Chapter 15 Greetings
Because the old lady is still alive, the grandchildren of the Earl's family in the family genealogy are listed together by the four branches, including the second and third branches that have already separated. So, there are a total of more than a dozen grandchildren of the Earl's family, including both legitimate and illegitimate children. Yu Qingci is ranked third and Yu Qingbai is ranked seventh.
As the dust settled, everyone filed out of the ancestral hall.
When Qiao learned of this outside, her heart sank into an ice cellar, and she shivered with cold.
She ultimately underestimated Su's position in the Earl's heart. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she, the dignified Earl's wife, was relegated to the position of a secondary wife. Qiao wished she could faint.
She was worried that something might happen when the genealogy was being recorded today, so she specially sent someone to bribe several elders in advance, thinking that if anything changed, the elders would speak up for her.
Unexpectedly, this was the outcome, leaving no room for discussion.
Qiao looked over with tears in her eyes, and the elders who had received favors from her lowered their heads guiltily.
They weren't entirely unhelpful; they had spoken up for the Qiao family in the ancestral hall earlier. However, the Earl was a man of his word, and once he made up his mind, it was difficult to change it. They couldn't really argue with him too much. In the end, the Earl was the clan's greatest support.
Yu Jingsheng looked at Madam Qiao: "Madam, it is a bit unfair to you to be called a secondary wife, but after all, Madam Su entered the family first. You are aware of what happened back then. My family did not hide anything from the Qiao family. Although you are now a secondary wife, you will still be in charge of the household affairs. Your status in the family will remain unchanged. In the future, you will have to continue to manage the household affairs."
Yu Jingsheng spoke eloquently, and even bowed to Madam Qiao at the end. In front of everyone, Madam Qiao knew that she could not turn against the Earl at this moment, no matter how unwilling she was. She could only ask aggrievedly, "Does the old lady know about the Earl's decision?"
Yu Jingsheng: "I will explain it to the old lady in a moment."
Several clan elders took their leave, and Yu Jingsheng personally saw them off. Soon, only the Qiao family and their entourage remained in front of the ancestral hall.
As soon as the others left, Qiao felt weak all over and almost couldn't stand up.
Forced to return to her own Begonia Courtyard, Madam Qiao dismissed the servants and even her two daughters. Unable to contain her anger and resentment any longer, she smashed a room full of porcelain ornaments, cursing wildly and vowing to make sure the mother and daughter got away with it.
After seeing off the clan elders, Yu Jingsheng went to Shouyin Hall and personally informed Madam Zhang of the events that had occurred there. As expected, Madam Zhang flew into a rage.
Yu Jingsheng listened silently without arguing further. After his mother finished scolding him, he politely asked a servant to bring in tea, and then personally served her.
Seeing him like this, Madam Zhang was even angrier, but all she could do was give him a good scolding. She couldn't very well call the clan elders back to hold another ancestral hall meeting.
After completing the family genealogy, Yu Qingbai will officially begin his studies at the family school.
The Nanping Marquis's family has been a distinguished family for centuries, and its many branches have flourished. With many children of school age, the family has established a clan school, and the teachers they have hired are all well-known in the capital.
Given Qingbai's age, it would be difficult for him to directly enroll in a certain academy in the capital. Therefore, Yu Jingsheng planned to let him study at the clan school for a few years first, so that he could develop a relationship with his cousins.
Today is Qingbai's first day of formally enrolling in the clan school. Yu Qingci went to the front yard early in the morning to give her younger brother some instructions.
Yu Qingbai was naturally very happy to see his sister come to see him off, and he hurriedly stepped forward to greet her affectionately.
Yu Qingci corrected, "From now on, you should call her Third Sister."
Yu Qingbai stuck out his tongue to indicate that he remembered.
Yu Qingci: "Remember what your father and mother said. Study hard at the clan school. Also, if anyone dares to bully you, or if you encounter something you can't handle, come back and tell your father and me. Don't keep it to yourself, understand? You must not hide anything from your father and me."
Seeing her sister speak so solemnly, Yu Qingbai nodded and said, "I understand, Third Sister, don't worry. I am Father's son and I won't let anyone bully me easily."
Yu Qingci was still worried: "You'd better remember my words and protect yourself."
Yu Qingbai nodded repeatedly to indicate that he understood.
Sigh, Father is right, women can be troublesome sometimes.
Before he entered the mansion, his mother gave him many instructions, but she said the opposite of what his sister had said. She told him to try to be patient and not cause trouble for his father.
Sigh, women are such a hassle.
As Yu Qingci watched the young boy's departing figure, she couldn't help but recall the various experiences her younger brother had after starting the clan school in her previous life.
As soon as her mother entered the mansion, Qiao Shi tripped her up several times, making the old lady dislike her even more. Therefore, she had to be even more careful in front of others.
Fearing that her younger brother would cause trouble at the clan school, she specifically instructed him to be careful with his words and actions, to read more classical texts, and to avoid getting into trouble.
But trouble always seems to fall into place for those who don't want it. The younger brother is intelligent and quickly gains the favor of several teachers, but this makes him resented by his other cousins.
At first, my younger brother often came back from the clan school with injuries, and he gradually became taciturn and his studies began to decline.
The younger brother knew that his mother and older sister were living cautiously in the inner quarters, so he kept everything a secret from his mother to avoid worrying her. If it weren't for the little pageboy who followed him secretly going out to buy medicine for his injuries and being seen by Yu Qingci by chance, no one would have known that the younger brother had been bullied all along.
My mother and father argued several times about my younger brother. My father stepped in and taught a lesson to the younger generation who had led the bullying of my brother. From then on, those people dared not do too much in public. My brother's situation at the clan school improved, but my mother and father's relationship began to drift apart.
Later, my younger brother went out with those people to make friends through poetry, but he was unwittingly caught up in a fight. He was pushed to the ground from behind and his leg was broken. From then on, my younger brother was like a bird with broken wings and became depressed.
The father only had two sons. After Qingbai's accident, the father focused all his attention and resources on Yu Qingbai, the eldest son born to Qiao.
Therefore, from the moment he entered the manor, Yu Qingci had no intention of letting Qingbai stay in the clan school for long. The best way was to find him a good academy or a great scholar to teach him as soon as possible, so that he could leave the clan school early.
So this is only temporary; she needs to make plans early for this lifetime.
After seeing her younger brother off, Yu Qingci went to Shouyin Hall to pay her respects to the old lady.
Upon arriving at Shouyin Hall, they found that Madam Qiao and Madam Liu, the fourth wife, had already arrived with several daughters from both families.
Qiao's gaze was icy, and Yu Qingyan's was no better off.
Yu Qingying immediately recalled the time she had embarrassed her at the banquet and wanted to say something sarcastic.
Yu Qingyan gently pinched her from behind to remind her not to speak, and Yu Qingying gritted her teeth and swallowed back the words she was about to say.
Yu Qingyan walked up to Yu Qingci with a smile and took her hand, saying, "Third sister, why are you only arriving now? Did you get tired yesterday and sleep in? Grandmother was just talking about you, worried that you might really get lost, and said she would ask Sister Xichun to go out and meet you."
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