Chapter 739 Wouldn't the eldest sister-in-law have been a mistress for nothing?
"Sister-in-law."
Shen Wantang entered the front hall, and as she walked toward Meng Yunlan, she called out to him with a smile.
When Meng Yunlan saw her arrive, he smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I hope I haven't bothered you?"
Shen Wantang, all smiles, said, "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? I'm more than happy to welcome you. How could I be bothering you? Please, have a seat! Dujuan, bring tea; Qinxin, bring some snacks; Qiyu, bring up the fruit that was delivered from the estate this morning; Shuxiang..."
Meng Yunlan's expression was gentle and kind as she grabbed Shen Wantang's arm: "Sister-in-law's hospitality is truly touching. However, please don't make the servants busy. I just came to say a few words and will leave afterward. My mother is still waiting for me at home!"
“If there’s anything you want to say, you can just have the servants tell you. Why did you have to come all the way here yourself? It would be so bad if you delayed your trip back to your parents’ home.”
“That won’t do. A servant is a servant, while we are sisters-in-law. I’m telling you, it’s naturally different.”
The two of them chatted back and forth, appearing both intimate and polite, which almost made Qiao Zhiyu, who was standing behind Meng Yunlan, roll her eyes.
She thought to herself, "These two sisters-in-law are such good actors! Anyone who didn't know better would think they had a great relationship, but in reality, they wish they could kill each other!"
As expected, none of the women in these aristocratic families are easy to get along with; they all speak with a mask on, and are not sincere at all.
The two talked for a long time before finally getting to the point.
“Sister-in-law, I was originally heading back to my parents’ home with some people, but halfway there I saw someone kneeling outside your courtyard, so I came over and asked them a few more questions.”
Meng Yunlan looked sincere: "It's not that I'm being nosy and want to meddle in my sister-in-law's affairs. As you know, I've always been in charge of all the big and small matters in the mansion. We've never punished a servant so mercilessly before. I saw that the person was kneeling so hard that he was about to faint, so naturally I had to ask what happened."
Shen Wantang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, sister-in-law, you have worked so hard managing all the affairs of the mansion. Now you even have to worry about the people in our courtyard. It is really not right."
Meng Yunlan said with satisfaction, "As I thought, sister-in-law is reasonable and understanding. In that case, why not exempt the guard outside from punishment? Making him kneel all the time isn't a good thing, don't you think?"
Shen Wantang suddenly realized: "So, sister-in-law came to plead for that guard. Oh dear, that guard is really lucky. What has he done to deserve that sister-in-law would personally plead for him? Another day, I must make him kowtow to sister-in-law to express his gratitude!"
"So, does that mean your sister-in-law has agreed to exempt him from punishment?"
"this……"
"What, sister-in-law, you don't want to? Do you want to continue punishing him?"
"No, it's just... it's just... he... sigh!"
Shen Wantang hesitated, stammering, and refused to continue.
Meng Yunlan sighed and said earnestly, "Sister-in-law, are you angry because the guard stopped you from entering Qianhan's study yesterday, and you deliberately punished him by making him kneel? Isn't that too petty? Why bother with a guard? Making him kneel is just slapping Qianhan in the face."
Shen Wantang was shocked and exclaimed, "No, I didn't! Sister-in-law, don't talk nonsense! How could I be such a person!"
"Sister-in-law, don't panic. I won't tell anyone about this, but you should quickly waive the guard's punishment!"
"Sister-in-law, it's not that I don't want to waive the fee for him, it's just... it's just..."
Shen Wantang only said half of what she wanted to say before stopping.
Meng Yunlan assumed she was unwilling, so she adopted the demeanor of an elder sister-in-law, half admonishing and half warning her, "Sister-in-law, I heard that the guard has been kneeling outside all night. If he kneels any longer, his legs might be ruined. Are you trying to cripple his legs? He's not your subordinate, he's Qian Han's subordinate! Have you considered Qian Han's feelings when you do this?"
Shen Wantang: "..."
So she knew they were Gu Qianhan's men? Then why was she, as Gu Qianhan's sister-in-law, interfering in Gu Qianhan's affairs?
Or was she simply trying to annoy her?
Or perhaps she's trying to sow discord between her and Gu Qianhan?
"You've only been married to Qianhan for a short time, so perhaps you don't know him well yet?"
Shen Wantang glanced at her: "Does sister-in-law mean that you understand him?"
“After all, I’ve been married into the family for five years, and I’ve been Qian Han’s sister-in-law for five years. I’ve lived under the same roof with him for so long, so I definitely know him much better than you do.”
"Oh, really?"
"Qian Han may seem cold, but he actually cares a lot about his own people. The fact that he sent that guard to watch the first gate of the front yard means he trusts and relies on him. He's bound to be angry if you punish his people without even knowing the facts."
Shen Wantang smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you know him so well. But I don't think he'll get angry with me over this. He's not that petty."
Seeing her nonchalant demeanor, Meng Yunlan felt a sense of frustration, as if he had punched a piece of cotton.
However, this angle didn't work, so she immediately changed her perspective: "This matter is not only about Qianhan's reputation, but also about your reputation, sister-in-law. If the guard kneels and breaks his legs, and word gets out, people who don't know the situation might think that you mistreat your servants. I'm doing this for your reputation, sister-in-law, so please don't think I'm meddling."
"I trust my sister-in-law to manage the household! She will definitely not let anyone spread these baseless and messy things. Otherwise, wouldn't she be a useless mistress of the house?"
Meng Yunlan's face stiffened. She hadn't expected that Shen Wantang would turn the tables on her!
She gave Qiao Zhiyu a wink, signaling her to speak.
Qiao Zhiyu took a step forward and said with a forced smile, "Sister, I don't know if you've heard the old saying? An elder sister-in-law is like a mother. You should listen to your elder sister-in-law. Do whatever she tells you to do. If she tells you to be exempt from the guard's punishment, then be exempt. Why are you nagging so much useless stuff? Aren't you just wasting my cousin's time and delaying her from going back to her parents' home?"
Shen Wantang said in a calm tone, "Are you saying that I stopped my sister-in-law from going back to her parents' home? I didn't know I had such great power."
"Oh my, you're really something! Not only did you deliberately delay my cousin's trip back to her parents' home, but yesterday you also deliberately went to the Imperial Household Department to deliver an umbrella to my brother-in-law, deliberately rode in the same carriage as him, and deliberately tried to curry favor with him. I don't know what you're up to!"
Shen Wantang's face showed a sneer: "Sister-in-law, how could your cousin accuse me like this? How can she slander someone's innocence like this? Her character is so low. I don't know if it's because she has poor upbringing or if there was something wrong with her ancestors?"
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