The old lady was helpless against Madam Daqin.
"Besides," Ting Can wept softly, "Now that my mother and brother are both gone, they wish I were dead. Two years ago, the emperor said the descendants of the Qin family were unworthy, stripped them of their titles, and confiscated their property. What else can I rely on? Why not take advantage of this opportunity to show off my power and make sure no one in this palace dares to look down on me! Don't try to persuade me anymore, are you afraid of death?"
Seeing her master so stubborn and expressing his suspicion, Ling'er hurriedly wanted to make a few remarks, but she heard Xiao Hehua outside shouting, "Third Master, ah, you're here!" The voice reached the house, and both the master and servant were startled, and Ling'er quickly stood aside.
Han Cheng pushed the door open and strode into the inner room. Seeing his wife sitting on the kang with a normal expression on her face, he couldn't help but say angrily, "Why haven't you paid your respects to Mother these past few days? Fourth brother's wife just came into the family, and it's time to set the rules. As her sister-in-law, you don't even act like a good sister-in-law. You're making me suffer a scolding from my elder and second brothers for no reason!"
Seeing her husband, whom she hadn't seen for a few days, coming to confront her immediately, Tingcan couldn't help but burst into tears. She cried out in pain, "Sanlang is so cruel! It's so hot, and you know I'm weak, but you still force me to do this and that under the sun! Do you want me to die?"
A thirty-year-old woman adopting such a delicate, flower-like pose was truly jarring. Han Cheng's veins bulged, and he roared, "You're not the only one feeling the heat. Second Sister-in-law is pregnant, and she's accompanying Mother, too. Besides, there are plenty of ice basins in Mother's room, so how could you possibly be so hot! Filial piety is paramount. Ancient stories tell of men lying on ice to catch carp and burying their children to support their mothers. You're a well-read scholar, and yet you don't understand this?"
Tingcan couldn't stand being preached to. He stood up from the kang and cried loudly, "You're the only filial son in the world. Not only do you have a mother, but you also have a wife! My father is much more tolerant than you. He also loves my aunt and would do anything for her. It takes a hundred years of hard work to sleep together. I'm the one you should love and cherish the most. You only know how to be filial and don't care about your wife's pain at all. What kind of man are you!"
Han Cheng rubbed his solar plexus. He really didn't understand. Asking his wife to pay respects to her mother and be filial to her was such a legitimate truth in the world that no one could say anything about it. But when it came to his wife, it was like talking to a deaf person.
He really loved Tingcan at the beginning.
Since childhood, he had feared powerful women like Princess Qingchang, and he could not tolerate the dullness of meek women. That year, at the Hairpin Chrysanthemum Poetry Festival, he had read the poems of the seventh daughter of the Gu family and was deeply moved. Hearing that she was as beautiful as Xi Shi, he begged his mother to propose marriage. Unfortunately, their blissful marriage lasted only a few months. Soon, all the sweetness was replaced by endless quarrels. His wife was like a child who never grew up, constantly demanding coaxing and pampering, and crying endlessly at the slightest dissatisfaction.
Han Cheng envied his teacher so much. His teacher's wife was not only a poet, but also a capable householder. She was flanked by two or three beautiful, knowledgeable and interesting concubines. What a romantic and elegant life! How could he have ended up like this?!
Tingcan was still crying, and the more he cried, the angrier he became: "The book says you shouldn't take a concubine as your wife. What kind of scholar are you? You have three wives and four concubines at home, and you still want a second wife. You leave your legitimate wife aside and have children with this little bitch one after another. If my father were still alive, he would beat you to death, this unethical son-in-law..."
Han Cheng took a deep breath, sat down on the edge of the kang, and said calmly: "Canniang, listen to me carefully. Mother has always disliked you all these years. It was mother who brought Yan in. You don't want to give face to others, but to others. If you continue like this..." He remembered what Princess Qingchang said to him a few days ago, and was shocked.
"What will happen if you keep going like this?" Ting Can shook off Han Cheng's hand and sneered, "Can a princess's mansion divorce her? No matter what, I'm the legitimate daughter of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion! You can afford to lose this person, but the Gu family can't! You're considered a man, but you keep talking about your mother, and you can't even protect your own wife. Humph, back then my aunt was unhappy for seven years, and my father..."
"Enough!" Han Cheng could no longer endure it. For all these years, out of filial piety, he had never said a word against Old Marquis Gu. Today, with the weather being hot and dry, he finally couldn't help but sneer, "Your father had the worst bad luck meeting the Qin family girl! Not only did he almost become childless, but in the end, his family was almost destroyed. Your good third brother burned down the decades-old house! Although I'm a loser, I dare not follow my father-in-law's example!"
