jdhmnovel Chapter 240 Xie Zhuo's Background
Chapter 240 Xie Zhuo's Background
Jiang Xinyu was absolutely confident in her kung fu skills, so when Jiang Song asked her to talk in the backyard, she didn't bring anyone with her.
The Jiang family members were all helping out in the front hall, and no one was left at Jiang Song's place.
The two were talking inside the house with no one watching from outside, so no one noticed the shadowy figure eavesdropping under the window.
Jiang Xinyu heard the noise when she went out, but she didn't pay attention and went straight ahead.
The funeral in Jianghuai was indeed simple, and it was fortunate that not many people came, otherwise there wouldn't have been enough servants to entertain the guests.
Jiang Xinyu's pale face and red, swollen eyes were all makeup effects; she couldn't really cry.
Fortunately, the coffin was already empty, otherwise she would have felt wronged even if she had just knelt down and kowtowed.
Jiang's relatives had assumed that Jiang Huai's funeral, as the father-in-law of the Marquis of Zhenguo, would be a grand affair.
They came here hoping to make connections, but they were greatly disappointed.
Not only did no high-ranking officials of the imperial court attend, but even the Marquis of Zhenguo, who was the son-in-law, was absent.
The funeral arrangements were extremely simple, even rudimentary.
From the coffin to the offerings, nothing was of high quality; the servants in mourning wore only ordinary white cloth.
Although this is how fourth-rank officials are usually sent, can Jiang Huai be treated the same as ordinary fourth-rank officials?
His son-in-law holds half of the Great Jin Dynasty in his hands. If he were willing to do him a favor, even the emperor might write a funeral couplet.
As a result, he didn't even have a colleague who was above the third rank, which greatly disappointed those who wanted to take the opportunity to build connections.
Take, for example, Jiang Huai's cousin who married into the Xie family, the Qin family, who initially wanted to marry Jiang Xinyu to his mentally challenged son.
She was abandoned by her husband's family after both her family and her husband's family had an accident.
If her mother-in-law hadn't suddenly suffered a stroke and needed someone to manage the household affairs, she would still have been confined to the Buddhist hall.
However, managing the household affairs was not as easy as before, as a series of misfortunes occurred in her family during the time she was confined to the Buddhist temple.
First, Uncle Chengyi fell off his horse while drunk and broke his spine, becoming paralyzed. His mother-in-law, in shock and anger, suffered a stroke and her mouth and eyes became crooked.
As a result, Xie Lin, the eldest son of the Xie family, died inexplicably outside just a few days later.
Before the funeral was even over, someone came to the door demanding payment with an IOU signed by the eldest son.
She, a woman, didn't know what to do, but Uncle Chengyi, despite his illness, had a long private conversation with those people.
Unfortunately, it was all for naught, and in the end, she was left looking utterly defeated and asked for the money.
Madam Qin wasn't stupid. Seeing the Earl's expression, she knew that he was someone her family couldn't afford to offend. For the sake of peace in her household, she had no choice but to comply.
Not only did they lose all the money in their accounts, they even had to sell several shops.
Despite losing a large sum of money and cursing Xie Lin in her heart, Qin was still somewhat happy.
After all, the Xie family's title would have gone to her son after the eldest young master died.
Even if her son is an idiot, he is still the legitimate son, and he is more qualified to inherit than the little brat left behind by the eldest young master.
But before she could be happy for more than a few days, her daughter-in-law, who had always been bullied by her and her mentally challenged son, suddenly went mad.
The fool was stabbed to death with scissors, and his daughter-in-law jumped into the lotus pond.
Xie Lin at least left behind a son born out of wedlock, so there's still a bloodline. But her stupid son didn't even leave behind an egg.
Her family lost their daughter and son-in-law, and now her son is dead. She doesn't know who to rely on for the rest of her life.
This time, Qin's tears were genuine; she wept for her son, but even more so for her own uncertain fate.
Both of Chengyi's sons have died. Now, the only ones qualified to inherit his title are his eldest son's illegitimate grandson and his nephew Xie Zhuo, who was raised in the mansion since childhood.
It's strange, really. Xie Zhuo wasn't close to anyone in the manor, but the Earl of Chengyi was strangely kind to his nephew.
Even though Xie Zhuo didn't show his face after he was injured, he was still willing to leave the title to his half-brother's son.
The reason given was quite plausible: Xie Zhuo was the legitimate son, while his grandson was born out of wedlock.
