Chapter 240 My biased mother wants me to adopt my younger brother’s son!
Li still placed her hopes on Zhang, but she didn't know that Zhang was no longer the old lady who had the final say in the Chengguo Mansion.
The reason why she was able to be so powerful and have the final say in Duke Cheng's Mansion was because the head of the family, Duke Cheng, was her eldest son, a filial son who was somewhat foolishly filial to her. As the head of the family in Duke Cheng's Mansion listened to her, her words were naturally very effective in Duke Cheng's Mansion.
Now Si Yuan was indifferent to Zhang's words, and even made no secret of his attitude that he no longer liked her. He was lucky that her orders could be passed out of his own courtyard.
Not to mention confronting the Cheng family for the sake of the Li family, even for the sake of Ning Yucheng, her beloved second son, Zhang might not have the courage to confront the Cheng family.
Because Zhang knew clearly that standing behind the eldest daughter-in-law Cheng was her eldest son, the head of the Chengguo Mansion. If she confronted Cheng, she would be going against the head of the Chengguo Mansion.
Although Si Yuan couldn't do anything to her due to filial piety, he could take it out on the people around her and the people she cared about.
For example, selling out the maids and servants around her, or killing all the members of the second wife...all of these could hit her soft spot.
Zhang has wisely started to act like an old lady who enjoys her retirement, and no longer dares to interfere in the affairs of the Chengguo Mansion. Otherwise, Si Yuan's move to separate the second house would not have gone so smoothly.
It was all because Zhang was very sensible. She knew that if she offended Si Yuan to death, Ning Yucheng's family would only have a harder time.
Now that Zhang is knowledgeable and sensible, she certainly won't offend Cheng just for a few words.
Zhang not only ignored Li's grievances and pleading eyes, but also spoke up for Cheng: "Second brother, how do you talk to your eldest sister-in-law? You have no respect for elders at all!"
Li stared at Zhang with wide eyes, unable to believe it. "Do you know what you are talking about?" I shouldn't talk to Cheng like that? I was just helping you refute Cheng! Cheng just cursed at me and called me a bitch!
For the first time, Li discovered that the person who was not favored by Zhang felt this way.
She was so angry that she wanted to stand up and shake Zhang's head to see if there was water in her brain that she could say such words.
However, after being angry for a while, Li calmed down a little. She knew clearly what Zhang's attitude towards Cheng was before, but now there has been a 180-degree change. There must be a reason for it.
Even Zhang was helpless with Cheng and even tried to please her. Li vaguely realized that her old tricks could no longer be used.
Li was very flexible and bowed her head to apologize to Cheng: "I'm sorry, sister-in-law, I said something out of turn just now. Please don't take it to heart." She even stood up and bowed to Cheng to apologize, looking very sincere.
As for whether she really said something wrong just now, it doesn’t matter at all.
Cheng sat there calmly, watching Li bowing and apologizing in front of her. She sneered with contempt and ridicule, and looked at Li's hypocritical behavior coldly, ignoring her.
Li was surprisingly very bold. Unless Cheng called her to get up, she would keep bowing and not stand up, as if she wanted Cheng to forgive her before she would stand up.
But Cheng would not allow Li to stand up just for the sake of face. She pretended not to see it and turned to Zhang with a fake smile and said, "Mother, how much do you plan to give Rongjie?"
Zhang glanced at Li and didn't feel sorry for her. In fact, she didn't like Li very much. It was just because Li was the legitimate wife of her beloved second son and she really liked the legitimate sons and daughters born to Li that she gave Li more face.
Seeing Li being humiliated in front of Cheng, she did not feel any pity or sympathy, and pretended not to see it, and replied to Cheng: "Rong Jie'er is marrying into a marquis's mansion after all, so her dowry cannot be too shabby. I plan to give her two houses, three hundred acres of good farmland, three shops and a farm."
When Zhang married into the Mansion of Duke Chengguo, both her natal family and her husband's family were at their peak, so she had a generous dowry and made plenty of money as the housekeeper of the Mansion.
She was naturally quite wealthy, and this little bit of makeup was just a drop in the bucket for her, so even though she knew that after she told him about it, she would have to double the amount to give future Sister Fu a little makeup, she didn't really care.
Cheng was indifferent. She was hired by Zhang's mother-in-law to marry the eldest son of the Duke of Chengguo's Mansion, so her family was naturally extraordinary. She had a lot of dowry back then. Even though she had been suppressed by Zhang after marrying in, she was good at business and was not short of money. In her opinion, the little dowry Zhang gave to Ning Rong was just a little charity.
Therefore, Cheng didn't believe that Zhang really only gave Ning Rong such a little dowry, because even if Ning Rong gave such a little dowry, her dowry could still only be described as simple, and she would still be laughed at if she married into the Yong'an Marquis' Mansion.
Cheng said calmly, "Mother, you are joking. How can I make Sister Rong's wedding a grand occasion with such a small amount of dowry?"
