Today, the number of people coming to pay their respects was exceptionally high, almost filling the main room. At first glance, it looked like a prosperous family with many children and grandchildren.
Madam Xiao sat at the head of the table, seemingly in a good mood. She paid little attention to the room full of annoying concubines and illegitimate children. She didn't even look at Marquis Xiao, who was sitting at the other end of the rosewood octagonal table. Instead, she gazed at Xiao Lun with loving eyes.
Xu Rong came in later and was immediately struck by the scene.
She wasn't moved by Madam Xiao's maternal love, but rather by the realization that Xiao Lun probably hadn't yet reported the pressure that Marquis Xiao was putting on him to Madam Xiao.
If he had spoken, even if Madam Xiao couldn't bear to be angry with him, she would never have appeared so calm.
Did he not agree to Lord Xiao's request, or was he not going to agree so quickly and wanted to delay?
While a myriad of thoughts raced through his mind, Xu Rong remained outwardly composed, smiling as he bowed and greeted Madam Xiao along with Xiao Xin.
Having seen her own son, Madam Xiao found them all a bit more agreeable. Without asking why they had lagged behind, she simply nodded and said, "Alright, sit down and let's talk."
Upon hearing this, everyone took their seats.
"It's kind of you, Lord Marquis, to still remember your son, Lun'er," Madam Xiao turned to Lord Marquis and smiled, "I was worried that he was busy with official duties outside and might not have enough to eat or wear, so I was thinking of calling him home."
Lord Xiao's face was stern: "...Hmm."
He didn't turn his head or meet Madam Xiao's gaze.
Madam Xiao didn't mind and said to Xiao Lun, "You should be done with your work now. From now on, just stay home. Those people outside are too clumsy and won't be able to take good care of you. Besides, your wife has had a tough time lately. She's been carrying the burden all by herself and even fell ill from exhaustion. You should spend some time with her."
Xiao Lun stood up, cupped his hands in acknowledgment, and Chang Shuyin also stood up and curtsied, saying, "Madam, you flatter me. It's just a daughter-in-law's duty."
Madam Xiao's smile faded slightly. Chang Shuyin's reaction was not as flattered as she had expected; it was rather indifferent, even a little melancholy. For a daughter-in-law to respond to her mother-in-law like that was not very tactful.
However, she was in a good mood today, and on second thought, she found a reason for Chang Shuyin: she had just recovered from her illness, so it was inevitable that she was still a little out of sorts.
But this gave her a new source of dissatisfaction. Nothing much had happened; she was just following her around every day, learning how to manage the household affairs. She hadn't been asked to do anything specific, yet she had already fallen ill from exhaustion. Her health was just too weak.
She's not even as good as that girl Xiao Shan, who always claims to be sick, but is never really sick.
After all, she was the daughter-in-law he had chosen, and she had been quite respectful since marrying into the family. So Madam Xiao suppressed her dissatisfaction and said gently, "Although you are better, don't be careless. You should still ask the doctor to continue to take care of you and get your body back in good shape so that you can bear children for the Xiao family. That is truly your duty."
Chang Shuyin's face finally turned red. She curtsied again and said in a low voice, "Yes, your wife will listen to you, Madam."
Madam Xiao shifted her attention away from her eldest son and daughter-in-law, and glanced at Xu Rong again, seemingly unintentionally. Seeing that Xu Rong looked serene and completely unaffected by Xiao Lun and Chang Shuyin's presence together, the lingering worry in her heart dissipated.
What's past is past.
She called out Xu Rong's name: "It's been almost a month since Erlang's wife entered the family, hasn't it? She and Erlang get along quite well. When it comes to life, you have to look forward to make things go smoothly, right?"
Xu Rong replied with a smile, "Of course what you say is true, Madam."
She's cheerful and always has a smile on her face.