"You, you dare to criticize my father!" Tingcan got angry and picked up the inkstone on the kang table and threw it at him.
With a thud, the inkstone fell to the ground, splattering ink everywhere. Fortunately, Han Cheng was smart and dodged quickly, otherwise his head would have been smashed. Looking at his wife with disheveled hair and raised eyebrows, her face full of savagery and anger, no longer as beautiful as she used to be, Han Cheng said angrily: "You are unreasonable!" Then he flicked his sleeves, kicked the door and left.
Tingcan became even angrier and smashed everything he saw in the room. Then he hunched over the table and sobbed. Ling'er just silently told Xiao Hehua to fetch some water and carefully clean up the mess in the room.
After a long moment, Tingcan finally stopped crying, raised his head, and gritted his teeth, "I want revenge, I absolutely must! You see I'm an orphan with no one to rely on, yet you bully me! If I don't have a good life, I won't let them have one either!"
The master and servant discussed in low voices for a few words, and Ling'er pleaded in a low voice: "Grandma, this amount of money is not small. We can't afford so much anymore. Please think about it again."
Tingcan thought for a moment and said decisively: "Tell Sister-in-law Xiang to come see me tonight, and I will give the order in person."
Ling'er had no choice but to agree.
That night, Ling'er bribed the concierge and begged her to let the person in. The concierge saw that it was the Xiang family's daughter-in-law who often came to visit the third grandmother, so she did not suspect anything and let her in after receiving the money.
Sister Xiang is actually only in her forties, but her hair is already gray.
Seeing her old and haggard appearance, Tingcan showed concern for her for the first time. The tears that usually came easily to him were hard to squeeze out now. He could only cover his sleeves and sob: "Sister-in-law Xiang, you have suffered a lot in the past few years."
She knelt on the ground and cried to her sister-in-law, "With the young lady's compassion, life is not so bad, but I always think of the kindness of the lady, my husband who died early, and my mother-in-law. I, I... really..."
Ting Can was very satisfied with this and smiled, "Mother has always trusted Xiang Mama the most. Now it seems that your family is all good. Now, I only have you and the Xiang brothers to rely on. Everyone in this mansion bullies me..."
As she spoke, she couldn't help crying again.
He fell to the ground and cried to his sister-in-law, "Miss, please don't kill me! Even if we die a thousand times, we can never repay the kindness that the Madam has shown us. My daughter is a precious and noble person, and the Madam raised her like her own flesh and blood. But Han is so ungrateful that he doesn't even treat her well and makes her suffer. He's a scoundrel!"
Tingcan felt comfortable and relaxed. Seeing that her master hadn't told anyone to get up, Ling'er whispered, "Sister-in-law Xiang, please get up first. Kneeling on these bluestone bricks for too long is harmful to your health."
Without waiting for Tingcan to say anything, she waved cheerfully at her sister-in-law, "No harm, no harm! Seeing the young lady makes me feel sweeter than eating honey. Kneeling in front of the young lady for a while is more comfortable than lying outside! Who is our young lady? When she was first born, didn't the Madam ask someone to read her fortune? She said that our young lady was a fairy from the Queen Mother's service, who came down to earth to repay her gratitude? Even the old marquis believed it. Even if there are some difficulties, she will be able to overcome them with happiness."
Tingcan seemed to have returned to her pre-marriage days, with a doting father above her and an all-powerful mother below her, and servants all around her praising her. She couldn't help but feel elated, waving her sleeves proudly and smiling with dignity and pride: "You'd better get up. Ling'er, give me a seat."
Ling'er quickly brought a small stool over and sat down in a corner next to Sister-in-law Xiang. Tingcan then said, "Sister-in-law Xiang, are you sure about that matter...?"
I quickly said to my sister-in-law, "Originally, I didn't dare to say this. But recently, there have been repeated reports from Shuzhong saying that Marquis Gu is doing something wrong. Lord Xu said that we should take advantage of this momentum and strike while the iron is hot."
Tingcan didn't understand politics, but he vaguely heard that the King of Shu seemed very dissatisfied with Gu Tingye. He laughed and said, "If that's true, that's great! Humph, Gu Tingye forced my stepmother to death and poisoned my nephews and nieces. Heaven will not tolerate this. It's just a pity that the Han family is afraid of trouble and refuses to get involved. When the time comes and a memorial is handed in, I'll see how he will be cursed by the world!"
