Chapter 89: Chapter 88: Traveling Companions

Sister Hui saw this and knew she had caused trouble for her mother.

Second Aunt did this simply to go and badmouth in front of Grandmother; her scolding of Sister Yue was just an excuse, and she was mainly targeting the main kitchen and the second household.

The other day, Grandmother was already upset with Mother over the incident at the Xu Mansion where Aunt was wronged, which is why she took away some of Mother’s authority.

If you think deeper, Second Aunt was also telling Grandmother that she was not truly angry at Sister Yue but had complaints about Grandmother herself.

Perhaps Second Aunt had this intention, which is why she did such a thing in front of Grandmother, achieving her purpose.

Yet Grandmother said nothing, does that mean she believed Second Aunt’s words?

The more Sister Hui thought about it, the redder her eyes became.

Mother is the head matron of the household, so why does Grandmother have to put Mother in such an embarrassing position and make it hard for her to manage the servants below?

“Silly child.” Mrs. Dong patted her daughter’s hand, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped her daughter’s tears, “A girl is raised in luxury, and these tears are like golden nuggets and shouldn’t fall lightly; they represent fortune, and when they fall, they take fortune away.”

Sister Hui sniffed, “Mother, it’s because your daughter acted impulsively that you got implicated.”

“What’s the harm in that? Besides, this is just a small matter in the back courtyard, merely a slight grievance and not a big deal,” Mrs. Dong laughed, having felt a bit unsettled in her heart, but hearing her daughter’s words, she felt more relieved, “A legitimate daughter from the Duke Mansion showing such petty behavior, a truly noble lady should have a broad heart, ensuring that household matters don’t affect the men’s prospects, that’s what a virtuous, talented, and gentle lady should do.”

“I am the Marchioness of Dingyuan; what’s the use of her doing all this? Can she perhaps replace me?” Seeing her daughter shake her head, Mrs. Dong’s smile grew brighter, “That’s right. She doesn’t know what she truly should do, which is why she hasn’t done well as a head matron.”

The head matron must keep the courtyard in order.

She must ensure the men of the family respect her.

Mrs. Kong has achieved neither; her servants are all deceitful, two-faced, and the few loyal servants she can actually use are nowhere to be found.

That’s the first point.

Secondly, she doesn’t earn the respect of the family’s men, which means even this Second Madam isn’t respected.

Just based on these two points, how can a woman manage the household and keep the concubines in check?

Seeing that her daughter still seemed confused, Mrs. Dong chuckled, “Alright, in a few days we have to go to the Minister Mansion, and you are the legitimate daughter of the Marquis Mansion. In both open and hidden ways, they won’t dare do anything to you. Moreover, your father is going too. Although it’s a flower banquet, it’s also Mrs. Wu Sr.’s birthday. Have you prepared your gift properly?”

“I embroidered a scripture with a hundred characters.” Sister Hui, not wanting to worry her mother, perked up and forced a smile, “The characters are also my own work. Something still feels lacking, but I can’t figure out what it is.”

“Didn’t I tell you to ask your father to write the characters for you?” Mrs. Dong remembered advising her daughter to seek the Marquis for the calligraphy.

The Marquis has always been aloof and doesn’t often come to the inner courtyard. Even after many years as a couple, their relationship is mostly polite but distant.

Yet since Sister Hui is their only legitimate daughter, Mrs. Dong thought the Marquis might show this daughter special affection.

If she had any private wish, it was for her daughter to draw closer to the Marquis, hoping that the father-daughter relationship might bring her closer to the Marquis as well.

Now it seems she had oversimplified things.

Her daughter’s nature is too similar to her own.

Sister Hui, unaware of her mother’s thoughts, hesitated for a moment before softly saying, “Sister Ran wrote a round fan and asked Father for the characters…”

She didn’t want to compete with a concubine’s daughter for favor, as that would undermine her status as a legitimate daughter.

There was no need for Sister Hui to say it outright.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother.

Mrs. Dong understood, feeling powerless, unsure if raising her daughter this way was good or bad, and not wanting to cause her daughter distress, she acted casually, “Never mind. Since it’s a gift for a birthday, as long as it’s done with heart, that’s what matters.”

Sister Hui realized her mother was displeased, but she couldn’t lower herself to flatter or curry favor with anyone.

Nor did she want to.

On the second day of the twelfth month, the old madam of the Minister Mansion celebrated her birthday, and for a moment, the mansion’s entrance was bustling with people, so crowded you couldn’t get in from a street away.

Lin Youning sat in the carriage, listening to her Aunt describe the various madams from each household and the people within those houses.

In her previous life, before Lin Youning’s troubles began, she had interacted with these families. After things went wrong, those families disdained associating with her, and gradually they drifted apart.

Now, hearing her Aunt mention them, it wasn’t hard for her to sort out the relations between the noble families.

What’s more, she knew that the Crown Prince, who is not highly regarded now, would eventually inherit the throne.

Meanwhile, the Eldest Prince, who now enjoyed glory and power, would eventually end up confined for life.

Among those affected, the Minister Mansion, the Duke Mansion, and the Ministry of Personnel Minister Mansion, the maternal home of the Eldest Prince’s mother, Her Highness, suffered the most; aside from the Duke Mansion’s title, the Dong Family, which has no official court position, was also implicated.

The Dong Family being the maternal family of Mrs. Dong in the residence.

Lin Youning pondered if she should warn her older brother not to get too close to the Dong Family.

In the current court, there were two Imperial Tutors, one being the present Holy Emperor’s teacher from the Dong Family.

The other being the current Crown Prince’s teacher, Imperial Tutor Feng.

After things went awry, the involvement of these two Imperial Tutors would end up shocking everyone.

Lin Youning hadn’t thought for long when the carriage started moving, drawing her attention back to the present, looking at her Aunt who continued to patiently talk, feeling warmth in her heart.

“Aunt, I’ve remembered it all. Rest assured, I won’t embarrass you,” stroking her Aunt’s hand, now full of wrinkles, Lin Youning felt tranquility in her heart, “Aunt, come next spring, let’s go to the village? I remember when I was little, Aunt and Auntie would always go to the village together. Back then, I’d sit under a tree listening to your stories.”

Mrs. Gu Sr. smiled, “Sure, then let’s go to the village.”

The laughter carried an unmistakable joy, and outside, Gu Er, who was riding a horse, lifted the curtain and asked, “Mother, what are you and Second Sister laughing about that makes you so happy?”

Mrs. Gu Sr. gave her son a glance, with a softer smile and unhurried tone, “Just talking about some fun things in the boudoir, would you like to hear it too?”

Gu Er blushed, “A nanny from the Wu Mansion came over, suggesting we enter through the side room door, which leads directly to the back courtyard. I’ll go check it out.”

Mrs. Gu Sr. did not want to embarrass her son in front of Sister Ning, “There are many ladies today, and if it’s close to the back courtyard, entering might be inconvenient; it won’t hurt to wait a bit longer, so as not to trouble the mansion.”

“I got it, Mother.” Gu Er glanced at Lin Youning, then lowered the curtain.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep