Chapter 51 explains that the old lady, Madam Xu, was the daughter of a grandfather who once held the official position of Privy Councilor...
The old lady, Madam Xu, was the daughter of a grandfather who had served as the Privy Councilor and the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Unfortunately, the Xu family had no successor, and by this generation, they were no longer well-known in the capital, relying entirely on the old lady and the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion for their livelihood.
Old Mrs. Xu was aware of the family's situation. After her eldest daughter-in-law, who came from a noble family, married into the family, she gradually handed over the power of managing the household. She spent her days raising her grandchildren, and her life was quite leisurely and carefree.
Because she missed her family, she married her niece to her second son, not hoping they would become rich and powerful, but only that they could live a peaceful and happy life.
Unexpectedly, this was such a 'surprise' to her.
The old lady sat on the warm couch with a sullen face. Her eldest daughter-in-law, Zhao, sat beside her, and her third daughter-in-law, Zhou, sat below her.
Zhou's hair was still damp, and she managed to tie it into a loose bun. She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and recounted what Jiang Zhenniang had inquired about: "...My daughter-in-law asked the family for help to find a good doctor to treat her husband. The family was so busy with that that they forgot about preparing the cargo ship."
"How could I have known... that it would delay matters at home, causing my second sister-in-law to have to go out to find ingredients..." Zhou didn't mention the fault of her second daughter-in-law, Xu, but only said that her family was busy looking for a doctor and had neglected this matter.
The more she said that, the angrier the old lady became.
If Zhou hadn't told them, they wouldn't have known that Xu from the second branch of the family had caused such a mess.
If Madam Xu had spoken to her, or even Madam Zhao, none of this problems would have arisen. The old lady, her face dark, ordered the servants around her to urge the second couple to hurry up.
Just as the maid lifted the thick curtain, the Second Young Master's loud voice rang out from outside: "Mother, why did you call your son back? I was drinking with my colleagues!"
The second young master lifted the curtain and entered, followed closely by his second wife, Madam Xu. She had no idea why the old lady had summoned her, and had even dressed up in the house. She wore a round crown on her head, with a gilded flower tube hairpin inserted diagonally into her hair bun. Pearls adorned her eyes and cheeks, and she was also wearing gold earrings, a necklace, and bracelets. She was extremely wealthy.
"All you know how to do is drink... Mother!" Madam Xu smiled and walked briskly into the house, coaxing the old lady, "You have to give him a good talking to, he's drunk every day."
"I was just trying to socialize with my colleagues."
"..." Third Madam Zhou smiled but her eyes were not bright. Her Third Son was engrossed in official duties and, apart from necessary social interactions, he had always disliked going out with his colleagues.
Since taking office, Erlangjun has been eager to go out for food, drink and entertainment with his colleagues every day. Although Zhou Shi has handed over all the management of the household to Erniangzi Xu Shi, she still has her old connections and is already aware of his huge expenses during this period.
Zhou held her breath and struggled to stop her mocking laughter. She lowered her eyes, glancing at the old lady's hand out of the corner of her eye.
The hands that rested on the elegant dress trembled slightly.
The second wife and her husband entered the room and started talking. After a while, they realized that the room was unusually quiet. From the old lady to the eldest daughter-in-law Zhao, and then to the third daughter-in-law Zhou, everyone was quiet and no one responded.
Only then did the two realize something was amiss, and they gradually fell silent. Erlangjun tugged at his collar, feeling stifled, and stammered, "Mother, sister-in-law, third sister-in-law...why aren't you saying anything?"
The old lady ignored him, only raising her chin at Madam Xu and saying in a deep voice, "Kneel down."
Upon hearing those two words, Madam Xu was immediately dumbfounded.
She looked at her husband blankly, then hesitated before looking at the old lady: "Mother, what...what did I do wrong?"
The old lady, leaning on her cane, slowly got up. She waved away the servants who tried to help her up, and walked heavily step by step to the side of the second wife, Xu Shi, looking at the bewildered Xu Shi with a cold face.
“Mother…” Erlangjun said subconsciously.
"Bang!" Before Erlangjun could finish speaking, the old lady's cane landed on his wife's leg.
As Xu fell heavily to her knees, the old lady shouted angrily, "How dare you ask how my family produced such a scourge like you?"
"Mother, what do you mean by that? My wife has always been virtuous, how did she become a scourge?" The Third Prince was startled and instinctively stepped in front of Madam Xu. Then, a suspicion arose in his heart, and he glanced at Madam Zhou, the Third Madam, and said, "You haven't heard any gossip and misunderstood your wife, have you?"
