Chapter 653 The Zhang Sisters' Differences of Heart

As soon as Zhang Yumo arrived at her family's shop, she met her cousin, the Fourth Princess.

Seeing her all alone, the Fourth Princess smiled and said, "Why is Lady Wu'an Marquis going out alone today? Why didn't your second sister-in-law come with you?"

Zhang Yumo was stunned. "What are you saying, cousin? Second aunt?"

The Fourth Princess whispered in her ear, "The Jiang family has two daughters. The Empress in the palace is your sister-in-law, so the Second Miss Jiang is your sister-in-law!"

Zhang Yumo was speechless, her face also looking rather unpleasant. "A sister-in-law is a sister-in-law, not some second sister-in-law. You shouldn't joke like that, cousin."

Jiang Rumeng was very good to her. Her cousin's words made it sound like she was talking about Jiang Rumeng as a nun. She didn't like people making fun of Jiang Rumeng like that, so she didn't say these words out loud.

A barely perceptible coldness flashed across the Fourth Princess's face. Zhang Yumo's conscience had truly been eaten by dogs. They used to be the closest of friends. After marrying into the Jiang family, she fawned over and flattered the Jiang family members. Now she was on the same side as the Jiang family.

Zhang Yumo used to go shopping with Jiang Rumeng every day. Jiang Rumeng married a small merchant with no power or influence. It was only because her younger sister was lucky enough to marry the emperor that the Jiang family had its current status.

"Mo'er is angry already." She took Zhang Yumo's arm and smiled. "Mo'er and I are sisters. Besides, I wouldn't dare to joke like that. The Jiang family is now royalty. Yumo, you're overthinking it." Her words were full of sarcasm.

“My cousin married the Fourth Prince, who is extremely noble. You are the real royalty.” She originally meant to joke.

The Fourth Princess suddenly released Zhang Yumo's hand and said with a forced smile, "Now you've learned to insult people too."

Zhang Yumo quickly said, "Cousin, that's not what I meant, please don't be angry."

She thought: She used to have a good relationship with the Fourth Princess Consort, but for some reason, her cousin didn't pay much attention to her during the anniversary of her grandparents' death. Jiang Rumeng and her mother accompanied her there, probably because they saw how well she got along with the Jiang family!

However, she knew that her cousin had liked the Fifth Prince Xie Shang since childhood. Now, the third daughter of the Jiang family had not only married Xie Shang but also become his empress. Her cousin had also gotten married, so she probably wouldn't have such thoughts now!

Then, Zhang Yumo smiled and changed the subject: "Cousin, why are you out shopping? Are you looking to buy something?"

The Fourth Princess quickly put on a smiling face, "My father's birthday is coming up soon, so I came to choose a gift for him. I was thinking that Hongyu Pavilion is my grandmother's property, and after Mo-mei got married, my grandmother gave this shop to you. I was thinking of taking care of my sister's business!" This shop is the Zhang family's ancestral property, and now it belongs only to Zhang Yumo. My grandparents are indeed quite biased.

Zhang Yumo said, "So it's Uncle's birthday. What did you like, cousin? I'll send it to Uncle's house."

"Even between sisters, accounts must be settled clearly. I can't just take it for free," the Fourth Princess said with a half-joking smile.

The Fourth Princess also chose a gift and had a servant pay for it. Zhang Yumo wanted to decline again, but she couldn't refuse any longer and simply said, "I will go to wish my Third Uncle a happy birthday on his birthday."

"Of course you're welcome! It's been so long since I've seen my mother since Mo's accident. She keeps talking about you. She's happy for you that you've married well. Your Marquis is hard to invite, so why don't you bring him along? Our Zhang family and the Jiang family are related now that we're connected through marriage, so we should visit each other more often." The Fourth Princess Consort added, "He didn't even come on the anniversary of my grandfather's death. You should take the initiative to tell him about something so important!"

“He was too busy; he wasn’t there on the anniversaries of his grandparents’ deaths,” Zhang Yumo explained.

"Being busy is just an excuse!" the Fourth Princess said in a deep voice. "Actually, our Zhang State Duke's Mansion has fallen on hard times. Many aristocratic families in Shengjing City no longer associate with the Zhang family. No wonder the Jiang family is also... Back then, he didn't even attend his grandparents' funeral. You don't know what people are saying about you behind your back. If your husband doesn't participate, it's you who will lose face, sister! You should be more mindful. I'm doing this all for your sake."

Zhang Yumo thought: Jiang Jinyan wouldn't take these things to heart, but since Jiang's mother and Jiang Rumeng accompanied her to pay respects to her grandparents, she didn't feel disappointed.

Jiang Rumeng told her that when her grandparents had their accident, Jiang Jinyan was probably fighting a war with the Emperor!

Zhang Yumo has always been a quiet person since she was a child, and now that she is not saying anything, the Fourth Princess Consort has not noticed anything unusual.

"Mo'er," the Fourth Princess Consort suddenly said mysteriously.

"What's wrong?"

The Fourth Princess pulled her aside, "There's something I feel I need to tell you."

"What's wrong with my cousin today? What happened?"

"You'd better keep a close eye on your husband and take good care of him. Don't let any other vixen seduce him. Men love to cheat, and no matter if he's a high-ranking official or a low-ranking one, they're all bad news..."

Zhang Yumo thought to herself: Could it be that the Fourth Princess also knows about Jiang Jinyan and Bai Yuhan's affair?

She pretended not to know anything and deliberately said, "Does the Fourth Prince still like to sneak around and do things recklessly? Can't my cousin control the prince after all?"

The Fourth Princess's face turned pale instantly. She was furious at the mention of Xie Yang. It wasn't enough that he had her; he always liked to cheat on her and even got a maid pregnant. A fierce glint appeared in her eyes. "A leopard can't change its spots."

The Fourth Princess's maiden name was Zhang Yurou. The person she loved was not Xie Yang. At the time, the Zhang family all thought that the Fourth Prince was gentle and honest, and that it would be better for her to marry the Fourth Prince than to marry the unfavored Fifth Prince.

Who would have thought that Xie Yang was not at all like what she seemed on the surface? She swallowed all her grievances.

If she had married the Fifth Prince back then...

The Fourth Princess smiled and said, "We've finally run into each other. Let me invite Sister Mo to have some tea! What are men anyway? Let them go off and have their fun. We'll do our own thing."

Zhang Yumo said, "Let's do it another day. I have things to do today." She was thinking that she had to get all the accounts sorted out.

“You’re just the eldest daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, what could possibly happen to you? From now on, you should go out more often and not stay cooped up at home all the time. Life is long, and we women should live for ourselves too. Lord Jiang may not have taken any concubines now, but he will in the future. Sooner or later he will have three or four wives and concubines. Just eat and drink as you please and live a comfortable life.”

The fourth princess continued to persuade me, "Look at me, I don't care who he's having an affair with, I can buy whatever I want, and I spend all of his money."

Zhang Yumo only wants to spend her own money now. Madam Jiang and Jiang Rumeng are both very good to her, but she doesn't want to owe Jiang Jinyan and the Jiang family too much.