Madam Xiao couldn't see any resentment or dissatisfaction in her, so she was relieved and stopped pressuring her. As for the rest of the family, she couldn't be bothered with them anymore. Although there was one she disliked the most—Aunt Ruan—there was also Lord Xiao present, and she would have to protect her. It wouldn't look good if the younger generation started arguing, so Madam Xiao held back and said, "Alright, it's a blessing for the family to be harmonious and peaceful. Don't linger here. Lord Xiao and Lun'er still have to go to the yamen. Everyone, go and do your own thing."
Lord Xiao had nothing to say, and stood up to leave first. Xiao Lunci followed, giving Chang Shuyin a meaningful look before also taking his leave.
Xu Rong was stunned for a moment—it was one thing for Lord Xiao to leave, but why did Xiao Lun leave just like that?
He had just questioned her in front of everyone outside, and time was of the essence, so they came in immediately. Madam Xiao didn't have time to receive the report, but it was only a matter of a moment. Whether Xiao Lun agreed or not, Madam Xiao couldn't hide it from Lord Xiao or delay it any longer.
She didn't believe that Xiao Lun wouldn't understand this principle.
While she was puzzled, Aunt Ruan and the others left. Madam Wei glanced at her, looking like she wanted to say hello but was too embarrassed. Xu Rong couldn't stay any longer, so she just smiled and followed Madam Wei out with Xiao Xin.
After leaving the hospital, Xu Rong couldn't help but look ahead—the backs of Lord Xiao and Xiao Lun were one in front of the other, and then she looked into the courtyard—only Chang Shuyin was left inside.
Everyone involved had fled, leaving her alone to explain and face Madam Xiao's first wave of anger.
Xu Rong was genuinely surprised. For a moment, she even felt a little sorry for Chang Shuyin. She thought Xiao Lun would be caught in the middle, but it turned out that the situation had completely fallen on Chang Shuyin.
"Your older brother looks respectable, but he does such a shady thing," Xu Rong muttered to Xiao Xin.
As the biological son, Xiao Lun was the best person to talk to, yet he ran away.
Xiao Xin didn't think that much about it. In fact, he didn't know where she got that comment from, but he immediately nodded and said, "Mm."
He was in a hurry to leave for Mr. Su's place today and urged her, "Let's go."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a maid ran out of the courtyard and said in a hurried voice, "Second Madam, please wait! Madam has something to ask you. Please go back."
Before Xu Rong could respond, Xiao Xin showed a wary expression. He suddenly realized the meaning of Xu Rong's words and said to her, "I'll go with you."
"No need," Xu Rong shook his head. "Madam just called me."
Xiao Xin persisted, but Xu Rong smiled and said, "Second Young Master, I have a way."
Yes, she always has a way.
Xiao Xin did not distrust her; he had personally witnessed her handling of Madam Xiao several times and she had never suffered a loss. However, for some reason, he still felt a strange force compelling him to stay rooted to the spot and refuse to move.
"I'll help you," he managed to say.
Xu Rong shook his head: "Second Young Master, really, there's no need. You need to see your teacher."
However, she understood a little about Xiao Xin's behavior and said with a smile, "Second Young Master, is it because of me that you mentioned the Heir Apparent, and now you feel bad about it? But it's different."
Xiao Lun and Chang Shuyin are a real couple, so they should share the burdens. They are not, so it's enough for them to do their jobs properly.
After she finished speaking, she saw that Xiao Xin seemed to freeze for a moment, and realized that she had said the right thing, so she continued, "Second Young Master, your studying hard with your teacher is the greatest help you can give me."
Xiao Xin remained silent, and Xu Rong couldn't tell what he was thinking, but this time he finally didn't say anything and turned away.
Ms. Wei, who had been observing from the sidelines, breathed a sigh of relief. Then she looked around, her face blank, unsure of what to do next.
Xu Rong made a choice for her: "It's alright, Auntie, you should go back too."
After hesitating for a moment, Madam Wei nodded. She knew that she couldn't help much if she stayed, and might even annoy Madam Xiao and cause trouble, so she had no choice but to leave.
Xu Rong calmly followed the increasingly anxious maid inside.
Upon seeing each other again, Madam Xiao's expression completely changed.
