Mei Niang held Xu Junying tightly with both hands to prevent him from kneeling down.
"Sixth Grandfather, Mother, Lord Hou is an official appointed by the imperial court... He is of noble status and cannot kneel here!"
After Mei Niang finished speaking, the hall fell silent. Madam Qin and Qin Boqing were stunned. The Sixth Master's face darkened, and he stood up with his cane, staring at Madam Qin:
"Eleventh grandson's wife, you have taught your daughter well! No matter how well she marries, no matter how glorious her husband's family is, she must never forget her roots!"
Madam Qin turned pale and swayed. She was about to kneel down to accept the reprimand. Qin Boqing naturally accompanied his mother. As soon as the mother and son bent down, Xu Junying walked up to support them and stopped them from kneeling. He bowed to the Sixth Master and apologized: "Please calm down, Sixth Grandfather! Sixteenth Mother has always cared for her natal family and has never forgotten her roots. She must have some other ideas..."
The Sixth Master's expression eased a little, and he looked at Mei Niang: "Sixteenth Lady! Tell me, what do you think? Born as a descendant of the Qin family, those with ambition should strive to be the best, pass the imperial examinations, and bring honor to our ancestors. Although you are a daughter, you have been loved and raised with great difficulty since childhood. It is your blessing and honor to marry a noble son-in-law. You should add color to the family, so that your brothers can have some confidence when they come forward in the future, so as not to fall behind... Weiyuan Hou is an official appointed by the court. He has great merits and power. He became the son-in-law of our Qin family. He did not despise the low and dilapidated Qin family gate, and was willing to bow down and worship our ancestors. This is a great sage and filial person. Why don't you let him worship?"
Mei Niang had thought of her rebuttal. Even though it was a bunch of twisted logic, as long as it could stop the situation from deteriorating further, it would be enough. She couldn't care less about so many things now. She had already told Xu Junying that she was not Qin Meiniang, and he had gained her recognition. She felt that if she could slowly change back into Cen Meimei, it should not be difficult.
Borrowing Qin Meiniang's body, it's good enough to take care of her closest people, but she also has to consider the whole family? That's too far, beyond her ability.
Unexpectedly, before she could open her mouth to speak, Madam Qin had already knelt down, choking with sobs and saying, "Please punish me, Sixth Master! It's my granddaughter's fault. After my husband passed away, my two children were too sad and weak. My granddaughter was also not well. The family spent a lot of money on medical treatment and medicine in those years. Later, when Mei Niang got married, it took a lot of money to prepare a thin dowry. My granddaughter-in-law really couldn't afford it, so she sold the original big house to someone else... When Mei Niang came back for the first time, she saw that my mother and I lived in this small courtyard, and she cried for it. She only recognized the previous house as her mother's home, and she didn't let the Lord kneel here. This must be the reason! It's hard to explain how incompetent a mother is..."
Mrs. Qin covered her mouth and cried out. Qin Boqing knelt down, supported his mother, and comforted her with tears in his eyes.
Mei Niang was interrupted by her and lost the chance to speak. Seeing Madam Qin crying, Qin Boqing felt uncomfortable and felt a blockage in his chest for no reason. He couldn't help but sigh.
The Sixth Master also sighed and shook his head, saying, "Sixteenth Lady's marriage is a big event for the clan. I originally said that I would come forward to buy her dowry, but you refused..."
Madam Qin cried and said, "My husband retired from his official position due to illness and stayed at home to recuperate. He was in critical condition several times and relied on the help of the brothers in the clan to treat him. Without the clan members during those years, I would not have survived... Because I thought that after Mei Niang got married, my mother and I could return to Yuezhou and live on our old land, so I didn't dare to ask for help from the Sixth Master!"
While no one was paying attention, Xu Junying whispered to Mei Niang, "The ground is cold and wet. How could you bear to let your mother kneel for so long?"
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment, then immediately went over to help Madam Qin: "Mother, get up! Brother, get up!"
Madam Qin dragged her away, crying, "My son, kneel down too! The clan leader is here, in front of my uncles and brothers, how can you be so rude!"
Madam Qin has been in good health recently and has some strength. Mei Niang was caught off guard and was pulled down by her to kneel beside her. She wanted to stand up but didn't dare. After all, this is not a modern society and she can't go too far. In the Qin family's gate, under the watchful eyes of the public, what else can she do except abide by the rules
The mother and her two children knelt on the ground. Mei Niang glanced at Xu Junying unconsciously. Xu Junying smiled slightly and said:
"Since we are listening to the elders' instructions and it's because of Shiliu Niang, I am one of them, so let's do it together!"
As he said this, he lifted up his robe and was about to kneel down. Several brothers of the same generation in the clan stopped him. The Sixth Grandfather nodded and smiled, "It is my Qin ancestors who were so virtuous that they were able to get such a good son-in-law! Eleventh granddaughter-in-law, the old eleventh died young, it was his misfortune, you have worked so hard to raise a pair of children, it is already very good, stand up! Mothers and children, stand up! Sixteenth mother, you should not think this house is dilapidated, it was bought by your grandfather in his early years. How can the ancestors not sympathize with the descendants in trouble? As long as you have the intention, you can worship the ancestors anywhere, and the ancestors will not be surprised - come, while the time is not over, the sacrifice is still hot, and burn incense! You and your wife kneel down to thank the ancestors for their kindness, this should be the first time you return home. In order to protect the country's safety, Weiyuan Hou went to the battlefield after his wedding, and he must make up for it this time!"
