Chapter 81 The Plan Fails

Aunt Qi looked at her grandmother with helplessness in her eyes. Her grandmother was a troublesome person, and she was getting more and more troublesome as she got older. That's why her grandfather had been keeping her from getting involved in the affairs of the clan in recent years.

But my grandmother wasn't one to stay home peacefully. She would often come out and meddle in other people's business, stirring up trouble and causing endless worry.

Fortunately, her father-in-law and husband are both sensible people. They know that apart from her seniority, her grandmother is not well-liked among the clan. So they often try to persuade her, and they have done many things like rushing to help her with her funeral arrangements before. The couple looked at her second aunt with displeasure.

Auntie Er is actually quite perceptive in front of her own grandson. Knowing that her son and daughter-in-law were angry with her again, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

There's nothing we can do. This grandson is just like his own father; he never takes our side when things happen. It's all because that old man in the family taught him to be so bad.

After Uncle Qi and his wife finished speaking, they were about to take Grandmother back when Yu Qingci instructed a servant to bring a food box. She then personally handed it to Aunt Qi, saying:

"It's not appropriate for the family to eat meat during the mourning period, so we can only offer a few newly made pastries. These are for our second uncle and aunt, so please accept them, Aunt Seven."

After some initial hesitation, Aunt Qi finally accepted the gift when she saw that Yu Qingci spoke sincerely.

Seeing the joy in Yu Qingci's eyes, he couldn't help but praise her:

"Everyone says that Yunqi's new bride is a beautiful, intelligent, and charming girl. Seeing her today, I can confirm that she lives up to the reputation. She is truly a rare beauty. I will thank my niece-in-law on behalf of my parents."

Seventh Uncle also stepped forward and said politely, "I apologize for being so presumptuous today. In the future, if Eldest Sister-in-law ever needs anything, our branch of the family will certainly do our duty without hesitation. As for the important matter of establishing an heir, Grandfather said that this is a family matter of the General's Mansion and should be decided by Eldest Sister-in-law. We, the clansmen, will never interfere."

After the group saw off their three uncles, an eerie silence fell over the hall. Everyone looked at Madam Wei with cold eyes.

Wei felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze and said awkwardly, "Then I'll head back first."

He turned to leave.

Yu Qingci opened her lips and said, "Second Aunt, please wait."

Madam Wei stopped in her tracks, forcing a smile as she said, "It's getting late, I should head back. Is there anything else, niece-in-law?"

Yu Qingci smiled gently and slowly walked over, her eyes scanning Wei Shi from head to toe:

"It's nothing, I just wanted to remind Second Aunt that your outfit today is a bit too eye-catching. People who don't know better might think we're having another happy occasion."

Looking down, Wei saw that she was wearing an apricot-yellow stand-up collar jacket with fur trim, and a royal blue satin jacket embroidered with crabapple blossoms. On her head was a golden hairpin with peony and ruyi tassels, which swayed in front of her eyes as she moved.

Wei had indeed dressed up specially today, thinking that with her second aunt appearing, her second branch of the family would soon have their wish fulfilled. So she dressed up more festively. But now that Yu Qingci had suddenly mentioned it, compared to the plain attire of the old lady Ning and her daughter-in-law, it was more than just dazzling.

To put it bluntly, they don't take the mourning period for the deceased seriously at all.

Wei forced a smile and said, "I'm going to visit my second aunt's house today, so it's not appropriate to dress too plainly. I'll be more careful at home."

Yu Qingci: "Let me remind you, Second Aunt, that you should give up on the idea of ​​my eldest cousin becoming my mother-in-law's adopted son. Not only will my maternal family, the Marquis of Nanping, not agree, but even if my eldest cousin becomes the adopted son, what then?"

My mother is the rightful mistress of the household, and it's not my eldest sister-in-law's place to manage the household affairs for the time being. I will also remind my mother to sort out Yun Chu's dowry and put it away separately before the adoption, to avoid future troubles. As for my dowry, I will naturally take it all with me when I move to the family temple.

"By then, how many years can my eldest cousin maintain the glory and wealth of this general's mansion?"

Yu Qingci's words laid bare Wei's thoughts, and Wei, her chest heaving with anger, no longer bothered to hide them:

"You, really! I really underestimated you. Yun Chu is only so young, and you're already trying to get your sister-in-law to siphon off her dowry. Are you trying to empty out the General's Mansion so we'll just have an empty shell? How did the General's Mansion end up marrying such a troublemaker like you!"

Yu Qingci's face also turned cold: "Everyone knows that the General's Mansion's wealth was earned by my father-in-law and my husband. Now that they are both gone, my mother only has Yun Chu as her daughter. Even if she leaves all the wealth to her own daughter, what's wrong with that?"

Enraged, Madam Wei asked again, "And what do you mean by moving to the ancestral temple?"

Yu Qingci: "Literally, if my eldest cousin really becomes the heir, and my eldest cousin's wife gets involved in the management of the General's Mansion, then according to the rules of this dynasty, it would be better for me, a widowed sister-in-law, to move out of the mansion and go to the family temple to practice Buddhism, so as to avoid being involved in any scandals."

"Of course, I will take all of my dowry with me, making sure not a single thing is left for the General's Mansion, so that my eldest cousin won't be accused of coveting his brother's wife's dowry."

Yu Qingci's words were tantamount to exposing the thoughts of the Wei family and others. Wei was so angry that her legs went weak and she could barely stand. After catching her breath, she asked the servants to help her back.

Madam Ning slumped softly into the chair, her face revealing her exhaustion.

Although she was the mistress of the household, she was used to being gentle and compliant, and she often found it difficult to deal with these arrogant and domineering people. She was also most afraid of dealing with such people.

Now that she has her daughter-in-law Yu Qingci to back her up, she is much more assertive than before, but today's events still left her exhausted.

Yu Qingci stepped forward, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to her: "Mother, have some tea first. Your daughter-in-law will help you to the inner room for a short nap. You must be tired today."

Madam Ning took the tea, sipped it twice, then put it down, looked up at Yu Qingci, and said:

“Good child, you just said you wanted to move to the family temple? That scared your mother to death. I absolutely cannot let you live in such a place.”

Yu Qingci smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry. Unless you really adopt my eldest cousin into your family, I will naturally not move to the family temple."

Madam Ning shook her head repeatedly: "Of course not, they can forget about it."

He sighed deeply and murmured, "When will this end?"

Yu Qingci: "It will be fine once we separate the family."

Separating a family property is easier said than done.

Madam Ning frowned.

Perhaps due to the strain on her mind, Madam Ning had no appetite all day. She only ate a few bites of dinner before putting down her chopsticks, saying she was tired and asked the maids to serve her so she could go to sleep.

Just then, the maidservant came in and announced that the master had arrived.