Liu Fangniang stood behind Song Xia, serving her soup and dishes from time to time, which made her feel extremely embarrassed.
Although she was a concubine, she was Yonglang's beloved concubine. How could she allow a group of country folk to laugh at her?
Just then, an aunt nitpicked, "Nephew, your concubine doesn't seem very respectful. Our Zhou family has been a prestigious family for centuries, and you are a Vice Minister of Rites. How come you haven't even learned the proper etiquette for a concubine?"
Another aunt said to Song Xia, "You're too lenient. It's obvious that this concubine hasn't done much of this kind of work before. When the old lady was alive, the concubines in the mansion never had such an easy life."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Old Madam Liu. Old Madam Liu paused in her eating, her face darkening, as if she was thinking about the past.
When she first entered the manor, she would always remember the indifferent look in Zhou Shi's eyes, as if she were looking at a weed. Later, her pregnancy with Yongli was extremely difficult. If it weren't for the fact that the eldest son was already an adult and that she had a husband to protect her, she would have doubted whether she could have given birth to Yongli.
By a stroke of luck, the eldest son of the Zhou family died, which completely destroyed the Zhou family and freed her from living in constant fear.
Song Xia smiled faintly: "There are no outsiders in the mansion today, so there's no need to be so formal."
“Niece-in-law, your thinking is wrong. Being too lenient on a daily basis will make some people forget their place and cause great trouble.”
"That's right. Rules are habits that are gradually formed over time, and you must not ignore them because you are soft-hearted."
The crowd chimed in, as if roasting Old Madam Liu and Liu Fangniang over a fire.
One was his own mother, and the other was his beloved concubine. Zhou Yongli couldn't stand this insult and was about to stand up for them when Song Xia glanced over indifferently.
“My lord, the clan elders have come from afar. On the day of the old lady’s death anniversary, you will probably have to ask the Ministry of Rites for leave. The mansions that are on good terms with our Zhou family have heard that the clan elders are going to hold a funeral for the old lady and have already sent people to deliver gifts one after another.”
Zhou Yongli had to suppress his anger. Although he disliked these clan elders, to outsiders, it was simply that the Zhou clan valued the deceased old lady and had gone to great lengths to come to the capital. If he were to show any disrespect to the clan elders now and it became known to outsiders, he, as the Vice Minister of Rites, would very likely be impeached again.
Therefore, Liu Fangniang could only look away in disappointment, and after the meal, Old Madam Liu could only reluctantly bow to these aunts.
She was a concubine, and even though her son had inherited the Zhou family, her status was still lower than that of the proper women who had married into the family.
For so many years, even Song Xia has treated her with utmost respect. What right do these country bumpkins have to put on airs?
She was filled with resentment when, unexpectedly, someone seized on her oversight: "Why do you only bow to us and not to the county princess? She's just a concubine, not some respectable mother-in-law."
Song Xia feigned difficulty: "Auntie is joking. After all, she is Yonglang's birth mother, and we have never paid our respects to her before."
"So what if she's the birth mother? She's still just a concubine. It's not her who needs to be filial and serve the county princess. She has to perform this ceremony today so that outsiders can see it. We can't say that our Zhou family has no rules or has never done this before. We must correct these rules."
Madam Liu's face flushed with anger: "Why should I listen to you?"
"You dare talk back? If you weren't Yongli's birth mother, I'd slap you right now. Zhou Yongli, don't you think so? Shouldn't a concubine like her bow to the county princess?"
Everyone stared at Zhou Yongli, while Zhou Yongli glared at Song Xia.
The old woman continued, "What are you doing to the county magistrate? Could it be that you've been suppressing her, making it difficult for her to correct the rules in this mansion? Zhou Yongli, you must remember that you are the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and you represent the Zhou clan. The clan cannot allow you to act recklessly. Otherwise, if the county magistrate cannot govern you properly, we will have the right to take Liu back to the clan for discipline."
Madam Liu trembled with anger, but there was nothing she could do; that was the rule of the clan.
The clan has no say in matters concerning the master, but concubines are no different from servants. Since Zhou Yongli is unfair in his dealings, the clan has the right to intervene.
"Forget it, forget it," Song Xia waved her hand again. "Why make things difficult for my husband?"
"Zhou Yongli!" This time, it was the Zhou clan head who spoke. He was a cousin of the late Old Master Zhou, unlike the other Tang clan members who came to freeload.
“If even you do not follow these customs, after the death anniversary, Liu will come with us to keep vigil for your father and mother.”
Old Madam Liu's eyes trembled. Go back to her hometown to keep vigil? Would she still have a good life then? She looked pleadingly at her son, Zhou Yongli, who was caught in a dilemma.
Left with no other option, in order to remain in the capital, Old Madam Liu had to curtsy to Song Xia: "Greetings to the County Princess."
"Please get up quickly, how can this be?" Song Xia looked panicked and hurriedly asked the maid to help her up.
Zhou Yongli said he still had a memorial to write and left in a huff, but Old Madam Liu and Liu Fangniang could not.
After dinner, the gossipy aunts and uncles insisted on chatting with Song Xia, so the two of them served her the whole time. At least Old Madam Liu had a seat, but Liu Fangniang had to stand the entire time.
Seeing her mother working so hard, Zhou Ying couldn't help but tear up.
"What's wrong with Ying-jie?"
She was about to retort when Liu Fangniang glared at her, so she said in a muffled voice, "I'm just a little sleepy."
Song Xia waved her hand: "If you're sleepy, take Ying-jie back to sleep."
Zhou Ying stood up and bowed, then hesitated, "Mother, may I go with you?"
"How dare you!" This was the clan chief's wife, a daughter of a wealthy family who married into the Zhou family. After becoming the clan chief's wife, she became even more particular about rules and regulations. From the moment she stepped into the Zhou residence today, she had been looking for many mistakes. She had tolerated others speaking up for her before, but now she finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"Who are you calling 'mother'? A concubine, how dare she claim to be the mother of the young ladies in this household? You should call her 'Auntie,' Madam Liu. Do you know your mistake?"
Aunt Liu immediately knelt down: "I know I was wrong. It was my fault for not teaching Ying'er well."
“Princess, you are a member of the royal family, so I shouldn’t say too much about the affairs of your household. But now that you’ve married into the Zhou family and are the mistress of this mansion, you still need to manage the rules of this mansion well, after all, it represents the face of my entire Zhou clan.”
Song Xia nodded with her eyebrows lowered: "Auntie is right."
Seeing that she had been reprimanded and that Liu Fangniang had to kneel down because of that reprimand, Zhou Ying dared not ask for anything more and could only reluctantly admit her mistake.
"I heard that the county princess specially invited palace maids to teach him manners. This is a good thing, but since she invited them, the county princess should not be too lenient. He still needs to learn the manners properly."
Song Xia nodded again: "Auntie is right."
After that, Zhou Ying's life never got any better, and she paid a heavy price for her previous impulsiveness and rudeness.
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