The lotus flowers in the manor's pond are all in bloom, and the Lady of the Marquis has recently started attending banquets at other people's homes to admire the full bloom of the lotus flowers.
They ran into Jiang Shiyi twice more and learned that she couldn't eat because of the heat, so they thought of the braised sour soup that Aunt Sun made.
I arranged to have the maid go to the small kitchen when I returned to the mansion, copy down the recipe, and send it to her.
When Qingqian returned to her residence, she was preparing to deliver the prescription and several gifts to the Anbo Mansion when she happened to run into Aunt Yang.
When Aunt Yang's family came to visit, they were taken to the carriage shed to arrange a carriage. They overheard Qingqian talking to Old Chen at the carriage shed about the purpose of arranging the carriage.
He immediately stopped Qingqian and insisted on adding some handkerchiefs and purses that he had embroidered himself to the gifts he was giving.
Qingqian initially declined a couple of times, but seeing that Aunt Yang was unhappy and had even specially found a gift box to pack the item in, she had no choice but to accept it.
Once they got into the carriage, they threw the things that Aunt Yang had packed aside.
After paying her respects to Madam Anbo, Qingqian returned to her courtyard and told her about the matter.
Aunt Yang did it on purpose. She felt humiliated and embarrassed by the way the Second Madam had treated her last time.
Since the matter has reached Qingqian's point, regardless of whether she sends a gift or not, she will have to report it to the Lady of the Marquis when she returns.
The Lady of the Marquis will definitely be dissatisfied, but this debt will likely be placed on the shoulders of the second wife, Zheng Jin.
Thinking this way, the feelings of humiliation and embarrassment eased a little.
Gao did feel disgusted, but he didn't really blame Zheng Jin for it.
Since Zheng Jin gleaned some of the truth, his actions have indeed demonstrated remarkable shrewdness.
With Aunt Yang causing such a ruckus, and Gu Ting being on her side, Qing'er is bound to have a lot of trouble dealing with such a concubine after marrying into the family.
He pointed to the handkerchief and purse on the table and asked Qingqian to deliver them to Madam Zheng.
Upon arriving at the Zheng family's courtyard, Zijuan quickly came to greet her. Qingqian had not seen the Second Madam since she arrived and left.
Mrs. Zheng herself was kneeling in the small Buddhist shrine chanting Buddhist prayers, she couldn't be more devout, partly to pray for herself and her son.
Another incidental reason is that ever since Gu Ting formed such a "good marriage," Madam Zheng has gradually secluded herself at home, attempting to create the image of a matriarch who doesn't care about anything and is focused on spiritual cultivation.
But when she saw the handkerchief that Qingqian had brought today, Madam Zheng felt a tightness in her chest and then left the Buddhist hall.
Only now, out of selfishness, do I realize how ridiculous my actions over the past few days have been!
Even if she backs down, even if the Marquis of Anbo's mansion doesn't get angry with her, she might still be killed by Consort Yang's scheming beforehand.
Zijuan was asked to summon the other concubines as well. The others all bowed their heads and looked down at the Second Madam.
Only Aunt Yang covered her mouth with a handkerchief and giggled, then asked another question.
"Isn't Madam devoted to Buddhist practice? What brings you and your sisters here today?"
Zheng Jin remained silent, but the nanny beside him glared angrily at Madam Yang. This was far too arrogant.
Zheng Jin took a sip of tea, then spoke in a rather bland tone.
"I'm going to Huguo Temple to offer incense next month. You all should go back and copy a hundred copies of the Heart Sutra, and then burn them in front of the hall to pray for blessings."
Upon hearing this, all the other concubines readily agreed, except for Concubine Yang, whose face stiffened.
Zheng's wet nurse gave her a cold look and said sternly, "Auntie should really settle down and start copying."
After all, devotedly worshipping Buddha can ward off evil spirits. The Third Young Master is about to get married; we don't want any unclean things in the courtyard to come and cause trouble!
Upon hearing this, the other concubines realized that they had once again suffered an undeserved misfortune at the hands of the concubines.
They exchanged glances, not to mention that they later joined forces to make things difficult for Aunt Yang several times.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Yang felt as if her face had been stripped off and trampled on.
Zheng Jin not only talked about copying Buddhist scriptures, but also glanced at the nanny beside him after he finished speaking.
The old nanny stepped forward. "I heard that Consort Yang's family members came to the manor today?"
