The grandmother looked embarrassed.
If it was normal, Eleventh Lady would not force it. But thinking of Sixth Lady's high profile, Eleventh Lady could not help but ask.
"Sister-in-law, you treat me like your own sister." She appealed to her feelings, "I am willing to discuss anything with you. There is nothing you cannot say!"
The grandmother was silent for a while, then whispered, "To be honest, I can't really say why Mom's condition has worsened."
Eleventh Lady looked at Grandma in surprise.
The eldest grandmother smiled bitterly, "Dad arrived the night before yesterday. There were so many people in the house at once that there was no room for them. Mother was a little unhappy at the time, but seeing that Dad was in high spirits, she said that she knew that Mom was sick and was worried that there was no one to serve her. Fourth brother's wife was also a new bride, so she brought them all to Yanjing to kowtow to Mom and take care of her. Mother didn't know what to say at the time, so she reluctantly drank the fourth brother's wife's tea. When it was time to divide the residence, according to mother's wishes, fourth uncle and fourth grandmother continued to live in the original east wing, and several concubines and twelfth mother lived in the back room. Who knew that fourth brother's wife said, which The son, daughter-in-law and parents-in-law live in the same courtyard, but the concubines and unmarried girls live in the back room. I asked to move to the back room and live with Twelve Niang. Mother felt that the fourth sister-in-law talked back to her mother-in-law as soon as she came in, and did not know the seriousness of the matter, so she scolded her. Although she admitted her mistake, she still insisted on moving to the back room. But Dad thought that what the fourth sister-in-law said made sense, so he nodded and agreed. Mother was so angry that she was shaking..." Then he sighed, "It was also because I didn't pay attention. If I had paid attention at that time, maybe there would not be the subsequent things, and mother would not have..."
Eleventh Lady was stunned.
Zhou doesn't seem to be a confused person. Why does she talk back to the first wife and never give in when things get tough?
Is this what is called a dock attack?
She couldn't help but ask: "What happened next?"
The eldest grandmother said, "Seeing that mother was not feeling well, Madam Xu hurried to calm her down. But mother suddenly asked what plans Fourth Uncle had for the future. She also said that now that he had started a family, he could no longer just go to the account office with his cards and get money as he did before. In the future, he had to follow the old family rules, not separate the family, and his food and lodging were from the public, with a yearly allowance of twenty taels of silver. She also said that Fourth Uncle grew up in front of her, and he didn't have a proper business, so it was really difficult for him to live such a hard life all of a sudden. He was given fifty taels of silver as a yearly allowance. The other thirty taels would be deducted from mother's allowance."
The first wife wants to sanction Luo Zhensheng financially.
This move is really cruel!
It was equivalent to pinching Luo Zhensheng's throat directly.
"After hearing this, Fourth Uncle and Fourth Sister-in-law hurriedly bowed to the First Madam to express their gratitude. Fourth Uncle even said that Lord Zhou had a classmate named Xie who was serving as the county magistrate of Shangyuan County and was in need of an accountant. Lord Zhou recommended Fourth Uncle and asked him to bring his family along..."
There was a strange flash in Eleventh Lady's eyes.
I really didn't realize that Zhou was capable of this. No wonder she insisted on living in the back room.
"… Mother looked very unhappy at the time. She questioned Fourth Uncle, saying, "Since you were young, we have invited a famous scholar to teach you the way of sages at home. Is it just for you to work as an accountant?"
"My fourth uncle turned pale with fear, and stared at my fourth brother's wife.
"My fourth brother's wife smiled and stepped forward, saying that my fourth uncle has started a family now, and he can't just think about playing like before, he has to do some serious work. Economics and official career are inseparable. Although this accountant is humble, he can follow Master Xie around and learn how others cultivate themselves and manage their families, which will be of great benefit to my fourth uncle. Anyway, my fourth uncle is still young, and it may be better for him to travel outside for a few years, gain more experience, and then come back to study hard, rather than staying at home and studying like now."
"What did Fourth Brother say?" Eleventh Lady asked hurriedly.
The key to the fight between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law is the husband. If the husband can stand firmly on the side of his daughter-in-law, the mother-in-law is usually helpless. But Luo Zhensheng is a man whose legs go weak when he sees the first wife...
"I don't know what has confused Fourth Uncle." The grandmother said helplessly, "After hearing what Fourth Brother's wife said, she nodded repeatedly. She said that she didn't know how hard Mother worked before, and now that he has started a family, although he can't say that he can bring honor to the family, he can't lose face for the Luo family. Then Lord Xie also said that he should be an accountant first, and if he does well, it is not impossible to be a financial advisor in the future. He also laughed and said that anyway, when the eldest brother becomes an official in the future, he will always have an advisor around him, and it will be the same when he comes back to help your eldest brother.
"Mother's face was not looking good. But father clapped his hands and said 'good'. He said he didn't expect that fourth uncle would marry a wife and become sensible. He also praised fourth brother's wife.
"My mother asked, if that's the case, why did you tell me now? She has been worried for nothing all these days!
"Dad looked at Fourth Uncle. Fourth Uncle looked at Fourth Sister-in-law. Fourth Sister-in-law smiled and said that because she hadn't discussed it with Mom, Mr. Xie hadn't made a final decision yet. She also said that when she was at her mother's house, she had heard of Mom's reputation. She said that when Dad was an official outside, she took care of the elderly, raised the children, and managed family affairs. She was a remarkable woman in Yuhang who was as good as any man. When she got married, her mother had told her that she should discuss everything with her mother-in-law. That's why she didn't say anything beforehand. She planned to talk to Mom when she saw her, but when Mom asked Fourth Uncle what he was going to do in the future, Fourth Uncle said it out of the blue... She also pulled Fourth Uncle to kneel down in front of Dad, asking Dad not to blame her."
