--Rong'an Hall of the Duke of Chu's Mansion--
Old Madam Chu was drinking tea with her sister-in-law from her natal family. After she sent a letter some time ago, her natal family had not replied.
Although she knew that there was a dead niece between them and that as a parent she would not easily forgive, but although Mrs. Chu felt very guilty, she still longed to repair her relationship with her mother's family.
So when her sister-in-law, Old Lady Li from the Yingyang Marquis Mansion, came to visit today, although she knew it was because her granddaughter Danruo was about to be crowned as queen, it was already a very good start for the two families to start interacting.
So when the servants announced that Duke Chu had brought Yang to pay their respects, Old Madam Chu had them call them back and they disappeared. When Old Madam Li heard their names, her face changed and she was filled with grief.
"My poor daughter, Mingzhu, I gave birth to you when I was thirty. Your aunt patted her chest and told me that she would treat you well, so I felt at ease to marry you off. I never thought that you would end up with two dead. You must be so lonely on the road to the underworld. Mingzhu, wait a little longer. I will be there to accompany you soon."
Thinking of her niece's voice and appearance, Mrs. Chu had already burst into tears, "I'm sorry, sister-in-law, it's my fault that Mingzhu was harmed."
Duke Chu was refused entry and was filled with anger. He couldn't believe that the old lady was so heartless, so he forced his way in with Yang.
When Old Lady Li saw Duke Chu standing in one place protecting Yang, she immediately slapped him in the face. Yang screamed, but Old Lady Li did not let her go and started beating her.
The scene was chaotic for a while. Madam Li was an old lady and also her aunt. If she fought back, she would be charged with disrespecting the elders. If her cousins spread the news tomorrow, her reputation would be ruined.
He could only hold Yang tightly in his arms and wait for Madam Li to beat her until she was exhausted.
Old Madam Chu watched silently from the side, not allowing her servants to help, and let the nanny on Old Madam Li's side take sides.
Old Madam Li felt as if she had let out a sigh of relief. She had always taken the family's reputation into consideration, but now she felt that taking action was a good idea.
"I will beat you and this bitch every time I see you." The two families had broken off relations before, and all parties paid special attention to banquets, so there was no chance for them to meet.
Yang's scalp still hurt badly, and her heart ached even more when she saw the scattered hair on the ground:
"Old Madam Li is so rude. I only came into the family after Sister Mingzhu passed away. Childbirth is a matter of life and death for women. I am also heartbroken that Sister Mingzhu didn't make it. Why does Old Madam have to ruin my and my husband's reputation?"
Madam Li: "When Mingzhu was five months pregnant, she wrote me a letter saying that a maid saw you and the Duke of Chu meeting in private. The Duke of Chu had a pregnant wife, but was forced to accept a concubine. Your frequent meetings must have driven Mingzhu to the point of causing a difficult labor.
I have all the witnesses and evidence, but your mother knelt before my mother-in-law for three days, cutting off her food and water, and refusing to eat, so the Yingyang Marquisate suppressed the matter and refused to seek justice."
After saying that, he turned to look at Madam Chu: "Sister, your letter said that the two families have been separated, but is it true? If it is true, I will go out and tell each family about the separation. Do you still care about the reputation of the eldest house?"
Madam Chu: "It's absolutely true. I will no longer manage the first wife's affairs. From now on, I will follow the second wife. I hope my sister-in-law can visit the second wife more often. When the second child was a child, he loved going to his uncle's house to play with his cousins."
When Duke Chu heard the old lady say this, he immediately knelt down and said, "Mother, don't you love me anymore? I agreed to the division that day just to anger you. In my heart, mother will always be the most important."
Seeing how her son had protected Yang, Madam Chu said calmly, "I'm not just your mother. I'm also the wife of Duke Chu, and the aunt of the Marquis of Yingyang."
Duke Chu saw his mother being controlled by Madam Li, and had just watched himself and Yang being beaten. He felt only disappointment in Madam Chu.
"Danruo will become the queen in the future, and Xiangxiang will be the princess of Kang County. The two families should watch over and help each other. If they split up, I'm afraid the ancestors of the Chu family will be ashamed of my mother's behavior of only protecting her own family."
"You said I only protect my mother's family?" After protecting this ungrateful person all her life, she was bitten back by him. Old Madam Chu felt heartbroken.
Fearing that the mother and son would soon fall out, Madam Li quickly added fuel to the fire: "If the Duke of Chu's Mansion splits up, the Marquis of Yingyang's Mansion will always support and support the Second Branch. The Marquis of Yingyang's Mansion is also the Empress's family."
"The two families have already separated. Please help me tell the public, sister-in-law."
"Come here, send the Duke of Chu and his wife back. If they want to see me again, please remember to leave a message and enter through the palace gate."
On the same day, Old Lady Li brought Old Lady Chu back to the mansion to visit the old lady. At the same time, she spread the news that the two mansions were divided and that the Yingyang Marquis's mansion and the second house were on good terms. There were many true and false versions of the story about Yang, the second wife, forcing the original wife to death. When Princess Kang found out, she cursed it as bad luck.
--
The two sons of Yang and Duke Chu, the brothers Chu Jinlin and Chu Jinsong, secretly ran to Danruo's yard.
The elder sister tried to get close to him by calling him "sister in every way possible". The two brothers felt aggrieved as they watched the news spread and the status of their cousins from the second house rose rapidly in the academy.
It is obvious that he is the blood brother of the Empress, but others don't know that he is the real uncle of the emperor, and those who try to curry favor with him are fake uncles of the emperor.
Watching the two brothers busying around serving tea and water to Danruo, Danruo sneered in her heart. What bastards! They didn't even say a word for her on the day they came to recognize her as their relatives.
"My two brothers, what do you want to talk to me, your cousin from the next room?"
Chu Jinlin said flatteringly: "You are my biological sister, my dear sister, when will you come back to our big house?"
Dan Ruo smiled and waved her hands: "I am not the daughter of the first wife. The Duke did not recognize me. I heard today that when the Prime Minister questioned my identity in the court, the Duke did not say a word. Under all circumstances, the Queen must be the daughter of the second wife.
Chu Xiangxiang is your good sister. I heard that she is back home today. She might have brought you some gifts. Go find her quickly."
Chu Jinsong was only eight years old and not as steady as his brother. "She didn't bring any gifts. She stuck to her mother as soon as she came back."
Dan Ruo took the opportunity to say, "Yang likes to see Chu Xiangxiang because her father is good. It's your fault that you two don't have a good father who is loved by Yang."
"If you two find a girl you like in the future, don't be a bootlicker like dad. It's too lowly."
The two men's faces turned pale. They wanted to refute, but felt something was wrong. They also wanted to please Dan Ruo but couldn't smile. Just when they were feeling anxious, Yang sent someone to take the two men back.
The two returned to complain to Yang, asking why she didn't keep the Queen in the main room. Knowing that they had tried to show their affection to Dan Ruo but were rejected, Yang beat one of them up and said, "Don't you know who is the sister who treated you well since childhood? Your actions have really disappointed your sister."
"Mom always puts my sister first, which really makes us two brothers feel disappointed."
Yang was so angry that she wiped away tears. Although she loved Chu Xiangxiang more, she also loved these two children.
When the Duke of Chu saw that Yang was crying because of her son's anger, he did not ask what happened and directly made the two of them kneel down as punishment.
The two of them now agreed with Danruo's words that their mother only loved their sister and that Duke Chu was a bootlicker.
Within a few days, the two brothers accomplished something great.
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