Half in the river wind, half in the clouds

Chapter 36: Branches intertwined

Jiang Feng confessed everything to her mother. She told her mother about the throbbing heartbeat when they first met, the pain of not being her equal, the rejection before parting, the expectation of the two-year appointment, the difficulty of sending a letter, and the joy of seeing each other again.

Every word is like a tearful complaint; sad and tender, yet extremely firm.

Jiang's mother was shocked and angry after hearing this, and slapped the girl hard on the cheek. Jiang Feng had expected the pain, but it still hurt a lot.

Jiang Feng knelt down stubbornly without saying anything, so his mother said, "I know you always have your own ideas! But you should also look at yourself and then look at our family. How can we compare with the princess? Princess Cheng'an is arrogant, and if she stamps her feet, our family will be in danger."

Jiang Feng argued, "Even if I wasn't there, Yi Ye never wanted to marry the princess. His Majesty even called him to the Qinzheng Palace to reprimand him for this matter. The princess was right in front of him, how could he not know? How can you blame our family?"

Mother Jiang sighed and said, "The princess loves Yi Ye, and she won't do anything to Yi Ye unless Yi Ye agrees! But who are you? How can the nobles be polite when they deal with you!"

Jiang Feng lowered his head, sighed, and then said firmly: "Mother, since I came into this world, I have never thought of entrusting my future and life to others. But this time, I believe in Yi Ye!"

Mother Jiang felt sad when she heard the girl's words. Jiang Feng had never thought of relying on his parents. She knew that coercion would be ineffective, so she could only speak slowly: "No matter how ambitious and capable he is, he is just a child! His Majesty, the Queen, the Princess! Who can he handle? It's Madam Shen..."

Mother Jiang glanced at Jiang Feng and continued, "Madam Shen has taken a fancy to the Princess Ji'an of the Shouchun County Prince's family. The two families often visit each other, and I have had the honor of meeting the Princess several times through Madam Shen's introduction. The Princess is a fairy-like figure, and she is very kind and amiable to people like us, and never puts on airs. I think she and Yi Ye get along very well. Now it's only because of Your Majesty's face that they haven't decided yet."

When Jiang Feng first came to Chang'an, he only knew that Princess Cheng'an was going to marry Shen Guxing, but he didn't know that there was another county lady who was also going to marry him. The county lady of Ji'an was the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Shouchun, who was the eldest son of Li Dan and the eldest brother of Li Longji and Li Longye. During the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, he was made the crown prince.

Jiang Feng sighed. Although she had chosen Shen Guxing and believed in him unreservedly and firmly, she had to admit that the road ahead for both of them was bumpy and hopeless.

Hearing what Jiang's mother said, she laughed bitterly and said, "Mother, I know that the situation is stronger than people, and I didn't dare to expect anything. But he treated me with all his heart, and didn't care about my status and position, nor did he care about offending the powerful for me. He just wanted to marry me. I am not a heartless stone. I have flesh and blood, and I have expectations and excitement..."

Jiang Feng's voice became softer and softer until it was barely audible. The girl shrugged her shoulders slightly, raised her head suddenly, and said with a firm look, "Mom, I like him too. I'm willing to give it a try!"

Jiang's mother was touched, but she said helplessly: "Our family can't compete with the princess, nor can we compete with the county lady. Besides, the Prince of Zhongshan has also intervened. How can Madam Shen agree? "

Jiang's mother has always been upset about Li Longye and Jiang Feng. She also heard from her aunt that Li Longye kidnapped Jiang Feng and came back in the middle of the night. But he never mentioned where he went or what he did! Since Jiang Feng came to Chang'an, his mother has been asking about Li Longye. She was worried that if Jiang's mother knew about their "breakup", she would set her sights on her cousin, so she kept talking about other things and didn't respond directly.

Jiang's mother came to Beijing this time to see the attitude of the Shen family. After some investigation, she found that the Shen family was indeed a good family. If Jiang Feng could marry Shen Guxing, it would be a good thing. However, Jiang Feng was targeted by Li Longye, and Shen's mother also hinted at the intention of marrying into the Prince's Mansion.

She was making plans, but she didn't expect Shen Guxing to take the lead and confess to Jiang Feng, and her cautious and timid daughter actually agreed!

After hearing what Jiang's mother said today, she said, "The prince never said he wanted to marry me. We have made it clear. Mother, don't worry!"

Jiang's mother was shocked. She thought that something that was impossible to accomplish was actually easily solved by Jiang Feng. She still didn't believe it and said, "It's obvious what the prince thinks of you! He is a man who won't give up until he sees the rabbit. How can he let go so easily!"

Jiang Feng said: "Mother doesn't understand the prince. He is a gentleman and never forces anyone to do anything."

When Jiang Feng heard her mother ask her this, she thought she had the same idea as her father, so she sarcastically said, "If I don't marry the prince, I won't be rich, and mother must be unhappy!"

