44 No
The eldest grandmother and the eldest aunt were driven away, the old lady fainted, and the second grandmother also slipped away on the pretext of feeling unwell, leaving the third grandmother and the fifth grandmother to watch as Mother Ji took Rui Yu and others to give the old lady medicine to relieve her gas. At the same time, they sent people to find the second master, who had already returned home, and sent people to invite him too.
Meimei did not go back to the upper room of Tsinghua Court directly, but went to the East Courtyard to play in the sand with her son.
Xu Junying wanted to read official documents, but he didn't go to the East Courtyard study. When he lived in Cen's house with Meimei, he renovated the side room connected to the upper house of Qinghua Courtyard and made it his special study. The East Courtyard has always been a forbidden area since his father's time, and no one is allowed to enter or leave at will. When he went out to fight, he gave it to the seventh brother who practiced martial arts and loved to read military books. The seventh brother brought Zheng Meiyu with him, and the result was chaos. After he returned to Beijing, he simply lived in the East Courtyard, and all kinds of maids and servants came in, making it a real residential courtyard. After the damage caused by the "leaking rain", all the servants who were responsible for cleaning and serving were gradually dispersed. Ruizhu, Ruibao and the two "aunts" were sent out of the mansion at the same time. The courtyard and houses were renovated and used as a place for him to cultivate his character and read official documents. Except for people from Qinghua Courtyard, no outsiders were allowed to enter. However, he and Meimei were in love at the moment, so he was unwilling to go to the cold study in the East Courtyard. He even seemed to have forgotten the habit of morning exercises. The East Courtyard became a great place for Heng'er to play with sand.
Xu Junying sat in the study, with a large border map spread out on the large desk in front of him, comparing it with the one hanging on the wall. He was holding a scroll in his hand, frowning and thinking, when he suddenly heard Baoju reporting outside the door:
"Master, someone from Jinhua Hall came and said that the old lady fainted. Please go quickly!"
Xu Junying's train of thought was interrupted, and he threw the document on the table in anger. Then he changed his mind and was stunned: Didn't Meimei go to Jinhua Hall? The old lady fainted immediately. Was she angry with Meimei
He walked out of the study and looked at Baoju: "Is everyone here?"
Baoju replied: "Don't worry, sir. There are two lines of defense inside and outside the courtyard!"
"Well, watch out, it's a mess inside, don't let Hengge run in!"
"clear!"
Xu Junying sighed. He missed home while at the yamen, but he couldn't have peace and quiet at home. It seemed that he should stay at the yamen longer in the future and come back after finishing important matters.
Halfway through the journey, they met the sixth brother Xu Junxuan, and the two brothers went to Jinhua Hall together. When they arrived at Jinhua Hall, they saw the second master already sitting by the couch, comforting the old lady with words. The second lady was standing aside, having heard the message from the maid in the corridor, and she kept turning her head to look at the screen. When she saw the Xu Junying brothers coming in, a smile spread across her face:
"Junying is here!"
Although the second master was his father's, he also stood up to greet him. Xu Junying called him "Second Uncle" and bowed to him with Xu Junxuan. Then he walked to the bed to visit the old lady. The old lady closed her eyes, with a scarf on her forehead, humming. Xu Junying called her "Grandma" twice, and she opened her eyes slightly and stretched out her hand tremblingly:
"Son, Nanping..."
Xu Junying was stunned: Is he so angry that he is confused? The second master hurriedly stepped forward: "Mother, this is Junying, your eldest grandson!"
Old Mrs. Xu raised her head, opened her eyes wide and looked carefully again and again. Xu Junying held her hand and said respectfully:
"Grandma, it's me, Junying!"
The old lady pulled her hand away and fell back on the cotton pillow. Suddenly, she burst into tears: "I have lived too long, why don't I die? My filial and kind Nanping'er... What kind of life is your old mother living? The daughter-in-law is bedridden and unconscious. It's fine that she can't serve her mother-in-law, but your mother is in chaos and is in charge of the affairs of the mansion. Is it wrong? The grandson's daughter-in-law is unvirtuous and unfilial. She can't tolerate her younger brother and sister-in-law. She makes me angry every other day and drives my old bones to death... My son! Ancestors! If it weren't for the Xu family's descendants and the reputation of being loyal, virtuous, filial and brotherly, I, an old woman, would have hit my head and died in the ancestral hall..."
Hearing his grandmother's sad voice, Xu Junying felt as if he was doused with cold water. His heart instantly sank to the bottom. He took a few steps back, then knelt on the ground with Xu Junxuan, with his head bowed.
The second master and the second mistress hurried to the bedside and bent over to comfort the old lady. The old lady was still sad and upset, and she cried so loudly that she had never cried before, scaring everyone in and out of the room.
The Second Master Xu Junlang, the Third Master Xu Junya, the Fourth Master Xu Junting, and the Fifth Master Xu Junqiao who came with them did not dare to say a word, but just knelt down behind Xu Junying and Xu Junxuan.
The old lady cried out in grief, this time it was truly from her inner sorrow. She didn't know why she suddenly felt that her grandson Junying's face had the shadow of her eldest son Nanping, so she called him Nanping. The past came to her mind. She could still vividly remember how filial and flattering her her eldest son Nanping was. There was no comparison with the current attitude of her grandsons Junying, Meimei and Junxuan towards her. The eldest son praised his mother to the sky, but the grandsons wanted to drag their grandmother to the ground. She was so sad and angry that she couldn't help crying to the sky, wishing she could cry back her eldest son Xu Nanping who had died long ago.
