Chapter 247 Sibling Confrontation
As time passed, Xie Wanniang quickly passed through the first three months of her pregnancy. She no longer stayed obediently at home, but began to go out and socialize more often.
Xie Wanniang would almost always attend the various banquets held by the families of the military officers who had a good relationship with Jiang Yuan.
In the spirit of reciprocity, after attending several banquets at other people's homes, Xie Wanniang instructed Haitang and the others to prepare a banquet at her own home, following the same pattern.
While eating, drinking, socializing, and entertaining with others, Xie Wanniang brewed different kinds of fruit wine according to the seasons. Her daily life in Zijing Pass was not boring or dull.
Furthermore, after her true identity was fully revealed, Xie Wanniang resumed open and aboveboard contact with Xie Daoheng and other members of the Xie clan. They sent her letters and gifts, which warmed Xie Wanniang's heart but also made her increasingly busy.
In addition, the people of Mingfu Village still cared about Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan. Every now and then, Xie Wanniang would receive a thick letter from Wang Xiaozhi.
The letter contained not only her own words, but also messages from Dr. Chen, Chen Lizheng, and others that she was asked to convey.
Such a peaceful and uneventful daily life, interspersed with a few small surprises and unexpected events, is exactly the kind of happy life that Xie Wanniang has longed for in both her lives.
Unfortunately, such happy days never last long.
Upon learning the shocking news from the Prince of Nanyang that Xie Wanniang was "alive and already married," Xie Jingshu immediately returned from the Taoist temple to the Xie family's old residence, her eyes red with tears, and went to find Xie Daoheng and his wife, Madam Hu.
She questioned her brother and sister-in-law, "Why didn't you tell me that Sixth Sister was still alive? Why didn't you bring her back to the Xie family? Why did you even keep such a big matter as her marriage a secret from me and make decisions on your own?"
Having anticipated this turn of events, Xie Daoheng calmly dismissed his wife with the words, "You go out first and guard the door for us," to prevent her from incurring Xie Jingshu's wrath.
Knowing that a fierce argument was bound to break out between the two siblings, Madam Hu nodded, silently walked to the door, and sent all the servants away.
The servants didn't dare to breathe. Upon receiving Hu's whispered instructions, they immediately filed out.
Inside the house, Xie Jingshu did not change her attitude after Hu Shi left. She knew that even if Hu Shi was involved in this matter, it was only because she "followed her husband's lead" and listened to Xie Daoheng's instructions.
In other words, keeping it from her must have been Xie Daoheng's decision.
With red eyes, she glared angrily at her brother, waiting for him to give a reasonable explanation. However, Xie Daoheng did not defend himself, but calmly asked Xie Jingshu a question in return.
"Don't you know why I did this?"
He looked directly into Xie Jingshu's eyes, which were filled with anger but not confusion or grievance, and were remarkably similar to Xie Wanniang's. "The child escaped death, yet she would rather be penniless and wander outside, seeking shelter from a strange young man, than send a message to me and return to the Xie family. Why do you think that is?"
Xie Jingshu trembled all over, "Are you blaming me? Are you all blaming me?"
"Yes." Xie Daoheng did not consider his sister's feelings this time. He did not want to be vague and make excuses just because he felt sorry for her. "If it weren't for you, Sixth Sister would not have had to suffer all these hardships."
Xie Jingshu could no longer hold back her tears. She covered her face and cried, "Wasn't I doing this for her own good? If she's just a daughter of the Xie family, then she can only marry a poor scholar from an ordinary background, someone who will likely struggle for many years to rise above his station, or perhaps never will. But if she can be recognized as a member of the Xie family..."
“Jing Shu,” Xie Daoheng interrupted her, “These reasons you came up with to convince yourself are fine for you to think about yourself. You don’t need to tell me about them, and you don’t need to tell Liu Niang about them in the future.”
Although the fiancé he chose for Xie Wanniang quickly backed down after the news broke that Xie Wanniang was the daughter of the Prince of Nanyang, he was not the "poor scholar" that Xie Jingshu described.
Although the other party's family, unlike the Xie family, did not have an exceptionally illustrious and prosperous period, it was still a well-off and respectable scholarly family with many ancestors who had served as officials.
Even if he misjudged the child and the child couldn't pass the imperial examination, given the child's family background and circumstances, they wouldn't have to resort to such hardship.
Besides, as a father, would he really let Xie Wanniang suffer?
With the dowry he prepared for Xie Wanniang and the entire Xie clan to rely on her, Xie Wanniang could live a life of comfort and respect for herself, no matter who she married.
Most importantly, based on his understanding of Xie Wanniang, he believed that rather than being recognized as a member of the Xie family and living in a luxurious cage in shackles, enjoying fine clothes and food while being controlled by others, and even possibly losing her life at any moment because of someone else's thought, Xie Wanniang would prefer to live as a daughter of the Xie family and fight for the maximum freedom within the limits allowed by society.
Of course, unlike Xie Wanniang, who couldn't understand Xie Jingshu's thought process at all, Xie Daoheng actually understood his sister's true thoughts, but he just found it hard to agree with them.
He looked at Xie Jingshu and said, "You think that everything in the Nanyang Prince's Mansion should belong to Sixth Sister, and that she should rightfully take it back. But have you ever thought about how much suffering she would endure in that mansion if you really forced her to acknowledge her ancestors?"
"A pile of dead things, how could they be more important than her wishes, feelings, dignity, freedom, or even her life? Is my Xie family so poor that we can't even afford to raise our own daughter?"
Xie Jingshu covered her face, tears streaming down her face. She said, "It's just about taking a son-in-law into the family, why can't she understand? Wasn't her marriage to her ex-fiancé also arranged by their parents and a matchmaker? You can arrange her marriage, but I can't let her acknowledge her ancestors and return to her family. Does she even consider me her own mother?"
Xie Daoheng frowned. "If you continue with this attitude, I advise you to just consider Liu Niang dead. If you keep pressuring her, you might even exhaust the last bit of affection she has for you."
Even though Xie Daoheng was still angry with his younger sister, he still had to patiently explain things to her in detail.
“Your eyes are fixed on titles and wealth, and you think that all of those are rightfully yours. You think that as long as you can get those things back, you don’t mind if she suffers.”
"But Sixth Sister is different from you; what she wants is never those inanimate objects."
"Her unwillingness to acknowledge her ancestors has absolutely nothing to do with whether she is getting married or having a son-in-law move in. She simply despises that family and doesn't want to have anything to do with them at all."
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