Chapter 17: The Mother-in-Law's Unbeatable Verbal Battle
Zhao Xian knew in her heart that something was wrong.
Princess Rongyang, the woman who almost stole the original owner of the body from the man, tried to divorce the original owner, and even wanted to make the original owner a concubine.
When Zhao Xian transmigrated, she was focused on the male and female protagonists of a tragic novel and had no interest in banquets. It is likely that her resistance at that time was related to the original owner of the body.
The fact that the original owner of this body rarely attended banquets was related to this Princess Rongyang.
The reason was that when the original owner of this body was transferred back to Jin'an with her husband, she suffered a major setback at the hands of Princess Rongyang when she went out to attend a banquet for the first time.
If Princess Rongyang were someone who could take a beating, the original owner would have been willing to fight with her. But she was someone who couldn't accept defeat and liked to use her status to intimidate others, so the original owner could only choose to avoid her.
Granny He was invited by Jiang Liangxu to help the original owner of this body after that.
Suppressing her excitement, Zhao Xian reassured herself, "Calm down, sister. They're just former rivals. Whoever loses their composure first will be mocked. Stay calm."
Whether it was the effect of self-suggestion or not, she felt less tense and more relaxed.
Zhao Xian was somewhat disappointed; it seemed that her plan to have Li Lianniang make a dazzling appearance today would fall through.
Looking at Princess Rongyang seated at the head of the table, Zhao Xian calmly stepped forward, performed a curtsy, and said, "This humble woman greets Princess Rongyang. May Your Highness be well."
Princess Rongyang looked down at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who were bowing, and after a while she raised her hand slightly and said, "Get up, and offer Madam Jiang a seat."
The servants had arranged a seat for her that was quite far from the head seat, and there was only one stool available, so Li Lianniang had to stand with the servants.
Clearly, all of this was done at someone's behest.
Zhao Xian understood why the original owner of this body rarely attended banquets anymore; she simply couldn't avoid Princess Rongyang.
If we consider the official ranks of their respective husbands, Princess Rongyang's husband is still stuck at the fifth rank, while Jiang Liangxu, in his thirties, has already climbed to the third rank.
According to the rank of a Lady of Imperial Decree, she was higher than Princess Rongyang, but she didn't play by that rule.
"This is the first time I've met your eldest daughter-in-law. You are quite beautiful. Madam Jiang is very fortunate."
It was clearly a compliment, but the tone and the expression in his eyes seemed to have a deeper meaning, giving off a strange and sarcastic vibe.
Zhao Xian was helpless. If she had known that someone was using her position to bully others, she should have declined the invitation to the flower viewing banquet by feigning illness.
At this point, he could only bite the bullet and smile at Li Lianniang, saying, "Eldest daughter-in-law, the princess is praising you. Quickly thank the princess."
Li Lianniang curtsied and thanked her, emphasizing her obedient and well-behaved nature.
Princess Rongyang's punch landed on cotton, but this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened, and she was already used to it.
This is why she increasingly looked down on Zhao Xian. She was a timid, ignorant village woman, exuding a petty and narrow-minded air. How could she be worthy of that man?
Li Lianniang thanked her, and Zhao Xian quickly added, "My daughter-in-law is shy and may not be very polite. I hope the princess will forgive her."
She's making this clear now, so we don't cause trouble later.
Zhao Xian didn't want to confront Princess Rongyang head-on. Firstly, the other party had a higher rank and status than her, and secondly, even if she won the argument, she wouldn't gain any advantage and would only become a laughing stock.
The original owner saw this very clearly.
Having encountered Princess Rongyang, Zhao Xian was worried about something unexpected happening and just wanted to get through the flower-viewing banquet peacefully.
Peonies were displayed in the flower hall, and she looked at the flowers intently, avoiding any conversation with others.
She also hoped that Princess Rongyang would consider herself superior and not speak to her.
"I heard that Madam Jiang personally took care of her daughter-in-law during her postpartum period, and even moved into the young couple's room. She really cares about her daughter-in-law."
A completely unfamiliar voice rang out.
The woman spoke in a sarcastic tone, her voice somewhat loud, instantly reaching everyone's ears.
In the flower hall, the familiar ladies began to exchange glances.
Look, it's starting.
'Who is that lady speaking? She looks unfamiliar.'
They were aware of the rumors, but to say them in public like that showed a woman who was so thoughtless.
However, when life becomes mundane, such gossip can always pique people's curiosity, which is much more interesting than just sitting around watching flowers.
Therefore, although everyone was sitting upright, their eyes were very busy.
The flower hall was extremely quiet, yet it seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.
Zhao Xian didn't recognize the lady who was speaking, but seeing that she was not far from Princess Rongyang, she guessed that they had a good relationship. She nodded and said, "Yes, yes, we must take care of our own daughter-in-law."
The woman's expression froze. "That's it? At least give an explanation."
"Ha, Madam Jiang is quite attentive. She moved in right after giving birth. If it were me, I couldn't stand the smell."
