Why aren't you speaking?
Liu Yulian felt she had nothing to say. It was impossible for her to help Mrs. Mei make a decision. She was not Su Qiuya. She could not solve Mrs. Mei's problems, nor could she keep an eye on her. She did not need to please Mrs. Mei.
In the original novel, Su Qiuya does so much because Madam Mei is Liu Yanbo's biological sister, and because she's a bit cynical. As the daughter of the original wife, Su Qiuya is prone to speculation. After marrying Liu Yanbo, she finds herself empathizing with the perspectives of Concubine Qing, the concubine, and the illegitimate children.
In short, Su Qiuya would think from whatever angle was beneficial to her. Su Qiuya liked a good reputation more than she liked others talking about her. Now that she had arrived in the capital, of course she had to resolve the matter of Mrs. Mei.
Liu Yulian is not Su Qiuya, so of course she would not bother with those things.
"What can I say?" Liu Yulian asked, "I'm not your slave."
"What are you talking about? I am your sister!" Mrs. Mei Ershao emphasized.
"What sister? When disaster strikes, have you never thought about seeing your sister's sister?" Liu Yulian had a bad impression of Mrs. Mei Ershao. She could accept that these people did not help them much, but she could not accept that after their situation improved, these people came to ask for benefits.
There is no such good thing in the world. It is impossible for Liu Yulian to give any benefits to Mrs. Mei Ershao.
"you……"
Before Mrs. Mei could finish her words, Mrs. Qin interrupted her. "Well, if you want to stay here, shut up."
Madam Qin thought Madam Mei had no sense of shame. She was always thinking about herself, and how could anyone else possibly care about her? Madam Qin didn't think her younger sister was wrong; it wasn't because of them that she became a first-rank official.
“…” Mrs. Mei Ershao was dissatisfied, but in order to avoid being kicked out, she could only speak less.
Meanwhile, Second Young Master Mei was naturally criticized by Marquis Jingning. Marquis Jingning was no fool; there was no way he would allow the Mei family to bully Second Young Master Mei's wife. Marquis Jingning had no intention of severing his ties with Second Young Master Mei's wife. She was a foreign-married woman, so that was different.
If Madam Mei Ershao no longer had the support of the Marquis' Mansion, her life would be even more difficult.
Mother Liu had long anticipated Marquis Jingning's attitude, which was why she hadn't said much about Madam Mei. People are like that; they always have reasons to say someone is innocent, just to get people to continue supporting them.
Before Madam Mei Er Shao had completely angered Marquis Jingning, Mother Liu would not have been so ruthless. It was only because Madam Mei Er Shao had not gone to see them off initially and had not shown much concern for them afterwards that Mother Liu was able to make a fuss about it.
Father Liu knew this, of course, but he blamed the Mei family more. Men and women think differently. Father Liu didn't think much of what was wrong with Mrs. Mei, and he believed that married women were bound to face difficulties with their in-laws. Perhaps the Mei family didn't want Mrs. Mei to do those things.
But Liu's mother knew that if a woman really wanted to care about her parents' home, she would have various ways to do it.
"Yes, yes, yes, you are right." The Second Young Master Mei did not dare to refute Father Liu. When Father Liu criticized the Second Young Master Mei, the Second Young Master Mei could only nod.
When it was time to eat, everyone sat together.
Madam Mei Ershao thought that since Marquis Jingning was there, she could say a few words.
"Father, why did you break off the relationship with my second brother?" Mrs. Mei asked. "My second brother has always been very well-behaved..."
"Do you want to break off the engagement?" Marquis Jingning's face turned cold.
It would be a lie to say that Marquis Jingning had no dissatisfaction with Madam Mei Ershao. Yet, when they were having dinner together, Madam Mei Ershao mentioned Liu Yanbo in front of Marquis Jingning.
Liu Yanbo talked about dividing the family when the eldest wife was in the most difficult time, and he also spoke ill of the eldest wife outside. Marquis Jingning felt that he could not afford to have such a son.
"Father, what are you talking about?" Madam Mei was frightened by Marquis Jingning's words. She had never thought of severing ties with her family. "I just wonder if there's some misunderstanding here. I can't just...let Mother say whatever she wants."
