Five days later, it happened to be the Spring Equinox.
Yin and Yang are in balance, all things revive, peach blossoms, magnolias and crabapples bloom in succession, but even more beautiful than the flowers are the girls who are carefully dressed up.
The Duke of England's mansion hosted a banquet. Not only did Madam Xiao bring her children to offer their congratulations, but the second wife of the second branch of the family also brought Xiao Qi along. Everyone gathered at the second gate and boarded the car. When Xiao Shan and Xiao Qi appeared, they both showed signs of being different from usual.
It's not simply about neatness or splendor; to put it another way, it has a very clear purpose, or, to use a somewhat imprecise analogy, it's like the feeling of going to war.
Xu Rong blinked. Spring has really arrived.
"Alright, everyone's here, let's go," Madam Xiao urged.
Because of their different relationship, they set off very early. When they arrived at the Duke of England's mansion, most of the guests had not yet arrived. Madam Zhang greeted them, and Madam Xiao exchanged a few pleasantries with her. She then handed the younger generation over to Madam Xiao the Second, gave Chang Shuyin a few more instructions, and then left them to their own devices. They boarded a mule cart brought by servants from the Duke of England's mansion and went straight to the main courtyard to find Old Madam Zhang.
At her age, Madam Zhang no longer concern herself with worldly affairs. Although the banquet was hosted in her name, she didn't need to be busy with anything. Upon hearing that Madam Xiao had arrived, she came out of the inner room, sat down on the daybed in the middle of the room, and dismissed most of the maids, leaving only one or two trusted confidants to massage her legs and serve her tea.
"Mother." Madam Xiao stepped forward and bowed, with a rare sense of caution that she would never show in front of others.
What outsiders don't know is that since the end of last year, after Chang Shuyin entered the family, Old Madam Zhang has never seen her again.
Even when she came to deliver holiday gifts, Old Madam Zhang would only claim to be ill. She would accept the gifts but would refuse to pay her respects.
The strained relationship between mother and daughter was not easy for Madam Xiao, which was also an important reason for her concessions on Xiao Shan's matter: she had already allowed Xiao Lun's request to hold a banquet, so surely she wouldn't refuse to see her now that she was coming over.
Madam Zhang said calmly, "Please sit down."
Madam Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly sat down.
Madam Zhang sighed and said, "Now everything has finally gone as you wished."
Madam Xiao immediately couldn't sit still, stood up again, and pleaded, "Mother!"
Now that her daughter is so grown up, and today is a special day, Old Madam Zhang couldn't afford to be disrespectful. She shook her head helplessly and said, "Why are you calling me again? You can make your own decisions. I, this old woman, don't care about a word you say."
The words were a complaint, but the tone had softened, so Madam Xiao quickly bowed again and said, "Mother, how could I dare?"
Madam Zhang ignored her and turned to call a maid to pour tea. Madam Xiao, with great insight, stepped forward herself, took the tea, and presented it to Madam Zhang. Only then did Madam Zhang accept it, and the previous differences between mother and daughter dissipated in the faint fragrance of the tea.
Madam Zhang asked, "Did Lun's daughter-in-law come with you too? Is she better now?"
When this was mentioned, Madam Xiao felt a little uncomfortable and replied briefly, "Alright."
Old Madam Zhang noticed: "What's wrong with you now? You don't like the Xu family girl, and you went to great lengths to get this Chang family girl, but she's not to your liking either?"
Madam Xiao couldn't help but say, "How could I not like her! I only said a few words to her, and it was she who was wrong first, but then Madam Chang came over and made me look like a wicked mother-in-law."
Madam Zhang showed no sympathy for her: "You look down on the Xu family for its decline and want to befriend those with power. Isn't that what powerful people are like? You're powerful, but they're powerful too. The young lady has fallen ill twice since she entered the family, so of course they have to come and ask you about it."
Madam Xiao had just reconciled with her mother, so she couldn't argue back and had to put on a stern face in anger.
