As soon as she entered the Weibei Marquis's residence, Minglan sensed a strange atmosphere and subconsciously wanted to slip away. She immediately said with a smile, "My aunt recently sent a jar of bracken, which I'm bringing to Sister Zhang. It's nothing important, so I'll take my leave now."
The one who came out to greet them was one of Zhang's housemaids, her surname was Fan. Minglan had met her a few times before and she was the most steady and reserved person. But now her eyes were slightly red. "Madam Gu is an honored guest. If she leaves like this, Madam will blame us for not knowing the proper etiquette."
Minglan had no choice but to follow him inside, asking as she walked, "How is Sister Zhang?"
Mother Fan said in a hoarse voice, "Something is wrong." After a pause, she continued, "The Duke's wife has also arrived. She has gone to invite the Duke. I was waiting outside."
Hearing that even the Duke of England was coming, Minglan's mind went into alarm, but the Zhang family courtyard was already ahead, and it would be too rude to turn back and leave at this moment, so she had to go inside, cursing her bad luck a thousand times in her heart, she should have let Gu Tingye come earlier!
Entering the central hall, it was empty. Madam Fan led Minglan directly to the side wing west of the main house. The courtyard was filled with maids and servants rushing in and out, carrying water and basins, but there was no sound. Then she walked west. Before she even entered the house, she could hear voices and even the sound of soft crying.
"...I don't blame you for missing your ex-wife. A marriage of more than ten years is a natural thing." This was Madam Zhang's voice. "But my daughter also received three letters and six formalities of engagement, and the Emperor granted her marriage. Could it be that no one wants my daughter, so you, Uncle Shen, have to take pity on her?"
Then a low male voice came out, "Mother-in-law, calm down. This was an accident..."
Minglan was extremely embarrassed. She turned to look at Madam Fan and whispered, "Your house is busy today. Why don't I come back another day..." Before she could finish her words, the maid standing at the door lifted the curtain and announced, "Madam Gu is here."
——What a quick-witted person you are! Minglan gritted her teeth.
The room was silent for a moment, and then Mrs. Zhang's voice came from inside: "Please come in quickly."
Minglan walked in with her head held high. The room was already packed with people. Madam Zhang was sitting in a royal chair, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. Weibei Marquis Shen Congxing was standing by with an extremely unpleasant expression on his face. Little Zou was huddled in a corner, crying softly.
When Shen Congxing saw Minglan, he lowered his hands and said with difficulty: "Gu's sister-in-law is here."
Minglan hurriedly bowed to Madam Zhang and said, "Auntie, how are you? Uncle, how are you?"
Shen Congxing was actually quite good-looking. At thirty-five or thirty-six, he still stood tall and straight, with a handsome and handsome appearance. Minglan had met him several times before. His face was now clouded with gloom, but upon seeing Minglan, there was a hint of relief in his eyes. Later, Minglan learned that before her arrival, Madam Zhang had been crying for quite a while, and in front of everyone, she had scolded Shen Congxing, putting him in a difficult position.
The atmosphere in the room was awkward, so Minglan had to speak first: "I got a jar of fern today, and I sent it over because I thought you would like it. Is Sister Zhang... okay?" She felt that her question was really stupid. Judging from the situation, how could she be okay?
Mrs. Zhang shed tears and said, "My dear, since you remember her so much, I remember you." She choked up and said, "Gui Fen...is about to give birth..."
Minglan had actually guessed some of it, but was still slightly surprised: "Isn't there still more than half a month left?" She clearly remembered that Changfeng's wife Liu was due half a month earlier than Zhang's due date, and now Liu hasn't given birth yet.
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang was immediately enraged. She glared fiercely at little Zou in the corner, then covered her handkerchief and cried, "My poor daughter..."
The Shen family was small, with no mother, sister-in-law, or older female relatives. Mrs. Zhang was crying so hard that Shen Congxing couldn't move forward, and no one was there to comfort her. Minglan looked around and went over to support Mrs. Zhang, saying softly, "Aunt, please make up your mind. Now that my sister is giving birth, it's time for you to hold on. You must not panic."
After listening to this, Mrs. Zhang gradually stopped crying, leaned on Minglan and slowly wiped her tears, and Shen Congxing felt a little relieved.
Unfortunately, before long, an old woman with bloodstained clothes rushed into the room in a panic, fell to her knees with a thud, and cried out: "Madam, please go and see, the girl is dead..."
There was a loud bang in Minglan's head. Madam Zhang had already staggered out. Because Minglan was holding Madam Zhang's arm nearby, she followed her unconsciously.
