Mr. Jiang looked at the time then slowly got up and picked up his drum.
"Dry and irritable weather today, watch out for fire and burning candles..."
Upon hearing old Mr. Jiang’s unusually loud voice that night, He Deping threw a fist into the air heavily.
"Alright then! I will do it for myself and for the little girl's sake. Who knows, maybe he will really achieve great success in the future."
He shut his eyes tightly.
He thought in his heart that he had already been a slave to the former Duke anyway.
So why would it matter if he were to be a slave to the Young Master in the Duke’s mansion?
If Murong Xiude succeeded, he would promise him and Shen Xiangwan a bright future.
Moreover, with the guidance from someone as capable as Mr. Jiang and him, and with Murong's talents, why couldn't he succeed?
As he thought about the fact that Murong Xiude would grow from a little master who had nothing into a young man who was likely to be successful in the future, he laughed happily.
Meanwhile, in Luoying Garden, Lady Ying was studying with her young son.
“I feel the east wind blow when spring arrives with a myriad of reds and violets."
"Mother, is it true that spring is all red and purple?"
Lady Ying patted the child's head affectionately. "No, there is green too. In fact, there are so many colors. One day, I will take you and Sister Yuan outside to see the spring scenery."
"Sure! Can I invite Brother Hao too? I like to play with him." Seeing the hope in the five-year-old’s eyes, Lady Ying nodded. "Okay, we will take Brother Hao and several other sisters together."
"Hehe, thank you Mother."
"You did a pretty good job in studying today's poetry, you may go and play with your sisters."
"Alright."
As she watched the child leaping away joyfully, Lady Ying smiled and turned around to summon the female servant next to her.
"When spring comes, let the brothers and sisters in the house go out and play together."
"Yes, my Lady," Mama Qiao hurriedly responded, then began flattering the Lady. "That is to say, my Lady, you are so kind-hearted. If it were others, they would never take these b*stard children to play outside."
Lady Ying smiled gracefully. "Oh, I didn't have this opportunity before. I have always wanted to give the Duke’s sons and daughters a little joy."
"How about, the one from Jiaochi Garden?"
The smile on Lady Ying's face disappeared, and she became a little unhappy. However, she didn't show her emotions too obviously.
"Mama, haven't you been working by my side for so long? Why would you simply mention the boy from Jiaochi Garden?"
Mama Qiao quickly bent down and humbled herself. "My Lady, are you worried I have been bribed by others to ruin your interest? I would never do such a thing. However, some time ago, I heard some Young Masters in the house were asking an old slave to be their teacher. The one from Jiaochi Garden also went with them. He took advantage of his cleverness and managed to render the teacher speechless by asking a few difficult questions. The old slave was so angry that he ignored him. Afterterwards, I inquired about this matter. I have to say, that boy... really has talent."
As Mama Qiao spoke, she darted a careful glance at Lady Ying, and when she saw that she was not angry, she prepared to continue.
"I see. Mama, I believe you have something more to say?"
Lady Ying did not give any comment. Mama Qiao was the old slave that she had brought with her from her maternal family, and Mama Qiao usually made plans for her. Today, Mama Qiao had specifically mentioned the boy from Jiaochi Garden. It was obvious that there was something else behind her words.
"My Lady, I think that letting the boy live and die in Jiaochi Garden alone like this is not appropriate at all. Besides, the Duke has become more and more uncertain over the years. Seriously speaking, if my Lady were to help the Duke plan properly, he might promise you the Duchess’s title."
Lady Ying’s facial expressions changed when she heard her words.
This matter had always been a pain in her heart.
Although her father is the Prime Minister, she was only one of his b*stard daughters in her father’s mansion. If it weren’t for her mother, who had an inferior status and background, she would not be chosen to be only the Duke’s common wife.
She had thought that since the Duchess from Jiaochi Garden had been dead for many years, it was her turn to be the Duchess. However, the Duke didn't mention anything about the Duchess’s title at all throughout these years.
It had been seven or eight years already, and the Duchess’s title was still vacant at this time. Her heart grew more and more panicked.
"Mama, tell me, am I not good enough for the Duke? He only cares to sow his wild oats outside, and he doesn't care about the children’s education at all. It is me who gathered all the b*stard children together in one place without a single complaint. Besides me, who else would do this for him?"
As Sima Ying mentioned all the sad things that were trapped in her heart, she wiped away the sad tears on her cheek.
Mama Qiao quickly comforted her. "My Lady! I feel guilty for making you cry. Well, we can’t really figure out the Duke’s thoughts, but according to my guess, as long as he didn’t give out the Duchess’s title yet, we still have a chance. People believed that he had lost favour towards the Duchess from Jiaochi Garden who had done something wrong back then, but the truth is, everyone can tell that she has always been the one in his heart. Otherwise, how could he have not chosen a wife to be the Duchess for so many years!"
If it were someone else, they might not be able to understand the Duke's feelings for the former Duchess.
But Sima Ying had stayed with the two of them for several years, and she knew the entanglement between them very well.
To others, the Duke seemed disappointed with the former Duchess, but actually, he felt that because he loved her too much.
Back then, the admirable couple had been in and out of the battlefield together, and they had fought side by side.
However, when the former Duchess went out to the battlefield, she had attracted a lot of coveting. Perhaps it was because of that, the Duke had easily believed the scandalous rumours about the Duchess that came out after the incident.
"Mama, you couldn't see through everything clearly because you were involved in the situation. The Duke has a good impression of all of his children over the years, but the only one he dislikes is the one from Jiaochi Garden. In fact, that boy was the child of his favorite wife. If he found out that his favorite wife’s son was being mistreated by us, how would he look at us in the future?"
Sima Ying’s face blanched.
Mama Qiao sighed slightly when she saw her like this.
"My Lady, I know that you feel unjust that the Duchess who had already died for so long still remains in the Duke’s heart. But aren’t all men like this? All of them knew love when they were young. However, when they grew older, most of the time they would value their offspring more. You have worked so hard to raise his children for him over the years despite the hard work of managing everything in this mansion. Even the main wife of the mansion would not care, how could he not know your efforts? He is still human, after all, and he has feelings. Especially for a man like the Duke, who has been so affectionate towards the former Duchess for so long, I assume that he is an empathic man. As long as you do your best and give him your full effort, how could he not care about your wellbeing?"