Besides, a little kid might not grow up. The Earl's mansion needs someone to lead the family, so it would be better to choose Xie Zhuo, who is already an adult.
Qin was unwilling to do it; others might not know, but she herself knew very well.
That scoundrel of hers had an affair with her brother's wife; she's convinced Xie Zhuo is her son.
But if Xie Zhuo really inherits the Earl's Mansion, where will she have a chance to survive? Back then, it was she who reported that bitch who was strangled to death by the old lady.
Qin was quite afraid of death; she refused to admit defeat even after losing all her family members.
She had never given Xie Lin's illegitimate son a second glance before.
They didn't care about anything else at that moment, and quickly took him into their yard to raise him like their own grandson.
He would even take the child to pay his respects to the sickbed of the Earl of Chengyi from time to time, and repeatedly mention that he was the eldest son and grandson and hoped that the Earl of Chengyi would remember Xie Lin and pass on the title to the child.
The child was at the age when he was lively and adorable, and Xie Zhuo had not shown up for a long time, so the Earl of Chengyi was starting to soften his stance.
Just then, Jiang Huai died, and Qin thought of using the mourning ceremony to ask Jiang Xinyu for help.
Both happy events and funerals are good opportunities to resolve conflicts.
Take advantage of the happy occasion and everyone's joy to apologize and soften your stance.
If relatives and friends put in a good word, whether it's for the sake of everyone's face or the face of the host family, they often manage to smooth things over and let bygones be bygones.
Even if there are still resentments in one's heart, at least on the surface one can make it look good.
In comparison, funerals are much easier to talk to.
In a somber atmosphere, there is always a sense of the impermanence of life, and in the face of life and death, many things become less important.
Qin's idea is quite good.
When mourning Jiang Huai, cry pitifully, and then use your status as her cousin to properly apologize to Jiang Xinyu.
It's essentially a form of subtle moral blackmail.
Look, your father is dead. Even if it's just for the sake of your father, who is my cousin, you should forgive me, your cousin.
When a loved one dies, it's a time when one's heart softens, and she believes Jiang Xinyu won't be so hard-hearted.
She didn't necessarily need Jiang Xinyu to forgive her; she just needed the other party to soften their tone a bit.
She would take advantage of the Marquis of Zhenguo's visit to directly tell Xiao Yuan her demands.
It's not a big deal if a son dies and the family doesn't want his nephew to inherit the title, but instead wants to pass it on to his grandson.
As long as Jiang Xinyu doesn't object, Xiao Yuan will most likely agree without hesitation.
Then she can use that as leverage to get the Marquis of Chengyi to submit a memorial and settle things quickly.
Unfortunately, Qin's plan only succeeded halfway.
Seeing that she was crying so hard to liven up the atmosphere and cover up her own fake crying, Jiang Xinyu gave her face and said that she would not hold a grudge about the past.
But the Qin family never received the Marquis of Zhenguo.
Seeing that she couldn't send out the silver notes tucked in her sleeve, Qin was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Jiang Xinyu could tell that she had something on her mind but didn't bother to ask. She knelt down briefly and pretended to faint, so Xiao Die quickly helped her to the next room to rest.
Jiang Wanqiu knelt before her, her hands clenched tightly into fists. Listening to the surrounding voices praising Jiang Xinyu's filial piety, her face turned frighteningly gloomy.
This bitch has not only been reborn, but has also become hypocritical and cunning. She is now somewhat unsure of Jiang Xinyu's true nature.
Given Jiang Xinyu's current power and status, she no longer needs to feign politeness with them.
She had even prepared her excuse for using eye drops, but she never expected that the bitch would actually come to mourn.
With her around, his own brilliance was completely overshadowed, and he couldn't even get a chance to earn the reputation of a filial daughter.
Having power is really good.
In ordinary families, a son-in-law who does not attend his father-in-law's funeral will inevitably be criticized.
However, if one's status is high enough, it is considered a matter of course.
She tried to stir up a conversation with her relatives, telling them that Xiao Yuan didn't value Jiang Xinyu.
I never expected those people to look at me like I was an idiot.
It is said that the Marquis of Zhenguo is busy with many affairs of state and it is understandable that he does not have time to come.
As for whether the Lady of the Marquis is valued, just look at the heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo who comes to pick her up every day, and you'll know.
So what if they're not her biological children? The fact that the young master is willing to be filial shows that the Lady of the Marquis's position is secure.