Ch 99: Yaoyu Pavilion Shares the Burden
Yuan Xueyue said, “Good, they have already been settled. All that’s left is…”
Just as she finished speaking, a commotion arose outside the door!
Guo Lianglian rushed in, ignoring the maids’ attempts to stop her, and immediately threw herself into Old Madam Nian’s arms.
“Mother!”
“Look at your good daughter-in-law!”
“She didn’t arrange for any clothes or accessories for me! The clothes I have for this year are all from the ones you had arranged for me before!”
“Am I supposed to wear old clothes for the New Year?”
After a barrage of accusations, Guo Lianglian glared fiercely at Yuan Xueyue and pointed at her, saying,
“Tell me, are you trying to oppose me?”
Yuan Xueyue smiled faintly, “Sister-in-law, what makes you say that?”
Just as they were about to talk about Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrived. [TN: A Chinese idiom equivalent to “speak of the devil.”]
With indiscriminate accusations, the Guo family’s older sister was still acting so absurdly.
Faced with Guo Lianglian’s appearance, Old Madam Nian’s face was dull and speechless. After listening, she didn’t rush to scold Yuan Xueyue first. Instead, she reached out and pulled Guo Lianglian’s pointing hand down.
“Don’t point at the House Master of the residence. You need to learn some manners.” Old Madam Nian’s tone was slightly cold.
Unfortunately, Guo Lianglian didn’t listen. As long as it wasn’t about Xing Ge’er, no matter how much she threw a tantrum, her mother would always be on her side!
Guo Lianglian said, “I don’t care! With her acting like this, she shouldn’t be in charge of the family’s silver!”
“I heard that the two courtyards of the concubines are furnished with clothes of this material! Only her courtyard and yours, Mother, are furnished with the best!”
“She’s differentiating like this…” between people.
Before she could finish, Old Madam Nian roared, “Enough!”
Guo Lianglian was stunned. Her words were suddenly interrupted, and her eyes showed some confusion.
“Mother…?”
Old Madam Nian said, “This is what I asked her to arrange! What’s your problem?”
Guo Lianglian, “…”
Old Madam Nian, “What are concubines? They’re just women who serve my son, the General!”
“Could it be that their status is more important than my daughter-in-law, the House Master?”
“If this gets out, won’t it be a laughingstock?”
“A wife should have the dignity of a wife. It’s not wrong for her to have the best of everything.”
Old Madam Nian scolded Guo Lianglian repeatedly, making Guo Lianglian’s face flush red, and she dared not refute.
Mama Cui, who was standing nearby, also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved for Madam.
Only Yuan Xueyue’s face remained as calm as water, without any ripples!
Previously, Yuan Xueyue had taken charge of these tasks, and no matter what problems arose, Old Madam Nian would always nitpick and find fault!
And now, Guo Lianglian’s words were what Old Madam Nian had said to scold Yuan Xueyue in the previous life!
Now that Guo Lianglian said it, did Old Madam Nian also realize it was disgraceful?
If Yuan Xueyue hadn’t been so careful to report everything to Old Madam Nian, and Old Madam Nian knew the ins and outs of the matter and had also lent a hand, perhaps Old Madam Nian wouldn’t have spoken up for Yuan Xueyue like this!
Guo Lianglian’s words against Yuan Xueyue were undoubtedly a slap in Old Madam Nian’s face!
It turned out that Old Madam Nian did know some etiquette and rules,
but she just disliked Yuan Xueyue for managing too much and not respecting her, the Mother-in-Law, right?
Yuan Xueyue mocked herself inwardly.
Breaking the deadlock was so simple!
She had originally thought that Old Madam Nian had always disliked her!
Guo Lianglian, being scolded, felt humiliated and extremely wronged. In a fit of anger, she ran out again!
Old Madam Nian was silent, “…”
This daughter was too troublesome!
Old Madam Nian looked at Yuan Xueyue, only to see a faint smile on her face, abiding by her duty and fulfilling her role as a daughter-in-law.
More or less, she also knew to care about her, the Mother-in-Law’s, position.