Ling'er laughed bitterly inwardly at this. She simply couldn't understand how someone as shrewd and capable as the Madam could raise a daughter as naive and ignorant of the ways of the world as her master. How could a high-ranking official, favored by the Emperor, be so "cursed by the world" for such fabricated charges? "The world" didn't have that much free time.
Ting Can pulled out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Sister Xiang, saying, "This is my personal letter. Give it to Lord Xu and tell him that I will give you a generous reward after the matter is completed."
He took it from his sister-in-law with both hands, listened to a lot of instructions, and hurried out of the house.
That night, Tingcan slept exceptionally soundly, dreaming that the injustices against her mother and brother had been redressed. The emperor imprisoned Gu Tingye and exiled him to the imperial court, never to return to the capital. He also confined Sheng to the imperial music school, where she was required to flatter men with her beauty every day. She was once again the distinguished seventh daughter of the Gu family, with both her mother-in-law and husband daring not to offend her. Of course, that bitch surnamed Yan had no easy life either. She was sold into the most despicable brothel, and her children were sold off to other places as slaves...
While she was having a sweet dream, she suddenly heard a loud noise outside. Tingcan woke up with a start and saw a large group of people rushing into the room. She shrank into the bed in fear. Three or five strong women rushed over and grabbed her, tied her hands, bound her legs, or gagged her.
Tingcan raised his head with all his strength and kicked his legs continuously, only to see a familiar woman standing at the door. It was none other than Mother Pan, the most useful woman to Princess Qingchang.
Mother Pan said coldly, "Third Grandma has had a seizure. Send her to a quiet room in the backyard immediately and ask a doctor to treat her properly."
Tingcan desperately shook his head, trying to spit out the cloth in his mouth. Just as he was about to scream, he saw an envelope in Pan's mother's hand. It was the letter he had just given to Sister-in-law Xiang a few hours ago?! Tingcan was stunned.
Mother Pan looked at her and said coldly, "From now on, Third Aunt, just take good care of yourself and don't write anymore."
Ting Can understood immediately, was stunned for a moment, and then screamed like crazy: "What have you done to Sister-in-law Xiang? Ling'er, where is Ling'er?! How dare you?! My father is the Ningyuan Marquis, and I am the legitimate daughter of the Gu family!... You lowly servants, how dare you be so rude! Ling'er, Ling'er, come here quickly!..."
The maids didn't care about that. They tied her up tightly. After she struggled, Tingcan was terrified and started crying out incoherently: "...Husband, I don't know, I don't know anything. That letter...you go ask Ling'er...she must have done it on her own. Yes, she wanted to vent my anger. She can also write..."
Soon, the seventh young lady of the Gu family had her mouth blocked and could no longer say anything.
…
The doors and windows of the main house in the main courtyard were closed, and Han's parents and son were sitting or standing; Princess Qingchang held a few thin pieces of letter paper in her hand, and on them was the handwriting of Han Cheng's wife, who was familiar to him.
"What? I told you long ago that this evil cannot be allowed to remain. Your son insisted on being gentle with his daughter. Now, what else do you two have to say?" Princess Qingchang waved the pieces of paper leisurely. "Fortunately, my daughter-in-law is a fool. If she were a little smarter, she could have bribed a few censors and revealed this matter. Then, should we have any more contact with Marquis Gu in the future?"
Sweat dripped down Han Cheng's forehead and he couldn't utter a word.
Prince Consort Han, nearly sixty, was still a man of high spirits. He slapped his son across the face and shouted, "Rebellious son! You've disobeyed your mother so many times, and now you've almost caused trouble! Gu Tingye and Wang Shanzhi were sent to Sichuan by imperial decree, one to seize military power, the other to seize political power and money. Everything they did was the emperor's will. How can we offend people like them?!"
Princess Qingchang said quietly, "There are some things that outsiders may not know, but how can we not know them? When the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion was on fire, the Emperor wanted to vent his anger on Marquis Gu and wanted to punish your mother-in-law as well. It was only when the imperial physician came and reported that your mother-in-law would not live for more than a few days that Marquis Gu begged the Emperor to give her a good end... How come your wife said it was Marquis Gu who forced her stepmother to death? Humph, how ridiculous!"
After saying this, she laughed at herself again and said, "Strange, why didn't I see that he was such a fool at the beginning?"
Prince Consort Han glared at the letter and said bitterly, "And Gu Tingwei's two children. Wasn't this case closed long ago? Lord Yu personally brought the abandoned wife, Fang, to the yamen, and Fang confessed everything, saying it was revenge for Qin's frame-up. She even nearly brought up the scandal of Marquis Gu's first wife, Yu, cheating on her husband. This scared the officials at the Dali Temple so much that they quickly closed the case. This... this... why is your wife implicated too..."