Eleventh Lady could imagine the scene at that time.
Even if the master disliked Luo Zhensheng, he was still his son. Now that his son knew how to work hard, he would be happier than if he himself had been reinstated.
"When Dad heard this, he immediately took Fourth Uncle with him. He said, Fourth Uncle's heart is good enough. The foundation of a man's life is still in studying. He should temporarily quit Mr. Xie's job and study hard at home. As for the money, he should not worry about it. In addition to the 20 taels of silver from the public treasury and the 30 taels of silver from mother, Dad will take out 200 taels of silver from his own salary every year."
Eleventh Lady took a breath of cold air.
She thought she was a good planner, but she didn't expect that there was someone even better at planning lurking ahead...
"Dad also asked your eldest brother. You don't have any objections, do you?
"You also know that your eldest brother always hopes that all the brothers and sisters in the family are well. Not only did he say 'no objection', he also said that he would give 20 taels of silver to Fourth Uncle every year. He wanted Fourth Uncle to study hard and strive to pass the imperial examinations and become a juren or jinshi, so that he and his brothers could serve in the same court as father and uncles and bring honor to the family.
"Who would have known that as soon as your eldest brother finished speaking, mother would... become ill."
Eleventh Lady didn't know what to say.
The eldest wife was usually very kind to the concubines and concubines, but she was always unhappy in her heart. Now she was sick in bed and was in a bad mood. Then there was the arrival of the people from Yuhang, the insistence of the eldest master on Zhou, and Luo Zhenxing's final statement, and the strings in the eldest wife's heart finally broke...
* * * * * *
In winter, it gets dark early, so the Luo family arranged dinner at 3 p.m. At 4 p.m., everyone said goodbye and went home.
The Sixth Aunt asked the Fifth Aunt to come and see the Eleventh Aunt off.
The eldest lady was busy talking to Si Niang and tried to avoid her.
Fifth Aunt looked at the faces around her who were either ignoring them or showing them kind smiles, and thought of the past days...she couldn't help but tears welled up in her eyes.
This way, I can say that I have finally made it, right?
Eleventh Lady looked at Fifth Aunt, who was silent but excited, with tears in her eyes. She whispered, "I'm fine. Don't worry. Even though I'm in Yanjing, just treat it as if you were in Yuhang!"
The Fifth Aunt thought her daughter was worried that she would not be used to it, so she said hurriedly, "The Master, the Mistress, and the Grandmother are all very kind to me, you don't have to worry about it."
With such an answer, even if Eleventh Lady had a thousand words to say, she couldn't find a way to express herself.
The two looked at each other in silence.
Character determines destiny. Fifth Aunt has always been weak. Although she is beautiful, no one regards her as an enemy...either because they disdain her or because it is unnecessary. This is also a blessing!
Eleventh Lady smiled in relief and bowed to Fifth Aunt: "Then I will go back first."
"Thank you, Madam, for me."
The lady specially brought bird's nest for the fifth aunt.
Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded: "I will."
The fifth aunt saw her off to the carriage.
When the car was about to start, he caught up again and said, "Wait a minute."
Eleventh Lady lifted the curtain: "Aunt, do you have any other instructions?"
Fifth Aunt bit her lip and looked at Eleventh Aunt with her face turning blue and red.
Eleventh Lady sent the old woman following the carriage and the coachman away and stuck her head out.
The Fifth Aunt then whispered, "Don't get pregnant so early... Get yourself well first."
Eleventh Lady couldn't help but burst into tears.
Only a daughter-in-law who gave birth to a son could gain a firm foothold in her husband's family. But at her age, childbirth was a ditch in the grave. Although wealth and glory were good, as a mother, she was more concerned about her daughter's life.
She smiled and nodded, but tears fell like pearls.
As if relieved of a heavy burden, Fifth Aunt's expression relaxed. She smiled and waved to Eleventh Lady: "Go back quickly! Listen to the Madam's words and the Marquis' words."
Eleventh Lady nodded and lowered the curtain.
The carriage quickly drove out of Gongxian Hutong with a "clatter".
* * * * * *
Sister Zhen showed the gifts she received from the Luo family to the lady.
"…This was given by my new aunt, this was given by my fifth aunt, and this was given by my third grandmother!"
The lady looked at the jade pendant given by the fifth aunt and teased Zhen Jie'er with a smile: "There are a few more good things in our sister's dressing table."
Sister Zhen smiled with her lips pursed.
The lady unfolded the two silk handkerchiefs.
One is embroidered with a kitten rolling a ball, and the other is embroidered with Magu celebrating a birthday.
Mother Du hurriedly handed over the glasses.
The lady looked at her for a long while, then looked up and smiled at Shiyi Niang, "This new aunt has quite a skillful hand."
Eleventh Lady thought of her battle with the First Lady and couldn't help but laugh, "She's also very capable!"
The lady asked Zhen Jie'er to put away the handkerchief and said, "Capable people are usually very dexterous. Back then, when your mother Du was still a little girl, she was very good at cutting paper-cuts. I kept her in the house because I saw how dexterous she was..." She was talking about the past.
Mother Du laughed at the side and said, "Our fourth lady is also very skillful. She knew how to make paper-cut paper-cuts just after I started. In fact, everyone around you is skillful."
"Are you praising my daughter-in-law or yourself?" The lady laughed, and everyone in the room laughed along, and the atmosphere in the room was very cheerful.
The lady then asked Eleventh Lady: "What did you ask the inner court to do? I see that the chessboard doesn't look like a chessboard, and the stool doesn't look like a stool..."
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I'm on a business trip from the 11th to the 15th. Tomorrow's situation is unclear, and the update time depends on the situation. I will update once today...~~~~(_