Chapter 137 When Madam Su entered the house, was it with the permission of her parents or the words of the matchmaker?
It was obvious that Lin's words were specifically meant for Rong to hear, saying that her husband died early, that she had no children, and that she had no blessings at all.
I had intended to exploit Rong's weakness, letting her know where she was sitting and whose residence she belonged to. Unexpectedly, Rong's expression remained unchanged. Instead, she nodded with great satisfaction and said, "So it's Madam Yuan who's here to put the hairpin on Ying'er. Not bad, really good."
As she spoke, she calmly looked at Su Ying, who was slightly moved by Lin's provocative words. She gently stroked her niece's hand and smiled, a smile that was clearly both soothing and restraining.
Rong said, "Ying'er, with Madam Yuan inserting the hairpin for you, everything will go smoothly for you from now on."
Then, as if remembering something, she turned her head casually to look at Lin, her tone still gentle: "We have someone to insert the hairpin, so has the lady who will preside over the hairpin ceremony been chosen?"
The person who inserts the hairpin is already one of the most famous ladies in Yueqing. So, the lady who presides over the hairpin ceremony should be from an official family and be well-known, right?
Unfortunately, Lin was still a little slow in her judgment and couldn't discern the truth from the words. She simply felt that her words had suppressed Rong's aura and given her the upper hand. She continued to hold her head high and said proudly, "Of course, I, the eldest lady's mother, will personally preside over this ceremony. It's legitimate and proper. Doesn't Madam Du understand?"
Unexpectedly, Rong's eyes showed a hint of hesitation. She said calmly, "It's good for Madam Su to preside over it, but whether this title is legitimate or not is something we need to discuss."
Lin's expression changed, and her voice rose a few notches: "What do you mean, Madam Du?"
Seeing Lin's panic, Rong smiled coldly and said, "Ying'er is the legitimate daughter, so this coming-of-age ceremony should be presided over by her legitimate mother. I remember that Madam Su has been in charge of the household affairs for more than ten years since she came into the family, but when did she enter the Su family and under what status? Madam Su may not remember, but I remember it clearly."
After saying this, she paused briefly, her gaze falling on Lin, and she said, "Since you've taken care of my Ying'er for two years, I naturally remember this favor and respectfully call you Madam Su. But if we really want to discuss etiquette, whether you can preside over this coming-of-age ceremony or not, we still need to discuss it carefully."
"Madam Su, when you entered the family, did you have your parents' permission and the matchmaker's advice? Did you follow the six rituals? I remember that Madam Su is not from Yueqing. May I ask where your family is from? What is your status?"
Rong's words were so intense and pointed that Lin, who had long forgotten the past for more than ten years, was stunned and stood up subconsciously: "You, you!"
She was speaking incoherently, looking extremely weak. "Of course I was carried into the house in a sedan chair. If it wasn't a formal marriage, why did you bring it up instead of others?!"
When Rong saw her stand up, she also slowly stood up, still smiling, but without a trace of leniency. "Father Su passed away young, and Mother Su's funeral was also handled by my eldest sister. Now that the two elders of the Su family are both gone, no one will dwell on the past."
"What's more, you entered the Su Sect, not someone else's. Even if outsiders noticed something, who would say anything? If others don't say anything, they'll just laugh at your jokes!"
She paused for a moment, then suddenly raised her voice, "But I'm different. I'm Ying'er's aunt. As long as it concerns her reputation, even if there's even the slightest ambiguity, I won't sit idly by!"
"If your identity is unknown and your origins are unclear, then you won't be able to hold the title of Madam Su properly! Not to mention even thinking of getting involved in my Ying'er's coming-of-age ceremony!"
Lin's face turned pale and she staggered back a step.
Rong followed closely and took another step forward.
Unexpectedly, when Lin retreated again, he forgot that there was a screen blocking his way behind him, and he bumped into it carelessly. With a clang, the screen fell over, and the figure of a man was exposed to the public.
