Chapter 121 If I go to her house to apologize, she will probably be arrogant... The next morning, after a hurried breakfast, Madam Wu ordered the doorman to arrange a carriage. Zhan wanted to persuade her, but seeing that her mother-in-law was determined to go to the Ningshou Marquis' Mansion, she could only tell her daughter Qi Ruoruo to stay at home, and she would accompany her mother-in-law to the mansion to avoid any big trouble that would ruin the relationship between the two families.
The carriage drove out of the alley where Qi's residence was located and arrived at Ningshou Hou's Mansion in about half an hour.
The maid at the gate had seen the carriage from the Qi residence before. When she saw it stop, she hurried forward to greet it, bowing through the curtains and saying, "This old servant greets my uncle and madam."
The curtain was raised, and the first person to get off the carriage was Zhan. However, Zhan turned around and personally helped an elderly lady get off the carriage. The old woman had heard about what happened in the mansion yesterday, and her heart skipped a beat. She immediately guessed that this old lady was probably Madam Wu, who had come to the capital not long ago and was the mother of the eldest lady in the mansion.
Her expression changed slightly, and she winked at her daughter-in-law who was standing not far away. The daughter-in-law was also a perceptive person. She hurried into the house and went all the way to Xilan Courtyard to report to Madam Zhai the news that the old lady from her family and her uncle's wife had come to visit.
Madam Zhai listened to her report, frowned slightly, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "These two families have been relatives for many years, but they haven't been in contact. Your mother-in-law didn't even have time to visit us during her trip to the capital, but she came today. Could it be that she heard something and wanted to support the eldest son's wife?"
"But I'm afraid she's miscalculated. There's no such thing as a couple without quarrels and fights. The eldest brother has been married to the Qi family for so many years, but he doesn't even have a daughter or son. Now that Concubine Liu is finally pregnant, could it be that the Qi family is still trying to stop Concubine Liu from giving birth to the child, hoping to abort our Cui family's bloodline?"
Qi was humiliated yesterday when she heard her own daughter suggest that the old lady take Concubine Liu to live in Xilan Courtyard. She was furious again and was really sick now. She did not come to pay her respects in the morning and only sent her personal maid Jiang Ma to apologize.
The one who was talking to the old lady in the room at this moment was the second lady, Mrs. Bian.
Bian heard her mother-in-law's bad tone, and thinking about how her eldest sister-in-law Qi had lost face yesterday, she felt particularly happy. Thinking that it was the Qi family's Old Madam Wu and her aunt's wife Zhan who came to visit, she said, "The old lady came in person, or else she should send someone to call Yin over. After all, it's not appropriate for her, a young lady who is about to marry into the Qi family, to hide in her own courtyard when the elders come to visit."
"Besides, if the atmosphere becomes awkward, Yin, the future granddaughter-in-law of the Qi family, can also persuade Old Madam Wu to avoid any rifts and unnecessary awkwardness."
Madam Zhai understood what Bian meant and nodded. She instructed Daimao, the head maidservant standing beside her, "Go and call Yin over. Tell her that the old lady and my aunt are here. Ask her to come over and pay her respects to the elders and have a chat with them."
Daimao responded with a yes and took the order. After a while, Cui Lingyin brought her maid Luoxue to Xilanyuan.
After a cup of tea, a maid came in to report that Old Madam Wu and my aunt had arrived at the moon-shaped gate.
Old Madam Zhai was not happy about Old Madam Wu coming to her house, but she still believed that noble families valued rules the most. She gestured to Bian and asked her to take Cui Lingyin to greet her so as to avoid giving people the impression that the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion looked down on others and deliberately put on airs.
Bian nodded and took Cui Lingyin out to greet them. After a while, the curtain outside was opened, and Bian led Madam Wu and Qi in, with Cui Lingyin following behind them.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the host and guest took their seats. Old Madam Wu, after only a few sips of tea, stated her purpose: "Yesterday, I heard that the Marquis and my daughter had an argument over a concubine. The Marquis actually resorted to violence and slapped his own wife, causing her great humiliation. I was so worried and heartbroken that I couldn't sleep all night. I got up early, had a quick breakfast, and hurried over to your house to ask my mother-in-law what exactly happened."
