The Rebellious Son Becomes a God

Jiang Li cupped his hands in salute and said,"Princess Le'an, Brother Yun, hope all is well with you."

Princess Le'an nimbly jumped down from the carriage and walked gracefully to Jiang Li. She said with a smile,"Brother Jiang Li, long time no see. I thought you had forgotten me!" Her voice was clear and pleasant, like the flowing spring in the mountains, with a hint of playfulness.

Yun Tian also slowly got off the carriage, nodded slightly, and said with a smile,"Brother Jiang, hope all is well with you." His tone was calm and steady.

Jiang Li felt a warmth in his heart and cupped his hands again to express his gratitude."Thank you, Princess and Brother Yun, for your concern. Jiang Li is extremely grateful. Please come inside." As he spoke, he stepped aside to make a gesture of invitation.

Jiang Li led the two of them to take a rough tour of Jiang Mansion. Although it was said to be a tour, it was just after the first month of the lunar year, and the branches were all bare. However, neither of them was disappointed and just followed Jiang Li to visit.

Jiang Li took them to all the places they could go, trying to let the people in the mansion see that he had an extraordinary relationship with these two distinguished guests.

Finally, Jiang Li brought them to the courtyard where he lived.

Compared with other parts of the mansion, that courtyard really looked small and dilapidated. The bricks on the wall were a little mottled, and the flower beds in the courtyard were empty.

"Jiang Li, you live here? This is too..." Princess Le'an frowned, clearly surprised that as the son of a general, he lived in such a place.

Jiang Li just smiled slightly and said,"I actually think this place is quite nice. It's quiet and free from distractions, just right for me to read books and cultivate myself."

After entering the courtyard and arriving at his own place, Jiang Li first invited the two of them to sit down inside the room. Then he straightened his expression and bowed deeply to them.

"Princess, Yun Tian, Jiang Li would like to offer my apologies to you two first," Jiang Li said with a sincere look on his face.

Both Princess Le'an and Yun Tian were taken aback and didn't understand why.

Princess Le'an smiled and said,"Jiang Li, what are you doing? What kind of relationship do we have? Just tell us directly if you have something on your mind!"

Jiang Li slowly got up, sighed, and said,"Princess, Imperial Prince, to tell you the truth, my father has never allowed me to practice martial arts. But I've been longing for martial arts in my heart for a long time, so I've been secretly practicing. Now, I'm afraid this matter can't be hidden anymore. I haven't taken the imperial examination yet, and I don't have any support in this mansion. So... I've used you two as a big pretext, hoping that my father would change his mind and allow me to practice martial arts. I'm really sorry to both of you."

Princess Le'an and Yun Tian finally understood after hearing this.

Yun Tian frowned and asked,"This is strange. Your General's Mansion has a martial arts tradition. Why doesn't your father allow you to practice martial arts?"

Princess Le'an said with a smile,"I can say that I've taken a liking to you and want you to be my husband. According to my father's requirement, my future husband has to be proficient in both literature and martial arts. Then I'll ask my father to step in and talk to your father, asking him to agree to let you practice martial arts. Wouldn't that work?"

Jiang Li was stunned when he heard this. He never expected that the princess would come up with such an idea.

Princess Le'an's father, Prince Yongning, whose name was Xuan Yuanhai, was the emperor's younger brother. Although he was an idle prince, he was deeply loved by Emperor Xuan Yuan.

Jiang Li had heard a little about this person. Prince Yongning looked down on Jiang Zhenting's stiffness and thought he was pedantic. Although both of them were part of the imperial family, they didn't get along very well on a daily basis and had many quarrels.

However, Prince Yongning was inferior to Jiang Zhenting in both martial arts and scheming, so he never gained the upper hand in their disputes.

If this news got out, probably few people would believe it!

Seeing that Jiang Li was stunned, Princess Le'an continued,"My father admires you very much. And my father also said that good shoots can come from bad bamboo! He also said that if it weren't for..." Princess Le'an suddenly stopped halfway through her words.