"Is this how you respect your legal mother?" Marquis Jingning was clearly dissatisfied with Madam Mei, the Second Young Master. Mother Liu was Marquis Jingning's first wife, and she had endured hardships alongside him. The other concubines were eager to flee, so how could Marquis Jingning allow Madam Mei to continue saying those words? "When you're full, go back."
Marquis Jingning didn't care whether the second young master Mei's wife and his wife had eaten enough, and he just drove them away.
"Just ate..." Mrs. Mei thought that she had just picked up the dishes and had not had time to eat yet, so why did he say that.
No matter how reluctant Mrs. Mei Ershao was to go home, she was still asked to leave the Jingning Marquis Mansion.
The Second Young Master Mei had already been criticized by Marquis Jingning, so how could he dare to say anything bad about the Second Young Master Mei's wife? The Second Young Master Mei's wife and Marquis Jingning were father and daughter, and Marquis Jingning had not severed the relationship with the Second Young Master Mei's wife, so the Second Young Master Mei's wife was still the daughter of the Marquis.
"What are you looking at?" Mrs. Mei was very dissatisfied. The couple just stood at the door, even leaving the gifts they gave aside. "Let's go, let's go. Father will regret it sooner or later."
"It's already like this..." Second Young Master Mei really didn't think there was anything good about it.
"So what? Father didn't disown me. He must be angry. He's angry that we didn't care about them more and that we didn't go to see them off in the first place." Mrs. Mei thought that this was not a big deal and that it would be fine after a while.
Mrs. Mei had upset Marquis Jingning before, but nothing happened after a while. She still believed that, thinking that nothing would happen to her.
"You don't want to get that bitch back from the farm just because father and the others are angry, do you?" Madam Mei Ershao stared at Master Mei Ershao.
"No, don't say anything." The Second Young Master Mei looked around. He had just been scolded by Marquis Jingning. "We are outside. Don't say anything more, or you will embarrass yourself."
"How is it embarrassing?" Mrs. Mei Ershao didn't think she was embarrassing herself. "If you haven't done anything wrong, why are you afraid of what others say?"
"No." Second Young Master Mei was worried that someone from Jingning Marquis' Mansion would come out again. "Let's go back first."
"You're just a coward." Madam Mei Er Shao thought her husband was completely useless. "You didn't even know how to say more just now. My younger sister is already a first-rank official, how can you be worse than her?"
"..." Second Young Master Mei was irritated. He didn't want to compete with Liu Yulian at all. Princess Rongning liked to study things, but they didn't. Second Young Master Mei even thought that the things Princess Rongning studied were just some unorthodox things.
Can Princess Rongning continue her research for the rest of her life?
The second young master Mei didn't quite believe it. Princess Rongning would get married in the future. Could he continue his research after she got married?
He Xiyuan is the second son of the Duke's Mansion. Second Young Master Mei does not think that He Xiyuan can tolerate Princess Rongning forever.
At Duke Chengguo's Mansion, He Xiyuan was having dinner with the old lady.
"Aren't you happy to accompany an old woman like me?" the old lady said deliberately.
"No." He Xiyuan didn't dare to be unhappy. "I haven't spent much time with you in a long time. I should spend more time with you."
"I don't believe you guys are like that." The old lady said with a smile, "Do you want to go find your sister Lian?"
"Grandma." He Xiyuan was a little embarrassed. He really wanted to go. "Their family is reuniting, and my eldest brother won't let me stay any longer, so I came back with him and his wife."
It’s not that He Xiyuan doesn’t want to stay, but unfortunately he and Liu Yulian haven’t gotten married yet, so it’s not convenient for him to stay.
After returning home, He Xiyuan still missed Liu Yulian a little.
"You should study hard," the old lady said, "but you should also pay attention. You have to read books, but you also have to understand some of the things that happen in the imperial court."
"What?" He Xiyuan looked at the old lady. He thought he had misheard.
"They say behind every successful man there's a virtuous wife, and the same goes for this woman," the old lady said. "You also have to learn to be tolerant and not be jealous. You have to understand her. Rongning is at the research institute. I heard research isn't easy, and some people work so hard they forget to eat and sleep. If she forgets you for a moment, you can't forget her."