With such a big commotion in Jinhua Hall, who wouldn't be frightened by the descendants of the two families? Madam Zheng lay in bed unable to move, and all the granddaughters-in-law ran to wait beside her, kneeling in the corridor. Bai Jingyu secretly complained and stole a glance at Ning Rulan, who was also kneeling obediently with her belly in her hands. Fortunately, Mother Ji was thoughtful and asked Ruiyu to bring a thick cotton pad so that Ning Rulan didn't have to kneel and could just sit on the cotton pad. Bai Jingyu recovered her health and finally won the heart of the second master by getting pregnant. She cherished the fetus in her belly very much. She was afraid that the fetus would be stingy, so she planned to follow her mother's family's teachings and keep it a secret for three months before telling the truth. But now she couldn't care less and asked Ruiyu for a cotton pad. Ruiyu was surprised and ran to get it again.
The sisters-in-law then knew Bai Jingyu's secret and congratulated him in a low voice. Bai Jingyu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Congratulations at this time
It was all the fault of my sister-in-law Qin Meimei! Looking around, the girls followed and knelt behind, the concubines came, even the eldest aunt brought her new concubine to kneel, but the eldest grandmother, who was the mistress, didn't come
Bai Jingyu was shocked. It was the eldest sister-in-law who started it. The Lord Hou was kneeling inside, but she didn't come to admit her fault. What did she want to do? What if... Bai Jingyu couldn't help but worry secretly and sweated for Meimei.
Meimei had already known the news about Jinhuatang, but she sat still. Cuixi tried to persuade her twice, but she shook her head. Mrs. Lin continued to chatter boldly beside her. Meimei looked at her and told her to help Mrs. Yu lead people to patrol the garden. Mrs. Lin had no choice but to leave.
Meimei had made up her mind not to go to Jinhua Hall. Why should she go? Between her and the old lady, there was no longer any right or wrong. They were basically enemies. The old lady wanted to kill her, so how could she treat her like a grandmother? And she would never have even a little respect for the old lady!
This is a maddening situation. She cannot leave Xu Junying and must be his wife, but she is disrespectful and unfilial to his ancestors and family. Is this what she wants? No, she is willing to respect the elderly and be a good daughter-in-law. She is filial... Meimei wants to cry but has no tears.
Cuisi had personally experienced the old lady's viciousness, and in her heart she firmly agreed that Meimei should not admit her mistake. She did not say anything, but served and accompanied Meimei diligently. When Meimei was reading, she kept changing the hot tea for Meimei. When Meimei was pulled out of the door by Heng'er, she followed closely behind. When she saw the mother and son were about to sit on the stone bench, she hurried back and took the cushion before Cuisi, who rolled her eyes at her.
Whether the young lady went to admit her fault or not, Cui Lian did not take it seriously and was busy with her own duties. Cui Xi, in addition to serving the young lady closely, mostly took care of the affairs outside the mansion. Cui Lian had become the head of the Qinghua Courtyard's internal affairs. Now even the East Courtyard was under her management. Passing by the study door in the corridor, she thought that the door leading to the upper bedroom was locked and only the Lord could open it. The Lord had just entered the study door, so it must be where the confidential documents were kept. Why was there no one guarding it? She walked to the corridor and looked around. Her eyes were fixed on a dense osmanthus tree inside the wall of the East Courtyard. She snorted coldly: "You are a guy who cannot see the light. What's wrong with coming out and finding a place to sit? Hiding in the dark to watch people, what's the point!"
Baoju broke out in a sweat behind the leaves. This girl is too clever. She found him even when he was hiding here! To be honest, it is very inconvenient for the Lord to take his official business back to the upper room. The guards can ignore others when performing their official duties, but they are an eyesore to the young lady. If the young lady doesn't want to see them, they have to disappear. When they hide, they are scolded by several maids: What's the point of hiding in the dark to watch people? Dare to peek into Tsinghua Courtyard, you are looking for death!
Like mistress, like maidservants. But the marquis loves his wife and all her family members, so he demands that they be tolerant of him. As a result, he is caught between a rock and a hard place and is extremely miserable.
At the end of the night, Xu Junying finally came back. Heng'er had already gone to bed. Meimei was sitting under the lamp reading a book and waiting. She quickly put down the travel journal in her hand, walked over to take the hot tea that Cuixi had offered him and handed it to him:
"I think you have finished your meal? Have a cup of tea and then go to the study!"
Xu Junying nodded, took the tea and put it on the table: "I had dinner at my grandmother's house and drank a lot of tea. I'm not thirsty now."
"Oh, leave it there then."
Meimei didn't know what to say. She was actually feeling uneasy. She actually began to wonder what Xu Junying was thinking. What would he think of her? Would he be angry? What would she do if he gave her the cold shoulder
Now it is different from before. She was so wise before. She had seen this result long ago, so she wanted to leave in every possible way. She tried hard, but finally convinced herself to stay and obeyed Xu Junying, becoming his wife. The couple lived up to their name and was quite harmonious and loving. It has only been a few days? The old lady got angry. If Xu Junying sided with the old lady and scolded her, she would undoubtedly be sad, very sad. What would happen after being sad? Could she still pat her butt and leave easily and freely? What is the definition of husband and wife and family to her
Meimei couldn't figure it out for a moment, frowned slightly, raised her eyes and saw Xu Junying looking at her, then picked up the book in front of her:
"I want to read a book. Lord Hou, please go to the study and read the official documents!"
Xu Junying's eyes did not leave her face: "I don't want to read the documents now, I want to talk to you!"
Meimei looked at him, her eyes becoming brighter and brighter. Xu Junying knew that she had adjusted herself mentally and was ready to deal with him with a strong attitude.
Sure enough, Meimei said as soon as she opened her mouth: "I will never admit my mistake, even if I die! I was the one who pissed her off. I wanted to piss her off to death when I saw that old woman! She and I will never coexist and I will never bow down to her. Even if she dies, I will not wear mourning for her - I have said my whole story!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)