Chapter 31 I'll Take on Ten at Once: Yes, that's absolutely right. On his first day back, Yu Lang didn't even leave the east courtyard when he saw...
Yes, that's absolutely right.
On his first day back, Yu Lang didn't leave the East Courtyard. He noticed that the servants and attendants there all walked with a brisk pace. He didn't think much of it, assuming it was because of a festival and the manor had given them an extra half-month's salary. Naturally, they were happy to work after receiving the bonus.
The next day, the two got up early and went to the main courtyard. On the way, they met the maids and servants from Niohuru's courtyard and the main courtyard. Seeing them bowing and greeting them like chicks, they finally understood what their mistress meant by "stubborn and unruly".
Even the two old women who had always been arrogant because they had served the old lady for many years, when they saw Shen Wanqing from afar, lowered their heads with an unwilling yet extremely obedient attitude: "Greetings to the eldest mistress and the eldest master."
The eldest mistress was in front, and the eldest master was behind. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem for Yu Lang, but last night Shen Wanqing openly revealed her ambition in front of him. Even if this was just the tip of the iceberg for Shen Wanqing, it was enough to intimidate Lord Yu.
"Is this what you wanted?"
"What is this? They did it on purpose. They are deliberately trying to sow discord so that the old man will think that I, his wife, am restless and disobedient."
These days, Tongjia didn't stop her from going to the West Courtyard, but Shen Wanqing could clearly feel that her attitude towards her was getting colder day by day.
It's hard to say whether she felt it was improper for a junior to forcefully take things without the elders' permission. Or perhaps the old lady genuinely wanted to live with her son and daughter-in-law and didn't want to follow the eldest son's family and be at her granddaughter-in-law's beck and call.
But neither of them mattered to Shen Wanqing. Unwilling? There were plenty of things she wouldn't want to do.
Lady Tongjia was unwilling to choose between the first and second wives, wanting to be a mediator, while Lady Niohuru was unwilling to remain a widow. She herself was unwilling to patiently negotiate with them, all in order to reclaim what was rightfully hers.
Everyone has their own reasons for not wanting this, so the best outcome would be for everyone to compromise, find a balance, and coexist peacefully. No one should expect everything to go their way, and no one should push anyone to the brink of despair. Wouldn't that be better?
Whether it was at the behest of Lady Tongjia or a servant in the main courtyard acting on their own initiative, this sudden action on such a festive occasion made Shen Wanqing's face turn cold. If you don't want us to be on good terms, then let's just cut ties completely.
Shen Wanqing pretended to whisper to Yulang, but what she said was just enough for the two old women and the servants who were not far away to hear.
Their little schemes were ruthlessly exposed by Shen Wanqing, and both of them looked rather displeased. The maids nearby also turned to look, none of them expecting the mistress to suddenly make such a move.
This was indeed not at Tongjia's behest; it was simply that her dissatisfaction with Shen Wanqing had become public.
Some of the servants were afraid of Madam Shen, while others wanted to take this opportunity to put her in a bad position. If they could really provoke the master to get angry at Madam Shen, or even make her back down and stop her from fighting with the second wife, then they would have done a great service in front of the old lady.
Unfortunately, Shen Wanqing was unpredictable. Yu Lang walked beside her, her arm linked with his, and dared not move an inch. He was afraid that if he struggled even slightly, the servants would misunderstand and Shen Wanqing would punish him later.
She could only glance at the two old women out of the corner of her eye. Their faces were ashen and pale, and it was hard to tell whether they were upset by Shen Wanqing's words or frightened by the fear that Madam Shen would settle scores later.
No matter how frightened they were, Yu Lang obediently looked away. After all, his words about "distinguishing between inside and outside" from last night were still fresh in his mind. If he did anything wrong at this moment, he would become an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
"You must save face for your husband in front of others," was something the original owner of this body had been repeatedly told to do by her mother before her marriage. Shen Wanqing thought this was absolutely true; after all, who doesn't want to save face?
So after following Yu Lang into the room, Shen Wanqing put on her previous gentle, obedient and docile demeanor again, even standing half a body length away from Yu Lang, looking exactly like a parasitic vine.
