Chapter 16: A Loving Mother and a Filial Son, They Wish She Was Dead
Shen Mingzhu kept comforting herself in her heart that Shen Qingtan's happy life was only temporary, but she just couldn't bear to see Shen Qingtan living such a glorious life.
Especially since her life in the second house was not as smooth as she had imagined.
"Tan'er and Zhu'er are back with their husbands." Madam Shen greeted them warmly, "Come into the house quickly."
Shen Qingtan and Shen Mingzhu went to the inner courtyard with Madam Shen.
Zhao Yi and Zhao Jue followed Marquis Cheng'en to the outer courtyard.
As soon as Madam Shen entered Hibiscus Garden, she sat in the main seat.
Shen Qingtan and Shen Mingzhu greeted: "Long live mother."
"Come to mother quickly, let me take a good look." Madam Shen looked at Shen Qingtan lovingly: "Tan'er, you have been by mother's side for more than ten years, and have never been away from me for this long. Now that you are married into the Zhao family, I will not be able to see you often in the future. I am so sad that I have hardly slept these days. Especially the person you married..."
When she said this, her eyes turned red and she choked up and said, "Mother loves you and cares about you even more."
Shen Qingtan looked at Madam Shen with clear eyes. Her long hair was tied into a bun and she wore a kingfisher-inlaid headpiece. Her face was gentle and beautiful like a lotus. She wore a dark red short jacket with a peony pattern and a green skirt with gold weaving, which made her look even more graceful and elegant.
She looked at Madam Shen who was crying, and the heartache in her eyes did not seem to be fake.
If she hadn't experienced a lifetime, she would have been deceived by Madam Shen's motherly face.
"Mother..." Shen Qingtan's eyes flushed as she suppressed her grievances and said, "Who would have thought that such an absurd thing as getting into the wrong bridal sedan would happen to my second sister and me. I'm afraid I can't fulfill your expectations and become the Zhao family's headmistress."
"What a cruel fate." Madam Shen hugged Shen Qingtan into her arms: "My son, you have suffered."
Shen Qingtan shook her head: "I am not suffering, I am glad in my heart. My second sister has suffered for more than ten years in exile. If she marries the Second Master, she will not have a good life for a few years and will be lonely for the rest of her life. As the eldest sister, I feel sorry for her. Whenever I think of her experience, I wish I could suffer in her place.
Now that I think about it in detail, my wish has come true. My second sister has married a good man whom she can entrust her life to.
The Third Master and I have been childhood sweethearts, and I know a little about his character. I know that he is a considerate and gentle man, and he will definitely treat my second sister well.
"Second Master is weak, and the imperial physician says he will have no children. I will treat Second Sister's children as my own, and all the dowry in my name will be left to them."
Madam Shen's expression froze. She was silent for a while, then slowly let go of Shen Qingtan: "You have been kind since you were a child, and you always think of others. You feel sorry for Zhu'er, and Zhu'er feels guilty about you as her sister. She has a good husband for nothing, so how can I let her enjoy a peaceful life while you suffer and work like a slave for her?"
"In my opinion, your husband is in poor health, so you should take good care of him and stay by his side. Let him remember you and make arrangements for your future life if something happens to him. As for the dowry, it was originally meant for you two sisters, so you should just be a hands-off manager and let Zhu'er share the burden for you."
Madam Shen glanced at Shen Mingzhu, raised her hand and touched Shen Qingtan's face: "You can't spoil her anymore. If she doesn't understand something, you should teach her step by step, but you should also let her stand on her own feet, otherwise you will have to clean up her mess for her."
"Mother, you don't know that someone in the Duke's Mansion is suspicious. I got into the wrong bridal sedan because of a plot, not a mistake made in the chaos." Shen Qingtan pressed the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief. "If I give my dowry to my second sister after returning home, wouldn't outsiders suspect that she is jealous of me being a daughter of the Marquis' Mansion while she suffers in the countryside? To avenge me for stealing her brother-in-law, she wants to steal my dowry again?"