Han Cheng slowly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his expression gradually calmed down, and he whispered, "It's all my fault. I can't keep a daughter-in-law like this. What should I do in the future? I would like to ask for your advice, Father and Mother."
"Don't interfere in matters related to the inner house."
The princess stretched out her well-maintained slender fingers, picked up the letter, gently lifted it to the candle flame, and then threw it on the ground. The flames quickly devoured the thin papers, and in a moment, only a small ball of dark paper ash remained on the ground.
"Marquis Gu said that as long as he doesn't divorce his wife and doesn't damage the reputation of the Gu family's daughters, he doesn't care about anything else. Your father and I are not heartless people. After all, she was married into the family in a grand sedan chair. From now on, your wife will stay in the quiet room in the backyard and don't go out."
Han Cheng couldn't help but feel pity when he thought of the cold, damp house, like a haunted house, guarded only by a few eccentric, mute women. It was clearly a scorching summer day, but he suddenly shuddered as if it were late autumn. A faint, rich scent of chrysanthemums reached his nose, as if it were the autumn when chrysanthemums bloomed all over the mountains, and when he first read Tingcan's poems at a poetry gathering that year, he felt so intoxicated.
The princess gently pulled her son up and said softly, "My son, I'm sorry for wronging you. Your marriage has been unlucky and has delayed so many things. After this, don't think about her anymore. Think more about your own future."
Juxiang suddenly disappeared. Han Cheng nodded and said calmly, "Just do as mother says."
Maybe, it was just an illusion, maybe, he married the wrong wife.
…
In the main house on the east side of the Han Mansion, Yan gently stroked her sleeping young son and tucked in the corner of the quilt. Then she turned and walked out of the inner room and came to the side room, where she saw a dark figure standing in the corner of the room.
"You've worked hard." Yan picked up a bag of silver from the table and handed it over.
The figure took a step back and uttered a low female voice: "I dare not accept it. I only beg Auntie to have mercy and let me leave the house."
Yan smiled and put down the silver purse. She was petite and charming, and her words had a sweetness to them, even if they had nothing to do with sweet things.
"You're right. The maids who went with you said that before your master was silenced, she was still yelling and trying to push the blame onto you."
The evening breeze blew gently, and the lights in the house flickered. The flickering light was reflected on the person's face, and the pale face and delicate eyebrows and eyes were revealed. It was Ling'er!
Ling'er remained silent.
Yan, however, seemed quite talkative. She gazed at the rooftop and said quietly, "That year, Shuang'er, your grandmother's friend, pushed me and caused me to lose my fully formed son. I was heartbroken, but I had no proof. If your grandmother had spoken up for Shuang'er, perhaps her life could have been saved... But Third Grandmother didn't say a word. Alas, a life was ultimately taken, and the princess beat it to death... And then there was Min'er and Liang'er before them... they're all gone."
Ling'er still didn't say anything.
Yan suddenly turned to look at her and smiled, "Now you can tell me, was it Shuang'er who stood up for your grandmother and acted on her own initiative, or was it your grandmother who instructed her to do so?"
Ling'er's expression was cold, and her voice was even colder: "Didn't Aunt know this a long time ago? Why are you still asking me? I admire Aunt. She went through so much hardship and managed to get through it all."
Yan smiled bitterly, her voice as sweet as water: "What can I do? I'm not as lucky as your grandmother, so I can only endure it myself. Alas, the Third Master still has feelings for your grandmother. If only your grandmother would be less noisy, I probably wouldn't have to worry about it."
Thinking of the sufferings of the past, she couldn't help but feel sad. She was stunned for a while, then suddenly looked up at Ling'er: "One last question, don't you feel guilty about doing this to your master and feel guilty about it?"
Ling'er suddenly looked up, her eyes blazing with flames as she spoke word for word, "I've been serving Grandma since I was seven. Now I'm twenty-seven. In those twenty years, I've never done anything to let my master down, nor have I ever intended to. Before her death, Sister Shuang'er told me that I was the only one left among the sisters, and that I had already repaid the master's kindness. She told me to think more about myself in the future."
Yan was stunned when she heard this.
Ling'er's voice was devoid of emotion. "These past few days, I've urged Grandma to stop countless times. Every word I said was good and came from the heart. If there was even a single falsehood, I would be struck by lightning and die without a complete corpse!"
She let out a long breath, as if all the bad air she had accumulated over the years had been released. Ling'er stared at the other person and said, "...Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Auntie, just tell me whether you will let me go or not."