But she's been married into the family for so long. Everyone in the house knows what kind of person the eldest mistress of the East Courtyard is. Not only the people in the house, but even the guard dogs in the backyard and the big fat cat that only jumps down from some rooftop when it's time to eat know her. Now she's still pretending to be an honest person, which is really an eyesore in the eyes of others.
Especially the people in the west courtyard. Second Master He Yi sat right next to the old lady, adopting the posture of a dutiful son. The way he looked at his nephew and nephew's wife also carried a sense of peace and love that only elders have.
The guards of Yuqing Palace and Qianqing Palace take turns on duty at different times. Yu Lang had not inquired about He Yi's situation. He was able to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival at home today, so it was hard to say whether it was his turn to rest or whether he had specially swapped shifts with his colleagues.
Unfortunately, he wasn't old enough. He Yi was only thirty-two this year. Although he had grown a short beard, the Hesheli family members were all good-looking, so he naturally looked young. Trying to deliberately act like a kind and loving junior just seemed out of place.
Shumulu was much more honest, whether from exhaustion preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival or from being truly frightened by Shen Wanqing, it was hard to tell. Sitting in the chair opposite Niohuru, her gaze seemed to pass over the two of them as if they were something dirty, not even glancing at Yulang and Shen Wanqing.
However, the two sons of the second wife, Tu Nan and Hui Zhong, sat side by side, one big and one small, their eyes filled with undisguised wariness and anger as they looked at Shen Wanqing.
These days have been enough for them to know what happened. For children who are not yet grown up, they may not be old enough to understand who this thing should belong to, but they are old enough to understand that their sister-in-law is taking over their mother's power to manage the household.
The children's hostility was direct and undisguised. Shumulu was still in a daze and didn't notice her two sons. He Yi saw them but pretended not to. In short, the second branch of the family seemed to have their own thoughts, but they could also be considered united against a common enemy in another sense.
The east and west courtyards were separated, creating a clear division between them. Fu Xuan wanted to reprimand Tu Nan and Hui Zhong to tone it down, but Tong Jia had told her too many times in the past few days not to interfere with the two branches of the family, so she didn't dare to speak rashly at this moment.
Finally, it was Niohuru, who always acted like a great bodhisattva, who took off the Buddhist prayer beads wrapped around her hand and casually placed them on the coffee table beside her. The clinking sound brought everyone in the room back to their senses.
"Sit down when you get here. What are you standing there for?"
Having not seen her son for five days, how could Niohuru not miss him? However, she simply beckoned Shen Wanqing to sit down beside her. As for her son, after carefully examining him and seeing that he didn't seem to have suffered any hardship in the palace, she decided not to worry about him.
"Mother, I've just gotten back, why don't you say something to comfort me? You can't keep looking so stern."
Yulang was used to Niohuru's aloof nature, so he took the initiative to walk up to her and deliberately acted cute. Seeing his mother's expression of wanting to laugh but not wanting to give him that kind look, he turned around, picked up Pusa Bao who was sitting at the back, and took Pusa Bao's chair. The two brothers huddled together and whispered to each other about something.
The conflict between the East and West courtyards was brought to the forefront, and no amount of whitewashing could change that. Fortunately, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, with moon worship, kitchen god sacrifices, and receiving Manchu bannermen from the Zuo Ling's jurisdiction coming to the mansion to offer their congratulations. There were plenty of things to do, and once things got busy, no one cared about the festive atmosphere.
It wasn't until after a busy day that the family held a banquet in the main courtyard, eating and enjoying the moon and lanterns. He Yi, who had been a dutiful son around Tong Jia all day, suddenly brought up the matter of managing the household.
“This should have been done before Alang’s wife entered the family, but we were afraid that the young people would want to save money for a few years after their wedding, so we didn’t mention it. Now that Alang has a job at Yuqing Palace, and Alang’s wife is capable and decisive, I think it would be more appropriate for her to hold the key to the house in the future.”
