Chapter 72 Ma Peizhen
The woman smiled slightly, but with a hint of arrogance. She glanced at Yao Qingqi.
Yao Qingqi affectionately took the woman's arm and said, "She is my cousin, Ma Peizhen. She lives in this Mulan Courtyard now."
They didn't feel at all that there was anything wrong with occupying someone else's yard.
Peach Leaf trembled with anger.
"If you live in this courtyard, where will my young lady live?"
Yao Qingqi looked up at the sky with her eyes wide open and said sarcastically, "If you're so capable, why don't you get a divorce? You'll still have a place to live, won't you?"
"I don't care where you live. It was Mother who arranged for my cousin to stay at Mulan Courtyard. As for you, is that something I should be concerned with?"
"You—" Tao Ye rolled up her sleeves, wanting to fight her.
Before Qingling got married, Taoye had been in countless fights here, and Qingling had joined in. But without exception, only the two of them were punished.
But Tao Ye was so angry that she had long forgotten about those old stories.
Yao Qingling had been married before, and if that marriage gave her anything, it was patience.
Qingling grabbed Taoye and gave her a look. Taoye pursed her lips and retreated angrily.
Yao Qingling looked calmly at the two women standing side by side in front of her.
After she married into the Duke's mansion, Madam Ma allowed one of her nieces to live in the Marquis's mansion; she lived in Madam Ma's courtyard until that niece got married.
Qingling wasn't surprised at all that another one had come.
However, when her last cousin came to stay, Madam Ma had gone to the Duke's mansion to inform her; now, she didn't even bother to say hello.
Yao Qingling glanced at them indifferently, stepped over the moon archway, and said, "Someone come here."
When she left the new mansion, she took a group of servants with her, all of whom she had trained.
At her command, the servants entered the courtyard and lined up in two rows in front of Qingling.
Qing Ling calmly instructed, "Clear out all of Miss Biao's things. Put my things here."
She glanced at Taoye: "You came from this courtyard, so you know my preferences. You'll be in charge of looking after them."
Peach Leaf couldn't help but smile and exclaimed loudly, "Yes, Miss!"
When people are happy, they are in high spirits. Not to mention that she was busy moving her dowry back just a quarter of an hour ago, she still has inexhaustible energy to do another big job.
Yao Qingqi's face turned green, and she pointed her slender finger at Qingling: "Yao Qingling, how dare you! I'll tell Mother!"
"Go ahead." Qingling sat on the plum blossom chair in the courtyard and said two words indifferently, ignoring him.
Yao Qingqi gritted her teeth, really wanting to hit her!
However, she was already engaged and had to maintain her image, so she couldn't act the same way as before.
Yao Qingqi dragged her cousin to complain.
Meanwhile, the servants didn't stop cleaning up; they threw things out one by one: bedding, clothes, dressing cases, tea sets... even the items in the washroom were cleared out.
The chamber pot was placed outside the archway, emitting a foul odor. Madam Ma and Yao Qingqi came over together; when Ma Peizhen saw the chamber pot, her face turned purple.
“Aunt…” she felt extremely wronged.
Madam Ma entered the courtyard, and Qingling sat on the plum blossom stool, slowly sipping her tea.
On the stone table, there was a small meal that Tao Ye had brought from the kitchen.
Tao Ye was furious when she brought it over: "What kind of snack is this? It's clearly their leftovers!"
This reminded her of their past life.
Qingling was not allowed to go out for meals. Only when guests came to the mansion would Madam Ma feign permission for her to go out and greet them, threatening her not to speak carelessly and to behave like a proper young lady.
Madam Ma also frequently found excuses to punish Qingling, forbidding her from doing this or that, talking about what girls in the capital were like, forcing her to be obedient and compliant, and only if she was obedient would she get decent food.
At this point, Yao Qingling naturally wouldn't eat what others had left over.
She knew perfectly well that these leftovers were another way for Ma to intimidate her.
Madam Ma looked at the courtyard, which was piled high with things that had been thrown out, and her chest heaved violently. She said, "Qingling, I've already arranged another courtyard for you. You didn't even ask before throwing Peizhen's things out. Tell your people to put all these things back, and I'll pretend nothing happened!"
Her tone was forceful, and she adopted the airs of a noblewoman.
Yao Qingling looked up at her: "Aunt, Mulan Courtyard is my courtyard. You didn't even ask before letting someone else move in. You took all her things, and I'll pretend nothing happened."
