Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Unworthy

Old Mrs. Bian has always been very concerned about her reputation and her words and actions are always proper. This is the first time she has used such vulgar words to curse.

Everyone was shocked.

Zhang Wen came to his senses from his shock and could not help but defend his concubine.

"Mother, you must have made a mistake. It was clearly Jiang and Xiaoman who behaved rudely, insulting women from other families in the street. The Liu family looked down on us and was concerned about Xiaoman's relationship with Chen Ling'an, so they rejected us. Why are you blaming Yao?"

Old Lady Bian sneered, "It's my fault. I didn't raise a good son!"

These words were so harsh that Zhang Wen had to stand up.

Zhang Xiaoman lowered her head slightly. She was sure that the old lady would be angry, but she didn't expect her to be so angry that she didn't even give her son any respect.

It was beyond her expectation...

After venting her anger, the old lady was tired of scolding and stopped to drink some tea.

Aunt Yao also took action, glancing at Zhang Wen from the corner of her eyes from time to time, wanting to say something but stopping herself, looking sad and mournful. Her rosy face was full of tears, like a pearl moistened by water.

It made Zhang Wen's heart tremble!

He pleaded again, "I know that Yao and Mrs. Zhou met. Mrs. Zhou was crying and shouting at the door, as if I had harmed Mr. Zhou. Even if Yao has done nothing wrong in persuading her to leave, she must not be blamed. Someone must be confusing right and wrong. Mother, please don't listen to one side and wrongly accuse a good person."

As he said this, he gave Jiang and Zhang Xiaoman a fierce look.

This was a sarcastic remark. Before Old Lady Bian could say anything, Mrs. Jiang couldn't hold back any longer, "Master, you are too..."

"Master, please understand," Xiaoman interrupted her stepmother hastily, and knelt down on the floor with a thud.

"Mr. Zhou was imprisoned for bribery and corruption—my father, being in a high position, must have known the whole story. But Mrs. Zhou is trying to throw dirty water on me and Chen Ling'an. Chen Ling'an is not me, she has many tricks up her sleeve. After a few words, she confessed everything."

"She said that Aunt Yao had given her the idea: if she made a scene in public, I, a little girl with a thin skin, would not be able to bear it and would definitely agree to her."

"Nonsense!" Aunt Yao flatly denied, "Mrs. Zhou is a woman of the fourth rank, and I'm just a concubine. How can she listen to me?"

Xiaoman didn't even look at her, only staring at Zhang Wen as she spoke, "Mrs. Zhou said it herself. She's now in the Imperial Prison. If you don't believe me, Master, take Aunt Yao to the prison and confront her."

When Zhang Wen heard the word "imperial prison", his face froze.

Without waiting for him to speak, Xiaoman continued with tears in her eyes, "That's all. Mrs. Qin is bothered by the fact that Chen Ling'an and I are old acquaintances. Liu Jinshu is fine, though. He even personally welcomed my mother and me into the Liu family."

Zhang Wen frowned. "If that's the case, why did the Liu family reject the marriage? What outrageous things have you done?"

Xiaoman couldn't help but sneer in her heart, but her face was full of surprise, "The old lady has already made it clear just now!"

Zhang Wen looked at his mother in confusion. Old Lady Bian snorted coldly but did not explain. In fact, she was also wondering. Jiang had just said that the Liu family misunderstood that the Zhang family and Chen Ling'an were on good terms, so they were unwilling to marry into the Zhang family. How come it was not the case now?

Xiaoman: "When Madam Zhou asked to see her that day, my mother clearly refused. Old Madam also gave orders not to allow Concubine Yao to leave the courtyard. But Concubine Yao ignored them and left without informing Old Madam. All the servants actually obeyed her orders."

"If wives and concubines are not distinguished, the family will be in chaos. Lord Zhang is a Jinshi (imperial scholar) who passed the imperial examination twice. Hasn't he read Lüshi Chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals)? - These are the original words of Liu Jin's book, not mine."

