Chapter 83 A discarded wife becomes the apple of her eye
Qingling said all that in order to make the old lady unable to sit still any longer.
She slightly raised her chin and said clearly, "The Zhou woman is a remnant of the criminals. Even the Wang family wants to divorce her to protect themselves. I have severed ties with Zhan Xingzhuo, and I have also severed ties with her."
"You always bring up my unauthorized divorce, but you don't understand how serious the consequences are of associating with the remnants of criminals!"
She glanced lightly at the courtyard outside and continued, "My aunt doesn't know that a big thing happened on East Street today. Someone wrote large characters on the villa of the Duke of Shen. It's because they are suspected of secretly keeping a Zhou girl."
"With the Grand Princess and the Duke himself in charge, the Duke's mansion is untouchable; but won't the Marquis's mansion become a target for those people?"
"Won't your eldest uncle, third uncle, brothers, and other relatives be ostracized or looked down upon in officialdom?"
Ma's face was pale, her eyes wide open but blank, as if she were processing the information Yao Qingling had brought.
The Marquis's mansion was in decline; the ladies of high status looked down on her, and she couldn't get news from the upper echelons of society. She was busy socializing and building relationships, but only those who were similar to her or worse off were willing to associate with her.
What could she do?
Where is she supposed to find out information?
Ma thought sadly.
But she never considered that she was only concerned with immediate gains, and that those she associated with had similar perspectives; she lacked political acumen.
The Yongning Temple case, which was widely known a few days ago, is not something that can be easily forgotten.
Is it enough to just arrest a few bandits to quell the situation?
She can't see that far ahead.
When the old lady heard that it might endanger the Marquis's mansion, she became less confused.
But she hadn't known much about it since she was at the hot spring resort recently; she'd only heard about it from Yao Qingqi and Madam Ma. Supported by someone, she hurriedly descended the steps and said to Qingling, "What happened, girl? Tell me in detail..."
As they spoke, Yao Qingling helped them to the old lady's Cangbo Courtyard.
Yao Qingqi stared in disbelief at the backs of the grandmother and grandson.
How did it turn out like this?
She was the old lady's most beloved granddaughter!
Why are you acting like you didn't even see her?
Yao Qingling supported the old lady on her left side, a slight smile playing on her lips.
In fact, she could have simply produced the Empress Dowager's decree.
With the Empress Dowager's personal approval of the divorce, who dares to question or object?
But Yao Qingling went through all this trouble to strike a heavy blow against Madam Ma, to damage her prestige, and to make her lose the old lady's trust!
Over the years, Mrs. Ma has received too much; her life has been too smooth.
But this is only the beginning.
The entire Marquis's mansion was built upon her father's blood; her father was buried underground and rotting, and this living mansion had also rotted away.
Yao Qingling chatted with the old lady for an afternoon. Madam Ma sent people in several times to deliver tea and snacks to inquire about the situation, but all attempts were unsuccessful.
In the evening, the men of the Marquis's mansion returned from the government office, and the reunion dinner that Madam Ma had carefully prepared was finally set on the table.
She wanted to confide her grievances to Marquis Zhongyong and her sons, but coincidentally, Yao Qingling also sat at the table for this family reunion dinner.
In less than ten days, Ma was twice defeated by Yao Qingling, and she had to take Yao Qingling seriously and could no longer underestimate her.
Throughout the meal, Ma was very careful, secretly glancing at Yao Qingling several times; she had never been so quiet and low-key in more than a decade.
The Ma family kept a low profile, and Yao Qingqi followed suit.
Yao Qingqi glanced at the old lady several times and found that the old lady was not in the mood to look at her at all. Instead, she frequently asked people to add more food to Yao Qingling's plate and said that she had lost weight and needed to be nourished.
He only had eyes for Yao Qingling.
A discarded woman has become the apple of everyone's eye; it's simply outrageous!
Marquis Zhongyong also found it strange that the old lady was so affectionate towards Yao Qingling after returning to the manor. Did she know that Yao Qingling had divorced and felt sorry for her?
But that doesn't seem right either.
