Sure enough, before dinner, Qin went to Ci'an Residence, talked to the old lady behind closed doors, showed her the list made by Mrs. Xie, and asked for her opinion with red eyes.
The old lady was surprised to see her listless like a defeated rooster, and when she read Mrs. Xie's ten conditions, she took a deep breath.
This Madam Xie is really too cruel. She obviously wants to settle the account of her daughter's death with Qin!
These ten conditions were brilliantly put forward. While seeking benefits for the grandson, they also severely humiliated Qin's aunt and nephew. Given Qin's character, she would be either angry to death or half dead.
Of course, if she were to look at it from an outsider's perspective, Mrs. Xie's move was really satisfying. Apart from anything else, just the first three points were simply a copy of the three rules that Qin had agreed upon with the Marquis. How proud and glorious Qin was when she got the document with the emperor's personal seal. At that time, she probably never imagined that she would end up like this.
The old lady felt indescribably happy when she thought about her son's frustration in the past. As the old saying goes, things change over time. As for people, they should not be too ruthless in doing things.
"The conditions are a bit harsh, but in my opinion, you still have to agree to her." The old lady said the same thing as Xie Nanjia, "It won't cause any harm to the general's mansion if you delay, but Wanru's belly can't wait even a day."
Qin wiped her tears with a handkerchief, no longer showing her former arrogance: "I understand what mother said. The young master is my legitimate grandson, and the position of the crown prince should have been passed on to him. But Wanru wants to live in our family for the rest of her life, and it is impossible for her to have only this one child. If all her children cannot inherit the family property and cannot pursue a career in government, how will they live in the future?"
The old lady thought to herself, now you know how to say this, but when you treated Yu'er back then, why didn't you think about how he would live in the future
Although she thought so, she smiled and said, "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. You take care of your son and grandson. Aren't you tired? When the grandson grows up, his parents will worry about him. Wanru is not stupid. She will find a way out for the child. Why should you worry about him twenty years later? Besides, isn't this a stopgap measure for now? You are in your prime and in charge of the household. If you really love your grandson, what can't you think of?"
Qin heard the last sentence from the old lady, implying that she was using her position as the head of the household to save some private money, and said awkwardly, "I can ignore these, but Wanru is not allowed to wear bright red, and the betrothal gift is not allowed to come from the public purse. Isn't she stretching her hand too far?"
The old lady nodded in agreement: "It is true that she is a bit lenient, but we need help from her. What else can we do except obey her?"
"I..." Qin wanted to be angry but didn't dare to be angry, she said aggrievedly, "If I don't come from the public, where can I come from?"
The old lady laughed and said, "I do have an idea, but it is only a temporary solution. If you don't like it, just pretend you didn't hear it. When you got married, the Prime Minister's Mansion gave you a large dowry. You might as well take it out now to deal with the emergency."
"What? You want me to add my own dowry?" Qin couldn't help but shout loudly in anxiety.
The old lady said, "I told you it was a temporary solution. If you don't like it, just ignore what I said. I don't have any dowry, and I haven't saved any private money over the years. Otherwise, I would definitely help you with all my money and not make it so difficult for you."
Qin: “…”
Everyone can say nice things, but if you are asked to take out real money, I'm afraid you won't be so happy.
The old lady naturally understood what she was thinking, and spread her hands and said, "These are the solutions I can think of. If nothing works, you can go to the Prime Minister's Mansion and discuss with your brother and sister-in-law to see if it's okay not to give the betrothal gift. In short, no matter how aggrieved you are, you have to marry her first."
Qin didn't have the face to bargain with her brother and sister-in-law. After much thought, she decided that she had to cut the meat from herself. The old lady was right. No matter how aggrieved she was, she had to marry the girl first.
The days ahead will be more complicated than leaves on the trees, and she will always be able to find a way to turn the tables.
Sheng Qingluan, I will remember today's humiliation. Let's see what happens!
After returning to Yixinyuan, she sent someone to the general's mansion to inform Madam Xie that she had agreed to all ten conditions.
Mrs. Xie was having dinner with her son at the time. She was quite surprised to hear that Qin agreed to her conditions so quickly. She smiled and said to Aunt Yao, "She is such a strong-willed person, but she can endure it this time."
"What can we do if we can't bear it? After all, our stomach won't wait for us." Nanny Yao said.
Madam Xie drank a mouthful of lotus seed soup and felt very happy. "Speaking of that girl Xiu'er, she is really to my liking. I really want her to look after the young master in the Marquis's Mansion. Otherwise, I will definitely put her on the list and ask her to come over."
Madam Yao was in a daze for a moment before she realized that she was talking about the little maid Xiu'er, not Miss Nanjia, so she smiled and said, "I also think that girl is good. I don't know why, even though I haven't said a few words to her, it feels like we have known each other for many years."
Madam Xie nodded and said, "I feel the same way. When I talk to her, every word she says is so pleasant to the ear. When she smiles, my heart brightens up. When she put the flower on my finger, I almost mistook her for Nan Jia. When she left, I felt so empty inside."
Xie Nanfeng listened to his mother's words, put down his chopsticks, and became dazed.
In the afternoon in the stable, when he saw Xiu'er and Taxue getting along, he almost thought that Xiu'er was his sister, so he blurted out "sister". When Xiu'er turned around to respond to him, his heart almost jumped out of his throat, but Xiu'er immediately asked: What did you say
He was instantly deflated, and still wasn't sure whether Xiu'er really didn't hear clearly or was pretending to be confused.
