Chapter 82 Stealing Light
Yao Qingling glanced at the old lady, paused for a moment, and then turned to walk out.
Yao Qingqi frantically pressed down on her lips, trying not to laugh.
The old lady dotes on her the most. Who is Yao Qingling to even think of comparing herself to her?
Madam Ma was also smug, wondering what Yao Qingling was thinking. After serving as the young mistress of the Duke's mansion for three years, she had come back and started putting on airs, trying to ride roughshod over her.
Without Yao Qingling, they started eating.
Yao Qingling stood outside the courtyard and didn't leave.
The sun was obscured by clouds, turning it into a cloudy day; the wind blew in gusts, but the weather was warming up, not cold, and even quite comfortable.
Qingling stood at the window, watching them eat. Each of them dutifully served food and soup to the old lady, telling her funny stories to cheer her up.
Ma and the others knew that Qingling hadn't left, so they assumed she was envious of them and that she had admitted her mistake and begged for forgiveness, and was therefore making herself stand as punishment.
Just as Ms. Ma was about to take a bite of the delicious abalone in tomato sauce, she heard a completely still sound coming from outside.
“Grandmother, I didn’t know you were returning to the manor today; no one told me.”
Madam Ma could only put down her chopsticks and hurriedly explained to the old lady, "It's not that no one told her. I sent Granny Sun to tell her yesterday. The people in her courtyard are very arrogant. They said that their young lady was throwing a tantrum and breaking things, and they even threatened that whoever went in would be in for a beating."
"When Granny Sun came back and told me, I thought she was in a bad mood because she had just divorced, so I didn't hold it against her. This morning, everyone got up early to prepare to pick you up and take you back to the manor. There was no sound at all in her courtyard; when asked, they said she was sleeping."
The old lady gripped her chopsticks, her face grim, and remained silent.
Yao Qingling could hear what Ma said. She said, "I threw a tantrum and broke things because all the porcelain I use is broken and cracked. The bowls for eating have chips and the teacups have cracks."
"Is it because our Marquis's mansion is so poor that we can't afford a good bowl, or is it a deliberate attempt to disgust me with those things, implying something about me?"
“In the Duke’s mansion, everyone knows that Zhan Xingzhuo is raising the daughter of a disgraced official. I am mistreated there and my life is not pleasant. My aunt thinks I should endure the humiliation and stay in the Duke’s mansion to continue paving the way for the Marquis’s mansion… What is my sacrifice compared to the glory of the Marquis’s mansion?”
Qingling's eyelashes drooped, and even when she was expressing her grievances, her expression remained calm.
Sunlight shone through the dark clouds onto her, the light a pale gray, as bleak as she was.
It was clearly an act of imperial grace, yet the glory was stolen by someone else, leaving her with only a cold, indifferent glance.
She thought she was already doing very well. At least she was still a young lady, with food to eat, warm clothes to wear, a place to live, and no one had beaten her to the point of injury, withheld her money, or thrown her out. She wouldn't just die silently because of a disaster.
But that's not a reason for her to swallow her anger and think that everything will be fine.
The so-called "not fighting or grabbing" means that the person is noble enough that there is no need to grab; or that someone has presented something to you, so there is no need to grab.
Yao Qingling has neither of those qualities.
If she doesn't fight back, if she's not assertive enough, she will be devoured by these people and die silently in some corner.
The Yao Qingling of the past was too young to fight or compete; she had been to the Duke's mansion, experienced warmth, was deceived, endured humiliation, and also witnessed a wider world. She learned a lot, she grew up, just as some people say—her wings have hardened!
“...Grandmother, my father died on the battlefield, and it was only then that the late emperor bestowed upon us the honor of being ‘loyal and brave.’ If I were to remain in the Duke’s mansion and simply live quietly as a young mistress, I would be doing right by my father’s spirit in heaven.”
“But Zhan Xingzhuo is unable to distinguish right from wrong. He wants me, the daughter of a meritorious official, to serve the daughter of a disgraced official. Isn’t that throwing my father’s honor to the ground and trampling it on?”
