Rulan looked at Mei Niang anxiously: "What should we do?"
Mei Niang said: "Don't be afraid, she was the one who started it. If she dares to make trouble in front of the old lady, I will accompany her!"
She patted Rulan's hand, looked at Fang and said, "You two should go after her quickly, persuade her with kind words, and even help her scold me. It's okay. Go ahead, you are her legitimate daughter-in-law after all. If you don't follow her but stay by my side, don't let her scold you tomorrow and make you suffer the consequences!"
Rulan was about to say something, but Mei Niang pushed her away with one hand and Fang Shi with the other: "I am not confused. What is right is wrong. I will never create a rift with you because of my mother-in-law. Go away!"
The two of them left, leaving Gan Shi by the side. Wang Mama and Cui Xi and Cui Si were still outside the hall, not coming closer. Mei Niang said:
"I've had enough of them in the past, but today I can't bear it anymore. It doesn't matter if the Second Madam makes a scene. Just tell them the truth if they want to ask you anything!"
Gan lowered her head and said, "Don't worry, Grandma. Fourth Master and I have always been taught by our mother that Grand Master is our backbone and our dearest brother! Grandma and I are on the same side."
Mei Niang was speechless: So the Xu family was harmonious and reunited on the surface, but secretly divided into factions? Aunt Lin taught her son to be loyal to his half-brother Xu Junying. In addition to the fact that she was originally a close maid of Xu Junying's biological mother, her thoughts were also simple. The second wife's words "your proper sister-in-law" might not be wrong. Alas! Since ancient times, there has been a difference between close and distant relatives. Blood ties always become weak and alienated. The longest and most intimate relationship is only the relationship between parents and children, and the relationship between brothers and sisters. The relationship between husband and wife is another matter. There is also a kind of friendship that can last for a long time, but it is beyond family affection, that is friendship!
Human beings are strange animals. Sometimes they don't even like their own family members, but they can be loyal to their friends and be willing to give everything for them!
Mei Niang and Gan parted ways and went back to their respective courtyards to rest, conserving energy for tomorrow's ancestor worship. Mei Niang bathed, washed, changed her clothes and combed her hair until she curled up in the quilt. She could still hear Mother Wang chanting the tight-fitting curse. She wanted to get angry but endured it. Mother Wang was not like this before, but since she went back to her parents' home and got the instructions from Madam Qin, she dared to control and teach herself a lesson vigorously and comprehensively, which showed that she had made up her mind and would not give in easily. Forget it, let her chant, she won't hear it when she falls asleep.
The next day, they got up before dawn and rushed to the ancestral hall, where there was another grand ancestor worship ceremony. Mei Niang was soon told that the second wife was ill and the second grandmother was unable to get out of bed and had not come either.
Mei Niang asked Cui Si quietly, "Is there anything missing from the second house?"
Cui Si replied: "No man is missing."
Mei Niang nodded: "You go down!"
As long as the man doesn't make any move, the old lady and Xu Junying won't know what's going on and won't come to cause trouble for him.
But she was wrong. The senior executives of the Xu family ignored her only because it was the first day of the new year. Before she got up on the morning of the second day, Mother Ji, who was serving the old lady, came to Tsinghua Courtyard and asked her to go to Jinhua Hall to serve breakfast to the old lady.
I felt bad. I had always been the only one who went there to pay respects and serve. How could my mother come to ask me to do so during the working season? But I was mentally prepared. Fortunately, after the quarrel with the Second Madam that day, I remembered to ask Cui Xi and Madam Wang to go down and find out the truth. I knew some of the situation. If an enemy comes, I will fight back. If a flood comes, I will drown it. I, the Grandma, will take up the challenge!
In Jinhua Hall, there were no men, so Mei Niang was relieved. The old lady sat at the top, the eldest wife sat at the bottom, and the daughters-in-law and girls were not there. Zhuang Yulan could actually sit on the side. There was no gloating expression on her fair and delicate face, but there was a hint of disdain in her eyes when she looked at Mei Niang.
