Chang Shuyin is sick again.
Last time I was exhausted, this time I was scared; there were only a few days between the two illnesses.
She initially held back, not daring to say anything—having just been scolded by her mother-in-law, she immediately complained of illness, as if retaliating against her mother-in-law.
The result of her holding on was that she fainted in front of the maids and the head housekeeper while Madam Xiao was doing her housework.
This caused a huge commotion.
Madam Xiao was first shocked, then angry: "Why didn't you say you were sick? Do you think I'm the kind of person who would be harsh on my daughter-in-law? The last time she was sick, I gave her leave and told her to rest!"
But it was too late to say any more. Upon hearing the news, the Lady of the Duke of Zheng personally came by carriage to visit him.
Generally, it is the wives of dukes and marquises. The wife of the Duke of Zheng was no less confident than Madam Xiao. To her face, she spoke calmly, but her words implied that Chang Shuyin was weak and could not properly take care of her parents-in-law. She had fallen ill twice in just two months after marrying into the family. In her secret words, she was accusing Madam Xiao of deliberately trying to establish her authority and teach Chang Shuyin a lesson, which is why a girl who was fine at home became weak after leaving the family.
Madam Xiao initially held back, but she was not a good-tempered person to begin with, and she was still angry about Xiao Shan's matter. Gradually, she couldn't hold back anymore and immediately retaliated with barbs, implying that the Duchess of Zheng was not good at teaching her daughter, and that Chang Shuyin could not help her mother-in-law, could not even take care of her own health, and was causing her elders trouble.
After a few words, the two ladies parted on bad terms.
When Lady Zheng came to visit Chang Shuyin at her bedside, she was still furious and pressed her for an answer: "Tell your mother the truth, how exactly has the Xiao family treated you?"
When Chang Shuyin saw her mother arrive, she felt relieved and smiled, saying, "Why do you ask that, Mother? I've always been doing well here."
"Then why have you been sick one after another!" Lady Zheng Guoguo hit the nail on the head, and then called over Chang Shuyin, one of her maids who had come with her as part of her dowry. "If Yinniang won't tell, then you tell her. How much injustice has she suffered here? I know that all mothers-in-law are like that, but what about the young master? Doesn't he try to protect Yinniang?"
The maid hesitated for a moment: "The young master hasn't been in the manor much lately—"
The Duchess of Zheng was shocked: "What?! He's having an affair? They've only been married a short time!"
Chang Shuyin hurriedly said, "Mother, what are you talking about? The young master is devoted to me, but because of that other side," she hesitated, "that other side has just entered the door, so the young master has to avoid them for a while."
Lady Zheng's expression softened: "Is that so? I had forgotten." She then frowned slightly, "It's just that you've suffered. How long will you have to keep this up? Let me tell you the truth, when a man is away from home for a long time, you can't be sure what he might do. You have to be careful."
“The young master has returned to stay these past two days,” Chang Shuyin said softly. “He’s just been busy with official duties, and Mother came during the day, so I didn’t see him.”
Lady Zheng was relieved: "Did he come back because you were sick? At least he was thoughtful."
The maid beside her wanted to say something, but Chang Shuyin glanced at her, so she had to swallow her words back.
Lady Zheng, with her back turned, didn't notice and asked again, "What about that girl from the Xu family? Has she given you any trouble?"
Chang Shuyin paused for a moment, then said, "No."
Lady Zheng was skeptical: "Really not? She's just going to accept that?"
Chang Shuyin forced a smile: "What can I do if I'm not willing? I'm already married to the second young master, can I get a divorce? Besides, there's still the madam, and she won't allow me to act recklessly."
Lady Zheng thought it made sense: "Your mother-in-law is indeed not someone to be trifled with. As for that matter, in my opinion, since the Xu girl had broken her head and couldn't remember, we should have just let it go. But she refused to suffer any loss and insisted on bringing her in so that she could keep an eye on her before she felt at ease."
Chang Shuyin lowered her head and remained silent.
Seeing this, Lady Zheng couldn't help but gently poke her forehead: "You stubborn girl, Xiao Lun is good, but there may be better ones. Why are you so fixated on him?"
