Chapter 229 The Hatred Went Deeper!
According to Madame Tao’s order, she asked Su He to return to her room to tell Xin Fubing what the Madame said, while she led other people holding the rewards into the yard of Sheng Shishui.
At this time, Madame Tao Junior was already inquiring after Sheng Shishui’s health. Seeing her, she smiled and said, “The servants went to your yard to announce the good news just now, but you were not there. Did you hear the good news from the grandmother?” Then she glanced at the servants who were holding the gifts, feeling surprised, “You prepared the gifts in such a short time? I’ve thought I was fast enough!”
“Of course not.” Qiu Yelan grinned and looked at Sheng Shishui who was forced to lie on the bed, “It was grandma who did that. I went for her just now, and then I helped her take the gifts here!”
“Oh! I see.” Madame Tao Junior took a tumble.
At this time, Sheng Shishui thanked Qiu Yelan for her help and asked people to take over the gifts.
“It’s okay. It’s not a far walk. And even if I didn’t bring the gifts here for grandmother, I have to come to visit you as well.” Qiu Yelan asked curiously, “How many months are you pregnant?”
Madame Tao Junior couldn’t help laughing out when she heard her childish question, “You see that she is just the same as usual. Naturally, she hasn’t been pregnant for long.”
Sheng Shishui blushed, and then smiled, “Less than two months. My period is irregular, and this time…”
Before she could finish her words, her face became even redder, so she just stopped talking.
When Qiu Yelan was about to tease her, someone came to report, “Madame Shi, Madame Zhang, and Madame He are coming.”
“Invite them in!” Sheng Shishui hurriedly said, getting up to welcome them.
Madame Tao Junior held her quickly, “Be careful!” Looking at Madame Tao Junior’s cautious expression, Qiu Yelan couldn’t help smiling.
After going out, Madame Tao Junior asked Sheng Shishui to walk slowly.
So, they didn’t walk out of Chuihua door after a long time, and Madame Shi and others came in first.
Seeing Sheng Shishui surrounded by others just like a moon that was surrounded by stars, they said in surprise, “Why you come out in person? Go in and sit down!”
Then a group of people surrounded Sheng Shishui to enter the room again. After the guests and the host were seated, the sisters-in-law asked her about her situation with concern naturally. Both Madame Shi and Madame Zhang had children, so they passed on their wisdom to her as they had been there before. The concubines from the first branch and the sixth branch also came over when they were talking.
However, in the first branch, only Madame Dou Junior and Madame Zhuang Junior came here.
They both said the same thing about Madame Miao, “She has a cold these days. She is afraid of infecting you, so she doesn’t dare come then. But she let us bring her gifts here.”
Of course, nobody believed what they said. Anyway, everyone here knew the real situation. Jiang Yadan was persuaded to leave the first branch that day, then he went straight to the Miao Family to “seek justice” for his wife, and then the Miao Family suffered. The objects that Jiang Yadan smashed during the attack and the compensation fee that they sold half of their property to collect didn’t matter much. What really mattered was that after Jiang Yadan made such a mess, everyone knew that the Miao Family had an arrogant daughter who slapped her sister-in-law for no reason, especially the one who was beaten by her was the daughter of the famous Tao Family of the dynasty and was universally acknowledged as virtuous and gentle by the court and the public!
Even if Jiang Yadan had a bad reputation, Madame Tao Junior had a great one. This time his blackmail didn’t leave him cursed but made him more impressed. For example, Empress Jiang said openly, “I used to think that Jiang Yadan was thoughtless, but now he seems to know that husband and wife are no longer two, but one.”
The future of the Miao Family was foreseeable then since the Empress said so.
Therefore, the Miao Family was so angry that if it hadn’t been for Madame Dou’s persuading, they would have driven Madame Miao out of their family!
Till then, Madame Miao had shown herself and her family up rather badly, so she was ashamed to come out! Marquess Qin had ordered Qiu Yelan and Jiang Yashuang to hold a banquet to apologize to her before, but she refused. The good news of this day was about the fourth branch, and she knew that Madame Tao Junior who was beaten by her, and Qiu Yelan who beat her would definitely be there. If she had come over as well, how embarrassed she would have been!
