Only after watching Jiang Jing following Hu Hong to the drawing room, did Jiang Mao take Su Qingbai back.
After sending Su Qingbai back to his room, Jiang Mao immediately came to the drawing room, where Jiang Jing had sat waiting for him.
The two sat down.
“I wonder what happened for Third Elder Brother coming to my house today?” Offense was already made, and Jiang Mao was not courteous towards him, so he asked directly.
Jiang Jing picked up the tea that the pageboy had brought. It was the hottest time of the year. Although the tea was not very hot, it was still a bit too hot to gulp down. Jiang Jing blew it a little before taking a mouthful and then got right to the point. “As the elder brother, I would like to ask you a favor.”
Jiang Mao looked at him with some surprise. As far as he knew, Jiang Jing was the most powerful of all the princes, not to mention, he had also roped in many officials in the past two years. It was only between them that they had practically broken off. Jiang Jing was in trouble; why wouldn"t it be his turn to help?
It was very inconceivable.
Jiang Jing lowered his head and smiled with an unintelligible smile. Then he gripped his cup tightly. Suddenly, his expression turned fierce as he gritted his teeth and said, “I want to pull Du Cheng down.”
Jiang Mao was even more surprised. Du Cheng was Jiang Jing"s greatest helper. If Jiang Jing wanted to overthrow Du Cheng, it was simply a self-destruction of the Great Wall.
When one was asking for help, one nevertheless had to provide sincerity. Jiang Jing explained the reason to him, “One month ago, I happened to discover that Du Cheng bribed the people who served me. All along, he had been instructing them to slip me drugs for five years.”
“What will he benefits from it?” If it was true, then Jiang Mao felt a little incomprehension towards the maternal uncle and nephew. The old emperor was dying, so Du Cheng could only rely on Jiang Jing now. If Jiang Jing died, it would be harmful to him and not beneficial at all.
Jiang Mao didn"t believe it.
“Benefits?” Jiang Jing bowed his head and sneered, “My good uncle, the drug he prescribed won"t kill me overnight, but it"s hard to say about later. While helping me, he harming me, and when I take the throne, he will sit and receive the profits of the fisherman.”
In fact, Jiang Jing didn"t tell all the facts. It was too hard to tell.
Du Cheng didn"t really want to kill him, but gave him drug to make him lose fertility.
This kind of thing was intolerable to any man. Jiang Jing clenched his fist and pinched his nails into the flesh. If there were no descendants, what"s the meaning of his sitting on the throne? After a hundred years, he was not going to give the throne to others.
Every time he thought about it, he would like to kill Du Cheng immediately. He really couldn"t endure the nausea every day, going on with Du Cheng"s hypocritical show of affection.
Jiang Jing came to Jiang Mao for help because he knew that Jiang Mao and Du Cheng had a lot of friction and conflicts of interest.
Naturally Jiang Mao couldn"t promise him just like that. Who knew if this was Jiang Jing"s trap? If this was a play performed by them, the uncle and nephew, was it not their plan that he rashly agreed to it?
Jiang Jing probably guessed what he was thinking and rushed to say to him, “You can rest a.s.sured that this prince will not deceive you, I will let you see my sincerity. At that time, I will start to move first, I only hope you can cooperate with me then.”
Jiang Mao looked into Jiang Jing"s eyes for a long time before he said, “I can only say that if you really move a hand against Du Cheng, I"ll give you a hand.”
Jiang Jing burst out with a laugh. “Will do.”
Jiang Jing sipped a mouthful of tea and suddenly looked up and asked Jiang Mao, “By the way, who was that Gongzi just now? How come I"ve never seen him before?”
Jiang Mao grinned. “Just a n.o.body, who won"t enter Third Elder Brother"s eyes.”
On one side, Lin Feng, who standing behind Jiang Jing, hesitated and stared at Jiang Mao"s murderous gaze while saying, “It"s Su Lingchuan"s family third Gongzi.”
Jiang Jing smiled and looked at Jiang Mao dangerously. “Fourth Brother, you are so bold to dare to bring criminal subject into the capital privately.”
Hearing that, Jiang Mao looked at him coldly. The tiny and fragile cup in his hand was suddenly crushed by him. Next moment, the drawing room was surrounded by a circle of private soldiers in Jiang Mao"s residence.
Jiang Jing looked around at the people and his face turned a little white. “Fourth Brother, what are you doing?”
Jiang Mao looked at Jiang Jing dangerously and said nothing.
Jiang Jing looked at Jiang Mao. Was this intending to kill him?
Jiang Mao did think so. He dared to bring Su Qingbai into the capital because he believed that no one would offend Su Qingbai even if he was recognized because Yue w.a.n.g himself was in the Third Prince"s faction, but he never expected that Jiang Jing would suddenly come to his home in person and so happen to meet Su Qingbai.
“Hahahaha.” Suddenly, Jiang Jing laughed, and then said amenably, “Fourth Brother, this prince is joking with you. Prime Minister Su was dubbed a false accusation, so Su Gongzi is not a criminal.”
