Chapter 23: Tooth for Tooth
The wife of the Marquis of Yongchang remained calm, as if she had anticipated Madam Xiao's anger. She gently stroked her sleeves, her tone carrying a hint of unquestionable arrogance.
"Sister Xiao, you can't say that. Caiyi has been my wife since she was little. She married far away and now she's lost her husband and is in trouble. As her aunt, I naturally have to take good care of her."
"After Fushu came into the family, she became her cousin-in-law. It's only natural for us to care about her. Besides, the position of the eldest grandson of the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion is decided by our family, isn't it?"
Mrs. Xiao's fingers trembled slightly with anger. She suppressed the anger in her heart and spoke in a cold and hard voice.
"Since Madam is so determined to take care of your niece and is willing to raise her child to become the eldest grandson of the Yongchang Marquisate, why don't you just let the young master of the Marquisate marry your niece? That would be a natural progression. Why would you bring your Marquisate's affairs to my Zhongyong Marquisate?"
The wife of Marquis Yongchang chuckled, her eyes revealing a hint of disdain.
"Sister Xiao, why are you so stubborn? These days, those who know the current situation are heroes. If the Xiao family wants to gain a foothold in the capital, they must have a backer, right?"
Madam Xiao spoke in a cold voice.
"My Xiao family is full of loyal and brave people. We have the emperor's protection and do not need to rely on the Yongchang Marquis' Mansion to survive."
Seeing that Madam Xiao was still stubborn, the wife of Marquis Yongchang became even more angry.
"Madam Xiao, I'm doing this out of consideration for your Xiao family because of our past friendship. If Fushu marries into the Marquisate, she'll be the young lady of the Marquisate. How is this status and position unfair to her?"
"It's just a child. When the time comes, there will be a nanny to take care of her, so she won't have to worry about it. As for Caiyi, she will just be given a yard to live in. As a wife, she should learn to be tolerant and generous, instead of being petty."
Xiao Fushu sat aside with his head down, tears falling down, and he tightly grasped his handkerchief. He had made his mother embarrassed.
Seeing this, Lin Qingwan reached out and held her hand to comfort her.
Looking at her timid look, Wang Zhaowen, the prince of Yongchang Marquisate, spoke.
"Fushu, aren't you going to say something? Do you really want the elders of both families to be at odds with each other because of you?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Fushu looked up at Wang Zhaowen, tears still in the corners of his eyes, and his eyes were full of disbelief. He had clearly given him a gift before, but now he couldn't tell right from wrong.
"What do you want me to say? Accept your cousin's child and raise it under my name? What about my future children?"
Wang Zhaowen frowned and spoke unhappily when he heard this.
"You haven't even married yet, and you're already so jealous. How can you fulfill your duties as a wife in the future?"
My second sister dared to divorce, so even if I am useless, can't I cancel the engagement? Xiao Fushu looked straight into Wang Zhaowen's eyes.
"You've already said that I haven't married into your family yet. Although I, Xiao Fushu, don't come from a prominent family, I do know propriety, righteousness, and honor. Asking me to raise someone else's child before I even marry into your family is such a ridiculous thing, I, Xiao Fushu, will never agree to it! If your family is determined to raise a child for my cousin, you can simply cancel this engagement and welcome your cousin into your family. From then on, our two families will have nothing to do with each other!"
When Xiao Fushu said this, Mrs. Xiao was shocked. She had three children. Her son had been steady since childhood and learned martial arts and went to the battlefield. Her second daughter was good at managing the household and her temperament was sometimes gentle and sometimes strong.
It was the third daughter, who was quite old when she gave birth, and could be considered a pearl given by an old clam. She had been weak since she was young, and her family spoiled her. She had always been well-behaved, but no one expected that she could say such words today.
Lin Qingwan also looked at Xiao Fusu in surprise. These days, her family knew her weak nature and basically took care of her emotions. She didn't expect her to say such tough words today.
If you can't interrupt your elders when they're talking, then can't you talk back when your peers are talking? Lin Qingwan also looked at Wang Zhaowen and spoke coldly.
"What Fushu said is that since the prince feels that the Xiao family is marrying up to your Yongchang Marquisate, then why not cancel the engagement? Whether the prince wants to marry his cousin and raise someone else's child, or he wants to marry someone else, it has nothing to do with my Xiao family."
After being criticized repeatedly, Wang Zhaowen's face turned ugly.
"Your Xiao family is really..."
"A bunch of ignorant women."
"Xiao Fushu, with your personality, you are cowardly and unlovable. The Xiao family is no longer the same as before. Who else would marry you except me?"
Xiao Fuguang just heard this sentence when he walked in.
"It's not your Wang family's turn to kneel."
Xiao Fuguang walked in with a cold face, his eyes fell on Wang Zhaowen, and he looked at him nakedly.
"When my father was alive, he said that the Marquis of Yongchang was honest and upright, a good official who cared about the people. That's why he betrothed my third sister to your Yongchang Marquisate. Today, it seems that the Marquis's lifelong reputation is about to be ruined by his own incompetent son."
Xiao Fushu stood up and walked to Xiao Fuguang.
"elder sister."
Xiao Fuguang reached out and patted the back of her hand.
"Don't be afraid. No one can bully the daughter of the Xiao family. Even if you don't get married, your sister can support you for the rest of your life."
Wang Zhaowen's face turned pale with anger after hearing Xiao Fuguang's words. He had never been humiliated like this before, especially in front of a woman.
"you……………"
He was about to retort, but found himself speechless. The anger was stuck in his throat, unable to go up or down.
Seeing this, the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang spoke sarcastically.
"I was wondering who it was, but it turns out this is the rumored second young lady who was divorced by the Gu family. The second young lady herself was divorced for her bad behavior, so she shouldn't be making such a fuss here. After all, being divorced isn't a respectable thing."
Mrs. Xiao was furious when she heard this.
"Snap"
With a sound, he put the teacup hard on the table.
"Please be careful with your words, madam."
"My Fu Guang was divorced amicably, not divorced."
Xiao Fuguang glanced at the wife of Marquis Yongchang, calmly pulled Fushu to sit down, and reached out to take the teacup handed to him by Liu Yue.
"My divorce from the Gu family was approved by the Regent. The Emperor's imperial decree is still enshrined in the Xiao family's ancestral hall. Now, Madam has come to mock and insult me, and she is even more confusing right and wrong. It seems that the Yongchang Marquisate is questioning the Emperor's decree and, by extension, the Regent's decision."
Questioning the Emperor? Questioning the Regent? Is he really trying to save his life? The wife of the Marquis of Yongchang grew anxious upon hearing this.
"Stop being so sharp-tongued. When did I ever question the Emperor or the Regent? Don't make random accusations."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Fuguang looked at her.
"Ma'am, what are you panicking about?"
"Since you've concluded that I was the one who put the blame on you, then why are you panicking?"
"To steal the meaning of the Emperor's decree and change its meaning, isn't that questionable?"
A divorced woman actually dared to speak to her mother like that. Wang Zhaowen, how could you bear it? You scolded her immediately.
"Xiao Fuguang, stop exaggerating. My mother was just speaking too hastily. Aren't you afraid that it will affect your sister's marriage by making such a big deal out of it?"
Xiao Fuguang took a sip of tea calmly.
"As a marquis' wife, instead of being cautious in her words and actions, she speaks out without restraint, questioning the Emperor and the Regent. It seems that when the Marquis of Yongchang married a wife, he didn't have the virtue to do so. If the Marquis knew about her behavior today, he would probably file a divorce letter and send her back to her parents' home."
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