After leaving the garden, Madam Ye recalled the sarcastic words of the Lady of Wuyi Marquis and became angrier the more she thought about it. Unable to swallow her anger, she went to find Shen Youying in a huff.
Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan had just sat down when they saw Madam Ye stride over with a sullen face.
Her face was flushed with anger, and she came aggressively, clearly looking for trouble. Shen Youying frowned slightly, but did not get up. She looked at her indifferently and asked, "Does Aunt have something to say?"
In the past, if Shen Youying saw her, she would definitely get up to greet her. How could she sit there motionless for even half a step, without even asking the servants to add a stool for her?
Madam Ye was so angry she laughed. All the old and new grudges burst forth. She said recklessly, "Your Highness is of noble status. I am not worthy of being called 'Aunt.' I have only come today to beg Your Highness to show mercy and spare my son. You are now the high and mighty Princess Consort of Qin, with a bright future ahead of you. My son has studied hard for ten years in the imperial examinations and finally caught the eye of the Crown Prince, getting a good job. He would never dare to presume to associate with the Qin Prince's mansion."
Hearing her twist the truth and make false accusations, Xie Qinglan was about to speak in anger, but Shen Youying held her hand down.
Shen Youying changed her sitting posture, straightened her back, looked into her eyes, and said in a calm tone, word by word, "Whether Madam Lu really doesn't know or is pretending not to know, it is Lord Lu who can't let go of the past, not me."
"What is the reason for Madam Lu to come begging me to let him go now? When the Shen family fell into misfortune, the Lu family took advantage of the situation and broke off the engagement. Did I utter a single word of criticism? When I saw Madam Lu, did I also politely call her 'Aunt'? Now I am a married woman, and my husband and I are living in harmony. Yet, Lord Lu disregards the difference between men and women and comes to harass me. Instead of disciplining her son, Madam Lu is turning black into white and throwing mud at me."
Shen Youying suggested softly, "If Madam Lu could arrange a marriage for Lord Lu as soon as possible, I think it would be a win-win situation. What do you think, Madam Lu?"
Madam Ye was stunned by her string of words. Shen Youying was always obedient and gentle in front of her, never showing any sharp teeth or claws. At that time, although Madam Ye was not happy about the marriage, she thought that the Shen family was of high status and Shen Youying was obedient. She figured that she could just set more rules for her after she married into the family, so she agreed to go and ask for her hand in marriage.
She never expected that the usually submissive Shen Youying would have such a sharp tongue and be so unyielding.
Unable to refute her, she was so angry that her chest heaved, and she said "Fine" several times: "So all that obedience before was just an act. I can't argue with you, Your Highness, but I hope you remember this: don't bother my son anymore. He will find a better match."
Shen Youying nodded: "Times have changed. I will treat others the way they treat me. Madam Lu, please take care. I won't see you off."
Ye's face flushed red, and she stormed off.
She wanted to find her son and tell him the truth about Shen Youying, but she was worried that her son would resent her for going to Shen Youying in secret. Just as she was hesitating, Lu Minghe's voice suddenly rang out behind her: "Mother, do you have to embarrass me like this at someone else's birthday banquet?"
Startled, Ye turned around abruptly and saw Lu Minghe standing behind her, looking at her with a deep and dark gaze.
Ye's heart skipped a beat, and she guiltily tried to straighten his clothes: "What did you say? How could your mother embarrass you?"
Lu Minghe took a step back, avoiding her hand, and looked at her mockingly: "In the garden, Zhao Zhao already rejected me once. Why did Mother have to make things difficult for her and force her to say such things?"
He looked at his mother with immense pain, almost in tears: "Are you determined to destroy even the last shred of affection between us?"
Ye was shocked that he had overheard her and immediately panicked: "I just couldn't bear to see you being talked about and wanted to stand up for you! What's so good about her? Did she put a curse on you, that's why you keep thinking about her? Do you know what people are saying about you?"
She looked at Lu Minghe pleadingly: "Listen to your mother's advice, stop thinking about her. If you really can't forget her, I'll find you someone who looks like her. Get married and have children. Life is so long, you'll eventually forget her."
Lu Minghe was fed up with talking to her like a brick wall. He didn't want to argue with his mother in someone else's house, so he lowered his voice and said sullenly, "No one can replace Zhaozhao in my heart. I'm just being pathetic. I can't forget her or let her go. If Mother feels ashamed, just pretend you don't have a son like me. But if you continue to make things difficult for Zhaozhao, I'll move out of this house right now!"
Startled by his fierce and resolute expression, Ye dared not say anything more and could only stare blankly as he turned and strode away.
*
Lu Minghe lost control of his emotions and could no longer stay at the Xie residence. He hurriedly made an excuse to leave early, but did not know where to go.
After standing there for a long time, he finally walked dejectedly towards the tavern.
As he staggered away, he was unaware that Xue Shen was coldly watching him from the carriage parked by the roadside.
A moment later, one of the guards accompanying Shen Youying came out to report, relaying the conversation between Lu Minghe, Shen Youying, and Ye Shi verbatim.
Xue Shen's expression grew even more gloomy after hearing this. He slowly tapped his knee with his fingers, and after a long while, he said, "The Ye family dislikes that cousin we found out about before?"
The guard replied, "Yes, she's called my cousin, but we're only related by blood. She comes from a humble background and her family has fallen on hard times, so she went to the Lu family for help. Madam Ye took her in out of consideration for her reputation, but it seems that she has developed feelings for Lu Minghe. Madam Ye has already started looking for a marriage partner for her and is preparing to marry her off."
What was the woman's temperament like?
"Her hometown is far away, and the maids and servants who served her were dismissed after she came to the capital, so I couldn't find out much for the time being. However, I learned from the servants of the Lu family that this cousin is very good at putting on a show. In public, she appears gentle, kind, and forgiving, but in reality, she has a bad temper, is petty, and extremely bold. After learning that Madam Ye wanted to hastily marry her off, she went to Madam Ye's house and had a fight. After that, although the two lived under the same roof, they never saw each other again. Moreover, Madam Ye seemed to be worried about something. Even though this cousin had offended her so much, she not only didn't dare to send her away, but instead became even more attentive in choosing a marriage for her, and didn't dare to force her."
Xue Shen chuckled with amusement after hearing this: "She does have some tricks up her sleeve. Since Madam Ye dislikes her so much, let her become Madam Ye's daughter-in-law. That way, she won't have time to go looking for trouble with others."
He didn't want to act so quickly, but the mother and son were both incredibly restless. Since that was the case, he had no choice but to give them something to do.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
