Chapter 266 Staying Out of the Way

However, Granny Chen poured cold water on the idea, saying, "Fourth Young Madam, it's getting late, we should go back to the manor. The Concubine is still waiting for you to return and pay her respects."

After saying that, he respectfully said to the Earl of Nanping, "My lord, please forgive me. Our Cheng'an Prince's Mansion is bound by royal rules. In principle, the Fourth Young Mistress should not be able to return today. However, our Consort is concerned for her daughter-in-law and is worried that something serious may have happened in the mansion. Therefore, she made an exception and asked this old servant to accompany the Fourth Young Mistress back. This is already overstepping her bounds. Please understand that our Consort has a hard time managing the household."

Granny Chen acted as if she wanted to stay out of it and had no desire to get involved. In fact, the Earl of Nanping was happy to see this happen, and even secretly resented the Minister's Mansion for being so meddlesome, letting the people of the Prince of Cheng'an's Mansion know that this matter was not good for anyone.

So the Earl of Nanping readily said to Yu Qingyan, "Qingyan, just listen to your mother-in-law and go back. I will take care of the affairs of the Earl's mansion, so you don't need to worry about it."

A group of people headed towards Shouyin Hall, while Qiao and the others could only continue kneeling there.

Yu Qingyan wanted to go too, but Chen Mama coughed a few times. Yu Qingyan immediately stood there motionless as if she had been choked, turning her head to look at Chen Mama with a wronged and resentful expression.

She had been married into the Cheng'an Prince's Mansion for less than a month, but in that month she had already experienced what it meant for each day to feel like a year, and she had no way to express her suffering.

For the first few days, her husband Li Chen treated her fairly well, but it wasn't long before he revealed his true colors, abandoning his newlywed wife and ignoring her completely. He was almost never home, and even when he did return, he was always seduced by those vixens in the backyard, leaving her alone in her empty room every day.

Consort Min, the mother-in-law, was not as kind and gentle as the rumors suggested. From the second day after she entered the family, she was forced to follow the rules. It was one thing to serve tea and water and massage her legs and back on a daily basis, but she had to serve food to her mother-in-law while she ate and gently fan her mother-in-law while she slept. When had she ever suffered so much since she was a child?

Upon receiving her grandmother's letter, she went to beg her mother-in-law to let her come back without hesitation. She had planned to have a good cry with her mother and grandmother after returning, but she never expected this situation.

Yu Qingyan clung to Qiao Shi's arm, pleading pitifully with Granny Chen:

"Granny, could you grant me a little more time to stay with my mother? If I leave, there will be no one to speak up for her."

Granny Chen remained unmoved: "Fourth Young Madam, please be careful with your words. Where do you place your father, the Earl of Nanping, and other elders like Minister Qiao?"

Besides, now that you've married into the Cheng'an Prince's Mansion, everything should prioritize the Cheng'an Prince's Mansion.

Yu Qingyan gritted her teeth and cursed, "You old hag, Mother sent you here to keep me company, not to ride on my head and boss me around!"

Granny Chen remained standing ramrod straight, without even flinching.

"If this old servant has done something wrong, the Consort will punish him when we return. There is no need for the Fourth Young Mistress to reprimand him."

Yu Qingyan's face paled even more.

Granny Chen ignored her and instructed the maids and servants who were with her to help Yu Qingci away.

Yu Qingyan came and went in a hurry, parting from Qiao Shi in tears.

Inside Shouyin Hall, Madam Zhang had already received news of the Earl of Nanping's return and hurriedly asked Granny Qin to personally invite the Earl to see her.

Granny Qin spoke up to persuade her, "Madam, don't be anxious. With such a big incident in the manor, the Earl has finally returned. He must be busy dealing with it right now."

If this old servant is not mistaken, the two in-laws from the Vice Minister's residence will soon be coming to visit, and perhaps even Old Madam Wen will come to see you then.

"Madam, at this time, will you see them or not?"

"this……"

Zhang frowned and hesitated for a long time.

Granny Qin continued:

"Since the old lady has been ill for several days, what's there to be afraid of if she stays ill for a few more days? With the Lord back, we have a pillar of support at home, so what are we afraid of?"

You can go out after the Earl has dealt with everything. At that time, no matter who the Earl favors or what fate awaits them, it will have nothing to do with you, Madam. Even if the grandchildren have grievances in the future, they will not blame you.

Zhang felt this made sense, and decided it was best not to join in the fun at this time.

"Yes, then I'll just have to bear with it a little longer. You just have to watch out, I won't see anyone until this is over."

As they predicted, a servant soon came to report:

The old lady's husband, the third young lady, and the third son-in-law came to pay their respects, and Madam Qiao's parents also came.

Madam Zhang immediately lay down: "I won't see you!"

It was Granny Qin who came out to handle the socializing.

Undeterred, Madam Wen insisted on coming over, but upon hearing Granny Qin's refusal, the little hope that had just risen in her heart vanished.

The old lady refused to see anyone, so everyone had to return to the front hall to continue arguing.

When Wen returned to the front hall, she found that Yu Qingyan had already left. All the people from the Cheng'an Prince's Mansion came and went in a hurry as if they had never been there, which left her somewhat bewildered.

"Where is Qingyan? Where are the people from the Prince's mansion?"

Qiao knelt there silently, and a servant beside her replied:

"The Second Miss and the people from Prince Cheng'an's Mansion have all left."

Madam Wen was furious. She had specially sent someone to deliver a message to Yu Qingyan, hoping to use the power of the Prince Cheng'an's mansion to help her daughter. She never expected that Yu Qingyan would leave so quickly.

Consort Min is making it clear that she doesn't want to get involved in this mess.

Lady Wen secretly resented the cold-heartedness of the Prince Cheng'an's mansion.

Seeing that continuing this entanglement would be pointless, Vice Minister Qiao said with a gloomy face that it was getting late and they would stop here for now and come back tomorrow.

At this moment, the Earl of Nanping also had a splitting headache and did not want to say another word: Since no consensus could be reached, let's temporarily cease hostilities, go back and discuss it amongst ourselves, and fight again tomorrow.

They didn't even bother to offer me a meal.

After saying goodbye, Uncle Nanping glanced coldly at the three girls and their husbands who stood there like wooden stakes, and left without paying any attention to either of them.

Yu Qingci instructed her servants to continue with their duties, and that the suspects, including Qiao Shi, would continue to receive the same treatment tonight.

When Minister Qiao saw that his son-in-law had left just like that, he was so angry that he also turned and left. Although Madam Wen was reluctant to see her daughter suffer, she had no way to take her daughter with her at the moment, so she could only leave with a look back every step of the way.

Qiao knelt on the ground, tears blurring her vision.

Seeing that everyone had left, Yu Qingci and Lu Yunqi also returned to Mingyue Residence.

Seeing that her mother was in much better condition today, and even opened her eyes to say a few words to her, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and a relaxed smile appeared on her face.

This day really exhausted her.

The two sat there quietly keeping Su Chengniang company.

Soon, footsteps were heard outside, and the Earl of Nanping lifted the curtain and came in.

He had just gone to Shouyin Hall, and since there was no one else around, the old lady naturally let him in. The mother and son talked for a while, and then he returned to Mingyue Residence feeling upset.

Seeing Yu Qingci and Lu Yunqi there, his face darkened again.

Yu Qingci: "Father, do you not want to see me? Then I'll leave."

After saying that, he got up to leave.

Lu Yunqi naturally followed.