Chapter 26 What is True Filial Piety: The eldest mistress's complaints about the eldest master being rarely home while on duty in the palace quickly spread. ...

The eldest daughter-in-law's complaints about the eldest son being away from home because he was on duty in the palace quickly spread.

The entire Hesheli family understood this perfectly. They even came to understand why Shen Wanqing had been fixated on the West Courtyard these past two days.

Yesterday afternoon, when she returned home and heard that her granddaughter-in-law had gone to the west courtyard to stay with her second daughter-in-law, Tongjia was so angry that she even put on her forehead ribbon. When she heard that Shen Wanqing was unhappy about not being able to see Yulang, she grabbed Fuxuan's hand and kept saying that Yulang should not have been sent out to work so early.

"This is my fault. I was so focused on Ah Lang's future that I didn't realize that Madam Shen had just married into the family. Everyone says that newlyweds are still very much in the honeymoon phase, and the Shen family has been scholars for generations, so they're probably keeping a close eye on things. If Ah Lang were home, she definitely wouldn't be able to go to the west courtyard every day."

"Mother, what are you talking about? Does Alang get to serve the Crown Prince because our family can choose when to go? Please don't say such things to anyone outside."

Besides, I don't think Ah Lang's wife is that kind of person. Yesterday, as soon as Ah Lang left, she went to the west courtyard, and I heard she almost made my second sister-in-law cry. Someone like her wouldn't be so easily swayed by romantic feelings; she's very ambitious.

When the family divided their property, Fu Xuan, who was an unmarried girl, was assigned to the eldest son's wife. From then on, she wholeheartedly regarded herself as a member of the eldest son's family.

In recent years, Yulang has been loafing around in the military camp. Although he doesn't seem to be making much progress, he's a man, and Fuxuan has never asked about or understood what's going on outside. She just sees that he's never missed a shift or duty, so she thinks that even if her nephew is a bit of a playboy or a bit of a troublemaker outside, it's not that bad.

As for the east courtyard of the family, Fuxuan had tried to persuade and talk to her sister-in-law over the years, but her sister-in-law was stubborn. After being rebuffed by her mother that year, she refused to mention the matter of the east and west courtyards living separately.

“Mother, you know I’ve always been on the side of the eldest son’s family. But even if I’m biased, I still have to say that you did the right thing back then. How can you take back the power of the household from your second sister-in-law as soon as you’ve caught your breath? She’s not her servant, to be summoned and dismissed at will.”

"Whose side are you on, girl? Last time, who was it that kept telling me that the second branch of the family shouldn't hold onto the power of managing the household? Why have you changed your mind now?"

Tongjia raised her hand and poked Fuxuan's forehead. It was only because she was Fuxuan's biological mother that she could tolerate her saying whatever she wanted without any restraint.

"Mother, please stop poking my head. I'm not as smart as my sister to begin with, and you'll only make me dumber."

Fu Xuan covered Tong Jia's hand in a flattering manner, practically clinging to her mother. "Mother, I may not be smart, but I'm still better than my eldest sister-in-law. The reason you didn't grant my eldest sister-in-law's request that time was because my second sister-in-law hadn't received any money from the public funds yet, right?"

Fu Xuan lowered her voice when she said the second half of her sentence. If you were standing at a distance and looking into the house, you would definitely think that the mother and daughter were whispering to each other.

"I think you're really getting cocky, aren't you? How dare you say such things. If this gets back to the West Courtyard, your second brother will skin you alive without your second sister-in-law saying a word."

“If they didn’t do it or take it, even if I’m lying, they won’t bother to get angry with me. But if they did do it and took it, then I’ll be skinned alive, and the money in my pocket will never come out again.”

Fu Xuan understood what Tongjia meant. When she called the second wife back, she couldn't possibly expect her to work without eating meat. Even a family of blood relatives wouldn't do that.

The original agreement stipulated that the eldest and second wives would contribute 70% and 30% of the money to the public fund each year. To put it bluntly and unpleasantly, the eldest wife was to contribute more money in exchange for the second wife's help to get through these next few years.

This made sense, and even the Niohuru clan tacitly agreed. However, the Shumulu clan was someone who desired both profit and fame. For the past two years, instead of focusing on amassing wealth, they adopted a selfless facade to win people's hearts.

At the time, Niohuru was eager to reclaim her power as head of the household, partly because she had been forced into a corner by Shumulu. Everyone in the household spoke highly of the Second Madam, saying she was very generous and never harsh on the servants.

Generosity comes at a price. At that time, not only did Shumulu siphon money from public funds, she even contributed a considerable amount of her own private savings. After finally winning over the hearts of everyone in the household, if Tongjia had actually agreed to hand over the management of the household to Niohuru, the two heads of the household would have truly become mortal enemies.

The fact that Niohuru asked Tongjia for the right to manage the household could not be kept from Shumulu. It was only after that that Shumulu suddenly realized how to truly grasp both fame and fortune.

According to Tongjia's idea, since her eldest daughter-in-law, Niohuru, had been refused once, she could come to her again after a while to ask for it back.

If once or twice doesn't work, surely three or five times won't? Let's delay this matter and give Shumulu some time to benefit. In short, the money stays in the pot and doesn't fall into the hands of outsiders.

Tongjia knew exactly how much the family spent throughout the year and how much Shumulu had secretly embezzled. She was waiting until it was about time before taking back control of the household.