Yan looked at Ling'er for a moment and said, "You won't bite me back as soon as you leave, will you?"
Ling'er said bitterly, "How can anyone believe the words of a traitor?"
…
At daybreak, a gray-covered carriage was parked not far from the back door of the princess's mansion. A young man sitting at the front of the carriage kept looking anxiously towards the princess's mansion. After a while, he exclaimed in surprise, "She's here, mother! She's here!"
A gray-haired woman immediately popped out of the carriage. It was none other than Xiang's sister-in-law. She took a closer look and said, "Oh, it's her!"
Ling'er, wearing plain clothes and a thorny hairpin, came out from the small back door of the princess's mansion, carrying a simple bundle. She walked slowly to the side of the carriage and tearfully said to her sister-in-law, "My dear, you're finally here. We've been waiting for half the night, just afraid... just afraid that something might happen..."
"Okay, stop talking, get in the car, let's go." The man was very happy and jumped out of the car quickly. He helped Ling'er get in the car affectionately and attentively, then he whipped the whip and drove away quickly.
In the carriage, Xiang's sister-in-law stroked the back of Ling'er's hand and smiled tearfully, saying, "I was afraid they wouldn't let you out. Fortunately, God has mercy on you... You've suffered so much..."
"I'm afraid too." Ling'er leaned against her sister-in-law's arms and said softly, "But I told Concubine Yan that if I died in the princess's mansion, rumors would spread throughout the capital, saying that the Yan family had framed the eldest wife and committed all kinds of evil. I'm just a little maid, and I can't hurt the huge princess's mansion, but it's not difficult to ruin the reputation of a concubine."
He clapped his hands and laughed at his sister-in-law, "That's right. Seeing that the eldest wife is about to fall, and the father and brother of the Yan family have both entered officialdom, how could she not want to make the first wife? This is the time when we can't afford to make any mistakes."
After a moment, she sighed again, "How long can Miss Seven live?"
Ling'er's face was bleak: "Based on the girl's temperament, it won't be long." Such miserable and difficult days are definitely not something that a delicate flower in a greenhouse like Gu Tingcan can endure.
Seeing Ling'er's unhappy expression, Xiang's sister-in-law comforted her, "Don't take it to heart. I know Seventh Miss's temper. Even if we don't help her, she will find a way to do it herself. Then it will just cause you to die unjustly for nothing."
"I don't regret it." Ling'er shook her head and said indifferently, "Staying with grandma is just another ending. I, I still remember Miss Tingyan."
Speaking of the eldest daughter of the Gu family who married early and no longer associated with her parents, Xiang's sister-in-law immediately became excited and clapped her thigh, saying, "That's right! The Qin family are all bad people! I heard from the elders that Miss Tingyan's mother was also loyal to her master. They had originally agreed on a suitable in-law family, but who knew that sickly woman would want to harm others on her deathbed! In order to disgust Madam Bai and also so that Master Tingyu would have someone to take care of him, just, just... Hey..."
Thinking of the deceased Concubine Qiu, Xiang's sister-in-law became even bolder. "The Qin family is so ruthless. They said everything was good at first, but as soon as the Dowager married her, they started to dislike Miss Tingyan and her daughter. Alas, poor Miss Tingyan, she had to let the Dowager coax the old marquis to marry so far away. I don't know if she will ever be able to return to the capital in this lifetime!"
Ling'er nodded and said softly, "We slaves are nothing more than objects in the eyes of our masters. We use us when we are useful and throw us away when we are not." At this point, she suddenly remembered something and reached out to rub her sister-in-law's knee. "I remember your old cold leg hasn't healed yet. You knelt for a long time last night. Does it hurt now? Let me rub it for you."
As soon as her hand touched her knee, she hissed softly and cursed her sister-in-law, "This mother and daughter are the same kind of people. They never treat servants as human beings! My family has worked for them all our lives, but my husband was still implicated and beaten to death. When my mother-in-law died, the lady-in-law didn't even give us mother and son an explanation, and just told us to continue to work hard! Bah!"
"Well, what's past is past. Let's leave the capital quickly and find a quiet place to live." Ling'er said, "With this money, we won't have to worry about making a living."
He smiled at his sister-in-law and said, "That's right." Suddenly, he became worried, "Will Princess Qingchang let us go? Will she change her mind again?"
Ling'er smiled and said, "Do you think Concubine Yan could have made her own decision without the princess's consent?"
Sister-in-law Xiang was shocked: "Could it be that the princess wants to deal with the seventh girl?"
