When Marquis Pingxi heard voices in the side hall, he reached out and lifted the curtain. He saw a kang table on the kang by the window, with a glass lampshade on it. The old lady was sitting at the kang table, holding chopsticks, and finishing her meal.
There was only one old nanny serving him. When the old nanny turned around and saw the Marquis of Pingxi standing at the door, she was startled. But when she saw that it was the Marquis of Pingxi, she said with delight, "My lord, you have come."
Marquis Pingxi nodded. Upon hearing this, the old lady of Marquis Pingxi quickly put down her chopsticks, turned around, saw Marquis Pingxi, and said with delight, "You must not have had dinner at this hour. Stay and eat before you leave."
Marquis Pingxi agreed and sat down by the edge of the kang (heated brick bed). He looked at the dishes on the table by the lamplight; they were all simple vegetarian dishes. He frowned and said, "Mother, is this all you're going to eat? How can this be?"
The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi smiled and said, "I usually eat vegetarian food. I'll have someone go to the kitchen to make some delicious food for you and send it over."
Marquis Pingxi said, "Mother, please don't bother me. I'll just have someone bring my dinner from the kitchen. Mother, you're getting on in years, how can you keep eating such bland food?"
The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi smiled and said, "I made a vow many years ago to be a vegetarian, and I'm used to it now."
Marquis Pingxi wanted to ask why there were no servants in the courtyard, but then he remembered that his wife was in charge of the household, and if his mother said something unpleasant, he would lose face. So he simply didn't ask.
The Marquis of Pingxi's personal attendant arranged for someone to bring dinner over, and also sent someone to Little Chen's courtyard to inform her that the Marquis of Pingxi had dined at the old lady's place.
Madam Chen, with her two children, was waiting early in the side hall of her courtyard. When the visitor said that Marquis Pingxi was going to have dinner at the old lady's place, Madam Chen's daughter, Zheng Yunyun, pouted and said, "Mother, how could Father do this? He clearly promised to come over for dinner, but he didn't come."
Ms. Chen said, "Your father went to have dinner with your grandmother. He will be back after dinner. Come on, let's have dinner first."
Zheng Yunyun said, "What's so good about Grandma's food? Grandma usually eats vegetarian food, and her meals are so unpalatable. How could Father possibly eat them?"
Madam Chen was also a little puzzled as to why the Marquis of Pingxi was having dinner in his mother-in-law's courtyard all of a sudden.
Xiao Chenshi did not have a good relationship with her mother-in-law. Although the old lady of Pingxi Marquis was somewhat weak-willed, she was born into a prestigious family and was naturally well-educated. The old lady of Pingxi Marquis liked Da Chenshi very much. After Da Chenshi married into the family, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was very good. Unfortunately, Da Chenshi died in childbirth, and Xiao Chenshi entered the family.
The old lady of the Pingxi Marquis was well aware of the sordid affairs in the inner quarters. She disapproved of Xiao Chen's behavior, but her son was willing. The old lady of the Pingxi Marquis adhered to the precepts of obeying one's father at home, one's husband after marriage, and one's son after the father's death. After the Pingxi Marquis inherited the title and took over the family, he naturally would not refute his son's actions. However, she really disliked Xiao Chen. Others might not know, but as the mother-in-law, the old lady of the Pingxi Marquis knew very well that Xiao Chen was actually pregnant before she entered the family. When the twins were born, they were said to be premature, but in fact, both children were full-term.
The old lady of Pingxi Marquis felt great pity for the children left behind by Madam Da Chen, but these two children were a thorn in the side of Madam Xiao Chen. In order to protect the two children, the old lady of Pingxi Marquis and Madam Xiao Chen had no shortage of open and covert struggles. Later, Zheng Boyuan wanted to take his younger sister Zheng Yuanyuan and be adopted by the old lady of Pingxi Marquis's uncle. Although the old lady of Pingxi Marquis was reluctant to part with the two children, she felt that this was a way out for the two children, so she naturally did not stop them.
Xiao Chen knew that her mother-in-law didn't like her and only showed superficial affection to her two children, unlike her previous two children who were treated with the same sincerity.
Little Chen was puzzled. She ate a couple of bites, sent the two children back to her courtyard, and sat on the couch in her bedroom to ponder what was going on.
Madam Chen's trusted nanny served her a cup of tea. Madam Chen said, "Tell me, why did the Marquis go to the Old Madam's place when it's neither a holiday nor a festival? Did something happen?"
The old woman was quite shrewd. After listening, she thought for a moment and said, "The Marquis must have encountered some trouble, otherwise he wouldn't have gone back to the old lady's courtyard. Madam, what do you think? Should we go to the front yard and inquire?"
Madam Chen said, "Don't go and inquire yet. I'll ask the Marquis when he comes over. If we send someone to inquire in the front yard, who knows what the Marquis will think of us if he finds out."
The old woman said, "Madam, should we go and inquire in the old lady's courtyard?"
Xiao Chen said, "You can ask someone. We have plenty of people in that courtyard, so someone should be able to hear what's going on."
As the matriarch of the household, it's quite simple to arrange for help.
Ms. Chen said, "Tell me, what has my mother-in-law been thinking these past few years? She doesn't see anyone and spends all her time chanting Buddhist prayers in that little Buddhist hall. She won't even let relatives in when they come to pay their respects. I wonder what those relatives are saying about me."
The old woman smiled and said, "Our household is ruled by the mistress, so why should we be afraid of what others say? We can spread whatever we want about the household, so please don't worry, mistress."
Madam Chen frowned and said, "That's true, but my mother-in-law always looks down on me. She thinks that as a concubine's daughter, I'm not good enough for their Marquis's mansion. But haven't I managed the affairs of the mansion very well since I entered it? I really don't know what she's not satisfied with."
What is there to be dissatisfied with? Isn't it just that she is dissatisfied with Madam Chen's background? She is not the legitimate daughter, and she had to use such tricks to enter the mansion. After entering the mansion, she made the Marquis of Pingxi listen to her every word. As a mother-in-law, how could she be satisfied?
Madam Chen sighed and said, "Our Yun-ge'er is already ten years old, it's time to make him a heir. I was planning to have a good talk with the Marquis about this today and have him submit a memorial requesting the title of heir. Who knew he would go to the Old Madam's side instead? I wonder what he'll say. What if he says something unpleasant? If I bring it up again, wouldn't I be making a fool of myself? Go and tell someone to listen carefully to what they have to say and bring it back to me exactly as it is."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
