Chapter 317 Returning in Tears

In spring, the sun shines brightly, and everywhere is full of the vibrant colors of spring.

In the back garden of the Marquis's mansion, hundreds of flowers were in full bloom, birds sang, and butterflies fluttered about. Meng Jinyao and her two sisters-in-law chatted about interesting things in the capital while admiring the flowers, and they seemed to get along quite well.

Seeing that Chen's smile was particularly bright today, Zhang asked out of curiosity, "Second sister-in-law, what good thing happened? You haven't stopped smiling all day."

Chen replied, "This morning, the Liu family sent a letter saying that Xuanling is pregnant. Although she is not my child, she has called me 'mother' for more than ten years and will become my maternal grandmother. I am very happy about this."

Meng Jinyao was surprised.

Upon hearing this, Zhang was stunned: "Xuanling is pregnant?"

Madam Chen nodded with a smile: "Xuanling was diagnosed with a pregnancy of more than two months yesterday because she was not feeling well. Xuanling is usually very careful, but she is careless in this kind of thing. Fortunately, nothing happened to the baby."

Upon hearing this, Zhang thought of her daughter. Her daughter got married in late August last year, while Xuanling got married in October. Xuanling is now more than two months pregnant, but her daughter Xuanyi is still not pregnant. She is worried for Xuanyi. Xuanyi will also be dissatisfied with her in-laws because she is not pregnant for a long time, especially her mother-in-law, who is not an easy person to get along with.

Not wanting to spoil the mood, Zhang could only suppress her feelings and congratulate her with a smile: "Congratulations, Second Sister-in-law."

Meng Jinyao also offered her congratulations: "Congratulations, Second Sister-in-law, you'll be holding your grandson at the end of the year."

Madam Chen laughed and said, "Xiu Hong isn't married yet, so who knows when he'll have a grandson? He'll just have a grandson to comfort him for now. Speaking of which, Xiu Yuan's wife is about to give birth, so my sister-in-law will be a grandmother soon."

Hearing this, Zhang felt a little better. Although she wasn't a maternal grandmother yet, she was about to become one, while Xiu Hong from the second branch of the family hadn't even gotten married. However, her son Xiu Yuan hadn't participated in this year's imperial examination, but Xiu Hong had, and she guessed he had a chance to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). If he became a Jinshi, he would have many more marriage options. In comparison, she felt a little depressed again. After more than ten years of competition, it seemed that Chen Shi had the upper hand in everything, whether it was her husband or her children.

Meanwhile, Old Madam Gu also came out for a walk and saw her three daughters-in-law not far away, getting along quite harmoniously. She said to Granny Feng, "After the third daughter-in-law entered the family, the open and covert struggles between the eldest and second daughters-in-law seem to have decreased a lot, especially after Xuanyi and Xuanling got married. Now the sisters-in-law can get along well."

Granny Feng replied thoughtfully, "It's probably because someone mediated between them, so they don't quarrel when they're together. In addition, your and the Marquis's attitudes also determine the Marquis's wife's status, so they all want to maintain a good relationship with the Marquis's wife as sisters-in-law, reaching a certain balance point, which naturally reduces the amount of fighting."

Madam Gu nodded, then smiled and said, "Third son's wife is also a smart woman."

She used to think it was a pity that the third son's wife declined the position of managing the household affairs, since the wife of the clan should be in charge of the household affairs. Later, she understood why the third son's wife did so. Originally, the eldest son's wife was in charge of the household affairs, and the second son's wife assisted in managing them. This way, the eldest son's wife did not have to hold all the power, and the second son's wife would not be dissatisfied. The two supervised each other, and neither dared to seek personal gain, for fear of being caught and losing power.

However, if the third son's wife were to take charge of the household affairs, then naturally the eldest son's wife and the second son's wife would not be needed to assist her. This would not be a significant loss for the second son's wife, as the second son was a secretary in the Ministry of Rites, while the eldest son held only a nominal position. This would put the eldest son's family in a weaker position, which would lead to a sense of imbalance and unspoken struggles.

Now that the third son's wife has delegated power, she has found a balance. With her mindset at peace, she won't engage in any underhanded tactics, and on the surface, everything appears harmonious. Moreover, given the third son's wife's status, even if she doesn't manage the household affairs, no one in the household dares to neglect her. It's as if the third son's wife has opened a restaurant and hired the eldest and second sons' wives as managers for free, to do the work for her.

But a manager is still a manager; he can never surpass the owner. He's destined to be a busybody. The more capable the manager is, the less trouble the owner has. Clearly, the manager is quite capable now, so the owner doesn't need to worry at all. He can simply be a hands-off boss, a wealthy idler, watching the two managers do all the work for him.

-

The three sisters-in-law spent an afternoon together and were about to return to their respective courtyards.

At this moment, a maid ran over to report: "Madam, the eldest young lady has returned and was anxiously looking for you."

Upon hearing this, the three sisters-in-law were stunned. Usually, married daughters would inform their parents in advance before returning to their parents' home. If a girl suddenly came back without prior notice, something must have happened.

Zhang frowned, her heart filled with worry: "Why did Xuanyi suddenly come back?"

Meng Jinyao said gently, "Sister-in-law, Xuanyi is in a hurry to find you, so something must have happened. Go and see her first."

Zhang nodded, then asked where her maid Xuanyi was. She parted ways with her two sisters-in-law and rushed off to see her daughter. Her heart was racing for no reason, fearing that something might have happened to her daughter, or that she might have suffered some great injustice at her husband's home. That's why she ran back to her parents' home.

Meng Jinyao said to Chen Shi, "Second sister-in-law, I'm going back now. Please make yourself at home."

Madam Chen nodded: "Alright, I'll go back too. Second Master should be back by now. Let's talk another day."

Meanwhile, Zhang returned to her courtyard. As soon as she entered the house, she saw her daughter sitting alone, silently weeping. When she saw Zhang enter, her daughter choked out "Mother," looking as if she had suffered a great injustice, which made Zhang's heart skip a beat.

Zhang hurried to her daughter's side and asked with concern, "Xuanyi, what happened?"

Gu Xuanyi threw herself into Zhang's arms, sobbing and tears streaming down her face. Without explaining why, she choked out, "Mother, I don't want to go back. I never want to go back again."

Zhang's heart skipped a beat. She knew that her daughter was being tormented by her mother-in-law, bullied by her sister-in-law, and difficult to get along with in the Wu'an Marquis's household. But her daughter had never said that she didn't want to go back, nor had she ever cried and run back to her parents' home. If she was saying such things now, she must have suffered a great injustice.

She hurriedly asked, "Xuanyi, is it because your son-in-law treats you badly? Or is it because your mother-in-law has gone too far?"

Gu Xuanyi didn't reply, she just kept crying, her crying grew louder and louder, until she finally let out a loud cry, as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances she had suffered over the past few days.

Hearing her daughter's cries, Zhang's heart broke. She wiped away her tears and comforted her, "Xuanyi, what happened? Tell your mother first, and then your mother can make a decision for you. Although your father is useless, you still have your third uncle. The Marquis of Wu'an's mansion would not dare to offend your third uncle. If they go too far, your third uncle will not let them ruin our Gu family's daughter."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xuanyi slowly raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at her mother. Her gaze suddenly hardened, as if she had made a tremendous decision, and she said, "Mother, they all bully me. I don't want to live with him anymore. I want a divorce!"