Chapter 39

On the way back, Bai Yan couldn't bear to ask: "Where did you get the ten taels of silver a month for her?"

Although she was working with the prince and ten taels of silver was not enough, for a girl like Xiaoman who was without a father and mother, it was indeed not an easy task to speak ten taels.

"You won't lie to her, are you?"

Xiaoman glanced at her: "How come you think I'm so useless?"

My adopted mother has a business in Yizhou, so she will teach me how to manage it. Although I am not very good, I also deposited some silver in the money house."

Bai Yan's eyes became more suspicious: "You can make money?"

She obviously looked like a petite lady who knew nothing, and her mind was full of strange ideas. It seemed that such a normal thing as making money from Ju seemed to have nothing to do with her.

"It costs money to travel around the country and the water. In order to go to more places, I must save a lot of money."

Bai Yan thought of Zhou Gongyu and asked her: "Then are you not getting married anymore?

Your adopted mother wanted to give you a dowry, right?

What if your husband doesn’t let you travel around?”

"Then I can't marry him. Isn't it good to leave the extra money to Ruruo?"

Whenever she thought about getting married, she felt that it was out of reach.

It is hard to imagine that she wants to have a husband, especially if her husband has others besides her.

Instead of thinking about those things, she might as well plan to go out and travel around the world.

Bai Yan was briefly silent after receiving Xiaoman's answer.

Obviously, there are many unsolvable problems between Prince and Xiaoman.

It’s not even as simple as whether he likes or not. Even if he gets Xiaoman’s heart, he may not be able to keep this person.

During these days of serving Xiaoman, she could feel the difference between her and other women, but she never understood what made Zhou Gongyu so persistent about her.

The stable and comfortable East Palace failed to let him fall asleep peacefully, but Xiaoman's book case did it.

"What if you like your husband very much?

Would you be willing to give up traveling for him and live a peaceful life with him?"

She said this and added the word "stable" specifically, but in fact, how can she be stable? It is the palace where people eat and don't spit out bones, and it is the center of power.

Xiaoman's steps stumbled slightly and quickly returned to normal.

"But people's hearts will change. If I gave up my wish for him, in the end he no longer likes me and lets me down for others, nothing will be gone at that time."

Bai Yan didn't ask again. She truly believed that Zhou Gongyu and Xiaoman were in two completely different worlds, and the two shouldn't be involved.

Jiang Ruoruo sat in the academy for a long time. When he saw Xiaoman coming back, he put the teacup heavily on his face, with a very serious expression: "Have you heard rumors in Beijing recently?"

Apart from what Lin Qiushuang said, she really didn't know much.

"What's wrong?"

"You went to invite your teacher before, and you were prone to criticism behind your back.

Several famous scholars in the capital were talking about your origins behind their backs, and they slandered them a lot. They also said that female students were not worthy of being promoted, which insulted the classics passed down by ancestors.

There are also some vulgar remarks that I can't say. In addition to those literati, there are many men who don't know what they are doing to ridicule you.

It is obvious that you are ignorant, but you mock you for misleading your children and say that a woman studying is contrary to human ethics and shows up without shame."

Jiang Ruoruo is a lady from a wealthy family and can't even say a slander, so she doesn't seem so dirty and dirty when she says something unpleasant.

But Xiaoman was a person who was humiliated in person by famous people. Those who read the book were like this. If it were ordinary people, their words would probably be a hundred times more unpleasant.

Xiaoman said calmly: "What they said is lies."

Seeing that she had no reaction, Jiang Ruoru felt even more upset and gritted her teeth and said, "This is because they don't know your wealth. You are a woman. If outsiders criticize and fabricate it like this, your innocence will be ruined. If everyone knows that your reputation will be damaged, it will be difficult for marriage in the future.

If you run a female school, it will be harmful to yourself without any benefit. Why don’t you listen?”

When Xiaoman heard her say that her reputation was detrimental, her expression finally changed a little. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Will that cause you to be implicated? You still have to get married?"

"How could they know about your relationship with our Jiang Mansion? If you want to find it, you will find the Prime Minister. But it's not our turn. Those who don't know about it thought that the Prime Minister agreed to this matter and let you do it in the capital."

Hearing this, she felt relieved and took Jiang Ruoruo's hand to comfort her: "It's okay, I can ignore what they said."

