Chapter 14: Property Is Not Divided by Gender
“Is Jiang Ming inside as well?”
Li Baizhen pushed through the crowd surrounding the room and squeezed her way to the doorway, striding in with fierce determination.
With a click, all the lights in the room were switched on, revealing the scene within in full clarity.
Beneath the covers, the two figures moved incessantly, their heavy breathing the only sound.
“How could I have such a shameless daughter!” she cursed loudly, then yanked the blanket off the two on the bed.
What met her eyes was pale flesh, and soon someone noticed something was amiss.
“Why are there two men...?”
“This is disgusting. How could something like this happen in the Jiang household...?”
Li Baizhen stared closely. Jiang Ming was nowhere to be seen on the bed. Instead, there was a figure she found eerily familiar—his height, complexion, even the birthmark on his waist matched perfectly.
“Isn’t that Jiang Sheng?”
“And the other one must be Li Gongran.”
Unafraid of offending Li Baizhen, someone shouted loudly after recognizing them, ensuring everyone in the hall heard.
“Little Sheng... shouldn’t it be Jiang Ming?”
Li Baizhen, unable to take in the full picture, suddenly fainted in front of everyone.
The commotion attracted the attention of the patriarch, Jiang Laoye. The steward, unsure how to handle the situation, cleared a path for him, ordering the onlookers to disperse.
“Splash water on them to wake them up.”
The scene was so disturbing that even a glance felt unbearable.
“Father, if Jiang Ming has done something wrong, please don’t get angry. It’s not worth harming your health,” Jiang Cheng gasped as he hurried over, feigning concern for the patriarch, oblivious to the room’s contents.
“I didn’t do anything! Why would you say that about me?” came a voice from behind Jiang Cheng.
Now, the entire second floor was occupied only by the Jiang family. The guests downstairs had been sent away by the steward, who sternly warned them not to spread rumors.
“If you haven’t done anything, then how do you explain what’s going on in there...?”
Before the sentence finished, Jiang Cheng saw the two men on the bed being splashed awake.
“Jiang Sheng!”
Like Li Baizhen, Jiang Cheng could hardly believe his eyes. Blood rushed to his head, his strength drained, and his legs gave out as he collapsed backward, his head striking the floor with a dull thud.
Jiang Ming quickly stepped back, watching helplessly as Jiang Cheng fell.
“This is a sin! An absolute sin!”
After a moment, the patriarch finally understood what had transpired.
He had never expected such disgrace from the once honorable Jiang family.
“Ah! Why is it you? Didn’t you say it was Jiang Ming?”
Li Qiyi, now awake on the bed, looked at the man beside him. Had the oppressive air not been lingering, he could hardly believe what he had just done.
Clenching his fists, he swung at Jiang Sheng. “You beast! I shouldn’t have trusted you. You said Jiang Ming would stay obediently in bed...”
“When did I ever say that? I’m clearly the one who’s been framed!”
Jiang Sheng, ignoring the pain from his injuries, grappled with Li Qiyi behind him.
If he kept talking, the entire plan he had carefully orchestrated would be revealed to the patriarch, with unimaginable consequences.
“Enough! Stop this at once!”
The patriarch slammed his cane heavily on the floor, furious. He had heard everything Li Qiyi said. It turned out Jiang Sheng had only himself to blame—his scheme backfired disastrously.
He no longer wished to hear the full story, deeply disappointed in Jiang Sheng, and suspecting Jiang Cheng and his wife had their hands in this mess.
“Send them back to the Li family. Let them handle this disgrace as they see fit.”
“Wake up the two on the floor, and have all three kneel together in the ancestral hall.”
The ancestral hall housed the spirits of the Jiang family’s forebears, including the late matriarch’s memorial tablet.
His disappointment in this son was profound; he hoped that facing their departed mother might awaken whatever shred of conscience Jiang Cheng still possessed.
“Grandfather, someone is trying to harm me. They’re jealous because I’m the only son of the Jiang family and want to frame me to seize my inheritance...”
“In our Jiang family, inheritance has never been decided by gender. Your status depends entirely on your ability.”
The patriarch barely spared a glance at his grandson. “Let’s go. Don’t let such nonsense dirty your eyes.”
Jiang Man had yet to recover from the morning’s events, while Jiang Ming, content to watch the drama unfold, was simply returning the favors Jiang Sheng had done to her. As for the outcome, it was his own doing.
The patriarch was helped downstairs by the steward, with Jiang Ming and another following behind.
As he left, Jiang Ming glanced disdainfully at the two who had fainted on the floor. Such is the justice of heaven!
Had this couple any conscience, they wouldn’t have conspired with Jiang Sheng to frame their own flesh and blood. Then today’s chaos could have been avoided.
Jiang Shi was already waiting in the courtyard. As an outsider, it was inappropriate for him to appear in such a scandal. “Your face looks terrible. Please sit and rest a moment.”
Feigning ignorance, Jiang Shi had skipped today’s banquet altogether, so the patriarch believed he knew nothing.
“What sin have I committed? What terrible sin...” Jiang Laoye sighed deeply, leaning wearily against his chair. His age showed instantly, wrinkles deepening.
“You won’t be going back home. I’ll have your things moved here, and you’ll live with me. From now on, don’t listen to their arrangements.”
He could tell this entire affair was targeted at Jiang Ming. Although only Jiang Sheng was named by Li Qiyi, Jiang Cheng and Li Baizhen were surely involved behind the scenes.
Otherwise, Jiang Sheng alone could not have placed Li Qiyi’s room upstairs nor arranged to spike the wine. Without those actions, such a scandal could never have unfolded.
Jiang Man had many questions, but she held them back. Fortunately, Jiang Ming was unharmed, while the villain faced deserved punishment.
No doubt, Jiang Sheng had become a laughingstock in the Lin City social circles, making it difficult for him to continue there.
“Old Ye, arrange a courtyard for the two young ladies, close by. Have their belongings sent over immediately.”
The patriarch tasked the steward with overseeing Jiang Ming and Jiang Man’s new residence.
Only the four of them remained in the sitting room. The patriarch said nothing, and the others were at a loss for words.
Such disgrace was the last thing he wished to witness.
He had once thought Jiang Cheng’s ambition and jealousy were mere faults—that he had sent the family away to the provinces and exiled his only sister abroad to protect the company, treating his only daughter as a mere bargaining chip from birth.
Now, he saw that Jiang Cheng’s heart was truly corrupt. His past actions revealed the evil within, which the patriarch had excused because Jiang Cheng resembled his late wife.
But now, the truth was unmistakable.