Chapter Thirty-Five: That's the One

For several days in a row, Jiang Lan stayed within the residence, looking after the two children. She took Jiang Ruoming around to familiarize himself with everyone in the household. Aside from the old Grand Duke, who preferred solitude and refused visitors, and the third uncle, who was rarely at home, everyone in the Jiang household knew that the heir had taken in a young boy from the clan to nurture with special care.

“Heir, Young Master Ming.”

Jiang Ruoming was dressed in white mourning attire; as he was in deep mourning, Jiang Lan had specifically instructed the servants accordingly.

Trailing behind Jiang Lan, Jiang Ruoming showed no signs of joy over his change in status; he merely studied diligently everything his granduncle taught him.

Jiang Lan nodded. “Is the young lady here?”

“She is,” Chunming replied, ushering Jiang Lan and Jiang Ruoming inside. “The young lady is just about to go to the shop to check the accounts. If you have any matters, please wait in the drawing room, my lord. I’ll go notify her at once.”

Jiang Lan nodded, then looked at Jiang Ruoming, who was sitting quietly by her side.

“Do you know why I brought you here today?”

The seven-year-old Jiang Ruoming nodded, his eyes bright as stars as he gazed up at Jiang Lan. “Granduncle wants me to learn bookkeeping from the grandaunt.”

Jiang Lan could not help but smile. Now that all of Xue’s dowry was in her hands, if things went on like this for too long, there might be trouble brewing below.

Although this child was still young, he possessed a resilient mind and was exceptionally clever.

When Jiang Si arrived, she saw her elder brother affectionately patting Jiang Ruoming on the forehead, evidently gratified.

“Brother, Young Ming.”

Jiang Ruoming rose to greet her. “Grandaunt.”

Jiang Si suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Seeing through everything, Jiang Lan let out a laugh and flicked Young Ming lightly on the forehead. “Go and play.”

Jiang Si exchanged a glance with Chunming, who then led Jiang Ruoming out into the courtyard.

“Young Master Ming, have you had breakfast? There are some cakes in the courtyard, would you like to try them…”

Jiang Si looked at her elder brother, who sat there as calm as a cloud, and thought about the two children he had recently brought into the household and his actions of late—truly impossible to fathom.

“Brother, have you been doing all this for Young Ming?”

Jiang Lan, seeing his perceptive sister, obediently handed over the deeds and silver drafts.

“Take these and let him try managing them with you.”

The more Jiang Si looked at the sums and properties listed, the heavier her heart became.

“Brother, are you really letting the child play with all this?”

“Not to mention these silver drafts worth several thousand taels, just those few shops alone bring in thousands every month. Is this how you take on apprentices?”

Jiang Si looked at Jiang Lan, determined to get an explanation. Gossip was spreading through the household, with some saying her brother cared nothing for matters of love and was training the next young master, while others whispered—

Jiang Lan placed the items before Jiang Si. “Don’t pay heed to outside gossip. I have my own plans.”

“Brother…”

Jiang Lan rose, holding a small gold fan in her hand.

“Sister, our family line is thin. The prosperity of our household cannot compare to the prosperity of the whole clan. In the future, this child will not only be the pillar of the Jiang household, but of the Jiang clan.”

“The Jiang clan is vast and intricate; we have not separated from the clan. If anything happens to our people, the entire Duke’s Household, being within the nine branches, would not be spared.”

“I need someone to oversee the whole Jiang clan. He is still young, with no parents above him, but he is of excellent character. If we devote ourselves to nurturing him, he will surely become a person of great promise, no less than the heirs of any great noble family.”

Jiang Si was full of worry. “Brother, why must it be him?”

Jiang Lan sighed. “He, like me, is an orphan, but he is even more pitiable. I still have you all and this vast Duke’s Household. He alone must support a family by himself.”

This was a lasting pain in her brother’s heart, Jiang Si knew, but she could not shake her unease. It felt as though everything her brother did was to prepare a way out for the Jiang family, or more precisely, to make arrangements for his affairs.

“I understand, Brother,” Jiang Si said, putting away the silver and deeds. “I happen to have a business matter to discuss later. I’ll take him with me.”

“Are you still short-handed, Sister?” Jiang Lan arched an eyebrow, cajoling. “Why not take on one more?”

Jiang Si could not help but laugh.

In a private room on the second floor of Taibai Pavilion in Jiankang City, Jiang Si, dressed in lotus-colored silk spring robes, sat quietly within the partition. Behind her stood two matrons and four maids, and kneeling on a soft cushion beside her was a little golden boy, fair as carved jade.

The room was spacious, separated by a screen—Jiang Si’s habitual preference.

A maid knelt nearby to tend the boiling water on a small stove. All the food laid out on the short-legged table had been brought from the Jiang household, for Jiang Si was exceedingly fastidious, rarely finding anything outside to her taste.

Gently waving a round fan near her nose, Jiang Si studied the boy sitting primly beside her.

Though she could not yet judge whether he was as bright and clever as her brother claimed, she was certainly satisfied with his appearance.

With rosy lips and pearly teeth, he was so radiant that even the most delicate young ladies of Jiankang’s noble families could scarcely compare. When grown, whether or not he could manage the Jiang clan, he would surely captivate the hearts of all the daughters in the imperial capital.

Could this be what her brother had in mind? How wicked.

Next door, Jiang Lan sneezed. “Am I being maligned?”

Xichi, beside her, remained impassive, attending to the tea. Min Zhe, meanwhile, was all flattery: “My lord, you are a paragon of virtue—who would speak ill of you…” and continued to pour out praise as though it cost nothing, never repeating himself.

Though his face wore a sycophantic smile, inwardly he was full of disdain. It must be some wronged young gentleman cursing in his misery. He hadn’t seen Lord Weng in ages—had he already fallen victim to some calamity? Poor soul.

Hearing Min Zhe’s compliments, Jiang Lan’s face twitched.

Helping Young Ming and his sister, inviting renowned teachers for the clan—these achievements were minor. Even though they helped somewhat with the festering wound on her arm, the effect was limited.

She hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in days! The body of a mortal was so frail.

No, she had to prioritize dealing with Liu Heng.

“Any news from Liu Heng’s side?”

Min Zhe pulled out the collected evidence from his sleeve. “Here are the lands and shops Liu Heng has seized over the years through his father’s connections.” He produced another sheet. “This is the list of men he has forcibly taken.” Then a stack. “These are all the case files involving Liu Heng from the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Metropolitan Commandant’s Office over the past year.”

First her face twitched, now her eyes did. Looking at the densely packed writing, Jiang Lan thought perhaps being a demon was more carefree after all.

“My lord, Liu Heng’s itinerary is at the end.”

Jiang Lan skipped ahead to the last page.

“…Often spends the night at Yilan Hall…”

Jiang Lan pondered this and looked at Min Zhe. “What kind of place is Yilan Hall?”

Min Zhe seemed ill at ease, glancing furtively at Xichi, his face growing even redder.

“…Well, that’s… that kind of place…”

“What kind of place?”

As Min Zhe was fretting over how to explain, a commotion erupted from the next room. Jiang Lan had no time to spare for anything else and immediately stepped outside.

At the door to the next room, she found crowds three or four layers deep. At the very center, a group of servant women were tightly gathered, making it impossible to see the source of the noise within.

However, Jiang Lan could hear her sister’s voice, as well as that of another woman.