After walking through half of the courtyard, he came to the door of a wing room, only to see maids and old women standing outside the room, sending out basins of blood. Not to mention the women, even Shen Congxing's heart was beating wildly.
Weak cries of pain echoed from the room. Madam Zhang called out through the window grille, "Fen'er, you must be fine..." Just as she was about to go in, a smartly dressed servant rushed into the yard, whip in hand. He knelt on the bluestone slab in front of Madam Zhang and shouted, "Madam, the Duke is here!"
Mrs. Zhang stopped and hurriedly called into the house, "Good boy, your father is coming soon! You have to hold on!"
Zhang seemed to have heard this, and her cries of pain stopped for a moment. But in a moment, the maid in the room suddenly cried out, "Oh no! Quick, get a handkerchief!" Then, a shrill scream, heartbreaking, seemed to pierce everyone's heart -
"Dad, I am a filial daughter!"
"Duke!" the servant kneeling in the courtyard suddenly shouted.
Everyone turned to look and saw an old soldier in a dusty uniform standing by the pillar, his body trembling slightly.
…
Little Shen's face was grim, and her fingers, clutching the handkerchief tightly, turned white. "Did my sister-in-law really say that?"
Minglan wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and said weakly, "I've never heard such screams before. I couldn't sleep for half the night after I got home."
Seeing that Xiao Shen's face was very frightened, she comforted her, "Finally, the baby was born, and both mother and child are alive. Don't take it too seriously."
Yesterday was a terrifying day, with even the imperial physician arriving. Zhang finally gave birth to a boy in the evening. Seeing the situation improve, Minglan quickly slipped back home. Upon meeting Gu Tingye, she exclaimed how unfortunate she was to stumble into such a secretive family. Then she told him what she had seen and heard, and the couple sighed for a long time.
Minglan was worried whether it would be a problem and whether she would be killed to silence her.
Gu Tingye laughed, thought for a moment, and said, "I guess the Zhang family has made a big fuss about this matter."
Because she didn't sleep well at night, Minglan slept soundly for half the next day. In the afternoon, someone from General Zheng's mansion came to invite her.
"Everything was fine, how did it become like this?" Xiao Shen also received the news last night, but the Zheng family would not let her move. They sent several maids to inquire, but the answers they gave when they came back were not very clear.
Minglan sighed: "It's just a small matter that has been brought to light."
Ever since she became pregnant, the doctor who checked Zhang's pulse had to come every ten days. Every time, Xiao Zou would get a headache and foot pain. She would detain the doctor for about half a cup of tea and then let him go. Although it didn't delay things much, it made her feel good to annoy Zhang.
Zhang was aloof and too lazy to talk to her, but her mother had been feeling resentful for a long time.
The doctor came early yesterday morning, and as usual, little Zou pretended to be sick and kept the doctor away for a while. Unexpectedly, Zou's eldest uncle and his wife happened to come. Knowing that the doctor was a famous doctor in the city and was there to take Zhang's pulse, they immediately put on airs and asked the doctor to examine the couple from head to toe, and prescribed a lot of expensive medicines (the bill was naturally kept at the uncle's house).
This delay lasted for most of the day. This time, not only the other mothers, but even Zhang was secretly angry. For a long time, she and Xiao Zou had almost reached a tacit understanding. Usually, they would only detain him for a short time, but this time, he did not come for a long time.
Zhang asked someone to go and call for the girl. After a while, a little girl came back crying and said that the uncle of the Zou family said the visitor was disrespectful and ordered the servants to tie him up and beat him. Zhang was finally provoked and ignored everyone's attempts to stop her, holding her belly and kissing him.
The Zou family's uncle and his wife were extremely arrogant and said a lot of harsh words, embarrassing Zhang in person. Zhang was furious, and the two sides started pushing and shoving each other. Little Zou saw that the situation was not going well and quickly intervened. In the chaos, Zhang was pushed to the ground. The scene was in chaos, and the uncle and his wife took advantage of the confusion to escape home.
The reason why Minglan knew so clearly was that she heard it yesterday when she was so scared that her legs went weak and she was sitting in a corner drinking a cup of tea to calm down.
"Why is she giving birth so soon?"—she had only casually asked, but Madam Fan, standing by her side, didn't hesitate and immediately told her everything, shocking her to the core. Thinking back, how could Madam Zhang's mother, who had come with her as a dowry, be so careless? Since she dared to speak out, it seemed the Zhang family wasn't going to let this matter go unpunished.
The best is yet to come.
After Zhang gave birth to the child, Madam Zhang went in to comfort her. After her daughter fell asleep, she suddenly became like a demon and started to curse Xiao Zou crazily. Shen Congxing just tried to explain himself when Madam Zhang pointed at his nose and scolded him for being blind.