Mei Niang had just been helped up, and was soon pulled by Qin Boqing to Xu Junying. The Sixth Master personally burned incense, and then the two of them knelt on the mat and bowed three times honestly. Xu Junying helped Mei Niang up. Mei Niang felt very uncomfortable, and when no one was paying attention, she angrily shook off his hand.
Everything started because of him. He came to the Qin residence to cause chaos for no reason. Humph! A virtuous and filial son-in-law? Supreme honor? If these old and young knew how Qin Meiniang lived in the Xu residence, they probably wouldn't want to curry favor with him.
After paying homage to the ancestors, the men could sit down to eat and drink. Mei Niang followed Madam Qin into the inner courtyard to see Qin Fengshi, and was inevitably scolded by Qin Fengshi. But after seeing Fengshi, Madam Qin said nothing more. This was a little selfish of a mother. She would never say anything bad about her daughter in front of her daughter-in-law.
Qin Fengshi's belly was so big that she couldn't walk around. If she really wanted to go somewhere, she needed someone on each side to support her. Qin Fengshi said to Mei Niang, "I can't look in the mirror either. Am I ugly now?"
Madam Qin smiled and said, "I can't look in the mirror because I'm afraid I'll scare my grandson in my belly. What's ugly? A son won't think his mother is ugly. When he's born, he'll honor you!"
Mei Niang gently touched Feng's belly and teased her: "Your belly is so big, it's really ugly! Didn't my brother tell you?"
Feng was annoyed: "My aunt is here to irritate me!"
Mei Niang scratched her belly: "You can be angry now, but the time has come, why don't you give birth? Give birth soon, mother wants to hold her grandson!"
Feng opened her hand: "It's itchy, don't move!"
Madam Qin hurriedly took Mei Niang's hand and said, "It's not like you haven't given birth before. You can't rush it. When the time comes, he will come out naturally. Don't rush, I'm not in a hurry!"
He sighed again and said, "I miss Heng'er, such a well-behaved grandson! Your grandmother took him away to raise him, and she would not let you take him out easily. Every time I sent someone to tell you that I wanted to visit you at the Hou Mansion, you always refused. When can I see him again?"
Mei Niang comforted her: "Soon, I will bring him here to show you, and it's okay for him to live with you! For now, you'd better not go to the mansion, it's not a good place to stay!"
Madam Qin stretched out her hand to straighten her clothes. "My son, you must be obedient and be good! You don't like living in the Hou Mansion, maybe it's just because the old lady and your mother-in-law looked down on you because of your humble background, but now the Hou is back! I have seen how the Hou treats you, it's so good that there is nothing to say. What else do you want? People should be content. It's enough to have a husband like this. You can't be willful and reckless like before and criticize the Hou Mansion!"
Mei Niang sighed in her heart. If she had known this would happen, Xu Junying would just take a leisurely trip, which would be more useful than her moving mountains of gold and silver to her parents' home.
Madam Qin's face darkened, and she lectured her in front of her sister-in-law. Mei Niang could not contradict, and she lost her scheming mind, so she let Madam Qin talk. She only reached out to touch Feng's belly from time to time. Feng was impatient and begged for mercy, so Madam Qin stopped talking. Tao'er came in and reported that the women's table in the side hall was ready, and invited the aunt to sit down. Because Feng was not convenient and could not eat outside, Madam Qin ordered Li'er: "Put in the food for the eldest lady, and serve her well!"
Li'er agreed, and Madam Qin took Mei Niang out, telling her along the way: "The aunts and sisters-in-law in the clan are all kind and easy to get along with. You used to be well-behaved and docile, and you were famous in the clan. Now that you are married to the Marquis's mansion, you have become bold and outspoken. Even your mother can't trust you, let alone them. You must be careful, be cautious in what you say and do, and don't offend the elders again!"
"I understand!" Mei Niang replied, and after thinking for a while, she added: "My daughter will follow my mother's teachings!"
The banquet at the Qin residence was not over until dusk. Xu Junying asked Bai Zhan to come in to find Cuisi. Cuisi then passed a message to Mei Niang, asking her to go out to the front hall. Mrs. Qin hurriedly asked Mei Niang to go quickly. Mei Niang followed Cuisi out. Xu Junying met them at the corner. It turned out that the Sixth Master was going back. He first taught Qin Boqing a lesson and gave him a precious inkstone, saying that it was passed down from Taizu. He asked him to keep calm when he took the exam, pass the exam in one go, and bring honor to the family. Seeing Mei Niang and Xu Junying coming, the Sixth Master stood up to greet them and was helped to sit down by Xu Junying. Then Xu Junying and Mei Niang sat down at the bottom. The Sixth Master smiled and said something to Xu Junying that Mei Niang found difficult to understand. Mei Niang understood the general meaning, which was nothing more than asking him to take care of the Qin family in the future. She was very unhappy. Why is it like this in this dynasty? When a daughter marries into a powerful family, she must try her best to curry favor with her son-in-law and relatives, and plan to develop and expand the power of her own family. If she doesn't marry well, what should she do? She has suffered a lot in her husband's family, and she will be looked down upon by her own family when she returns to her parents' home. That's too miserable!
Xu Junying, however, went along with the Sixth Master and coaxed the old man into a happy mood. He acted like an amiable elder to Mei Niang again and talked to her, encouraging her to keep in mind the virtues of a woman, to be virtuous and kind as the standard, to do her best to support her husband and educate her children, etc. Mei Niang was overwhelmed by what he said, but she had to smile and listen attentively in a respectful manner until the Sixth Master was tired of talking. Then she stopped talking and was supported by Qin Boqing and Xu Junying and sent out. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)