"How dare you be angry?" Old Madam Zhang glanced at her. "It's clearly all your fault as parents. You've been married for so many years, yet you still cause trouble in the house and make things difficult for the child. If Lun-ge hadn't come to beg me, I wouldn't have known."
"How could I possibly make things difficult for Lun'er?" Madam Xiao hurriedly said, "It's all that vile woman Ruan's fault, she instigated the Marquis to create problems for Lun'er, and Lun'er had no choice—"
"So they just pushed it onto the Chang family?"
Madam Xiao was stunned: "They are husband and wife, it doesn't matter who tells me, how can you call it pushing?!"
"Same here. Why did you yell at Madam Chang and frighten her so much that she fell ill? Why didn't you blame Lun Ge'er?" Old Madam Zhang said incisively. "Fortunately, Lun Ge'er isn't as muddle-headed as you. He heard the news in the palace, found a solution, and came to me in time."
Madam Xiao was speechless for a moment, then said bitterly, "In short, it's all that bitch Ruan's fault!"
Madam Zhang suppressed a sigh: "You're so old, why bother? If you could be more open-minded, wouldn't everyone be better off?"
“The Marquis is already that old, yet he still treats that wretched woman like a precious jewel! I’ve been blinded by them my whole life, and Mother says, where can I go to find peace?”
In front of her mother, Madam Xiao didn't need to worry about saving face or putting on airs. She spoke with unrestrained ruthlessness and hatred, but there was also bitterness in her voice.
Madam Zhang fell silent.
A woman's life revolves around obeying her father at home and her husband after marriage. For most of her life, she lives for her husband. She and the Duke of England rarely saw each other, but the Duke of England was understanding and respectful of her. For many years, he never took a concubine to bother her. Although her life was not sweet, it was not bitter either.
In contrast, the daughter and husband, who see each other every day, are constantly entangled with one person after another, tormenting them into a resentful couple.
“I know Mother will say I’m not magnanimous again,” she said, but Madam Xiao couldn’t help but continue complaining, “But it’s not like I didn’t give Wei Shi a chance. She’s useless, but her looks are no less than Ruan Shi’s. However, she’s not even a tenth as good at seducing people as Wei Shi. She just hides behind her, wishing there was a rat hole behind her so she could shrink back into it!”
Madam Zhang shook her head: "This has nothing to do with her."
Over the years, Madam Zhang, an observer with keen insight, had long seen that the more Madam Xiao tried to deal with Madam Ruan, the more Marquis Xiao would fawn over her.
Are they a married couple?
That's right.
The contest has reached this point, and it's no longer something that can be resolved by simply bringing in someone to share Ruan Shichong's favor.
To put it another way, as long as this person is on Madam Xiao's side and can be controlled by her, Lord Xiao will not be interested.
But saying these things is useless, because Madam Xiao is too caught up in the situation to understand. And if she ever does understand, it might be better if she doesn't.
It's hard to say which is more heartbreaking: the husband's deliberate attempt to oppose her or his favoritism towards his concubine.
Having exhausted all other options, Old Madam Zhang didn't say anything more, and instead asked, "Where's Rong'er? You didn't listen to me and forced her to marry your second son. How is she now?"
Mentioning this matter, Madam Xiao finally felt a little relieved amidst her many troubles: "Mother was right before, she does have a bit of cleverness, but it is precisely because she is clever that she is easier to manage than those who are stupid and cannot understand what she is told."
She picked up on the gist of it and said, "—That bitch Ruan tried to win her over, but she didn't agree. If she continues to be so sensible, I won't bother her. Let her and Erlang live their lives as they please."
Old Madam Zhang didn't laugh, but looked at her meaningfully: "So, you think it was a good idea for her to use Lun-ge'er and his wife as scapegoats?"
Madam Xiao: "Of course not, but—!"
She couldn't continue.
