Mu Mingtang didn’t know whether the Prince of Qiyang’s condition had anything to do with the emperor, but she reckoned that the emperor was greatly troubled by a guilty conscience and feared that others would say he was mistreating his nephew.
Jiang Honghao stepped forward at the perfect time with a solution, offering his adopted daughter’s in marriage to the Prince of Qiyang. The emperor had not only persisted with the Prince of Qiyang’s treatment but also found him a princess. With this, even if the Prince of Qiyang never recovered, no one would blame the emperor for being cruel.
The Jiang family would naturally be rewarded for this merit. Perhaps Jiang Honghao would finally be granted a position even higher than the one he held now. The emperor would be able to protect his reputation, the Jiang family would benefit, Jiang Mingwei would get rid of her annoying substitute, and Xie Xuanji would be able to please his first love. Everyone would be happy… except her, the sacrifice.
Would Jiang Honghao be willing to give up his future prospects for an adopted daughter, an outsider? Naturally, the answer was no.
A year and a half had passed since she stepped inside the Jiang Manor. Although she was clumsy at first, she’d adapted quickly and tried to please everyone in the manor, including the servants. She’d thought even if the Jiang couple didn’t see her as their own daughter, they should have developed at least a little bit of affection for her. After all, if one raised a dog for a year, they would be reluctant to kill it.
However, it seemed that she wasn’t even as good as a dog. They’d never even regarded her as a human, did they? Her only purpose was to be Jiang Mingwei’s substitute, and now that Jiang Mingwei had returned, they were keen to throw her into the Qiyang Manor to squeeze the last bit of value out of her body.
When Jiang Honghao saw Mu Mingtang kneeling silently on the ground for so long, he felt his heart ache. After all, she was a delicate-looking girl. When Madam Jiang brought her back, she did resemble Jiang Mingwei quite a bit, but over the past year, with their care and nourishment, Mu Mingtang had grown to possess her own type of beauty.
If Xiangyang had not been destroyed, if she had not been driven to the capital, Mu Mingtang would have lived a carefree life pampered by her parents.
Which parents would be willing to see their young, blossoming daughter marry a dying madman? Jiang Honghao silently sighed and softened his tone. “When your sister returned a few days ago, we were unable to properly celebrate your birthday. Later today, I will make it up to you with a gift.”
As he spoke, he was very pleased with his own generosity as an adopted father. Mu Mingtang should be feeling quite grateful. He waited for her to shower him with words of gratitude, but she remained silent and suddenly stood up instead.
At this, Jiang Honghao frowned. As expected, a commoner would always be a commoner. When her father spoke to her, she not only refused to answer but even stood up on her own accord.
Did he say she could stand up? How disrespectful!
Unlike before, Mu Mingtang didn’t apologize and beg for forgiveness at every shift in Jiang Honghao’s expression. This time, she grinned, looked between Jiang Honghao and Xie Xuanji, and said, “To be sanctimonious and sail under false colors… I didn’t understand what these two sayings meant before, but now I get it!”
Xie Xuanji’s face suddenly sank, and Jiang Honghao was furious. “Presumptuous! What do you think you’re saying, Jiang Mingtang? Kneel down and plead for forgiveness this instant!”
“Birthday? Gift? Put away your hypocrisy. My name is not Jiang Mingtang, and my birthday is not in June. The third of June is Jiang Mingwei’s birthday. Mine has long passed!”
Jiang Honghao froze. Mu Mingtang’s birthday had long passed? Suddenly, he realized that he had never bothered to ask her about her birthday. No one did. They’d simply arranged a birthday banquet for her on the third day of June.
The third day of June. Indeed, it was Jiang Mingwei’s birthday.
“You went on prating about how marrying the Prince of Qiyang is a great honor, so why don’t you let your own daughter have this honor? My life is cheap, I can’t afford to accept this honor!” Jiang Honghao was about to speak when Mu Mingtang interrupted him, “Spare me your hypocritical sophistry. If you want to kiss up to your boss, you will kiss up your boss. If you want to sell your daughter, you will sell your daughter. I know you’re not going to change your mind. It’s for my own good? Don’t give me that crap! Just hearing it makes me cringe!”
Jiang Honghao was one of the Three Grand Ministers. In court, he held a position above nearly everyone else, and as the head of his family, no one, not even Madam Jiang and Jiang Mingwei, dared to defy him. That meant no one had ever pointed a finger at his face and called him a hypocrite before.
“Presumptuous!” He slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “The Jiang family adopted you, provided you with rich food and clothing, and gave you servants who wait on your hand and foot. Is this how you should be treating your benefactor? If it wasn’t for me, you would remain a commoner for your entire life, incapable of even dreaming of becoming a princess!”
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