Real Empress from a noble family

When Qiu Jinglan pondered how to turn Ou Qinglan down properly, clouds were gathering in Jing City.

After mixed feelings of shock, doubt, confirmation, and grief, the first branch and the third branch of the Jiang Family simultaneously believed that the fourth branch must have something to do with the murderer of their sons!

But this time everything changed, it was their turn to taste the feeling of being stopped by Marquis Qin, "Although your third uncle does not say who the real culprit is, his words imply that he has already known. Let's wait until he returns. Otherwise, it doesn't matter a lot to accuse the fourth branch unjustly. Won't it be a shame to fall into the treacherous plots of others?"

"It is my third uncle's silence that makes us suspect the fourth branch! In this world nowadays, apart from members of our own family, what kind of the real culprit cannot be told by the third uncle?"

Marquis Qin sneered, "And then you can tell me how the fourth branch killed Yayue and Yaqing, can't you? Considering the time when Qizheng's blood letters were sent to Beijiang, even if Tianchi had sent someone as soon as he received the message, the man couldn't arrive in Shazhou by now, right? Or do you think Yadan, Qizheng, and the few guards they have with them are capable of doing that?"

"But Qiu Jinglan is in Shazhou!"

"Qiu Jinglan?" Marquis Qin stood silent, "Even though Qiu Jinglan can't take over the Western Army, he can get promoted in the government! He has just avenged his parents' deaths. And his sister, whom he cherishes, has been Yashuang's wife. In the prime of his life… How could such a clever man be so foolish that he would put all his eggs in one basket for the sake of the Western Army?"

"My second uncle, Yashuang's wife is pregnant. Maybe he thought we wouldn't do anything to him for the sake of his pregnant sister, didn't he?"

Marquis Qin said coldly, "If it were others, it would be possible for them to do so. But Qiu Jinglan is someone that Xue Chang appreciates. Do you think he could be so unwise?"

"But Yayue and Yaqing died!" Looking at his indifferent look, Jiang Tianqi shouted angrily, "If it weren't done by the fourth branch or by Qiu Jinglan, the Western Army would be handed over to the fourth branch, wouldn't it? By then, won't you be worried about the future of my eldest brother's branch and mine?"

"You also know that Yayue and Yaqing have died, don't you?" Marquis Qin said, sneering, "If the Western Army was not to be handed over to Qiu Jinglan, then who are you going to hand it over to?"

Jiang Tianqi blurted, "Bikong has grown up in the army and he knows the military work well!" His younger daughter, the seventeenth lady Jiang Qisheng, exactly married Ou Bikong, who was both the nephew of Jingbo and the cousin of Young Princess Ou Bicheng. And he served as the general of the Northern Army.

Since that the Ou Family had a good relationship with the Jiang Family and Sir Jingbo and his son also knew Jiang Tianchi and his son well personally, Ou Bikong had taken a higher position in the Northern Army than Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing. He was in charge of one of the troops at a very early stage. Both the former commander Sir Jibei and the current commander Jiang Tianchi favored and valued him. So, they often took him with them to share their experience.

"Ou Bikong is really a talent!" But hearing that, Marquis Qin reacted calmly, "But he is too young! The reason why he can take control of his troops is not only because of his own talent but also the Ou Family's foundation in the Northern Army. He has grown up in the camp and therefore he has a lot of brothers who grew up with him and uncles there! Besides, your third and fourth uncles have been fond of him! If he relied on himself only, he could not command such a great number of subordinates!"

"Isn't Qiu Jinglan younger than Bikong?" Jiang Tianqi's face was dark. As he had lost his son, the best choice for him to get his hands on the military power was of course his son-in-law!