Chang Shuyin shrank back slightly and said coquettishly, "Mother."
"Alas!" Lady Zheng felt sorry for her when she saw her pale face and sickly appearance. "You made your own choice, so now you have no choice but to bear it. But don't just keep enduring it. Your father is in the capital and can find Xiao Lun to talk to if he wants to."
Chang Shuyin hummed in agreement.
"And that girl from the Xu family," Lady Zheng Guodu said, still worried. "With the Xu family like that, I don't think she can cause any trouble. You might as well be more magnanimous and not bother with her over trivial matters. If you can act like an elder sister-in-law, the past will naturally pass, and there's plenty of time ahead. But if you keep arguing with her, it will never end."
Chang Shuyin nodded: "Mother, I know, that's exactly what I did."
Lady Zheng nodded, then said with a sigh, "I used to think that since you are the second daughter, you don't have to bear the burden of being the eldest daughter like your sister, and you can be more relaxed about marriage. So I didn't teach you many things."
Now, she feels that no matter how she teaches, it's never enough. Even if Chang Shuyin only reports good news and not bad, how could her mother not see the difference? But it's inevitable that a daughter will suffer some grievances after marrying into another family. She herself has been a daughter-in-law before, and she can only endure what she has to endure. Only when she becomes a mother-in-law can she finally get ahead.
Lady Zheng talked on and on until nearly noon before reluctantly leaving.
Chang Shuyin's head maid saw her off, and upon returning, couldn't help but ask, "Madam is here, why hasn't the eldest mistress revealed the truth? It was clearly the young master—"
"Alright," Chang Shuyin interrupted her. "These matters concerning women are naturally my responsibility. There's nothing wrong with the young master asking me to tell the madam."
The maid was both unconvinced and puzzled: "What about Second Madam? She was the one who pushed things onto us in the beginning, and you didn't say anything!"
Chang Shuyin's face darkened slightly: "I told you, how could I hide what happened afterward from Mother? Never mind, it's all in the past."
The girl's eyes reddened: "You've been wronged so much."
Chang Shuyin was a little lost in thought. She hadn't expected that marrying into the family would turn out like this, but it was her choice. Because of the accident, it seemed she had no other choice...
"Grandma, it's noon. Shall I ask them to set the table?"
Chang Shuyin had no appetite and shook her head, saying, "Never mind, I'm not hungry."
The maid dared not force her, so she helped her lie down again. Chang Shuyin was not sleeping soundly, and was in a daze. After some time, she suddenly heard a maid's voice: "Madam, the young master is back!"
Chang Shuyin woke up instantly, both surprised and incredulous. She lifted the curtain and looked outside, only to see that it was still bright outside: "What time is it? Isn't the young master on duty?!"
"I was worried about you, so I came back to check on you," Xiao Lun said, already walking in.
He was still wearing the Jinwuwei uniform he wore when he was on duty, looking busy and solemn. Chang Shuyin, who was tone-deaf, glanced at him for a moment and hurriedly tried to get out of bed to greet him, but Xiao Lun quickly walked over and pressed her down, saying, "You're still sick, don't get up. I'll sit for a while and then go back to change shifts."
Chang Shuyin blushed and half-reclined back, saying softly, "I'm fine, Your Highness, please don't let me delay your official duties."
“No.” Xiao Lun lowered his eyes, his voice gentle and considerate. “I’m back because I have some good news to tell you.”
Chang Shuyin asked in confusion, "What?"
“My maternal grandfather just won a battle in Annam. The news of the victory was sent to the palace, and the Emperor was very pleased,” Xiao Lun said. “He has already ordered the Ministry of War to draft a reward, and the Empress will also send a reward to the Duke of Ying’s mansion soon.”
"Really?" Chang Shuyin exclaimed with delight. "Congratulations to the Heir Apparent, the old Duke, and the Duchess."
Xiao Lun continued, "I will ask my grandmother to host a celebratory banquet."
"..." Chang Shuyin gradually realized, "What does the young master mean—?"
Xiao Lun nodded: "Take Shan'er with you. That way, you can explain things to Father and Mother."
Chang Shuyin's eyes welled up with tears: "Your Highness—!"
