The news that Jiang Xifeng, the legitimate son of Old Master Jiang Huai, the richest man in Jiangnan, was stabbed by his enemy, spread like wildfire throughout Jiangnan.
At this moment, Jiang Xifeng sat on the bed, throwing the soup bowl that was brought to his lips onto the ground, and roared, "Doctor, where is the doctor?"
Liu Shi, standing beside him, quickly stepped forward and said, "My lord, the doctor has already examined you."
"What did the doctor say?" Jiang Xifeng stared intently at Liu Shi, asking word by word.
Liu Shi trembled all over, considering whether or not to tell Jiang Xifeng what she had heard.
Jiang Xifeng impatiently roared, "Speak, speak quickly."
Frightened, Liu Shi quickly said, "The... the doctor said that my lord might... might not be able to..."
"Not be able to what?" Jiang Xifeng suddenly got out of bed, grabbing Liu Shi's collar and asking.
Liu Shi swallowed, and Jiang Xifeng roared, "Say it, say it..."
Forced by Jiang Xifeng, Liu Shi finally said, "He said you might not be able to perform human functions anymore."
"You're talking nonsense," Jiang Xifeng said angrily.
"I... how dare I talk nonsense, it was... the doctor who said it," Liu Shi said cautiously.
Jiang Xifeng looked at Liu Shi and angrily said, "You must be lying to me, you must be lying to me, I don't believe it, I don't believe it."
Liu Shi said nothing more. Jiang Xifeng suddenly grabbed her, threw her fiercely onto the bed, and tore her clothes. However, no matter what he did, he was ultimately unable to.
Jiang Xifeng collapsed on the ground, his face filled with disbelief. "How could this happen? How is it possible?"
Liu Shi sat up from the bed, put on her clothes, and walked to Jiang Xifeng's side, trying to help him up. Jiang Xifeng pushed her away with one hand and angrily said, "Are you here to laugh at me? Are you?"
"My lord, please get up, the ground is cold, and you'll feel better after drinking some medicine," Liu Shi said.
"Feel better after drinking some medicine." Jiang Xifeng suddenly laughed as if he had gone mad.
Liu Shi was at a loss. Just then, Jiang Xifeng, who was sitting on the ground, suddenly stood up, threw things from the table onto the ground, and roared, "Get out, all of you get out, get out..."
Liu Shi was also driven out by Jiang Xifeng.
Jiang Xiuyi, standing outside the door, saw Liu Shi emerge with her clothes disheveled and couldn't help but step forward to ask, "Mother, what's wrong with Father?" Liu Shi shook her head and said, "I don't know, your father has been like this since he woke up."
Jiang Xiuyi looked at Liu Shi and asked again, "Mother, what illness does Father have?"
Hearing Jiang Xiuyi ask about the illness, Liu Shi said, "No... no illness."
Seeing Liu Shi's flustered gaze, Jiang Xiuyi was certain that her father had some strange illness.
"Mother, may I go in and see Father?" Jiang Xiuyi asked.
Liu Shi quickly said, "You'd better not go in. Your father is in a very bad mood right now, and I'm afraid he might take his anger out on you."
Jiang Xiuyi no longer insisted. In fact, she was not very familiar with her father, Jiang Xifeng. She only remembered that her father liked to frequent pleasure houses and always asked her mother for money whenever he returned. The Jiang Mansion had been relying on her mother for many years. Although her mother was a bit dull, she was very shrewd in business.
And her father's trip to the capital this time was not for her, but to use her marriage to the Duke of Ning's mansion to promote himself.
Such a father could not only be unhelpful but would also be a burden.
"Since Father is in a bad mood, I'll visit him another day," Jiang Xiuyi said.
Jiang Xifeng's outburst and destruction of property reached Xue Xingyue's ears.
Feng Wu heard this and said, "This is really too good for Jiang Xifeng."
Xue Xingyue said, "For someone who enjoys hunting for women, this will only make him wish he were dead."
"That's still too easy for him," Feng Wu said.
"It's not that retribution won't come, but the time is not yet right. Feng Wu, let others handle some matters; why should we snatch others' tasks?"
Feng Wu didn't quite understand. "Your Highness, are you saying someone will deal with Jiang Xifeng?"
Xue Xingyue said, "Who knows?"
Since Jiang Xifeng fell ill, the Jiang Mansion became much more desolate. The Jiang Mansion was already sparsely populated, and now with Jiang Xifeng down, only Old Master Jiang could make decisions in the mansion.
"Princess Xingyue, Old Master Jiang requests your presence." A servant from the Jiang Mansion came to invite Xue Xingyue.
Xue Xingyue naturally did not refuse, bringing Feng Wu and Feng Yi to Old Master Jiang's courtyard.
Upon entering Old Master Jiang's courtyard, she found it filled with servants, all young men around fifteen or sixteen years old, with no maids.
Arriving at the main hall, she saw Old Master Jiang sitting in a wheelchair.
Old Master Jiang had a ruddy complexion and a strong voice, showing no signs of being an elder over fifty.
With the assistance of a young servant beside him, Old Master Jiang stood up from his wheelchair and knelt on the ground, saying, "This old man pays his respects to Princess Xingyue."
"Rise," Xue Xingyue said lightly.
After standing up, Old Master Jiang returned to his wheelchair and said, "A few things have happened these past few days, making this old man feel somewhat overwhelmed. If there has been any negligence towards Princess Xingyue, I beg for your understanding."
"Old Master Jiang is too kind; this princess has been living quite comfortably," Xue Xingyue said.
"That's good." Old Master Jiang instructed the servant beside him a few words, and the servant withdrew.
"Princess Xingyue, this old man knows that Princess Xingyue is here to sign a contract with the Jiang family. As long as the princess agrees to let Xiuyi become a noble concubine in the Duke of Ning's mansion, then the Jiang family's financial resources will be at the Emperor's disposal."
"Precisely," Xue Xingyue said.
The servant brought over a brocade box. He pointed it out to Xue Xingyue. The servant handed the brocade box over, and Feng Wu took it and gave it to Xue Xingyue.
Xue Xingyue took it and opened the brocade box. Inside was a jade pendant.
"Old Master Jiang, this is..."
Old Master Jiang said, "This is the master's decree that allows one to withdraw banknotes from the Jiang family's various businesses. With this, the princess and His Majesty can withdraw money from the Jiang family's businesses at will. What does Princess Xingyue think of this sincerity?"
Xue Xingyue placed the jade pendant back into the brocade box and said, "Old Master Jiang's sincerity is indeed abundant. This princess will naturally not let Old Master Jiang down." As she spoke, she took a token from her waist and handed it to Feng Wu, who then presented it to Old Master Jiang.
Xue Xingyue said, "This token is a golden pardon. If the Jiang family ever commits the unforgivable crime of deceiving the emperor, which warrants the extermination of nine generations of relatives, this token can exempt the entire clan from capital punishment."
Upon hearing this, Old Master Jiang quickly stood up and knelt to express his gratitude, saying, "May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"
After leaving Old Master Jiang's courtyard, Feng Wu could no longer contain herself and said, "Your Highness, why did you give such a precious item to Old Master Jiang? Have you forgotten that Old Master Jiang has that peculiar hobby and deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces?"
Xue Xingyue replied, "Feng Wu, sometimes living is more painful than dying."
Feng Wu looked at Xue Xingyue and said, "Your Highness, you..."
"A golden pardon can only exempt one from the death penalty, but while the death penalty can be avoided, the punishment for the crime cannot," Xue Xingyue said coldly.