Chapter 78 News At this moment, Yan Yatou must be feeling uncomfortable...
The news that Cen was planning to register the third young master Lu Cong'an under her own name as her legitimate son caused a stir in the Weiguo Mansion. Although the people in the mansion were strict in rules, the news was inevitably leaked out because there were so many people and many mouths. It spread throughout the capital within half a day.
Ningshou Marquis Mansion
Upon hearing the news, Madam Zhai's face immediately turned grim. She said with a hint of sarcasm, "Yan's mother-in-law is really ridiculous. She doesn't have a son because she's incompetent, either because she can't conceive or because she can't win the favor of the Duke. Now she's actually set her sights on that illegitimate son, Lu Cong'an. Lu Cong'an isn't even an infant anymore. He's already grown up, so how can there be any real mother-son affection if he's registered as a legitimate son? Is she a fool to have such thoughts? She even made such a big fuss about it, and it spread throughout the capital. Isn't she afraid of being ridiculed and talked about?"
Madam Zhai said this, glancing at the eldest Madam Qi who was sitting below her, and instructed, "In a few days, find time to send someone to the Duke of Wei's mansion to tell Yan to come back. I need to inquire about the details of such a serious matter."
Qi listened, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Three days ago, the prince returned home with Yan girl. It hasn't been long since then, and they want Yan girl to come back again. I wonder if there will be any objections over there. I think our mansion has heard that Cen wants to register the illegitimate son in her name, so they have some intention of finding out."
Hearing the implication of Qi's words, Old Lady Zhai scolded her, "What are you saying? Yan girl is now the Crown Prince's wife. As her family, can't we even show a little concern? Previously, the Duke of Wei's eldest branch had only one legitimate son, the Crown Prince, and he was the son of Princess Shuning. He was of such a noble status that no one dared to disrespect him. But Cen's intention is to insult the Crown Prince and Yan girl, the young lady. Do you really think that having another legitimate son will make Yan girl look good?"
"Yan girl came out of your belly after all, you should pay some attention to her!"
Qi's expression changed slightly, and she felt even more embarrassed, especially since her two sisters-in-law were present.
She stood up and apologized, "Mother, please calm down. I am naturally concerned about Yan girl. I will send someone to call her back to the mansion in a few days."
Madam Zhai nodded, then looked at Madam Qi again, remembering something, and asked, "I heard that Miss Hui was going to burn incense and pray for blessings, and was going to stay in Guangfu Temple for a while. She told you about this and did you agree to it?"
Mrs. Qi nodded and explained, "That's true. Mother also knows that since Miss Hui has lost her marriage to the Crown Prince, there are countless people out there who are pointing fingers and making sarcastic remarks. She has been in a bad mood for some time. Especially since she went to the palace to attend the flower viewing banquet a while ago and saw Miss Zheng become the Second Prince's consort. Perhaps she felt even more emotional because she saw the noble ladies who attended the banquet with her before now have noble status. After returning, she often stays in her room and doesn't go out. After all, I watched her grow up, and I have been worried that she might get sick from being bored. Coincidentally, she mentioned to me that day that she wanted to go to Guangfu Temple to burn incense. I thought about it and agreed. At least I can let this child go out and relax, so that she won't suffer all the time."
Old Madam Zhai frowned and said, "She caused all this trouble herself. She ruined her reputation by breaking off the engagement without caring about anything. Which of the noble families in the capital would come to propose marriage to us now? Because of her, our Ningshou Marquisate has lost face. I don't know how many years people will gossip about us behind our backs."
"Luckily, the girl who married into the Duke of Weiguo's mansion and became the Crown Prince's wife is from our Ningshou Marquis' mansion. Otherwise, our mansion would be even more embarrassed. Her actions will most likely affect the marriages of other girls in the mansion. She will have to bear the consequences of her own actions. How can she have the face to feel wronged?"
After Madam Zhai said these words, which were tinged with coldness and annoyance, no one in the room said a word.
Qi stood there, feeling very unhappy. As a stepmother, she didn't know whether to agree or not. If she didn't agree, Cui Linghui had such a temper that he wouldn't hold a grudge against her. If he was upset and caused trouble, she, the stepmother, would be the first to be scolded by the old lady.
