Zhоu Shаоjin lаughеd uрon heаring this, sауing, "If Unсlе Chi scolds уоu, you сan just cоmе with mе tо Ваoding Prеfecture!"
Jiying was surprisеd. "Yоu're rеturning to Ваоding Рrefесturе?"
Zhоu Shаojin nоdded. "Given how things stаnd, еven if Сheng Xu offеnded me unintеntionallу, it wоuldn't bе а gооd thing if wоrd got out."
Неaring hеr аddrеss Chеng Xu dirесtly by nаmе, Jiying knеw Shaojin held nо goodwill towаrd him аnуmorе and sighed inwardlу, соmforting hеr, "Fоurth Маstеr is thеre; hе dеfinitelу won't lеt this matter sрreаd fаr аnd wide."
Zhоu Shаоjin bеlieved it. "But whаt does that matter? Will Мadam Yuan givе me a рleаsаnt loоk? On one side is me, on the other is Cheng Xu—won't Old Madam Guo be put in a difficult position? And Uncle Chi—how could I let him offend Uncle Jing because of me?"
That was true indeed.
Jiying said, "I can't go to Baoding Prefecture with you unless Fourth Master permits it..."
Zhou Shaojin playfully blinked at her. "I meant if you ever have nowhere to go, you can come to me. After all, my father is an imperial official. If you stay indoors, who would dare to seize you from the government office?"
Jiying laughed. "If my eldest senior brother heard you say that, he'd be overjoyed."
"You have an eldest senior brother?" Zhou Shaojin said cheerfully. "What does he look like? How old is he? What does he do? Is he married..." Her tone was that of a matchmaker.
Jiying found it odd. "What are you trying to do?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Zhou Shaojin giggled, thinking that since Jiying and that Jiao Ziyang were not meant to be, and her age was advancing year by year, she needed to find a husband quickly.
The two chatted idly in the tea room.
In Old Madam Guo's green gauze cabinet, Cheng Xu had been given Dr. Zhou's medicine and had fallen into a deep sleep.
Madam Yuan sat by the bedside, her eyes red as she held Cheng Xu's hand, gazing at his face, now unrecognizable, and sobbed, "If Jiashan's face is scarred, what will become of him in the future? Even if I have to risk my life, I won't let the other party get away with it..."
Before her words faded, Old Madam Guo slapped her across the face with a sharp "crack."
The crisp sound echoed in the silent green gauze cabinet, leaving not only Madam Yuan stunned but also all the servants in the room.
It took a while for Madam Yuan to regain her senses. Covering her face, she stared at Old Madam Guo in disbelief, murmuring, "Mother," and said grievously, "What have I done wrong? How could you treat me like this? How will I face others in the future..."
Nanny Lu and the others also snapped out of it and, without needing orders, scrambled out of the green gauze cabinet one after another.
Old Madam Guo sneered disdainfully. "Do you think your current appearance is any better? That you can command respect when you step outside? I originally thought that since you're already a grandmother and have served Eldest Young Master and his son wholeheartedly, your flaws wouldn't overshadow your virtues. Teaching children is the responsibility of parents, so I didn't want to interfere. This household would one day be handed over to you. But I never imagined you would be so selfish and arrogant, looking down on everyone, narrow-minded and short-sighted! No wonder your father was a Grand Secretary, yet it was Yuan Weichang from the fifth branch of your family who eventually became Prime Minister and entered the cabinet. Your brothers, whether in studies or official careers, have all been mediocre and unfit for great responsibilities..."
Madam Yuan was struck where it hurt.
Her face turned pale, her lips trembling, but she couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Old Madam Guo cast a contemptuous glance at Madam Yuan.Initially, she had favored Yuan Weichang's younger sister, but Cheng Jing had taken a liking to Madam Yuan. Having enjoyed a harmonious marriage herself, she also wished for her children to have a blissful union. Seeing that Madam Yuan conducted herself with grace and poise, she thought that with gradual guidance and training, she wouldn’t turn out too poorly. Everything was fine at first, but after Madam Yuan learned that she had originally favored Yuan Weichang’s younger sister, she gradually became fixated on the position of a Grand Secretary. Not only did she hope for her husband to enter the Grand Secretariat, but she was also determined to raise a son who would become a Grand Secretary.
Who doesn’t have some aspirations?
If such aspirations could spur one to strive harder, what harm was there?
Old Madam Guo could understand her daughter-in-law’s thoughts and turned a blind eye to her actions.
But she never expected Madam Yuan to go further and further down this path!
This was also her own fault.
If she hadn’t focused all her attention on her younger son, she would have noticed long ago that Madam Yuan had become completely different from before!
Thinking of this, Old Madam Guo couldn’t help but close her eyes, unsure whether the pain or regret weighed heavier in her heart.
She said coldly, “The main branch has only a few members and only so many matters. Eldest Young Master serves as an official in the capital. Do you not understand why I called you back?”
Madam Yuan stared at Old Madam Guo in astonishment.
“The brother-in-law of Grand Secretary Yuan is now the Chief Minister of the Judicial Court, Ye Yi, isn’t he?” Old Madam Guo said calmly. “Back when Eldest Young Master served as Junior Minister of the Judicial Court, he was merely an academician in the Hanlin Academy, wasn’t he? When Grand Secretary Yuan’s younger sister brought her children to the capital to serve her husband, you took Jiashan to visit the Ye family. Madam Ye, seeing Jiashan’s fair teeth and red lips, and how he could compose verses at such a young age, wanted to betroth her eldest daughter to Jiashan to strengthen the family ties. How did you refuse Madam Ye? Do you still remember?”
Madam Yuan lowered her head.