“My aunt doesn’t care, but I do. This is the dignity of the Marquis’s mansion, so I will fight to the death to get a divorce…”
Ma gripped her chopsticks tightly, but put down the abalone that was almost in her mouth without taking a single bite.
Her lips twitched slightly.
When will this Yao Qingling ever stop?!
"Qingling, what are you saying? What do you mean by telling you to endure humiliation and pave the way for the Marquis's family? As the young mistress of the Duke's mansion, with so many people fawning over you, aren't you glamorous enough? Back then, the Grand Princess of Deyang personally chose you to be her daughter-in-law; it wasn't me who forced you to go—"
"Grandmother, my aunt brought all her nieces to the Marquis's mansion one by one, trying to get them to marry into high-ranking families. She said the Marquis's mansion is declining and they'll have to rely on these marriage connections for their future. My aunt looks down on my eldest uncle, my third uncle, and my brothers; she thinks they can't support the Marquis's mansion—"
Two women spoke at the same time, one calm, the other excited; the excited one's voice drowned out the calm one, who remained as still as a boulder being swept away by a torrent.
The clear pronunciation reached everyone's ears.
Madam You, from the third branch of the family, glanced at Madam Ma, and saw that her daughters-in-law and daughters all cast disapproving glances at her.
Although Yao Qingling was telling the truth—that the Marquis's mansion was not as prosperous as before—Madam Ma was still so brazen in her secret dealings.
They say the Marquis's mansion can only rely on the Ma family, but how much benefit has the Ma family actually taken from the Marquis's mansion? Her eldest niece only married into an earl's family, what's she so smug about!
Madam Ma panicked, glanced at the old lady, and before she could say anything...
Yao Qingling's voice continued: "...My uncle is middle-aged, but many people only reach a high position when they are in their fifties or sixties. Although my elder brother is only a sixth-rank official now, he is young and has a long road ahead of him; he has Bang'er, Aunt Zhou has Xiang'er, and other concubines are also pregnant."
"My second brother is already married. He has been serving as an official in other places for the past few years. It's hard to say when he will be transferred back to the capital."
"My third uncle is a reliable person and has good connections in official circles; my older brothers are hardworking and ambitious, and my younger brothers also study diligently..."
Qingling named all the members of the first and third branches of the family, openly praising them and saying they all had a chance to be promoted and make a fortune; secretly, she named Ma Shi and spoke ill of the Marquis's mansion.
Even if the old lady is senile and confused, what mother can tolerate others saying that her children and grandchildren are no good?
Especially since Ma is the eldest daughter-in-law, it's even more unacceptable!
Yao Qingling pointed out directly that Madam Ma was just trying to take advantage of the current prosperity of the Marquis's mansion to benefit her own family; yet she still made empty promises, saying that the Marquis's mansion would rely on her family in the future.
If such a family gains power in the future, what kind of return can they give to the Marquis's mansion?
"...My father earned his reputation and honored our ancestors through his battlefield skills. My uncles, brothers, and other relatives also established themselves through their own abilities."
“With a large and prosperous family, there must be someone among them who will amount to something.” Qingling touched her belly. “Why sacrifice a woman for glory?”
Madam Ma's lips trembled with anger as she hurriedly tried to defend herself: "Yao Qingling, when did I say those things! The Marquis is my husband, and Qingxu and Qinglun are my sons. How could I not wish them well!"
She stood up from the dining table, rushed into the yard to face Yao Qingling, and glared at her fiercely.
Seeing her exasperated expression, Yao Qingling smiled faintly: "If Aunt didn't say those things, then why should my two cousins occupy my courtyard to show off? I heard that Aunt also said that Mulan Courtyard has good feng shui and can help them marry into noble families?"
Her gaze was cold and sharp, like icy thorns piercing Ma's heart.
“Aunt, as the wife of a marquis, your biggest mistake is not that you let your family steal your glory, but that you can’t see the situation clearly. It’s because you’ve never helped Uncle in this position.”
Ma choked up, almost unable to breathe: "How...how dare you say that to me!"
The old lady could no longer sit still. She walked to the door, pointed at Qingling, and said, "Continue on. What do you mean?"
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