"If Grandma were fine, the princess might have tolerated her," Ling'er said coldly. "But Grandma kept instigating the Third Master to disobey Mother, so the princess didn't want this daughter-in-law a long time ago. But then the Dowager died, and because they didn't want outsiders to say that the Princess's Mansion was fickle and feared the Gu family's power, they couldn't act immediately, which is why it dragged on for so many years."
"Good child, you are so smart!" Sister-in-law Xiang was overjoyed and hugged Ling'er and said, "Let's live a good life as a family from now on."
Ling'er was the best at being humble and submissive, her face full of gratitude: "I am two years older than Qingdi. Thank you for not despising me. I will serve you well in the future... serve you..." Her face turned red and she was very shy.
He smiled at his sister-in-law and said, "What did you call me?"
If she had lived a comfortable life in the Gu Mansion before, she would have definitely looked down on Ling'er as a daughter-in-law. However, she had fallen on hard times in recent years, been cheated in business, and bullied as a laborer. After a period of hardship, she realized that the family must have a capable daughter-in-law.
Someone like Ling'er, who is smart and capable, and loves her son wholeheartedly, has no relatives or friends. Who else can she rely on except her family? Moreover, she is old, and she is only afraid that men will not want her, so they will be doubly respectful to her.
Ling'er quietly watched her sister-in-law's smug look, smiling slightly in her heart, but her face was as shy as a young girl. She said meekly, "I will definitely serve mother well in the future."
Life is lived by people. With a strong and obedient husband and a mother-in-law who is not difficult to serve, she doesn't believe that she will not have a good life.
Extra: Snow in May and February
It was early February, and a sudden, unseasonable cold snap had struck. The chill was like a glass dome covering the capital. Even though the sun was still shining brightly, the cold seeped up from the soles of my feet. Grandma He stood at the doorway, gazing at the sky. She stamped her feet to shake off the chill and ordered the maid to quickly light the ground dragon. "Light two more fumigation baskets in the rooms of the brothers and sisters, and have the maids watch over them to prevent them from catching a cold." After a moment's thought, she added, "The same goes for those over there. Don't let them get sick from the cold and cause trouble again."
The old woman smiled and agreed, praising her mistress's kindness and virtue for a few moments before she left. Just then, a daughter-in-law, dressed in a tight-fitting skirt, excitedly ran down the corridor and said, "Grandma, Uncle An from the stables got back early and said the master has arrived at the city gate and is just waiting for him to unload the carts of medicine at the shop before returning."
Grandma He's face was filled with joy: "This time we'll be back soon after our long journey. Go and tell the brothers and sisters that Dad is coming back. Hurry up and take out those calligraphy and paintings you practiced in the past so that Master can see them and be happy."
The daughter-in-law was very smart and responded with a smile.
The husband was about to return from his long journey, so Grandma He was naturally busy. She first prepared several large buckets of hot water, herbal baths to relieve fatigue, clean underwear and robes, and heated the kang. Thinking that he would not have had lunch by this time, she asked the kitchen to prepare a few dishes that the husband liked. When the children came in, she asked them to wait on the kang in the inner room...
Tuantuan was busy for a long time, and it was already evening when a sweaty old woman came running out the door, her face full of anger and contempt. She said, "Grandma, the master is back, but that troublemaker is making trouble again! He asked a little maid to block the door, and when she saw the master, she cried and howled, asking him to come and see, saying that Concubine Cao is dying of illness!"
This kind of trick was not the first time played by that side. Grandma He didn't bother to pay attention to it at first, because her husband didn't like that side anyway. But now, seeing her two children eagerly waiting for their father to come back, she couldn't help but feel angry.
Grandma He's family was from the military. She had been influenced by her father and brothers since she was a child, and had developed a temper as violent as a sword. Without saying a word, she turned around and strode out the door. When she stepped over the threshold, she swung it vigorously, and the thick quilted brocade curtain hit the door frame with a heavy "bang".
The He residence was small and exquisite, with only three and a half halls in total. After just a few steps, Grandma He reached the west courtyard. Without waiting for the maid in the courtyard to report, she strode into the house with big strides. Just as she half-opened the curtain of the inner room, she saw a woman in plain undergarments half-leaning on the bed, her chest half-open, revealing half of her pink and tender breasts, set off by a sparkling water-red bellyband.
Aunt Cao was very delicate, with disheveled hair. She caressed her chest with one hand and held the man beside the bed tightly with the other. She said sadly, "Cousin, cousin, you are so cruel. You haven't even come to see me all these days..."
The man looked dusty and his voice was tired: "I'm out doing some shopping, how can I come to see you?"
