Chapter 375 Cao Guaner
Old Wang's crackling words were evident, her skills clearly as strong as ever. She expressed considerable satisfaction with her ability to maintain such consistent performance even without her eldest granddaughter's daily training.
But old Mrs. Hu, who was stunned by the scolding, almost exploded with anger after she realized what was happening.
"You ignorant bitch, how dare you humiliate me like this? My son is the Duke of Qinghe, bestowed by the late emperor, and I am the old lady of the Duke of Qinghe's mansion..."
"Shh! Keep a low profile, keep a low profile!"
Old Wang seemed to be in great trouble as she tried to persuade him forcefully.
"Who isn't an old lady in a duke's mansion? Not only is my son a duke, but my granddaughter is also the queen! Do you see me showing off everywhere?
No wow!
Tsk, why doesn't your daughter-in-law stay home and teach you a lesson? Instead, she lets you run out like this, causing trouble for the children for no reason?
You're already old, aren't you? You're really bringing shame to us old ladies! Why can't you learn from me? How can I be so gentle and kind?
Right, big girl, uh, right, daughter-in-law?"
The old lady, who had originally defeated her opponent, habitually wanted to show off her achievements to her eldest granddaughter, but she was careless in public and her lips were slurred. She quickly turned her head to look at her daughter-in-law, while trying hard to pull the slur back in her mouth.
Xu beside her nodded in approval.
"Indeed, mother-in-law, you are truly a gentle and kind elder, a loving ancestor that is hard to find in the world. I, your daughter-in-law, must have accumulated a great deal of virtue in my previous life to have such a good mother-in-law like you. I am truly blessed!"
As mentioned before, the mistress of the Duke's Mansion has already reached the pinnacle of language skills and can easily come up with coaxing words.
Old Mrs. Wang, who had originally felt that she had said something wrong and was feeling guilty and wanted to keep quiet, was immediately straightened up by her daughter-in-law's praise.
Since my daughter-in-law says I’m right, then I must be right!
Seeing the old woman from the Jiang family showing off, Old Mrs. Hu was so angry that she wanted to curse, but she was stopped by the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qing who was holding her arm tightly.
Cao Guan'er shook her head at her grandmother in a very subtle way, and then after the scene quieted down, she walked calmly to the row of cushions, knelt down, and kowtowed in a very polite manner.
"Your servant, Cao Wan'er, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qinghe, pays homage to the Empress and wishes her a thousand years of longevity."
The pronunciation is clear and the voice is crisp and pleasant.
This girl's every word, action and gesture are all cultivated in accordance with the most standard way of a lady from a noble family. She is gentle and responsible, and people can't help but like her just by looking at her.
Jiang Wan looked at the goose yellow figure kneeling in front of him. There was clearly provocation in the other party's eyes, but he had to pretend to be well-behaved and polite.
Haha, interesting.
Her eyes moved slightly, but she still spoke with a smile.
"Get up. Hongzhu, give the eldest daughter of the Cao family a bigger red envelope."
"Thank you, Queen, for the reward!"
Cao Wan'er first kowtowed to express her gratitude, then stood up, took the red envelope and put it back into her sleeve very politely, and finally raised her pretty little face and bowed to the head.
"Your Majesty, my grandmother is old and not in good health. It's all because my home is far away that we were delayed on the road for a while.
Grandmother was so worried about missing the auspicious time to visit the Empress that she was extremely anxious the entire way. Just now, I was so anxious that I lost my composure. Please forgive me, Empress!"
She was very well-behaved and rushed to the Duke's Mansion, bowed deeply, and knelt down to make a deep bow.
"Please forgive me, Duke of Lingguo!
Considering my father's military service with the late emperor, and considering my grandmother's status as a direct descendant of the late emperor, I beg the Duke of Lingguo to be magnanimous and not to bother with such a destitute family as us.
Thank you very much.”
His attitude was humble, his tone sincere, but the hidden meaning in his words was deeply moving. Old Mrs. Hu, who had just acted so arrogantly as if she were an elder, suddenly softened her tone.
"I'm so confused that I've forgotten that when people leave, the tea gets cold.
Now it’s no longer my nephew who is the emperor, but the son-in-law of the Jiang family who is on the throne!
Alas, the old woman is really confused! "
She took two trembling steps forward, as if she were about to bow and apologize. This caused the expressions of many of the ladies present to change slightly.
The Jiang family had a powerful queen, and they were already so arrogant? They were actually able to force the late emperor's maternal family to publicly admit their mistakes to them? What kind of bullying was this?
"I, an old woman, apologize to you. Your Jiang family is powerful now, and you have a smart and capable queen. We are a small family and can't afford to offend them, so we can only hide. I apologize to you..."
Lady Xu, wife of Duke Lingguo, reacted very quickly. The moment the old lady of the Duke of Qinghe raised her hand to bow, she stood up and stepped forward, grabbing her arm, smiling in a familiar and friendly manner.
"Aunt Hu, this little girl is just being naive and willful and complaining a few times. As adults, we should just laugh it off and pretend we didn't hear anything. Who can afford to bother with an unmarried little girl?"
How could you, old man, still take Wan'er's angry words seriously? Isn't this making my nephew-in-law, who is just a sidekick, so ashamed that I have no place to stand?
Even if it is just for the sake of my husband's sworn brotherhood with the late emperor, and because the late queen once took me in calling you aunt.
Even if you are angry with me, Madam Cao, you should at least give the late Emperor and Empress some respect during this festive occasion, right?"
Every word she said took all the blame on herself, not wanting the Queen to be tainted in the slightest. There were quite a few people present who were sharp-eyed and could tell from just a few words that the Duke of Qinghe's visitor had ill intentions.
The Prime Minister's wife, Yuan, secretly pinched the handkerchief in her hand, weighed the pros and cons in her mind for just five breaths. Seeing that the Queen was still smiling and calm, she stood up decisively.
"Oh, Madam Cao, why didn't Madam Cao come to the palace today? Is she sick again?
This is very strange to me. Madam Cao seems to be in good health, so why does she fall ill every other day?
Sister Xu, why don't we ask a good doctor to go to the Qinghe Mansion someday to see how the Qinghe Duke's wife is doing? "
She didn't even glance at Cao Wan'er, who was bowing on the ground. It was too low for her, a dignified first-rank imperial consort, to fight with a little girl. She just helped Xu Ruoyu and squeezed the old woman of the Cao family.
However, Lady Shen, the wife of the Marquis of Xining, and Lady Zhu, the wife of the Marquis of Zhongyong, stood up one after another.
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