“You may not recognize this person, but you must have heard of her,” Madam Liu said, grabbing Tao Hongying’s sleeve beforehand. “This is the Empress’s mother, the First Madam of the Wu family!”
Tao Hongying was stunned for a moment, and then her eyes reddened.
Our family has been investigating for a while now. Although we haven't found out everything, we've still managed to uncover some clues!
It was the Wu family who wanted to kill Fu Niu'er and give the Empress a bowl of their heart's blood!
And this whole affair was instigated by Madam Wu from beginning to end...
This isn't the Empress's mother; this is... her daughter's killer!
Tao Hongying felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart, causing her great pain. However, her mind was exceptionally clear. She whispered, "Sister-in-law, don't worry, I won't do anything foolish!"
Madam Liu was somewhat surprised, but she still advised, "You must not act impulsively; she is, after all, the Empress's mother!"
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I've come out with you so many times. I haven't learned anything else, but I've been quite good at pretending lately!" Tao Hongying took a deep breath and patted Madam Liu's hand.
Mrs. Liu was relieved to hear that she still had the mind to joke.
Seeing that Madam Wu and Madam Cao were talking, she said, "A few days ago, I heard people say that the Wu family had chosen the Cao family's daughter as their daughter-in-law, but I thought it was just a rumor. But seeing how it is today, it might be true."
"I wonder if the Cao family will mind that the Wu family was impeached by Mr. Wen and that the eldest master of the Wu family is currently reflecting on his mistakes behind closed doors, and take this opportunity to reject the marriage proposal."
Tao Hongying's eyes flashed, and she sneered, "Don't worry, forget about the marriage with the Cao family, I'll make sure they never find a wife in Xindu!"
Madam Liu was startled. "Do you have some idea, or do you have something on the Wu family that you can't get your hands on?"
Tao Hongying refused to say anything more, only saying, "Let's go back, you'll find out in a little while."
No sooner had they returned to the flower hall than Madam Cao and Madam Wu walked in to greet them.
Madam Cao wore a smile, but everyone could tell that it wasn't genuinely warm or sincere.
It was clear that she was not very welcoming of Madam Wu's arrival.
Everyone was surprised to see Madam Wu appear, given that the Wu family had suffered a series of misfortunes in recent days, damaging both their reputation and their finances.
Doesn't Madam Wu get angry? How can she still have the mind to come out to a banquet?
Madam Wu felt both angry and aggrieved as everyone stared at her.
She didn't want to come out either!
The house was a complete mess, and she, as the matriarch, had endless troubles to deal with.
However, the marriage arrangement that had been privately discussed with the Cao family had been basically finalized, and all that was needed was for the Cao family to give a definite answer before the official matchmaker could be invited to the door.
As a result, because the Cao family was impeached, they never mentioned the matter again.
Although Master Cao was a vice minister of the Ministry of Works, he could not be considered extremely powerful. However, the Cao family was very influential, and his uncles and brothers were spread throughout the six ministries, totaling eight or nine.
If we were to marry into the Cao family, my son would become half-son of the Cao family, and not only would we be unafraid of this investigation, but his future would also be guaranteed.
That's why she endured her headache and shamelessly came to offer her congratulations, determined to reveal the news of the marriage between the two families today!
Thus, for the sake of their daughter's reputation, the Cao family had no choice but to agree to the engagement, even though they were somewhat unwilling...
Thinking of this, she smiled and asked Madam Cao, "Where is our Molan? Why isn't she in the house?"
"This child is beautiful and gentle. I like her so much. It's only been a few days since I last saw her, and I really miss her!"
Such a familiar tone, every sentence is filled with affection.
The other women immediately sensed something was amiss, so they all put down their teacups and waited to "watch the show."
Madam Cao could easily guess Madam Wu's plan. She gritted her teeth in anger, but still had to smile and deal with it.
“This child is soft-hearted and doesn’t like to see people. I feel sorry for her and want to keep her for a couple more years, so I didn’t let her come out.”
