“Our father always deeply respects this eldest uncle, regarding him as his own father.” Jiang Tianqi wiped his cold sweat, uncovering worries and fears in his tone, “Certainly, he mustn’t hear the death. But now, our father’s elder brother died while all grown men are serving around our father. We can’t just send our butlers or bodyguards to Kui County. What should we do?”

Nobody could blame Jiang Tianqi for his unsuitable behavior now. Even if Marquess Qin’s health condition had been improved, he was still on the bed. And the most important thing was that the sad news of his brothers’ deaths would strike his struggles for life. Otherwise, he shouldn’t hold Madame Tao’s hands to say the words hidden in his heart.

Under this circumstance, Marquess Qin must give up his last struggle for life after hearing that Kui Xiannan died and go with his brother.

All people were in silence for a long while. Jiang Tianqi looked at the fourth branch, “Madame Zhuang, the only way now is to let Jiang Yashuang leave with reasons. He can be said to go to his father. Nobody else can express his condolence at Kui County with suitable reasons so that we can hide it from my father. If my father gets overwhelmed, then all our family…”

Madame Zhuang’s face became grave, “Before the war in Beijiang, my husband had much spare time. If Yashuang had been there, his father should have given some directions. During the war, he could still have opened his eyes. His father wanted to foster him twice and Marquess Qin knew it. But now at the awkward time, sending him to Beijiang can deal with the absence of treating our father’s health, but what if our father asks the war of Beijiang and worries that something worse may happen?”

“…” Jiang Tianqi muted with his face frozen.

He knew what Madame Zhuang said all above was not for Marquess Qin as she did not want Jiang Yashuang to go to Kui County for condolence in the name of Marquess Qin’s branch.

Jiang Yashuang was the mainstay of the fourth branch. When Jiang Yashuang left, it would be fine if Marquess Qin got well. But what should the fourth branch do if Marquess Qin died and the third branch schemed against the fourth branch?

But Madame Zhuang’s words were also reasonable. Jiang Tianqi couldn’t deny her. With annoyance, he lowered his voice, “This isn’t okay and that can’t work. So, don’t we send people there for our elder uncle’s condolence? How could it be?”

“How about the junior generations?” Madame Tao finally spoke to rescue, “Juan’er and Huai’er have been beyond ten years old. Actually, Heng’er is older, but… He isn’t suitable.”

All people become silent again.

Among grandsons of Marquess Qin’s branch, Jiang Jingzhui, Jiang Yaqing’s eldest trueborn, was also the eldest grandson, but he suicided for his anger with Jiang Yaqing. And then it was Jiang Jinghu, Jiang Yadan’s eldest son, who drowned. The last was Jiang Jingheng, the second son of Jiang Yadan, who got severe autism now and couldn’t go out alone.

Following were Jiang Jingjuan, the eldest trueborn son of Jiang Yayi, and Jiang Jinghuai, the second child of Jiang Yaqing, who was born by a concubine.

These two grandsons were eleven years old and ten years old. At their age, they were elder enough to present in the name of the seniors. But Madame Zhang said carefully, “If Juan’er goes there, I can say our grandmother thinks highly of him. But Juan’er is always spoiled by me and he is always careless. I’m afraid he may disgrace our branch’s reputation.”

As the eleven-year-old son would be sent far, how could his mother be at ease?

But since Madame Tao put forward this suggestion, she surely thought twice, “The sons and grandsons of our branch can’t go, but at the Mansion of Sir Jibei, Jiang Yalan may go. If he takes them, anything will be okay.”

Madame Zhang helplessly looked at Madame Shi. Seeing that she was faceless and had no idea to reject it for Jiang Jinghuai, her son of a concubine, Madame Zhang signed in the heart and said, “Grandmother. you are always considerate!”

Jiang Tianqi looked at the fourth branch and the eighth branch and signed. These two branches showed a look as there was finally someone who would go. Apparently, they regarded two children of the first branch as their representatives.

The day drew clearly and brightly. Madame Tao asked Madame Shi and Madame Zhang to pack for children quickly and sent servants to the Mansion of Sir Jibei to make sure that these nephews could go with their uncle… After all these, she went to Marquess Qin in case of his worry.

Jiang Yashuang would take care of Marquess Qin tonight. In case of weariness, Madame Zhuang asked him to sleep for a while.

“Jiang Yashuang follows me to my room. We, uncle and nephew, have something to say.” Jiang Tianqi said to the fourth branch.

Madame Zhuang frowned, “Yashuang needs to take care of Marquess Qin tonight. What if he is too weary to serve Marquess Qin well without good sleep?” Facing the hostility of killing the son, Madame Zhuang indeed took precautions against the third branch. Jiang Yashuang was the only son the fourth branch could rely on. What if the third branch took it so hard to die together?

“Hasn’t he slept for all night?” Ignoring Madame Zhuang, Jiang Tianqi stared at his youngest nephew with a complicated complexion, “Otherwise we won’t talk the whole day.”

“Mom, take it easy. My uncle will take care of Marquess Qin then.” Thinking twice, Jiang Yashuang promised him and calmed his mother down, “My eldest grand uncle has gone. I am young and my uncle worries that I may say something wrong with my grandfather and so he wants to tell me something.”

But somehow the uncertainty and anxiety oppressed Madame Zhuang’s heart but Jiang Yashuang disappeared with Jiang Tianqi. Biting the lips, she spoke loudly to the servants, “take care of time, if Jiang Yashuang didn’t come back within an hour, ask our people…”

But she worried too much. Though the third branch hated the fourth branch, they didn’t trap for Jiang Yashuang this time. Of course, Jiang Yashuang knew it, otherwise, he wouldn’t go with Jiang Tianqi.

