The courtyard in front of the ancestral hall, which was originally quiet, was silent all of a sudden, but immediately after, there was an uproar on all sides. In such a place, naturally no one would be stupid enough to ask Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Yang who they were, what they cared about was why the third old lady of the acting patriarch came with the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and why they suddenly appeared at this time.

So, in the midst of the exchanging discussions, there are also the voices of standing up, the sound of moving chairs, or the reprimands and complaints of two people who happen to bump together...... All in all, when Chen Lan helped the Jiang family to enter the door, he saw all kinds of completely different expressions on everyone's faces, and immediately glanced at the old patriarch Jiang next to him.

In contrast, although Patriarch Jiang had his signature smile, the fear in his heart was not enough for outsiders. was detained in Wanquan Villa for two or three days, except for the person who was carried by Aunt Yun to send Ruijiang Commercial Bank to inquire, the rest of the time no one paid attention to him, although the three meals a day were all good tea and good food, but where could he eat? At this moment, even if he was standing on his own turf, he still didn't have the slightest sense of security, and his forehead was unconsciously covered with fine beads of sweat.

"Dad, you're back!" , Master Jiang Qi didn't know that there were so many tangled thoughts in the old father's heart, and after walking forward quickly, he diligently held the hand of the old patriarch Jiang, "This clan meeting should have been presided over by you, and when you come back, everyone will have the backbone." Just now, Dean He also said, "Chief Ai Shan wants to take my family's junior five under the door, and he is willing to accept the outstanding children of the Jiang family into Jinling Academy, such a good thing, isn't every clan happy?" ”

Old Patriarch Jiang still just knew about this, and when he heard this, he immediately looked at He Mingqin's side. Seeing that people were happily bowing their heads at him, he only felt that his heart was mixed, and he glanced at Chen Lan coldly. Seeing that Xiao Lang and his entourage were greeting Jiang and Chen Lan over there, neither of them paid attention to their gazes, he took a deep breath, and the words that Chen Lan summoned him to say when he was on the boat came to his mind again.

"To this day, you should always know how Madame Ai could have given you such an idea, right?" Chen Lan, who was holding the tea cup, gently brushed off the tea leaves and foam on the top with the lid of the bowl of the Jun kiln, and then lifted it up and took a sip. Only then did he say unhurriedly to him with an obscure expression, "The Jiang family's talents are withering, especially the official, there is almost no one who is competent, and all that remains is the one or two petty officials who funded it back then, but after all, it is a different path for the government and the people." It's not so much that you can support others to do something, it's better to say that others now see the Jiang family as a piece of fat. In-laws and in-laws, if the word marriage alone becomes a relative, then how can there be so many face-turning in-laws and hostile couples in the world? ”

She stood up again, glanced at him and looked elsewhere: "The thing you mentioned has been completed, and you can borrow the name of the Yang family for about a few years, but after the incident, can you bear the next anger of my master?" Therefore, naturally she could only lean towards Mrs. Ai, who came up with her idea, after all, it was the largest ground snake on the ground in the south of the Yangtze River. People don't need to put forward any conditions next, as long as they take your grandson under the door" and then select a few children of the Jiang family who are quite outstanding and accept them into the academy, I think your Jiang family will naturally be grateful to Dade. Immediately after, the academy recommended a few people who were proficient in arithmetic and so on to come over and help, can you not accept it? Ten years later, these children who were accepted into the school learned to come out, "What is the surname of the Jiang family, then it is not easy to say!" ”

Thinking of his sweat at that time, the old patriarch Jiang quickly sorted out his mood and expression, and lightly gestured to the heads of the Jiang family's houses and children who came around. Seeing that Chen Lan was looking over there, he took a few steps forward and said to everyone: "Everyone, I'm really sorry, the old man is late today. It was really because there were a few important things that had to be discussed, so I arrived a little late. These two are the family members of the new commander of the Liangjiang Army, Mrs. Yang, Mrs. Yang, and Mrs. Yang. ”

Old Patriarch Jiang's introduction, others have seen it one after another. The older generation and the younger generation of the Jiang family naturally only looked at the Jiang family, and those who had seen her when she got married and heard about the downfall later, they sighed in their hearts for twenty years in Hedong and twenty years in Hexi; As for the others, they went straight to Chen Lan's face to look at it, the horizontal and vertical Jiangnan atmosphere is not as great as those in the north, and there are not a few women who preside over the family business. Gradually, "those attention focused on Hongying, who was standing next to Chen Lan.

