Madam Sang, however, remained smiling, and said in a gentle and refined manner, "The county princess is of noble status, so naturally she has no shortage of jewels more precious than these. But I noticed that, despite all the jewels, the only thing missing from her skirt is the ornament of the forbidden steps. I think that if the county princess could restrain her behavior a little, and sway her lotus steps more gently, she would be even more graceful and pleasing to the eye."
In the past, during her time at the Imperial Tutor's Mansion, Xu had always patiently engaged in artful exchanges of words with the wives of the literati. However, ever since she married the military commander Jiang Dinglian, she seemed to have been influenced by his rough and tumble style, becoming increasingly inclined towards directness and honesty, and even more inclined towards direct action.
At this point, Mrs. Xu had already lost her patience with Mrs. Sang's roundabout conversation. She frowned, her tone clearly filled with displeasure, and demanded, "Are you actually lecturing my daughter on how to behave?"
The smile on Mrs. Sang's face froze instantly. She obviously had not expected that Xu would point it out so bluntly.
"The county princess has been displaced for a long time, so she naturally needs the careful guidance of her elders in many matters." Mrs. Sang estimated the kinship between her and the Marquis' Mansion in her heart, so she regarded herself as the elder.
Mrs. Xu said bluntly, "That's my responsibility. As her mother, I'll teach her. Madam Sang, don't worry about it. My daughter is a daughter of a general. Archery and horseback riding are no problem for her. As for those complicated etiquette, our mansion never pays attention to them. Madam Sang, please leave these rules to your own daughter."
Madam Sang frowned, her tone tinged with displeasure. "My daughter Wenyin always abides by the rules of propriety and is well-educated and well-mannered. I don't understand how she could have offended Princess Jiaqing to the point where she can't even enter the Marquis's mansion."
Jiang Songyi said casually, "Oh, she never told you about her savior?"
Mrs. Sang seemed a little confused, "Savior?" This unexpected turn of events left her at a loss for a moment.
Indeed, she had never heard Sang Wenyin mention this matter. Since she returned to the mansion, she has been crying non-stop, telling others about Jiang Songyi and Jiang Jinzhao's indifference to her, but other than that, she did not reveal any further details.
However, at this moment, when she heard Jiang Songyi's words and recalled the maid Huadie beside Sang Wenyin who seemed to want to say something but hesitated several times, an inexplicable doubt suddenly surged in her heart, and she felt that things did not seem simple.
Jiang Songyi repeated it to her casually, but his eyes revealed a profound meaning. "If Madam Sang still has doubts about today's events, you might as well go back and ask Miss Sang's personal maid in detail. By the way, you can also find out more about her savior for Miss Sang. She clearly cares more about that savior than she does about my eldest brother, Jiang Jinzhao."
Mrs. Sang's face changed suddenly. She felt that Jiang Songyi's words seemed to tarnish Sang Wenyin's reputation, but at this time she had not yet fully understood the truth of the matter. In addition, Sang Wenyin always expressed her unwillingness to marry Jiang Jinzhao, and she was a little uneasy in her heart, so she did not dare to refute Jiang Songyi's remarks.
"Today's gift is indeed inappropriate. I will carefully select a more appropriate gift for the county lady another day."
Mrs. Sang left in a hurry and returned home eagerly.
Jiang Songyi smiled at Mrs. Xu and said, "Mrs. Sang is so stingy. She even wants to take back the gift she gave away."
Although the forbidden step was not to her taste, she could tell its exquisiteness and value at a glance. After all, she still preferred expensive things.
After hearing this, Mrs. Xu couldn't help but laugh, and then she ordered the maid to select several exquisite pieces of jewelry for Jiang Songyi. Each piece was dazzling, enough to show her unique taste.
After returning home, Madam Sang immediately summoned Sang Wenyin's personal maid, Huadie, and asked her in detail about the whole incident. After hearing this, her face suddenly became extremely gloomy.
Although Princess Jiaqing was spoiled, Sang Wenyin also had many inappropriate behaviors.
As for Liao Lingxi, Madam Sang secretly agreed with Jiang Jinzhao's view that he was indeed suspicious. Therefore, she specifically instructed her maid Huadie to strictly guard Sang Wenyin and not let her have any contact with Liao Lingxi.
Ever since Liao Lingxi coldly refused to accompany her to the hospital that day, Sang Wenyin has been obsessed with him, her heart etched in her heart. Confined to her inner chambers, busy embroidering her wedding gown, she would often find herself picking up the handkerchief embroidered with his poems, lost in thought, lost in thought for long periods.
…
In a corner of the northern part of the city, there is a small courtyard with two entrances. The door plaque is crumbling and the three words "Chan Si Bo" are smeared on it.
This was the simplest and least valuable house that the emperor had carefully selected and finally bestowed upon Hao Ren.
Hao Ren is now under house arrest in the mansion, indulging in alcohol all day long, and in the end he even spent all the money he had to buy alcohol.
The Earl's Mansion had long lost the grandeur of its former Duke's Mansion, and even the servants in the house were only a handful of people left.
Xia Zhiyu, pregnant and left with only a maidservant to look after her, saw her life plummet from luxury to austerity, subsisting on simple meals while also caring for her bedridden old lady and the inebriated Hao Ren. Her skin, once radiant and delicate thanks to her regular application of Yulu ointment, gradually lost its luster under the constant toil, becoming aging and pale.
She pondered over and over with regret, wondering what kind of situation her marriage with Hao Ren had brought her to.
Liao Qianqian was sent to Rong'en Temple to become a nun, while Liao Lingxi moved into the deep mansion of Bo's Mansion with them.
However, the cramped living quarters of the Bo Mansion made Liao Lingxi feel extremely uncomfortable, like a fish trapped in shallow water. Even more troubling was the constant encounter between him and Xia Zhiyu, a verbal battle that made his days precarious and restless.
At this point, Xia Zhiyu no longer harbored the thought of killing Liao Lingxi. After all, the Duke of Huguo's Mansion had been utterly destroyed, and the current Marquis of Chansi's Mansion was merely a remnant of the Emperor's grace. Once Hao Ren passed away, the Marquis's Mansion's plaque would be removed, its glory fading, and the glory of its hereditary lineage would vanish with it.
After being whipped forty times by thugs sent by Jiang Songyi, Liao Lingxi remained bedridden for a long time. Xia Zhiyu, who controlled the Bo Mansion's finances, ignored him and even failed to call a doctor to treat him. Ultimately, it was the Sang family who intervened, summoning a doctor to treat his wounds and applying precious medicinal herbs.
Liao Lingxi originally thought that Sang Wenyin was still obsessed with him, but to his surprise, the doctor he had called in was actually arranged by Mrs. Sang. This all took him by surprise and gave him a new perspective on the people and things around him.
Mrs. Sang quietly asked the servant to convey a message to Liao Lingxi: the reason she invited the doctor to treat his injuries was entirely out of gratitude for his life-saving grace, but she hoped that he would stay away from her daughter from now on and not have any improper thoughts.
Liao Lingxi swore on the surface that he had no selfish intentions towards Sang Wenyin, but in his heart he resented Mrs. Sang's actions and secretly made up his mind to get Sang Wenyin no matter what.
However, the Sang family's rules were extremely strict, and Sang Wenyin was not allowed to leave the house easily, which made it difficult for Liao Lingxi to find a chance to meet her unexpectedly.
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