Without Xiao Lun's intervention, she went directly from gentle persuasion to thunderous rage.
"You gave the idea to the Ruan family?!"
As Madam Xiao questioned him, she flung a teacup to the ground. The fine, smooth white porcelain shattered into several pieces with a crisp sound, and the splashed tea landed on Chang Shuyin's skirt.
Xu Rong had just entered and was far enough away to avoid the situation. She stood straight, her slight smile unchanged: "Yes, Madam."
Madam Xiao was taken aback by her audacity, pointing a finger at her and momentarily speechless with anger: "You—!"
Xu Rong said, "Madam, please don't be angry. I didn't agree to Aunt Ruan's request."
Madam Xiao was furious: "What are you trying to argue about? What do you mean by 'agree' or 'disagree'? Wasn't it your idea?! Now you're admitting it!"
“Aunt Ruan asked the second young master’s aunt to find me, asking me to agree to take the eldest young lady out, but I did not agree to that.” Xu Rongzai explained to her carefully, then looked at Chang Shuyin with surprise, “Why didn’t the eldest mistress’s complaint against me complete?”
Chang Shuyin's lips trembled slightly: "Who reported you? I was just reporting the truth to Madam."
Her voice wasn't very loud, because she was still immersed in the sound of the porcelain shattering. Facing her mother-in-law's anger directly like that would be too much pressure for any daughter-in-law.
...She didn't know how Xu Rong could be so unafraid.
Madam Xiao finally calmed down a bit. She sensed something was wrong: "Did Madam Ruan contact you first?"
Xu Rong nodded: "That's right. Madam knows that the Marquis was angry about the Second Young Master's apprenticeship, but Madam was fair and helped the Second Young Master. The Marquis was so angry that he went to teach the Second Young Master's concubine a lesson, but Concubine Ruan arrived in time and saved Concubine Wei."
Madam Xiao listened intently. She actually knew this part, but she hadn't asked about it. What business was it of hers if Lord Xiao wanted to take his anger out on his concubine?
As for the possibility that Aunt Ruan might show favor to win over Madam Wei, she didn't even consider it. With Madam Wei in such a state, not even a god could help her up. What use would it be to win her over?
Xu Rong continued, "When the second young master and I heard about it, we were very anxious and rushed over. When we arrived, Aunt Ruan was telling Aunt Wei, 'The eldest young lady is being looked after by the madam; how pitiful she is. She's so old, and she can't even get married—'"
Madam Xiao said unhappily, "She's just not healthy enough, how can she blame me! She was exposed to the wind and rain when we took her out, and it's me, her stepmother, who is being unkind."
Xu Rong remained silent, only smiling and saying, "That's not what Aunt Ruan thought. She insisted on begging Aunt Wei to come to me, which put Aunt Wei in a very difficult position. She didn't dare to agree, but she also didn't dare to offend her."
Madam Xiao's temper gradually calmed down, which was exactly the reaction that Madam Wei would have, without any deviation.
“If even Aunt Wei doesn’t dare to agree, then I, as a junior, certainly don’t dare to agree. Just as you said, the eldest daughter is precious and delicate. If she were to get hurt, wouldn’t I have done something wrong with good intentions? I wouldn’t be able to explain this to the Marquis, the Madam, and Aunt Ruan.”
Madam Xiao nodded unconsciously. She felt she understood what Xu Rong meant. The Marquis and Concubine Ruan were actually just getting in her way.
She glanced at Xu Rong, finding every word she said to be reasonable, and then asked, "And then?"
"But I don't dare offend her—"
Madam Xiao was furious again: "What's there to be afraid of!"
Xu Rong lowered his voice a little: "To tell you the truth, Madam, I'm afraid that if I refuse, it won't matter. If she makes things difficult for Aunt Wei, how will the Second Young Master cope? He'll be worried about these things every day. How can he concentrate on his studies?"
Madam Xiao didn't think Xiao Xin could learn anything from that book. Seeing Xu Rong's convinced expression, she couldn't help but smile sarcastically. But despite her disdain, it was perfectly reasonable.
