Madam Chen felt a lump in her throat from Xu Zhi's rebuke, unable to breathe properly. She covered her chest with a handkerchief, but out of consideration for Marquis Pingxi and Old Madam Zheng, she gritted her teeth and rubbed her chest vigorously.
Marquis Pingxi nodded and said, "I just didn't expect His Majesty to take your ridiculous actions so seriously. Nephew's wife, since you are working for His Majesty, shouldn't you find some capable and reliable people?"
Xu Zhi was always wary of anyone trying to get people to her side. She carefully vetted everyone in the pastry shop before she dared to use them. She believed in trusting those she employed and not employing those she didn't trust. If anyone could put people in her side, what if the food was used by someone with ulterior motives in the future? Wouldn't that cause her trouble?
Xu Zhi smiled and said, "So that Uncle may know, His Majesty sent Eunuch Chen Shifang from the palace to come here, so that Sister Mingwan and I cannot be nepotistic. His Majesty stole the silver, and we must ask His Majesty before we do anything. After all, Sister Mingwan and I are just young ladies who don't know anything."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Madam Chen pursed her lips. If only she were a girl who knew nothing. Everyone knew that the children of the Third Master Xu were all incredibly capable.
Madam Zheng smiled and said, "Since you are doing things for His Majesty, then do them conscientiously and diligently. Azhi, there's nothing else for your great-aunt. If you have something to do, you can go back first."
After bowing to Madam Zheng, Xu Zhi turned and left.
Watching Xu Zhi walk out of the courtyard, Old Madam Zheng sighed and said to Marquis Pingxi and Madam Chen, "You have both heard what A-Zhi said. Some light cannot be borrowed. You think you have taken a shortcut by borrowing light, but you do not know what price you will have to pay in the future."
Madam Chen said somewhat anxiously, "Mother, isn't it perfect to let Yun-ge help with the chores? We're family, why should we be so formal?"
Madam Zheng sneered twice and said, "We are not family, so we have to speak like family. It is because of me that we have left a side gate between our two families so that the children can come and visit me often. The two children have had a hard life since they were young, and now that they have grown up, you have used such a method to drive them out. If I were you, I would stay far away from them and not embarrass myself in front of the children."
Marquis Pingxi said, "Mother, this is a great opportunity to see the Emperor."
Madam Zheng was very disappointed in her son and said, "My lord, you are the Marquis of Pingxi of Daliang. Your title was earned by your ancestors with their blood. Your ancestors and fathers hoped that their descendants could inherit their mantle and fight on the battlefield to protect the country. What have you done all these years?"
Marquis Pingxi lowered his head. He knew that he was unworthy of the title of Marquis. However, he had not been on the battlefield many times since he was a child. When Marquis Pingxi and his children were teenagers, the children of military families in the capital would be taken to the border to train. At that time, the border was unstable, and many families really risked the lives of their children.
After being wounded, Marquis Pingxi was sent to the capital. From then on, he did not want to go to the border again. He hated war and did not want to go to that place where he did not know if he would see the sun rise again. He was reluctant to leave the capital. No matter how much his elders tried to persuade him or even beat him, he was unmoved. It was because he was the only male left in the family that his elders had no choice but to let him stay in the capital.
Seeing her son's state, Madam Zheng sighed and said, "My lord, Yuan'er has had a tough time. He went to Yanmen Pass alone at such a young age, risking his life to earn this merit. Now that Yuan'er and his siblings have separated, they naturally have nothing to do with us. From now on, we should all live our own lives behind closed doors and not embarrass ourselves in front of others." Madam Chen was so angry that her face turned pale, but what could she say in rebuttal?
Back in her room, Madam Chen angrily smashed a tea set. After a series of crashes, she finally felt a little better. Her personal attendant, Granny Du, quickly told a maid to clean up the mess. Once the broken porcelain pieces were picked up, Granny Du told the maid to leave and then poured Madam Chen a cup of hot tea, saying, "My lady, what are you doing? You've made yourself sick."
Little Chen grabbed the old nanny's arm and said, "Qingluan, you didn't see that old hag. She almost pointed her finger at my nose and called me shameless. What am I doing this for? Isn't it for her grandson's future?"
Granny Du sighed inwardly. Her mistress was becoming increasingly confused. She had thrown the person out like a piece of trash, but now that the person was doing well, she thought they were family and wanted them to help her. What did the person have to offer?
Granny Du quickly reassured her, "Madam, this is a very important matter. Since it concerns our young master's future, we should naturally have a proper talk with the Marquis."
Tears streamed down Madam Chen's face as she held Granny Du's hand and said sadly, "Qingluan, I talked to him, but he wouldn't say anything. Our Yun'er has been weak since he was little. How can he go to the battlefield to fight like others? That old hag is so wicked. She said that our Marquis of Pingxi rose to power through military merit and should go to the battlefield to earn credit. There is clearly a chance for him to meet the Emperor. Why won't she let my Yun'er go?"
Du Mama naturally knew that the eldest mistress over there ran a shop and was rarely home. At first, this little Chen didn't say anything good about her. When she was running the shop, she said it was unacceptable for a woman to show her face in public. Later, when she saw that the mistress was making money, she said that she didn't know how many smiles she had given to others outside. Now that the mistress had gone to meet the emperor, she was thinking of having her son work for her, preferably to go to meet the emperor in her place.
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