It goes without saying who is being referred to in this gossip. Anyway, when Third Sister Zhou heard Second Young Master's words, her eyes suddenly blazed with fire. She gripped her arm tightly, her nails digging into it, and the throbbing pain brought her back to her senses.
She is a daughter-in-law, an outsider, while Erlang is the old lady's biological son. Now that Xu is in the wrong, things could get complicated if they start arguing.
Madam Zhao glanced at Madam Xu and sighed quietly. She used to think the second couple was stupid and valued her third brother and third wife more.
The Marquis's family has been distinguished for three generations, and they are already highly accomplished. The old lady also took this into consideration when choosing a daughter-in-law.
Aside from her own noble birth, her sisters-in-law all came from ordinary backgrounds. Not to mention the third daughter, Zhou, who was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, the second daughter, Xu, although she was the old lady's niece, the Xu family had long since fallen into decline, and Xu's father was merely a minor official of the seventh rank, barely maintaining a facade of respectability thanks to their past family background.
Unfortunately, the second wife and her husband were both foolish. They couldn't offer any help to their husband who was far away on the frontier; all they knew was how to scheme.
Fortunately, the third wife and her husband were unusually clear-headed.
Sanlang soared upwards, which was also a great help to her husband.
The third daughter-in-law was sensible and helpful, assisting her in managing the household affairs without showing off, leaving all the limelight to her.
The eldest daughter-in-law twirled the Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist, her thoughts falling on her third son's illness. Who would have thought that God would be so cruel?
She consulted several renowned doctors at home, and then asked the imperial physicians again. Without exception, all the doctors gave the same answer—that there was no cure for Sanlangjun's illness.
If it weren't for Third Sister's meticulous and thoughtful care, and the use of various top-quality medicinal herbs to keep her alive, she might have died much earlier.
At that moment, the old lady also became angry.
The eldest daughter-in-law and the third daughter-in-law could both hear the sarcasm in the second young master's words, let alone the old lady. The old lady's anger, which she had been suppressing for several days, suddenly flared up, and she shouted sharply, "Enough!"
Her gaze toward Erlang was exceptionally gloomy: "You say your wife is virtuous, but do you know what she has done?"
The old lady was so angry at the mere thought of it that she gritted her teeth. She knew that the most important thing for powerful and wealthy families was their reputation, and her daughter-in-law, Xu, happened to be her niece. This disgrace was a complete disgrace to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion and the Xu family.
"...Mother?" Erlangjun was filled with fear.
"Xu, tell me, why do you want to ruin the reputation of our Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion outside?" The old lady didn't say much to her son, her icy gaze falling on her second daughter-in-law.
"Ruin my family's reputation?" The second young master was dumbfounded and hurriedly looked at his wife: "Wait? Madam Xu! What exactly did you do?"
"I...I didn't do anything."
"Ha! Why did you send people out to find ingredients for the New Year?"
"Do you know what people outside are saying about our manor?" The old lady said, her chest tightening again. "You've caused rumors to spread that our Marquis of Zhongyong's manor can't even afford to provide food for the New Year!"
Erlangjun was dumbfounded, his face turning bright red. He suddenly remembered that a colleague had invited him for drinks a couple of days ago and inquired about his family situation. Only then did he realize that some people were subtly reminding him, while others were probably watching him make a fool of himself.
Erlangjun's face gradually turned pale, and his anger surged. Before the old lady could speak again, he slapped Xu Shi across the face.
Erlangjun used all his strength, and Xu Shi, who was already terrified, fell to the ground with her head tilted to one side. The flower hairpin and flower crown that were stuck in her hair fell to the ground, and silk flowers and pearls were scattered all over the ground, making a mess.
"What are you doing, you stupid woman?"
"I, I, I did it for the good of the family... I didn't know." Mrs. Xu was so frightened that she turned pale and cried, holding her swollen cheeks.
"Then why didn't you tell me, or discuss it with your sister-in-law and your third sister-in-law, before making your own decision?" the old lady rebuked coldly.
"I..." Madam Xu's eyes darted away; she didn't want to lose face, which was why she was unwilling to speak.
But facing the aggressive old lady and others, Xu dared not say such a thing. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Zhou's upturned lips, and a surge of anger burst forth from her chest. She blurted out, "Mother, Mother! Please let me explain. This must be Zhou framing me."