The old lady had asked someone to find out a long time ago. She knew that people who study things sometimes forget themselves when they are working. The old lady must make her grandson understand this and not wait until they go their separate ways. That would not be a marriage.
Don't think you can still be friends after divorce, that's impossible.
For someone like Liu Yulian, there is no need for her to tolerate her man's concubines. She can simply choose to divorce.
The old lady thought about the female officials in the past. If they were capable, how many of them would like their husbands to have concubines? Some capable women chose to live out their lives alone, at most adopting children, and many people called them "sir" and "everyone".
The old lady thought she wasn't a petty person. She was a bit snobbish, but that didn't mean she didn't understand those things. She did understand them, but her grandson and others might not understand.
"Do you think your grandson is stupid?" He Xiyuan chuckled, "I understand everything."
He Xiyuan didn't feel unhappy. These people were also thinking about him. There was indeed some difference between him and Sister Lian. "No one in the world likes women who are too powerful. My grandson doesn't think Sister Lian is that bad. She is very good."
Anyway, he couldn't be like those people. He couldn't think that Sister Lian was too powerful. He thought Sister Lian was good. People like Sister Lian deserved the best.
"It's good that you don't have three wives and four concubines." The old lady said, "It's rare to find a true friend in this world."
The old lady didn't have much affection for the deceased old duke. The old duke had other concubines, so how could the old lady like him much? The old lady was just being a good wife, not letting the old duke find any evidence against her, and not letting the concubines attack her.
"Some people, when they feel empty and lonely, like to look for gentle and affectionate women." The old lady said, "Oh, that's just cheap."
“…” He Xiyuan thought that he had no intention of doing that.
He Xiyuan felt that he was not as favored as before. The old lady's attitude towards him had changed, and he was no longer the old lady's little darling.
"When you have a child in the future, it will definitely be a wonderful child," the old lady said. "That would be wonderful."
"Yes." He Xiyuan nodded, he thought so too.
At the Mei family, Mrs. Mei Ershao quarreled with Mr. Mei Ershao again after returning to the Mei family. Mr. Mei Ershao was already very angry when he was criticized at the Jingning Marquis Mansion. Now that he was home, he still had to endure Mrs. Mei Ershao's evil voice.
However, before the two of them could argue for long, Second Young Master Mei was dragged away.
The second young master Mei was very troubled because his wife was always so unreasonable.
"Why are you arguing with her?" Mrs. Mei asked her son to sit down.
"Her brother Liu Yanbo has severed ties with Marquis Jingning." The second young master Mei was a little annoyed. He didn't know what to do. His wife was a burden, and Mrs. Mei could not bring him much benefit at all.
"Has the Marquis's Mansion severed ties with her?" asked Madam Mei.
"No." said the second young master Mei.
"That's right. She's a married woman, and her crimes shouldn't be compared to those of a married woman," Madam Mei said. "No matter how cold and hostile the Marquis's residence is to her, she's still a member of the Marquis's residence, and they won't let her be bullied."
Madam Mei understood this. No matter what the relationship between Madam Mei and the Marquis' Mansion was, they couldn't treat Madam Mei badly. Even if they treated Madam Mei coldly, they couldn't do it too badly.
"Her sister is the director of the research institute, which is a higher position than your father's." Mrs. Mei knew that her husband had always been unhappy because he had never been able to transfer to another position.
Mei Hanlin himself has no real power. If he is not transferred to another official position, it will be difficult for him to make a living in the future.
Madam Mei couldn't let her husband stop her in his tracks, and she couldn't let her son offend the Marquis of Jingning. They still had to be more careful, lest those in the Marquis of Jingning take action against the Mei family if they got upset.
"Yes." Young Master Mei felt aggrieved when he heard this.
"Think about how you can benefit from this," Mrs. Mei said. "The research institute has just been established, so they should be short of staff."
To be admitted to the academy, one does not need to pass the imperial examination or even be a student. This way, many people who cannot read have a chance.
Mrs. Mei also hopes that her son can have a chance, even if it is just to be a small official in the research institute and get promoted in the future.
