Chapter 226 Where Did the Grandmother Come From?
A voice behind Madam Wen said, "The two old ladies are truly blessed. The General's wife has also benefited from this good fortune. If our Miss Qingyan hadn't been willing to give up this marriage, how could Miss Qingci be enjoying her current prestige? Miss Qingci, don't you agree?"
Now that you've seen your maternal grandmother, why don't you quickly kowtow to her?
Yu Qingci looked at the old woman speaking behind Wen Shi and realized that this old woman was actually her mother-in-law Liao Shi from her previous life.
At this moment, Liao was dressed in an ordinary indigo cotton dress. Her cheekbones were prominent, and she looked at Wen with a fawning smile. Her gaze swept over Yu Qingci with arrogance and disdain. She was indeed the same arrogant, mean and ungrateful old woman from her previous life.
If she hadn't spoken, everyone would have thought she was just an ordinary servant in the Vice Minister's household. It seems that without Yu Qingci bringing a generous dowry into their family this time, they would have fallen so low that they had to become servants in the Vice Minister's household to make ends meet.
Yu Qingci: I'm relieved to see that you're not doing well.
Seeing that Yu Qingci was only looking at her coldly without speaking, Liao urged her on:
"What are you standing there for? This is your maternal grandmother. Even if you become a general's wife, you still have to kowtow and pay your respects to your maternal grandmother."
Yu Qingci said coldly, "My mother's surname is Su, and my maternal grandmother passed away two years ago. Where did this maternal grandmother come from?"
Madam Wen was expecting Yu Qingci to kowtow and pay her respects, but upon hearing this, her expression immediately turned cold.
Liao wanted to say something more, but Wen interrupted her, saying:
"Who gave you permission to speak?"
He put on a smile again and said to Yu Qingci, "You can't say that. My daughter is the matriarch of the Earl's Mansion, and you are the daughter of the Earl's Mansion, so this old woman can be considered your half-grandmother."
"Good child, when you came back from the countryside, you never visited my home. Later, you married into the General's family, and we never met again. Now, by chance, we've bumped into each other here, fulfilling the bond between us, grandmother and granddaughter."
Yu Qingci sneered inwardly, but maintained a composed expression on her face. Wen Shi's words were subtle, but everyone understood that she was subtly mocking Yu Qingci for not paying her respects to her elder after returning to the Marquis's residence, showing a lack of manners and propriety.
Behind her, Granny Pei muttered under her breath, "What kind of mistress is she? She's just a concubine. I've never seen a concubine's family dare to let the child of the principal wife call her maternal grandmother. She's really shameless."
The sound was soft, but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear clearly.
The Wen family's expressions all changed.
Everyone knows that the current wife of the Marquis of Nanping is Su Chengniang, while the daughter of the Wen family, Qiao, has long been demoted to a secondary wife. It is indeed unreasonable for the Wen family to want Yu Qingci to kowtow and pay her respects.
If Yu Qingci really did as they said, not only would she embarrass Su Chengniang, but she and her daughter would also be unable to hold their heads high in front of the Wen and Qiao families.
Madam Ning was at a loss for how to smooth things over, and the atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
At this moment, Luo Yi came in from outside. She seemed unaware that there were guests. After entering, she looked at everyone with a surprised expression, and then walked to Madam Ning and curtsied.
Taking the opportunity, Madam Ning introduced Luo Yi to Madam Wen. Luo Yi then bowed to Madam Wen, thus diverting the awkward atmosphere from before.
When Wen heard that this was the girl Lu Yunqi had brought back from the border, her eyes lit up and she pulled the girl to her side. She looked her up and down while praising her as a good girl. Then she took off a bright green jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on Luo Yi's wrist, looking at her with great interest.
"This girl is so likable, no wonder Yun Qi took a liking to her, hehehe."
Seeing Luo Yi blush and lower her head without answering, Madam Wen understood the situation and then asked Old Madam Ning:
"Such a wonderful girl, I wonder when you plan to bring her into the house?"
Madam Ning waved her hand: "Madam Qiao has misunderstood. Yiyi has been kind to our family. How could we let her be treated like a concubine by Yunqi? I was planning to find her a suitable marriage outside and marry her off like my own daughter."
Upon hearing this, Luo Yi hurriedly raised her head and said, "Madam, Luo Yi will not marry. Luo Yi is willing to stay by your side and serve you for the rest of her life."
Wen Shi, still with a warm smile on his face, said, "Is there anything you don't understand?"
"Look at this girl, she's so devoted. No wonder I heard that the girl Yunqi brought back from the border is the one he's chosen. He also said that the General's Mansion will be holding a wedding and taking in a new bride soon."
With the rumors already circulating, what decent family would dare to compete with the General's Mansion for a wife? In my opinion, since Yunqi brought her back, they should be responsible for her. Young women care a lot about their reputation. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to marry someone else after she's already living in the General's Mansion. It's better to give her a proper status.
"Madam, don't you agree?"
Before Madam Ning could say anything, Madam Wen took Luo Yi's hand and asked:
"Miss Luo, would you be willing to become Yunqi's concubine?"
Luo Yi blushed and lowered her head.
Liao chimed in, "Is that even a question? Judging from the girl's expression, she's more than willing."
Wen looked at Yu Qingci again and said earnestly:
"Qingci, don't think I'm being nosy, but as the legal wife, you should learn to be virtuous and generous. Since she's the girl your husband likes, you should take the initiative to help him welcome her into the house, so that this girl can be given a proper status."
Yu Qingci smiled gently: "That's what I meant too, but my husband said that Miss Luo is a benefactor of the General's Mansion. How can we wrong our benefactor to be a concubine? Even if she is a noble concubine or a common wife, no matter how noble or common she is, she is still a concubine."
The Wen family and the others were speechless, their faces stiffening. Who was this brat talking about?
Yu Qingci ignored the stiff expressions on their faces and continued, "So my husband specifically instructed my mother and me to find a good family of equal social standing for Miss Luo. We will provide her with a generous dowry so she can go out and be a respectable wife. Wouldn't that be better than anything else?"
Does Mother think her husband is right?
Madam Ning had been instructed by her son to have no romantic feelings for Luo Yi, so when her daughter-in-law asked her, she nodded in agreement:
"Of course it's right. Why would someone become a concubine or mistress when you can marry properly and be the legal wife?"
Granny Pei thought to herself: The old lady isn't too senile, she's just too soft-hearted and easily fooled by a few words.
Luo Yi bit her lip, looking aggrieved and about to cry again.
Madam Liao interjected, "Oh dear, what are you saying, Madam? Miss Luo is such a likable person, and she's so devoted to the General. We shouldn't let her heart be wasted."
Furthermore, Miss Qingci should take the initiative to arrange for her husband to take Miss Luo as a concubine, lest people misunderstand her as jealous, which would be undesirable.
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