Then a mother knelt down and shouted, "My Lord, do you think Concubine Zou is a good person? I wonder how long she has been deceiving you."
Then, they pointed out that the story of Little Zou jumping into the water to save Big Zou's child was a complete deception. It turned out that her pregnancy was already unstable, and the doctor had already said that the fetus could not be saved. So the Zou family decided to stage a play to make Shen Congxing remember Little Zou's kindness forever.
Of course, Xiao Zou refused to admit it. Madam Zhang said that her daughter had already investigated everything thoroughly, but had kept it secret for the sake of the peace of the family. Now that things had come to this, she had forgotten everything - the doctor who had taken Xiao Zou's pulse, the doctor she had seen after she fell into the water, the prescriptions she had received, and the maid who had coaxed the child to the pond...
Minglan took the opportunity to slip away while Madam Zhang was going to collect witnesses and evidence.
Little Shen's lips trembled violently: "...The Zou family...how dare you deceive us like this!"
Minglan patted her hand comfortingly: "You are only thinking about your sister-in-law, that's why you treat the Zou family so well. I can't blame you."
Little Shen was stunned for a long time, her expression changed several times, and suddenly she threw herself on the bedside and burst into tears. Minglan was startled and asked her why, and then she sobbed and told her.
"...I, I don't dislike my current sister-in-law because of my previous one! I deliberately treat Concubine Zou well because... before we came to the capital, the Zhang family and the Zheng family had already been discussing a marriage, but it was delayed because of the late emperor's death. My husband... my husband was originally going to marry Zhang!"
Little Shen's face flushed red from crying, and she seemed filled with shame. "...After I got married, my parents-in-law, brother and sister-in-law were all wonderful people, and my husband treated me so well...Every time I think about my sister-in-law's poor life, I feel like a thief, and I feel so sick..."
Minglan opened her mouth wide, her mind in a turmoil for a long time: "You have no conscience, if that's the case, you should treat her better!"
"I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong! I will definitely treat her well in the future... and I won't lose my temper anymore..."
Little Shen was crying so hard that she couldn't speak. She threw herself on Minglan's arms and sobbed continuously. Minglan was helpless and patted her back to comfort her for a long time. Only then did Little Shen gradually calm down.
Madam Zheng walked in, followed by two maids carrying soup bowls. After putting the bowls down and sending them away, she sat down beside Little Shen's bed and said softly, "You child, I told you not to ask, but you insisted on getting the truth. Now that you know everything, don't worry about it anymore... and you even cried. What a child..."
Little Shen leaned on Madam Zheng's arms and said softly, "I'm sorry to have worried you, sister-in-law. I will take good care of myself."
"That's right." Madam Zheng patted her head and turned to Minglan and said with a smile, "I told you to laugh at me."
Minglan waved her hands and said no, but she thought of the pale and weak woman in her heart. Alas, if it weren't for fate, it should be Zhang who was nestled in the arms of her generous sister-in-law, resting in peace and taking care of her pregnancy.
Back at the mansion, they found Gu Tingye already inside, sitting on a rattan chair playing with the fat boy. Minglan changed her clothes, leaned over to sit, and slowly told him about what had happened today. Gu Tingye listened, shook his head disapprovingly, and said, "After all this commotion, the old master is also ill and won't be attending the morning court today."
The Duke of Ying was already quite old, and to win the trust of the new emperor, he worked doubly hard.
Zhang was the daughter of the Duke of Yingguo and his wife, who had always been very spoiled. She had not been able to find a son-in-law when she was seventeen or eighteen years old, so she had no choice but to marry Shen Congxing. Yesterday, the old Duke rushed back from the camp in the western suburbs on a fast horse, traveling a hundred miles. As soon as he set foot in his daughter's yard, he heard such a shrill cry. In addition to the hard work for several days, he fell ill when he returned.
"The Emperor sent the imperial physician to see him. He said that the old man had been working so hard for many days, and then he heard the tragic news so suddenly that his blood flowed out of his system and damaged his body."
Gu Tingye put his son on his lap and bounced him back and forth. The little boy giggled with joy and stretched out his chubby arms to hug his father's neck. Minglan raised a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her son's forehead.
"The Emperor went to the Empress's chambers right after leaving court. Within two hours, the palace had issued an imperial decree to the Prince's House, stripping Concubine Zou of her title. She was also slapped fifty times in the face by two palace maids, who ordered her to behave herself and not act recklessly."
Minglan sighed softly: "I heard from Madam Zheng that the King's uncle has actually locked up Concubine Zou." After being slapped fifty times, her face was probably broken.