◈◈◈
“You find a maid to go to her courtyard and take her measurements. Have a few sets of clothes and jewelry made for her as well,” Old Madam Nian said, rubbing her forehead wearily.
She really didn’t want to worry about these things anymore.
Yuan Xueyue bowed, “Yes, your daughter-in-law will do it well.”
Even if she knew that Old Madam Nian hadn’t done this, Yuan Xueyue still wouldn’t easily point out Old Madam Nian’s mistakes.
At worst, she would handle it a little later, and if things went wrong, she would admit her mistake and accept the punishment.
In the previous life, Yuan Xueyue was too worried about being punished, so she had to take charge of everything herself!
In this life, Yuan Xueyue deliberately left some openings for Old Madam Nian to make decisions, and Old Madam Nian was afraid that her daughter-in-law wouldn’t do a good job!
Old Madam Nian was even more afraid that Yuan Xueyue would wash her hands of the matter and leave her to handle everything herself!
As long as Yuan Xueyue didn’t care, Old Madam Nian was the one who cared!
Yuan Xueyue got up, left Zhongsi Hall, and led Cuiping straight to Yaoyu Pavilion!
She relayed Old Madam Nian’s instructions!
Yuan Xueyue sighed softly,
“The three of you will each have to share forty taels. Do you have any objections?”
In every way, it seemed that Yuan Xueyue had nothing to do with it. The decision came from Zhongsi Hall, and no one doubted it!
At the same time, it also elevated Old Madam Nian!
Ju Niuer listened, her face filled with anger, and she secretly glared fiercely at Jiang Tingting, who was kneeling beside her!
It was all this slut’s fault!
Ju Niuer said, “Is there no other way?”
Yuan Xueyue shook her head, “There is no other way. The New Year is approaching, and there is no rush to investigate these matters. Mother-in-Law said, moreover, all these issues came from your Yaoyu Pavilion. If you haven’t agreed on whose fault it is, then you all have to bear the responsibility!”
Ju Niuer gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and looked at Jiang Tingting.
“Slut! Where did you hide the forty taels?”
Jiang Tingting said innocently, “Concubine didn’t! Madam, please see clearly! Concubine really just looked over it and thought that Concubine Ju wanted Concubine to prepare fifteen pieces!”
Ju Niuer was shocked, “You damn slut! You’re still lying!”
With that, Ju Niuer stepped forward and was about to grapple with Jiang Tingting!
They had the maids forcibly separate them, but Ju Niuer was still full of resentment!
Yuan Xueyue said calmly,
“Zhongsi Hall said that harmony brings wealth. If you can’t get along peacefully in Yaoyu Pavilion, then you will all be like Concubine Yan in Yanling Courtyard, confined to your own rooms at all times!”
At these words, Ju Niuer had no choice but to swallow her anger and not vent in front of Madam for the time being!
When everyone left, she would see how she would deal with this woman, Jiang Tingting!
Jiang Tingting trembled slightly, not expecting that Ju Niuer, despite being pregnant, was still so strong and capable of knocking her down at any moment!
If it weren’t for the maids nearby who forcibly pulled them apart, Jiang Tingting would be no match for Ju Niuer at all!
Moreover, Ju Niuer was only three months pregnant, and her slightly showing body didn’t affect her movements at all!
Such a fierce concubine…
After giving the instructions, Yuan Xueyue breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.
Things were going more smoothly, and she had saved herself a lot of trouble and the thought of taking the blame!
Cuiping, seeing Madam walking in front of her, said,
“Madam, your complexion has been looking better these past two days.”
Cuiping almost thought that Madam was really going to be unwell when the Prince was welcomed into the residence that day!
Who would have thought that as soon as the Prince left, Madam would handle things so efficiently!
Yuan Xueyue smiled,
“Really? In that case, go and check with Mama Rong the gifts that have come from the Prince’s Residence these past two days, and see what’s there.”
Cuiping happily bowed, “Yes, your servant will go now!”
The winds of change are shifting. This year is a late year, with the New Year just after the beginning of spring. Next year will be a year without spring, a depressing year, a widow’s year.
Widow?