"According to you, having no offspring is a terrible sin? In the end, how many merits have we made for the country and the people? Are they not as important as our children?"
"If this young lady marries into her husband's family in the future and has not conceived for three years, wouldn't she have to atone with her death? Or would she voluntarily leave and advocate for us to take concubines and elevate our wives, only then would she be worthy of what we said today?"
After Zhu Jiayu finished speaking, he paused and then asked, "Does Miss have any other brothers in her family?"
The young lady was taken aback by her question, wondering what she meant by that.
Someone nearby answered her, "Miss Lu is an only child. How could she have any brothers? Not to mention brothers, she doesn't even have any half-sisters."
This was meant to illustrate Miss Lu's high status in the family and to warn Zhu Jiayu not to speak carelessly, lest he offend Miss Lu.
However, when Miss Lu heard this and saw the ambiguous smile on Zhu Jiayu's face, she felt strangely uneasy and instead became wary.
Just as she was pondering this, she heard Zhu Jiayu's cold voice say, "Miss Lu is used to listening to what people say and thinks that having no offspring is a huge problem. Haven't you heard people say that a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl? Since Miss Lu has no brothers, she will follow her husband after marriage. There will be no one in the family to take care of her parents. Isn't that too unfilial? Or is it that Miss Lu is preparing to remain unmarried for life in order to fulfill her filial duty?"
"Zhu Jiayu, how dare you!" Lu Xiang was furious and was about to slap Zhu Jiayu, but Zhu Jiayu grabbed her wrist and she couldn't move at all!
She refused to give up easily and continued to struggle. Glancing at the different expressions on the faces of the crowd, she grew even angrier and shouted, "Zhu Jiayu! Let go of me!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jiayu smiled and said, "Alright, since Miss Lu has spoken, I will comply."
She lightly let go, and Lu Xiang almost fell backward to the ground. Luckily, someone behind her stopped her from actually falling.
Zhu Jiayu stepped forward, warmly helped her up, and straightened her somewhat disheveled clothes. He softened his tone and said gently, "Miss Lu herself is not able to handle things properly, so why be so harsh and speak ill of Grand Tutor Xiao and the old lady?"
She was eloquent and had a remarkable demeanor. Just now she was sharp and fierce, but now she was speaking softly and gently. Lu Xiang was so moved by her outburst and now that she saw her being treated so gently, he was almost moved to tears.
Behind the sparsely shaded bamboo grove, Old Madam Yu came back to her senses and looked at Old Madam Xiao beside her: "Old sister?"
Today, she was thinking of hosting a banquet for her granddaughter, the young lady of the Xiao family, and the newly arrived Zhu Jiayu, so she also sent an invitation to the elder sister of the Xiao family to come to her residence for a chat. However, she did not expect to encounter such a lively scene here.
Fortunately, Zhu Jiayu knows how to talk, otherwise she probably wouldn't know how to handle this situation today! And that Lu family girl, she really has a loose tongue!
Madam Xiao calmly withdrew her gaze: "It's alright. The young girl is ignorant. I'm an old woman with one foot in the grave. How could I possibly hold a grudge against her?"
She rubbed her temples and patted her old friend's hand: "Alright, I'm tired of strolling around this garden today, so I'll head back now."
Madam Yu exclaimed "Eh!" and called for servants to see her off, but Madam Xiao politely declined, saying, "With Rongniang supporting me, there's no need for such a fuss."
She turned around and walked slowly with Rongniang's support, her smile never fading. However, as soon as she stepped out of the Yu residence, her face fell, and she said to the nanny who served her, "When you get back to the residence, remember to give the order that from now on, we will not accept any invitations from the Lu residence."
"Also, pick an auspicious day and send invitations to the ladies of the Sun, Wang, Li, and Zheng families, saying that I want to introduce them to my family's younger generation, and that they must bring a gift when they come, otherwise they will not be allowed to enter the gates of my Xiao residence."
After the old lady finished speaking, she felt that most of the depression in her heart had dissipated. Rongniang listened and smiled and said yes.
She turned her head and glanced at the Yu residence, thinking to herself that this Miss Lu was probably going to end up shooting herself in the foot.
...
After saying these words to Lu Xiang in the garden, Zhu Jiayu released her hand and looked around at everyone: "What do you ladies think?"
Regardless of what everyone was thinking, upon hearing her words, they all agreed that she was absolutely right.
What a joke! With Lu Xiang as a cautionary tale, they certainly don't want to be confronted by Zhu Jiayu again, who points her finger at them and asks if they plan to remain unmarried for life.
At this point, the commotion subsided. Perhaps the ladies had witnessed Zhu Jiayu's true nature, and no further trouble arose. After the banquet, things were quite peaceful, with everyone chatting and laughing, creating a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.
When the banquet was about to end, Zhu Jiayu was about to leave with the others when a maid in pink called out to her, "Miss Zhu, please wait. You've left something behind. Please come with me to retrieve it."
Zhu Jiayu was slightly taken aback, and Lüzheng, who was standing beside her, was also stunned. She asked her in a low voice, "What did Miss forget?"
Zhu Jiayu smiled and glanced at her: "I'm afraid it's not that you left something behind, but that Miss Yu wanted to see me. That's why she came up with this excuse."
Meanwhile, in the study, Yu Qinglan rested her chin on her hand on the desk, looking at the pile of sandalwood boxes in front of her, and sighed.
Her personal maid, Shuqing, stood to the side, puzzled, and asked, "Miss, if you want to see Miss Zhu, why bother to find an excuse to invite her back?"
The banana trees in the courtyard grew even greener. At the same time, as Lüzheng looked at the banana trees, she thought of the deep green jade hairpin on Miss Yu's head and whispered, "She wants to see you, so why does she have to make up an excuse? The young ladies of noble families in Yujing City are really extraordinary. Their actions are so convoluted, and their minds are so intricate."
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