newbobooks Chapter 281 Returning to the Jiang Family
Chapter 281 Returning to the Jiang Family
Jiang Yunze was dressed in a scarlet official robe, which was empty.
But he was very charming.
However, he looked very haggard.
He glanced at Lu Qingyao and her son indifferently and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
Then they went straight into the courtyard.
He summoned everyone in the family to the main hall.
The divorce of the head of the household and the matriarch is a major event that requires witnesses. Originally, the clan elders should have been invited, but the Jiang family's situation was special.
During the chaos of war in the previous dynasty, the Jiang family fled south to escape disaster. Some died and others scattered, leaving only the lineage of the grandfather and his brothers. Now, only the cousin and Uncle Fu's family remain.
Because of what my mother did to my cousin, the peace we have now is only on the surface.
At least that's what Jiang Yunze thinks.
After all, the cousin had already accepted the dowry gift for his niece.
I heard that Lu Qingyao got along well with them, and since she was the one who proposed the divorce, he didn't need to worry about the clansmen.
Once the divorce agreement is signed, it must be submitted to the government to change the household registration.
There is no need to ask the clansmen for anything.
Returning to the Jiang family for the first time in three years, Lu Qingyao still felt somewhat lost.
It's ridiculous, really. This house was clearly her dowry from her parents, but now that she's here, it feels like she's in someone else's house.
Indeed, no matter how nice the house is, it's not home when there are no family members around.
At that time, Jiang Yunze saved up several hundred taels of silver over several years through his salary, rewards, and the sale of calligraphy and paintings. He then rented a decent little house in the city.
At his age and with his talent, he was already considered outstanding among his peers from impoverished backgrounds.
The future is limitless.
Because of his handsome appearance, he was once extremely popular.
After all, everyone loves to see beautiful things, especially energetic and handsome young men, which has caused a lot of gossip and disputes.
Looking back now, there must have been a reason why Jiang Yunze approached her and the Lu family.
Her father, a general in charge of the Northern Garrison, was very protective of his daughter and eager to get rid of her reputation as a shrew. He had always wanted to find her a family with a scholarly background.
However, the families of civil officials, who were considered suitable for marriage, looked down on her family.
But then he met Jiang Yunze, a handsome and talented young man who was also the man his daughter liked, so the father also fell in love with him because of his daughter.
Martial arts practitioners are not particular about formalities and do not have such strong social class concepts. They treat this son-in-law like their own son.
But little did she and her father know that Jiang Yunze was hypocritical and greedy, not the refined and handsome young man they saw on the surface.
Feng'er was only two years old when this person used a scheme to take Qi Caiwei into the family, thus gaining the support of the Qi family.
Ironically, even though Jiang Yunze despised this woman from the bottom of his heart, he still went to great lengths to marry her for the sake of power and fame.
It's hard to say whether to call him a man who endures humiliation or one who is treacherous and cunning.
After Lu Qingyao saw everything clearly, she felt a great sense of relief.
Looking around, the house hadn't changed much; it was still the same as when she left.
After all, she had spent a lot of time and money decorating this courtyard, and even if the family didn't like it, they couldn't bear to rebuild it.
She looked at the courtyard and, for some reason, the courtyard that she had arranged according to her own preferences before now seemed utterly boring.
Perhaps this wasn't what she originally liked; she was just young then and didn't understand what true liking was, so she just followed the trend.
Even if we were to return to this house now, the children probably wouldn't want to live there.
It's not what they like.
Jiang Miaomiao looked around the garden and couldn't see any trace of her mother.
My mother loves large, flat meadows and big fish ponds.
It's a place where you can raise animals, grow vegetables, barbecue, ride horses, play Cuju (an ancient Chinese football game), go boating on the lake, and fish, rather than a secluded, beautiful garden.
There's nothing you can do here anyway.
The house in Jiangzhou was better than their current house.
Inside the main hall of the Jiang family home.
The whole family sat there neatly.
Besides the two brothers who were unable to attend, there was also Jiang Zipei, who was far away in Jiangzhou, and Jiang Zifeng, who had already set off for the expedition.
Even the youngest, Jiang Zishu, was carried out.
