“To tell you the truth, Qianbin wanted Jiang Yazhu and his wife to raise him. Because their Huan is still young who can keep company with An.” Madame Tao whispered, “Besides, they get less attention. It would draw less attention for them to raise An than for you and Jiang Yashuang. But I convinced her to let you raise him!”

“Because I don’t want Qianbin’s only kid to get treated badly!”

Madame Tao felt tired as she was standing near the cradle and saying those words. It was because she was devastated by Madame Tao Junior’s death. She approached her bed and sat down. And then she continued, “Sheng Shishui is smart. However, her origin… Jiang Yazhu is far less successful than Jiang Yashuang. They would treat An well if I should let them raise An. However, they might not be able to prevent or stop others from giving An a hard time. You know our family value the trueborn, especially the one of the first wife! Jiang Yadan will remarry. And An will be a thorn in his stepmother’s side. I’ve thought it over. It’s better for you and Jiang Yashuang to raise him than for Jiang Yazhu and his wife. I want him to grow up safely!”

Madame Tao didn’t say why Madame Tao Junior decided to let her brother-in-law raise her kid on her deathbed. Actually, she didn’t need to. Let alone the mess in Jiang Yadan’s harem, those young women out there who were so eager to marry Jiang Yadan had proved how much danger An was in!

He could be dead at any minute if he was raised by Jiang Yadan’s concubines.

Since Madame Tao Junior was the wife of the eldest son of the fourth branch, if her son needed to be raised by others, the candidates surely were her two brothers-in-law of the fourth branch.

In Madame Tao’s opinion, everyone knew that Marquess Qin valued Jiang Yashuang the most and Qiu Yelan was hard to deal with. They were known to be tough. Besides, with their tempers, if they agreed to raise Madame Tao Junior’s son, Jiang Yadan’s second wife would come to no good end if she wanted to look for trouble!

On the other hand, Jiang Yazhu and his wife couldn’t afford to act like that.

However, it was very beneficial for An to be raised by Qiu Yelan and Jiang Yashuang. But it might not be the same case with Jiang Yazhu and his wife.

Madame Tao didn’t avoid mentioning that, “Raising a baby is rather troublesome. You don’t have a kid of your own. Even with the old maids’ help, you’ll be in a panic. Besides, since you’re not his biological mother, people will inevitably accuse you of not doing your best no matter how hard you try. And that’s only for now. If you should have your own kid, there would be more gossips. With Jiang Yashuang’s talent, he’ll become the pillar of the fourth branch. And Jiang Yadan will depend on him. You won’t get anything in return by raising his son! So, it’s reasonable for you to refuse!”

Qiu Yelan bit her lips, “Grandmother, since you’ve made it clear, I’ll cut to the chase! I know what the eighth sister-in-law was worried about. I’m willing to help her!”

She paused, “But I’ve never been a mother. I’m afraid I couldn’t raise An well!”

That was true. She had never raised a kid. Kids, especially boys, had a high death rate at that time. And she didn’t know what to do when Madame Tao suddenly asked her to raise An!

“I’ll handle the rest as long as you’re willing to raise him!” Madame Tao rubbed her forehead and said flatly, “I’ll make it worth your while. What do you think?”

Qiu Yelan pondered for a while and nodded decidedly, “I’ll try my best!”

“You may leave now. And tell Jiang Yashuang about it!” Madame Tao was relieved and waved her hand, “He’ll agree. But he needs to be informed, doesn’t he?”

After Qiu Yelan left, Mom Hu went into the inner chamber stealthily. She whispered, “Have you talked to Madame Yelan about it yet? I think it’s a bit early.”

“How so?” Madame Tao stared at the cradle and frowned.

“Madame Yelan have never been a mother. How could she raise such a baby?” Mom Hu explained, “Especially, he’s not her own baby! Even if she takes Young Master An to her place for Madame Tao Junior’s sake, she might be annoyed by the baby’s cries! It would be better that we raise him to a certain age and then give him to her!”

Madame Tao shook her head, “You’re missing the point! People will become intimate when they spend time together in their growth. As an old saying goes, one should be more grateful to the one who raises him than the one who gives birth to him! We let her raise An right now, even if he upsets her, she’ll forget when he is of a sensible age! If we should bring him up until he becomes old enough to understand, even to one-year-old… Jiang Yashuang adores her so much that he doesn’t even have a concubine. They have been married for almost two years. She may soon be pregnant. How could we give An to her then?”

“At that time she’ll have her own kid. Even if we give her An then, she’ll naturally focus on her own kid! How much attention will she give An?”

“So, we must give her An now. She can focus on An and get bonded when she doesn’t have her own kid! In this case, she won’t treat An unfairly even when she has her own kid!”

Mom Hu still thought it was too early and she said, “But Madame Yelan can’t make all the decisions by herself. She still needs to consult with Young Master Yashuang. Young Master Yashuang always respects Madame Tao Junior. He won’t let her kid suffer! I’m just afraid that Madame Yelan can’t take good care of Young Master An.”

“Jiang Yashuang needs to work. How could he take care of the baby all day?” Madame Tao smiled bitterly, “Otherwise, why did I ask Yelan’s permission first? And then I let her inform Yashuang, even though I knew Jiang Yashuang would agree if I mentioned it to him directly. Even if I let Jiang Yashuang take An to his place, Qiu Yelan would be the one to look after An. You’re worried that she doesn’t know how to take care of a baby. You don’t need to. One of the maids she brought to our family, Mrs. Zhou, is Princess Ruan’s wet nurse. She is the one who raised Princess Ruan and Qiu Yelan. How couldn’t she take good care of An?”

