"Why don't you go and meet your sister-in-law's mother?" Han wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had the kind of face that was considered auspicious for marriage. She had a high forehead and a straight nose, bearing a striking resemblance to Meng. It's no wonder Meng cherished her eldest daughter-in-law; after all, she was related to her by blood.
"Alright then, eldest daughter-in-law, go and see your in-laws. Then just stay there with them. Later, I'll send a maid to tell them to come over for a meal." Lord Xu was also satisfied with his eldest daughter-in-law.
"Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law." Xu Shaowen bowed to his sister-in-law, who had been married into the family for ten years.
Madam Han then led her maids in a large entourage to the eldest princess's residence. Madam Song told Mo Yaqi about some things happening in the Fourth Prince's mansion. Since the eldest princess was raised in Fujian, she didn't go into too much detail, only mentioning that she had been confined to her quarters by the Fourth Prince. Fortunately, Mo Yaqi didn't ask any further questions, so Madam Song didn't say anything more.
When Han arrived, Song was taking things out of the two boxes she had brought for Mo Yaqi to show her one by one.
After the maidservant reported this, Madam Song was also eager to see her sister-in-law. She knew that her eldest daughter-in-law was practically a mother-in-law in the family, and besides, this was her mother-in-law's own niece, so she had to be especially attentive. Therefore, when she came, she also brought gifts for Madam Han's two daughters, making sure to cover all the issues.
"This humble servant greets my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law is so young; she must be only a few years older than me." Madam Han observed that Madam Song was dressed in a deep purple brocade robe, over which was a double-breasted pipa-shaped jacket. Her hair was styled in a simple Manchu headdress, topped with a gilded hairpin engraved with auspicious floral patterns, with all her hair tied up on the hairpin. Madam Song had also specially brought out her most precious kingfisher feather and gemstone headdress, a set of all-blue headdress adorned with butterflies and flowers, making her look quite like a Manchu noblewoman.
"Sister-in-law, come and sit down. I've heard from Mo'er that you're a kind and fair person. Now that I've met you, you're indeed a straightforward person," Madam Song said with a smile.
Madam Han felt a slight pang in her heart, but her face remained warm and cheerful as she walked affectionately to Mo Yaqi's side, took her hand, and said, "Sister, your belly is getting bigger every day. Mother prays for you in the Buddhist hall every day, hoping that you can give birth to a healthy baby."
Mo Yaqi was still somewhat resentful because she thought about how Han Shi often subtly cut her expenses behind her back, so she just smiled faintly.
Mrs. Song soon realized where her daughter had gone wrong: she was no match for her daughter in verbal skills!
“Sister-in-law, here are a few sets of clothes and purses for the eldest and second daughters of the household. Take a look and see if they are suitable?” Madam Song said hurriedly. Qingping had already taken out the clothes and purses for Madam Han’s two daughters.
There were two outfits for each of the two daughters, both for spring and autumn, made of the finest light-colored Shu satin, and all in the latest fashion styles. They weren't made by Madam Song herself, but by one of the embroiderers in the household; such craftsmanship was unmatched in the market. Both purses were made by Madam Song; her embroidery was also exquisite. The purses were delicate and elegant, with a rustic color, clearly not ordinary items.
"Thank you so much, Mother-in-law. I am unworthy of such a wonderful gift. You are too kind. I thank you on behalf of my two ignorant maids." Madam Han accepted the gift with a smile.
Madam Song then pulled Madam Han along to look at the things she had prepared for the eldest princess. They saw that most of the clothes and toys inside were for boys, such as small knives, bows and arrows, and wooden horses. In addition to the undergarments, there were several pairs of small boots made of cowhide, and even a small red cloak.
As Han looked at the items, she felt uneasy. She thought to herself, "These are almost all prepared for a boy. How can they be so sure that her baby is a boy?"
Fortunately, the maid who came to serve the meal rescued her, and Song Shi and Mo Yaqi followed Han Shi to Ming Shang Hall, where Meng Shi and Lord Xu were staying.
Madam Meng bore Xu two sons and two daughters. The eldest and second sons are both alive, while the two daughters are married and not present today. The eldest son, Xu Shaojie, works in the Ministry of Works. He's a specialist in researching and making various tools—in modern terms, an engineering type—and not particularly good at interpersonal relationships. Therefore, Madam Han can definitely manage him; Madam Meng made the right choice in choosing her eldest daughter-in-law.
"Mother-in-law, I heard you weren't feeling well. How are you now?" Although Madam Song was angry, she still took the initiative to greet Madam Meng for the sake of the eldest princess. Normally, as a princess of a prince, she had no need to take the initiative to greet a third-rank woman.
"I'm old and useless now, please forgive my poor mother-in-law. I just caught a cold, it's nothing serious, and I'm so grateful for your concern." Seeing Song greet her so warmly, Meng felt a little better. She had been somewhat unhappy when she heard that her second son was going to marry a concubine's daughter of the Fourth Prince, but since the imperial family wanted to form a marriage alliance with her family, and Lord Xu was very willing, she, as a woman, naturally couldn't object.
After the eldest princess married into the family, her manners and etiquette were impeccable. However, she disliked her second daughter-in-law, who wasn't very eloquent and didn't know how to flatter like Han. Her second daughter-in-law was often biased in many ways. For example, the room the eldest princess and Xu Shaowen lived in was quite far from Mingshang Hall, much farther than the room of her eldest daughter-in-law and son. Furthermore, Meng always called Han to accompany her on occasions involving entertaining guests, but whenever she was ill, she would have the eldest princess attend to her. She had assumed the eldest princess's status wasn't as pampered as that of the legitimate daughter and that she probably had no one to rely on. She figured that if she suffered injustice in the Xu family, no one would speak up. Sure enough, Mo Yaqi tolerated Meng's bias and Han's mistreatment. In addition, Xu Shaowen was a refined person and never cared about these matters of the inner quarters. Fortunately, he still protected her, so apart from suffering some anger from her mother-in-law and some tricks from her sister-in-law, the eldest princess was basically doing quite well. Her husband did not take a concubine, unlike Song Shi who sat idly until dark, hoping that the man would come.
Lord Xu invited Madam Song to take her seat, and the Xu family members were all present, making for a lively and bustling gathering. Since Mo Yaqi was pregnant, the conversation naturally revolved around her. For a moment, Mo Yaqi, with a shy blush, sat between her husband and Madam Song, laughing and chatting, seemingly forgetting the unpleasant things that usually happened.
After having her meal at the Xu residence, Madam Song went to sit with Mo Yaqi for a while, this time bringing Xu Shaowen along. She reminded him of some taboos for women during childbirth before reluctantly leaving.
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