This wasn't really a nice thing to say, and she felt a bit embarrassed, with her ears turning slightly red.

Jiang Li understood that the princess truly wanted to help him, but he had no intention of getting married at all in his heart. So he quickly refused and said,"I appreciate your kindness, Princess, but I'm not worthy of you."

Princess Le'an, however, didn't take it seriously. She waved her hand and said,"Oh, Jiang Li, don't misunderstand. I'm not really asking you to marry me. We just need to spread some rumors and make this matter known to everyone so that your father knows that I'm interested in you. As long as the goal is achieved, that's enough. Don't overthink it!"

Although Princess Le'an spoke casually, there were still a few traces of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

"No way. Whether it's true or false, if it spreads, it will definitely damage the princess's reputation. I hope you won't mention this matter again!" Jiang Li refused firmly.

He really regarded the two of them as friends and would never let them be unnecessarily implicated because of himself.

He shook his head and sighed, saying,"You two don't need to worry too much. Since you've been invited to my courtyard in such a grand manner, I'm sure the news that I'm on good terms with you two has already spread. This has already been of great help."

Suddenly, Yun Tian said,"Brother Jiang, I have an idea that might help you solve this problem."

"What's the plan?"

Yun Tian just smiled and said,"Don't worry. Just wait for the good news."

"Then many thanks to Brother Yun. I'm truly grateful," Jiang Li cupped his hands in salute again.

The three of them chatted casually for a long time. Jiang Li told them many things about the mansion. Princess Le'an would sometimes be filled with indignation and defend him, and sometimes she would excitedly offer suggestions. Her lively and vivacious appearance seemed to add a touch of brightness to the somewhat dull Jiang Mansion. Yun Tian mostly listened quietly and occasionally interjected a few steady and insightful remarks.

Before they knew it, the sun had gradually moved to the middle of the sky.

Madam Wang's personal servant came to respectfully invite the three of them to have a meal, so they stopped talking and went to have dinner.

Entering the hall, they saw one exquisite dish after another placed on the pearwood table. Although it couldn't compare to the luxury of a palace banquet, it also had its own flavor and it was obvious that it was carefully prepared.

Madam Wang sat in front of the main table and said in a respectful voice,"Princess Le'an, Imperial Prince Yun Tian, it's truly an honor for our Jiang Mansion to have two distinguished guests like you here today. Although this meal can't match the luxury of a palace banquet, it was carefully cooked by the chefs in our mansion. I hope you two won't dislike it."

After saying that, she wore a seemingly kind smile on her face, but her eyes involuntarily glanced at Jiang Li.

Princess Le'an and Yun Tian didn't stand on ceremony either and started eating with pleasure.

吃饭的时候,公主还不忘逗逗姜离,说他府里的饭菜虽然不错,但和她常在王府吃的山珍海味相比,还是差了一些.

江黎只是笑笑,跟着她走了.

几人完全无视了王夫人,也没有理会她那不愉快的表情.

突然,乐安公主说道:"姜府恐怕已经衰落了.五少爷是个相当重要的人物,其实就住在侧院里.这一桌饭菜的花费,大概就够买那个地方了.传闻中为人温柔大度,对外面下人体贴入微的王夫人,怎么会不顾自己的孩子呢?"

江离心中暗笑.公主真是直来直去,有什么想法就说什么,没有任何掩饰.不过他也知道,这件事发生之后,王夫人恐怕会非常生气.

王夫人脸色微微一僵,但很快就恢复了平静,道:"公主,您说得对.我们最近新招了一批仆人,还没来得及清理这里.我们原本打算过几天就安排丽儿搬到新住处.很抱歉让你发笑了,公主."

"那就最好了."乐安公主擦了擦嘴,回答道.

午饭过后,乐安公主与云天皇子起身告辞.姜梨在府门外送行,三人依依不舍地告别.

"Brother Jiang Li, I'll come to play with you next time!" Princess Le'an shouted from the carriage window before leaving.

"Okay, I'll give you a better reception next time," Jiang Li smiled and waved his hand.