Little bitch! Mei Niang cursed in her heart, imitating Cui Si's tone. She had never seen Zhuang Yulan being respectful to her. The old lady was too much. She hadn't even married yet, and a real grandmother came. She was just a future grandmother, but she didn't move at all, let alone offer her seat. She had never seen the old lady teach her niece's daughter to know some etiquette.
Qin Meiniang was furious and was careless in her greetings to the old lady and the madam. The old lady patted the low table and pointed at her:
"Look at what you have done! Jingyu is not in good health, but you insisted that she follow you, and she fainted from exhaustion. I know you have worked hard, but as the eldest daughter-in-law, you have to take on more responsibilities for everything! Your aunt was just talking to you, why are you making such a fuss? She even dragged the ancestors of the Gui family into your discussion! Where have you learned any rules? If it gets out, people will make up stories about our Hou family. The Hou is your husband, and you can't give birth to more children for him. It's okay to have more children, but you will be labeled as unvirtuous and unfilial, and you will lose all his face. How can you go out and see people! Now the second wife is sick because of you, and Jingyu has been tortured by you to the point of falling on the bed. Your mother-in-law is here, what should we do? Tell us what to do!"
Mei Niang lowered her head and said nothing. Madam Zheng glanced at her and said calmly, "It's New Year's Day, and you've made the old lady so angry. Why don't you kneel down?"
Ruixue hurriedly took a cushion and placed it on the ground in front of Mei Niang. Mei Niang gritted her teeth and knelt down.
Madam Zheng continued, "I have taught you a lot, why do you act so thoughtlessly? It's the end of the year, and you've been running around all day, so tired that you're almost out of shape. Why don't you just find a corner to rest secretly? You bumped into your aunt! You know why she's been feeling unwell these days, and she's worried because Jingyu fainted from exhaustion. How can I not feel sorry for you? You're also a weak person, and you've been holding on for these days. If you faint, who would I go to? You must remember the old lady's teachings. No matter how virtuous and filial you are, if you offend your elders once, even if it's unintentional, you will be punished. You are the wife of the marquis conferred by the emperor, the daughter-in-law of the eldest grandson of the Xu family, and the mother of Heng'er. You have the dignity you should have, and you must also fulfill your filial piety. Who was with you yesterday? Was it the fourth daughter-in-law Gan? She is a brainless person who didn't know how to dissuade me. I have some good supplements that Junying just gave me. Take two of them, take Gan with you, kowtow to your aunt and apologize. Never be disrespectful to your aunt again. Go and take a look at Jingyu's place. I heard that there was some movement in Huifang Courtyard yesterday. It seemed that Junlang and Jingyu had a quarrel..."
Mei Niang knelt with her head down, her brows gradually relaxed: Mrs. Zheng's call made it clear that she was protecting her, and that was good. As long as she could still manage the household and hold on for two or three months, there would be a way!
I will never let you control me again. If you dare to provoke me, I will kill you with my tongue! What virtuous and filial, go to hell, divorce me, but you have to return my son to me. What's the point of being a prince in such a mansion? Xu Junying is only twenty-four or twenty-five years old. He fought in the war at the age of fourteen and still survived. It is estimated that he will live for a long time. He will have a son in the future. Zhuang Yulan, that vixen, may not be defeated by Madam Zheng. It would be strange if she didn't plot for her own flesh and blood after she gave birth to a son!
Since he couldn't keep his son's position as the crown prince, he might as well take him away from trouble to prevent him from being killed by evil-hearted people. If he doesn't become the crown prince or the marquis, does that mean he can't live well? Looking at Xu Junying's current life, it's not necessarily happy, let alone happiness. Apart from holding great power, being favored by the emperor, and having a little freedom, it seems that he lives a similar life to the fake marquis' wife - each of them occupies a courtyard, eats three meals a day, and seeks a place to stay at night, that's all.
The old lady glanced at Madam Zheng with a shrewd look, then looked at Mei Niang and said, "Get up! Do as your mother-in-law says. Go now and sincerely apologize to your aunt!"
Mei Niang kowtowed respectfully again, then stood up and said with a humble look, "My grandson knows that I was wrong, and I won't do this again in the future!"
