Chapter 922 The Eldest Sister-in-Law and the Younger Sister-in-Law

Before Song Qing could speak, Madam Peng suddenly pushed the door open and came in. "My sister-in-law wants to find a beautiful concubine for my husband. She's so kind-hearted!"

What a woman can't stand the most is her husband taking a concubine. Her husband's elder sister offered to add a concubine to her husband's house. This was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing, and Madam Peng was furious.

Song Qing quickly tried to smooth things over for her mother: "Auntie is here, please come in and sit down, have some tea. That's not what my mother said, Auntie misunderstood."

"I'm not hard of hearing," Madam Peng sneered. "As an outsider, I dare not drink Consort Shu's tea."

Song Qing was speechless. When did her aunt arrive? Why didn't anyone inform her? What Song Qing didn't know was that if she could place people in Kunning Palace and the inner palace, why couldn't others place people around her?

She thought she had done everything perfectly.

On another note, Madam Peng continued, "Since my eldest sister-in-law has so many grievances against my Peng family, why didn't you say so earlier? She can't eat or sleep well, and it's all my fault for not taking good care of her family. I've let her family suffer so much injustice in the Peng family."

No wonder she didn't want to ride in the same carriage with me to the palace today. It turns out she came to complain to Consort Shu. It's really hard to be a person like this. This is clearly my and my husband's home, but someone is saying it's her home. My husband isn't home, so who can I tell my grievances to?" Madam Peng also wiped away her tears.

Madam Song assumed that since she was surnamed Peng, her brother's house was her house. She said, "You still have grievances? I'm going back to my own home. You're always acting like a jerk. Who are you trying to impress? The family business was all earned by my brother. I'm his own sister, and Kun'er and Gan'er are his nephews. It's only natural for me to come to Shengjing and go back to my uncle's house to eat at his house. Who are you crying for? Today is the Emperor's birthday banquet. If you want to cry, go home and cry. Don't cry in my daughter's palace."

Madam Song had heard a lot of gossip, and she was furious when she heard it. They said that they were freeloading and refusing to leave. Now that she had seen Madam Wu, she was going to give them a good talking-to.

Her daughter is Consort Shu, why would she need to freeload? There are plenty of people who want to curry favor with her, and plenty of people who want to give her money. How dare she, a sister-in-law, speak ill of her sister-in-law?

Mrs. Peng was already feeling uncomfortable. "I've been treating you to good food and drinks every day, and you still complain that I'm not treating you well. Now I've heard these words coming from my sister-in-law's mouth. You've stabbed me in the heart with a knife! My conscience has been completely fed to the dogs."

"Your daughter was able to enter the palace and become the emperor's woman only because my husband was highly favored by the emperor. If the Peng family had a daughter of marriageable age, how could the Song family's daughter have had a chance to enter the palace?"

Madam Song swung her sleeve and slapped Madam Peng across the face: "What did you say?"

Madam Peng was not as old as Madam Song, and as a daughter-in-law of the Song family, she did not dare to fight back in front of Consort Shu. She bit her lip, full of grievance.

Madam Song simply said that the Peng family was her home, and how could her going back to her parents' home be an eyesore to her, etc.

Madam Song seemed quite angry.

Song Qing felt bad when she heard what Madam Peng said. In their eyes, her entry into the palace was not legitimate; she was only qualified to enter the palace because of her uncle's connections.

Even if Song Qing was furious, she wouldn't break ties with the Peng family like her foolish mother did. She quickly said, "Aunt, my mother didn't mean it, please forgive her..."

"Since my sister-in-law is unhappy living in the Peng family, why don't you move out today!" Madam Peng covered her face and stormed off.

Madam Song was already angry, and hearing this made her even angrier. "What did you say?"

Mrs. Peng no longer wanted to argue with her, so she quickened her pace and left.

Madam Song was so angry that her chest ached. She said sternly, "She wants us to move out, but we won't. I'm going to write to my brother and tell him that he married a vicious wife with a heart smaller than a pinhole. She should have been divorced long ago. My brother is a great general. What is she?"

Song Qing, whose legs were weak, couldn't hold back Madam Peng. She could only say, "Aunt, don't go. There must be some misunderstanding. Mother, please don't say anything more."

Song Qing hadn't even realized why her mother and aunt had started arguing.

“Why shouldn’t Mother speak up? She’s just an outsider, yet she’s meddling in our family affairs. I eat my brother’s food; what does it have to do with her?” Madam Song became more and more agitated as she spoke: “She didn’t earn the money, she didn’t earn the credit, so she has the right to speak.”

Madam Peng was so angry that she couldn't hold back her tears. She knew her sister-in-law was formidable, so she didn't like to associate with her. She never expected that her sister-in-law would want to take a concubine for her brother, so she couldn't stand it anymore.

When Madam Song was outside the palace, she overheard "others" stirring up trouble, saying that General Peng hadn't taken any concubines. That's when she remembered it. She thought her brother should take more concubines and have more children for the Peng family.

Once outside Jinghe Palace, Madam Peng only wanted to get out of the palace as quickly as possible. She wanted to throw all of the Song family's belongings out of the palace because they were too bullying. She had only said those things in a moment of anger.

Just then, Lianye walked up to her and said, "This servant greets Madam Peng."

Madam Peng quickly took a handkerchief and covered half of her face to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Lianye continued, "What's wrong with Madam Peng? Did some palace maid or eunuch offend her because they didn't recognize her? Madam, please tell me, and I'll go and talk to them."

Madam Peng didn't recognize Lianye either, but seeing her attire, she assumed she was a palace lady-in-waiting. "Who are you?"

“This servant is Lianye, and I serve by the Empress’s side. Madam may not remember me. Once, when Madam and General Peng came to the palace to attend a banquet, it was this servant who received the General and Madam.”

Madam Peng then realized, "Oh, it's Lady Lianye. How rude of me."

Lianye is a high-ranking female official serving the Empress, far more powerful than the wives of generals like them, and she can't afford to offend her.

As Madam Peng spoke, she tried to leave. She had come after her sister-in-law, hoping that the two of them would have company once they entered the palace. However, she didn't expect her to leave with her son and daughter-in-law.

Lianye said, "Now, Madam Peng, can you tell me who bullied you? I will report to Her Majesty the Empress and she will definitely seek justice for you."

Lianye also noticed some red marks on her face that she was covering.

Madam Peng was filled with anger. She had long been dissatisfied with the Song family and had been staying at the Peng family's residence. She said, "It's nothing, thank you for your concern, Lady Lianye."

Lianye carried a food box in her hand. She took the initiative to open it and handed a delicate little pastry to Madam Peng. "Madam likes sweets, right? This is what I made. It will make you feel better immediately after you eat a piece."

Upon seeing the exquisite pastries, Madam Peng exclaimed, "This is unacceptable! These must be Her Majesty the Empress's desserts!"

"Her Majesty is enjoying the cool air in the pavilion over there. Madam, please go and pay your respects to Her Majesty! My lady often talks about you, saying that you are truly a virtuous helper to General Peng. The General is protecting the country outside, and it is thanks to you that you have taken care of the household and raised the children. You are very worthy of respect!"

When Madam Peng heard that the Empress was nearby, she couldn't possibly not go to pay her respects. Besides, she often heard her husband talk about the Jiang family and asked her to keep in touch with them, but she just couldn't find an opportunity. Now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she couldn't wait to seize it.

However, she has a mark on her face and cannot see the Empress today.

Lianye took the initiative to help Madam Peng walk forward, saying, "Madam, don't hesitate. Go and talk to Her Majesty for a while. If you have any grievances, just tell Her Majesty the Empress."