“Right, since the man is Su Gongzi, trouble Fourth Brother to call him in.” Jiang Jing suddenly turned to the topic and said, “This prince sent people to invite Prime Minister Su; that is the wife"s family of Prime Minister Su"s second son. I haven"t heard from them for months. I wonder if Su Gongzi has seen them.”
“Unfortunately.” Jiang Mao smiled lukewarm. “The Sun"s father and son happened to be met by me. They tried to raise hands towards me, and they also spoke rudely. I let people throw them out with a broken leg.”
As soon as he left Yue w.a.n.g Residence, Jiang Jing"s face suddenly became ugly. “Jiang Mao really doesn"t take this prince in his eyes.” His people was said to be hit, then it meant they were hit, said to be crippled then they were crippled.
With that, Jiang Jing stopped and turned to Lin Feng and said, “You go and get the Sun"s father and son back.” Getting back the Sun"s father and son could win the hearts of the people and on another hand; they could annoy Jiang Mao.
After commanding Lin Feng, Jiang Jing suddenly thought of Su Qingbai. His eyes darkened. He thought he would not have to worry about Jiang Mao, but who knew when Jiang Mao pulled the three sons of Su Lingchuan together?
Border town, small mountain village.
“The Su people have done me such a terrible harm that I will not let them go.” With that, Sun Zhe grabbed the visitor"s arm and pleaded, “Please, I request Brother Lou to help me.”
The man opposite was Lou Ningyu. He helped as a support to Sun Zhe and sighed, “Brother Sun, Su Qingbai once spoiled my younger sister"s marriage. I also don"t like him, but I am unable to do anything about it. It"s not that I won"t help you, it"s just that Third Prince made a special instruction before I came, that is to not mess with Su Family.” After thinking about it, he said again, “Look at the situation, Su Lingchuan is likely to rise again. Let"s leave him alone.”
Sun Zhe"s face shown dissatisfaction and he hammered his chest. “Is it impossible?”
Lou Ningyu sighed, which was the default of yes.
Border town, mountain village.
Su Lingchuan grabbed the running little child and fished him into his embrace before pointing to a painting and asked the child, “Who is this?”
The little child was Su Caicai. He squeezed into Su Lingchuan"s arms and rubbed against him. Then he pointed his tender small finger to the eye of the person on the painting, and said in a long tone, “Dad~~~ ~”
Su Lingchuan caressed his beard and nodded satisfactorily.
The grandson was still young and under two years old. He was afraid that his grandson would forget his own father, so he drew a portrait of Su Qingbai and told him that this was his dad, so that he would not forget it.
As for Jiang Mao, the other father of Su Caicai… that"s not what he could manage.
Satisfactorily smiling, Su Lingchuan arranged the hair on Su Caicai"s forehead, who sat down on his lap. He narcissistically thought that his little grandson was really smart.
The next moment, Su Lingchuan didn"t think so. Su Lingchuan looked over and finally his eyes fell on Su Caicai"s paw. Under Su Caicai"s fingertips, Su Qingbai"s nose had been cut a hole with his little finger.
Su Lingchuan grabbed the chubby little hand and took it away. The nose was cut out by the child.
Su Lingchuan couldn"t resist slapping his little a.s.s. This little kid was as active as his dad was when he was a kid, always wanted to claw everything he saw.
He picked up the painting to look at it. It took a long time to paint it and it was going to have to be redrawn.
“Grandpa――”
It was the eldest grandson, Su Huai, calling from outside.
Su Lingchuan went out in a hurry only to see Su Huai came with a couple of lotus seed heads to hand them to him. “Grandpa, I just picked them. In the evening, you and Grandma can cook congee with this.”
Su Lingchuan took it over. After he thought about it, he handed Su Caicai to Su Huai. “Grandpa has something to do here. You take your brother to play with you.”
Su Huai was somewhat reluctant. “Grandpa, Caicai is too young to play with me.”
Su Lingchuan put forth the dignity of the family head and stared at him. “You"re the older brother and Grandpa is busy at the moment. Can"t you help looking after the younger brother?”
When grandpa said it like that, even if Su Huai was reluctant, he had to agree.
Watching Su Huai leave with Su Caicai in his arms, Su Lingchuan breathed a sigh of relief as he rubbed his temple, and then turned back to his room to lay in bed for a nap.
The little person Caicai, the bigger he was, the more he torments people. Su Lingchuan couldn"t bear it any more.
It was not the first time Su Huai played with Su Caicai. As usual, he went to Su Caicai"s home, took some toys from Su Caicai"s room, grabbed a few candies that Jiang Mao had people prepared and stuffed them into Su Caicai"s pocket in front of his stomach. Then he carried the toys and Caicai to the place where children often gathered under the willow trees in the village.
It was said that Su Huai accompanied Su Caicai to play, but in fact it was not necessarily so. Su Caicai also had familiar playmates. No sooner had Su Huai put Su Caicai down, Su Caicai himself ran away, and then found a few people to build a pile.
