Chapter 5 Chengniang is the Rightful Wife

Soon they arrived at Liuli Lane. Su Chengniang and the others got off the carriage and looked up at the tightly closed black lacquered gate in front of them. The two characters "Su Residence" above the gate, though slightly mottled, were still vigorous and powerful after so many years.

Su Chengniang looked at the plaque above the door and couldn't help but burst into tears. More than ten years had passed since she left home. Now that she had finally returned, she found herself all alone in the huge house.

Yu Qingci stepped forward to support her mother and whispered comfortingly, "Mother, let's go inside quickly."

Granny Liu stepped forward and knocked on the door. The door opened quickly, and an old servant peeked out, looked around carefully, and finally stared at Su Chengniang excitedly:

"Miss is back! It really is Miss!"

Yu Qingci's maternal grandparents had few children, with only one daughter, Su Chengniang. As a result, the Su family quickly declined after the incident.

Now that they've returned, all they've brought back are the memorial tablets of the two elderly people.

The mother and her two children knelt before the memorial tablet, kowtowing and offering incense. Su Cheng's mother couldn't help but cry again, which also brought tears to the eyes of the two siblings.

Yu Qingci looked at the memorial tablets of her maternal grandparents and was filled with emotion.

She's back. This time, she's determined to protect her mother and younger brother and prevent them from suffering any harm.

As for her father, she must never easily turn against him in this life. She must firmly hold onto her father as a powerful support and prevent him from becoming estranged from her mother.

I had barely uttered a few words about my father when I heard the loud voice of the Earl of Nanping behind me:

"Chengniang, Qingci, Qingbai, I'm back."

After Yu Jingsheng, the Earl of Nanping, offered incense to the memorial tablet, the group got up and went to the front hall.

After sitting down, the Earl of Nanping asked, "I heard from the servants about what happened yesterday. I didn't expect such a serious thing to happen as soon as I left. I should have known better than to leave in such a hurry. You almost got into trouble. Chengniang, I'm sorry to have frightened you."

Su Chengniang had already wiped away her tears and said in a calm tone, "It's not the Lord's fault. The Lord was just worried about the Old Madam's condition. Is the Old Madam feeling any better?"

When Yu Jingsheng heard Cheng Niang ask about his mother, he blushed and stammered.

"Well, Mother is fine, Chengniang, don't worry."

Su Chengniang, having been married to him for many years, naturally knew him very well. Judging from his appearance, she knew that the old lady's illness was not serious, and that he might just be whining without any real illness.

However, she didn't point it out, only saying:

"We are so grateful to the heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei for lending us horses and leaving guards to protect us. Otherwise, last night would have been extremely dangerous."

"Such a great kindness deserves my personal gratitude, but I am currently in mourning and it is inconvenient for me to visit. Your Excellency must express your sincere thanks in full."

Yu Jingsheng nodded repeatedly: "Of course, Madam, rest assured, I will go to express my gratitude tomorrow. I never expected that there would be bandits around near the capital. What are the Jingzhao Prefecture doing? I will definitely report this to the court and punish them for dereliction of duty."

Yu Qingci bit her lip and said with a wronged look, "We had been traveling with Father to the capital for so many days without any problems. But as soon as Father left, the horse ate something wrong and delayed our journey. Then bandits broke into the post station. That Manager Li even wanted to arrange for us to stay at a roadside inn. Luckily, we didn't listen to him."

Father, your daughter is still scared.

Yu Jingsheng felt both heartache and guilt upon hearing his daughter's coquettish tone: "It's all your fault for leaving you behind without thinking things through, causing you to be frightened. Humph, that Steward Li is really something, he can't even handle this little thing properly. When I get back, I will definitely discipline him severely and get revenge for you."

"Yes, he definitely needs to be taught a lesson!"

Yu Qingci added insult to injury without hesitation.