“Qiu Yelan.” While the women were surrounding Sheng Shishui and chatting with her, Mi Yinyin suddenly walked to Qiu Yelan, pulled her sleeves, and asked her in the corner, “Is Cousin Xin at your place?”
“Yes. What’s the matter?” Qiu Yelan looked at her complicated expression, guessing what she meant by asking such a question.
Mi Yinyin bit her lip with her teeth and asked again after a while, “Did you comfort her? What did she say?”
“I just received the good news of Sheng Shishui, and I haven’t figured out how to talk with her when I go back.” Although Qiu Yelan was not as close to Mi Yinyin as to Xin Fubing before, she had no grudge against Mi Yinyin, but she knew that Jiang Yalan had an unrequited crush on Xin Fubing before. Xin Fubing’s situation was pitiful at this time, while Mi Yinyin still asked about it deliberately. She felt a little annoying, so she deliberately asked, “Well, do you want to comfort her with me together?”
Mi Yinyin noticed her displeasure, and she pursed her lips, “No. It’s just when I came over, my mom heard that Cousin Xin was with you, so she let me ask you about that. After all, her parents are not in Jing City now. We are also very worried about her.”
“Ou Qinglan has been following her closely these days.” Qiu Yelan heard her insincere words and answered indifferently.
Feeling her displeasure, Mi Yinyin frowned. She thought for a while, and then said in a low voice, “Do you think we are against her? You’ve wronged us. It’s not from the higher-up…”
“You think too much. I didn’t think anything.” Qiu Yelan interrupted her unceremoniously, “As for the higher-up you said, I am not very clear as well. You can talk with Cousin Xin about it in person. You don’t have to talk about it with me!”
“What are you talking about here?” He Shuijin came over and laughed when the atmosphere was awkward, “Why don’t you tell me what you are whispering?”
“We said that you were stingy. Here is an azalea pot, but why we don’t have one in our houses?” Qiu Yelan joked nonchalantly.
He Shuijin followed her eyes, and there was indeed a pot of vigorous azalea. She couldn’t help laughing, “You really wrong me! That is the dowry of Sheng Shishui. It’s not from our family!”
She then scolded Qiu Yelan with a smile, “If it were really distributed by our family, would I not give you one? It’s just a flower pot!”
“Just kidding! My dear sister. You love me so much, so how can you forget me when you have something great?” Qiu Yelan begged for mercy smilingly.
When they were talking and laughing, Mi Yinyin walked away.
Seeing this, He Shuijin said in a low voice, “Did she come over to ask about Cousin Xin?”
“Yeah, what else could she ask about?” Qiu Yelan did not hide her displeasure, “Cousin Xin never had a thing for Jiang Yalan from beginning to end. Why does she watch out for Cousin Xin all the time as if she is a thief? She doesn’t care how sad Cousin Xin is at this time, and she just hopes that Cousin Xin can get married as soon as possible so that she can get relieved… By the way, Cousin Xin has consented to the marriage. Just now she asked me to see the grandmother, and I forgot to send someone to tell you that.”
“Really? That’s great! But,” He Shuijin shook her head and whispered softly, “Mi Yinyin came to you to ask about that not just because of Cousin Xin. Except for the sisters-in-law who got married a long time ago, only you don’t feel stressed now. After all, you have only been here for a month. But Mi Yinyin and I, we are so stressed!”
Qiu Yelan was confused. Seeing that He Shuijin was looking at Sheng Shishui in the crowd, she was enlightened suddenly. After thinking for a while, she said what Madame Tao said before, “Whether people will have children is destined. They will come if they are doomed to come.”
“You’re right, but you know as daughters-in-law, we have to have children!” He Shuijin sighed, “Those who have got boys or girls are more confident when they talk to the elders! Mi Yinyin, Sheng Shishui and I got married almost at the same time. Sheng Shishui is pregnant now, but Mi Yinyin and I…”
Qiu Yelan finally understood why Madame Tao comforted her just now when she was just slightly surprised. Being a daughter-in-law at this time had so much pressure to bear children.