Once Xu had spoken, she didn't hesitate any longer: "Just a few days before the New Year, I learned from Chef Xu that the New Year's ingredients had not yet been delivered. When I asked the shipping company, they said that the cargo ship that our family ordered in previous years was not available, so we had to delay the delivery."
“Zhou never mentioned this to me!”
"If you ask me, she must have deliberately held a grudge against me, which is why she deliberately made people unsure of which boat to board," Xu Shi said, emphasizing the biggest problem she had made and crying.
"Zhou Shi?" The old lady turned to look at Third Sister, her eyes filled with coldness. Zhou Shi looked at the emotions in the old lady's eyes and felt a chill in her heart. She had thought that the old lady would feel a little guilty towards her and Third Brother, but now it seemed that she was wrong.
Zhou closed her eyes briefly; thankfully, she was prepared.
When Zhou opened her eyes again, they were filled with disbelief. She turned to her second sister-in-law, Xu, and said in a trembling voice, "Sister-in-law, I have always respected you the most."
"You never mentioned ordering a cargo ship!"
"Second sister-in-law, when we handed over the affairs of the manor last time, Mama Xu informed you of all the matters in the manor and left you a booklet on how to handle each matter."
"I'll need Aunt Xu to help you out later."
"It's what you said, Second Sister-in-law. Everyone around you can do it. There's no need for Aunt Xu to help."
"At first I was worried, but then I saw at the Laba Festival banquet that you brought out lotus seeds from Jianzhou and longan that had been sun-dried for nine times. Even the ham used in the Laba porridge was made from pigs raised on spices and listening to music..."
Zhou recounted what she had overheard at the Laba Festival family dinner, and said with a wry smile, "If my sister-in-law can bring out so many dishes that I've never seen before, then the ingredients she uses for the New Year and other festivals must be a thousand times more exquisite than what I used to use. So why should I worry?"
"I didn't believe it when Madam Jiang told me about this!"
"It wasn't until Jiang Zhenniang mentioned that her daughter worked in the main kitchen and that Chef Xu was having trouble finding ingredients that I sent someone out to inquire... I never expected to receive such news."
"If only my sister-in-law had told me sooner."
"Even if it costs me my life, I will definitely prepare." As Zhou said this, she couldn't help but shed two lines of tears.
Madam Zhao, the eldest daughter-in-law, also knew about what happened at the Laba Festival banquet. She quickly handed a handkerchief to Madam Zhou and sighed, "Indeed, your daughter-in-law felt completely at ease because she felt that my second sister-in-law had handled the Laba Festival banquet perfectly, without the slightest mistake..."
Zhou and Zhao took the opportunity to escape.
Xu, who had deliberately sabotaged the Laba Festival banquet by exaggerating the ingredients, was dumbfounded and cried out, "I, I, I didn't have any of those nine-times-dried longan, or any of those Jianzhou lotus seeds... those were all just made up by Chef Xu!"
When Chef Xu was summoned to inquire about the situation, her face immediately darkened. Chef Xu showed no mercy to Madam Xu and bluntly said, "Reporting to the old lady, the second young lady suddenly sent someone to tell me two days before the Laba Festival banquet that the Laba porridge from previous years was not good enough and insisted that I change the recipe."
"The old lady knows that this is not something that can be returned or replaced so easily. I tried to persuade her several times and even sent her several improved recipes, but my wife was not satisfied with any of them."
Later, I asked why.
"Second Madam said it wasn't refined enough, so I couldn't add any more descriptions."
"Everyone in the main kitchen and everyone in the courtyard knows about it." Cook Xu wasn't afraid of Madam Xu; everyone in the household knew what happened that day, and besides, Madam Xu was the one who wanted to use various descriptions.
Even the cook, Xu, was still worried, fearing that Xu would try to pin the blame on her again. So she went ahead and told her everything about how the quality of the ingredients Xu had found was far inferior to that of previous years. She was practically pointing her finger at the second mistress and accusing her of being a slacker who had tasted the sweetness of the last time and was now trying to pass off inferior goods as superior ones.
Second Madam Xu failed to shift the blame, and her true nature was exposed.
Xu's face turned pale, and she was speechless. She dared not ask for help because she wanted to humiliate Zhou and make Zhou lose face, and because she wanted to show off her strength...
The hole started small and gradually grew bigger.
Now, it has become something she can no longer hide.
The old woman clutched her chest and collapsed onto the couch.
Before she could even get angry, the second son, his eyes blazing with fury, kicked Xu in the chest again: "You shameless woman, you, you've disgraced our family!"
Zhao advised, "Second brother, scolding and beating are useless now. We need to think of a better way to handle this."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