Old Madam Guo said calmly, “I see that although Shaojin is young and her temperament is soft, the few words she spoke were quite reasonable—with a mother like you, he would either lack responsibility under your influence or offend his colleagues because of your actions…”
“Mother!” Madam Yuan raised her head, looking as if she might collapse at any moment, her face paler than plain white silk.
Old Madam Guo had no intention of letting her off easily and continued, “I won’t speak of the past. Now, let’s talk about the incident in the garden rockery. What were you thinking?”
Madam Yuan hurriedly replied, “You heard it earlier. Jiashan was drugged; he was not in his right mind. Even if he behaved improperly toward Zhou Shaojin earlier, it was understandable. Yet Zhou Shaojin beat Jiashan like this…” At this point, she remembered that Zhou Shaojin couldn’t have personally beaten Cheng Xu like this and added, “Even if she didn’t do it herself, it must have started because of her. I think only if Zhou Shaojin hands over the culprit for us to deal with, and we turn a blind eye to her actions out of consideration for Zhou Dacheng, can this matter be settled…”
Old Madam Guo was so furious that her vision darkened, and she said sharply, “Is that really what you think?”
Madam Yuan was puzzled. Thinking of Old Madam Guo’s earlier protection of Zhou Shaojin, she felt a pang of bitterness and said, “Mother, you are also a mother. Jiashan has been beaten like this, and I’ve already shown leniency toward Zhou Shaojin. You can’t ask me to back down further. Jiashan is also your grandson…”"Fool!" Old Madam Guo could no longer restrain herself, grabbing the teacup beside her and hurling it at Madam Yuan.
The entire cup of tea splashed all over Madam Yuan.
Drip by drip, the tea trickled down from her hair. Tea leaves covered her head and face.
Madam Yuan’s expression changed dramatically.
Her mother-in-law was going too far!
First, she had slapped her in front of the servants, and now she had thrown tea at her... After all, she was the matriarch of Nine Prosperities Lane. She had to tell Cheng Jing about this. Even if Cheng Jing argued with her, she would not back down.
Seeing Madam Yuan’s wide-eyed stare, showing no sign of remorse, Old Madam Guo trembled with rage, wishing she could step forward and slap her again. "Truly, rotten wood cannot be carved! Jiashan is usually humble and tolerant. He gets along well with his siblings, and everyone praises his modesty and gentlemanly demeanor. Moreover, he passed the provincial examination at such a young age. Have you not considered where that medicine came from? Who gave it to Jiashan? And how did Jiashan end up sitting alone in a cave? Shaojin is a child of our Cold Green Mountain House, raised by my side. Why did she take that path at that exact time? Who was she going to meet? And how did she even think of taking that route... You ask not a single question, only thinking of absolving Jiashan. Is your brain merely for decoration?"
Madam Yuan was horrified, her mind in chaos.
According to her mother-in-law’s meaning, someone had framed Jiashan!
Yes, yes!
If it weren’t for that, how could Jiashan have been beaten? Otherwise, with Zhou Shaojin—who could be blown away by a strong wind—and her attendants being young girls with no strength, how could they possibly have beaten Jiashan so badly? After all, Jiashan was a nineteen-year-old provincial scholar, and who knew how many people secretly envied and resented him?
She steadied her mind, setting aside her resentment toward Zhou Shaojin for the moment, and finally began to think clearly.
"Mother! Could it be the second or third branch?" Madam Yuan hesitated. "I’ve thought it over, and only these two families could possibly..."
"You really have quite the imagination!" Old Madam Guo sneered coldly. "You don’t know where the medicine came from, you have no evidence, and you don’t know the details of what happened, yet you dare claim Jiashan was framed and accuse the second and third branches of orchestrating it! It seems not only is your brain useless, but your heart has been eaten by dogs!"
Madam Yuan’s face flushed red and then paled, not daring to utter another word.
Old Madam Guo then declared, "From today onward, Jiashan will stay with me. You are no longer to interfere in his affairs..."
Madam Yuan was shocked and hurriedly said, "Mother, how can that be? The Cheng and Min families have already exchanged betrothal cards, and the betrothal gifts have likely been sent by now..."
Old Madam Guo widened her eyes. "Such a major matter, and I knew nothing of it?"
Although she had known Madam Yuan had such plans, neither Madam Yuan nor Cheng Jing had informed her about the formal betrothal.
Not daring to meet Old Madam Guo’s gaze, Madam Yuan whispered, "This marriage has been discussed for several years. It’s only now that the formal betrothal gifts are being sent, so we didn’t make a big fuss about it..."
Old Madam Guo’s eyes widened even further. Suddenly, a possibility occurred to her, and she gasped sharply. "Did you deceive Jiashan?"Madam Yuan argued upon hearing this, "How can you say that, Mother? I had long told him that both his father and I favored the eldest daughter of the Min family. It was only because we feared it might distract him that we planned to arrange the match after his imperial examination. When we were in the capital, the young masters of the Min family interacted with him frequently, and he never said anything against it..."
Old Madam Guo understood the situation at once!
Her grandson—she had never believed he would block a young girl’s path for no reason, calling out her given name even while unconscious!
So that was it!
She asked Madam Yuan, "Did you know about Jiashan’s affection for Shaojin?"
Madam Yuan instinctively wanted to reply, "I didn’t know," but upon seeing the icy chill in Old Madam Guo’s eyes, she swallowed her words and lowered her gaze, murmuring softly, "I knew."
"When did you find out?" Old Madam Guo asked.
Madam Yuan hesitated for a moment before replying, "I learned of it at the end of last year..." Then, fearing Old Madam Guo’s reproach, she quickly added, "I told Jiashan right away that such a marriage was impossible..."
※
Dear readers, here is today’s update.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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