“So,” Madam Xiao finally connected this conclusion that infuriated her, “you just pushed it onto Lun’er and Yin Niang?”
Xu Rong smiled frankly and said, "I suppose so. Please understand me, Madam. I really have no other choice. I think even if I told the young master and the eldest mistress, I wouldn't dare to agree. The young master and the eldest mistress would definitely not agree either. I can just refuse again, and nothing will happen."
She looked slightly surprised: "Could it be—that the young master and the eldest mistress have agreed?"
She was asking a question she already knew the answer to; otherwise, Madam Xiao wouldn't have been so angry as to smash the teacup.
To be more precise, it should be said that Xiao Lun agreed.
His relationship with Lord Xiao was clearly shallow, which might make him lean more towards his mother, Lady Xiao, but it could also lead to another result: the shallower the relationship, the more difficult it would be to handle, and therefore the more he had to respond.
Xiao Lun's disobedience to Madam Xiao would at most result in a few reprimands from her, but his disobedience to Marquis Xiao would be a different story. It's hard to say how many tests that father-son bond could withstand.
Xu Rong was not surprised by this result. It could be seen from Xiao Lun's breaking off the engagement with the original owner that he was a person who put interests first, so it was normal for him to put interests above emotions when making choices.
But Madam Xiao couldn't understand.
Her son should, of course, side with her.
You should be more inclined to side with the wife you marry.
But that's not the case in reality.
Madam Xiao slowly fixed her gaze on Chang Shuyin, her eyes icy: "Madam, why don't you refuse?"
This time, her anger wasn't as intense, but it was deep and resonant, rising from the bottom of her heart—the pain of being stabbed in the back by one of her own.
Xu Rong's words were not entirely truthful, and she was very obviously shifting the blame. She knew this, but she never agreed and made up an excuse to decline. Chang Shuyin, on the other hand, had her backing and did not have the same concerns as Xu Rong. She should have been more confident. Why did she agree without even struggling or consulting her first?
Chang Shuyin panicked: "No, Madam, it was the Prince who promised—"
How could she possibly disobey Xiao Lun?
It would have been better if she hadn't said that; the moment she did, Madam Xiao became even angrier: "I'm asking you a question, and you're passing it on to Lun'er! Why didn't you do that in front of Madam Ruan? Now you've suddenly decided to!"
Chang Shuyin: "..."
She couldn't hold on any longer, and though she wanted to explain herself, she seemed to have no way to explain, so she finally knelt down.
**
Then came the scene of Madam Xiao instructing her daughter-in-law. Xu Rong didn't see the whole thing, nor was she very interested in watching it. She took advantage of a break and quietly slipped away.
When Xiao Xin returned in the evening, looking cold and exhausted, she sighed to him, "Being your wife's daughter-in-law is really unlucky."
Xiao Xin revealed a slight expression: "Hmm?"
Xu Rong roughly repeated it to him, and concluded at the end: "In short, your older brother is really not a man, and marrying him would be even more unlucky."
Xiao Xin: "Hmm."
He put down the stack of papers he was holding, turned around, and looked her over.
Xu Rong laughed and said, "I'm fine. I'm not her wife."
Xiao Xincai nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips, and suddenly said, "By the way, I didn't compete with him."
Xu Rong: "..." She was bewildered for a while, watching him rest for a bit, then pick up the paper again and go into the east side room. Finally, she realized what he meant and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
What does this have to do with anything?
Almost a day has passed.
There are people who seek revenge like this.
Thinking about it again, she felt suspicious. She took two steps after him and told him, "Second Young Master, it doesn't matter whether you compete or not. Just focus on your studies with your teacher and don't worry about these idle chatter."
brush.
Xiao Xin lifted the curtain he had lowered again, stared at her, and said, "I simply didn't compete."
What makes him comparable to Shawn Yue?
Xu Rong sighed helplessly and replied perfunctorily, "Okay, I understand."
Xiao Xin's expression as he peeked out seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but he was too lazy to argue with her, so he withdrew.
The curtain fell again.
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