than most families. Huang was gentle and didn't like to get involved in things. Most of the household affairs were handled by the head housekeeper. So, the notions of tormenting daughters-in-law, constantly demanding morning and evening tea, punishing them by making them copy the "Women's Precepts" or kneel in the ancestral hall, simply don't exist in the Jiang family. Moreover, both Jiang Chunlai and Yao Chunlai have retired to their hometowns, and there are no political conflicts between them. Currently, Yao Chunlai's son is an official in the capital, while Jiang Chunlai's only son-in-law, Wu De, is also an official there—one a civil official, the other a military general. Even if they could attend court together every day, they wouldn't be able to interact. "Yanming, what you said reminds me. There's something fishy about this. Find out what's going on later." After saying this, Jiang Chunlai added, "Remember to inquire discreetly."

"Yes. I understand," Jiang Yanming replied. Then the father and son summoned the steward and had him organize all the land deeds and field deeds for the house. They kept the deeds for the manor and old house in the capital separately and sent them to Jiang Huangshi and the others. The steward was then tasked with verifying the remaining deeds.

Meanwhile, Jiang Huangshi received three land deeds, carefully storing the one for the Jiang family ancestral home. She then took out the deeds for the house in the capital and the estate, asking her two daughters, "How do you two plan to divide this?" Jiang Xiuzhi, having lived in the capital for a long time, knew the estate was more valuable than the house, but didn't want to say it outright. So she said to Jiang Nihuang, "Sister, my family has a house in the capital. If I want the estate, I'll give you the house deed. Then Mu An will have a place to stay when he goes to the capital." Jiang Nihuang had grown up with Jiang Xiuzhi and knew her little scheme. However, Jiang Xiuzhi was right; Mu An would be going to the capital next year to participate in the palace examination and would indeed need a place to stay. After all, they were sisters; a little more or less didn't matter much. So she said, "Alright, then I'll take the house." She then picked up the house deed and looked at it. The location was decent. Jiang Huangshi looked at her two daughters. She had initially thought her eldest daughter would want the estate, since anyone with eyes could see that an estate was much more expensive than a house. Fortunately, she and her husband had prepared in advance. She asked, "Is everything settled? No changes planned?" Hearing this, Jiang Xiuzhi quickly replied, "No changes! Sister wants the house, I want the estate!" Jiang Huangshi, seeing her youngest daughter like this, felt a real headache coming on. Jiang Xiuzhi was a good person at heart, just a little greedy. However, both daughters were equally dear to her, and she couldn't let her eldest daughter suffer a loss, so she said to the nanny beside her, "Go to the dressing table and bring me that red box."

After the nanny brought the box over, Jiang Huangshi pushed it towards Jiang Nihuang, saying, "Our family's properties are mostly in Shaozhou City. Now that you're all married out, it's not easy to manage the properties here. We only have one estate and one courtyard in the capital. The estate is almost twice as expensive as the house, so when we divided the property, I discussed it with your father. Whoever gets the house will get seven thousand taels of silver. Nihuang, you keep this money." Actually, even with the seven thousand taels, getting the estate would still be more advantageous. So when Jiang Huangshi gave her the silver notes, Jiang Xiuzhi didn't say anything. Jiang Nihuang took the silver notes and smiled, saying, "That's perfect. Mu'an and his sister, one gets the house, and the other gets the silver notes. It'll save us trouble dividing the house later." Jiang Huangshi hadn't expected Jiang Nihuang to be the one who suffered a loss in the end, so she didn't say anything. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "What do you think about Jiang Zhuzhu's marriage?"

Jiang Xiuzhi said, "I really don't know what Zhuzhu is thinking. Putting aside the fact that this man is so much younger, the key point is that he might be the product of an affair between an uncle and his sister-in-law. Jiang Zhuzhu is, after all, a granddaughter of the Jiang family. How could she be so blind? Even finding a widower of similar social standing would be better than this."

Jiang Nihuang shook her head, "This matter isn't actually that difficult. If the Gu family had properly proposed marriage, it would have been fine. The key issue is that my grandparents are still alive, yet they went to my maternal family to propose. The Jiang family is not at fault; the Gu and Yao families are. If it weren't for the blood ties, they would have simply removed Jiang Zhuzhu from the family register, and that would have been the end of it. Now it's too late to say anything. Father and Mother, please be at peace and don't blame my second brother anymore. I noticed he didn't look too good today." Jiang Huangshi then remembered her second son, who had been frail and sickly since childhood. Many people said he was incredibly lucky to marry Yao, but he had ended up in this state. It would have been better if she had let him marry the daughter of a disgraced official. The three chatted for a while longer before the two sisters finished their meal in Huangshi's courtyard and left.