As soon as she finished speaking, the room suddenly became quiet and a bit awkward, as if the polite greetings and concern for each other were all fake.
Old Madam Zhai was a little displeased, thinking that Wu was really used to being the head of a small family, and she thought she was still the old lady who had the final say in the small Qi family. Now that she had arrived at the Marquis's residence, her questions were not polite at all, and there was even a hint of questioning in her heart, as if the Ningshou Marquis's residence was also a family of the same status as the Qi family.
Madam Zhai suppressed her unhappiness and forced a smile, saying, "What are you talking about, mother-in-law? There is no such thing as a couple without quarrels and fights. Yesterday, it was because the eldest brother cared too much about the child in Concubine Liu's belly, which led to a misunderstanding and he got angry and started fighting. I scolded him and even sent a lot of supplements to Cuiwei Courtyard and asked him to apologize. This matter between husband and wife is not a big deal. If mother-in-law had come a few days later, they might have reconciled. How could we, as elders, have the opportunity to sit here and discuss it?"
Mrs. Zhai's words sounded a bit sarcastic and even harsh. She was implying that Mrs. Wu was just looking for trouble by coming to the house in such a hurry. Every couple has some conflicts. If the wife's family came to the house as soon as something happened, it would be too unreasonable.
Old Madam Wu has always been the one who calls the shots in the Qi family, but after being bullied by Old Madam Zhai, her face immediately turned red and she felt a little embarrassed.
Bian Shi advised from the side, "Don't be upset, old lady. Mother-in-law isn't saying you shouldn't come. The whole family is happy that your in-laws are here. It's just that my eldest sister-in-law has been married into the mansion for so many years, Yan's daughter is married, and it's time for Bo'er to discuss marriage. It's not like a newlywed bride needs her family to intervene and back her up if she has a quarrel with her husband. If this gets out, won't it become a joke in the capital and be discussed and mocked?"
"Besides, the matter has been settled now. It was just a misunderstanding. My eldest sister-in-law is already a little exhausted from taking care of Bo'er, so how could she dare ask her, the mistress, to take care of the pregnant Concubine Liu? My mother-in-law also feels sorry for my sister-in-law, so she listened to Yan's suggestion and brought Concubine Liu to Xilan Courtyard and asked the maids to take care of her to prevent my eldest sister-in-law from being burdened."
"Old Madam, rest assured. Not to mention that Concubine Liu may not be carrying a son, even if it is, it will only be a bastard's son. The rules of the Marquis' Mansion are very strict and they prioritize the legitimate and illegitimate sons. It is absolutely impossible for a bastard's son to surpass the legitimate son. Naturally, this family fortune belongs to Bo'er, the legitimate son. You and your sister-in-law can rest assured."
After hearing what Bian said, it seemed that the reason why Old Lady Wu came to visit was to plot against the Ningshou Marquis's family property for her grandson Cui Shenbo. Old Lady Wu was in a dilemma whether to accept or not accept this, and she suddenly became speechless. No matter what she said, she couldn't say it well. This was the first time she realized the power of the daughter-in-law of this wealthy family.
Is this my daughter's sister-in-law? With such a sharp-tongued sister-in-law and Bo'er's poor health, I'm afraid my daughter hasn't had an easy time these past few years.
Old Madam Wu felt a little uncomfortable and even embarrassed. She had thought that her daughter had become the eldest daughter-in-law in the marquis's mansion and had given birth to Bo Ge'er and Yan Yatou. Yan Yatou was now married to Lu Bingzhi and became the wife of the prince of Weiguo. However, Cui Linghui, the daughter born to the former Mu family, was only a concubine of the second prince Xiao Ze. In this case, the Qi family, the in-laws, had the confidence to be on equal footing with the marquis's mansion, so she had the confidence to come here today to ask for an explanation.
But only now did she understand that the other person didn't take her, the old lady of the Qi family, seriously at all. Otherwise, why would every word he said be so demeaning that she couldn't utter a word.