Zhao Xian looked the woman up and down, but she didn't recognize her. Although the original owner of this body attended few banquets, she wasn't a complete homebody. Moreover, she was taught by Granny He and had a general understanding of the ladies of various families, but she had no memory of this woman: "May I ask what your husband's surname is, Madam?"
The lady who was speaking didn't understand why Zhao Xian suddenly asked about her husband's family. She glanced at Princess Rongyang and, thinking that the princess was backing her up, said fearlessly, "His surname is Zhou."
Zhao Xian nodded and sincerely suggested, "Madam Zhou, it's time to replace your servants."
Some people couldn't help but laugh out loud, but quickly covered it up by taking advantage of the large crowd.
Madam Zhou looked somewhat dazed, as if she didn't understand how talking about the Jiang family had led to her servants being brought up.
"What Madam Zhou meant was that the delivery room was filthy, right? Even though the room has been cleaned, there's still blood in it, which is ominous," another lady chimed in, bringing the conversation back on track.
Zhao Xian glanced at the other lady who had spoken to her. She had to find something to do for her today.
Li Lianniang was somewhat worried, as these people were clearly after her mother-in-law.
Zhao Xian slightly pulled in her stomach and calmly said, "If that's the case, then wouldn't all the ladies here who have given birth crawl out of a filthy place? In your eyes, are we dirty? And unlucky?"
The two women's expressions changed drastically. The ladies present were all of higher status than them, so how could they dare to offend everyone?
Mrs. Zhou shook her head, trying to explain, "No, it's not..."
"Childbirth is inherently dangerous for women, akin to walking through the gates of hell, and some may even lose their lives if they are unlucky. I have a small question, and I wonder if you two ladies could answer it for me?"
Judging from the fabric of their clothes and accessories, their status is inferior to that of the original owner. If this is not enough to intimidate her, wouldn't anyone be able to lord it over her in the future?
Although the question was directed at the two women, Zhao Xian didn't give them a chance to speak and continued:
“Those young masters and grandsons in swaddling clothes are all born from under the skirts of women, so how come they are precious treasures, while the people who give birth to these precious treasures are the source of filth? What kind of twisted logic is this? Shouldn’t they be even greater treasures?”
Zhao Xian didn't pay much attention to the two people, glanced in the direction of Princess Rongyang, and continued:
“Madam Zhou and Madam Sun have demeaned themselves. Don’t compare me and my eldest daughter-in-law to you. My daughter-in-law gave birth to the eldest granddaughter for the Jiang family. She is the most meritorious person in the Jiang family. It is only right and proper to take care of her during her postpartum period.”
One of the ladies spoke up: "Madam Jiang is right."
"As women ourselves, we all know the pain of childbirth. How can you use this to hurt people's pain?"
"Perhaps she has never met a kind and good mother-in-law, and is therefore jealous and resentful."
Each of the ladies was a master of domestic skills, and their sarcastic remarks made the two ladies' faces turn pale and then red.
Zhao Xian stood up, looked at the ladies and young ladies of the various families, and said with a smile, "Since we've come this far, my Xiu'er's full moon celebration is set for March 21st. Everyone, please come!"
One of the ladies immediately declared, "Then I must go and have a drink, to share in the joy!"
Before long, Zhao Xian was surrounded by a number of ladies.
Not everyone here is a fool; Lord Jiang is currently enjoying great favor.
Although Princess Rongyang has the title of princess, Prince Duan is a lazy prince, and her husband is not ambitious.
When she goes out, everyone fawns over her because she is a member of the royal family.
But in terms of actual interests, Madam Jiang was actually more popular in the inner quarters, it's just a pity she didn't go out often.
Today we finally caught up with someone, so we had to go up and chat for a bit.
A woman asked her close friend, "The Jiang family has a young son, right? How old is he again?"
"I remember she was fifteen or sixteen, a sensible girl who joined the city guard at such a young age. I wish my son was as hardworking and tireless as her." After saying this, her best friend teased her with a smile, "What? Want to find a match for your daughter?"
The lady raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
They were all women who frequented the inner quarters of the household, so they didn't know whether Madam Jiang truly cared for her daughter-in-law.
But her eldest daughter-in-law was standing right there, and it was obvious at a glance whether she had been harassed or not. This living example was far more convincing than those who only talked the talk.
Previously, they all thought Madam Jiang acted rashly, but now it seems that if a daughter marries into a family with such a mother-in-law, the mother would feel more at ease, not to mention that the Jiang family is not of low social standing.
Princess Rongyang lowered her eyes, muttered "useless" under her breath, and said, "Let's not talk about those unpleasant things anymore, let's all enjoy the flowers."
However, her words did not elicit much of a reaction, as everyone had already started chatting amongst themselves.
A servant served tea, which Princess Rongyang took and turned over the lid. After a long while, she lowered her eyes and then slightly raised her eyelids, her gaze falling on Zhao Xian.
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