Chapter 219: An Ancient Version of Wife and Ambiguous Partner Fighting

If the comments in her mind were still there, based on Su Zhenzhen's understanding of them, they would most likely blame Madam Hu.

Chunzhi only wants to have a child through artificial insemination; she doesn't actually love your husband. Besides, you're already the wife of the prefect. Men have multiple wives and concubines, but none of them are trying to take your place as the principal wife. Why bother with such a fuss?

They might even scold themselves for meddling and being nosy.

But this matter cannot be calculated in this way.

Putting aside the fact that love cannot tolerate a third party, Hu Wen's actions were not in accordance with the rules.

If Hu Wenruo wanted to take a concubine or even keep prostitutes, there would be no problem if he followed the normal procedures.

Mrs. Hu could even step in to help him with the arrangements.

The problem is, the woman Hu Wen has his eye on is Chunzhi.

To put it nicely, she's a widow, and having an affair with a widow might at most earn one the reputation of being a womanizer. To put it bluntly, she's one's own brother's wife, and if word gets out, it will ruin the family's reputation.

Although we live in a chaotic world, the ancestral customs and traditions have not completely collapsed, and we still need to maintain appearances.

Similarly, Su Zhenzhen would not persuade Chunzhi to abandon Old Madam Xu's last wish. How can one repay the kindness of being raised? Only by offering oneself in return.

When Mrs. Xu was alive, Chunzhi took care of the household chores. After Xu Hua's death, she took on her late husband's last wishes.

Tell Chunzhi that she owes no one anything and doesn't need to shoulder all the burdens herself?

Sorry, Su Zhenzhen couldn't bring herself to say something so shameless.

They have ambition and ideals; how can we, mere mortals, judge them by our own standards?

Madam Hu's words were quite harsh, and her attack was fierce.

However, Chunzhi was skilled in military strategy and quickly found a loophole in the enemy's deployment.

“I heard my mother-in-law tell me since I was a child that the Hu family was originally a group of rough men from the mountains, who made a living entirely by their physical strength. Later, when General Huo recruited soldiers, someone from the clan answered the call, and that person was my mother-in-law’s father. When my maternal grandfather left home, there was still a widowed mother at home, and he wanted to entrust her to his cousins ​​for care. However, the battlefield was fraught with danger, and the relatives and friends of the clan thought it was a losing proposition. Fearing that the rice they distributed every month would go to waste, they cut off contact with him on the grounds that they were not related by blood. Later, my maternal grandfather rose to the rank of general through military merit, and the Hu family became prominent. Those relatives and friends of the clan were probably ashamed to be seen and did not visit each other for many years. From then on, our Hu family only recognized relatives from my maternal grandfather’s generation. So, in the end, we are not really one family.”

The meaning behind these words is quite subtle. You say that we didn't help your family when it was in dire straits, but who was the one who was heartless first?

Later, when my family prospered, you relatives from the same clan stopped visiting. Did you expect my family to lower ourselves and beg you for help?

To be honest, they're not really family.

Since we're no longer family, what right do you have to stand on the moral high ground and criticize me?

Madam Hu was naturally unaware of these past events concerning the Hu family. However, seeing Chunzhi's confident assertion, and knowing the character of her own relatives, Madam Hu concluded that the events of that year were likely true.

In that sense, General Hu Buwei was indeed a man of great integrity—one can only imagine the hardships faced by a widowed mother without any relatives to support her in this world. Surprisingly, the Hu clan was not persecuted, and Hu Wen even rose to the position of prefect.

Madam Hu gave a forced smile. "I thought my sister-in-law was interested in becoming part of my family, and I was preparing to pick an auspicious day to carry her into the prefectural capital in a sedan chair. But it turns out that I was just being wishful."

Choosing an auspicious day and having the concubine carried into the prefectural governor's mansion in a sedan chair was the proper procedure for taking a concubine.

Mrs. Hu has clearly gone all out.

Su Zhenzhen was very curious about how Chunzhi would respond.

If successful, it could be considered a model.

In 906-century terms, it would be something like, "My boyfriend's wife asked me to go to their house and become her sister. What should I do?"

Chunzhi smiled, her usually cold face suddenly blooming like a hundred flowers in winter, and all the chill in the room vanished.

An old saying goes, "A woman in mourning looks beautiful."

The white cloth wrapped around Chunzhi's hair added to her aloof and ethereal气质 (qi zhi - a kind of refined and elegant demeanor), and her lake-blue dress did not appear dull, but rather understated, luxurious, and sophisticated.

“Since I was born, I have only ever ridden a horse, never a sedan chair. Even on my wedding day, my husband and I rode off together on horseback. How dare the Prefect’s wife use a sedan chair to carry me?”

Chunzhi won this round perfectly. You put on airs like the wife of a prefect in front of me, wanting to bring me into the household as a concubine, but I don't have to follow the rules when I'm the principal wife. Are you sure I can follow the rules of your prefect's mansion after I enter the household? Or do you think you can suppress me?

Do you dare carry me into the prefectural government? Aren't you afraid I'll turn the prefectural government upside down?

As expected of a female general who has fought on the battlefield, her moves are full of killing intent.

Madam Hu was getting anxious. She hadn't expected that the person in front of her would be so stubborn and unyielding, able to retort no matter what she said. She became furious and tore off her veil to start cursing.

"Since you and your late husband were deeply in love, why didn't you uphold the virtues of a wife? Why did you insist on getting involved with a man from a wealthy family?"

Su Zhenzhen realized that this was bad; by saying these words, Madam Hu had actually lost the upper hand.

Since ancient times, catching adulterers requires catching them in pairs and catching thieves with stolen goods. Madam Hu only saw Chunzhi's portrait at Hu Wen's place, and may have noticed some clues in her daily life, but she did not have any conclusive evidence.

In 906-century terms, it means you see your boyfriend chatting with other women every day, and they're talking about work-related things. It's not like they've crossed any lines, but they're definitely chatting too frequently. You feel uncomfortable, but can you just punch that female colleague in the face?

Of course not.

As expected, Chunzhi sneered, "Has the Prefect's wife been living alone for too long? She seems like a vixen to everyone she meets. I spend my days handling official business at the yamen and my nights resting in the backyard of Yangcheng. I only went to the Prefect's mansion for a celebratory drink a couple of days ago. Apart from that, have I ever set foot in the Prefect's mansion? I see that you are a lady from a prominent family, how come you've become like a shrew from the streets? Unable to keep your husband, you complain about everything and blame all the wrongdoings on other women."

That's incredibly vulgar. I haven't done anything wrong, I've barely even been to your house, and you blame me for not being able to control your man? Is it because you're incompetent that you can only take your anger out on others?

That's true, but it doesn't apply to this matter. Su Zhenzhen is 100% certain that if Chunzhi didn't have that intention, Hu Wengang's idea would have been suppressed, and he wouldn't have painted at all.

Even on a darker note, with so many officials in Yangcheng, why was Hu Wen specifically conscripted? It's truly chilling to think about.

Madam Hu's face turned pale with anger, and Hu Yu'er could only hold her mother's hand tightly to give her strength.

A son should not speak ill of his father. If she were to speak now, Madam Hu would be criticized for failing to properly educate her daughter, further highlighting her incompetence.

How can women from the inner chambers be allowed to speak recklessly when elders are discussing matters?