Chapter 78: Trouble comes from the mouth, ask for grace
The carriage stopped at the gate of Duke Zhao's mansion, and the old lady said, "We've been busy for most of the day, so you can all go back to your rooms and rest. There's no need to send me to Shi'an Hall."
Shen Mingzhu responded first: "Grandma, my second brother is recuperating at home, so my second sister-in-law can go back and take care of him first."
She said meekly, "My granddaughter-in-law doesn't have anything urgent to do, so why not let her take you back to Shi'an Hall?"
The old lady originally planned to call the second lady to Shi'an Hall and ask her to teach Shen Mingzhu a lesson.
Now that she saw Shen Mingzhu wanted to send her back to Shi'an Hall, she did not refuse.
The old lady gently instructed, "Tan'er, go and keep Yi'er company."
Shen Qingtan responded: "Yes."
The old lady walked to Shi'an Hall with a cane.
Shen Mingzhu diligently supported the old lady. She felt aggrieved that she had not been able to gain Concubine Ling's favor.
Her answers in the palace today surpassed Shen Qingtan's in every way, but in the end she did not win the favor of Concubine Ling. It was all because Zhao Yi was on good terms with Prince Yu, so Concubine Ling was very kind to Shen Qingtan.
A feeling of disgust rose in her heart. Apart from Zhao Jue's better health, he was inferior to Zhao Yi in every other aspect.
If Zhao Jue had not been so incompetent and failed to establish a relationship with Prince Yu, she would have overshadowed Shen Qingtan in Yanxiang Palace today.
How could Shen Qingtan have the chance to be proud in front of her?
The two men led the maid through the bluestone path and came to the moon arch, where they heard a conversation.
"Xiaoyue, you gave me all the dowry money you worked so hard to save. What should I do if I can't pay it back? And you helped me complete the task assigned by my master before, but you didn't do your job well and were punished... I owe you more and more."
"What's the big deal? If you get punished, how will you take care of me and my parents? Besides, this little money isn't much, so if you can't pay it back, then don't pay it back. If my parents were sick, you would empty your family savings to help me."
Xiaoyue said with a look of trust, "Besides, with your personality, if you receive a favor from someone, you will return two grains of rice. Even if you have to tighten your belt to make ends meet, you don't want to owe others anything. Why should I worry?"
Xiao Tao was moved and said, "My parents gave me life, but Xiao Yue is the one who understands me."
Xiaoyue heard Xiaotao say something sour and chuckled, "It's because we are as close as Guan Yu and Bao Bao."
When Shen Mingzhu heard this, she couldn't help but sneer in her heart. It would be ok for an illiterate maid to only be able to parrot a few elegant words.
The key point is that he tried to imitate his master's way of speaking, but he didn't learn it well, which made people laugh.
Guan and Bao liked each other, and it was said that they were friends.
This word clearly refers to Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya...
Suddenly, Shen Mingzhu's face changed drastically, not knowing what she was thinking about.
The friendship between Guan Yu and Bao Bao...the friendship between Guan Yu and Bao Bao...
But she said it was Guan and Bao.
Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Shen Mingzhu carefully recalled the expression on Concubine Ling's face when she praised her relationship with Empress Yuanrong in Yanxiang Palace...
It should be the same as how she looked at the maid just now, right?
And the way Shen Qingtan looked at her was not because he was jealous of her, but because she said the wrong thing.
The funny thing is that she thought it was the maid making a fool of herself, but ended up making a fool of herself.
She is not even as good as a maid.
This realization dealt a heavy blow to Shen Mingzhu.
Especially after she carefully savored Concubine Ling's attitude, she realized with horror that when she praised Concubine Ling for being the head of the harem, Concubine Ling was not being modest, but was angrily refuting her words.
She was thinking that Concubine Ling had the highest status in the harem, so she deliberately flattered her...
The more Shen Mingzhu thought about it, the more she felt like she was struck by lightning. She really wished that God would send down a bolt of lightning to strike her to death.
She looked at the old lady with a pale face, only to see her face sullen and she glanced at her coldly. This look made her hands and feet cold, and her heart was also half cold.
The old lady returned to Shi'an Hall without saying a word, sat down in the main seat, and then told Mother Wei to call the second lady.
"Grandma—" Shen Mingzhu knelt down at the old lady's feet and admitted her mistake, "Grandma's daughter-in-law knows she was wrong. She shouldn't have made a fool of herself in front of you."
The old lady's face darkened and she quickly dismissed the maidservants serving in the room.
"My grandson's wife was lost from her family when she was little. She was sold to a fool as a child bride for three taels of silver. That family treated me like a mule, ordering me to do all the work inside and outside the house."
Shen Mingzhu cried miserably and said weakly, "If I didn't do well, they would punish me by making me go hungry for a day. I often didn't have enough to eat in that family. I was so hungry that I had no strength in my body and my head was dizzy. Not to mention that they would teach me to read and write."
"And whenever they're unhappy with something, they'll curse me with vicious words and hit me with fire sticks to vent their anger. That idiot...that idiot followed suit, hitting me with a fire stick all day long. When Third Master found me, my body was covered in bruises, not a single piece of skin was intact."
Shen Mingzhu burst into tears and said, "After I returned to my ancestral home, I saw the wealth of the Marquisate and how outstanding my elder sister was. I was afraid that my parents would dislike me, refuse to acknowledge me as their daughter, and then send me back. I worked hard to learn to read, learn the rules, and learn etiquette, for fear that I would bring shame to the Marquisate."
"For the past six months, I've worked really hard, trying to do my best. I hope I can be as talented and learned as my older sister, and I also hope my parents can be proud of me." Shen Mingzhu almost burst into tears when she said this: "This is my first time in the palace, and I wanted to perform well. I didn't expect that because of my lack of experience, I showed off recklessly and angered the Empress."
The old lady saw her crying pitifully, and thought of her life experience. At the same time, she thought of how she imitated Shen Qingtan's speech and deliberately showed off to steal Shen Qingtan's limelight.
The old lady softened her heart, then hardened again: "Didn't the nanny hired by the Marquisate teach you to be cautious in your words and actions in front of the noble?"
Shen Mingzhu sobbed.
"Ignorance isn't scary; what's scary is being ignorant and not realizing it." The old lady said with a stern face, "Many disasters are caused by being overbearing and aggressive. Today, you've caused trouble just by speaking your mind."
"My granddaughter-in-law has admitted her mistakes." Shen Mingzhu knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "Please assign a nanny to teach my granddaughter-in-law how to behave."
The old lady was really afraid that Shen Mingzhu would continue to cause trouble outside and then bring trouble to the Zhaoguo Mansion: "You go back first. I will arrange for a nanny to teach you the rules tomorrow."
Shen Mingzhu was relieved to see that the old lady did not punish her.
She wiped away her tears and said thankfully, "Thank you for your grace, Grandma."
Shen Mingzhu got up and left Shi'an Hall. As soon as she stepped out of the main house, she met the second wife who came in hurriedly. She hurriedly bowed her head and saluted.
The Second Madam didn't notice Shen Mingzhu's unusual behavior. Her mind was preoccupied with the fact that the Old Madam was going to the palace to meet Noble Consort Ling today. The reason she was summoned must be to discuss the matter of ennobling Zhao Jue as the Crown Prince.
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