"Why are you just unwilling to listen?"

Jiang Ruoruo knew it was this result, so he sat down angrily and said, "Before leaving, my brother also heard those rumors. He was so angry that he couldn't even eat. He was worried that Han Shi would no longer be there, and you would hide in the quilt and cry secretly. He asked me to comfort him. Who knew that you didn't care at all."

Xiaoman apologized: "It's my fault, I didn't expect this.

Wenjiang is suffering from severe floods, and I didn’t know when my brother left..."

Jiang Ruoruo sighed and said, "It's not your fault. He left without even I reacting. Instead, the Princess Lingyang was a bold person and secretly followed him.

I don’t know if my brother has discovered her.”

"Lingyang... followed?"

Xiaoman was stunned.

"Why?"

But Lingyang always dislikes Jiang Susi’s poor chess skills, so why did he slowly become like this...

Jiang Ruoruo's tone revealed a little pride: "Brother is the top of the list. Even if his chess skills are not as good as His Royal Highness, how could he lose in front of the princess? It's just giving in to her. Who knew that the princess was concerned about my brother."

A princess can still afford a family like the Jiang family.

"What about you and the third prince?"

Xiaoman remembers that since he was rescued by the third prince on the street, Ruoruo has secretly fallen in love with him.

But it is almost impossible to approach Ruruo actively or even deliberately please him.

Bai Yan couldn't help but look at Jiang Ruoruo. Her cheeks were dyed with a thin red color, she lowered her eyebrows slightly, and said in a low voice: "My grandfather wants the emperor to give him a marriage, but I don't know what he wants. If he doesn't want to marry me..."

Concubine Hui had high expectations for her son, and once asked him to compete with Zhou Gongyu for the position of crown prince.

Although she was born as a dancer, she was more jealous than the top. Not many noble girls in the capital could get into her eyes, and the same was true for Jiang Ruoruo... Unless Zhou Dingheng would really like her.

Xiaoman did not make any comments, and the two said goodbye and refused to ask her to return to the Weiyuan Marquis Mansion.

Less than a quarter of an hour after seeing off Ruruo away, an uninvited guest came to the academy again.

Jiang Hengzhi looked at the academy's layout, but his eyebrows and eyes were never stretched.

For so long, due to Zhou Gongyu's threat, he was unable to appear in front of Xiaoman.

But now, he has no choice.

"Xiaoman, I heard you want to run a female school?"

Xiaoman was originally calm, but when he heard that he wanted to mention this matter, his tone was a little impatient: "It is better not to say something to the Prime Minister, but I don't like to listen to it."

Jiang Hengzhi's face changed and he pressed back his almost uttered words.

He thought of the incident in the mansion and forced a loving smile, "Your brother's full moon gift, you haven't been back for so long, so go and have a look."

Xiaoman looked serious, but his tone was a little confused: "Are you tired of Mrs. Cheng?"

Jiang Hengzhi couldn't hold back his smile, and his eyes looked at her as sharp and cold as an eagle.

"What are you talking about?"

"You never celebrated my birthday with me, but you wanted to give him a full moon gift.

Haven’t you always regarded me as Jiang Yuefu’s medicine and raised me like a cow and sheep, why have you started to care about the birth date of cow and sheep again?”

She knew that if she really wanted to mock someone, she could be merciless.

“Is it that he is different?

Do you treat him as your child?"

“I just don’t have a choice.

"Because he knew that Xiaoman would die one day, so he ignored her and alienated her in order to avoid being soft-hearted, so that he could be cruel enough when that day really came.

"It's right that you have grudges against me, but this time, I just want you to go back and see your younger brother."

Xiaoman stood on the wooden floor of the school, and Jiang Hengzhi stood in the yard.

She stood there, just in time to look at Jiang Hengzhi without any humility.

"He will blame you when he grows up."

"I will treat him well, and I will treat Lin Wan well, and I will not make mistakes from the past again.

Xiaoman, come back, I keep treating you as my daughter, I just... just helpless."

Jiang Hengzhi was sincere every word, and even his eyes looked painful.

When Xiaoman heard his words, he felt disgust in his heart.

Her mother was dead, she came out of the Jiang Mansion and survived by chance.
To be continued...