CHAPTER 348: CHAPTER 342: I AM THE MARQUIS MANSION DOWAGER 31

Before Anning even entered the palace, Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion was already bustling with activity.

Mrs. Song, for reasons unknown, brought her niece from her maternal family to the mansion.

Mrs. Song’s niece, named Song Jingman, lost her father before she was born, and her mother passed away soon after giving birth to her; she was raised by her uncle and aunt, and although her life was harsh, the child was lively and lovely.

Apart from Song Jingman, Ms. Zhang’s sister, Mrs. Xiao Zhang, also brought her children to the Capital.

Due to Ms. Zhang’s elder brother being transferred to serve as a governor, the whole family went to take up the post, hence, Mrs. Xiao Zhang arranged to temporarily reside at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion.

Mrs. Xiao Zhang was married into the Jiang family, an imperial merchant, and she had a son named Jiang Kun and a daughter named Jiang Baoshu.

With the arrival of Mrs. Xiao Zhang and her family, Ms. Zhang busied herself preparing a courtyard for them in the northwest corner of Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, near the gate.

This courtyard was quite large within the mansion, consisting of a residence with two sections and a total of twenty-two rooms, sufficient for the three members of the Jiang family.

And as for Song Jingman, upon arriving at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, she lived with Mrs. Song and almost always went in and out together with Tang Rong.

Anning sighed at seeing how Mrs. Song had arranged things.

But she felt it inappropriate to comment further.

Originally, Anning had thought about finding a moment soon to stir trouble at Ms. Zhang’s end, hoping Ms. Zhang would devise a way to move Tang Rong out of Mrs. Song’s quarters.

However, before she could act, Song Jingman had already caused a ruckus.

After arriving, the girl seemed somewhat reluctant to interact with Tang Rong, and upon learning she was to live with him, she created a fuss about wanting to return home. She bluntly pointed out the impropriety of mixing men and women, directly accusing Mrs. Song of ruining her reputation.

This infuriated Mrs. Song, who clutched her chest and lamented in pain.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Xiao Zhang, having just returned from Ms. Zhang’s, called Jiang Baoshu over as soon as she entered the house and said joyfully, "I’ve spoken with your aunt, and in another two years we will finalize your marriage arrangement with Rong. Wear your golden necklace when there’s nothing much doing, it should let people know that you and Rong are a match made in heaven."

Jiang Baoshu slightly narrowed her eyes, then smiled: "What exactly did aunt say to mother?"

Mrs. Xiao Zhang replied: "Your aunt said you and Rong are very well matched, that this adds kin to kin, a perfect union, and since she likes you, she naturally wants to settle it. I too think it makes sense. You’ve seen the wealth of this mansion, and once you marry into the family, your mother-in-law will be your own aunt, so she will surely cherish you and not make things difficult. Ordinary mother-in-law and daughter-in-law issues won’t befall you, so indeed, this is like hitting all the right notes."

Jiang Baoshu slightly bowed her head: "Mother, please don’t talk like this in the future. Your daughter isn’t pleased."

Mrs. Xiao Zhang was stunned.

It took her a while before she murmured: "Why are you unwilling now?"

Jiang Baoshu sat down close to Mrs. Xiao Zhang and said softly: "Mother, can’t you see the situation in this mansion? Originally, you said that the second branch of the household is gaining power, that maybe they might inherit noble titles as they have only Tang Rong, the legitimate son. But what about now? The eldest son of the senior branch has returned, and that too as a top scorer, instantly bolstering the senior branch’s involvement. Now the senior branch’s influence is strong, and it’s clear the title won’t fall to the second branch. Therefore, Rong is nothing more than the legitimate son of a fifth-rank official; in the Capital, such figures are a dime a dozen. With our Jiang family’s wealth, marrying into a family of a fifth-rank official isn’t difficult. Why should I cling solely to Rong?"

Mrs. Xiao Zhang listened silently.

