Chapter 26 Shen Family
The third day of July is Jiang Youyao’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Since the night before, the entire Jiang Mansion has been busy. Jiang Li, who has been unknown these days, has been forgotten. Even the next morning, no one in the kitchen thought of Jiang Li and sent food to Fangfei Garden.

Tong'er went to the kitchen and found some leftover pastries. She handed them to Jiang Li and said angrily, "It's just a coming-of-age ceremony. They are both proper young ladies of the Jiang family. It's really too much to be so partial to one over the other!"

Jiang Li picked up a piece of chestnut cake and took a bite, while comforting her: "Jiang Youyao is the apple of the eye of the eldest wife. Her coming-of-age ceremony is also a big event. There are many nobles coming and going recently, so of course we can't neglect it."

"Miss, the tone of your voice, if you don't know, you might be a stranger." Tong'er said, "You don't think so yourself, but I'm sorry for you." She added, "There is no servant in Fangfei Garden except for a few who are still sweeping outside. Yunshuang is just a maid after all, and she always turns her face to others. How can she act like a lady? That's fine, but Xiangqiao took so many jewelry from you, but she didn't show her figure today. She must have gone to Ji's to ask for credit again. Bah, she is really an ungrateful person who can't be tamed!" Tong'er had long been resentful of Xiangqiao and Yunshuang. Today, she finally couldn't help it and said it all in one breath. "Xiangqiao was originally Ji's person. She fawned on me these days just for money. She emptied my box, so of course she has no reason to fawn on me again. As for Yunshuang, I was so good to Xiangqiao, but she didn't get any advantage. Of course, she hates me for being partial." Jiang Li finished a piece of cake and drank half a sip of tea to rinse her mouth.

Tong'er watched from the side. After returning to Jiang's house, Ji Shuran did not dare to treat Jiang Li harshly in the past few days. The food and daily necessities were still acceptable. Therefore, Jiang Li's complexion was better. Her facial features were originally delicate and clear. Once she dressed a little better than before, she immediately showed the shape of a beauty.

Tong'er couldn't explain why she felt her every move was particularly touching.

Jiang Li saw Tong'er was stunned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Tong'er came back to her senses and immediately said, "Miss, today is the Third Miss's coming-of-age ceremony, they won't stop you from attending, right?"

Until now, no one has come to inform Jiang Li about attending the ceremony. If it was the real Second Miss Jiang, she would have mixed feelings and would have to think too much, or even panic. After all, Second Miss Jiang once had a bad reputation. For someone like Old Madam Jiang who cherishes her reputation, in order to prevent Jiang Li from making trouble at the coming-of-age ceremony, she might simply not let Jiang Li appear.

After all, Second Miss Jiang had a history of killing her mother and brother, and today Zhou Yanbang, the son of Ningyuan Marquis, will also appear. When Second Miss Jiang sees Zhou Yanbang and thinks about her marriage being taken away, it is possible that she will become enraged and do something out of line.

Jiang Li smiled and said, "No."

Tong'er asked: "Why are you so sure, young lady?"

"Even if everyone in the Jiang Mansion doesn't want me to attend Jiang Youyao's coming-of-age ceremony, there is one person who will definitely want me to attend, and that is Ji. In order to let me watch the ceremony, Ji will definitely try hard to persuade everyone and fight for this opportunity for me."

Tong'er stared at Jiang Li with wide eyes.

"The stage has been set up. If I don't come on stage, how can they continue this play?" Jiang Li smiled gently, "Impossible."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiangqiao came in from outside, smiling as if she had won great joy. Seeing Jiang Li and Tong'er sitting there, she said, "Second Miss, please get dressed quickly. Today is the Third Miss's coming-of-age ceremony. The nobles have arrived one after another. Madam and the others are waiting for you."

Jiang Li smiled in surprise and said, "That's great."

It's great that the show is finally about to begin. ...

Many people came to the Jiang Mansion today.

Jiang Yuanbai held a high position in the court. The court officials could not stand his mediocrity in everything and his blind compliance with the emperor's wishes, but they could not help but envy Jiang Yuanbai's position in the emperor's heart.

The previous Prime Minister was almost as good as Emperor Hong Xiao at his peak, but he was later confiscated and exiled. It took only three years from the peak to the decline, but Jiang Yuanbo sat in the position of Prime Minister for more than ten years and was still sitting firmly. Naturally, he was not as incompetent as he appeared.

No matter what, Jiang Yuanbai was very important in the court, and all the scholars wanted to befriend him. There were naturally many people who came to watch his daughter's coming-of-age ceremony.

The main guest who performed the ceremony for Jiang Youyao was Ji Shuran's elder sister, now the wife of the counselor, Ji Chen. Ji Shuran had two elder sisters, one was Ji Chen, and the other was in the harem of Emperor Hong Xiao, now the Li Concubine. Ji Shuran now had a say in the Jiang family, in addition to the increasingly important status of the Ji family, the deputy chief censor, in the court, and also because of Li Concubine's face.

Emperor Hong Xiao was very fond of Concubine Li.

In the main hall, many ladies have arrived. They are all nobles from Yanjing, and they are talking about recent interesting things. Even Madam Liu, the wife of Chengde Lang Liu Yuanfeng, has come.

Although Liu Yuanfeng and the Ji family were at odds, they did not appear to be directly at odds with the Jiang family, and they were still considered peaceful. Madam Liu came to watch the ceremony today, not really to see Jiang Youyao, but to see how Jiang Li was doing. Since Jiang Li returned to Yanjing, Madam Liu has not seen Jiang Li once.

Ji Shuran sat next to the ladies. She was gentle and beautiful, good at dancing with long sleeves, and eloquent in speaking. After a while, she became very close to the nobles, which was naturally because these nobles wanted to curry favor with the Jiang family.

Jiang Yu'e and Jiang Yuyan also arrived early. Jiang Yuyan was wearing a purple long gown, which was quite ordinary. She was not very noticeable because of her plain appearance. Jiang Yuyan was used to disappearing in the crowd, so she sat aside without saying a word, accompanying her mother Yang.

Jiang Yu'e was unwilling to be ordinary. She knew that Jiang Youyao was the protagonist today and she couldn't steal Jiang Youyao's limelight, but she was unwilling to be as mediocre as Jiang Yuyan. So she wore a light yellow dress and tied a red bean bun, which made her look more beautiful and charming. Her eyebrows were full of joy, and she tried her best to find something to talk to some noble ladies, hoping to establish some relationships.

Among the noble ladies, two were sitting on the left side of the hall. One was middle-aged, with wrinkles around her eyes. At first glance, she looked much older than the ladies around her, but she was dressed very luxuriously, but the luxury was a bit out of place and did not suit her appearance.

Next to her, there was also a young woman sitting, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a pretty face, but her face was thin and narrow, and her cheekbones were slightly high, which made her look a little mean. The woman was also dressed in the most luxurious clothes, and she was particularly eye-catching among the noble ladies. However, there was a hint of impatience between her eyebrows, and she whispered to the woman next to her: "Mom, why hasn't Jiang Youyao come out yet?"

These two people are none other than the current Secretary of the Central Secretariat and the mother and sister of last year's number one scholar Shen Yurong, Madam Shen and Shen Ruyun.

(End of this chapter)