After talking for a while, Yu Jingsheng stood up and said:

"Alright, let's pack up and head back to the Earl's Mansion while it's still early. Although I've had this house repaired, it's an old house that hasn't been inhabited for over a decade. Staying here probably won't be suitable. I've already arranged for you to stay in the courtyards at the Earl's Mansion. Don't worry, it will be much more comfortable than staying here."

Su Chengniang, however, put on a stern face and said, "Thank you for your concern, Lord. Not only did you repair the house ahead of schedule, but you also found some of the servants we used to have. Otherwise, my two children and I would have had to stay at an inn today. As for the Lord's mansion, we would never dare to go back."

Yu Jingsheng was dumbfounded.

The residence of the old lady of the Nanping Earl's Mansion, Shouyin Hall.

Madam Zhang slammed her prayer beads on the table with a loud bang: "Insolence! Since you've brought her back, just bring her home! Why keep her outside? Do you really want everyone in the capital to know that you're keeping a mistress?"

Yu Jingsheng said, "Mother, please calm down. How can Chengniang be a mistress? She was my lawfully wedded wife back then. If it weren't for..."

"Don't talk nonsense! Your wife is Qiao, so how can Su, the daughter of a disgraced official, be worthy of being the mistress of our Nanping Marquis's mansion?"

Zhang was furious.

Yu Jingsheng felt quite helpless recalling what happened back then, but the person in front of him was his mother, so he could only say to comfort her, "Mother, be careful what you say. Father-in-law overturned the case last year, so you must not say such things again."

Madam Zhang persisted: "Who is your father-in-law? You should know better. Your current father-in-law is Lord Qiao from the Vice Minister's residence, a second-rank official in the imperial court, not that incompetent man who died far from home."

Besides, even if the Su family's case has been overturned, so what? Even if the Su family was innocent back then, things have come to this point, proving that Su Chengniang was not destined to be a legal wife!

Yu Jingsheng's tone inevitably carried a hint of resentment: "If it weren't for Mother taking advantage of my absence from the capital and kicking Chengniang out of the mansion, they would all be living peacefully in the mansion now, and none of this would have happened."

Madam Zhang: "Are you blaming me, your mother, for breaking up your marriage? It wasn't our family that caused the trouble in her family back then. They offended some powerful people. Which family wouldn't be afraid of being implicated in such a life-threatening situation? In other families, they would have been divorced."

I was already quite lenient with her back then, only letting her go and allowing her to stay in the manor as a concubine. It was Su Shi who was too stubborn to back down; who can she blame?

Hmph! She said she would never be a concubine back then, but now if she wants to come back, she has to accept the status of a concubine, kneel down in front of me, kowtow, and admit her mistakes.

The thought of Lady Su Cheng kneeling dejectedly before her filled Zhang with a sense of satisfaction.

Once she gets into the Earl's mansion, just wait and see how I deal with her!

Yu Jingsheng sighed helplessly and said, "My father-in-law and mother-in-law have only passed away a few months ago. This time when we returned to the capital, we also brought back their memorial tablets. Cheng Niang is currently in mourning and it is inconvenient for her to return to the mansion."

"Why don't you let her stay at the Su residence for now? As for the two children, I'll bring Qingci and Qingbai back to the manor in a couple of days. They are your own grandchildren, and I hope Mother will take good care of them in the future."

Madam Zhang snorted: "You make it sound like I despise them so much. They're your flesh and blood, would I eat them?"

"Thank you, Mother, and also for Cheng Niang's identity..."

Madam Zhang glared at her with hostility: "What? If you want to elevate Madam Su, then shut your mouth. I haven't even settled accounts with her yet. I'm already being lenient by allowing you to bring such a vixen back and give her the title of a lowly concubine. Don't even think about anything else. She doesn't deserve it!"

"Besides, what's wrong with your current wife, Qiao? Ever since your father passed away, my health has been poor, and the entire household has relied on your wife to manage things. But what about you? All these years, your heart has only been set on that Su woman. For her sake, you were willing to go and serve in a poor, remote place like Youyang for over ten years. How can you face Qiao and your old mother like this?"