But, if she was not the elder sister, how would she know that Taxue liked to have her ears rubbed
She stroked Taxue gently and called its name. At that moment, he clearly saw tears in Taxue's eyes.
If it wasn’t her sister, why would Taxue cry
He didn't dare tell his mother about this, for fear that his mother, who missed her daughter so much, would become as obsessed as his father and regard Xiu'er as the reincarnation of her sister.
In fact, deep down in his heart, he also hoped so. If his sister's soul could really come back, he would be able to accept any body.
In the past, he did not believe in ghosts and gods and did not worship Buddha. But now, he really wants to go to the Buddha and ask if his sister is really still alive.
Hearing that the old abbot of Fanyin Temple was very powerful, he decided to find time to visit him.
…
Because the emperor was going to return to the capital the day after tomorrow, Marquis Dingyuan was busy arranging the welcoming ceremony. He did not return to the mansion until everyone in the mansion had finished dinner, and then he brought Zhao Jingyu, who was as exhausted as he was, back to the mansion.
"If I had known that government affairs were so tiring, I would have stayed in the paddock to hunt." Zhao Jingyu followed him into the study in the front yard, sat down on the chair, and never wanted to get up again.
Dingyuan Hou took off his outer robe and said, "You think governing a country is a joke. The prince has been learning how to govern a country from the Grand Tutor since he was six years old. Now it has been eighteen years, and he is still unable to take charge of a government. You can imagine how difficult it is."
"That's because he's stupid!" Zhao Jingyu said slowly.
"He's not stupid, but he has a strong and protective mother." said Dingyuan Hou.
"Isn't this the same as my wife?" Zhao Jingyu laughed.
Before he finished speaking, someone outside reported, "My Lord, Madam asks you to go to the backyard."
"What's the matter?" asked Marquis Dingyuan.
"Madam didn't say anything, she just said there was something important to discuss."
Marquis Dingyuan had no choice but to put on his outer robe again, let Zhao Jingyu go back to rest, and hurried to Qin's place.
As soon as Zhao Jingyu returned to the west wing, he heard about Qin being bullied by the general's wife. Presumably, Qin was in a hurry to find the marquis to discuss this matter.
Yiyun brought hot water to wash his face. Zhao Jingyu covered his face with the hot handkerchief and felt comfortable in every pore.
Not only the pores, but also the heart feels extremely comfortable.
Although he had never coveted Zhao Jingping's position as the crown prince, and disdained the vast fortune of the Marquis's Mansion, Qin had never stopped plotting against him since he entered the Marquis's Mansion at the age of eight.
He knew his own life experience and that he was just a guest in the Marquis' Mansion. Therefore, he did not hate Qin. Instead, he felt guilty, thinking that his arrival had disrupted her original life.
Later, in order to destroy him, Qin tried every possible way to teach him bad things. Even when he was not even twelve years old, she began to stuff some charming women into his room. In order to hide her tracks, he had no choice but to accept them all.
Fortunately, the Marquis and the tutors taught him the correct outlook on life and values every night, otherwise he might really grow up to be the kind of person Qin hoped for.
Even so, he still did not hate Qin. He just hated Qin's cruelty and selfishness. He thought that if he was really a bastard of the Marquis's Mansion, Qin's behavior would be equivalent to ruining a person's life.
Just because she was worried that a bastard would hinder her son's interests, she used such vicious means to lead that person to eternal damnation. How dark must such a woman's heart be.
Therefore, when he heard that Qin was disciplined by Madam Xie, he felt very relieved.
Madam Xie is indeed the general's wife. If she didn't take action, it would be fine. But once she did, she skinned Qin. This method...
Hey, why does this method feel like the style of that girl Xiu'er
"Xiu'er also went to the general's mansion today, right?" he asked Huangfu.
"Yes." Huangfu gave him an affirmative answer.
Zhao Jingyu felt that this was most likely Xiu'er's idea.
This girl, how much does she not want the Marquis's Mansion to live in peace
It doesn't seem entirely right to say that she doesn't want the Marquis's Mansion to be in peace. She seems to be specifically targeting the people around Zhao Jingping. First, she drove Qin Wanru away, then she almost scared Aunt Xue crazy, and she also killed Aunt Hong with her own hands. No matter how you look at it, her actions seem like a drama of wives and concubines competing for favor.
As for competing for favor, she herself has no interest in Zhao Jingping. She is close to Lvliu. Could it be that she is helping Lvliu to clear obstacles and make her the prince's wife
But if that was the case, why did she want to get Qin Wanru back in such a humiliating way
Moreover, she said last time that she would help me seize the position of Crown Prince. Now, whether she lets Lvliu be the Crown Prince's wife or brings Qin Wanru back to be the Crown Prince's wife, it is contradictory to what she promised me!
Could it be that her promise to me was false? She never thought of helping me to seize the throne, but was just afraid that I would investigate her secrets, so she used a delaying tactic against me
Thinking of this, Zhao Jingyu threw the handkerchief into the basin angrily and said through gritted teeth: "Stinky girl, I want to see how many tricks you have!"
The water in the basin splashed out and all over the floor. Yiyun was startled and didn't know what she had done wrong to offend the Second Young Master. Just as she was about to apologize, the Second Young Master had already stormed out.
Wei Jun hurriedly followed and asked carefully, "Second Master, it's so late, where are we going?"
"Go see my fourth sister." Zhao Jingyu said.
(End of this chapter)