Did anyone bring the correct identification card to report this? That's against the rules, and the concubine will be fined a month's salary.
Finally, he loudly addressed the crowd, “Listen up, everyone in the courtyard. From now on, no matter which ‘servant’s’ family member comes to visit, have the old woman at the side gate relay the message.”
Anyone who breaks this rule again will surely get a few lashes!
Aunt Yang was so angry she could barely stand. She was very concerned about her reputation, but Madam Zheng not only punished her with the same methods she used to torment people, but also by having a large number of people come to watch.
His face burned, his mind went blank, and he slowly bowed and took his leave.
Back in the courtyard, he dared not argue, and took a pen to copy scriptures in his room every day.
Upon hearing this, Gu Ting went to find Madam Zheng in a huff.
Now that he's about to become the son-in-law of the Marquis of An, he's been incredibly arrogant lately, both inside and outside the home. How could he possibly tolerate Madam Zheng slapping his aunt's face?
To their surprise, when they arrived at the main courtyard of the second house, they didn't even get to see Zheng Shi.
The second wife's main courtyard sent out a third-class maid who coldly refused, saying that the mistress was worshipping Buddha and would not see anyone.
Unable to force his way in, Gu Ting was seething with anger with nowhere to vent it.
He secretly wanted to see Xu Shaoqing so that he could make him realize that he was about to curry favor with the Marquis's family.
Forget about whether or not to have an heir; just the fact that Xu Shaoqing is still living in the Earl's mansion is enough to give us a glimpse into the Earl's attitude.
So what if he's angry with him? As long as Xu Shaoqing listens to him, his request will definitely be granted.
Go find her, even just to say a few words, and you can extinguish the anger in your heart.
But after going around to the street outside the Earl's mansion, I bought a cup of snow bean drink, and after drinking it, my mind finally cleared up.
He glanced at the magnificent courtyard of the Earl's mansion, then turned and left.
Little did they know that just across the street from the Earl's Mansion, Xu Shaoqing was also causing a ruckus in Yiqingxuan.
Granny Gui had just delivered the dowry list, and this dowry immediately spurred Xu Shaoqing on.
She was genuinely heartbroken; she had let her hair down and was about to go wash and shower.
She was in no mood to go anywhere, so she smashed everything in the room while crying and making a scene.
She insisted that Jiang Shi come to see her, and all the maids and nannies in the room tried to persuade her, but to no avail.
They had no choice but to ask someone to report to the main courtyard, where Madam Jiang arrived with Granny Gui.
"What are you doing? You're getting married in two months. Instead of properly embroidering your wedding dress, what's wrong with you?"
Tears streamed down Xu Shaoqing's face as she hysterically asked her mother, "Why are you doing this to me? My dowry is less than that of the daughter of a fifth-rank official."
Jiang suddenly understood, and nodded slightly.
"My third brother went to sea and invested most of the family fortune, which he has not yet recovered."
Your dowry was all carefully selected; your third brother's entire fortune was given to you in the form of 30%, and the estate was given to you in two of the best portions. There was absolutely nothing improper about it.
If you feel that's not enough, I'll add another ten thousand taels for you.
Xu Shaoqing became increasingly frantic, "I am my father's daughter, not my third uncle's. You gave me away for adoption without even asking. Why?"
Jiang squatted down to face her. "I did tell you that if you're not determined to marry Gu Ting, I won't interfere."
“Mother, that’s prejudice. Gu Ting is a good person. The first time I met him, he saved someone without expecting anything in return, which is enough to show that he is an upright and reasonable person.”
"In the first month of the lunar calendar, we stroll among the lanterns; on the Dragon Boat Festival, we exchange fragrant sachets. We've pledged our love to each other."
Jiang slapped her, but Gui Xiang had already gathered all the maids together before Jiang arrived.
"You two have already engaged in such private matters before the formal betrothal ceremony. If this gets out, it will ruin the reputation of my family."
Don't say that Gu Ting is the third son of the Marquis's family, but a mere illegitimate son.
Even if he is the legitimate son of the Prince's mansion, I won't let him off the hook. You'll see!
Seeing the anger in Jiang's eyes, Xu Shaoqing shrank back.
She knew her parents had always been dissatisfied with her actions, but she never imagined they would hate her to this extent.
She wasn't the only daughter in the Earl's household; if word got out, it would damage the reputations of her other sisters.
Xu Shaoqing shut up and remained silent.
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