“Only two of us here now. I’m not circuitous!” It was time for Jiang Yayi and Jiang Yadan to take care of Marquess Qin. And Jiang Yaheng, Jiang Tianqi’s youngest son, took care of Jiang Tianqi. But now Jiang Tianqi asked him out, talked directly with Jiang Yashuang, “There are only three seniors in your grandfather’s generation. Two of them have gone. As the middle one, your grandfather is staying in the bed and he can hardly be stimulated. All the descendants want the old to live longer, but…”

After those forewords, Jiang Tianqi addressed with a heavy tone, “But under this circumstance, we need to prepare for the worst thing.”

Jiang Yashuang totally knew what he wanted to say. Without disclosure, he nodded slightly, “What should we do now?”

“If there’s something wrong with your grandfather, I will go with your eighth uncle for condolences in the hometown.” Jiang Tianqi made it direct, “It’s the cardinal relationship that we have to obey. Within the sons of your grandfather, your father has the most probability to seize the power.”

Now with Beijiang’s ongoing wars, personal filial responsibilities weighed, but the name of the country and the nation weighed more.

But Jiang Tianqi and Jiang Tianxiao didn’t have the same fortune. They both had the most distinct powers but were not so important to the court and nation. Both the country and the nation worked well without them.

So, they had no reason to seize power. And their insistence on power just gave reasons for the fourth branch to take revenge.

“As for the feud in our branch, I will not talk too much. We all know.” Jiang Tianqi stroked his beard under his jaw and spoke carelessly, “If you think my following words are exaggerating, I don’t blame you. You can take it just as I have said nothing! ”

“The first branch and our third branch have managed for many years in the court, though your eldest uncle and I have disappointed people as we can’t fight Xue Chang down. At the same time, your fourth branch trapped us several times. All these have led us to these continuous failures. However, even if Xue Chang, the elder statesman for three emperors, dares not to say it’s easy to deal with us.”

“And the power in Jing City, your fourth branch fall much to us. It’s useless even if Jiang Yadan remarried Commandery Princess Lihui and drew Duke of Huainan over to his side. Duke of Huainan had inclusive strategies. But in order to defend against Empress Dowager Gu, he kept alone. Forming cliques now is just like the Xin Family with a late pace and weak stage. It’s ok to seize power with ordinary people. But for the old foxes like people of Xue Chang, he is just a green hand.”

“Surely the first branch and my branch have to condole, but our people do not need to. They can still work in the court. However, if your grandfather dies and we go back to Kui County at the same time, no one knows if they will still be faithful to us. Just speaking of Xue Chang, we are losers of him. How can you think you can win without us?”

Jiang Tianqi gazed at Jiang Yashuang, addressing his voice, “Your grandfather treats Xue Chang very well, but it is said that he has always been faithful to Emperor! Emperor is the most talented son of the former emperor. He always behaves considerably. But how do you know he is willing to behave so all his life? And Duke of Huainan, speaking about the blood, he is the uncle of Emperor. Blood is thicker than water. The in-laws or the nephews, who do you think he will pick?”

Having said that, Jiang Tianqi made himself clear. The fourth branch had no power to rely on. In other words, they could believe in nobody in the court.

No matter Xue Chang or Duke of Huainan, their standing for the fourth branch, the essential reason was either that they could draw the attention of the first branch and the third branch or Xue Chang and Duke of Huainan could benefit from the fight against the first branch and the third branch.

Without the fourth branch’s support, Xue Chang would fail behind. So, they must secure the fourth branch.

This relationship of benefit could be strong and fragile. Kui Xiannan’s death had been confirmed as the Jiang Family’s first branch was on the way home. Marquess Qin was ill in bed. If his health condition got worse, the third branch would pack stuff and leave the court.

The departure of the first branch and the third branch would make the fourth branch less important to Xue Chang and Duke of Huainan. They could divide their benefit themselves.

Surely the fourth branch had great power in the army and so what? In old days Marquess Qin had the name of Defender of the State and had much greater influence than Jiang Tianchi. And he also needed to curry favors with Tao Yinsong. So, he proposed marriage with the Tao Family after his first wife died.

The court could set up Great General of North and Great General of West. There was a way for the court to manage them.

The simplest threat was army baggage.

Tough and frozen frontiers could hardly bear the cost of large frontier armies. Once the court did something with the frontier armies, the greatest general had to bow to the court.

Even if wars broke out in Xijiang and Beijiang, the court dared not venture. But how long wars would last? Bring up foes to seize their power? There were old foxes in the court, not old idiots. They would consider negotiating peace.

They didn’t need to worry if other nations would disagree because both the western savages and Beihu had more people and less wealth than Darui. Honestly, a long war would exhaust them.

And then they gave them some benefits with a sound reason and leaked that Premiers wanted to set upon the generals but couldn’t make it because of the war. There were no idiots of the other nations’ negotiators. They hoped to see an internal struggle between Premiers and generals.

That was to say if the Jiang Family continued the internal struggle after Marquess Qin died, there were many possibilities for them to return to the time their family built. They had to make benefits or all of the families were in danger.

Jiang Tianqi held his hands at his back, “So, give me a certain word. If your grandfather… Do you believe what I said or take time to step us down to get your branch higher?”