Marquis Qin sneered, "But what his grandfather and father left for him is in the Western Army! Wasn't it that how he was able to easily kill Kuang Shihan and Gu? Not to mention his own talent, Ren Ziyong, the man beside him, is so talented that even the Kuangs treated him as an honored guest! But he is loyal to Qing Jinglan. To help Qiu Jinglan take his revenge, he even sacrificed his own martial arts to be a spy! Even though Qiu Jinglan doesn't know anything, as long as he is willing to listen to Ren Ziyong… Don't forget the fact that Ren Ziyong stayed in Shazhou for years as a wingman! Do you think that he will not pave the way for Qiu Jinglan to take charge of the Western Army?"

"If it is our family's trueborn sons who want to meddle in the military power of the Western Army, Ren Ziyong may be more worried about interfering with it!"

"But if not, how do you think Ren Ziyong will do?"

The advisor who used to be known as Mr. Leshan was not the type to be kind! Particularly, he had been in the top level of the Western Army since the time of Kuang Shihan, several years earlier than them. Who did know how many backstops he had in the Western Army today?

Marquis Qin looked at his nephew and his eldest son coldly, "And don't you think that it's too much of a coincidence? It was fine at the beginning but all of a sudden, our family's descendants are in trouble one after another… We haven't found all the survivors of Gu while there is a fight in our own family! Who knows if it's a conspiracy on their part? Shazhou was taken control by Kuang Shihan for years. Even if he died, not all of his subordinates die, don't they?"

"But…"

"No but!" Marquis Qin stopped Jiang Tianqi directly, "No matter what you think, in terms of the deaths of Yayue and Yaqing, you must wait! We will discuss it when your third uncle brings back the news about the real culprit! In the meantime, if anyone dares to act recklessly and do something that saddens the friends and gladdens the enemies, the whole branch shall go back to Kui County! Do you hear me?"

He was the one who led the rise of the Jiang Family. With his accumulated authority over the years, even though Jiang Tianao and Jiang Tianqi were full of reluctance, they couldn't help bowing their heads when his gazes swept over them, "Yes!"

Compared to the first branch and the third branch's being resentful and helpless, the fourth house was at ease.

Madame Zhuang began to recover after a few days in bed, making Jiang Yashuang and others take a load off their mind. However, because of the ban given by Marquis Qin and the fact that Madame Zhuang had just recovered, it was not appropriate for her to run around. So, she not only did not get out, but also refused to see visitors. Only Jiang Yashuang and his wife were always at her side to take care of her.

Since that she was grounded in the inner yard, Madame Zhuang had to ask about what had happened there.

For example, she asked about the daughter-in-law Madame Tao Junior who had died, "I heard that she was kind and generous, but she just didn't get along well with Yadan! I was thinking of getting the couple around to persuade them sometime… But I never expected that she would die first!"

She took An in her arms when she said this. And it was An who started the conversation. So, Qiu Yelan comforted her, "Don't be sad, mother. My eighth sister-in-law had always been filial. If she knew that you felt bad for her, it would surely be really hard for her."

Qiu Yelan was mainly afraid that Madame Zhuang would be too sad to have a relapse. Therefore, she said so and led her to look at An, "Look at An, do his eyes and eyebrows look like those of my eighth brother?"

"They are also like Yashuang's!" Madame Zhuang watched An carefully for a while and said, "I haven't seen your eighth sister-in-law in person, but I can imagine how good she was as a mother who was willing to trade her life for her own child! It's just a pity that…" She looked at the baby boy who was in the cradle not far away and felt hurt, "The two babies just look like Yadan and Yashuang. If you don't say, outsiders will think they are real brothers!"

It caused Qiu Yelan a pain in her head. As she was about to change the subject from Jiang Qizheng, Madame Zhuang suddenly asked, "I heard that the reason why An's mother died in childbirth seemed to have something to do with a concubine in Yadan's backyard?"

"For that…" Qiu Yelan pondered quickly. She personally disliked An Zhenshang and did not want to let go of the opportunity to speak ill of her. But she, as a sister-in-law, dared to discuss her brother-in-law's backyard… Was it a test by Madame Zhuang? Especially since that she forgot to bring Jiang Yadan's children born by his concubine to pay a visit to Madame Zhuang before, could it be the reason why Madame Zhuang suspected that she was not willing to see anything well in Jiang Yadan's backyard?