Old Madam Wu was so embarrassed that she almost lost face. She glanced at her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Zhan, who sighed inwardly. She didn't want to embarrass the old madam and make people look down on the Qi family. She smiled and said to Mrs. Bian, "Second Madam, that's not true. What's the family business? Although our two families are relatives, there's no reason for us to ask about such things. The old madam is just worried about my aunt, so she thought of coming to visit her today and bring her some food from home."
She then asked, "Since my aunt is not feeling well, is she in Cuiwei Courtyard now?"
Madam Zhai nodded, a smile now on her face, and said to Mrs. Zhan, "She's not feeling well and is recuperating in Cuiwei Courtyard. You can take your mother-in-law there. I'll have the kitchen prepare some fresh dishes and have them delivered to Cuiwei Courtyard. You and your in-laws can have lunch there at noon. You haven't seen each other for many years. The last time the eldest daughter-in-law went to the Qi residence, she didn't stay long either. I'm sure you have a lot to discuss."
As Mrs. Zhai said this, she told the kitchen to prepare lunch and send it to Cuiwei Courtyard.
Old Madam Wu's expression changed several times, and she finally stood up and said goodbye to her daughter-in-law Zhan.
After seeing the two leave, Madam Zhai placed the teacup on the table, her tone full of disdain: "An old lady from a humble family, it's a great honor for her daughter to marry the eldest brother as his successor. Who gave her the nerve to come to our Marquis' Mansion and ask for an explanation? The eldest brother has been very good to her. Has he had a single illegitimate son or daughter over the years? Other noble families have illegitimate sons and daughters who are taken care of by their mothers. She has been spared for so many years, which is already a respectable thing. Can't she even take in the child in Concubine Liu's belly? Are you going to harm the flesh and blood of our Cui family?"
"With Wu's temper, if I had softened my stance and apologized to her today, she would have most likely gotten aggressive. If I hadn't curbed her temper, she wouldn't have realized that the Qi family and our Marquis's family are worlds apart. How can we even be on equal terms?"
Bian felt that the old lady's words were a bit harsh, so she spoke to comfort her, "Mother, please don't be angry about this. They are from a small family and it is inevitable that they don't know the rules. Please be more understanding for the sake of your granddaughter, Yan. After all, Yan is a person who knows the importance of the overall situation. Otherwise, how could she ask mother to bring Concubine Liu to Xilan Courtyard to take care of her when her eldest sister-in-law is her biological mother? It is obvious that Yan takes our Cui family bloodline seriously."
Originally, Madam Zhai was just a little angry that Madam Wu came to visit today. But after hearing what Bian said, although she did not continue to say bad things about the Qi family, her expression became complicated and she did not speak for a long time.
Bian's heart skipped a beat, and she was about to speak to break the silence when she heard Madam Zhai say, "That's not what I think. I just feel that Yan is too hard-hearted. I'm afraid our Cui family can't control her."
"No matter how glorious her position as the wife of the Duke of Weiguo is, if she doesn't help our Ningshou Marquisate, what benefits can the Marquisate gain?"
"She doesn't even care about her biological mother, Qi. She's truly cruel to come up with such a suggestion. Tell me, shouldn't we find a way to arrange for someone to share her favor, so that she knows that even if she becomes the Crown Prince's wife, she still has to rely on her mother's family."
Bian was stunned, then hesitated before speaking, "How could mother have such thoughts? Lu Bingzhi has never been interested in women. Even though he treats Yan girl well now, it's not certain that he would be interested in other women. Besides, if a woman like this wasn't from our Cui family, we wouldn't be able to control her. Why send her to Lu Bingzhi and divide Yan girl's favor, only to alienate her from us?"
Madam Zhai thought for a moment and said, "We don't have to do anything. You can spread the word that Yan is jealous and intolerant. It would be best if the Empress Dowager or the Emperor knew about it. Then, when the palace rewards the servants, I don't believe Yan won't feel bad and won't miss our Marquis' Mansion as her family. Otherwise, if she gets pregnant and gives birth to a child, her position in the Duke's Mansion will be completely consolidated, and then we won't be needed anymore. By then, she'll have grown stronger and will be further away from our family, the Marquis' Mansion, with no room for change. Just look at your sister-in-law's situation; she's not a soft-hearted person."
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