Jiang Baoshu took the opportunity to continue: "Moreover, I see that Rong doesn’t seem ambitious. He is only mindful of cherishing beauty and lacks responsibility. In the future, when the family fortunes are divided, the second branch will only receive a third of the assets. Rong, being the legitimate second son of the second branch, will only get a fraction of that third. Mother, think about how much you can expect; he probably can’t even support himself in the future, let alone a wife and children. If I marry him, I fear I would suffer."

Mrs. Xiao Zhang, easily swayed, had previously believed Ms. Zhang when she praised Tang Rong.

Now, with Jiang Baoshu’s detailed analysis, she believed her daughter’s words.

"Lucky I asked you, otherwise your aunt really might have fooled us."

Mrs. Xiao Zhang was immensely relieved: "My child, what should we do now?"

Jiang Baoshu smiled, "I think mother should frequently visit the senior branch. Sister Feng is pregnant, and since mother is her own aunt, shouldn’t you take care of her a bit? And once Sister Feng’s child is born, you could also take me to visit homes of the nobility; that way, I could also meet many people."

Mrs. Xiao Zhang’s eyes lit up: "That’s indeed a good idea."

Jiang Baoshu sat for a while and then asked Mrs. Xiao Zhang, "Aunt, did you ask mother for money?"

Mrs. Xiao Zhang sighed, "Your aunt kept complaining to me about how much your sister Ying suffers in the palace and how much it costs, I couldn’t bear it, so I lent her five thousand taels of silver."

Jiang Baoshu was so angry she couldn’t catch her breath.

She knew it would be like this.

Her mother was always too soft-hearted, lacked decisiveness, and spent money like water.

She felt it couldn’t go on like this, and decided to discuss with Jiang Kun about taking control of the household finances herself, to prevent it from going through Mrs. Xiao Zhang’s hands again.

Lying in bed in the evening, Jiang Baoshu still had trouble sleeping.

She really hadn’t expected someone dead could see this world again and have another life.

Thinking about her past life, Jiang Baoshu felt nauseous.

In her previous life, she had followed Mrs. Xiao Zhang’s arrangements, always working to get close to Tang Rong, and even conspicuously wore that golden lock, which had everyone talking about a perfect match made of gold and jade.

And she knew all along that Tang Rong had liked Xu Wan, but pretended not to know, trying every means to marry into Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion.

Later, Tang Ying became a concubine, and Ms. Zhang finally managed to outshine Mrs. Song; her and Tang Rong’s marriage was scheduled.

The astute Xu Wan had seen through it early on.

By that time, she must have known that the Marquis Mansion used Xu Family’s left-over money to build that garden. In order to survive, she said she wanted to pray for her parents and stayed in a temple for a while.

Later, Xu Wan stayed in a quiet little temple and happened to meet Prince Kang who was hunting nearby.

Xu Wan was naturally beautiful, and upon seeing her, Prince Kang was delighted.

Later, Prince Kang asked to marry Xu Wan, and she became his concubine.

When Prince Kang ascended the throne later, Xu Wan was made a Noble Consort, favored alone in the harem, and eventually became the Empress after the Empress passed away, leading a life of wealth and honor.

Yet Jiang Baoshu, who was in no way inferior to Xu Wan, endured endless suffering after marrying Tang Rong.

Tang Rong couldn’t establish himself and was always preoccupied with Xu Wan, never sharing a room with her.

Later, the Tang Family was convicted, and their clan was wiped out.

At that time, Prince Kang had not yet ascended the throne, and Xu Wan had no say, although anxious, she could only save a few female relatives.

And Jiang Baoshu was one of those saved by Xu Wan.

After being rescued, she could only rely on Xu Wan’s charity to survive, while Tang Rong had long abandoned her, and no one knew where he went. Jiang Baoshu lived a lonely and unsupported life, ultimately freezing to death in the bitter winter.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back in her home in Jinling.

After realizing she had been reborn, Jiang Baoshu cried for days.

Afterward, she made up her mind to have nothing to do with Tang Rong ever again in this life. She would not marry Tang Rong no matter what and would find a way to get close to Prince Kang, aiming to become his concubine.

Since Tang Rong was focused on Xu Wan, and Xu Wan had also liked Tang Rong before, since both had feelings for each other, why not fulfill their wishes?