The old lady said with a stern face, "Can there be a future? If there is, we won't be talking here anymore. We should go to the ancestral hall! Go quickly and apologize to your aunt first, and see if she will accept it. If she still won't calm down, you will have to go a few more times until she is willing to accept your gift!"
Mei Niang responded, feeling so angry that she wanted to curse: The damn old lady is now saying that she supports the second wife and is going to her second room a few more times. Does she want to torture me to death
As expected, the Second Madam refused to see Mei Niang, and even refused to let her enter the upper room. Mei Niang was no longer angry, but found it funny. It was unreasonable. It would be foolish to argue with such an elder. She stood in the yard, smiling and looking around at the Second Madam's Fenghua Courtyard. She couldn't understand how this ordinary courtyard deserved the name Fenghua Courtyard. An old branch of a pear tree stretched out from the side yard, which attracted her attention. There were no leaves on it, but a few white flowers had bloomed early. Look carefully, it was flowers, not snow, and it would not snow on New Year's Eve.
Mei Niang asked Mother Zhao who was accompanying her: "We came in a hurry that night. Miss Xiangrui lives in the small side yard over there, right? How is she? How is the little brother?"
Mother Zhao replied with a smile: "Okay, okay! Thank you for your concern, Xiangrui and Wei Ge'er are both plump and white!"
Mei Niang said, "That's good. Second Master is so blessed. Miss Xiangrui just gave birth to Wei Ge'er, and now Miss Xiangxue is pregnant again. As the saying goes, good things come in pairs. Miss Xiangxue will definitely give birth to another boy. Second Master will be happy this time!"
Mother Zhao was stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Mei Niang smiled and said, "Since the Second Madam hasn't woken up yet, I'll come back tomorrow. I'll go see Second Madam now. Alas, Second Madam, you don't have to be like that. Xiangrui and Xiangxue are both your own people. If you give birth to a son, won't he be your own when he grows up? There's really no need to be like that. If you faint from anger, it will only... Alas!"
Without paying attention to the expression on Zhao's mother's face, he took Cui Xi and Cui Si and turned around and left.
Mother Zhao watched her leave the yard and hurried back to the upper room.
On the couch in the upper room, the second wife was dressed neatly, leaning against the cotton pile, staring with wide eyes and asking Mother Zhao: "Is what she said true? Xiangxue is pregnant too? The night before yesterday, Jingyu..."
"It's probably true! I was wondering why. Madam asked me to send something to Huifang Garden, but I didn't see Xiangxue. Yesterday, when I passed by Aunt Tang's yard, I saw Xiangxue flashing at the door and then went in again... Second Madam can't tolerate a maid getting pregnant. Chun'er was like that, and Xiangrui was almost lost. Now it's Xiangxue, and Second Master must protect her. So, Second Master saved Xiangxue but gave her to Aunt Tang to live with first?"
The Second Madam slammed the teacup in her hand onto the table and said angrily, "My good son! He didn't consult me when he had something to do. I took good care of Xiangrui for him, so how could I ignore Xiangxue? But he went to ask that shameless man for help!"
Madam Zhao quickly took a handkerchief to wipe the tea off her hands and said, "Madam, you have been tired these days for Wei'er. Second Master should be sympathetic to your hard work. He placed Xiangxue in Aunt Tang's courtyard because of the girls. Second Madam also knows that Third and Fourth Miss have been loved by Second Master since they were young."
"Alas, this child is just unspeakable." The second wife sighed helplessly, "The master has such a temper, he looks down on girls, but he loves girls. Look at how he treats Lian Jie'er, he never wants her to suffer the slightest grievance! No matter how many daughters or boys he has, he loves them all the same."
Mother Zhao smiled and said, "Second Master is actually like the eldest master in this respect. The eldest master is a close brother of our master. The eldest master loves the young lady very much. When the young lady was just born, he would hug her every day. It was because of the birth of the young lady that the first wife gradually gained the favor of the eldest master..."
