Chapter 31 Second Aunt's Scheme
Jiang Shiyuan was not afraid.

This matter concerns the future and reputation of the men in the family, as well as the life of her fourth sister, so of course she had to tell it, but Second Aunt Zhang had been waiting for it for a long time. Seeing that she was going to ruin her good fortune as soon as she opened her mouth, she quickly spoke in a bad voice and with a cold face.

"Young lady, it's easy for you to talk without any worries. None of the girls in the mansion has a stronger backer than you. The Wenyuan Marquis's mansion loves you like their own flesh and blood. Naturally, if you lose this one, there will be another one. They are all young masters from wealthy families. But these girls in the family are not like you. They have no ability and no strong backers. If it weren't for Jin'er trying to match them up, what kind of husbands would they be matched with? At most, they are just poor scholars or wealthy commoners. What kind of future can they have? They can't all be daughters of the Jiang family. Just because you can marry into a wealthy family, they have to fall behind, right?"

The words were spoken in a very sarcastic tone, and even Old Madam Jiang was surprised.

But when he looked at the eighteen-seed skewers that had just been delivered, he did not speak directly, but silently let his second daughter-in-law Zhang start to teach him a lesson.

Jiang Shiyue, who was standing next to Zhang, had no idea of ​​Jiang Shiyuan's true intentions at this moment.

She thought her stepmother was really doing this for her own good, so she said all this. For a moment, she looked at the elder sister in front of her with some resentment, but she didn't dare to question her casually. She could only look aggrieved, which made people feel distressed.

Seeing her like this, Aunt Hai felt sad and wanted to step forward and say something, but was stopped by Aunt Yang who looked serious and shook her head gently at her.

Both of them are concubines in this mansion, with the same identity and status.

Therefore, they have been keeping each other warm over the years. However, since Aunt Yang came from a good family and had more education, she has more experience than Aunt Hai, so she usually trusts Aunt Yang.

Seeing her trying to stop him, he stopped, frowned deeply, and looked at his daughter with worry in his eyes, fearing that she would do something youthful and frivolous.

After hearing this, Jiang Huaishan's face turned ugly.

I couldn't bear to say a single harsh word to my daughter, but now she was being ridiculed by her younger brother and sister-in-law who were taking advantage of me. It was simply a joke, so I said with a serious face.

"Second brother, be careful with your words. It's not your turn to make the decision in this family. Ah Nian only said one thing and hasn't explained it clearly yet. Why are you so anxious to pick a fight with her here? She is even using her status to sow discord. If she is really such a person, why did she come back to our Jiang family? Wouldn't it be more comfortable to stay in Wenyuan Marquis' Mansion? Besides, if she really did that, she wouldn't let Shi Jin do such a thing that would damage the family's reputation. In the end, it was Ah Nian's kindness that broke off the engagement and let her marry in her place to settle the matter. How come you say it's her fault instead! Women are foolish, and you really show it to the fullest!"

Second Aunt Zhang was so embarrassed by her eldest uncle's retort that her cheeks turned red.

She had always been a calculative person, but she had to live with her daughter under someone else's roof during the years when her husband died suddenly, so she naturally kept a low profile. Now that she finally lived a proud life, she had forgotten the pain of those years and the kindness of others, and even felt that the Jiang family owed her and her daughter.

The more he thought about it, the more unhappy he became. His eyes became sharper, and he looked at Jiang Huaishan with less respect than before. "I don't like what you said, brother. Women are stupid, but isn't mother-in-law also a woman? When she raised you and Erlang, why didn't you say she was stupid? And your deceased sister-in-law, wasn't she also a woman after she married you? When did you ever say she was stupid? Why do you think so harshly when you say that to me? I made a mistake in planning a future for the girls in this family? Am I stupid? Brother is very smart, and the eldest girl also appreciates your abilities, but why don't you and your daughter think about doing something for this family?"

Jiang Huaishan had been in the officialdom for many years, so he could certainly respond to such remarks without leaving a trace, but he was stopped by Jiang Shiyuan, who gave him some advice calmly and steadily.

"Dad, now is not the time to be angry or blame me. My daughter must have a reason for saying this."

Jiang Shiyuan didn't want to waste time talking to Second Aunt. She knew very well that hitting the snake at its weakest point was the best way to deal with it. Second Aunt could run rampant here without restraint. Wasn't it because she relied on her grandmother's status to suppress others with filial piety? So if she convinced her grandmother, the farce would be solved naturally.

"Grandmother, you don't know, but my second cousin is now working in the Weiwei Temple, so I know a lot about the reputation of this third son of the palace from him. Apart from other things, the most outrageous thing is that he stole 30,000 taels of silver from the palace to pay off his gambling debts. When Prince Chun found out, he beat him severely with a cane and a board, which injured his body. His temperament has also changed a lot. I heard that he would get furious at any time. Many sons of noble families in the Weiwei Temple have clashed with him, and two soldiers with no connections were beaten seriously. If it weren't for the money used by Prince Chun's palace to suppress it, I'm afraid this third son would have been thrown into prison long ago."

When Jiang Shiyuan spoke, his tone was calm and his face was composed, but Old Madam Jiang who was sitting opposite her had a look of disbelief on her face. How could the reputation of the Third Young Master be so different from what the second granddaughter told her when she came back?
Isn't it said that one should be elegant, humble, and as pure as jade?

Old Madam Jiang hadn't even recovered yet, and Jiang Shiyue was even more shocked.

When she heard her stepmother Zhang come to her to talk about this, she thought that God had mercy on her and wanted to give her a future, but she didn't expect it to be such a person! The elder sister didn't have any gains or losses in this matter, so there was no point in her lying. The eyes that were originally expecting happiness now became evasive and fearful.

Soldiers can be severely injured. If she really marries him, won't she die in a few days? Thinking of this, she looked at Jiang Shiyuan with fear, staring at her as if waiting for her next words.

"Did you hear it from hearsay?"

"My second cousin saw it with his own eyes. My father knows about it. He is a very honest person and never lies."

The simple conversation between the father and daughter seemed like a slap on the face of Second Aunt Zhang. The second cousin would naturally not talk nonsense, but she was not sure. After all, there was nothing the mother and daughter could not do to get to the top.

Thinking of this, the originally resolute Madam Jiang's expression wavered. She hoped that all her granddaughters could marry into wealthy families so that the status of their Jiang family could be consolidated. But if it was really as her eldest granddaughter said, wouldn't she be gambling with the lives of the girls in her Jiang family?
She was not so cruel, so the expression she looked at her second daughter-in-law Zhang was not as lively and trusting as before, and she asked with some doubt in her eyes.

"Hasn't Jin'er been married for more than a month? Why did you come home and tell me about it without finding out everything? If the Third Young Master is really such a person, how can we marry Xiaoyue to him?"

The mother-in-law's question and Jiang Shiyue's evasion beside her made Second Aunt Zhang a little angry, but she had to hold it in and get the job done first. Even if it didn't work out in the end, she had to enjoy the meal today. Otherwise, if her son-in-law saw that his wife's family was so disunited, wouldn't it harm her daughter in the future?