Gu Tingye said, "The Emperor recently wanted to deploy troops, and this is precisely when he could use the Duke of Ying. But Brother Shen made a mistake right now. How could the Emperor not be angry?" He had always disapproved of the Shen family's attitude towards the Zou family. Gratitude was gratitude, and reason was reason, but promoting a concubine above the principal wife was the source of family chaos. There were many ways to repay the elder Zou, but going down this wrong path would harm the younger Zou, implicate himself, and possibly even implicate the elder Zou's children.
"News came from the palace that the Emperor seemed to have reprimanded the Empress."
The palace is full of ears inside and outside. Most powerful and wealthy people are more or less vigilant, and Gu Tingye is no exception.
"Is that Madam Zou in front really that nice?" Minglan couldn't help but ask.
Gu Tingye sighed, "She was a virtuous woman who treated others with utmost sincerity and was willing to pour out her heart. When she passed away, Brother Shen almost didn't make it."
Minglan raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "You've made it through, haven't you? Now you hold a high position, with a beautiful wife and concubines."
——If you have the ability, just hold on. Never mind the glory and wealth. Just don't get married for the rest of your life. Who can't pretend to be affectionate? She didn't believe that if Chen Congxing refused to marry, the emperor would chop off his head.
Gu Tingye looked at her intently. She pouted slightly, frowned, and unconsciously revealed a look of disdain.
"Deep love but shallow fate is a pity..." he sighed.
"But their love is shallow and their fate is deep, so they are just a couple with resentment." Minglan spoke hastily.
Gu Tingye suddenly glared: "There are also deep love and deep fate in this world, and they grow old together!"
Minglan quickly said, "Yes, that's true." Admitting her mistake wasn't enough; she diligently gave an example, "Like the Yu couple, weren't they loving and loving their entire lives?"
Gu Tingye was furious and glared at her for a long time with his thick eyebrows raised. Suddenly he lost his temper and rubbed Minglan's hair helplessly. Then he took the ignorant mother and son in his arms - it doesn't matter if they are resentful of each other, as long as they can live together until old age.
…
At this moment, there are more than one couple who need to be reconciled.
In the side wing of the main courtyard of the Weibei Marquis' Mansion, the faint smell of blood after childbirth still lingered in the room. Madam Zhang sat steadily on a chair in front of the bed, and her face no longer showed any trace of yesterday's pain and sorrow.
"Even your father is ill this time. If you don't understand this clearly, you are unworthy of being the daughter of the Zhang family."
Zhang had just changed into a clean set of underwear. After hearing what had just been said, she stammered, "Mother, why do you have to..."
"Why would I do that?!" Madam Zhang was furious. She pointed at a baby in the arms of a mother beside the bed and shouted, "You are the daughter of our Zhang family, the principal wife of the Marquis's mansion, and yet the servants in this mansion dared to lay hands on you? This shows how far the Zou family has stretched their reach! If they dare to push you today, they will dare to take this child's life tomorrow!"
Seeing her daughter bow her head and remain silent, Madam Zhang sneered, "You better understand! After all, you're married. How much help can your parents-in-law give you? No matter how hard you try, it all depends on you. Now your father and I are still alive. If we're gone in the future, your brother and sister-in-law will be in charge, and that will be another level of difficulty. What will this child's future be like?"
Zhang raised her head, her expression slightly moved.
Madam Zhang said earnestly, "Although women are weak, they are strong as mothers. If you were alone, you would die, and it would only cause us two old people a great deal of grief. But now that you have a child, can you bear to watch him live a cowardly life, disliked by his father, bullied by his brothers and sisters, and mistreated by the servants?!"
The baby seemed to understand and made a babbling sound like a kitten. Zhang quickly held the child in her arms and looked at his red, wrinkled little face. All her nobleness and pride disappeared and turned into a ball of maternal love.
She kissed the baby's face again and again, shedding tears, "Mom is right. I was wrong, but now..."
The mother who had been holding the baby hurriedly wiped her tears and took the baby in her arms. "My dear girl, you must not cry during your confinement period. Someone from the palace came today and slapped that bitch in the face, knocking out several of her teeth. As long as you have this intention, everything else is easy to deal with. But how dare a poor family like the Zou family fight against ours? Humph, you're tired of living!"
Seeing her daughter's change of heart, Madam Zhang smiled faintly. "We're not vicious people either. We originally thought that Madam Zou died early, so it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to get along well with her sister. But who knew that this bitch would dare to use my sister's child to play a trick? That's when I knew this bitch had a bad heart. I had to deal with her..."
Zhang suddenly looked up and said, "Mother, when I wanted to tell the Marquis, why didn't you tell me?"