Zhang Wen was so angry that his face turned blue, but the shrewd girl didn't even look up at his expression and kept adding firewood.

"Even worse, Madam Qin's original words are: Filial piety comes first among all virtues. Master Zhang only cares about doting on his concubine, so much so that she even dares to disobey the old lady. It's clear that in Master Zhang's heart, filial piety is not as important as lust."

Zhang Wen's face flushed red, his features twisted, "Bullshit, how could Mrs. Qin say such a thing? Stop talking nonsense!"

Mrs. Jiang immediately supported the child, "I have always been with Mrs. Qin. How could I not know whether it is true or not?"

Old Lady Bian said coldly, "Even someone like me who eats vegetarian food and chants Buddhist scriptures all day long knows that filial piety has been the guiding principle for governing the country since ancient times. The previous emperor even dismissed officials who were unfilial to their mothers. I want to discipline your concubine, but you only care about protecting her. Do you even care about me, your old mother?"

Zhang Wen was speechless for a moment, muttering, "My son is afraid that his mother will be deceived..."

Old Lady Bian laughed angrily, "Yes, yes, we are all bad people, only your concubine is a good person."

Xiaoman sighed, seeming to be resentful. "Mrs. Qin also said that this kind of thing is simply unimaginable for an aristocratic family! The Zhang family has a shallow foundation after all. Even if they become the Shangshu Mansion, it will be difficult to change their petty family mentality. Master Zhang's ability is also worrying. He can't even manage his family affairs. How can he handle the complexities of the court? If he is not careful, he will hinder Elder Chen and the Liu family."

What Zhang Wen was most concerned about was his career. For a moment, his face turned pale and bloodless.

Seeing that things were not going well, Aunt Yao hurried forward on her knees, hugged Zhang Wen's legs, and cried, "The Liu family has always looked down on the third young lady. This marriage was cancelled sooner or later. What does it have to do with me? To avoid the master's scolding, they put all the blame on me. I am innocent!"

Xiaoman asked back: "They? Who are they?"

"Of course it's you and..." Aunt Yao suddenly stopped talking.

Xiaoman laughed. "A concubine openly insulted and slandered the mistress of the household. No wonder Madam Qin despises the Zhang family. Thanks to Aunt Yao, Madam Zhou made such a scene in the street. In a few days, the news will spread throughout the capital, and the Zhang family will become the laughing stock of the entire capital."

"Shut up!" Zhang Wen yelled, then slapped Aunt Yao to the ground. "Bitch, you're ruining my plans!"

The big red handprint was clearly visible. Aunt Yao's hair was messy, blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth, and half of her face was swollen.

Mrs. Jiang felt relieved, but when she looked at Aunt Yao who was still in a daze, she suddenly felt sad for some reason.

So when the old lady asked her how to deal with Aunt Yao, she pleaded for her for the first time, "After all, she is the biological mother of the two children. If not for her, then for the children, we must save her some face."

Old Lady Bian nodded with satisfaction, "This is the demeanor of a noble lady from an aristocratic family... Yao, after the Dragon Boat Festival, you will come with me to live in the nunnery, eat vegetarian food, chant sutras, and pray for the Zhang family."

Aunt Yao subconsciously looked at Zhang Wen, but Zhang Wen turned his face away and snorted coldly.

"...Yes." Aunt Yao's back finally collapsed.

Seeing that no one in the room said anything, Old Lady Bian's expression softened. She waved her hand and ordered Aunt Yao to be escorted away. "She is not allowed to leave the room without my permission. If she disobeys, she will be punished according to the family rules. I'm tired. Everyone, please leave. Jiang will stay for a while."

Mrs. Jiang waited quietly for the old lady's instructions.

Old Lady Bian took a sip of tea and paused for a moment before speaking, "I'm not going to take Xiaowu with me this time. I'll leave him to you."

Mrs. Jiang smiled and said, "It is my duty to educate my children. Don't worry, old lady. If the children are short of meat, you can come to me."