Jiang Miaomiao looked at her.
It was tiny, with its dark eyes darting around curiously, looking in all directions.
The chubby little hands and feet waved vigorously, while it made babbling noises.
It seems they want to get down on the ground.
But Tao Tao held her youngest daughter tightly, coaxing her with a rag doll and refusing to let her get down from the ground.
The baby was still a little unhappy holding the doll, pouting and struggling in her mother's arms.
Tao Tao had no other choice.
He would occasionally glance up at Old Mrs. Jiang.
She shouldn't have come, nor did she want to; she just wanted to stay in the backyard and quietly take care of her daughter.
I don't want to get involved in these things.
Because she now understands that as long as Grandma Jiang and Qi Caiwei are alive...
She has no say in this family.
Whether they divorce or not, she will never be the matriarch of the Jiang family.
But Grandma Jiang insisted on having her come.
Tao Tao knew perfectly well that the old lady wanted to use Lu Shi's divorce to give her a warning.
I wanted to show her how miserable it is for a woman to be disliked by her husband's family.
How terrible...
She did see it back in Taoxi Village.
The dilapidated houses and furniture transformed a once-wealthy heiress into a peasant woman.
She must be sick to enjoy seeing people in miserable condition.
But now, looking at them, she didn't see how miserable they were at all; on the contrary, they were radiant and full of energy.
Especially the little girl next to Lu Qingyao, she didn't look like she came from the countryside at all, but rather like a young lady raised in a noble family.
It will probably be quite something in the future.
There are also Lu Qingyao's two sons, who are already scholars at a young age.
Scholar!
Her deceased father spent most of his life taking the imperial examinations, but he was still only a novice scholar.
This isn't tragic at all; it's downright enviable!
Lu Qingyao entered the house, ignoring whether Old Madam Jiang's face was dark or not, she directly found a place to sit down with the child.
There was no formality or ceremony.
Before Old Madam Jiang and Jiang Yunze could speak, Qi Caiwei said, "Madam Lu, you haven't even left the Jiang family yet, and you're already so disrespectful to your elders and husband. Don't you have any respect for your mother-in-law?"
Lu Qingyao raised her eyebrows. "Yes, I haven't left the Jiang family yet. Even a concubine is still a secondary wife. Shouldn't you and Jin'er pay your respects to us?"
Qi Caiwei felt a little embarrassed in front of Tao Tao.
She usually considers herself the legal wife.
Enraged, she retorted, "Lu Qingyao, who do you think you are? A daughter of the General's Mansion? What right do you have to point fingers at me, daughter of a disgraced official? Without the Jiang family, you are nothing but a despised and abandoned woman."
Lu Qingyao laughed: "Oh! So you mean you don't want me to divorce you and continue being the matriarch of your Jiang family?"
Qi Caiwei was speechless, somewhat regretting what she had just said, and shut her mouth, holding back her words.
Jiang Zijin tugged at her mother, somewhat speechless.
The goal today is to make Lu Qingyao leave the Jiang family completely.
But her mother couldn't help but start talking nonsense again.
Tao Tao wanted to laugh, but she didn't dare show it on her face.
This is the first time I've seen Qi Caiwei get the short end of the stick in front of someone. Lu Qingyao is really something!
When Grandma Jiang looked at Lu Qingyao, she didn't see the dejected state she had imagined; instead, she looked even more radiant, which made her feel somewhat depressed.
She didn't like this daughter-in-law from the beginning. She was never good at saying nice things and was even less willing to show her filial piety. She was extremely stingy.
She hadn't originally planned for Lu Qingyao to pay her respects today, but she was still waiting for her grandchildren to do so.
He is her son's flesh and blood, and even if they are not close, he is still her grandson.
As a result, the two little brats completely ignored her presence and didn't even bother to call out to her.
Grandma Jiang's face turned green with anger as she complained to her son, "Aze, look at the good son and daughter you raised! Don't they have any manners?"
Jiang Yunze couldn't bear to upset his mother. Looking at the three of them, he scolded, "Qingyao, how have you been teaching your children all these years? Don't they even want to acknowledge their own father and grandmother anymore? How can such an unfilial and disrespectful person ever become an official?"
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