Even though Jiang Ningkang had already declined, there was still a constant stream of people visiting the Jiang residence these days.
People from various families in Beijing, officials from various departments in Beijing, and even old friends who had some friendship with Jiang Ningkang a long time ago, also came to visit unexpectedly.
Although the purpose is not stated clearly, everything is implied.
The news that Prince Lin was still alive swept across the entire capital like a cold winter wind, accompanied by the heavy snow.
Even though, in everyone's eyes, Prince Lin was nothing but an unlearned, hopeless piece of mud, and he had almost never caught their attention.
But their bodies are very honest.
The fate of Prince Lin was a constant source of anxiety for them. Without certainty, they couldn't even sleep peacefully.
Many people came to visit, but none of them could get a conclusive answer from Jiang Ningkang. Some even tried to break into the Jiang residence at night, hoping to find any clues.
However, still nothing was found.
Firstly, the Jiang Mansion is unfathomable and it is not easy to break in. Even if you break in, it is easy to get lost.
Secondly, almost no one has actually seen Prince Lin!
Over the years, everyone had only heard of the reputation of the Prince of Lin, but Linzhou was thousands of miles away, and few had actually seen what he looked like. Although there was a portrait of the Prince of Lin in the capital, it was somewhat tainted with personal grudges and slanderous remarks against him, resulting in a very abstract portrait.
Therefore, even if Prince Lin was right in front of him, he might not be able to recognize him.
As a result, no one could confirm whether Prince Lin was still alive. As the news spread, it became a hot topic again.
Outside the Jiang Mansion, there are more and more spies hiding in ambush, always watching all the figures entering and leaving the Jiang Mansion, trying to find out the truth.
At this time, Lin Jiangnian was staying safely in the Jiang Mansion, waiting for tomorrow's wedding banquet.
Lü Xuan, the son of Lü Fusheng, the Minister of Personnel in the capital, is going to marry the eldest daughter of the Tao family. This marriage has caused quite a stir in the capital.
Not to mention that the Minister of Personnel Lu Fusheng holds a high position in the six ministries and has a very high status. The Tao family is also a well-known and prestigious family in Beijing.
The combination of the two families is a strong marriage.
It is said that this wedding invited almost half of the officials in the capital, as well as countless aristocratic families, big and small, which was a grand event.
This is not just a simple wedding, but also a grand exchange banquet for the major families and officials in Beijing.
…
Beijing.
It is located in a large mansion in the eastern suburbs of the imperial city.
Xu Mansion.
The scenery in the house is beautiful.
The heavy snow had just stopped, and the eaves were covered with a thick layer of snow. A maid was walking in the snow, leaving thick footprints, and hurried to the backyard.
In the inner courtyard, a figure stood quietly under the eaves.
"Oh, miss, why are you standing outside? Be careful not to catch a cold!"
When the maid saw her mistress standing outside, she hurried forward with a worried look on her face.
The heavy snow had just stopped, and the weather was freezing. A cold wind blew in, making people shiver. But the girl under the eaves seemed unaffected by the cold. She was wrapped in a thick cotton coat, her pretty face slightly red from the cold. Her breath condensed into hot air in the air, then quickly dissipated.
She seemed unaffected by the coldness, waving her hand nonchalantly and asking, "How's it going? Any news?"
The maid sighed softly and shook her head: "I have already sent people to investigate, but..."
Hearing this, the girl's expression changed slightly, and she staggered: "No news yet?"
"Didn't they say he wasn't dead?!"
The girl's voice was obviously anxious: "Why is there no news?"
"Miss, please don't get excited..."
The maidservant beside him quickly spoke to comfort him, "There are indeed rumors outside that Prince Lin is not dead, but... the Jiang family is keeping their mouths shut, and no one has seen Prince Lin in person yet. No one is sure whether this is false news deliberately spread by the Jiang family, or if they have other motives..."
After hearing this, the girl's eyes were a little dazed, and she stood there for a long time without coming back to her senses.
Her pretty eyes seemed to have lost their luster and looked a little listless.
The maid saw this scene and felt a little distressed: "Miss, don't worry too much. Since the rumor that Prince Lin is not dead is not groundless, maybe he is really still alive..."
"Wait a little longer, there should be news!"
