Chapter 310 - 265: Marquis Jing’an
Chapter 310: Chapter 265: Marquis Jing’an
The following day, they attended the banquet.
The carriage arrived at the Jing’an Marquis Mansion, and the people from Taoyao Square stepped out of it. Immediately, a matron came to greet them and ushered them into the Jing’an Marquis Mansion.
Shortly after entering the gate, they saw Jiang Yihuan coming towards them with her attendants.
Jiang Yihuan appeared surprised when she saw the people from Taoyao Square.
"Why are they here?"
"In response to Second Madam’s question, it seems the Marchioness invited them over for the banquet. The Marchioness began preparations yesterday, saying she wanted to entertain guests."
A peculiar look passed through Jiang Yihuan’s eyes.
The Marchioness’s health was improving, presumably because these people from Taoyao Square deliberately opposed her and cured her.
That day, she and Xiao Yanci experienced such a disgraceful incident at the Cheng’an Hou Mansion; she had to spend a lot of effort to placate the Marquis Jing’an upon returning. If she wasn’t adept at charming men, she would have long become an abandoned woman in deep seclusion. Now that these people from Taoyao Square had walked right into her trap, she wouldn’t let them go easily, and her anger wouldn’t be dispelled.
Though she couldn’t handle Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu, surely she could deal with the others?
Su Yaoguang and the others walked past Jiang Yihuan.
Once Jiang Yihuan had walked away, Su Yaoguang stopped, turned back to look at her figure, and said, "Today, let’s not act alone. This woman might be up to no good."
"We’ve seen how nasty this woman can be; we’re not falling for her tricks." Jia Chunni said, "Besides, we are here at the marchioness’s invitation, and won’t give her a chance to approach us."
They arrived at the main courtyard and met the Marchioness Jing’an.
Upon seeing the marchioness’s appearance, everyone was surprised. The aged and haggard look they imagined didn’t exist; the marchioness was quite beautiful, with lingering charm. However, she had been ill for too long, and her complexion seemed poor, giving her a sickly appearance.
"Today I’ve invited all of you to thank everyone from Taoyao Square," said the Marchioness Jing’an. "If there’s any discourtesy, please forgive it."
"No need for formalities, Marchioness," Zhang Yingdi said. "We are all from farming families and are not particular about things, so don’t disdain us for being unrefined."
"Marchioness, your complexion doesn’t look too good today. Let me take your pulse," Jiang Jing said.
"It’s strange, I felt fine yesterday, but today I’m listless again," the Marchioness Jing’an said weakly with a smile.
"Have you eaten anything unclean?" asked Jiang Jing. "Tell me what you’ve eaten in the past two days, so I can see if there’s anything that conflicts with your recent medicine."
Before the Marchioness could speak, a servant began to recount it all.
"I remember telling you that the medicine you took requires abstaining from ginger," Jiang Jing said. "Did your stir-fried dishes have ginger in them?"
"I don’t know," the Marchioness said. "Presumably not, as I didn’t see any."
"Not seeing it doesn’t mean there isn’t any!" the servant beside them said. "It seems we need to thoroughly check the kitchen."
"You’ve notified the kitchen, so they should be cautious and avoid making mistakes knowingly," the Marchioness said, coughing twice.
Su Yaoguang and Jiang Jing exchanged a glance.
Without a muttered word, it was as if they had spoken thousands.
An invisible understanding lay between the two.
"Marchioness..." Jiang Jing said, "if you don’t mind, you can arrange for a servant to take me to the kitchen and see if they’ve put ginger slices in the dishes—I’ll taste them and find out."
"Okay. Chunxiu, take Doctor Jiang to the kitchen for a look."
After Jiang Jing left with the servant, Su Yaoguang said to the Marchioness Jing’an, "Marchioness, your complexion is not great; I can do your makeup to make you look better."
"Wouldn’t that be too troublesome?"
"It’s not like I’m busy," Su Yaoguang said. "The marchioness is so beautiful, much better than that second madam. If you want to win back your husband’s favor, it shouldn’t be that difficult! Unless you’re unwilling to fight for it. Is the marchioness planning to let things go and drift away in this household?"
"I’m already familiar with a man’s shallow feelings. Whether he favors another woman, it doesn’t matter to me. Just that half of Jing’an Marquis Mansion’s current family fortune was earned by me, yet he plans to give it to that woman and her child—I cannot stand idly by."
"Since the marchioness sought us out, you must be aware we have grievances with that second madam. An enemy’s enemy is a friend. If there’s anything you need, instead of hinting, stating it directly might be more effective."