Who knew that Niohuru was a stubborn woman who couldn't be tactful? After he refused her once, she never brought it up again. She would rather bicker with Shumulu over trivial matters than come to him to discuss the matter of the steward.

Seeing that the eldest son's family was not going to return to take control of the household, Shumulu gradually became less cautious, daring to steal even the most lucrative things. She used to know how to win people's hearts, but now, apart from her confidants in the west courtyard, there are probably very few people in the family who still think highly of her as the second wife.

“Mother, my eldest sister-in-law is all brawn and no brains, and my second sister-in-law is now said to be greedy and insatiable, which is not entirely unfair. You have set up the stage for this play, but none of them know how to sing. Now that we have finally found a capable and thick-skinned person who can take my sister-in-law’s place and continue the play, you should be happy.”

It's not easy to be an old lady who is neither disliked nor abandoned and ignored.

Humans are born afraid of death, but more often than not, it's the fear of being disliked. The birth of a child always fills us with anticipation. The twilight of old age, however, is something we can never truly accept with equanimity.

Filial piety is easy to say but difficult to do. In a family like the Hesheli family, when dividing the family property, the Tongjia clan's allowance was not withheld, and the sons and daughters-in-law who moved out would come back to visit and pay their respects every month. This is filial piety.

The whole family lived together, and they would come over to pay their respects every morning. The younger generation would handle small matters on their own, but for important matters, they would never bypass the old lady, Tongjia. Whatever she said or did, people would listen to her, which was also a form of filial piety.

Perhaps if Erhe, the eldest son, were still alive, Tongjia wouldn't have thought about these things. But once the eldest son died, Tongjia's desires completely changed. In the end, she just wanted to pull and push, to keep both branches of the family close and distant, so that no one in the family could do without her.

"You were watching so calmly before, but don't do anything now. If you ask me, you should let Ah Lang's wife teach Second Sister-in-law a lesson and let her know that no one in this family is a fool and can be fooled by her."

"Alright, alright, I know you just want to see your second sister-in-law suffer." Tongjia interrupted Biao's daughter who was praising Shen Shi with great enthusiasm. "I don't care what you think, you are not allowed to get involved in this matter, and you are not allowed to take sides."

"Ask yourself honestly, has your second sister-in-law treated you badly these past few years while managing the household?"

“I live with my mother. She can mistreat anyone but me.”

"That's it. Let me tell you again, don't interfere in this matter. No matter if it's the first or second wife, after you get married, it will always be your maternal family and your support."

"Does your mother think she can live to be two hundred years old and watch over you every moment? How your mother gets along with your brother and sister-in-law is your mother's business. From now on, you should observe more and speak less, understand?"

Perhaps it was because Tongjia's expression was particularly solemn, or perhaps it was because Fuxuan could not break free from Tongjia's tightly gripping hand, but the usually reckless Fuxuan finally nodded obediently and dared not utter a single word of rebuttal.

On the other side, Shen Wanqing had no idea that this family had such a strange way of thinking, but knowing it wouldn't bother her. Whether they thought she was craving a man or were looking for someone else to vent her frustrations because the family lacked a man, it wouldn't interfere with what she needed to do.

Yesterday, the second master returned from his shift, and Shen Wanqing thought she might run into him at the west courtyard today. They say that when husband and wife are of one mind, they can move mountains; if the second master and mistress of the second branch of the family worked together, she might actually have to think of another way.

To her surprise, as soon as she entered the west courtyard, she found the gatekeeper to be a stranger. She led her inside and was unlike the two maids beside Shumulu, who were polite and attentive on the surface but carried an air of condescending arrogance.

The old woman who led the way today spoke very little, only whispering reminders to Shen Wanqing when they turned corners or went up steps. She escorted Shen Wanqing all the way to the inner courtyard gate before bowing respectfully to her.

"The second master asked me to pass on a message to the eldest mistress: family affairs should be handled by both branches of the family working together. This Mid-Autumn Festival, the second mistress was handling things alone, and there were bound to be some oversights. It would be great if the eldest mistress were willing to come and lend a hand."

Oh, so the problem lies within the West Courtyard. This old woman isn't one of Shumulu's people; she was sent by He Yi specifically to inform him.

During her two-day stay at home after returning to her parents' home, Shen Wanqing heard a lot from Madam Xu, including He Yi.

He Yi had his eye on the position of the Grain Transport Commissioner, and Shen Hongshi happened to be in charge of the grain transport and storage in Fujian Province at the Ministry of Revenue. This was a matter that only the Shen family could really put their efforts to good use.

Grain is always the most scarce and lucrative commodity. He Yi, on the other hand, has a big appetite and ambition. While others would love to stay in the imperial court and take the prestigious path, he is single-mindedly trying to get out, and he insists on going into the dangerous arena of grain transport.

I originally thought that He Yi, as a man, wouldn't go so far as to ask his wife to relinquish control of the household, no matter how many connections he made outside. Now it seems that this second master is truly ruthless, and for the sake of his own future, he really doesn't take Shumulu seriously.

"The Second Madam is an elder, and I, a junior, am only here to learn how to handle interpersonal relationships. I am not worthy of the Second Master's offer of help. Just watching from the side is enough for me to gain experience."

Shen Wanqing disliked Shumulu, but she didn't find He Yi's behavior particularly appealing either. Besides, she only wanted the accounts from the East Courtyard; she didn't want a single thing from the West Courtyard.

His words implied a desire to dump everything on her, which only made Shen Wanqing more anxious. "The head of the household... has the second branch of the family really created some kind of disaster for this family?"