This person is Lin’s cousin Wei Liang.
He had originally just wanted to take a look at the eldest daughter of the Su family, whom he hadn't seen for several months, to see if she had become more beautiful. But when he looked, he saw Rong Shi, who had come with her.
Rong had a dignified demeanor, a clear expression, and an air of majesty without even getting angry. Every word she spoke was sonorous and compelling, leaving the usually domineering Lin powerless to resist.
Wei Liang's eyes went straight to her when he saw her. He didn't care what Lin and Rong were saying. He just felt that this person had a bit more charm than Su Ying. He was hiding behind the screen to watch, but when he saw Rong approaching, he stood up and moved closer to the screen, greedily examining her.
Unexpectedly, Lin suddenly bumped into the screen. Just as he squinted his eyes to take a closer look, the screen fell to the ground with a clang, and he appeared with his eyes wide open and an obscene look on his face.
Since he couldn't hide, he simply stepped forward, taking the opportunity to get closer to Rong. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, his lips curled slightly, imitating the elegant and talented man in the opera. He bowed with both hands and said, "My name is Wei Liang, and I'm honored to meet Madam Du."
Such slick and artificial attitude made Rong frown slightly, and he couldn't help but take a step back, obviously unwilling to say more to him.
Unexpectedly, Wei Liang remained calm and approached again, his eyes and eyebrows etched with a hint of flirtation, his tone intimate: "Madam Du, although I have never seen you in person, my brother-in-law often mentions to me that our eldest daughter has an aunt in the capital who dotes on her dearly."
"Perhaps Madam Du has lived in Beijing for so long that her memory of past events has been distorted."
He paused and continued, "My cousin, although not as well-educated as Madam Du, is also from a good family. If not, wouldn't her twins have no status?"
Seeing this man who claimed to be Lin's cousin cleverly pulling out the twins to resist, Rong chuckled and was about to refute, but Su Jianrong arrived late at this time.
"Ruolan!" As if to use his status to pressure people, or as if to pretend to be intimate, Su Jianrong called out Rong's maiden name after seeing her, as if she was still the little follower who followed her elder sister back then. Su Jianrong himself was also like the serious-minded him back then, as if all the unbearable things that had happened in the past had never happened.
"I just heard Su Run say that you were the one who brought Ying'er back. I didn't believe it. I never thought it was really you!"
Seeing that Rong Shi didn't say anything, Su Jianrong didn't care much and just said, "Now I should respectfully address you as Madam Du. Blame me for being so happy that I still treat you like the little girl I was back then!"
"I just heard you talking about Ying'er's coming-of-age ceremony?"
At this time, because Wei Liang had appeared, Su Ying had already stood up and was accompanying her aunt. Seeing Su Jianrong glance at her, she cleverly bowed and called him "Father", not wanting to let anyone find fault with her and implicate her aunt.
Seeing this, Lin also hurried forward and choked up, "Madam Du questioned my background, saying that I came from an unknown background and was not married to the master in a formal way, so I am not qualified to be the eldest lady's host."
Unexpectedly, Su Jianrong did not show any partiality. Instead, he smiled and said to Rong: "Since you are back, it is natural for you, as Ying'er's aunt, to preside over the ceremony. It is just and proper."
As for Lin, he said casually, "Meifen comes from a good family, with good documents to prove it. If you don't believe me, I'll have someone bring it to you and you'll see for yourself."
I thought I could calm the situation with just one sentence; after all, who would really bother to investigate the mistress's family background? Unexpectedly, Rong didn't go along with it. Instead, she replied calmly, "That's great. Seeing it with your own eyes is always better than hearsay."
Her tone was calm, but her eyes swept over Lin and Su Jianrong calmly, and then she smiled gently: "If there are still people who have doubts in the future, I can also clear Madam Su's name to prevent others from gossiping and damaging the reputation of the Su family."
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