Jiang Feng's sarcasm was like a thousand arrows piercing her heart, but Jiang's mother remained calm and said, "You are my flesh and blood, how can I not love you? How can I not know that the Prince's Mansion is a den of tigers and wolves! Since you don't want to marry him, you can just take your time! You acted so high-profile, making the Prince and the Princess lose face, how can they not blame you! Shen Guxing has always been cautious and thorough, but this time he didn't care at all and had no rules at all!"

"Mother, although the prince is ruthless, he is upright and will never involve the family because of his children's love. If he is angry with me, I am willing to accept it." Jiang Feng had been indecisive for two years. Once he made up his mind, he had already made plans for the worst.

"Silly child, it's not as easy as you think. You only walk around in the inner house, what can Li Longye do to you! But Yi Ye wants to be an official and socialize. How can these people let him go easily! He has already offended Princess Cheng'an, and now he has offended two princes because of you. They are all royal relatives and powerful figures. Does Yi Ye still want to continue his official career?" Jiang's mother said.

Jiang Feng smiled bitterly. How could two people's love hinder so many people? ! These obstacles did not make her timid. Instead, she had infinite courage and said, "Mother, no one knows better than Shen Guxing what he is facing! He is not afraid, and I am even less afraid!"

Jiang's mother met Jiang Feng's determined eyes and stared at him for a long time. She knew Jiang Feng's stubborn character very well. She would not turn back until she hit the wall. She would not turn back until she hit the wall. In the matter of Shen Guxing, she had beaten and scolded him, and also used threats and bribes, but still failed to stop her.

Mother Jiang thought of Madam Shen's satisfied look at the Princess of Ji'an County, and thought of the difficulties of life and the long life, so she hardened her heart: "You have fully understood the seriousness of this, but you are still determined to marry him! As a mother, I naturally hope that you will marry well and find a good husband. But you don't like the people I like, and I can't help you with the ones you like. First, Madam Shen has already told me that she wants the Princess to be her daughter-in-law, and there is absolutely no reason for me to send my own daughter to her; second, this matter is serious, and it will inevitably offend the royal family. If it hinders the official careers of your two brothers, not to mention your father, even I will never agree; third..."

Mother Jiang glanced at Jiang Feng and continued, "You always disobey your elders and make decisions about marriage without informing the court first. A few years ago, you pestered the eldest son of the Guan family, but I didn't pursue it because you were young. Later, you offended the prince in Qiushan, and I understood that you had no choice, so I indulged you all the way until today! If I don't punish you severely, I don't know what shameful things you will do in the future!"

Jiang Feng had expected Jiang's mother's attitude and words. She no longer needed Jiang's mother's emotional resonance and behavioral support. The girl knelt on the ground respectfully, raised her head, and said calmly: "If I had died of illness when I was nine years old, my mother wouldn't have so many worries; after I recovered from the illness, I was still as obedient as before, and arranged a marriage for my cousin early, and there wouldn't be so many problems like now."

Mother Jiang's body moved slightly, and Jiang Feng smiled with difficulty: "But things don't go as planned. Not only did I survive, but I also have such a stubborn personality. I persuaded my eldest brother to marry me because I wanted to escape from home; I was angry and betrothed my second sister to Gao Hui because I resented my mother's partiality. But Shen Guxing is the only one I really want to be with without any other reason. In this situation now, I absolutely dare not disregard the face of my family and ask my mother to run around for my marriage. I only ask my mother to consider our relationship as mother and daughter. If the Shen family really comes to ask for my hand in marriage, I hope my mother will agree!"

After saying that, Jiang Feng kowtowed to Jiang's mother in a proper manner, with his head on the ground, waiting for Jiang's mother's answer.

Seeing this, Jiang's mother was overwhelmed with grief. She sighed and said, "Okay! I promise you! If Madam Shen proposes marriage, I will definitely persuade the old lady and your father to make your marriage happen!"

Jiang Feng was a little surprised and looked at Jiang's mother in disbelief. Why did she agree?

The fruits of victory came too suddenly!

As expected, Jiang's mother had a backup plan. "Your aunt wrote to me a few days ago. Yuanhe refused the marriage by going on a hunger strike. Now the marriage with your uncle Shangfeng's daughter has been cancelled. Although Yuanhe is not as good as Shen Guxing, he is also a child of a scholar family. It is rare that he loves you so deeply! If you are not destined to be with Shen Guxing, how about marrying Yuanhe obediently?"

Jiang's mother's words reminded her of the Yellow River, where Li Longye had said something similar, "But if you two are not destined to be together... Even if the goddess is ruthless, I will marry Chu Meng to Yang Yun!"

She suddenly felt that what they said was more like a prophecy, as if she and Shen Guxing were definitely not meant to be together.

Jiang Feng's heart was cold, but he still replied desperately: "Okay! If I can't marry Yi Ye, the marriage will be decided by my mother."

Although Jiang's mother agreed to Jiang Feng's request, she could not avoid physical pain: first, she was hit with ten slaps on the hand, leaving her left palm bloody; then she was put in solitary confinement for ten days, with only clean water, steamed buns and porridge every day.