Xiao Lun patted her shoulder and comforted her for a couple of minutes before casually asking, "When I came in, I heard that my mother-in-law had come by? But I wasn't home."
Chang Shuyin hurriedly said, "The young master has important official duties, as my mother knows. She didn't come for anything, just to see me. I told her I'm doing well here, and the young master treats me especially well..."
Her voice lowered, and Xiao Lun smiled and pulled her into his arms.
**
Xu Rong learned of this news three days later during his visit to pay his respects.
She had no objection to the way the matter was resolved. She was just a little surprised that Madam Xiao specifically asked her and Xiao Xin to go as well.
"The old lady wants to see you."
When she leaned forward to ask, Madam Xiao replied rather irritably. This irritability wasn't entirely directed at her; it was mainly about this matter. However, by making a compromise, bringing Xiao Shan back to her parents' home for the banquet wouldn't require much effort, and everything would still be under control. Although Madam Xiao was reluctant, she ultimately agreed.
Apart from her, everyone else was in a good mood. Xiao Shan, needless to say, lowered her head and tried hard to suppress her joy. Chang Shuyin had recovered from her illness and sat in her seat, dignified and elegant, no longer as melancholy as before.
Xiao Yi—well, only Xiao Yi, still somewhat resentful, would sneak a glare at Xiao Xin whenever he wasn't looking. However, given the significant height difference between them, he had to tilt his head back to glare at him, making such a large movement that Xiao Xin couldn't possibly miss it. Initially, he didn't want to pay attention to him, but after being glared at repeatedly until he grew impatient, he finally returned his gaze.
He didn't intentionally scare anyone, but his brow furrowed slightly and his eyes flashed with a fierce look, which he naturally suppressed.
Xiao Yi: "..."
He reluctantly and frightenedly moved closer to Xiao Shan.
After Madam Xiao impatiently chased them all out, he angrily complained, "Sister, Second Brother glared at me just now."
Xiao Shan's mind was already on the celebratory banquet five days later, pondering what hairstyle to wear, what clothes to put on, what jewelry to wear, and how to greet and greet people. She had no time to pay attention to him and casually said, "Huh? You must be mistaken. Second brother is such a grown man, why is he glaring at you for no reason?"
"He just glared at me. He's the one who stole my husband, humph."
Xiao Yi kept nagging, but this time Xiao Shan didn't even have time to give him a perfunctory reply. Xiao Yi didn't get a response and ran away in anger.
Xu Rong walked leisurely behind.
Xiao Xin walked beside her, glanced at her, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Xu Rong said, "I'm thinking that your maternal grandmother was a remarkable person."
Madam Xiao is indeed formidable, but that's in comparison to Madam Xu. Compared to Old Madam Zhang, her weaknesses are very obvious: she is competitive and leaves no room for retreat. Even if she realizes the truth, she will not turn back and stop, because face is more important than anything else.
When she first entered the Xiao family to deal with Sister-in-law Jiang, she took advantage of this characteristic of Madam Xiao.
But Madam Zhang was different.
She is shrewd and experienced on the inside, but not so fiery on the outside; she is a wise person.
A sensible person is easy to talk to, but difficult to deal with.
Of course, it doesn't necessarily have to be about dealing with her—Xu Rong doesn't want to go that far, which is why she's been thinking about it.
Why did Old Madam Zhang want to see her?
She asked aloud without thinking, and Xiao Xin corrected her: "You want to see us."
Xu Rong didn't pay attention and said, "Well, what do you want to see us for?"
Xiao Xin said, "Let's see how we're doing."
"What's so interesting about this?!"
Xu Rong suddenly realized, yes.
Madam Zhang may be kinder than Madam Xiao, but blood ties dictate that she will inevitably side with Madam Xiao and will worry more about her.
What reassured her most was that she had accepted her fate and become a loving couple with Xiao Xin.
Xu Rong didn't have much experience in this area, but even if she hadn't done it herself, she had at least seen how it happened and felt she could manage. She worried about Xiao Xin: "Second Young Master, this is really difficult for you. Are you sure you can do it? If not, don't force yourself—"
Xiao Xin suddenly turned his face, interrupting her, his voice decisive and without hesitation: "I can do it."
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