"..." It's not that the Second Young Master Mei didn't want to, but he had no choice. He couldn't force the people in the Jingning Marquis Mansion to arrange it for him.
"Don't argue all the time. Be more at ease." Mrs. Mei said.
In the northwest capital, Liu Yanbo went to another academy, which was not as good as the one he had applied to. This did not mean that the teachers were not good enough. Those teachers were naturally good enough. Otherwise, they would not be able to be teachers in the capital.
The teachers in that academy were basically Juren, and some were Jinshi.
"Take these things to the academy and share them with them." Su Qiuya made a lot of snacks for Liu Yanbo, intending to let Liu Yanbo take the cakes to the academy and share them with others, so that he could build good relationships with others.
Although they are just some snacks, snacks do have their own functions.
"No need to bring so much." Liu Yanbo said.
"There should be quite a few people taking classes in one room, probably dozens of them," Su Qiuya said. "Even if you don't distribute them to everyone, you still need some for the front and back tables, so it's better to bring more."
Su Qiuya hopes that Liu Yanbo can study with peace of mind, and also hopes that Liu Yanbo can get along well with those scholars.
"Are you still taking the exam for the scholar degree this year?" Su Qiuya asked. "If you don't want to, you can take it in the spring or autumn next year. There's no need to rush. As long as you have the title of scholar degree, you can take it anytime."
Su Qiuya's requirements are not high. She just wants Liu Yanbo to pass the imperial examination. If Liu Yanbo fails, then what will Liu Yanbo do?
The work in the shop was not easy, and Aunt Qing always asked Liu Yanbo to do less work in the shop. Su Qiuya also did not want Liu Yanbo to do more work in the shop, and hoped that Liu Yanbo could teach in the future.
As a teacher, he can teach many students, and as long as those students have some promise, Liu Yanbo's life will be easy.
"Let's wait and see," Liu Yanbo said. "We're in the capital, so we can take the exam anytime. The court doesn't stipulate how many times we can take the exam, so we can take it every time. If we fail, we can continue next time."
Liu Yanbo had already let things go. He knew how poor his skills were. If he could pass the exam to become a scholar, it would be a blessing from heaven. He didn't think about anything else, not even the Juren exam, and he didn't think he was still young enough to continue taking exams.
The main reason is that he is not talented in that area. No matter how hard he tries, he may not succeed. If he fails, it will be a sad thing.
"Okay." Su Qiuya thought it was best that Liu Yanbo thought so.
Recently, Aunt Qing has become increasingly dissatisfied with Su Qiuya. She believes that Su Qiuya is trying to sow discord between her and Liu Yanbo. Su Qiuya disagrees with her as a mother-in-law, and she dares to refute her.
This made Qing Yi Niang very dissatisfied. Even though Su Qiuya was very good at making money, Qing Yi Niang felt that Su Qiuya was a woman full of the smell of money. How could such a woman full of the smell of money be worthy of her son? Her son should be matched with someone better.
If their family didn't need money right now, Aunt Qing really wanted Liu Yanbo to divorce Su Qiuya. But Aunt Qing knew that her son and Su Qiuya had a good relationship, so it wasn't easy for Aunt Qing to separate her son and Su Qiuya.
"Everything is going well at home recently. Let's buy a maid who is more skillful so that she can serve you." Aunt Qing said this deliberately in front of Su Qiuya. She just wanted to buy a young and beautiful maid and let that maid be with Liu Yanbo.
"There's nothing wrong with the daughter-in-law, but mother needs someone to take care of her. How about this, let's buy a maid." Su Qiuya is not stupid. She certainly knows what Aunt Qing is planning. What's the point of having a maid with nimble hands and feet? Aunt Qing just wants to make things difficult for her.
Su Qiuya thought she had been wrong before. Concubine Qing was not an easy mother-in-law to get along with. She just wanted to control everything and make everyone obey her. Su Qiuya didn't listen to Concubine Qing's words and even exposed her true colors. How could Concubine Qing like her?
"You were used to being served by others. You have been really wronged during this period." Su Qiuya said this deliberately. It was impossible to buy a maid for the time being. It would be better to buy a mother-in-law first.
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