The girl then showed some reaction, but her expression was still gloomy. After a while, she sighed and waved her hand: "Forget it, I get it!"
The voice was weak, and the maidservant beside her became more worried when she saw this.
Although she didn't know what had happened, she could clearly see that her young lady's attitude towards the Prince of Lin was... very special!
I still remember that when the news of Prince Lin's death was reported back to the capital, my young lady's face suddenly changed. She became anxious and angry. She seemed to have lost her soul and locked herself in the room without eating or drinking.
It wasn't until they heard that the Prince of Lin might still be alive that their young lady finally came back to life. They couldn't wait to send someone to find out the news. But after all the investigation, they still found nothing.
Now it seems that my young lady has become much more haggard and thinner. Her former spirit and energy are gone. She looks so pitiful.
How come such a good lady has become like this?
At this moment, footsteps were suddenly heard outside the corridor, and then a burly figure stepped into the yard.
"Second Young Master?!"
Upon seeing this, the maid quickly spoke respectfully.
The person who came was the second young master of the mansion.
A handsome young man with a square face, straight eyebrows and clear eyes walked in slowly. He saw several people in the yard, and then saw the girl standing under the eaves with her face slightly red from the cold, and hurried forward.
"Little sister, why are you here?"
"It's cold, go back to your room and rest!"
The young man's face was full of worry. It was so cold, he hoped his little sister wouldn't get cold.
The girl stood there, saying nothing, looking lonely and listless.
"I'm fine."
The young man took a look and said, "Little sister, what's wrong with you?"
After taking a closer look, he was immediately shocked and said, "Little sister, you have lost a lot of weight recently. What's going on?"
As he spoke, the young man turned his head to look at the maid beside him and angrily scolded: "Haven't you taken good care of the young lady recently?"
The maidservant was trembling with fear and said quickly: "Second Master, please forgive me, this servant, this servant..."
The maid wanted to explain something, but the girl in front of her waved her hand: "Brother, it has nothing to do with them."
As she spoke, the girl waved her hand: "You go down first."
The maid then bowed respectfully to the two of them and turned to leave.
After the maid left, the young man said anxiously, "Little sister, what happened to you? It's only been a short time, how come you've lost so much weight... If this continues, how am I going to explain it to my parents?"
The girl sighed, "I'm fine."
"You don't look okay at all!"
The young man's face was filled with worry. He only had this little sister, who had always stayed in Linzhou. Now, after finally coming to the capital, she had lost so much weight in such a short time. If his parents knew about this, they would definitely skin him alive!
"Oh, you talk so much nonsense, it's so annoying!"
The girl glared at him unhappily, then said weakly, "I'm tired and need to rest!"
With that, the girl turned and went back to her room.
The young man hurriedly followed, "Xiao Lan, you've finally made it to the capital. Your parents are not here, and your eldest brother isn't home either, so your second brother is the only one left to accompany you. If you have anything to say to your second brother, he will definitely help you."
"You can't help."
When the young man heard this, he immediately felt that there was something going on: "How do you know that Second Brother can't help if you don't tell me? Why don't you tell Second Brother?"
The girl just walked to the door of the room, then suddenly stopped and glanced at him: "Really?"
"When did my second brother ever lie to you?"
The young man made a solemn promise.
The girl hesitated for a moment, then asked casually, "I heard that Lin Jiangnian is coming to the capital?"
Upon hearing this news, the young man was stunned, "Xiao Lan, where did you hear that?"
The girl curled her lips: "It's spread all over the capital, what do you think?"
The young man hesitated and said, "Indeed."
"Is he still alive?" the girl asked, staring at him.
The young man finally realized something and coughed softly: "Xiao Lan, are you really...?"
The girl's body tensed up, and she glared at him, her tone somewhat flustered: "You, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"I, I just suddenly remembered that guy and asked."
"really?"
"What else?"
The young man finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Xiao Lan, before you came, Dad specifically told you to have less contact with him..."
"Hmph, you're so annoying, just like Dad!"
The girl immediately became angry, waved her hands impatiently, and wanted to go back to the house.
"Hey, hey, hey, Xiao Lan, don't be like this. I won't say anything more. I definitely won't say anything nonsense..."
The young man quickly begged for mercy and then sighed, "Rumor has it in the capital that Prince Lin has indeed died outside the city!"
