Butler Zhao soon got the news. He came back and reported:
"Second Madam's sister-in-law has been coming here quite frequently recently. Every time she comes, Second Madam closes the door with her, sends the servants away, and talks to her for a long time.
I can’t find out what they talked about for now. I will pay more attention to it in the future.”
Wang Caiwei sat down and spoke coldly, "Try to find out what they said, and check if there have been any changes in her family recently. Also, find out more about the young master's situation in the academy."
Butler Zhao hesitated: "Should we tell the master about this?"
"No, my father is still recovering from his illness. Don't tell him until the matter is clear. Once we find out the whole story, we can discuss with him how to deal with it."
Butler Zhao quickly agreed.
He sighed in his heart: The Second Madam was too impatient. She had such a good hand that she ruined it. In the future, the Master and the Eldest Miss might no longer be able to treat the Second House without reservation.
......
The next morning, at daybreak, the front of the Qiao residence became bustling again.
I don’t know who leaked the news that students from Qingyang Academy will be able to come directly before His Majesty in the future, which means they have a bright future.
I also heard that Qiao Xin would only stay for one day this time, and some of the students for Qingyang Academy had already been selected, including many children of officials.
In that case, the starting point of this new school was too high, and everyone came here with the mentality of believing it was true rather than not. If the news was not true, they could just arrange for the illegitimate children of the clan to enter, so as not to make things too embarrassing for both parties.
A piece of news from an unknown source caused a turmoil in the capital.
There are a dozen large sedan chairs, twenty or thirty small sedan chairs, plus other vehicles, at least a hundred in total, parked on the avenue in front of the Qiao Mansion today.
The guests whispered to each other: "Are we here too suddenly, too early? Isn't it rude to come here so rashly?"
A noble who knew Qiao Xin's style of doing things said firmly: "Do you think that Madam Qiao stays in the backyard all day like us? If she hadn't come to ask for an audience early, maybe she is not in the capital again. She is really a busy person. Even when His Majesty summons her, he has to see if she is in the capital."
"It's just a rural academy. It hasn't officially started yet. Is it necessary for everyone to be so anxious?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the woman who was speaking had a look of arrogance and disdain on her face.
"Whose daughter-in-law are you? What do you mean by saying this? Are you really trying to make things difficult for us?
I don't like it. Why are you here? The place where your Majesty studied when he was young, the holy place where several great scholars taught, is actually the remote place you mentioned?"
The young lady immediately realized that she had said the wrong thing and her face turned red. The elders in the family immediately stepped forward and smoothed over the matter in a friendly manner.
When everyone saw that it was Prince Consort Zhou's daughter-in-law, they stopped pursuing the matter. But she was still a few steps away from them.
The older lady looked embarrassed and glared at her younger daughter-in-law: "If you can't speak, just shut up. No one thinks you are dumb! If Zhuo'er makes any mistakes at school, I will tear your skin off!"
The young noblewoman looked aggrieved, but she dared not refute. She had been married to the Zhou family in Beijing for so many years, but her mother-in-law still disliked her because she was the daughter of a merchant. She had always been critical of her since the moment she got married. If it weren't for the generous dowry she brought, she would have probably instigated her husband to dislike her.
When there is a conflict between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, there will naturally be people watching the show.
"Why did the Zhou family come here? Ever since the eldest princess passed away, haven't they been keeping a low profile and not asking about worldly affairs?"
"Who knows? I haven't seen your majesty and the King of Qi treat Prince Zhou differently in these years. I heard that your majesty and the princess were very close before he became emperor. It shouldn't be the case that you treat her in-laws like this, right?"
"Who knows? Hurry up and shut up. We can't discuss the affairs of the heavenly family casually. Be careful not to speak out of turn. Look, the door is open!"
The bustling scene suddenly became quiet for a moment.
Everyone's eyes were on the open door of the Qiao Mansion, waiting for news.
Housekeeper Yu came out with a few servants, bowed to everyone, and apologized repeatedly: "I'm sorry, everyone, my old lady had an urgent matter yesterday and left the capital overnight. The general has returned to the camp. Only the second wife and the young master are at home. I really can't entertain everyone. I hope you can forgive me.
However, the old lady had instructed before she left that all the adults who came to visit should leave their visiting cards. If it is for the schooling of their children, you don't have to worry.
Anyone who has left a visiting card, please go to Defu Building on the 7th of next month to participate in the unified interview assessment. "
Inside the Qiao residence, Zhang stood in the corridor, nervously holding a handkerchief and pacing back and forth.
"Bai Liu, Madam Shi, do you think those people will hold a grudge against our family for not following the rules?"
Madam Shi said softly, "No, madam, the host is not at home, and it is common for wealthy families to close the door and refuse visitors.
We didn't do this on purpose, so don't worry too much. The old lady and the masters are not here, and if a woman like you step out, it will be counterproductive.
What's more, they are asking for help, and they should behave in a begging manner. If they are not willing to wait for such a short time, then there is no need to continue the discussion."
Zhang thought about it and realized that it was true, but she was also a little worried about Qiao Xin. It was the first time that someone left in the middle of the night without any reason. She must have been in big trouble.
“Madam, don’t worry, you know the old lady’s strength.
They didn't tell us because they were afraid that we wouldn't be able to help and might even cause more trouble. It would be better for them to take good care of the family and let the old lady and the gentlemen have nothing to worry about."
Zhang hesitated for a moment and then let it go, "That's right, I won't cause them any trouble."
If she can't figure it out, she can just stop thinking about it and write to her husband, and he will tell her.
Bai Liu and Nanny Shi looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. Could it be that the Second Madam was a simpleton with good fortune?
Qiao Xin's elusive behavior was once again noticed by many wealthy aristocrats.
"She is just a country woman, it's really hard to see her. She just took on a small job, but she really thinks she is a piece of cake."
Prince Consort Zhou's mother was furious when she saw her family being humiliated time and again.
They had sent invitations to the Qiao family at least twice, but the host had never seen them. How could they not be angry? Who knew how their sworn enemies in Beijing were laughing at them behind their backs!
Prince Consort Zhou rubbed his forehead and patiently comforted his mother.
"Don't be angry, mother. The Qiao family really didn't do this on purpose. Old Madam Qiao is really not in the house. I heard from others that they left the city last night.
Besides, there are many wealthy families among the people who went there today, but they all failed to get in, right? "
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