A Beautiful Duchess with a Dark Heart – Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Wen Yu’s worries were unnecessary.

When she returned home again, Madam Qi had someone send over some things, including throat lozenges…

Wen Yu looked at them, both amused and exasperated.

Wu Shi had been waiting for Wen Yu to return, wanting to settle the score for her leaving the house that morning, but Old Madam Wen stopped her. She scolded her, “There are still many things to do before we go to the capital. Stop staring at her all day! She’s going to the Qi family, in the future, your son may have to rely on her for one or two things.”

Wu Shi was indignant. She thought about it over and over again and always felt that there must be something going on, so she called someone to secretly investigate.

✿✿✿

Wen Yu was worried about Liu Lanzhou, so she went to visit him again the next day.

She found that Liu Lanzhou had already woken up, dressed neatly, with medicine applied to the wounds on his face. He was sitting at the table, staring intently at the two little turtles on the table.

“What’s going on?” she asked Yan Zhu.

Yan Zhu said happily, “Early this morning, Fifth Master Song personally brought them over. He heard from someone that this could distract Lanzhou and help him stop thinking about those unhappy things. Besides, turtles live a long time and are easy to take care of. They’ll never leave Lanzhou, unlike rabbits, cats, or dogs. Don’t you think Fifth Master is so thoughtful!”

“…Yes, he’s smart and puts a lot of thought into things!” Wen Yu said softly, feeling particularly sentimental. She couldn’t be by his side in this life, so she might as well find a way to help him avoid repeating his past mistakes!

Yan Zhu continued chattering, “Lanzhou saw the turtles as soon as he woke up, and he actually stopped making a fuss! Isn’t that amazing?! The medicine is already boiled, but Master Qing said to wait and see how he is before giving it to him. I talked to Lanzhou for a long time, and he seems okay. The little turtle crawled to the edge of the table and fell off. I told him that the turtle would hurt itself if it fell. After a while, I peeked… When the turtle climbed to the edge of the table again, he actually knew to move it back.”

“That’s good! I really didn’t expect things to be resolved like this! “Feed them well, but don’t overfeed them.”

“Steward Li has someone who knows how to raise turtles coming to teach Lanzhou! And he’ll have Li Tan and Du Juan learn too. Lanzhou is also willing to eat and drink now.”

“Good, make him something easy to digest, not too oily.”

“Mmhmm…”

✿✿✿

Finally, the marriage process between the Wen and Qi families was completed.

Madam Qi and Old Madam Wen met at a small restaurant owned by the Song family.

Old Madam Wen clearly wanted to repair their relationship. Madam Qi was also very accommodating. So, it was a harmonious gathering…

Yuanyuan knew that this was her future Fifth Aunt and was especially happy. She clung to Wen Yu, chattering non-stop, wanting to save all her good things for Wen Yu. Before Wen Yu left, she had someone buy two small turtles, a male and a female, and gave them to Yuanyuan.

Yuanyuan was almost ecstatic.

Wen Jiao watched, the hatred on her face barely concealed.

Madam Qi told Old Madam Wen that after her son returned from his business trip, she would leave directly from here to go back to the capital. Before leaving, she wanted Wen Yu to go to the inn, as she still had some things to say.

The next day, Wen Yu went to the inn and met with Madam Qi. Wen Yu dressed formally and performed the proper etiquette.

Madam Qi smiled, stood up, and pulled her up. The two of them sat down…

“Madam, about that matter… did Nanny Cui tell you everything?” Wen Yu’s face flushed.

Madam Qi found it amusing. They had gone through all that, why was she still blushing? “Yes, she told me everything.”

“I’m really sorry. I wanted to come and apologize these past few days, but I didn’t have the courage…”

“Oh? No courage?” Madam Qi teased her.

“It’s true. Madam doesn’t know…” Wen Yu said, “I lost my mother when I was young, and familial affection is weak for me. When I met you, Madam, you treated me with warmth and sincerity, you taught me things, you cared for me, and you even gave your most precious son to me as my husband. In my heart, I’ve long regarded you as… my own elder, so I can’t help but be insecure…”

“My dear child…” Madam Qi stroked her hair. “I’m a straightforward person. To be honest, I’m not only not annoyed by your behavior, I’m actually quite happy.”

Madam Qi’s expression also turned a bit melancholy.

“Does Madam have something you want to tell me?” Wen Yu asked.

“Your marriage to Xiao Wu is already settled, so I won’t treat you as an outsider. I called you here today because there are indeed a few things I want to tell you…”

“Please speak, Madam.”

“Ah…” Madam Qi gathered her thoughts before speaking. “Let me tell you about the situation in the capital. My maiden family, the Cui family, originally held a noble title. Decades ago, in a fierce battle, almost all the men in the family perished… In the end, only my great-grandfather was left. He was just a child then, and the Cui family didn’t have a tradition of taking concubines… You can imagine how tragic it was…”

“My great-grandfather was very capable. Not only did he grow up healthy and continue the family line, he also managed the family business very well. If it weren’t for one incident, the title would probably have been restored. Our family doesn’t really care much about this, I’m just mentioning it to you.”

“My mother was from the Wei family in Lingnan, a renowned family of painting and calligraphy.”

“No wonder your paintings are so good, Madam.”