Especially He Mingqin, the dean who came on behalf of Jinling Academy, his keen eyes measured the length and width of the long baggage, and it was not until the surroundings gradually quieted down that he coughed dryly: "Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Yang are female dependents after all, and there are many people outside, isn't it ......?"

Before he finished speaking, Chen Lan gently grabbed the Jiang family's arm, and said with a smile: "My mother and I also sent the Jiang family patriarch here by the way, and now that we have arrived, it is naturally inconvenient to stay longer, so I will go back to the other courtyard first." ”

"How can this work?" When the old patriarch Jiang heard this, he hurriedly stepped forward, "Mrs. Tai and Mrs. Tai have come from afar, although it is a clan meeting, but you have to sit down and leave, and get ......."

Taking advantage of the turmoil just now, Master Jiang had already gone to the side room, and at this moment he happened to pull Mrs. Jiang out, and when he saw this, he naturally immediately squeezed forward: "If Mrs. Tai and Mrs. are not disgusted, it is better to sit in the side room, and let me wait for a cup of tea to entertain." Although Uchiko and the others are rough, they can always laugh and laugh with them. ”

Seeing that Mrs. Jiang also stepped forward to persuade with a smile on her face, Chen Lan looked at the Jiang family, and when he saw that he nodded, he also agreed, during which he forgot that there was such a person as the old patriarch Jiang. Seeing the door of the east wing over there, she suddenly looked back at the red tassel behind her, as if she said improvisedly: "Hongying, you stay outside and listen, see what the old men say, and turn around to talk to me." ”

"Yes, ma'am.

Hongying bowed her head knowingly, and waited until the others followed the stream in, and the curtain finally fell, and then she turned around, and then did not look at the people who looked at her, and retreated straight to the side of the magnolia tree to stand still. Faced with this scene, more people exchanged glances with each other, and the number of people staring at the burden behind her suddenly increased.

What's going on outside" Chen Lan, who entered the east wing, didn't care at all. It's like two groups of people who are clearly divided outside, and so are the ladies in the wing of this thing. Most of the ladies in the east wing are dressed ordinarily, and they look like they are Jiang's! The women of the clan who came from more ordinary families.

At this moment, seeing them looking at their clothes, as if they were a little surprised, Chen Lan didn't know that he had never been like the custom here in Jiangnan, "Wearing all kinds of gold, silver and jewelry on his body, I think it makes these women not very used to it." When she was surrounded by everyone to sit on a soft couch like the stars holding the moon, she only invited Jiang to sit down, and when she took the tea, she first held it in her hand and tested the temperature, and then gave it to her mother-in-law.

Seeing such a scene, Mrs. Jiang saw that several of the concubines who were older than her were full of envy, so she said playfully: "Mrs. Gu is really blessed" to have such a filial daughter-in-law. ”

Jiang was very unaccustomed to the title of this aunt's wife, raised his eyebrows, and finally pressed it without a seizure, and only said lightly: "Everyone has a life, I have suffered all the hardships in the first half of my life, and I can finally enjoy the blessings of my son and daughter-in-law in the second half of my life." Don't just stand, sit down. Lan, you sit next to me, too. ”

Chen Lan gestured to Mrs. Jiang, and saw that she was busy directing a group of concubines and younger daughters-in-law to sit down, so he sat down next to Jiang. After serving tea, there were all kinds of honey threads, fruits and dim sum boxes, followed by some gossip and laughter, Jiang listened more and received less, and others didn't care, "Just go there and try to serve." It wasn't until Chen Lan gradually took over the task of leading the conversation that the atmosphere really became lively. When someone mentioned that Jinling Academy was going to accept disciples just now, there were even more people who spoke.

"Although it is a good thing, but when Jinling Academy recruits students in which year, it is not a sensation in the whole Jiangnan, and there are even people who come from Yungui to go to school here, and the places taken out here are at most three or five, and my kid is not counting on it."