She thought for a moment and said, "If Mother feels that it's inappropriate for her to go and burn incense, then let it go. If she feels bored in the mansion, why not stay at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion for a while?"
Hearing about the Zhenguo Mansion, Madam Zhai raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, since she wants to go to burn incense, let her go. Bring the maids and guards with her to be safe and avoid any accidents."
"Oh, remember to have someone go to Guangfu Temple first to spread the word and arrange a quiet courtyard. Don't let outsiders disturb Hui girl's peace."
Hearing the old lady say this, Qi responded with a "yes".
Madam Zhai put down the teacup in her hand, rubbed her brows and said, "Alright, you all can go away. I'm a little tired too."
Several people stood up and said goodbye, leaving one after another.
After leaving Xilan Courtyard, Bian Shi couldn't help but said to Qi Shi, "Hui Yatou wanted to burn incense and asked sister-in-law to agree to it. Why did sister-in-law agree to it? You should push it to the old lady and ask her to come and beg the old lady. That way, if there is anything wrong, it can't be blamed on sister-in-law, the stepmother. Sister-in-law is really something. She doesn't care about her own daughter at all, but cares about a stepdaughter? I'm not thinking badly of Hui Yatou. Although it was Hui Yatou who didn't want the marriage and asked Yan Yatou to marry and become the prince's wife, it's okay for Yan Yatou to live a bad life. If she lives a good and decent life, with Hui Yatou's personality, how can she be willing and jealous? By then, she will hate Yan Yatou, her stepsister, so how can she really get along with sister-in-law, her stepmother?"
"If it were me, I would just be a hands-off boss. Whether she's good or not, the old lady and the grandmother in the Zhenguo Mansion will take care of her. Why bother giving her this respect? To put it bluntly, given her current situation, which noble family would be interested in her and ask her to be their daughter-in-law or granddaughter-in-law? With a stepdaughter like this, I don't have to worry about even breaking up with her."
"Sister-in-law, if you have this intention, please pay more attention to Yan girl. Her mother-in-law wants to make the illegitimate third young master the legitimate son. I'm afraid Yan girl is not feeling comfortable right now."
Qi felt a little embarrassed. She prided herself on being virtuous and usually pretended to be virtuous and generous. She also got along well with her stepdaughter Cui Linghui. After pretending for so many years, it was a bit difficult for her to fall out with Cui Linghui.
It was really infuriating that Bian had broken the window paper at this time.
Qi said, "Of course I was worried about Miss Yan, but when the prince accompanied Miss Yan back home that day, I saw that he treated Miss Yan very well, so I felt relieved."
"As for Hui, she has called me mother for so many years. Now, because of the previous incident, the old lady has neglected her and is not as kind to her as before. She came to me for help, so I naturally cannot refuse her outright. She has always been strong-willed. If she is really depressed and something happens, I really can't bear it. I can only agree to her request and ask her to go out and relax."
Bian smiled and said, "In this case, I don't feel sorry for Hui girl. Sister-in-law is so generous and virtuous. I really admire her."
As Bian spoke, she turned to the third wife, Gao, who was standing beside her, and said, "I got a can of good tea a while ago. If you have nothing to do, why don't you come to my courtyard and sit for a while?"
Gao agreed with a smile, nodded to her elder sister-in-law Qi, and walked away with Bian.
When Qi saw the two of them leave, her forced smile suddenly collapsed.
"She said it so casually. Hui girl's request to burn incense is not a big deal. As a marquis' wife, don't I have the final say? If I ask her to report everything to the old lady, the old lady will say that Hui girl didn't come from my womb. Then I will become a hands-off boss and push everything onto her, her grandmother. She might even scold me, and it won't sound good if it gets to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion."
"Do you really think I'm willing to agree? Now that the old lady is concerned about the Zhenguo Mansion, hasn't she agreed to it and asked Hui to go to Guangfu Temple to burn incense and relax?"
Nanny Jiang followed her and, upon hearing her words, quickly spoke to comfort her, "Madam, please don't be angry. The Second Madam has always been like this. She says whatever she wants without caring about other people's opinions. She was like this even when she was with the Old Madam. Why should you, as her sister-in-law, get angry with her over these few words?"
