Zhou was so angry that she trembled all over, glaring at Jiang Mingwei with gritted teeth.
"You wretch! I'm disciplining you as your mother-in-law, and you dare to stop me? Let go of me right now!"
"Yes, I will follow Mother's teachings."
Jiang Mingwei spoke languidly, each word distinct, before pushing her hand back.
Zhou staggered backward and nearly fell down the steps!
Jiang Mingwei quickly covered her mouth again, pretending to cover it: "Oh my god, is Mother alright? Your daughter-in-law is so strong, she almost pushed Mother to the ground. I am so sorry!"
"You...you poisonous woman!" Zhou's eyes widened, she was furious.
Jiang Mingwei has always been submissive in front of her, never before has she been so sharp-tongued!
Sure enough, now that she had her dowry, she felt more confident and shouldn't have returned it to her in the first place.
"My daughter-in-law just said that this is in front of the mansion gate. Are you sure you want to continue cursing, Mother?"
Jiang Mingwei was not afraid. She turned to the side so that Zhou would look at the gate behind her.
Because of the argument between the two, a crowd of onlookers had gathered in front of the Wei residence, craning their necks to look inside.
Who wouldn't enjoy watching the squabbles between wealthy and powerful families when they have nothing else to do?
Zhou was a sharp-tongued and opportunistic person, but he was extremely protective of his reputation.
Upon seeing this, he immediately shut up.
She glared at Jiang Mingwei with resentment and said in a low voice, "This is not the place to talk. Come back with me!"
“If Mother has anything to say, please say it here. Your daughter-in-law is about to go out.”
Jiang Mingwei's main selling point is "read but not listened to".
Madam Zhou was so angry that she glared at him, "How dare you say that? How can a cabinet lady have the nerve to go out and show her face in public? Especially a widow who has just lost her husband, you are really shameless! Hurry up and go back, you're making a fool of yourself!"
Jiang Mingwei let out a long "oh," and when she looked at Zhou Shi, her expression was knowing, with an ambiguous smile on her lips.
"So widows aren't supposed to go out, but I remember my mother-in-law going out almost every day when she was in charge of my dowry?"
“But my father-in-law is long gone. If my mother-in-law shows herself in public like this, won’t she also bring shame to the Wei family?”
Her sophistry infuriated Zhou, who turned bright red and gasped for breath, on the verge of fainting from shortness of breath!
"You...you're utterly unreasonable!"
"It's just putting myself in her shoes, so why does my mother-in-law only criticize me and not reflect on her own actions?"
Jiang Mingwei rolled her eyes.
Pah! What a hypocrite!
She's a modern person, a chosen one who fought her way out of a million soldiers. If she can't cure this old hag today, she's not a real woman!
Zhou's lips trembled. This Jiang Mingwei was far too arrogant these days!
If she isn’t taught a lesson today, this daughter-in-law might rise above her in the future. Ignoring the crowd still watching outside, she immediately ordered the servants and guards.
"What are you waiting for? Seize this shameless woman right now! Today I'm going to teach her what it means to be self-disciplined and respectful!"
The servants, who were originally Zhou's men, were eager to try when they heard this and prepared to step forward, but a reprimand reached their ears.
"Let's see who dares."
Everyone turned around and saw Wei Jing, dressed in a gray-blue robe, walking hurriedly. He stood ramrod straight, looking at the two men who were about to draw their swords.
"What is Mother doing?"
Zhou glared at him: "You have no right to speak here."
“As a member of the Wei family, and with my father and brothers deceased at a young age, I am fit to be the head of the family. If Mother is unwilling, she can report to the Emperor and have me stripped of my power to manage the household!”
Zhou was taken aback, and then said "good" three times in a row.
"You've really grown some guts these days! How come, now that the entire Wei family is so powerful, everyone can ride roughshod over me? Do you even respect me as your elder anymore?!"
Wei Jing frowned, his attitude official: "Our dynasty values reason. If there is no reason or law to support it, even if Mother is an elder, she cannot do anything excessive."
Zhou snorted coldly and pointed to Jiang Mingwei behind Wei Jing.
"She's a woman confined to the inner quarters, yet she dares to show her face in public and attract attention! Your elder brother's body is barely cold, and this woman is already so dissolute. What can I do if I discipline her?"
"Does Mother know why I am leaving the manor?"
Jiang Mingwei sighed, and seeing that the person who was there to support her had arrived, she pretended to sigh and wail softly.
"In truth, it's all for my husband's sake! I pretended to check the accounts, but in reality, I was going to ask my brother if he had any news about Wang Dajia, because I was afraid that someone else would beat me to it."
"Giving someone a handle to use against you is not a respectable thing to begin with. Does Mother really want me to explain myself clearly?"
Zhou was speechless, not expecting Jiang Mingwei to suddenly pull this stunt.
So it was all for his beloved grandson, and he really wasn't going out to check the accounts?
When Zhou heard that Jiang Mingwei was going to check the accounts, she really panicked.
If they really investigate, wouldn't all her actions over the years be exposed?
That's why they're desperately trying to stop us here.
Little did they know that Jiang Mingwei was using the pretense of a fake account to actually arrange a tutor for her grandson.
So, it seems she misunderstood Jiang Mingwei?
Now that these words have been spoken and the people have heard them, who knows what they will say about the Wei family!
Zhou was both angry and frustrated. She lowered her voice and gritted her teeth, saying, "So you were going to find a teacher for Heng'er? Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Jiang Mingwei blinked and spread her hands: "My mother came up and was about to hit me, but you didn't even ask!"
"Sigh, I knew my mother didn't like me, but she shouldn't have humiliated me like this. Since my mother doesn't need me, then I might as well not find a daughter-in-law!"
After saying that, she ran out of the Wei residence, sobbing.
Hua Cui was stunned for a moment, then quickly called out and chased after them. The two of them disappeared together at the gate of the mansion.
The people clearly saw Jiang Mingwei's pitiful appearance, filled with grievances and tears.
Zhou could make things difficult for her, but she couldn't silence the gossip.
When everyone looked at her, their faces were full of disgust, and they pointed and whispered. She was instantly dumbfounded.
How come, after all this talk, it's all turned out to be her fault?
Now even his grandson's tutor has given up!
Wei Jing's gaze was deep, his hands were behind his back, and his tone was extremely displeased.
"Mother went too far today!"
Zhou hesitated, unable to utter a single word of explanation for a long time…
As soon as she left the Wei family, Jiang Mingwei immediately stopped crying, put down her sleeves, and without a single tear on her face, she swaggered around looking at the novel trinkets on the street.
Hua Cui caught up breathlessly and was about to speak to comfort her when she saw Jiang Mingwei playing happily with a rattle drum, showing no sign of heartbreak whatsoever.
"Miss, you didn't cry? Were you just pretending to be sad?"
Jiang Mingwei pouted, "That's right, your young lady's acting skills are pretty good, aren't they?"
Hua Cui nodded blankly, but quickly asked with concern, "Then Miss... are we really going to find Master Wang and become that child's teacher?"
Jiang Mingwei gave a soft snort.
"Why should I? This whole family is ugly, but they think they can have it all! Who is Wang Dajia? Does she think she can just invite people like that?"
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