He looked at Madam Ma in confusion, then suddenly realized that even his own wife was being neglected.
Didn't they make grand preparations and personally go to bring the old lady back?
After dinner, the old lady was tired, so she went back to Cangbo Courtyard first, but she called her son to her courtyard.
Yao Qingling didn't linger and returned to Mulan Courtyard after the banquet.
After today, the Marquis's residence will be quiet for a long time, and the Marquis's wife will not dare to provoke her again.
Taoye helped her to wash up when suddenly the gatekeeper at the side gate came to deliver a message saying that someone was looking for her outside.
Qingling asked in confusion, "Who's looking for me?"
The doorman said it was a little girl.
Upon hearing that it was a little girl, Qingling knew what was going on.
She put on her coat and went to the side gate.
Lin Qiao stood straight outside the door, like a sapling.
"Miss."
Yao Qingling frowned slightly: "What's the matter so late?"
She had told Lin Qiao not to come to the Marquis's residence unless it was urgent; she would send someone to find her if she needed anything.
Lin Qiao didn't speak, but looked into the depths of the alley.
Yao Qingling followed her gaze and saw a tall figure standing sideways.
Qingling pursed her lips, turned around and said a few words to Taoye, who was guarding the door, before going out.
As Lin Shiyuan watched Yao Qingling slowly approach, he unconsciously stood up straighter and more upright.
"General Lin." Qingling greeted him, but Lin Shiyuan frowned slightly. He had always wanted to correct her, so he said, "Madam Yao, I am now just a commoner, no longer a general."
Yao Qingling: "Then..."
"You may call me by my name, Madam Yao."
Qingling nodded, "That's fine too."
She blinked, and Lin Shiyuan looked at her with a slight frown, as if there was something he couldn't say.
Qingling spoke first, asking, "Was it the commotion on East Street this morning?"
She smiled faintly: "I've been to East Street and already know that the villa belongs to the Duke of Shen. The Duke of Shen has a son named Tao Weixian. He's a fellow student of Zhan Xingzhuo and Zhou Zhining. I suppose that young master took pity on her and hid Zhou Zhining there without the Duke of Shen's knowledge."
"After today's incident, the Duchess should no longer let Zhou Zhining hide inside."
The Shen family couldn't just openly kick Zhou Zhining out and confirm their harboring of a criminal. The best way was to quietly send her away and avoid the trouble.
Lin Shiyuan looked at Yao Qingling, and his eyes sparkled when she brought up the matter.
Even in the darkness, those eyes were so bright.
Are you so happy?
However, her scheme forced Zhou Zhining to have nowhere to hide, which certainly made her happy.
"I heard that Madam Yao's grandmother returned to the manor today. Did no one give you any trouble?"
Yao Qingling was slightly taken aback: "How did you know?"
Lin Shiyuan said that when the old lady of the Marquis's mansion returned to the mansion, several carriages passed through the street, making a grand and lively procession.
Without him even asking, people said it was the carriage of the Marquis of Zhongyong; the carriage bore the insignia of the Marquis.
Qing Ling could no longer laugh; her expression turned serious.
What Ling Shiyuan really wanted to ask was not whether anyone in the Marquis's mansion was making things difficult for her, but rather to remind her.
Nowadays, the people hold the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion in high esteem, comparing the former Marquis of Zhongyong, who saved the country and its people, to the Grand Tutor Zhou, who brought disaster to the country and its people. But how can the people believe that the Marquis's mansion is on their side when such a grand display is made for just an old lady's return to the mansion?
This makes it easy for people to exploit the situation and accuse the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion of inciting public opinion and using it to achieve their own selfish interests!
Although Qingling was already aware of the precarious state of the Marquis's mansion, she still felt a pang of anxiety when Lin Shiyuan said it.
She forced a smile and said, "The old lady is not in good health and has gone to the hot spring resort to escape the winter. She rarely leaves her home, so this won't happen again."
Lin Shiyuan nodded and glanced at her.
This was a trivial matter; he didn't need to make a special trip to see her, especially since it was already dark.
However, there were some things that even Lin Shiyuan himself couldn't understand, and he didn't know why.
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