"What if someone takes a fancy to my daughter and tries to take her away from me?"
These words were practically pointed at Madam Wu's nose: My daughter wants to stay for a couple more years, so don't even think about it!
But when Madam Wu understood what was going on, she pretended not to understand and was about to speak again when Tao Hongying interrupted her.
“Madam Cao, I don’t usually go out much, so I’m not very good at recognizing people. I didn’t know who this was…” She looked at Madam Wu with a curious and puzzled expression.
Madam Cao was pleased that someone had come to her rescue, and quickly said to Tao Hongying with a smile, "It's my fault, it's my fault, I didn't say more to Fourth Madam."
"This is Madam Wu, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wu family, and also the mother of the Empress."
"Oh my, so you are the Empress's mother. I am so sorry for my rudeness." Tao Hongying smiled warmly and stood up to greet her.
Some people watching scoffed, laughing at Tao Hongying's obsequious and fawning behavior.
Tao Hongying seemed not to notice and continued to speak warmly to Madam Wu.
"A few days ago, I had the honor of meeting your family's Imperial Brother-in-law in Baiyun. I was already amazed by his appearance. Now that I have met you, Madam, I realize that your handsome appearance is just like your mother's."
Madam Wu listened with satisfaction and nodded reservedly.
Tao Hongying then added, "I just don't know when the Emperor's brother-in-law got married. Our Li family is just a small family and we don't even have the chance to drink a cup of wedding wine. It's such a pity."
"Fortunately, the Empress Dowager likes our shop's pastries, and the Emperor Dowager loves his wife, so he bought seven or eight boxes of pastries that day."
"However, the Empress Dowager's belly is quite large, and it's not easy for her to digest so many snacks."
"I've been thinking about something, and it's so wonderful to have met you today, Madam. When I get back, I'll definitely tell the Empress Dowager on my behalf."
"If there's anything she likes to eat in the future, she can just come over and tell me, and I'll have the staff bake it fresh and send it over."
Madam Wu grew increasingly agitated as she listened, her expression changing drastically as she snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting? Our Yan'er is not married at all, so where did this 'wife' come from?"
Tao Hongying was perhaps a little unhappy because she had been scolded, and she stopped smiling and retorted.
“Madam Wu, that’s not right. The marriage of the Imperial Brother-in-law is a joyous occasion, and the pregnancy of the Imperial Brother-in-law’s wife is an even greater joy. What are you trying to hide?”
"Besides, even if I saw it wrong, I can't possibly have misheard it, can I?"
"The Emperor's brother-in-law calls that pregnant woman 'Madam,' and the two are so loving that it makes people jealous. How could there be anything wrong with that!"
"If that woman isn't the wife of the emperor's brother-in-law, is she some kind of mistress that the emperor's brother-in-law keeps outside?"
"That's impossible! What kind of guy calls his mistress 'wife'? What kind of guy gets his mistress pregnant before they're even married?!"
Tao Hongying adjusted the gold hairpin in her hair, seemingly unaware of the juicy gossip she had just dropped, and continued, "If that's really the case, Madam will have to have a good talk with the Imperial Uncle when she gets back."
"They're not even married yet, and he's already keeping a mistress and a bastard child outside. Who would dare marry their daughter to him as their legal wife?!"
"This is a big deal. We can't ignore it, otherwise everyone will say that the Wu family is corrupt from top to bottom. If that happens, even the eldest master Wu and the old marquis will be criticized. Then it will be too late!"
Madam Wu was so angry that her face turned ashen. She wanted to interrupt, but Tao Hongying's mouth was too fast, leaving her no room to speak or refute.
Looking around at everyone, who were all craning their necks as if they were about to have a gossip story, she felt like her heart was on fire!
"How dare you! Who do you belong to? How dare you come here spout nonsense! You're slandering the Imperial Uncle and defaming the Marquis's mansion. Do you know what a serious crime this is?"
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