Ma: "..."
Having lived in the Duke's mansion for several years, he had learned the manners of the matriarch and showed no respect whatsoever to his aunt!
She took a deep breath and said coldly, "Qingling, I understand that you're angry that Peizhen is occupying your courtyard. However, you are no longer a member of the Duke's Mansion. Don't put on airs like the young mistress of the Duke's Mansion. You've brought shame to the Marquis's Mansion."
"You know better than anyone what the Marquis's mansion is like now. The Marquis's mansion can't count on you anymore, but Peizhen is going to marry into a higher social class. The Marquis's mansion will have to rely on Peizhen from now on, do you understand?"
Yao Qingling looked at Madam Ma, feeling both amused and exasperated.
If you say she's smart, she's always scheming against the Marquis's mansion, using its status and position to elevate her own family; and using the Marquis's money to subsidize her own family.
If you're going to say she's brainless, that's it; she has absolutely no airs of a Marquis's wife. Back in the Duke's mansion, her fawning over the two maids of the Grand Princess made it hard to tell who the true Marquis's wife was.
She always wore her calculations on her face and on her lips, as if afraid others wouldn't know what she was thinking.
At this moment, she actually said in front of her niece that the Marquis's mansion needed her help.
I wonder how many times she's said things like that in private. No wonder her niece is so arrogant.
Yao Qingling took a sip of tea, placed the cup on the table with elegant movements and a noble demeanor; the air of nobility emanating from her made one feel that she was a noble lady above everyone else here.
She glanced at him and asked softly, "Who did Cousin Peizhen promise herself to?"
Ma Peizhen pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and replied, "Not yet."
Yao Qingling glanced at Ma.
No wonder Mrs. Ma tried so hard to stop her from getting a divorce.
Another niece came along, hoping to use the Duke's high position to help her marry into a better family; now that she's divorced, her plan to climb the social ladder has failed.
Qing Ling sneered: "Since you're not engaged yet, what does the Marquis's mansion rely on from you? Isn't it you who relies on the Marquis's mansion?"
"A cousin is occupying the courtyard of the second wife's legitimate daughter... Aunt, I forgot to ask, which courtyard did you arrange for me to go to?"
When the Marquis's mansion was bestowed upon him, his eldest uncle inherited the title. Since everything was just beginning, they dared not go too far and gave the second-class courtyard to Qingling, saying that the courtyard represented the second branch of the family.
Later, Ma wanted to take the courtyard back for her children to use, so Qingling put her parents' memorial tablets in the courtyard and said that if anyone dared to touch the courtyard, she would take her parents' memorial tablets to the gate of the imperial city to cry out for justice.
Mrs. Ma was frightened and stopped causing trouble.
After Qingling got married, Madam Ma gradually encroached on her courtyard, and now she wants to take it over completely!
Qing Ling's calm eyes held a sharp, dagger-like edge.
Madam Ma forgot to speak, but Yao Qingqi interjected, "The Pear Terrace Courtyard in the west... Mother said that you, being divorced, are practically the same as someone who has been abandoned. In the future, you won't be able to find a good family to marry into. That courtyard is quiet and idle anyway, so it's perfect for you to use."
The name "Litai Courtyard" has a homophone for "separation," which serves as a constant reminder to Yao Qingling that she is divorced, a woman no one wants and who is left idle.
Yao Qingling looked at Madam Ma, smiled and said, "I didn't know that this is how my aunt views the divorce personally approved by the Empress Dowager."
When Ma heard the words "Empress Dowager," her mind went blank and her heart raced.
Qingling gave Taoye a wink and said with a sneer, "Show your aunt the divorce papers personally approved by the Empress Dowager. See what the imperial edict looks like."
Upon receiving the Empress Dowager's decree, Madam Ma immediately knelt down, followed by Yao Qingqi and Ma Peizhen.
Yao Qingling sat upright in the plum blossom chair, her fingers gently circling the edge of the teacup as she said softly, "Aunt, don't blame me for not reminding you."
"General Mingwei Yao Rui's heroic deeds are being talked about repeatedly in teahouses and taverns, and he enjoys great prestige among the people. If I were to go out carrying my father's and mother's memorial tablets, do you think you would end up like Zhan Xingzhuo, with rotten eggs being thrown at you as soon as you step out the door?"
"Think about it again. If the Emperor and Empress Dowager find out how you've treated his daughter, won't they be furious and take back the Marquis's mansion?"
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