Xu Rong gave her a reason at the time, but she was not completely convinced. However, she did not pursue the matter because something more important occupied her mind—Xiao Lun and Chang Shuyin's unauthorized actions.
The betrayal of one's own people is always more painful than the scheming from others.
This is why Xu Rong was unharmed while Chang Shuyin fell ill; she exploited this psychological loophole.
When the situation was reviewed, Madam Zhang pointed it out to her face, and Madam Xiao finally discovered this long-standing loophole, but she was unwilling to believe it—that would be tantamount to admitting that she was wrong.
Madam Zhang took another step back—she wasn't Madam Xiao and didn't want to push anyone to the brink of death. She asked in a gentle voice, "Those minor details don't really matter. But in your opinion, is she truly willing to live with Erlang?"
Madam Xiao initially looked doubtful, but gradually nodded: "It should be true. I put people in Erlang's courtyard. She doesn't quarrel with Erlang and even urges him to study. The Marquis went to great lengths to find a teacher for Yige'er, and she dragged Erlang to snatch one too. If she were just pretending and had other ideas, why would she do these things?"
“This is something that can’t be faked.” Old Madam Zhang finally nodded in agreement. “She genuinely hopes that Erlang will get better.”
"Go and invite Erlang and his wife here," Madam Zhang instructed the maid beside her. "At my age, I'm too lazy to go out or see people. I haven't even met them since their marriage, and I still owe them a gift for their granddaughter-in-law."
**
The maid relayed her exact words to Xu Rong, who was sitting in the flower hall.
Hearing that there would be gifts, Xu Rong happily said to Xiao Xin, "Second Young Master, let's go."
Xiao Xin stood up and, together with her, temporarily bid farewell to Madam Xiao.
Mrs. Xiao smiled and said, "Go ahead."
Xu Rong had been to the Duke of England's mansion before; it wasn't unfamiliar, but it wasn't exactly familiar either. These powerful families always had multiple layers of gates, and without someone to guide you, you could easily wander off into the distance.
Xu Rong certainly wouldn't make such a basic mistake, but as she walked, she suddenly felt a tightness in her hand, followed by a warmth.
The heat was intense, almost scalding, and the tightness was also unusual.
Xu Rong, trying not to frown, looked at the maid leading the way and said in a low voice, with a slight gasp, "Second Young Master, please be gentle."
Xiao Xin was walking with his head down when he heard her speak. He turned his head to look at her. His eyes were clear and bright, and his lips were slightly pursed, making him look indifferent and innocent.
Only his gradually reddening ears betrayed his slight embarrassment.
Xu Rong saw this and felt embarrassed to blame him. He had never acted before, and it was too much to ask him to control his acting so well all of a sudden.
She gently shook the hand he was holding, which had gone numb, and reminded him again, "It hurts."
It really hurt, so much so that she completely forgot to feel any romantic sensation from being held by the young man.
"..."
Xiao Xin finally realized what was happening and released his grip as if his hand was on fire.
The heat spread from the base of his ear to his entire ear and even began to spread towards the side of his face.
Xu Rong didn't notice, but tried not to attract the attention of the girl in front of him as he moved his fingers a little. After thinking about it, he felt that his idea was not bad.
They walked hand in hand in front of Madam Zhang, and who could doubt that she and Xiao Xin were not in love?
She looked down and saw Xiao Xin's hand hanging by his side, half-hidden in his sleeve. She reached out and touched his little finger first, then pulled it upwards—for some reason, it felt a little strange. His hand looked slender, but when she held it, it was obviously bigger than hers. It was still warm, the skin was soft, and the knuckles inside were strong.
Xu Rong suddenly understood his rashness just now. She was also a little flustered, but since she had taken his hand herself, she couldn't shake it off. So she swallowed and tried to remain calm, saying, "Second Young Master, let me hold your hand."
"..."
Xiao Xin's fingers froze in her hand. After walking for a while, he finally let out a soft "hmm".
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