Su Huai stayed under a big tree not far away and a few figures walked slowly past him. He didn"t pay much attention to them but all of a sudden he came to realize and looked up sharply. Once he looked at them carefully, he could no longer sit down. Those people were actually the broken legged Sun Zhe and several people that were carrying him. Without thinking about it, Su Huai ran back with Su Caicai in his arms.
Tailing after Sun Zhe, sure enough, they went all the way to his own home.
Su Ersao, who was drying diapers at the door, noticed that the moving crowd.
“What are you doing in our house?” This was Su Huai, who came holding Su Caicai tightly, said in wariness. “The last time broke the leg, this time are you intended that we should break the arm?”
Meanwhile, a dozen or so big men suddenly appeared and surrounded Sun Zhe, all of whom were arranged by Jiang Mao.
Looking at the circle of people, Sun Zhe"s forehead was cold sweating, but he still forced calmness, “What are you doing? I"m leaving, this time just to see my younger sister.”
“Brother――” Su Ersao stood in the doorframe with face tinged with emotion. As a matter fact, Yue w.a.n.g made people break her older brother"s leg and throw him out of the village, letting him fend for himself. Moreover, there was also an old father and it was not that she didn"t know about it. However, she had no way to help them. She was married and depended on her husband"s family. If she saved her older brother, she would certainly make her husband"s family unhappy.
Even then, it was unexpected that her older brother still remembered her.
“Sister.” Sun Zhe looked at Su Ersao. “When Third Prince learned about me, he sent someone to pick me up. I"ll go back to the capital and I come to see you on purpose.”
Having heard that, Su Ersao ran out of the door frame crying and took Sun Zhe"s hand.
Sun Zhe touched her head and said, “Just before leaving, I want to ask you if I can take you and brother-in-law back. Life"s so bitter here that I can"t bear to see you suffer.” It was the model of a pair of brother and sister in deep affection.
After thinking about it, Sun Zhe said, “You can rest a.s.sured that I will make a good plea with Third Prince to allow you to stay in the capital.” Finally, he asked, “Would you be willing?”
Su Ersao held Sun Zhe"s hand tightly while tears pouring down. She didn"t expect that when her husband"s family had done such a thing to her brother, not only her brother did not begrudge her, but also considered her (needs). Almost immediately, she answered, “Willing, willing…” With one word of willing, Su Ersao suddenly thought of something, “I am… of course willing.” She bit her lip. “But I don"t know what my husband thinks. Brother, can you wait. When he comes back, I"ll ask him for his opinion.”
Sun Zhe smiled and said, “Alright! I"ll come to you tomorrow. You have a good discussion with brother-in-law first.”
Sun Zhe was disgusted with the Su people.
According to Lou Ningyu"s words, Su Family should be able to overturn the verdict soon. He couldn"t make a move against Su Lingchuan, he could only be disgusted with their whole family. Roping in Su Lingchuan"s seemingly important second son, made him betray Su Lingchuan, and finally made him be loyal to Third Prince.
If Su Qingtong could be loyal to Third Prince, then it would be his one meritorious deed.
As for his good younger sister, Sun Zhe had no feelings for her this time. At that time when his leg was broken and thrown out to fend for himself, his good sister actually could bear it and not coming to look for him.
“What?” When he came home with exhaustion, he wished he didn"t eat and go to bed immediately. Su Qingtong listened to Su Ersao and stood up at once, without considering his exhaustion.
“I disagree.” Su Qingtong"s first reaction was surprise, and his second reaction was strong disagreement.
“Why not?” Su Ersao walked up to him and ma.s.saged his shoulders as her soft chest pressed against Su Qingtong"s arm. “After we get here, we can"t eat proper meal. You even work so hard every day, but can only earn a little money.” Looking a glance at Su Qingtong, Su Ersao stuck closer. “Plus, we have a daughter now. You have to think about our daughter.”
Su Qingtong withdrew and refused without considering what she had said and rejected without thinking, “I will try hard to raise our daughter, but I can"t go back to the capital with your brother. He even wanted to kill my father. He was our Su Family"s enemy.”
“Enemy?” Su Ersao could no longer resist falling on the small seat. “Can"t you consider me sometimes, enemy? That"s my older brother and my father!”
Su Ersao only felt bitterly disappointed. Su Family hurt her older brother so badly, but he could ignore all of it for her sake and not be in trouble with Su Family. Why when it was her family turn, Su Family couldn"t?
Sure enough, the people that loved her most in the world were her older brother and father, other people was unreliable.
“Your brother and father want to kill my father!”
With a sigh, Su Qingtong went to bed without consulting her; unaware of what she was thinking. “Don"t worry about it. Tomorrow, when your brother come, and I will speak to him personally.”
T/N: the Su House is large, like a complex, containing few other houses. Therefore, even if they are separated (mind their own business), they still live in the same area, just different houses.
> Chapter 63