The girl's heart suddenly tightened, but her face remained nonchalant: "But isn't there a rumor in the capital that he is still alive?"
"That's true."
The young man sighed softly, "I don't know where the news came from, but recently many people have gone to the Jiang family to inquire about the news. If he weren't dead, the capital would be bustling!"
"What do you mean?"
"This Prince Lin has quite a few enemies in the capital, whether they're targeting him or the other Prince Lin. He carries a lot of grudges, and if he's still alive, they're bound to be repaid... This is why Father told you not to have too much contact with him..."
"Dad knows that you had a good relationship with him when you were in Linzhou, but that was in Linzhou after all. This is the capital, you..."
"Oh, you're so annoying!"
Before the young man could finish his words, the girl had already closed the door angrily, blocking the young man outside.
The young man stopped talking abruptly and sighed helplessly after a while.
My little sister's personality is exactly like my father's.
Just as he was about to leave, he seemed to remember something: "Oh, there's a wedding banquet in the capital tomorrow. You've been in the capital for a while and haven't been out much. Do you want to go with your second brother tomorrow to join in the fun?"
“No!”
A firm rejection came from the door.
…
Beijing.
Starting from the early morning of that day, the sound of firecrackers echoed throughout the streets and alleys of the city.
The curling smoke, mixed with the smell of firecrackers, brought signs of winter. The snow on the roadside streets had not yet melted, and the remnants of firecrackers remained, creating a festive atmosphere.
There is a New Year atmosphere!
Today is the day when the son of the Minister of Personnel gets married!
This was a big happy event in the capital, and many people in the city gathered to watch and join in the fun. People gathered around, and children followed the wedding procession, picking up wedding candies.
The wedding venue was set to be a grand manor built by the Lu family in Beijing. The manor was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, creating a festive atmosphere. From outside the manor, the wedding procession stretched for miles, a truly magnificent spectacle.
If it were any other official, this extravagant act would have been enough to draw several reports. But the position of the Minister of Personnel was not simple, and the marriage partner was a family as wealthy and prestigious as the Tao family. Even if one wanted to find fault, there was nothing to find.
Naturally, no one would seek unhappiness.
Since morning, officials and their families from all over the capital have been arriving. The entire manor is magnificent and luxurious, and the gardens are rare in the capital. Many officials who rarely appear in public in the capital have gathered here, exchanging compliments and chatting happily.
This wasn't just a marriage between the Lu and Tao families; it was also a grand exchange between the forces behind the two families. For these people, the wedding wasn't important; it was the gathering of most of the forces in the capital that had a far greater significance.
Outside the manor, a carriage slowly approached.
The carriage was extremely low-key and inconspicuous. Inside, the carriage was beautifully decorated and filled with the scent of women's body fragrance and rouge.
Through the car curtain, Lin Jiangnian glanced outside the car.
"This Minister of Personnel is really capable."
Lin Jiang smiled young.
To be able to invite so many officials and people from aristocratic families in the capital to a wedding, the connections of the Minister of Personnel in the capital must be very extensive.
"He can't do this alone. There are people behind Lu Fusheng."
A lazy voice came from the carriage. Jiang Yuxiang was sitting on the soft couch, her beautiful eyes looking at Lin Jiangnian gently and indifferently.
She was wearing a white and blue slim skirt and a solid-color coat. Her slender figure was leaning softly on the couch, adding a touch of lazy beauty to her look.
Beneath the skirt, a pair of long legs as white as jade bamboo shoots, stepping on a pair of pure white embroidered shoes, are extremely beautiful.
Lin Jiangnian nodded. Of course, the Lu family's wedding was not simple. As for who was behind the Lu family, it was self-evident.
"It seems that today will be really lively!" Lin Jiang smiled young.
Jiang Yuxiang's beautiful eyes fell gently on Lin Jiangnian. After looking him over for a few seconds, she suddenly asked, "Have you really decided?"
Lin Jiangnian turned his head and saw Jiang Yuxiang staring at him without blinking. He couldn't help but feel a little strange when he saw his aunt's gentle face, so he turned his eyes away.
"There are so many people attending the wedding today. If I show up now, I'm afraid it will attract too much attention and it won't be worth it..."
Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Why not go into this manor first and go find those 'good friends' to catch up with us."
"Give them another surprise!"
“…”