Controversy in the dark of 52

  Rumei sneered and seemed pleased with herself: "It wasn't exactly running away, just bursting out of the courtyard, rushing to kneel outside Father's study, and insisting on seeing Father. Father was annoyed by her and didn't even let her finish speaking before having someone drag her away. He also had the two old women guarding Lianyue House tied up and sold off. Now, we have two new mothers, Huang and Chen. One of them is a trusted person from my sister-in-law's side, and the other is from my mother's side. Although they may not be as capable as Mother or Sister-in-law, they are still indispensable right-hand women. However, if they were to get dragged into trouble again because of my second sister, I would feel sorry for them. That's why I can only occasionally remind them of a thing or two."

  The two mothers bowed down again and thanked them with tears of gratitude.

  Ru Mei loudly warned them a few more times, and suddenly there was a crisp sound of porcelain shattering on the floor from inside. Ru Mei then shouted towards the direction of the courtyard gate: "She's smashing things again! Second sister's temper is really big. Doesn't she know the principle of thriftiness? She's still being extravagant and wasteful, smashing cups today and tea bowls tomorrow. I'm afraid that if this continues, no matter how much silver we have, it won't be enough for her to smash. Two mothers, in my opinion, it's better to go collect the fragile items from second sister's room, lest this future princess smash them all with her big temper."

  "What's the use of being angry, Third Sister? Second Sister is marrying into the Wang family, and Father and Mother have already prepared a generous dowry. All the servants in Rong Yue House, as well as all its possessions, are part of Second Sister's dowry. It's up to her to decide what to do with them. What business is it of ours?"

  Rumei knew that Ruxiang had done such a thing under the eyelids of He and Lin, and she was also scolded by her own father. Moreover, rumors were circulating outside, and outsiders were spreading the word that Ruxiang's boldness was due to the indulgence of two elder sisters-in-law, and it was possible that they had instructed her. This made He and Lin so angry that they almost fainted, so they were really angry with Ruxiang.

  As for what happened here, I also vaguely understand the situation, but at this time, I also knew roughly and hated Ruoshan in my heart. This selfish ghost only cares about himself.

  It's been two years since they last met, and Li Shi, her stepmother, looked a bit older with more makeup on her face than before. However, she was in good spirits and seemed delighted to see Ru Qing, calling out "good child" repeatedly as she pulled him along. She asked about his time in Datong and also inquired about Zhi Yi and his wife, looking relieved. After giving some instructions, she let Ru Qing go rest.

  Out of the Li family's courtyard, Qingcai bid farewell to He Shi and rushed to his birth mother Zhu Niang's courtyard. This ancient rule is really not made by humans, one's own biological mother has to be seen last. The gift for his birth mother cannot even bypass his stepmother Li Shi. No wonder it would lead to many psychological abnormalities and power struggles.

  But with different backgrounds, the difference in status between heaven and earth is determined. People who are psychologically weak will definitely be suppressed into psychological abnormalities, and then stir up troubles that ruin families within the family.

  The courtyard of Zhu Niang's residence was still as it had been before, with no significant changes. The maids were quick and diligent in their work, and the tea table made of nanmu wood was arranged with seasonal fresh fruits. The tea water in the bean green "Dragon and Phoenix" official kiln porcelain cup was also fragrant and refreshing... Zhu Niang's material life was still quite good; Da Yatou, who served her, was very polite and attentive, while the other two maids were also diligent and hardworking. Zhu Niang's skin was still as white and tender as that of a twenty-year-old woman, with a quiet and elegant demeanor between her eyebrows. Her clothes were slightly simpler, with a light blue satin lotus patterned long shirt, a pale green embroidered smoke-green willow long skirt, and an outer jacket made of light blue satin with a pressed edge. Her hair was styled in a neat curved bun, with a silver pin holding it in place, and a flowing tassel hanging down beside her cheek. She wore golden lotus-patterned earrings and silver bangles on her wrists, which were intricately carved with floral patterns. Her entire outfit was simple yet elegant, clean and tidy, and she adhered to the rules of a concubine's dress code without any deviation. It was a sight that filled one's heart with both comfort and sorrow.

  A truly virtuous concubine is a rare thing in ancient times. If she wasn't out of favor, or timid and afraid to take action, it was because the family's rules were strict, the main wife was cruel and vicious, and there were no children under her knees, so she didn't dare take a step beyond what was allowed.

  But Zhu Yiniang had been favored for a long time and was born beautiful, Li Shi was also a mistress who often only brought half a bag of brains to handle things, although she was stingy but not vicious. Relying on Zhu Yiniang's ability to deeply please the master of the house, she could have taken a chance, but she had always been cautious and restrained herself. Her hairpins and jewelry never had any gold decorations, and the clothes she wore also avoided the bright red color that only the legitimate wife could wear. One couldn't help but admire Zhu Yiniang for being able to eat under Li Shi's roof for so long and remain humble and obedient, it wasn't something an ordinary person could do.

  "Mother," because she had not been raised by Zhu Yiniang for a long time, and also because Ruoqing had her own modern memories since birth, Ruoqing did not have that deep mother-daughter bond with this birth mother. However, over the years, Zhu Yiniang had indeed fulfilled her maternal responsibilities, often making clothes and delicious food for her, and secretly saving up a private dowry for Ruoqing's future marriage. Ruoqing was moved by this, and out of responsibility and gratitude, she also tried her best to protect Zhu Yiniang. Now, looking at Zhu Yiniang's attire and demeanor, it was still satisfactory to Ruoqing.

  "Mother, it's okay, don't cry, I'm back now, aren't I?" Gently patting Zhu Niang's shoulder, Ruo Xue felt a little guilty because they hadn't been together for so long that their mother-daughter relationship had faded a lot. But the flesh and blood relationship couldn't be erased, and Zhu Niang's maternal love was something she could feel too. Holding her mother tightly, Ruo Xue secretly vowed that no matter what happened in the future, she would definitely protect her mother wholeheartedly.

  Finally, as agreed with Aunt Zhu, she said a few more words of comfort and asked a few important questions in simple terms. "It seems that you are being taken care of fairly well."

  Aunt Zhu laughed with gratitude: "Indeed, thanks to the big madam, since she became the hostess, she has always been very good to me and never shortchanged me in anything."

  As can be guessed from the look of gratitude on Zhu Niang's face, Li Shi has been making things difficult for her over the years, but fortunately, Eldest Sister-in-law He Shi has always been secretly helping.

  She stayed at Aunt Zhu's for half a day and didn't return to her own courtyard until now.

  The Xieyi Residence is adjacent to the Songhe Institute of Old Lady, while the Anxi Residence of Zhu Niang is some distance from the Xieyi Residence, separated by two corridors and a north-south alley. As Ruoqing was about to enter the corridor, she suddenly saw the Xieyi Residence, but Linglong pulled her sleeve and whispered: "Miss, look, someone is secretly monitoring our Xieyi Residence!"

  Digression

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