Madam Shen frowned.
"Gold can destroy bones. How could I let my second sister suffer this?" Shen Qingtan pretended to be solely concerned for Shen Mingzhu. "The Duke's Mansion isn't just for the second and third masters' grandchildren. The title hasn't been granted yet, and if rumors spread, ruining my second sister's reputation, wouldn't that also implicate my second brother-in-law?"
Mrs. Shen was upset when Shen Qingtan stopped her, but she also felt that Shen Qingtan was right. She couldn't afford to bring a dowry of just over a hundred yuan, ruining Shen Mingzhu's reputation and causing Zhao Jue to lose his title.
Anyway, Zhao Yi has no children, and Zhao Jue will inherit the title in the future. Everything in the Duke's Mansion will belong to Shen Mingzhu, including the more than one hundred loads of dowry in Shen Qingtan's hands.
Mrs. Shen figured out the key point, so she was not anxious anymore: "Tan'er is right, mother is so focused on you that she forgot about Zhu'er's situation."
Shen Mingzhu knew that her dowry would not be returned. Although she knew that the scene of Mrs. Shen and Shen Qingtan being a loving mother and a filial son was acted out, she still found it irritating.
She pouted: "Mother is partial."
"I'm partial? Your sister plans everything for you and considers everything for you. If you have a conscience, you can't say such words." Madam Shen glared at Shen Mingzhu, then turned to Shen Qingtan with a gentle expression: "Tan'er, your grandmother loves you the most and has been thinking about your return since early morning. She has something intimate to say to you alone, so go and pay your respects to her first."
Shen Qingtan was about to retreat meekly.
Madam Shen suddenly remembered something: "Why didn't you bring a maid with you when you returned home? But you are not satisfied with the people serving you?"
Shen Qingtan lowered his eyes and replied, "I'm taking Tingxue and Liuyue back to the Zhao Mansion today. My second sister only brought two maids with her. If I bring two more maids with me from the Zhao Mansion, I will have four maids accompanying me, which is not appropriate."
Mrs. Shen saw that Shen Qingtan's reply was flawless and pointed out her mistakes. She waved her hand and signaled that she could leave.
As soon as Shen Qingtan left.
The servants in the room left and closed the door.
Shen Mingzhu's tears rolled down her cheeks. "Mother, I'm not having a good time in the Zhao family. My mother-in-law is a strong-willed woman. I have to go to her every day to greet her and set up rules. I have to serve her water and tea at all three meals. I can only sit down to eat after she finishes eating."
Zhao Jue isn't gentle and considerate, let alone caring for me. Earlier, when he was serving tea, he stared at Shen Qingtan. They've had a childhood sweetheart relationship for over a decade. How could I possibly compare to that?
Zhao Yi, that sickly guy, treats Shen Qingtan nicely in every way.
The eldest lady doesn't need Shen Qingtan to set rules. What she eats and uses is better than what we have in the second house.
Why?
On what basis?
Shen Qingtan is just the daughter of a lowly merchant. She has enjoyed a life of luxury for more than a decade on my behalf. Now she lives a more comfortable life in her husband's family than I do. I wish she were dead."
She cried sadly on Mrs. Shen's knees.
"Silly child, her glory is temporary, how can it compare to your long-term wealth and honor?" Madam Shen rubbed her head: "The eldest lady and the eldest master of the Zhao family have some weight in front of the Duke. Zhao Yi will die sooner or later. You have to coax Shen Qingtan to work for you."
"I don't want to coax her..."
"Zhu'er, you have to endure what ordinary people cannot endure in order to get everything you want." Madam Shen's eyes flashed with ruthlessness, but her voice was very gentle: "When Zhao Jue becomes the heir to the Duke's Mansion, if you want to get rid of her, mother will never stop you."
Shen Mingzhu bit her lip, an idea coming to her mind: "Then do you know where her biological parents are?"
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