Aunt Cao stared at the man with tearful eyes, her voice becoming increasingly tender: "Before that, if I hadn't been so shameless, my cousin wouldn't even want to look at me! Even if I died, I'm afraid no one would know!"
The man placed one hand on her pulse and said absentmindedly, "There's nothing wrong with your body. You're just a little depressed. I'll prescribe some dispersing medicine." He had heard so many stories of life and death over the years that he had become numb to them.
Aunt Cao secretly resented him. If it were just an ordinary man, it would be fine, but he was a first-class doctor. She couldn't pretend to be sick. Seeing the man about to get up and leave, she quickly grabbed his sleeve and cried, "Cousin, please have pity on me!"
Then she hung half of her body on the man, and said sadly and tactfully: "... Ever since my aunt passed away a few years ago, my cousin doesn't like to see me. I know I'm wrong. I've been a burden to my cousin all these years. He's either taking medicine or taking supplements. I think he must have been tired of me a long time ago. But I can't stop breathing. I just hope that I can be with my cousin forever, but my sister won't let me set foot in her place..."
Grandma He couldn't stand it any longer. She yanked the curtain and rushed in. She dragged Aunt Cao away from the man and threw her to the ground, cursing, "Bitch! Do you have any shame? You're leaving your clothes open, your breasts exposed, and your mother-in-law has only been dead for a few months?! Your husband is still in mourning, and you're so mean to seduce men like this! You're so hungry, I'll go find some strong men outside to help you relieve your anger! Why bother to blame your husband for being unfilial!"
Aunt Cao had always been afraid of this powerful mistress, especially after her aunt passed away, when she had once experienced a beating from the mistress herself. Her face flushed red, and she lay on the ground sobbing, "...Grandma, why...why are you talking so harshly! I...I won't live anymore..."
Grandma He had no sympathy for women. She spat on her and said disdainfully, "You'd better die soon! I'm afraid you won't die, and you're just looking for an opportunity to harm others! Your mother-in-law treats you so kindly, but you shameless bastard, what did you do while she was seriously ill? You still have the nerve to cry with such shame! You actually drugged your husband and asked a dirty little bitch to crawl on the bed, trying to bring a bastard into the house to cause trouble! Your mother-in-law could have dragged it out for another six months, but you made her so angry that she died before even a year had passed!"
Aunt Cao covered her face and just cried non-stop: "If you hate me, grandma, I will obey you even if you hit me or scold me, but don't wrongly accuse me! I am also thinking about the He family. My cousin has only one son and one daughter so far, why not take in concubines and expand the family! I am useless myself, so I found someone who is easy to bear children. Who knew that girl had ulterior motives? I don't know..."
Grandma He was furious. She kicked Cao, knocking her half over and cursing, "Bah! Who are you trying to fool? If it weren't for my grandmother's early warning, you would have succeeded. Just for this, I'll skin you alive and no one will stand up for you! Filthy things like you, it's filthy to even step on my territory!"
Cao was pinched so hard by the mistress that she wanted to throw herself at the man's feet, but was kicked over by Grandma He. Cao rolled on the ground and cried, "Cousin, are you just going to watch me get beaten and scolded like this?"
The man stood by the door, his expression still indifferent, as if the fight between the two women had nothing to do with him. "She is the mistress, and you are the concubine. She wants to teach you, so just bear with it. ... I'm tired, I'll go back first."
After saying that, he turned and left the house.
Grandma He was very proud and called the maids and the servants outside to come in. Seeing that no one could help her, Cao was panicked. She knelt beside the mistress and was about to plead, but saw two maids carrying a little maid in with a fork. Her cheeks were swollen and bleeding from being slapped. She cried out in disbelief, "Qiu'er, how did they beat you like this?!"
This is the only trusted maid left by Cao. It was she who went to the door to block the man just now.
Grandma He kicked Cao away, walked to the window and sat down. She surveyed the room full of servants and said slowly, "I said this before the New Year. I don't tolerate any injustice. Don't think you can get away with it..." She pointed at Qiu'er, who lay limp on the ground, and said coldly, "...you're just trying to go against me for a few pieces of silver! Someone, since this girl is so close to Concubine Cao, send her indenture to the Cao family!"
Qiu'er trembled all over. She had been with Concubine Cao for so long, how could she not know the Cao family's situation? They were so poor that even the Cao family's wives had to do the cooking and cooking themselves. They were starving, and the men in the Cao family were all vicious. If she, an innocent girl, went there, wouldn't she be walking into a tiger's mouth?! She was afraid that once they got tired of her, she would be sold to a brothel!
She was so frightened that she wanted to beg for mercy, but she found herself shaking so violently that she couldn't even speak. She was then dragged out by two maids.
