Chapter 151 Jiang Shi Faints
Looking at her troublesome eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Gu felt both angry and helpless. She was very upset. If it weren't for her eldest son's affection, she wouldn't have let Zhang Shi into the Gu family. But it was already a done deal, and all she could do was watch over Zhang Shi for the rest of her life and make sure she didn't make any foolish mistakes or cause trouble.
She looked tired and waved her hand, saying, "You can all go back now, I'm exhausted."
Seeing her mother-in-law's unpleasant expression, Zhang knew that she had displeased her. Feeling guilty, she didn't dare to continue to be an eyesore in front of her mother-in-law and quickly said, "Mother, please rest well. I won't bother you any longer."
Meng Jinyao and Madam Chen also told Old Madam Gu to rest well, and then left with Madam Zhang.
After they left, Madam Gu exhaled a breath of stale air and muttered under her breath, "What a bunch of scoundrels! They never have a moment of peace and are always causing trouble to harm the children."
Granny Feng hurriedly said, "Madam, please calm down."
Madam Gu frowned and said in a deep voice, "You're already in your fifties, yet you're still not steady in your actions. You're blinded by a leaf, only focusing on other people's titles and not seeing anything else. If I hadn't intervened in the marriage of the two children today, I'm afraid that Zhang would have agreed to the marriage between Xuan Yi and the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an in a few days. Once the marriage is settled, there will be basically no possibility of changing it."
Granny Feng remained silent. The old lady could say such things, but as a servant, she couldn't interrupt. However, the first lady was truly clueless, only seeing the benefits and not the drawbacks; she was extremely short-sighted.
Madam Gu added, "Fortunately, the second son's wife is more composed. Although the Liu family is of lower social standing, they are a respectable family with a small household. Xuanling's personality is suitable for such a family. If they meet and find someone they like, it's fine to settle down."
Granny Feng said, "Although the second young lady is not the second madam's biological daughter, she grew up by the second madam's side, and there is some affection between mother and daughter. We have put a lot of effort into finding a husband for the second young lady."
“She’s a bit smarter than Zhang.” Old Madam Gu’s expression softened slightly. “I don’t know who Xuanling took after. Her birth mother wasn’t this timid and cowardly, and her second son’s wife never mistreated her.”
Granny Feng pondered for a moment and replied, "Madam, perhaps it's because the Second Miss lost her birth mother at a young age. Although the Second Madam didn't mistreat her, she wasn't her biological mother after all and couldn't give her the love a birth mother would give. Moreover, the Second Madam is the legal mother, so there's an invisible barrier between them. On the other hand, the Eldest Miss was raised with meticulous care and pampering by the First Madam. With this comparison, the Second Miss feels hurt and inferior, which over time has led to her timid and cowardly nature."
Madam Gu sighed, "Alright, I'll go to the Buddhist hall to calm down. This troublesome child is giving me a headache."
Granny Feng responded and accompanied Old Madam Gu to the Buddhist hall.
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Meanwhile, the three sisters-in-law left Shou'an Hall.
Not long after leaving Shou'an Hall, Madam Chen spoke sarcastically to Madam Zhang: "Sister-in-law, I'm not trying to criticize you, but if you want Xuanyi to marry into a good family, you can't just look at family background. The Wu'an Marquis's mansion is so complicated, how could Xuanyi possibly handle it?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang felt indignant and said with a stern face, "At least my original intention was for the good of my daughter, to make her a noble lady of the heir apparent and a future countess."
She scoffed lightly, glancing at Madam Chen with a mocking look, "As for Second Sister-in-law, although Xuanling isn't your biological daughter, she grew up by your side and genuinely considers you her mother. She's called you 'Mother' for over a decade, and yet when you try to find her a husband, you want to marry her into a poor, destitute family. A girl from a marquis's family should marry someone of equal social standing, but you want her to marry down to a lowly eighth-rank official's family."
These words sound like the legitimate mother deliberately mistreating her illegitimate daughter.
Madam Chen's face darkened, and she was furious. She retorted, "Social status is secondary; suitability is the most important thing. Even Mother is satisfied with the Liu family. Unlike the Marquis of Wu'an's family, which is a good match for our Marquis of Changxing's family, but they have a lot of troubles. It's a marriage that others don't care about, but my sister-in-law treats it like a treasure."
Zhang was furious: "You..."
Seeing her get the short end of the stick, Madam Chen felt incredibly pleased. She curled the corners of her lips and said calmly, "Sister-in-law, don't be so quick to get angry with me. Tomorrow you're taking Xuanyi and the Marquis of Wu'an's wife on a boat trip on the lake. The Marquis of Wu'an's heir is handsome and a member of the Marquis's family. Xuanyi might really have taken a liking to him. I know Xuanyi's personality; she wants what she likes, and if she doesn't get it, she'll throw a tantrum. You should talk to Xuanyi first and make her more level-headed tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang's face turned grim, and she was filled with regret. She should have discussed it with her mother-in-law before making a decision. Now that she had already made an appointment with the Lady of Wu'an for a lake trip tomorrow, it was too late to back out. If Xuan Yi didn't go, it would be like playing a trick on the Lady of Wu'an, and it might cause a grudge.
Seeing Chen's gloating smile, Zhang became even more furious.
Meng Jinyao followed silently behind them without saying a word, lest she be caught in the crossfire. She didn't want to get involved in the rivalry between the sisters-in-law and only wanted to remain neutral.
Just then, a maid rushed towards them in a panic. Upon seeing them, she quickly curtsied and said to Madam Zhang, "Madam, something terrible has happened! The eldest young mistress has returned, but she fainted as soon as she arrived at the door."
Zhang was stunned. Her mother-in-law was unwell, and her eldest daughter-in-law had gone back to her parents' home to visit her a few days ago. How could she have fainted as soon as she got home? Could it be that she had exhausted herself taking care of her mother? But that couldn't be the case. Jiang was in good health and wouldn't be that delicate.
A moment later, she hurriedly asked, "Young Madam, why did you suddenly faint?"
The maid gently shook her head: "This servant doesn't know either. She just got off the carriage and suddenly collapsed, unconscious."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang frowned, feeling somewhat agitated. It was truly one problem after another. Her daughter's matter was still unresolved, and now her daughter-in-law had gotten into trouble. She asked in a deep voice, "Quickly, ask the family physician to come and treat the eldest young mistress."
The maid replied, "Madam, someone has already gone to fetch the family physician."
Zhang nodded. She had originally intended to send someone to the academy to invite her eldest son back, but since her son wasn't a doctor, his return wouldn't be of any use. So, instead of delaying his studies, she went to see her daughter-in-law herself.
Chen and Meng Jinyao exchanged a glance, nodded in tacit agreement, and went to take a look as well.
This time, Madam Chen didn't argue with Madam Zhang. Instead, she comforted her, saying, "Sister-in-law, don't worry too much. Xiuyuan's wife has always been in good health, so there shouldn't be any problems. I heard that Madam Jiang was ill, and Xiuyuan's wife went back to visit her. Perhaps she was too tired from taking care of Madam Jiang these past few days, which is why she fainted."
Zhang felt that Chen was being insincere, paused in her steps, glanced at Chen, and then continued walking. In the end, she held back and did not continue arguing with her, after all, her daughter-in-law was the most important thing.
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