Old Lady Bian smiled perfunctorily and said slowly, "This child is already fourteen..."

Mrs. Jiang was startled, and immediately understood the old lady's intention. "It's a bit early now. She has two older sisters. It's not too late to talk about marriage after she reaches the age of marriage."

"That's too late. If we don't decide on it sooner rather than later, someone else will snatch the good boy away from us."

"From what the old lady said... could it be that she already has a candidate?"

"I do have my eye on one." Old Lady Bian's face, which resembled Zhang Wen, showed a warm smile. "He's sixteen this year, about the same age as Xiaowu. He's the youngest son of a noble family. It's a pity he can't inherit the title, but fortunately he's very ambitious and has already served as a Jinwu Guard at such a young age."

"He's very favored at home, and his eldest brother even gives him some respect. With the support of his father and brothers, he's bound to rise high. Furthermore, his family is well-off and not the kind of family that's short-sighted. Even if An Yi can't bring much dowry, she won't be wronged if she marries him."

The more Mrs. Jiang listened, the more frightened she became. A nobleman, a young son, sixteen years old, and experience as a Jinwu Guard... "Could it be the young master of the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion?" She was so frightened that her voice trembled.

"Exactly!" Old Lady Bian clapped her hands, her eyes full of hope. "He's your nephew, a close relative, and we know each other well. It's a match made in heaven. If this marriage goes through, the Zhang family will have another force to rely on, and you can strive for the rank of a second-rank noblewoman."

Mrs. Jiang refused without a second thought, "No, that child is the apple of the eye of the Marquis's wife's eye. He is extremely precious. They will definitely not agree."

Old Madam Bian was unhappy. "You can arrange a marriage for the third girl into the Liu family, so why can't you arrange a marriage for the fifth girl into the Marquis's Mansion? Does that mean the girl I raised is not as good as a wild girl from the countryside?"

Mrs. Jiang smiled bitterly, "An Yi is good, but we have to be compatible. My nephew is very picky and has always said that he won't marry anyone unless she is absolutely beautiful."

"Don't take children's words seriously." Old Lady Bian waved her hand. "Marriage is a serious matter. It's decided by parents and matchmakers. Your sister has agreed. How dare he refuse to marry her?"

Mrs. Jiang still shook her head. "My sister has a mother-in-law and a great-grandmother above her. She alone has no say in the child's marriage."

Neither this nor that worked. Old Lady Bian was completely annoyed. "I just helped you get rid of the Yao family, a major threat, and saved you so much trouble. But you won't even help with such a small matter."

"No wonder my son always said that you only cared about your own happiness and didn't care about the interests of the Zhang family. I even scolded him for being biased, but I didn't expect it to be true."

Madam Jiang suppressed her bitterness and explained, "I also hope that An Yi will find a good marriage, but the wife of the Marquis of Pingyang is the eldest sister of the late emperor, the eldest princess, and the Marquis' wife is the eldest daughter of the noble Han Guogong of Huaixi. In terms of seniority, they are higher than the Liu family. It's not that I'm being self-deprecating, but the Zhang family's family background... is still a little lacking."

Old Madam Bian's face flushed and paled for a few moments before finally becoming completely gloomy. "You despise our lowly family background, yet you, a noblewoman from the Jinling family, are crying and shouting to marry my son? Humph!"

Mrs. Jiang felt a buzzing in her head, her heart began to beat rapidly, her ears began to ring, and her eyes became dizzy. The overwhelming grief and shame made her hands and feet cold, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.

She didn't remember a word of what the old lady said behind her, nor did she know how she got out. When she came to her senses, she was already standing in the corridor of the main courtyard.

She looked around in confusion: the tall courtyard walls, the grayish-grey floor tiles, the dark red corridors, the cramped entrance hall...

The courtyard where she had lived for twenty years, the place where she had spent half her life, felt so strange at this moment.

She suddenly wanted to go home.