Madam Qi shook her head with a wry smile. “None of us siblings inherited that talent. My brothers all loved martial arts, taking after our father. Haha… My father doted on my mother all his life. We had four children, two older brothers and a younger brother. It’s strange, after that incident, as if to make up for the Cui family’s losses, there were always more boys born than girls. So, when I was a young lady, I was deeply loved and didn’t know what worry was…”

Madam Qi recounted the past…

The late Empress had arranged her marriage, and she married the eldest legitimate son of the Qi family, giving birth to the eldest legitimate grandson of the Qi family.

✿✿✿

The Qi family had soldiers, property, and a marquisate. Although the Emperor was suspicious and ruthless, he had always treated the Qi family well.

One would think that their life would be glorious and free from any difficulties, right?

But who would have thought that it would be so difficult…

“The head of the Qi family is my father-in-law, Marquis Zhenyuan, Qi Zheng. My mother-in-law, Old Madam Zhao, has passed away. The current Old Madam Tan is my stepmother-in-law.”

Old Madam Zhao only had one son, the eldest son of the Qi family, my husband, Qi Youyi.

“The second brother, Qi Youzhen, was born to a concubine. He took his wife and went to Southern Shu and hasn’t returned to the capital for many years.”

“My third brother, Qi Youduan, is Old Madam Tan’s biological son. Old Madam Tan only has this one son. Currently, Qi Youduan is stationed in Ducheng with my father-in-law. The elite seven thousand soldiers of the Qi family army are there. My third sister-in-law and her children are also there.”

Wen Yu’s heart skipped a beat. Madam Qi specifically mentioned this, there must be a reason.

“My eldest son, Qi Xiao, whom I had with my husband, is ranked first in this generation. He married Xu Minghui, the daughter of Earl Ding’an.”

“The second in line, Qi Hua, was… born to Concubine Xiu Yun. Concubine Xiu Yun is a distant relative of Old Madam Tan’s family. I’ll talk about this in detail later.”

Wen Yu felt that Madam Qi’s expression changed significantly when she mentioned this.

“Continuing on, Qi Hua married the daughter of the Wang family, the Imperial Inspector of Shaanxi.”

“The third in line, Qi Yue, is the eldest son of the third master, Qi Youduan. He is also currently in Ducheng with my father-in-law and his father…”

“The fourth in line is Xiao Si, Qi Yu. He was born to a concubine, his mother is Concubine Liu.”

“The two younger ones below are both sons of Qi Youduan, and they are not in the capital either.”

“Concubine Xiu Yun also has a daughter, Qi Xiangbao, nicknamed Xiao Mao’er.”

“Concubine Liu also has a daughter, who is already married.”

“There are quite a few people in the family, and the situation is very complicated.”

“Firstly, let’s talk about Old Madam Tan… how should I put it… she has no background, I don’t even know if her surname is actually Tan. She was an orphaned girl that my father-in-law brought back. It’s said that she saved my father-in-law’s life.”

“Old Madam Zhao had some difficulties giving birth to Qi Youyi and didn’t live for a year after that, she died from illness.”

“My father-in-law defied everyone’s objections and went through a lot of trouble to marry Old Madam Tan. In all these years since, he has treated her with trust and respect.”

“Qi Youyi lost his mother at a young age, and Old Madam Tan raised him single-handedly. They are not biological mother and son, but they are closer than real mother and son. He obeys her every word!”

Madam Qi said these words without any emotion.

But this made Wen Yu’s heart beat faster as she listened more attentively.

“I married into the Qi family because of the late Empress’ decree. I think that perhaps this imperial decree disrupted the Qi family’s original plans…”

“What were the Qi family’s original plans?” Wen Yu asked.

Madam Qi didn’t answer…

“Could it be… that they wanted him to marry that Concubine Xiu Yun?”

Madam Qi looked at Wen Yu with a wry smile. “Perhaps.”

“But, isn’t Old Madam Tan an orphan? Doesn’t she have a background? My father-in-law married her as a second wife, and there’s also the matter of her saving his life, although it was a bit forced, it still makes some sense. But this…”

“That’s true. But who knows! I was completely in the dark when I married in. Not long after I came in, there were several concubines. Concubine Xiu Yun was chosen by my father-in-law and mother-in-law. Concubine Liu was a subordinate of Qi Youyi who attached herself to him. And there were also maids and such… Although we don’t have this practice in the Cui family, I know what it’s like in other families. Although I felt uncomfortable, it’s just how things are…”

Hearing this, Wen Yu secretly thought, so this means Madam Qi wouldn’t try to push any concubines on her in the future… Hehe.

Madam Qi had no idea what she was thinking and continued, “But there were some things that felt off, so I made some inquiries: I heard that Concubine Xiu Yun is the only remaining relative of Old Madam Tan’s family. She came to the Qi residence when she was six or seven years old. She was raised by Old Madam Tan and grew up with Qi Youyi.”

Wen Yu suddenly chuckled. This was really something else!

“What are you laughing at?” Madam Qi asked.

Wen Yu couldn’t help herself. “I apologize, Madam, this reminded me of something, but it’s not quite convenient for me to tell you right now. It’s just that it’s so similar to what you just said! How can there be so many people like this?! It’s fine if they’re affectionate, but they still have to obey authority and be filial to their elders.”

“They can’t express their true feelings, but they still cling to their old flames. They won’t let go of power, and they also want to hold onto love. It’s like they want everything, but they don’t want to take responsibility for anything. In the end, they still feel wronged!”

I’ve escaped one such story, only to step into another… Wen Yu smiled bitterly.