Seeing that Madam Qi's expression had eased a bit, Nanny Jiang continued, "As for our daughter, Madam hasn't seen her for quite some time. It would be a good idea to use this opportunity to call her back to the mansion so she can have more time to spend time with you. After all, Madam and the daughter had some unpleasantness during the three previous visits. She hasn't been seen around the mansion these days, let alone writing letters or sending gifts to Madam, her mother. This doesn't seem like an ordinary mother and daughter. They must spend more time together."
Seeing Qi's face grim as she was about to speak, Nanny Jiang continued, "Even if Madam doesn't care about the mother-daughter relationship, she's still thinking about our young master! I've heard that the Crown Prince treats our young lady very well, even handing over the private treasury and account books of Songxue Hall to our young lady as his wife. With this respect, the young lady will naturally be able to gain a foothold in the Duke's Mansion. If she is lucky enough to give birth to a child in the future, her position as the Crown Prince's wife will be secure. With the help of a sister like her, wouldn't our young master also have an extra helper?"
"I'm sorry to say this. Although the young lady resents Madam for sending her to the Qi family, it seems she hasn't taken her anger out on the young master, her brother. Madam, even for the sake of the young master, should get along well with the young lady and ease the relationship between mother and daughter. Over time, this relationship will naturally heal. When we're all in the capital, supporting each other, Madam will naturally have an easier time. Even the Marquis will be more considerate of Madam for the sake of her being the Crown Prince's wife."
Qi's expression changed again and again, and finally she agreed with Nanny Jiang's words. With a bit of hesitation, she said, "I carried her for ten months and gave birth to her with great difficulty. If it can ease the relationship between mother and daughter, why wouldn't I be willing to do it?"
Hearing her say this, Nanny Jiang finally breathed a sigh of relief. As she supported Madam Qi's arm and walked forward, she said, "It's good that Madam can think this through. After all, your own daughter is the most reliable. Otherwise, there is no blood relationship. No matter how well you treat her, you will only raise an ungrateful person."
Matron Jiang hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice a bit, saying, "I've heard from the subordinates that the eldest young lady seems to be hanging out with Concubine Liu a lot lately. They met in the garden a while ago and had tea together, then sat down and talked for a while. She's not your own daughter, so you're disrespecting Madam. Madam, you don't need to worry about the eldest young lady. As the Second Madam said, no matter what the reason is for our young lady to become the Crown Prince's wife, as long as she's honored and living a good life, the eldest young lady's stepsister will not be happy to see it. Instead, she'll feel resentful and resentful of our young lady and Madam, her stepmother."
"She doesn't want the marriage herself, so she'll think our girl was snatched away from her!"
After hearing what she said, Qi Shi said with some anger, "Cui Linghui, doesn't she know how much I dislike this Concubine Liu? How dare she get close to Concubine Liu? Isn't she afraid of offending me?"
Nanny Jiang thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps because she saw that Concubine Liu was favored by the Marquis, she wanted to use her to get the Marquis to love her more. After all, the old lady isn't treating her granddaughter as well as before, and the lady is a stepmother. Besides the Zhenguo Mansion, the only person she can rely on is the Marquis as her father."
"If Concubine Liu spoke up for her, the Marquis might actually protect her. After all, Concubine Liu looks similar to Madam Mu back then. If she spoke up for the young lady, who knows if it would actually work."
Upon hearing this, Madam Qi scoffed and said, "She's quite unfilial! If her biological mother, Madam Mu, knew she was close to Concubine Liu, she'd probably be so angry she'd crawl out of her coffin. She's in such a difficult situation. Without the old lady's love and affection, she's actually lowering herself to a lowly concubine. Her behavior is truly demeaning! If word got to the old lady at the Zhenguo Mansion, would she faint from rage? Or would she feel even more sorry for her granddaughter, Cui Linghui, and think she'd suffered great injustice and was in a difficult situation at the mansion, forcing her to be so close to Concubine Liu?"
There was a hint of sarcasm in Jiang Ma's tone: "Even if I can understand her difficulties, I'm afraid it's a bit disheartening."
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