He Ying was even quicker to speak: "Could it be that the Lady of Wei has drunk too much wine and forgotten things?"
"Our daughter has already divorced the Xu family. What does the Xu family's business have to do with our Su family?"
Han Xiufen dared not make things difficult for Su Wanwan, but she was not afraid of He Ying.
The pent-up anger was suddenly released:
"You little slut, what are you doing throwing a tantrum here?!"
"I'm talking to your daughter, what right do you have to interrupt?!"
He Ying was Su Wanwan's most trusted maid, and she had never been humiliated like this before. Her eyes immediately welled up with tears of anger.
Su Wanwan quickly took He Ying's hand and whispered comforting words:
Don't let irrelevant people upset you and ruin your health.
After saying that, she spoke to Han Xiufen in a detached tone:
"Lady of the Duke of Wei, it is not your place to insult the people of the Su family. Guards, show her out."
Han Xiufen stood up angrily: "Su Wanwan, you're going to make things difficult for your mother-in-law for the sake of a maid?! Don't you even know what filial piety is?!"
Su Wanwan looked at her, "Serving one's parents well is filial piety. Is the Duchess of Wei my biological parents? Or my benefactor who raised me?"
Han Xiufen snorted coldly and pointed at Su Wanwan.
"You've called me 'Mother' for three years since you married into the Xu family, but you can't fake it!"
“The Xu family is in trouble now and is struggling to make ends meet. How can you just ignore it?”
Su Wanwan took a deep breath. "In that case, Lady Wei, please go back and think carefully about what you really need."
"To avoid repeated arguing later, which would be exhausting and undignified."
A hint of smugness flashed in Han Xiufen's eyes.
Xu Chengbi still didn't understand the intricacies of the inner quarters.
For women, reputation is of paramount importance.
Su Wanwan escaped the disgrace of the last time, but her reputation is already being questioned.
If her former mother-in-law were to stand on the moral high ground again and accuse her of being unfilial, regardless of right or wrong, Su Wanwan would inevitably be tainted with shame.
What's wrong with letting her pay some money?
What use is so much money to a woman like her?
She won't lose anything by spending a little money to buy a good reputation.
Su Wanwan had someone politely see the Lady of Wei off.
The next day, fresh food and clothing were prepared and delivered to the gate of the Duke of Wei's mansion during the off-duty rush hour.
Granny Dong, who was delivering the goods, politely handed over several cartloads of items to the Duke of Wei's mansion, her voice booming.
"Although our young lady has already divorced from the Xu family, she still cherishes the kindness of being husband and wife for even a day and wants to do her part to show filial piety to the deceased young master."
"These five carts of grain, two carts of cloth and furs, five carts of charcoal, and several carts of charcoal stoves, vegetables, dried meat and vegetables, fresh meat and other things are enough for the Duke, Duchess and young master Bangrui to get through this winter."
"From now on, whenever our young ladies are able, they should send things to the Duke's mansion according to this practice, so that the Duke and Duchess will not suffer."
A dozen or so cartloads of goods were parked in front of the Duke of Wei's mansion, looking very imposing.
Moreover, these are all things that every household needs after winter begins.
It's something to be envious of and coveted.
Passersby nodded in approval upon hearing Granny Dong's words.
"This Miss Su is indeed worthy of being from a scholarly family. She suffered mistreatment from her mother-in-law before, but after the divorce, she still took care of her former mother-in-law for her deceased husband. She is truly kind and righteous to the core."
An elderly scholar with gray hair stroked his beard and shook his head:
"As Lao Tzu said, 'I also do good to those who are not good.' Miss Su is truly a magnanimous person."
His salary as a Hanlin scholar was meager, and he longed for someone to send him so many gifts so he could comfortably get through the winter.
Some hot-blooded young students of the Imperial Academy held opposing views:
"No, no. Confucius said, 'If you repay evil with kindness, how will you repay kindness? You should repay evil with justice and kindness with kindness.'"
In his view, Miss Su had suffered so much hardship and doubt in the Duke of Wei's mansion, and her dowry was almost swallowed up by the Xu family. Now she was "repaying evil with kindness," which was really weak.
Kind people are often bullied, and good horses are often ridden.
Old Mrs. Dong said quite frankly, "My daughter said she can eat and use as much as she wants by herself."
“Her dowry was provided by the palace back then. Now that she has divorced and returned to the Su family, keeping the dowry in her possession is useless.”
"Why not donate it all so that the soldiers who are defending the country on the frontier can have enough to eat and wear, and also to comfort the soul of the deceased Prince Peng'an?"
These words drew cheers and applause from the crowd.
The elderly scholar, his hair now gray, was deeply moved:
"Since the court changed the 'paying grain to pay taxes' to 'paying taxes in exchange for silver' in the sixth year of the Honghua reign, the border troops have become increasingly poor, the number of refugees has increased, and there are many people who are not getting enough to eat."
"Miss Su's generosity in giving up her wealth for the country is truly admirable and a model for us men!"
Another scholar, dressed in a green official robe, spoke with great passion:
"In recent years, the border troops' provisions and pay have almost bankrupted the Ministry of Revenue. When the late emperor passed away, the Imperial Treasury was empty."
"The 1.8 million taels of silver used for the funeral were all allocated from the Imperial Treasury."
"Last year, the Emperor's wedding led to the misappropriation of 400,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Treasury, resulting in insufficient military pay for the nine border regions and a demoralized army."
"If this continues, I'm afraid that if the Northern Tatars attack, there will be no one to defend our borders!"
A student in a blue long gown echoed:
"The laws and regulations of the imperial court are flawed. Relying solely on individual donations is not a long-term solution. We should address the root cause of the problem!"
Scholars love to discuss current affairs, and the area in front of the Duke of Wei's mansion has almost become a debate arena.
Granny Dong, who knew nothing about politics, simply stood aside and watched them argue with a smile, occasionally glancing towards the gate of the Duke of Wei's mansion.
When Han Xiufen heard the commotion outside, she was so angry that she almost couldn't catch her breath.
The attending nanny quickly advised, "Madam, don't worry. Miss Su is very filial. The things she sent are enough for you, the Duke, and young master Bangrui to eat and use until next spring."
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