"That is, the little five in the third room are already married to daughters-in-law, and their qualifications are not necessarily the best, which can be looked down upon, isn't it because of the wealth of the third room? Like our little seventeen, no matter how smart and clever it is, what's the use, it's not that there is no way out? The most important thing in this world is reincarnation! The woman said as if she knew that she had lost her words, and said with a smile, "Mrs. Tai and Madame, don't laugh at me." ”

"It's good to say something." The Jiang family, who had been saying very little, nodded, and saw that those others who originally wanted to interject were holding back, so he sighed with emotion, "In this world, reincarnation is the most important thing, but being able to give birth to the stomachs of you people is already burning high incense in this life." You must know that there are peddlers and pawns in the world. Jinling Academy accepts so many three or five people, for the Jiang family, how many talents can really be trained, I don't think it is possible, you must know that Jinling Academy has hundreds of people every year, but these people are all Jinshi, and after they are Jinshi, everyone is soaring? Sometimes the roads in the world lead to the same end, but sometimes, each path has no end until it is seen in the end. Well, back then, my brother abandoned Wenlu, but he doesn't regret it, and I don't regret it either! ”

As soon as these words came out, the woman who spoke just now stroked her palms and sighed: "What Mrs. Tai said is very true, this is what speaks in my heart, can't people become talents if they are not sent to Jinling Academy?" I don't believe it, I can't read well, I teach him to run the industry well, and it will be a big profit when the time comes! ”

As soon as she answered, others also echoed Jiang's words, and the atmosphere was extremely lively for a while.

Chen Lan didn't expect her mother-in-law's words to provoke such a reaction, and taking advantage of this opportunity, she also took the opportunity to say: "This Jinling Academy has been running in Jiangnan for many years, and there are many talents coming out of it, so the imperial court will issue a canonization recently." The academies in this area of Jiangnan are very popular, and the imperial court greatly appreciates the style of culture in this area of Jiangnan, and there are many academies to be sealed. If it is really the children of the family who want to enroll, it is not necessary to Jinling Academy. ”

Chen Lan had heard Mrs. Ai mention this canonization at first, and it was said that it was Yang Jinzhou's proposal to Du Weifang, the second assistant, and she had already issued an edict, so she threw it out at this time. Seeing that all the women present were at a loss, she immediately realized that she didn't know why, and the news had not yet been completely spread on the ground in Jiangnan, so she couldn't help but explain the general meaning with a smile. Sure enough, as soon as she said that this canonization would be treated equally, there would be an edict, and the room was in an uproar.

Even Mrs. Jiang Da was quite moved. After all, just now they quietly left their heads in the room, knowing that the posture of Jinling Academy was to support the third old lady, and their son would never be able to enter that place, so it was inevitable that they would be a little unhappy, and at this time, Chen Lan's words were undoubtedly opening another window while one door was closed. Therefore, she grabbed the handkerchief and rubbed it twice, then leaned forward and asked, "Mrs. Yang, I don't know which academies can be canonized?" Seeing that all the women were staring at him, Chen Lan secretly sighed that it was human nature to hope that Jackie Chan was a human being, but she hadn't seen it, and she only knew a rough idea about it, so she couldn't answer it for a while, so she used the idea of even eliminating it: "This is a big deal for the men outside, and I haven't seen the edict, so I don't know how it is." Really speaking, this was mentioned to me by Mrs. Ai of Jinling Academy when she came to Yangzhou a few years ago, and she should know about it. Otherwise, there will always be a time when the edict will be announced, and at that time, the academies will be eager to publicize that "the whole of Jiangnan will know about it." ”

"Yes, yes, who will have such good news in an instant?"

Some people chimed in, but more people ignored Chen Lan's saying that they didn't know, and continued to talk around Chen Lan, such as Mrs. Jiang, who couldn't even wait at all, "simply sent someone out to inquire, but the Jiang family was left out in the cold." She was not annoyed, looking at Chen Lan, who was surrounded by people and was in good spirits to deal with it, she couldn't help but squint her eyes, and then the corners of her mouth picked.

It's good to be young!