If she hadn't known that the Su family's case had been overturned and that her eldest granddaughter Qingyan's marriage was imminent, she would never have agreed to let her son bring the mother and her two children back.

Yu Jingsheng helplessly reminded her, "Mother, that divorce letter from back then was invalid because it didn't have my signature, so Cheng Niang is still my legal wife."

As for Lady Qiao, considering her many years of dedication to serving my mother and the Earl's mansion, I will not mistreat her. I will grant her the status of a secondary wife, and she will continue to manage the household affairs. That's settled.”

Hearing this, Madam Zhang became even more furious: "So you've already made all the arrangements? You've been protecting that bitch Su at every turn, while wronging Madam Qiao, and now that bitch has returned to the capital, she wants to stay outside and live a carefree life?"

Yu Jingsheng spread his hands: "If Mother doesn't agree, I'll still bring her back?"

Zhang was furious. Why bring her back?

She had said so much, yet her son was bewitched by that Su woman and defended her in every way. Good, good, what a good son he was.

Unable to contain himself, he raised his voice again, saying, "Back then, everyone in the capital knew that Madam Su had been divorced. Now you want to give her the status of a legal wife? Don't even think about it! I won't agree, and neither will your current father-in-law. Since she wants to observe mourning outside, then tell her never to come back."

Yu Jingsheng's face darkened and he stopped speaking. The room was silent for a while. Seeing that her son was silent, Madam Zhang regretted that she had spoken so bluntly.

He secretly pondered that what his son said made sense. Bringing back someone who was in mourning would indeed be unlucky. It would be better to keep her out of sight and let her stay outside until the mourning period was over before returning home.

We'll have to teach her a lesson then!

After figuring it out, Madam Zhang let out a heavy snort and said:

"As for those two children, I'll see if they're worth my pampering after they're brought into the manor."

They grew up with that wild and unruly mother, so they know nothing of the rules and etiquette of aristocratic families. They'll need to be re-educated after entering the household. I've already spoken to your wife about this, and she'll hire a professional governess to properly educate these two children.”

When the siblings who were about to enter the mansion were mentioned, Madam Zhang's anger subsided slightly. After all, they were her own grandchildren whom she had never met, so she still had to give them some face.

"After all, this matter has wronged your wife. When you see her later, say a few nice words to her. You are away from the manor most of the year, and she has worked hard to take care of all the big and small matters in the manor."

Upon hearing this, Yu Jingsheng immediately stood up and bowed respectfully, saying, "Yes, son has remembered."

After leaving Shouyin Hall, Yu Jingsheng went directly to the outer courtyard and, in front of all the servants there, punished Steward Li with twenty strokes of the cane, dismissed him from his position, and sent him to work on the estate.

Manager Li shouted that he was wronged, but Yu Jingsheng had already strode away.

In the inner courtyard of the Earl's mansion, Madam Qiao was in her Begonia Courtyard with her daughter, sorting out accounts, when Granny Wu hurriedly walked in from outside and whispered a few words in Madam Qiao's ear.

“Madam, this old servant saw it clearly just now. As soon as the Earl came out of the old lady’s courtyard, he went to the front yard, gave Steward Li twenty lashes, and chased him to the estate.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Qiao's expression tightened: "Steward Li didn't say anything out of the blue, did he?"

Granny Wu: "Don't worry, Madam. I warned him long ago. His wife and children are all in our mansion, so he wouldn't dare to say anything reckless."

Qiao threw down the account book in her hand and said angrily, "Hmph, I always thought he was clever, but I never expected him to be such a useless piece of trash who is good for nothing!"

He didn't do a single thing I asked him to do, and he still has the nerve to come back? He deserves to be punished now.

Granny Wu: "Madam, please calm down. They were lucky to escape this time. Once they're in the manor, we'll have plenty of ways to deal with them. Right now, the most important thing is the Second Miss's marriage."

After saying that, she looked at Yu Qingyan beside her, and the two of them exchanged a meaningful smile.