The maids around were so quiet that they didn't even dare to make a sound.
"Pull her up here!" Grandma He shouted majestically, and the two daughters-in-law grabbed Cao's arms and dragged her to their front.
Grandma He rolled up her sleeves and raised her thick palms high. The sound of flesh hitting flesh could be heard. Cao was slapped from both sides more than a dozen times, her face and lips were broken, and she begged for mercy incoherently.
"...At first I thought you were a good girl. You were a young lady from a wealthy family who had suffered misfortune and been demoted. You had endured enough hardship in that remote village. I wanted to treat you well, with good food and drink, and be polite to you..." Grandma He was so happy that she slowly lowered her sleeves and said sarcastically, "Who knew you were so greedy? You are such a shameless person, even when I give you favors! How come that little bitch just climbed onto the kang seven or eight days ago and now she's two months pregnant?"
Concubine He deliberately humiliated the Cao family in front of everyone, and her words became increasingly rude: "Hmph, don't play dumb. My husband and I have already found out. That bitch has been going to the Cao family every few days to pass on information and things to you, and has been flirting with your brothers. It doesn't matter whose bastard in her belly is born, it's all surnamed Cao. Haha, you Cao family have such a good idea, but you actually want to plot against the He family's property like this! I tell you, dream on! Grandma and Grandmother have already seen through it and are just waiting for you to commit suicide!"
Ever since her daughter-in-law showed signs of being on her last legs, the old lady of the He family knew that the Cao family was impatient to cause trouble, so she told her granddaughter-in-law to wait and see, so that she could catch the person red-handed, and at the same time, to prevent her daughter-in-law from making unreasonable demands before her death.
As a result, before Mrs. He died, she only had enough strength to plead for her niece, and she could not say anything else. Thinking of her shrewd and insightful grandmother, Grandma He felt both grateful and admired.
After her plan was exposed, Cao was very quiet for a while and hid herself away from people. Unexpectedly, she returned to her old ways after just a few months. Grandma He had been holding her anger and had been waiting for today's excuse to deal with her!
"You stay here obediently. My mother-in-law told me to take good care of you before she died! My husband and I remember this and will not let you go without food and clothing. But if you dare to have any evil thoughts again, there are so many nunneries outside the city, and so many powerful abbots. I have plenty of ways to deal with you!"
After a round of threats and scolding, Grandma He felt much better. After throwing the crying Cao to bed, she reassigned her two "useful" maids and a few other "rule-abiding" women.
She returned to her room contentedly, only to find her husband had finished bathing and was sitting on the kang chatting and laughing with their children. The youngest child was naughty, holding up a large crooked character and demanding his father's approval, and even climbed onto his shoulders and played around. The eldest daughter was quiet, sitting on the edge of the kang with her little feet up, asking and answering questions with her father about the "Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" she had just finished reading. The father held his squirming son in his arms, looking at his daughter with eyes full of pride.
Grandma He's heart was filled with warmth and joy.
"Well, you two monkeys, why don't you come down!" Grandma He said with a smile, "Your father hasn't eaten yet!"
As she approached the kang, her son climbed up the vines and said in a baby voice, "Mom, my sister and I will accompany Dad to eat. I will serve him the food and pour him some wine."
"Bah! With you around, how can your father eat in peace?... All right, Sister Shu, take your little monkey brother back home!"
Shu Jie'er turned around, covered her mouth and chuckled, then pinched her brother's ears and dragged him away.
The couple watched their two children go out with a smile, and then Grandma He quickly asked the maid to put the food on the table on the kang, and she personally brought the hot rice wine and poured a glass for her husband.
"Is your experience going well this time, my husband?" Grandma He had just finished some snacks, so she didn't need to eat. She just sat opposite him and kept him company. "Doctor Huang from Bao'an Hall has been here twice. He said he has a prescription he'd like to discuss with you. Someone from Duke Yan's residence has come and said the pills you took last time were very good. The old lady and the old man really enjoyed them. He asked for more pills and, if it's convenient for you, he'd like to have you come to the house more often to take pulses. Oh, and Doctor Lin from Shuanghua Hutong has decided to retire. He asked you to think about it. Do you really not need him to recommend you to the Imperial Hospital? Although the Imperial Hospital is full of twists and turns, it also contains many ancient prescriptions and medical books that have been lost. If you don't want to go in, you can put up a sign first..."
Director Grandma He is an expert in both housekeeping and socializing. She can almost run half the household.
Doctor He took a sip of the wine and put it down, saying with sincere gratitude: "You have worked hard these days.
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