Just as there was a sound of inquiry in the room, there was a sudden commotion outside. Except for Jiang and Chen Lan, the other women and men here were all outside, and at this moment, the women who were sitting steadily just now were all panicked, some rushed to the door, and some went to the window to observe the movement, and they were in a mess for a while. I just heard a crunch, "I don't know who was too excited or too forceful, and actually pulled the door open." The next moment, a woman shouted.

"What about the third old lady...... The third old lady promised to step down from the position of the patriarch, and the eldest master will be the patriarch after worshipping his ancestors! ”

The women who were as busy as headless flies just now suddenly all quieted down, especially Mrs. Jiang, who had already hurried to the door and was about to scold the woman who opened the door rashly. I don't know who pinched himself incredulously, and then let out an ouch sound, "There is an ouch in this room." As for Mrs. Jiang, she simply left Chen Lan and the Jiang family behind at this moment, and the whole person stood by the door and couldn't move.

"The Jiang family has finally changed hands!"

Hearing Chen Lan say this, the Jiang family breathed a sigh of relief, and saw that she didn't care about the women of the Jiang family who were either excited or dazed, happy or envious, and went straight back to sit down beside her, and laughed for a while: "You, the Ming plank road is used to secretly cross Chen Cang, coercion and temptation are also used, and the differentiation and segregation are even more skillful and mellow, if you go to the battlefield, I don't think it's worse than Uncle Quan!" "Mother, you laugh at me! Chen Lan stretched out his hand to test Jiang's forehead as he spoke, and his face showed sincere joy, "It's really good that I haven't counted the heat since the morning today!" ”

"I'm sick of my heart, now that I have the right letter, and now I see the fall of the old man who was invincible at the beginning, my heart is naturally how happy and happy I am!" Seeing that no one else was there, the Jiang clan naturally spoke with a little less scruples, "At that time, when I was in the most difficult time, I wanted to remove him from the patriarchal position and let him taste the pain of losing his power and wealth." As for the fact that he dared to come to the door this time to mention that kind of condition, I can't wait for it even more...... It's all over, it's all over......"

Listening to Jiang's muttering like this, Chen Lan understood in his heart that when his mother-in-law read Yang Jinzhou's letter, she knew that she was following King Jing, and she was not as empty and thoughtless as before, so she let go of her heart. It's just that for her, she is far from being accustomed to her husband wandering outside like this, not knowing life and death, so she comforted her mother-in-law's shoulders, but did not speak.

Even if it is this Jiang family, it is far from being completely stable, this time she has the upper hand, but since Mrs. Ai dares to let the Jiang family put forward this condition, I am afraid that there will be a confrontation later.

The women on this side of the east wing were jubilant, and in the courtyard outside, the uproar had not yet subsided. Not only did Master Jiang feel like he was in a dream, but even Master Jiang Qi looked at his father with disbelief, and even stepped forward and grabbed the person's arm, and said sharply: "Dad, are you crazy?" Everyone clearly thinks that you are the most suitable person to be in charge of clan affairs, why did you suddenly say that you want to step down from the patriarch? Do you know that Jinling Academy promised ......"

"You give me a place to stay.!" , Old Patriarch Jiang interrupted his son's words in a deep voice, looked around, and saw that whether it was his own side, or was attracted by Master Jiang, or the guests invited to the meeting, almost everyone was surprised. Only the prince of Zhendong was still a face that was as difficult to melt as ice and snow, and he sat there as if no one was around, and only when he noticed his gaze, his cold eyes looked back. He quickly avoided the sharp gaze, and then arched his hand in all directions.

"The old man has been at the helm of the Jiang family for many years, and he has been helped by everyone, and now he has stepped down from the position of patriarch, firstly, because he is old and unable to do it, and secondly, because Changfang can already be in charge of himself, so there is absolutely no reason to break the rules of the ancestors. As for the kindness of President Ai Shan and Dean He of Jinling Academy, I am really grateful. But my family's junior five qualifications are shallow, and it is difficult to bear the love of Ai Shanchang, but if the other children of the Jiang family are excellent, I implore Ai Shanchang and Dean He to help more. ”

After these beautiful words, he saw He Mingqin's gloomy face and did not answer, and he did not continue to wait, and shouted loudly with a wave of his hand: "What are you still doing in a daze, don't hurry up Zhang Luo, the new patriarch should worship his ancestors!" ”