Even He Shuijin, who started managing the accounts without marrying into the Jiang Family, felt depressed out of Sheng Shishui’s pregnancy.
“It’s okay for others to say this, but you?” Qiu Yelan intended to relax the atmosphere, so she smiled deliberately, “Aren’t you dignified enough before the elders?”
He Shuijin smiled ostensibly, “All of our elders are kind enough and think highly of us.” While she smiled bitterly in her heart, “If I were really so dignified, how would I have schemed against you as soon as you got married and tried to please grandmother and the Empress secretly?”
Madame He had been picking on her more and more frequently lately in private, and she had mentioned the children a few times as well, which broke her heart mostly.
He Shuijin knew the reason actually. She had been busy arranging the wedding for Jiang Yashuang and Qiu Yelan since the beginning of the year, so she neglected Jiang Yaheng at that time. Thus, Jiang Yaheng kept a mistress outside, which she naturally couldn’t tolerate. However, she still followed the rules. She told Madame He about that first, asking her to handle that.
Madame He was very angry at first. She called Jiang Yaheng over and scolded him badly, ordering him to immediately break off the contact with the mistress and apologize to He Shuijin.
While Jiang Yaheng followed her words so obediently because he really loved He Shuijin. He kept the mistress just because he was used to playing the field with his elder brothers since he was young and he couldn’t change the habit for a while. What was more, he had always been a little bit afraid of He Shuijin, so after that happened, he felt guilty when facing his wife. Thus, he became so meek and subservient in front of He Shuijin.
He Shuijin was comforted after her husband did so, but Madame He couldn’t bear that. She had said, “Jiang Yaheng is so spineless in front of He Shuijin. He must have suffered a lot from her in private! He is an honorable young master of the Jiang Family, but he is so afraid of his wife! He really disgraces me! I know He Shuijin is smart, but how can she use all her wisdom at controlling her husband?”
When He Shuijin heard these words, she was so furious, “At the beginning, you couldn’t manage the accounts and then you went back and cried for that. I gave you advice then to help you get out of trouble. After that, you let me marry your son since you thought I was capable. And then, I started working so hard for your Jiang Family! Being a niece or a daughter-in-law, I’ve never been sorry to you!”
Damn aunt! The mother-in-law who had no relationship with the daughter-in-law wouldn’t be so difficult to serve like her!
Therefore, He Shuijin had decisively formulated a countermeasure. That was to act a double part! Anyway, Madame He had to rely on her to manage the Jiang Family, so she wouldn’t punish her severely unless she made big mistakes! In private, she tried to please Madame Tao and her daughter, as well as the fourth branch. She intended to replace her aunt and truly be the master of the family!
After all, she had to manage the accounts of the Mansion of Marquess Qin, so she couldn’t leave Jing City. Therefore, she couldn’t persuade her husband to leave here to avoid the conflicts between her and her mother-in-law.
“So, I can only try to get more power as soon as possible to overwhelm my aunt!” He Shuijin lowered her eyes to conceal the sharp light in them. Not until this day, did she hear the news from someone close to Madame He that she was very dissatisfied with her sending the “resentment of a beautiful soul” to Madame Tao, and she even planned to let Jiang Yalan marry two beautiful concubines as a warning for her.
“As a stepmother, my grandma seldom interfered with the matters of the third branch and the fourth branch. No matter how hard I try to please her, I can’t expect her to interfere with my aunt’s attitude towards me.” He Shuijin narrowed her eyes and looked at Qiu Yelan calmly, “While Qiu Yelan is different. The fourth uncle has a special status in the family, and Jiang Yashuang, her husband, is greatly cherished by grandpa. If I can make her stand by me and use her properly, she can solve a lot of problems for me according to her speaking for Cousin Xin just now, even if I can’t rely on her to influence Jiang Yashuang, the fourth uncle and grandpa.”
Thinking of this, she became more and more determined to win over Qiu Yelan, “Since my aunt is unkind to me, I won’t follow her words anymore! You want me to work hard for you, while you also want your son to listen to you and be surrounded by concubines to warn me! How can there be such a good thing in this world?! Your incompetence in managing the accounts means that you are a good-for-nothing. You’re just jealous of me!”