"Silly girl, what's the point of saying it then? After all, she lost her child, and the King's uncle might still be heartbroken. This kind of handle should be saved until the critical moment, so that it can be used to strike!"
Looking at her mother's cold face, Zhang's heart shuddered.
Seeing Zhang's bewildered face, the mother said respectfully to Madam Zhang, "The girl was raised by my breasts. She has a simple and honest nature. How could she know these things? Madam, please teach her slowly."
She patted the baby and said, "The Shen family is too bullying. Not only did they give that bitch a title, but they also flatter her in every way. Not only can't I touch her, I have to be controlled by her. How can I not be angry? Now that's great. Let's see if that bitch dares to be dishonest again in the future?!"
Madam Zhang said solemnly, "That's it. No one of you is allowed to touch her from now on!"
The mother asked curiously, "Madam, why is this?"
"They're all dead! My uncle will be heartbroken again." Madam Zheng sneered. "I'll keep the Zou family. I'll let those uncles keep causing trouble, constantly involving the Marquis's Mansion, and leave the Marquis to clean up every mess. You'll still have to persuade my uncle to help. Humph, I want to see how long my uncle's kindness can wear down your heart."
The mother smiled and said, "I understand. We will definitely not cause trouble for Madam." After a pause, she added, "Humph, Madam and the young lady are both kind-hearted. How dare the Zou family step on the Zhang family's heels without even asking around? It's a good thing Madam was prepared."
Zhang whispered, "Mother, I'm fine now. Tell the doctors to go back."
In fact, the collision was not severe, and my life was not in danger during delivery. I only cried out when the pain was unbearable and I felt that my life was miserable and I was extremely desperate. Now I know that it was all arranged by my mother.
"Miss, this won't do," the mother said hurriedly. "Since you've already performed this act, you have to do it to the fullest. That doctor is one of us. Even if he doesn't treat you, you should take good care of yourself. If you give birth to more boys, I'll take care of them for you."
Zhang looked at the wet nurse's loving face and felt sad.
"It's not a good idea for you and your son-in-law to be so cold to each other. You're so shameless and refuse to humble yourself. I have to find a way out for you, if not today, then another day." Madam Zheng said sternly, "This is a great opportunity. It can eliminate half of the trouble. Your son-in-law must be feeling guilty about you now. When he comes to see you next time, you must not give him the cold shoulder again. For the sake of the child, you have to be submissive. Cry when you need to, express your grievances when you need to, be gentle when you need to. Keep him under control, do you understand?"
Zhang's face flushed, feeling extremely embarrassed: "Mother, I'm afraid I can't do it..."
"It has to be done even if it doesn't work!" Mrs. Zhang raised her voice angrily.
Zhang's body shook, and the baby was frightened and started crying. The mother hurriedly tried to comfort the baby.
Madam Zhang slowed down her momentum and whispered, "Fen'er, do you still remember Madam Liang from the Yongchang Marquisate?"
Zhang nodded: "Mother said so."
Mrs. Zhang recalled the past with a wistful look of regret. "Alas, that was my best friend since childhood, and she had the same personality as you. Back then, she, too, married someone she didn't like, and she became petulant, with a sullen expression for three days straight. A rift arose between her and her husband, and she allowed her concubine to take advantage of the situation and give birth to a son before her. Alas... I tried to persuade her, but she wouldn't listen, and now the illegitimate son has become superior to them."
It wasn't uncommon for wealthy families to have a son born out of wedlock, but since they already had a biological son, the wife should have made plans early on: either keep him close to her and foster a close bond, or simply abandon him to prevent future trouble. It was rare for Madam Liang to be so cold and aloof, standing by and watching, only to raise a son born out of wedlock who was patient, resentful, shrewd, and capable.
Zhang had naturally heard about what happened in the Yongchang Marquis' Mansion. Now that she heard the inside story, she felt a different feeling in her heart.
Mrs. Zhang stood up and sat down beside her daughter, stroking her back. She said lovingly, "Fen'er, nothing in this world can go as planned. Good days must go by, and bad days must go by too. And you have to live well."
Zhang held back her tears and nodded.
Madam Zhang held her daughter's shoulders and said leisurely, "When Mother met Empress Jing'an, she said something to us little girls: Don't always say it's all fate. If you don't put pressure on fate, fate will put pressure on you."
Madam Zhang's usual gentleness and softness vanished completely. Her gaze was resolute as she spoke in a deep voice, "Empress Jing'an was such a good person, but unfortunately she was framed by a treacherous person and died young. But I still remember her words, and I will never forget them! You must remember them too!"
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