The second wife snorted, "She thinks she's so great. Junying's biological mother was chosen by the eldest master himself, and she looks like... Hey, let's not talk about her! Put on my shoes quickly, let's go to Tang's place and bring Xiangxue back. With me here, Jingyu won't make a fuss. She can't give birth herself, so does that mean my son won't have children?"
As Madam Zhao put on the shoes for the Second Madam, she said, "It looks like there's already been a quarrel. Look at the Second Madam lying there, with purple bruises all over her forehead... That night, Madam went to cry in front of the Old Madam, and I tried to persuade her, but she wouldn't listen. Now the First Madam knows about it, too. What can we do if she refuses to give in?"
The second wife was about to get up, but she relaxed for a moment and said, "Who was the gossiper who spread the news? Huifangyuan needs to be rectified, and those who can't keep their word should be sent away! I can't care about so many things now. I'll talk about it when she comes tomorrow. Let's go see Xiangxue first."
Outside the gate of Huifang Courtyard, Mei Niang told Cui Si: "Go in, say a few nice words, and hand the things over to the people in her room, and that's it!"
Cui Xi said, "Now that we are here, why don't you go in and see the Second Madam? That will be a courtesy!"
Mei Niang glanced at her and said, "Do you think your grandma is not polite enough? I didn't make her faint, so why should I go and ask for trouble? Do you believe it? She is just like the Second Wife, she won't see me, and I am too lazy to see her. Anyway, I didn't give the gift, so it's good enough to send it to her door. It's free, it's good enough!"
Cui Xi had nothing to say. As soon as Cui Si came out, the three of them, master and servant, walked back to Tsinghua Courtyard.
In a large house in the Tang family courtyard, three or four plates of silver frost charcoal were burning vigorously. The room was warm as spring. Xu Junlang and the second wife sat on the couch drinking tea. Xiangxue stood aside with her head lowered. The second wife glanced at her and said to Xu Junlang:
"You should go back to Fenghuayuan. It's where your father lived since he was a child. Fortune tellers say it has good feng shui. Look, I gave birth to you and Junya, and you both have great prospects, right? Wei'er was born there, and he is also plump and healthy."
Xu Junlang said, "It's not good for all my people to live in my mother's courtyard. Wei'er is about to be one month old, and Xiangxue is pregnant. Why don't we raise Xiangrui and her as concubines? Jingyu is not tolerant. Although Huifang Garden is spacious, I am worried about Xiangrui and Xiangxue living there with their children. I have discussed with my father and the girls. The Yinxiang Courtyard where the third and fourth girls live happens to have two suites in front and back, so let Xiangrui and Xiangxue live there. Go back to the old lady and let her inform Mei Niang to arrange a better courtyard for the two sisters. I think Qinfang Courtyard in the south is very good. It has a large courtyard, rockery and ponds, pavilions and towers, and faces the sun. It used to be lived in by the eldest girl, so it would be best for Xiaowan and Xiaomin to live there."
The second wife said calmly, "It's okay for the girls, they will get married in a year or two. What's important is to settle Xiangrui and Xiangxue. Yinxiang Courtyard is very good. There is no pond inside, but there is open space. The children can run around freely in the future. Well, let's do it this way!"
Seeing Xiangxue beside him heaving a sigh of relief, Xu Junlang smiled slightly, then remembered something, frowned and said to the second wife:
"Mother was too impatient. She went to blame my sister-in-law in front of the old lady. It wasn't her fault in the first place. Now..."
The second wife was furious and slammed the table: "You are blaming me? What did you say at that time? You said that he fainted after coming back from the New Year banquet due to exhaustion. If I don't blame Mei Niang, who else can I blame?"
Seeing his mother angry, Xu Junlang stood up helplessly and bowed: "Mother, please calm down. It's my fault... If my sister-in-law comes to apologize again, mother must meet her and say a few words of comfort, so that my brother won't ask about it, otherwise it will be bad for the brothers to have a rift in the future!"
The master was afraid of the division of the family and becoming a side branch, and the son was afraid of the rift between brothers. The second wife remembered that she had said something wrong that night and was caught by Mei Niang. She couldn't help feeling guilty, her chin drooped, and her face became bitter. (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)