"Big sister, where is brother-in-law? He said he would have dinner with us."
"What's going on? Why aren't you calling the young master over here?"
The Duchess, also dissatisfied, urged the maid to go and invite her son over.
The girl hurriedly went out, and when she returned, she knelt down with a thud.
"Madam, the young master said he has something to attend to and cannot come."
"What's wrong with him? Hasn't he been free lately?"
The Duchess frowned in displeasure.
Jiang Shuwan and her group were Pei Jingniang's sisters. Even if they were close to the Jin family, her son should have been there to accompany them on this occasion.
Moreover, Pei Shushu hadn't exposed her for faking illness before.
Therefore, both morally and logically, she was willing to give Jiang Shuwan some face and let her son accompany her.
"lady……"
The maid hesitated for a long time before glancing at Pei Jing before speaking in a trembling voice, "Reporting to Madam, it is Jin Xiaoniang who is ill. Jin Xiaoniang has a stomachache and is holding onto the young master's hand, not letting him leave."
"What! That bitch dares to stop my husband!"
Pei Jing almost fainted from anger; he was filled with hatred and rage.
"That bitch Jin Jiaoniang, I'll tear her face to shreds..."
She jumped up with a "whoosh," rolled up her sleeves, and tried to rush out, but Jiang Shuwan grabbed her.
"Big sister, please don't go. If a fight breaks out, it will be our fault again."
"Are you crazy?! It's clearly that bitch's fault, how come we're not?"
"But you hit her!"
"Can't I hit her? I'm the first wife, what is she? A lowly concubine who doesn't do any proper work and only knows how to seduce the young master. She wears outrageous clothes that expose her waist and thighs in broad daylight and acts provocatively. She deserves to be hit! I think she was hit too lightly!"
"Elder sister, that's not right of you. The young master is busy with official duties and sometimes needs to relax. As the saying goes, when choosing a wife, choose a virtuous one; when choosing a concubine, choose a beautiful one. Although she dressed a bit flamboyantly, it was to please her husband. Besides, she didn't dress like that outside. She can dress casually at home."
"Why are you siding with that bitch?"
Pei Jing pointed at Jiang Shuwan, his lips trembling with anger.
"Jiang Shuwan! Don't forget, you are a daughter-in-law of the Pei family!"
“Even daughters-in-law of the Pei family should be reasonable. Eldest sister, I know you love your brother-in-law, but as the legal wife, we should be more magnanimous.”
Pei Jing plopped down in the chair, staring dumbfounded at Jiang Shuwan, nearly driven mad with anger.
"You, you, you..."
The Duchess, however, thought highly of Jiang Shuwan. She looked Jiang Shuwan up and down and nodded in praise, "You do know how to behave."
She had always been dissatisfied with Pei Jing's stinginess and jealousy.
I never expected that Jiang Shuwan, who is so naive and innocent, would see things so clearly.
She's good-looking and not jealous...
Although she was a bit slow-witted, she wasn't without her merits; no wonder she was able to marry into the Marquis's household.
"I dare not accept your praise, madam. As the principal wife, we should not be jealous of the concubines. Otherwise, people will say that we are petty and lack manners."
Hearing Jiang Shuwan's words, the Duchess felt even more pleased, and she glanced meaningfully at Pei Jing.
"That's right. Harmony in the family brings prosperity. If the first wife is arguing with the concubines all day long, people who don't know the situation might think our Duke's mansion is some kind of vegetable market. It has no dignity whatsoever of a noble family."
"That's right. How can the first wife compete with the concubine? Even if the concubine is wrong, you can't hold it against her. After all, she is only one concubine."
"Your Highness's wife, you see things so clearly!"
The Duchess excitedly grabbed Jiang Shuwan's hand. For a moment, she even thought that it would be nice if Jiang Shuwan were the one who married into the Duke's family.
He may be a little slow-witted, but he's sensible!
Just the fact that he doesn't get jealous of his concubines puts Pei Jing in the mud.
Having a daughter-in-law like that would make things so much easier for the family.
The Duchess praised Jiang Shuwan with a smile, but suddenly, Jiang Shuwan changed the subject.
"However, the young master had promised to have dinner with us, and Jin Jiaoniang was really being unreasonable by not letting him leave."
"How can a woman interfere with what a man does?"
"This mere concubine is behaving rather disrespectfully. If it were me, I would have dragged her out and beaten her to death long ago."
The Duchess was momentarily speechless: "..."
Although she also felt that it was improper for Jin Jiaoniang to stop her son from leaving.
But killing them outright would be going too far.
"As the saying goes, without rules, there can be no order. Not long ago, Jin Jiaoniang broke the fifteenth rule of the Duke's mansion. Although it was not a big deal, it was still a rule of the mansion. If everyone followed her example, wouldn't things be in chaos?"
Duchess: "..."
That seems to make sense.
“Being spoiled and arrogant is not a good habit. She dared to break the rules of the manor before, and today she dared to stop her brother-in-law from coming. This has happened again and again. Tomorrow... we still know what she is going to do.”
Duchess: "..."
"Although she was doing her duty as a concubine and trying to make the young master happy, the madam was still ill, and she was dancing and drinking instead of taking care of him. She was also encouraging the young master to indulge in debauchery."
"It's really strange. It's one thing for her to be unfilial to her mother-in-law, but she's also trying to get the young master to do the same."
"It's true that the lady is too kind-hearted. Otherwise, in most families, if they encountered this situation, they would immediately take down not only the concubine but also the wife."
As she said this, the Duchess's expression changed.
The fact that Pei Jingyi got into a fight with Jin Jiaoniang as soon as he returned to the mansion had already been reported by a maid before Jiang Shuwan and her group entered the courtyard.
At first, she just thought it was outrageous and improper.
At the same time, she was also very annoyed and had a headache, especially Pei Jing's habit of personally fighting with Jin Jiaoniang at the drop of a hat, which she really looked down on.
Now, after listening to Jiang Shuwan's explanation, she gradually began to notice other things as well.
Yes.
She was faking illness, but Jin Jiaoniang didn't know she was faking it!
As Jiang Shuwan said, it was a big mistake for Jin Jiaoniang not to come and take care of her sick mother-in-law.
She not only indulged in debauchery and singing and dancing, but also encouraged her son to join her in her foolish behavior.
This is absolutely outrageous!
Furthermore, when she sent someone to fetch her son, Jin Jiaoniang dared to hold him back and prevent him from leaving...
This is outrageous!
That lowly concubine, relying on the Jin family's recent rise in power, has actually managed to climb over her!
"Guards! Summon the young master immediately, and that wretched woman Jin. As a concubine, she has no respect for rank and dares to lay a hand on the eldest mistress. I think I've spoiled her too much all these years."
"Isn't she sick? Let her go to the suburbs to recuperate, and she can come back when she's fully recovered!"
The Duchess spoke, and the matter was settled.
After lunch, when Jiang Shuwan and her party left the Duke's mansion, Pei Jing was overjoyed to go and see Jin Jiaoniang move house.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
