Chapter 793: A White Jade Hairpin
Right now, Ning Shu pretty much didn’t need to do anything. An Lingyun handled managing the residence and she didn’t need to attend to An You. She was practically living the retired life ahead of time.
Ning Shu watched as An Lingyun and Mingzhu got into an argument because of a white jade hairpin. Mingzhu was used to using the skill of crying and weeping, then kneeling for every single little thing.
An Lingyun had been going around with Ning Shu to attend gatherings, so she gradually learned quite a lot. No matter what, Mingzhu was a senior in her family. If she allowed a senior to kneel to her, that meant she no longer wanted her reputation.
An Lingyun started to feel even more strongly that Mingzhu was very malicious, to use this method to ruin her reputation. So the moment Mingzhu knelt down, An Lingyun knelt down as well.
An Lingyun’s reaction made Mingzhu feel like she had swallowed a fly. She felt wronged and resentful. Why was An Lingyun treating her this way? She treated An Lingyun so well and gave her all her good things, so why was she still so greedy and insatiable?
The general’s residence had clearly used to be so warm. An Lingyun had been her friend as well, so why did things become like this? She had already explained that she just wasn’t able to restrain her feelings, that she wanted to become part of the general’s residence, so why was An Lingyun being like this?
Mingzhu felt that An Lingyun had betrayed their friendship.
Of course, in the end, An You had to mediate this conflict. An You naturally stood on the side of the one he loved and naturally gave the jade hairpin to Mingzhu.
An Lingyun was angry, very angry. This was her father, so why was he always on this woman’s side? Why!?
In this moment, An Lingyun was just like how Wei Lingxian used to be. She felt envy, hatred, discontent, and hurt. Her father didn’t even think about things before choosing Mingzhu’s side. He didn’t even ask about what happened. This bias made An Lingyun felt very hurt.
Ning Shu saw that An Lingyun was so angry that her entire body was trembling as she knelt on the ground, but An You was just hugging and consoling Mingzhu. She inwardly sighed, then walked over.
Ning Shu pulled An Lingyun off the ground. When An Lingyun turned around and saw her mother, the tears she had been holding back instantly overflowed.
Ning Shu looked at An You as she said, “Husband, the residence’s stores aren’t doing well, and after you were demoted, your salary decreased as well. The general’s residence is truly not doing well these days. Lingyun is now managing the household and so she’s always thinking about ways to cut down some expenses. An Lingyun was the one who bought this white jade hairpin for Mingzhu and she was thinking of asking for it back to sell it in order to support the residence’s expenditures.”
When An You saw his main wife, he was taken aback for a second. He felt like it had been a very long time since he had seen her. Most of the time, this woman didn’t even give off the slightest trace of presence and she also hadn’t said anything about the fact that he doted on Mingzhu.
An You felt a little uneasy. If the other party had made a ruckus wanting to stop him from being together with Mingzhu, he wouldn’t feel guilty at all. Now as he listened to her calmly state the facts, he actually felt ashamed.
An You took the white jade hairpin from Mingzhu’s hand and gave it to An Lingyun.
Mingzhu’s facial color instantly worsened. This wasn’t just about a hairpin. Right after Wei Lingxian spoke, An You changed his mind about giving the hairpin to her. This made Mingzhu feel very uncomfortable and she started feeling threatened.
An Lingyun held the white jade hairpin, as she looked towards Mingzhu, her eyes filled with ridicule.
Mingzhu immediately knelt down in front of Ning Shu. Ning Shu just looked at Mingzhu calmly and magnanimously accepted her kneel, because right now Mingzhu was nothing but a mistress. Did she really think that she was still Princess Mingzhu and that people would be terrified as soon as she kneeled?
“Madame, I was at fault. I never thought that the residence’s situation was like this. Tomorrow I’ll take out my private savings to help the residence,” said Mingzhu nobly.
Ning Shu smiled faintly. “Very good. It’s good that you think this way. After all, you are a member of the general’s residence.”
Mingzhu smiled through her tears as she knocked her head hard against the ground. “Many thanks for accepting me, Madame. Thank you.”
Ning Shu smiled with even more dignity.
Ning Shu pulled An Lingyun to her courtyard, then took out a hairpin from her accessories box to give to An Lingyun. An Lingyun hastily waved her hands to reject it. “I don’t want Mother’s hairpin. I was doing that on purpose. I wanted to take Mingzhu’s hairpin on purpose.”
Ning Shu pulled An Lingyun’s hand and said, “No matter what you do, you have to find a good reason for yourself beforehand and make sure that you’re on the advantageous side. This way, while making things hard for someone, you wouldn’t end up falling into a trap. Your father currently dotes greatly on Mingzhu, so naturally everything Mingzhu says is right. You’re a young lady, you shouldn’t interfere with your father’s harem. You should just let your father dote on whoever he wishes to.”
“But Mother, I can’t accept this.” An Lingyun stomped unhappily. “Right now, Mingzhu is the only one in Father’s eyes. Could it be that you don’t feel upset by this?”
Ning Shu looked at An Lingyun. “It’s important to stay calm no matter what you face. What benefits would meeting force with force like this bring? So what if you can vent the resentment in your heart? Your father will still be on Mingzhu’s side.”
“Don’t fight with Mingzhu anymore. She’s your father’s concubine while you’re of the younger generation. It’s not good for your reputation,” exhorted Ning Shu.