When it came to this, Master Jiang still had some brains that couldn't turn around, but when Xiao Lang's little servant Juque walked up to him and whispered a few words, he immediately came to his senses and didn't dare to continue to be so stupid. Seeing that one by one of the clansmen hurriedly went to prepare for the arrangement, even if he didn't understand what was going on, he quickly coughed lightly and stood beside the third old lady, "Tuan Tuan also made a gesture, and looked at the old patriarch Jiang with a sincere face, "After all, the third old lady has been acting as the patriarch for many years, and now it is inevitable that he will take off his heavy responsibilities due to old age, but he can't just leave things in the clan alone." I also ask the third old lady to continue to serve as the patriarch, so that I can give some advice when I make a mistake. ”

"Big nephew, you are now enough to take charge on your own, so you don't have to pull me as an old man anymore."

"Third uncle, where is this, I haven't eaten as much as you have crossed, haven't you? You can do it and stay and help me......"

Just now, the two sides were still tense and did not give in to each other, but at this time, it was a modest and polite one, whether it was the Jiang family present or the guests on the side, everyone could see the kind of fakeness in their bones. Especially He Mingqin of Jinling Academy, even tightened the ink landscape folding fan in his hand, and almost forced himself to stop the urge to leave his sleeves, but it was inevitable to sneer. Finally, in the echo of others, "The hypocrisy of the Jiang family's uncle and nephew has finally come to an end, and the next thing is the ancestor worship ceremony, but the ceremony of really taking over the patriarch cannot be so hasty, and it needs to be held on another auspicious day, so most of the guests have said goodbye after worshipping their ancestors."

Whether this change is good or bad for the Jiang family, they have to go back and report to the person who should report it.

Although he had not yet taken over the ceremony, he was already the master of Jiang who was in the name of the patriarch, but Chen Lan knew that the Jiang family had just recovered from a serious illness, and he should not be willing to stay in the Jiang family's mansion at such a time to demonstrate to the old enemy, so he lightly refused this intention. And although Mrs. Jiang said that she was fighting hard and said good things to save Xiao Lang, the prince of Zhendong, the prince of Zhendong, but the people in the compartment were also inaccessible, and in the end, the two groups of people actually left the Jiang family's mansion together.

Xiao Lang insisted on sending Jiang and Chen Lan home, but Chen Lan couldn't resist him, so he agreed to this kindness. She went to Nanjing to live in Tangshan Bezhuang on the outskirts of the city, but after Xiao Ding, who rushed over first, went over there, she learned that there was another house in the Xinjiekou of the city and the Yangning Hou Mansion, so she had an extra heart and ordered people to clean up on both sides. Sure enough, Chen Lan, who arrived in Nanjing, finally felt that it was convenient in the city, so he chose the three-entry mansion in Xinjiekou as a temporary residence.

Although only part of the house was cleaned up at this time, there was naturally still a place to entertain a guest like Xiao Lang.

The Jiang family now almost treats Xiao Lang as most of the juniors, and at this moment Xiao Lang asked her about her physical condition with concern, and she waved her hand and said, "I know my own body, it's not a big deal." It's you, looking at the expression of the eldest lady of the Jiang family today, you probably have to make some calculations. Xiao Lang, do you have a marriage contract? If not, have you ever thought about what kind of woman you will marry in the future? ”

Faced with such a completely unexpected question, Xiao Lang was stunned for a moment. After being silent for a while, he suddenly turned his head to glance at Zi Chen Lan, remembering the sudden change in the situation this afternoon, and then looked at the Jiang family.

"Auntie, I never heard my parents mention that there is a marriage contract. As for what kind of wife, I never thought about it...... But if she wants to marry a virtuous wife, she must be a filial person, preferably as smart and capable as her sister-in-law, able to assist my mother in managing and checking all kinds of military accounts when I am away, able to control the internal relatives of her colleagues and subordinates, able to deal with many problems inside and outside the city, and able to ......"

Listening to Xiao Lang's miscellaneous words, Chen Lan couldn't help but have an urge to sigh. This year, the Hou Shizi of Zhendong, who is not small, does not say anything about having children when he marries a wife, but he is thinking about these things...... Is he marrying a wife, or is he hiring a senior assistant?! ~！