It's said that the real fox always saves the show for last. He Yi first said that this matter should have been done a long time ago. This made it seem like he had been thinking about this matter for a long time, but he didn't say anything because he was afraid that the first wife he married would not be suitable. However, his good intentions were not fake.
He then offered to hand over the reins of the household to Shen Wanqing, but didn't specify whether this was only for the East Courtyard or whether both the East and West Courtyards would be pushed onto her. He also questioned the meaning of "suitable," implying that if he was suitable, then who was not. His words, spoken with ulterior motives, caused a change in expression among everyone at the table, including the servants.
"Second Uncle, what are you saying? What do you mean by appropriate or inappropriate? It's just that I, as a junior, am speaking without thinking and without any manners. If you say that, won't you make Second Aunt feel bad?"
Shen Wanqing laughed and retorted to He Yi's words, then deliberately dragged Shu Mulu into the mess, "Besides, back then, Second Aunt helped Mother take over the accounts of the East Courtyard. Now, even if she is to return them, she should only return the key to the East Courtyard."
How can I, a newlywed, manage the west courtyard for my second aunt? Are we to wait until Tu Nan gets married in a few years, and then have to go through all that trouble of transferring the keys back and forth? That would be truly outrageous.
As Shen Wanqing pointed out and refuted the flaws in his own words one by one, He Yi, who had been smiling amiably and elegantly, could hardly maintain his composure.
Instead, it was Shumulu, who for the first time, who didn't rush to defend her husband like a warrior when he was being ridiculed and bullied. Instead, she raised her wine glass and, with the help of alcohol, forced down the mocking smile on her face.
In this world, evil people will always have their own evil people to deal with them. Shumulu Shi admitted that she could not be an evil person, but she could always stand on the sidelines and watch the show.
"Second Uncle, you and Yulang are men when it comes to matters outside, so we women dare not inquire about them and don't know where to begin. As for matters in the inner quarters..."
This place is all about hierarchy, and there are some things Shen Wanqing can't say out loud. But saying it halfway is even more irritating than saying it all. At least He Yi's face turned as dark as a pig's liver. If it weren't for the fact that he really couldn't stand arguing with his nephew's wife, he really wouldn't have been able to swallow this.
He Yi wanted to give the entire household's housekeeper to Shen Wanqing as a favor, but Shen Wanqing refused. Before taking the things back, Shen Wanqing insisted on a financial handover, and now she was being asked to take on this mess without any clear explanation, but she still refused.
Things are stuck, so be it. Shen Wanqing isn't in a hurry anyway. Only those who are anxious know the truth; they'll just wait and see.
Shen Wanqing challenged each of the masters in the west courtyard to a duel, making the atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner rather unpleasant. Fortunately, there were many children in the family, and after the meal, they couldn't sit still and all wanted to go to the garden to look at the lanterns and guess riddles.
Fangyi led the way with Pusabao in her hand. Ever since Pusabao, her posthumous son, was born, Niohuru had doted on him like the apple of her eye. Seeing the two children heading towards the garden, even though the garden was brightly lit tonight, she still hurried after them.
Tu Nan and Hui Zhong were angry with their sister-in-law Shen Wanqing, but they couldn't bear to leave Fangyi and Pusa Bao behind. Seeing the two of them walking ahead, they couldn't hold back for a moment and simply followed. Even the two illegitimate little girls from the west courtyard were carried over by their wet nurses.
With most of the people gone, Shen Wanqing couldn't sit still any longer. People at this time valued the Mid-Autumn Festival more than in later generations, and Shen Wanqing had long been envious of the various lanterns prepared for the festival in the mansion. Now, just looking at the lanterns in the garden from afar made her itchy to go over and pick out one she liked to take home.
"The lanterns are prettier than in previous years. Ah Lang, why don't you hurry up and take your wife to pick out a good one? If you don't go soon, Tu Nan and the others will ruin all the lanterns."
"I'll stay with you here, Mother, so you can go without worry." Shen Wanqing was practically craning her neck, but Fu Xuan noticed and urged the two of them over. "Have a good time tonight, and tomorrow I'll come to your place to pick up your wife so we can go to the First-Class Duke's Mansion to admire the chrysanthemums."
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