Just as Zi'an expected, Liang has returned to the Duke's Mansion today.
She returned to the mansion, remained calm, and waited for Ximen Xiaoyue to return home for the third day of the lunar year.
She knew that everyone in the palace, including the old Duke, knew what happened that day, but no one came to greet her, including her husband.
Everyone thought that she should sacrifice herself for the Duke's Mansion, and no one cared about her anger.
No one thought she would be angry.
Because over the years, everyone has become accustomed to her dedication to the Duke's Mansion. They even believe that even if she has to sacrifice her life, as long as it is for the good of the Duke's Mansion, she will take the rope and hang herself without hesitation.
Perhaps, it is time to let everyone know that she, Liang, is not an appendage or money-making tool of the Duke's Mansion.
Even without the Duke's Mansion, Liang's life is still comfortable, but without her, Liang, the Duke's Mansion, it is hard to say what will happen.
The return visit of the third emperor was supposed to be early in the morning, but because Prince Li came to announce the decree, the time was delayed. Prime Minister Xia has already sent someone to go to the Duke's Mansion to tell them that he would arrive around noon.
The Duke of Jin ordered the servants in the mansion to prepare lunch. The new son-in-law was coming to the mansion, and he was also the prime minister of the current dynasty, so the Duke of Jin also invited some good friends and elders from the family to come.
The Jin family has deep roots in the Great Zhou.
There are many branches and leaves, but few of them have great potential. As for the elders of the clan invited today, they are all veterans in the court, but they have retired.
One of them was the teacher of the late emperor. He taught the late emperor when he was still the crown prince. This crown prince's tutor is now the most prominent person in the clan.
He respected Confucianism and etiquette, and taught the previous emperor to govern the country with filial piety and benevolence. Coincidentally, Prince Li was his last student. It can be said that many of Prince Li's old-fashioned ideas were influenced by this mentor.
Such an old lady was invited here today to help the Duke of Jin's Mansion maintain its reputation, but who knows? Life is always unexpected.
In order to make the wedding grand, the Duke of Jin specially invited everyone from the Prime Minister's residence to come for dinner. This custom has a long history and is called "inviting the son-in-law". It means that the bride's family cannot invite the son-in-law's relatives to come for dinner when the wedding takes place, so they will invite them back when the son-in-law returns to the bride's family three days later to consolidate the relationship between the two families.
Zi'an didn't want to go at first, but Liang sent her a private invitation early this morning, hoping that she could come.
Zi'an therefore deduced that Liang would never let the fire in the side room go, so she warned Ximen Xiaoyue in advance and asked her to be prepared.
For those who like to watch the fun, it is always more interesting when both sides are equally matched.
Xia Wan'er seemed to be in a very low mood these past two days. She hadn't been acting up since she came back from her wedding day. Prime Minister Xia originally thought that she would not go today, but she was very active. After Yuan received the order, she dressed up neatly and went to Xiaoxiang Garden to wait.
She was particularly affectionate towards Ximen Xiaoyue, calling her mother all the time.
Ximen Xiaoyue had just married into the family, so naturally she needed to win over the people in the prime minister's residence. Therefore, the intimacy between this mother and daughter had reached a point that made everyone feel disgusted.
Chen Linglong cannot go. Although all the family members of the Prime Minister's Mansion are invited, this is out of courtesy. If the Prime Minister's Mansion really takes Chen Linglong with them, things will not be so pleasant.
What worries Prime Minister Xia now is whether to take Yuan with him.
If I take it with me, I wonder if Yuan will say something inappropriate. After all, when I talk to her now, she always sounds sharp and arrogant.
But if she didn't bring it, she was after all a county lady and the original wife of Prime Minister Xia. After Ximen Xiaoyue married him, although she was a co-wife, her status as a county lady could not be encroached upon by anyone, so Madam Xiaoyue was still a concubine.
The Duke invited the Prime Minister's family to a banquet, excluding the in-laws, and meant to invite the entire family. It would be unreasonable not to include Yuan.
Just when Prime Minister Xia was in a dilemma, Zi'an ordered Xiaosun to come and inform him that Yuan was not feeling well and would not go to the Duke's Mansion.
Prime Minister Xia breathed a sigh of relief. He told Xiaosun, "Then tell the young lady to get ready. We'll set off right away."
He actually didn't want Zi'an to go, but he thought that since they were just going to have a meal today, she shouldn't cause any trouble.
Thinking back to the previous times, things got messed up because he took action first. She believed that if the Duke's Mansion had not taken action against her, she would not have caused any trouble again.
Besides, she would be unable to handle the situation on her own at the Duke's Mansion, as all the people on the other side were from the Ximen family, and the only person she could bring with her to the Prime Minister's Mansion was a maid and a servant. If she dared to make trouble at the Duke's Mansion, she would be truly ignorant of her own limitations.
In the end, he actually felt that it would be better for Xia Zian to make a scene to let her know how powerful he was, so that she might be more restrained in the future.
He told Ximen Xiaoyue about this idea, and Ximen Xiaoyue smiled slightly, "Even if you don't tell me, I already have an idea."
"What idea?" When Prime Minister Xia heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He didn't know why, but when he saw the sinister look on Ximen Xiaoyue's face, he actually had a bad feeling.
Both the longan and the fire in the side room were Ximen Xiaoyue's ideas, and both were messed up, causing the Prime Minister's Mansion to make a big fool of itself and suffer heavy losses.
Ximen Xiaoyue smiled slightly, "Don't worry, I don't plan to deal with her, I just want the people in the clan to see her sharp and mean side."
"Huh? What's the point of this?" Prime Minister Xia began to regret his previous proposal. He already had a plan on how to deal with Xia Zian, and his previous statement of wanting to teach her a lesson was purely impulsive.
Ximen Xiaoyue said, "Ever since Xia Zian broke off the engagement, her reputation has been very bad. Almost no one in the capital has a good word to say about her. However, in just a few months, she has changed from a hateful, mean, shameless and disrespectful wicked woman to a pitiful person, and a pitiful person persecuted by the Prime Minister's Mansion. On the day when the side room caught fire, I heard Aunt Cuiyu say that everyone was relieved to see that she was safe and sound, proving that she has gradually begun to win people's hearts."
"You don't need to tell me this, I know it." Prime Minister Xia said coldly. Although he was reluctant to admit it, it was true. Now his reputation, Xia Huaijun, was worse than a toilet. However, Xia Zian and Yuan Shi became noble. Even Concubine Cui and Lady Chen, the older generation, supported her.
This made him feel very depressed.
"Then, Lord Prime Minister, do you know who will be present when I return to my parents' home today?" Ximen Xiaoyue laughed viciously.
"Who?" asked Prime Minister Xia.
"The Prince's Guardian, Lord Ximen." Ximen Xiaoyue said softly, with pride flashing in her eyes. Now, the only person the Jin Duke family can rely on is this Prince Ximen.
"What? Ximen Taibao is going too?" Prime Minister Xia was very surprised. You know, this old scholar hasn't attended various occasions for a long time. If we talk about the most prestigious people in Beijing, it must be him and Academician Yuan.
Academician Yuan has returned to his hometown, and his connections in the capital have gradually faded. However, Taibao Ximen was once the teacher of the late emperor, and he held a high position of power before returning to the countryside. He promoted many people. He was a truly prominent and prestigious person.
(End of this chapter)