Chapter 40 A Scourge, Who Would Dare to Marry Her?
They talk about delegating power, but in reality, they've been stripped of it, haven't they?
Madam Min was, after all, a merchant's daughter, without any support from her maternal family. As a result, her sons grew up and none of them obeyed her.
Lady Annam sighed inwardly, but smiled and comforted her, saying, "It's time for the Dowager to enjoy her retirement. Working so hard every day is exhausting. Why not relax and enjoy life?"
The fleeting pity on the Earl of Annan's face was noticed by Madam Min. She didn't care what the Earl's wife thought, and readily agreed, "Madam is right. When people get old, they have to accept it, don't they?"
After exchanging a few more words, Madam Min Qiao excused herself, saying she was too old to sit still, and politely saw the Lady of Annam out of the house.
Before long, a maid came to report that the Lady of Annam had gone to Madam Wu's place.
Meanwhile, in the Begonia Courtyard, when Madam Wu learned that the Lady of Annam had come to the Marquis's residence, she was so angry that her teeth itched.
It's truly astonishing that Lady Annan dared to set foot in the Xuanping Marquis's residence!
Madam Wu had not forgotten how the Lady of Annam had gotten the news from her and then sold her off.
Mrs. Wu was so angry that she paced around the room several times, wishing she could catch someone and slap them a few times.
Unfortunately, the Earl of Annam went straight to Songhe Hall as soon as she arrived, leaving her no chance to settle accounts with anyone.
By the time Lady Annam came out of Songhe Hall, Madam Wu's anger had subsided by more than half.
But when she heard the maid report that Lady Annan was heading towards the Begonia Courtyard, Wu's anger, which had subsided, suddenly surged back up.
"Fine! She actually dares to come see me? Humph, I'll see where she gets the nerve!"
Mrs. Wu waited angrily.
Before long, the Countess of Annam arrived.
As soon as the person entered the door, before Wu could even show her cold expression, he eagerly walked up to her, took her hand, and said with a smile, "Sister, I've come to congratulate you."
Madam Wu pursed her lips, coldly withdrew her hand, and didn't even offer her a seat. She simply replied indifferently, "I can't accept being called 'sister' by Madam. I don't want to be sold off by Madam one day and still have to help her count the money."
Lady Annam was not angry. She slapped her mouth twice and said to herself, "So, my sister is blaming me for what happened before? Oh dear, it's my fault. It's all because of my loose tongue. I can't keep anything to myself."
"Don't be angry, little sister. I'm here to apologize to you."
As she spoke, Lady Annam respectfully curtsied to Madam Wu.
As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face. The Earl of Annan's wife lowered her stance so much, apologizing and bowing, that Wu Shi was momentarily speechless.
After all, everyone knew perfectly well how loose-lipped Lady Annam was. And whether her original purpose in inviting them over was pure or not, everyone was well aware of it.
There's no point in getting angry now that things have come to this.
Who told her to be the one to take advantage of others first!
Mrs. Wu sighed helplessly and pointed to the chair next to her, "Sit down."
The tone was still harsh, but at least they didn't kick them out.
Lady Annam secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sat down with a smile.
The maidservant brought tea at just the right time.
"Madam just said she wanted to congratulate me. May I ask what brings you this joy?" Madam Wu asked directly.
To be honest, if she hadn't been curious about the meaning behind Lady Annam's words, she wouldn't have invited Lady Annam to sit down and chat, even if she hadn't gotten angry.
Lady Annam said with a smile, "I just came from your esteemed madam's residence. From what she said, it seems that my sister will be in charge of the Marquis's mansion from now on. Isn't that a joyous occasion?"
Mrs. Wu secretly rolled her eyes. What kind of happy occasion was this?
She's been in charge of the Marquis's residence for over a month now, and she's only coming to offer her congratulations now?
Besides, she's currently worried about the Marquis's mansion being broke, so what's there to congratulate her on?
That old hag Zhou came to hint to her early in the morning that she should use her dowry to replenish the Marquis's public funds and pay the servants monthly wages!
Bah! It's a good thing she didn't pocket any money from the public funds; expecting her to use her own money for the Marquis's mansion's public expenses? She's dreaming!
Thinking about these troubling matters, Madam Wu felt annoyed with the Lady of Annam again.
That's really bringing up the very thing you shouldn't talk about!
So he turned cold and said, "If that's what you're talking about, Madam, then I have a lot of things to do and I'm afraid I won't be able to chat with you."
Seeing this, Lady Annam quickly got to the point: "Oh dear, sister, don't be in such a hurry! This is truly a joyous occasion! I've come to the Marquis's residence to propose marriage to your esteemed third master."
Only then did Madam Wu show some interest. Suppressing her impatience, she asked, "You mean my brother-in-law, Min Hui?"
"Exactly." Lady Annan took the opportunity to flatter Madam Wu, saying, "I came to see the Grand Madam to arrange a marriage for your esteemed Third Master Min. But who knew that the Grand Madam said that my sister is now in charge of the Marquis's mansion and asked me to come to her for advice. It is clear that my sister's position in the Marquis's mansion is like this."
He then gave Wu a thumbs-up.
Mrs. Wu was pleased with herself, and her expression softened somewhat.
“It was because my mother-in-law trusted me that she asked me to manage the household. I refused several times, but my mother-in-law said she was too old to manage it. My husband also scolded me, saying that I didn’t know how to appreciate my mother-in-law’s hard work. That’s why I accepted the job of managing the household.”
There had been rumors that Lady Min Qiao had been stripped of her power by the Marquis of Xuanping and his wife. This was Lady Wu's way of explaining things. She also hoped that through the Lady of An'nan, she could clarify the matter for herself and Min Rong.
Lady Annam understood her meaning perfectly, and immediately said with a smile, "That's what the Grand Madam told me before! She said she's getting old and wants to enjoy her retirement, and told me to come to my sister if I need anything!"
This means acknowledging Wu's explanation and agreeing to help explain it to Wu.
Mrs. Wu was pleased, and her expression softened somewhat.
"My sister just said she came to find a spouse for my brother-in-law, but I don't know which family she's talking about?"
Well, now I'm the older sister again.
Lady Annan inwardly scoffed, but outwardly smiled and said, "It's not some other family, it's our fifth daughter. My sister has met her before. She's very pretty and virtuous. She's sixteen this year, a perfect match for Third Master Min!"
Ms. Wu was so shocked that her mouth gaped open. Seemingly realizing that her behavior was indecent, she quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief.
The fifth young lady of the Marquis of Annan's mansion is already seventeen years old this year. There's still a month until the New Year, and she'll be eighteen after the New Year!
A spinster!
Of course, Min Hui isn't young either; he's twenty this year and will be twenty-one next year. Come to think of it, he's actually quite a good match for Miss Feng's age.
However, while others may not know, everyone in the upper echelons of the capital knows what kind of person the fifth young lady of the Annan Earl's Mansion is.
That's the kind of person who dared to push her half-sister into the water when she was five, dared to scratch the face of an eight-year-old maid when she was ten, and could beat her personal maid to death when she was thirteen!
Who would dare marry such a scourge?
No wonder Madam Min sent people to her.
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