But Madame Zhuang didn't allow her to delay, "It seems that the concubine, whose surname happens to be An, is called Zhenshang, right? And now she is pregnant, isn't she?"

What she said was indeed An Zhenshang!

Her mother-in-law said the name. If she still played dumb, it might annoy her. Qiu Yelan set her mouth in a line, "Yes, mother! She did have something to do with that!"

"What had happened?" Madame Zhuang squinted her eyes.

Qiu Yelan gave a short account of the matter, not exaggerating it, but attributing Jiang Yadan's behaviour to An Zhenshang's deception and teachings. After all, it was unwise to speak ill of her first-born son in front of her mother-in-law.

After hearing that, Madame Zhuang showed little emotion. She said coldly, "The concubine's surname is An. And the nickname of the baby given by his mother on her deathbed is also An. How could it be appropriate?"

Qiu Yelan blurted, "Mother, my eighth sister-in-law was a generous person. Even though her maid cheated on her and was taken by brother Yadan, she didn't say anything. The reason why she gave An the nickname was that she wished him nothing but the best! It was impossible for her to harbor resentment!"

"I see!" Madame Zhuang's voice remained toneless, "She was willing to sacrifice her life for An. How could she remember such a person? But it is not good for Yadan's first son to have the nickname which is the same as a concubine's surname!"

She looked at Mrs. Chang who stood by, "Tell that concubine An to change her surname!"

"…" Qiu Yelan didn't expect this ending and so she was speechless. She was worried that Madame Zhuang suspected that Madame Tao Junior's naming her son An was because she was thinking about An Zhenshang! At last, she did that to give vent to the anger for Madame Tao Junior!

These days it was common for concubines and servants to change their names, but it was rare for them to change their surnames. Only if the surname was given by their masters, otherwise it was a great insult. Especially for An Zhenshang, who was a highborn lady, changing her surname was an embarrassment for her, or rather, the whole An Family!

But Madame Zhuang's anger for her eldest daughter-in-law did not stop here. When Mrs. Chang agreed and was ready to go forward to give the order, Madame Zhuang said carelessly again, "A person like her should never have been brought into the family! Your grandmother is too kind. Your eighth sister-in-law is her niece! A mistress who murdered a man's wife should be taken as a concubine. If I had been there back then, I would have killed her before she was pregnant! How could we tolerate her till today?"

Qiu Yelan gave a bitter smile as she thought in her heart, "How could Madame Tao not be willing to take sides? But Jiang Tianchi was not born by her! Both as a trueborn mother and a biological mother, no matter how Madame Zhuang treats her son's concubines, it is unnecessary for her to worry that her son will turn his back on her. Even he does so, it is not difficult for them to sort things out. But Old Madame Tao is worried about that!"

"As the concubine gives birth to the baby, get her to accompany An's mother! And as for the one who cheated on An's mother and induced Yadan, she doesn't get pregnant, does she? If so, get her to be a sacrifice right now!" Madame Zhuang commanded coldly, "People shall be punished when doing wrong, right? And their family can be forgiven… Oh, tell the An Family to change their surname! I'm not happy with that!"

Qiu Yelan was quite happy as she heard. So, she didn't even pretend to plead, "Mother, on behalf of my eighth sister-in-law, I'd like to thank you for your mercy!"

As a man's wife, she could never be too favorable for what Madame Zhuang did, could she?

Once the news that how Madame Zhuang made arrangements came out today, who would dare to come on to Jiang Yadan and Jiang Yashuang in the future?

No wonder that Zhuang Man said that everything would be fine in the fourth branch as long as her aunt came back!

"It was a pity that my mother-in-law didn't come back earlier. If not so, my eighth sister-in-law might be still alive!" Qiu Yelan looked at An with mixed feelings, deeply affected.