Jiang Chen had no idea what the Madam Huang was thinking, and even if he did, he had no time to care.
When he woke up in the morning, he suddenly found that his legs could not move. This terrified all his attendants. They reported to the Marquis in a panic, and physician after physician came, all shaking their heads and unable to find the cause of his symptoms.
In the afternoon, the Marquis's hidden guards were dispatched from all directions to search for Jiang Feng. Yun Duo, who had already bribed some of these guards, immediately received the news and gnashed her teeth in hatred. Thinking of the scene when the Marquis found Jiang Feng from that place, she felt a schadenfreude. To be safe, she also sent her own people to eliminate the root of the problem.
At the same time, the news that the emerging divine doctor Wang Chunyan in the capital was going to marry a man spread throughout the city. Although Wang Chunyan had excellent medical skills, she was not young, her appearance was ordinary, and she had a pair of children. Everyone was very curious about what kind of man would marry such a woman.
Then, news came that the man marrying Wang Chunyan was a noble young master, and the wedding was set for ten days later to repay the life-saving grace.
Suddenly, everyone began to speculate about the divine doctor's fiancé.
On the tenth day, Jiang Feng, riding a tall horse, accepted Wu Caiwei into the small courtyard he had prepared, amidst the gaze of the onlookers.
Because the county where Wang Chunyan lived was too far from the capital, a round trip would take at least twenty days. Jiang Yu, who was anxiously awaiting news, suddenly heard the housekeeper say that the man marrying the divine doctor today strongly resembled Jiang Feng. He smiled and shook his head, not taking it to heart.
"How could Feng'er marry such a woman? As the noble heir of the Marquis's mansion, what kind of woman can't he have? Besides, he couldn't possibly be in the capital. Yun Duo said she sent him as far away as possible back then."
The bridal veil was lifted, and Wu Caiwei looked at Jiang Feng, dressed in wedding attire, smiling exceptionally happily. This was the third time they had become husband and wife.
Some busybodies inquired which noble young master was marrying the divine doctor. Some said he resembled Jiang Feng, the heir of Marquis Ning's mansion, but then they felt it was not right. The wedding was not held at the Marquis's mansion, and moreover, how could the future Marquis Ning marry a woman with children?
Others said that it was rumored that their marriage was to repay a life-saving grace, and they had not heard of any trouble with the Marquis's heir.
Jiang Feng was well aware of the rumors outside. At first, he thought he could marry her without regard for consequences, but in life, one had to go out. It was inevitable that people would gossip behind their backs, and even those with high status might say unpleasant things to their faces. He, as a man, didn't care, but he couldn't bear to let Wu Caiwei suffer any grievances, so he devised this plan.
Thus, from that day on, Jiang Feng accompanied Wu Caiwei on their rounds to see patients, introducing his identity to everyone they met and spreading the story of how they met far and wide.
Soon, everyone in the capital knew that the man marrying the divine doctor was indeed Jiang Feng, the heir of Marquis Ning's mansion. They discussed Jiang Feng's strange experiences and coincidentally brought up the old feud between Yun Duo and Yun Ya. Everyone looked enlightened, seeing without saying.
When Jiang Yu received the news, the matter of him favoring his concubine over his wife had already become common knowledge, guided by some people.
What made him even more furious was that the heir's wife of the Marquis's mansion was indeed such a woman. If the matter had not been exposed, it would have been acceptable to bring Wu Caiwei into the mansion as a concubine. Now that everyone knew the whole story, it was impossible to bring her in and impossible to retreat.
He also blamed Jiang Feng for not understanding the overall situation and acting on his own. There were many ways to repay a life-saving grace, and the position of the heir's wife was extremely important; how could it be given away so easily?
When Yun Duo received the news, she cried bitterly, feeling that Yun Ya and her son were her nemesis. Her own son was lying in bed, and Jiang Feng could return unscathed. She had paid so much money, and they were all good-for-nothings.
When Yun Ya heard about it, she thought she was hallucinating. How could her son marry such a woman? Although she was grateful to her for saving her son, from now on, she would also become an indelible stain on her son.
Wu Caiwei and Jiang Feng paid no attention to what others thought. At this moment, they were ostentatiously showing their affection, husband and wife acting in unison. Their figures could be seen in every street and alley, as if they were afraid that others wouldn't know they were a couple.
The result of such high-profile behavior was that at the court the next day, Marquis Ning's political opponents attacked him for favoring his concubine over his wife. The Marquis's heir went missing without being searched for, and even the heir's wife was not married within the mansion.
Jiang Yu secretly clenched his fists, not knowing how to refute. The Emperor was a wise ruler and had his own judgment. Even if he argued strenuously, he could not change the image in the Emperor's mind. It was possible that the matter would become even worse, making the Emperor think that he had not mended his ways.
The Emperor's eyes and ears were all over the capital, so how could he not know about this sensational affair? However, in his view, both father and son had problems. Jiang Feng's problem was that he should not have treated his marriage so casually. Therefore, in the end, he only lightly stated that he was fined half a year's salary, to go home and reflect for a month, and to handle his family affairs before coming to court again.
Although the punishment was not severe, Jiang Yu felt extremely ashamed, as it was rare for someone to be punished for family matters.
Upon returning to the mansion, the first thing he did was to ask the housekeeper to find Jiang Feng and ask him to return to the mansion.
Jiang Feng arrived quite quickly. Jiang Yu looked at his son standing before him and couldn't help but sigh. In the blink of an eye, he had grown so tall. He admitted that he had never really looked at him properly for so many years, and this was the first time he had observed him so carefully.
Jiang Feng lowered his head and let him examine him. He wanted to see what he had to say, and whether he would still protect his beloved son at this point.
"You shouldn't have married the Wang family so willfully, nor should you have made such a big fuss," Jiang Yu said calmly, sighing.
He knew that his son had become estranged from him. He had not cared about him for so many years, and even had fanned the flames in some matters. The child harbored resentment. If his eldest son were well, it would be fine. Seeing that he would not recover and would spend the rest of his life in bed, he could only try his best to win over the younger son's heart.
"I was not willful. The moment she saved me, I resolved to marry her and live a simple, lifelong journey together," Jiang Feng said earnestly.
"You are still young and have little experience. Life is long, and there are countless women more beautiful and more outstanding than her. I believe that before long, you will change your mind and regret it," Jiang Yu said earnestly, imparting wisdom.
"Regret what? Regret that I should have taken a noble lady as a mere decoration like you, and then had a child like me, living on the brink of death every day, barely escaping death?" Jiang Feng retorted with a sneer.
"But if you marry such a woman, people will laugh behind your back, and you will never be able to hold your head high," Jiang Yu said with some guilt.
"If you have a clear conscience, you need not fear ghosts knocking at your door. Why should I not be able to hold my head high? Let them say what they want; why should I care?" Jiang Feng knew that his and Jiang Yu's views were different. If he had summoned him back today to discuss this matter, he was destined to be disappointed.