The fact that she couldn't live without her shows how shrewd this maid was.
Cuiming and Hongye also looked at her curiously. She was in her early twenties, with a neat appearance, slightly high cheekbones, a round face, fair skin, and slightly squinted eyes when she smiled. Her clothes looked about 70% new, with a somewhat mature style and pattern. They were not eye-catching but not easy to ignore.
Hongye guessed that Rong Momo looked like this when she was young.
Cui Ming thought to herself, this person has made an oath before the master, so the descendants of the various families naturally cannot come to make trouble. They can only speak nicely to her and curry favor with the old lady. The maids she met along the way were also very respectful. It can be seen that she is a very shrewd person and is deeply trusted by the old lady. She just doesn't know why she has been arranged to take this path.
The head maid respectfully ushered the Gu family mother and daughter-in-law into the inner room. Several young wives helped Old Madam You out to greet them. After exchanging pleasantries, they sat down as host and guest.
Madam You laughed and said, "As soon as I heard you had arrived, I sent Ruhua to invite you to come and talk. You've been holed up in the Marquis's mansion all these years, and you never come out no matter how I invite you. Now that you've found a good daughter-in-law, are you showing off?"
He squinted and looked closely at Qin Yuan, saying, "Your wife is really beautiful; there's no one in our household who can compare."
Qin Yuan remained shy and didn't look up, letting everyone look at her and praise her.
Madam You, standing nearby, laughed and said, "Grandmother, have you taken a fancy to the Lady of Dingbei? It's a pity you're too late. Who told you to take a nap? Your good daughter-in-law has already gone to someone else's house."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Madam Gu laughed and said, "I'm not trying to brag, but my daughter-in-law is indeed a good match. She is excellent in both appearance and character. But you are being too modest. In the Duke's mansion, there are many outstanding women and granddaughters. Which one of them isn't good? I only have this one who is worthy of your attention. But it's all in vain for you to think about her."
"Good child, come closer so I can see you," said Madam You, who was about to give you a gift. "Last time I was out in the wind and just wanted to stay home, so I didn't get to see you."
Qin Yuan stepped forward, and was pulled by Old Madam You's hand, who scrutinized her closely and said many flattering things before letting go. Then, a gift was presented, and she began praising Qin Yuan again.
"Your wife's character is a perfect match for your third son. One is a scholar, the other a warrior; they are a handsome couple. You're going to enjoy a life of happiness from now on."
Madam Gu laughed heartily and said, "Elder sister, you don't know, I'm enjoying my good fortune now. My third son is a simple man with a simple fortune. He didn't get married because of the war. I was wondering what kind of family's daughter he would marry. Who knew that marriage was preordained by heaven? My daughter-in-law is very capable. Now she manages all the affairs of the manor. I don't have to worry about anything."
As for the deceased Madam Gu, no one was so tactless as to mention her at this time.
Upon hearing this, the ladies of the You family were filled with envy.
The various branches of the Duke's mansion were locked in a fierce, open and covert struggle over the power of managing the household affairs, almost to the point of tearing their hair out. They were all around forty years old, and for the sake of future benefits, they were serving him diligently with their wives and daughters every day, yet they were not as carefree as the new bride of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion.
Of course, Madam You knew the impact these words would have on her daughters-in-law. She frowned and sighed, "When a tree grows big, it branches out. If there are many children and grandchildren in the family and they don't separate the household, it won't be as comfortable as it is for my sister. No matter what, I, this old body, have to keep up the good work and help them. After all, there are so many people in the family."
The Marquis of Dingbei's mansion is so peaceful now that almost everyone is dead.
The Duke of Zhenguo's family has many descendants, and she already has great-grandchildren in school, about the same age as the grandson of the Marquis of Dingbei's family. It is said that the old lady Gu's legitimate son is still unable to have children, so what is there to be proud of?
Madam Gu's face stiffened for a moment, then she forced a smile and said, "That's right. Good things in this world rarely come in pairs. With so many children and grandchildren, you have to take extra care of your family, elder sister."
Madam You added, "Your daughter-in-law has a deep and broad philtrum, which suggests she's a woman who can bear many children. Your sixth son will need to remarry, so you'll be busy in the future. If Gu Sanlang hadn't gone to the northern frontier, he would already have a large family. Now that he's back and is highly regarded by the Emperor, I would say your good fortune is yet to come."
The ladies of the You family all had a hint of mockery in their eyes.
Marquis Dingbei was so weakened in the northern frontier that he couldn't have children, which is why he married the daughter of the Qingliu family. Isn't it because he's powerful and the other family can't afford to offend him?
Giving them the power to manage household affairs is nothing more than a way to appease people.
What's there to be envious of?
In the future, the once grand Dingbei Marquis's mansion will likely be handed over to the son of the纨绔 (playboy) Gu Laoliu, and its decline is inevitable.
Qin Yuan sensed the subtle disdain and malice, but pretended not to notice.
Why bother with these people? They're the troublemakers. She won't clear Lord Gu's name. On the contrary, she'll make good use of him. It would be best if everyone believed her and sympathized with her.
Madam Gu smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words. Back then, my third son was so devoted to serving the country that he vowed not to start a family until he defeated Yelü. I thought I would never see him get married in this lifetime. I didn't expect him to come back and not only that, he also got married to such a good family and married such a wonderful daughter-in-law. I'm not bragging, but they are both good-looking, and their children are just like a perfect couple."
The plain-looking You family: I hate shallow people who talk about appearance the most. You should know that the most important thing is inner beauty. When beauty fades, love will fade. How can you serve people with your appearance for long?
Like Gu Baozhu, Madam Gu was oblivious to others' expressions and said with great interest, "What do we want when we're old? Isn't it all for our children and grandchildren? As long as they are willing to make progress, what does it matter if we, these old bones, have to work a little harder?"
The Duke of Zhenguo's family is so wealthy and powerful, they have no idea of my troubles. Before, my third son stayed in the north and never came back, and my sixth son spent his days hanging out with those scholars. It worried me a lot. Later, he started studying with the young master of his in-laws' family. He wrote poems and painted, and at least he gained some fame. He even got a name on the Emperor's plate.
I never thought I'd see my sixth son amount to anything in my life. He told me the other day that he wanted to study hard and write poetry. I was thinking, "Am I dreaming?" Hahahaha…
The You family, who have no talent whatsoever: Even the sixth son of the Gu family, who only knows how to follow behind pale-faced scholars and pretend to be cultured, can trample on us? The Qin family has no integrity left, actually supporting the纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat) Gu Lao Liu.
As she listened, Old Madam You's mood worsened, and she shifted her position.
The granddaughter-in-law standing at the door immediately said, "Oh dear, Grandmother, the maids who came to invite us have come several times already, saying that the hall is full of guests. How about we go up to the hall and have a leisurely chat with Madam Gu? You two are so close, you have so much to say, it's not something that can be said in a short time."
“You clever girl, you really know how to talk,” Old Madam You quickly chimed in, standing up and saying, “Let’s go, shall we go out together to greet the guests?”
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