"They are innocent. Let this matter be as if it never happened. However, the Kong family has been too rampant lately. Send someone to issue a warning." The Emperor did not admit that he was helping Huangfu Yun Kun vent his anger; he simply felt that the Kong family had been too audacious recently and disliked them.
After seeing off the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict, Old Master Kong broke out in a cold sweat. He secretly resolved not to meddle in the affairs of the Jiang family anymore.
When Old Master Jiang visited again, he found himself being shut out. Although he felt a sense of unease and apprehension, he could only leave in disappointment.
Jiang Yin secretly informed her father about the eunuchs' visit to the mansion. Old Master Jiang was bewildered. "It's normal for eunuchs to visit your residence. I've heard that many families like yours are re-employed after a year. Perhaps the eunuch brought good news."
"But I heard Mother is confined, and Grandfather refuses to see you. Is it related to your recent collaboration to deal with the Huangfu family? After all, he is the Emperor's nephew. No matter what." Jiang Yin spoke with extreme resentment. She had never expected that all her efforts to sabotage her relationship with Meng Chang Qing and break them apart would lead to an unexpected amicable separation. To make matters worse, she had found a better suitor.
The thought of it infuriated her. She wondered why her luck was so good. If she had known this would happen, why would she have bothered with him in the first place, only to cause her relationship with her husband to plummet.
Upon hearing this, Old Master Jiang immediately sensed the gravity of the situation. Although he was not very capable, he deeply understood one principle: without a patron in the capital, one's business could not be secured. No matter what, the Kong family could not be in trouble, or he would also suffer. He could only return home for now and find out what had happened later.
Jiang Yin, who was elegantly enjoying pastries, suddenly saw her maid, Si Qin, rush in.
"What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?" Jiang Yin asked her impatiently. She usually found this maid to be quite steady, but now she realized more training was needed. Su Dan Novel Network
Si Qin handed a letter to her young lady with a worried expression. Although Jiang Yin had not read the contents of the letter, she could tell from the other person's furrowed brows that it was not good news.
She opened the letter with some suspicion, and the next moment, she flew into a rage. "These insatiable brutes! Didn't I already give you money when I provided the rubies? Now you actually want to use this to extort me."
Thinking of the recent unpleasant events, Jiang Yin couldn't help but feel angry. She said these words, but some things she couldn't let her husband know, nor could she let the elders of the Kong family know.
She had to sneak out of the mansion and went to a secluded riverbank. Soon, a man appeared. Seeing her, he laughed heartily. "Madam Kong is still as beautiful as ever. Since we last met, I've missed you dearly. But Madam Kong seems to have forgotten me recently and hasn't come to do business with me. So, I've come to you."
Jiang Yin looked at the man's lewd expression and felt an urge to kick him. Suppressing the feeling of disgust in her heart, she said impatiently, "Don't you think my husband knows what I've done? You're mistaken if you think you can use this to control me."
"Is that so? Why are you still here? It means the leverage I hold is still useful." The man raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a provocative gaze.
"Let's stop the nonsense. Tell me, how much money do you want? I'll say this upfront: I don't have much." Jiang Yin snorted disdainfully.
"I'm a bit short of funds lately. Madam Kong, give me five thousand taels of silver first."
"Are you robbing me? Where will I get five thousand taels of silver for you? From what you're saying, you plan to come to me again in the future. Don't be delusional." Jiang Yin got angry at the mention of it. The man was indeed asking for the moon.
"That was a human life. I believe that if the matter is revealed, I won't be able to escape. Madam, you won't benefit either. I'm a scoundrel with a cheap life, but Madam, you have a bright future ahead. You can't ruin your reputation because of this. Five thousand taels of silver to buy your good reputation. Think about it." The man looked at her confidently, even having the mood to admire the surrounding scenery.
Seeing the man looking around, Jiang Yin had a malicious thought. She could push him into the water when he wasn't paying attention, as there was no one around to see. Although she had done many things before, she had always instructed others to do them. When it came to acting herself, she realized how difficult it was.
She tiptoed closer and as she reached out, the man turned around, startling her.
"Why is Madam so close to me? Don't tell me you've fallen for me?" The man immediately cupped his face and looked at her with some surprise.
"Stop the nonsense. I don't have that much money on me right now. I'll go back and try to think of a way. Wait for me."
Sitting in the carriage back to the city, Jiang Yin felt utterly humiliated thinking about how she had fled after saying those words.
She didn't have five thousand taels of silver, but her father did. When Old Master Jiang heard about her good deeds, he looked at his daughter in shock. He had never imagined that his seemingly pure daughter would do such a cruel and ruthless thing, as if he didn't know her.
"What could I do? I just got involved with him for a while, and he's threatening me now. And his wife thinks her husband treats her wholeheartedly. In reality, all men in the world are the same." Speaking of this, Jiang Yin couldn't help but feel a little sad and disappointed. She used to think that man truly cared for her, otherwise, why would he have remained unmarried for so many years? She couldn't help but soften her heart and send him some things, which unexpectedly became evidence for him to threaten her.
"Even so, you shouldn't have killed someone. It was a life, after all. Fortunately, you were smart enough not to get yourself involved." Time had passed too long, and Old Master Jiang couldn't recall what the son of the neighboring Liu family looked like. He only remembered that the big boy always followed his daughter around.
Initially, he thought that since the two families lived close by and were well-matched, they could become in-laws when they grew up. However, his beloved daughter had her heart set on Kong Jia Liang, whose every thought was on the Zhou family's daughter. He had secretly regretted this. After all, the Kong family was an official family, and it would have been best if his daughter could marry into it.
They had all resigned themselves to fate when the Zhou family suddenly fell into decline. His sister refused to let Zhou Shao Qiu enter the Kong family, and instead, she favored his own daughter. Thus, Jiang Yin got her wish.
As for the Liu family, they moved back to their ancestral home. It was rumored that he soon married a wife. Jiang Yin never dreamed that they would meet again in Wu Hu, and their reunion would be so unpleasant.