Zhang remained silent. As she was in the first wife's house, she did not dare to give Ning Rong too much dowry in public. She planned to give Ning Rong some money in private. But she certainly could not tell Cheng about this, as it would bring bad consequences.
Cheng didn't care about Zhang's silence. She smiled coldly and said softly, "When Sister Rong gets married, I, as her aunt, will also attend. When Sister Rong shows off her dowry, I will also go to see it."
Therefore, she could not hide the fact of how much Ning Rong's dowry was. Zhang had no right to subsidize Ning Rong privately!
After saying this, she looked at Zhang coldly and turned away.
Only after Cheng left did Li dare to stand up and move her sore legs and feet.
She couldn't help but start her usual provocation to Zhang: "Mother, my sister-in-law is really too much. She has no respect for you at all. She even gave you the cold shoulder when she left just now..."
Was Zhang angry after hearing Li's instigation? Of course she was angry, but it was useless for her to be angry because she could not do anything to Cheng.
So Zhang glared at Li fiercely: "You are the only one who talks too much!"
Knowing that she was already embarrassed by Cheng's rejection, he actually reminded her of this embarrassing incident again and again!
Li had an embarrassed look on her face and did not dare to refute Zhang's words. After a long while, she mustered up the courage to ask, "Mother, what about Rong Jie'er's dowry..." It couldn't be that she would just add that little dowry, right?
Zhang said unhappily, "You guys can't miss it!"
Only then did Li feel relieved.
After Cheng returned to the courtyard of the main house, she went to complain to Si Yuan: "Master, the old lady is too partial to the second house. She added dowry to Rong Jie'er's wedding, so will she be willing to add so much dowry to Fu Jie'er's wedding in the future? Moreover, Fu Jie'er is the master's eldest daughter. How can the eldest daughter of the Duke be treated the same as the eldest daughter of a fourth-rank official..."
Cheng kept saying that Zhang was partial to the second wife and did not hide her dissatisfaction with her mother-in-law.
Si Yuan ignored what she said. He thought Cheng would come to her senses after complaining for a while. He had almost shared his revenge plan with Cheng. Cheng was also aware that the second branch would not be able to survive for many more days, but she still wanted to vent her anger.
Si Yuan also understood Cheng's hatred towards the second house. She could vent her anger if she wanted to, but why did she end up getting angry again by venting her anger?
Cheng really just came to complain for a while, and she had no intention of disrupting Si Yuan's plan, so when she had finished complaining, she took the initiative to change the subject and asked about the result of Si Yuan's search for a husband for Ning Rong: "Master, Rong Jie'er is already engaged, but our Fu Jie'er is a little older than her, and Fu Jie'er's marriage has not yet been settled. Didn't Master say that you would help Fu Jie'er find a suitable husband? Has anyone chosen one?"
Si Yuan said to Cheng: "I don't plan to adopt a descendant from a branch of the family. I want to adopt Sister Fu's future son to inherit the title. Then Sister Fu can't marry too high. After all, if you marry too high, your in-laws may not be willing to adopt a grandson to us."
Cheng frowned: "How can anyone refuse this good opportunity of getting a Duke title for free? And how many families in the capital can compare to the family status of our Duke's Mansion?"
Even the daughter of the second branch of Duke Chengguo's Mansion could marry into the Marquis Yong'an's Mansion. How could Ning Fu, the eldest daughter of Duke Chengguo, have a worse marriage?
Si Yuan knew that Cheng had misunderstood his meaning. He smiled faintly and said, "What I mean is that we can't marry Sister Fu to a higher position. In the whole capital, which family is higher than our Ning family?"
Of course, only the royal family.
Because people of the opposite sex are not allowed to be kings, the highest title for subjects of the opposite sex is Duke. Above Duke, the title of king is one that only the children of the royal family are eligible to receive.
What Si Yuan meant by what he said just now was that Ning Fu could not be married into the royal family. After all, how could the royal children be willing to adopt their offspring into the Ning family?
Even though this child is Ning Fu's biological child, he is indeed half Ning family blood.
However, if Ningfu married into a family outside the royal family, with Si Yuan's current status and power, he could naturally discuss everything with his in-laws. Who wouldn't be happy if his own grandson could just change his surname and inherit the title of Duke?
After all, except for the eldest son who can inherit the family business and title, other sons have to work hard on their own and there is no ready-made title to inherit. Who wouldn't be happy to give their second grandson the title of Duke? Changing your surname is just a small matter.
After Cheng understood Si Yuan's explanation, she immediately felt relieved. Si Yuan didn't want to marry Ning Fu too low, and she had never thought of letting her daughter marry into the royal family to try for wealth.
No matter how much wealth she had, in Cheng's heart, it was not as important as her daughter's happiness.
If a daughter marries into the royal family and gets wronged, it will be difficult for her to stand up for her and teach her son-in-law a lesson.
But it would be different if she married into another family. With a father like Si Yuan who is so powerful, who would dare to let her suffer any injustice?
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