She sighed, “Qiu Jinglan adores his sister so much. Do you think he’ll forget about his nephew’s care because he’s in Xijiang? If he didn’t have faith in Mrs. Zhou, he would have hired someone else and sent her here a long time ago! So, if Yelan should fail to take good care of An, it wouldn’t be Qiu Yelan’s fault. It is because An isn’t blessed with happiness. No one shall say Qiu Yelan doesn’t know how to do, or she doesn’t try her best. Do you understand?”

There was a warning look in Madame Tao’s eyes. Mom Hu sensed it and lowered her head, “I’m sorry!”

“They’re not fools. Raising An isn’t beneficial. Instead, it’s worrisome and they have to take a huge responsibility. Besides, they need to explain to Jiang Yadan!” Madame Tao said wearily, “No one will be happy if they’re criticized after spending so much effort! Moreover, I begged them to raise An on behalf of Qianbin. If they should know that even we doubt if Qiu Yelan could take good care of An, wouldn’t she turn against us? It doesn’t matter that she complains to Jiang Yashuang. What if she treats An poorly in private?”

Unlike An’s biological mother, Qiu Yelan wasn’t a pushover. If she knew what Mom Hu said, Madame Tao was sure that she wouldn’t let it go!

Madame Tao spent much effort planning An’s future. She couldn’t let Mom Hu destroy it!

Mom Hu fell to her knees, drenched with sweat, and said, “I… I won’t say it again!”

“Stand up.” Sensing that Mom Hu got the message, Madame Tao said flatly, “Jiang Yadan will remarry soon. We need to send An to Jiang Yashuang and Qiu Yelan as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would be tricky if his new wife should get in our way. Jiang Yadan is An’s father after all. He’s most qualified to raise him. We need to think about how to give An to them without hurting their feelings.”

They decided to use the mysterious fate as an excuse for Jiang Yashuang and Qiu Yelan to raise An. They said that An was destined to be raised by others instead of his biological parents!

To prevent Jiang Yadan’s new wife from taking him back and to help Qiu Yelan get rid of future problems, Madame Tao hardened her heart and asked the fortune-teller to add a sentence, bordering on a curse. It’s said that this kid would be dead if he was taken back to his biological parents! He would have a chance to survive if he was raised by his uncle and aunt!

In that case, no matter how Jiang Yadan’s new wife wanted to show others she cared about An, she had to leave him alone. Otherwise, people would suspect she wanted An to die! And Qiu Yelan also could raise An without worry, since An only got a chance of surviving if he was raised by his uncle and aunt. His life and death were decreed by fate. It had nothing to do with his uncle and aunt if he died!

Qiu Yelan was fine with that. She was busy decorating An’s room and preparing to take An to her place. She was also busy consulting with Sheng Shishui and Mrs. Zhou about other things. Madame Tao promised that she would take care of everything anyway. Qiu Yelan had faith in Madame Tao’s ability.

Jiang Yashuang on the other hand was a little uncertain, “Grandmother, in this case, it’s hard for Jiang Yadan to see An as well, right? Will their relationship be affected?”

“Jiang Yadan is so busy. Few of his sons can see him very often,” Madame Tao said flatly, “Besides, they’re connected by blood. Will he renounce him because he’s raised by you?” It was better for Jiang Yadan not to see him often! Spending too much time with a playboy like him might be a bad influence on An!

Madame Tao wished An had as less to do with his biological father as possible. Learning from his uncle was the right thing to do!

Jiang Yashuang couldn’t win the argument with Madame Tao. But he was still worried. So, he went to explain to Jiang Yadan. However, Jiang Yadan wasn’t mad about not being able to see his son. He said carelessly, patting on Jiang Yashuang’s shoulder, “I was worried that since Tao is gone, it’s not ideal for my concubines to raise An. And our grandmother is old. I can’t leave An at her place forever. You and your wife really help me out!”

Before Jiang Yashuang could say anything, Jiang Yadan continued, “I only have this one trueborn. It’s good that you’re going to raise him. It’s better for him to learn from you than me. There is already an unworthy man like me in our family, which is enough. If there are more, our family will end up like the Tao Family!”

He wasted his talent and became a playboy. But he wasn’t so muddled that he was indifferent to his son’s future. He hoped his son could be successful.

Jiang Yashuang cut to the chase after hearing what he said, “Then we’ll raise An. You can come to see him by yourself at any time if you miss him,” He emphasized the words “by yourself” to remind Jiang Yadan that he and his wife didn’t trust his future wife!

Finally, An was taken to Jiang Yashuang and his wife. Everyone in the Jiang Family knew the reason. They all took pity on Madame Tao Junior’s hard life. She had been bullied for years for not having kids. But she died when she finally had a son!

If it weren’t for Madame Tao, her son might not live long after she died!

Now her son was raised by Jiang Yashuang. He should be able to make a difference under Jiang Yashuang’s tutelage, right? It would be a consolation to Madame Tao Junior.

An’s matter quieted down with Madame Tao Junior’s burial. One day, while Qiu Yelan was busy learning how to take care of a baby, a servant rushed in and reported that Jiang Qizheng was in labour!