"What's going on?" Song Zhaoyang frowned, a look of displeasure on her face.
Magpie immediately went out to check. She quickly returned and reported, "Madam, the Second Madam is here. She's throwing a tantrum in our courtyard."
Song Zhaoyang's expression darkened. Then she walked outside. Seeing this, Magpie quickly draped a cloak over her.
"Is this how the elder sister-in-law treats guests? Not even offering a cup of tea. Is it because you can't train your servants well or you simply don't know the proper etiquette?"
Before Song Zhaoyang even entered the room, she heard the sarcastic tone of the younger Mrs. Wen. With a straight face, she stepped over the threshold and replied coldly,
"Coming uninvited in the dead of night and throwing a fit in my courtyard, yet still lecturing me on guest - hosting etiquette. Sister - in - law, you have a thicker skin than the city wall!"
Hearing Song Zhaoyang's sarcasm, the younger Mrs. Wen shot to her feet. Her voice rose an octave as she said, "Elder sister - in - law, Yaoyao could have been the future Crown Princess. You and elder brother actually refused. How heartless you two are as parents! You're ruining Yaoyao's future!"
After waking up, the more the younger Mrs. Wen thought about it, the more unwilling she became. Without hesitation, she came straight over to demand an explanation.
Song Zhaoyang was so angry that she laughed. She asked coldly, "Sister - in - law, Yaoyao is my daughter, not yours. Get that straight!"
"Yaoyao was originally..." The younger Mrs. Wen retorted instinctively, but when she realized she was about to say the wrong thing, her voice suddenly stopped.
Song Zhaoyang raised an eyebrow. Was the younger Mrs. Wen about to say that Yaoyao was her daughter?
Too bad their schemes wouldn't succeed this lifetime!
She mocked, "Sister - in - law, don't tell me you were about to say Yaoyao is your daughter?"
The younger Mrs. Wen's tongue seemed to be tied. She stammered, "N... Of course not."
Song Zhaoyang snorted and said, "You're smart enough! Yaoyao is just your niece. As her second aunt, if you want to interfere in her marriage, do you think the Marquis and I are dead?"
"A person should know their place! Today, the Emperor and the Empress visited the Xue Mansion out of respect for the Marquis's merits. And I'm the Emperor's direct cousin, so the Emperor intended to bestow the marriage. If..."
She curled her lips and sneered, "If this child had been born to you, sister - in - law, she probably wouldn't have had such a good opportunity. Am I right?"
The younger Mrs. Wen stiffened. Then she forced a smile that looked worse than crying. Gritting her teeth, she said, "You're right, elder sister - in - law!"
Suddenly, Song Zhaoyang leaned forward. This move startled the younger Mrs. Wen, who stepped back. Unexpectedly, she stumbled and fell to the ground.
Her maid quickly helped her up.
The younger Mrs. Wen glared at Song Zhaoyang angrily and demanded, "What are you doing, elder sister - in - law?"
Song Zhaoyang looked extremely innocent. "Sister - in - law, you misunderstood. I saw you looked unwell and just wanted to show my concern. I didn't expect you to be so startled."
The younger Mrs. Wen gritted her teeth in anger.
Ignoring the younger Mrs. Wen's fierce look, Song Zhaoyang continued to add fuel to the fire. "Sister - in - law, your face is so pale. Did you not take good care of yourself after giving birth? That won't do. The second branch still lacks a legitimate son!"
"I heard that the second brother rarely comes back to the mansion since he was dismissed from office. Could it be that he has taken a mistress outside? If he has a child out of wedlock, won't that be a challenge to your status as the mistress of the second branch?"
After hearing this, the younger Mrs. Wen lost control.
"Song Zhaoyang, shut up! I suffered a postpartum hemorrhage because of you. Now you're rubbing salt into my wounds. What do you mean?"
Song Zhaoyang sneered. "Sister - in - law, are you sure it was me who caused your postpartum hemorrhage? It was clearly the ginseng soup sent by mother! How about we go to mother's place right now and sort this out!"
Just as Song Zhaoyang finished speaking, Xue Chucheng strode in.
"Sort out what?"
Hearing Xue Chucheng's voice, the younger Mrs. Wen trembled.
"E... Elder brother..."
When Song Zhaoyang saw Xue Chucheng come in, her expression softened. She asked gently, "Is the gathering in the front yard over?"
"Yes, it's over." Xue Chucheng walked to Song Zhaoyang's side. Looking at the younger Mrs. Wen who was hunching her shoulders and didn't dare to look him in the eye, his tone turned cold. "What were you two talking about just now?"
Song Zhaoyang glanced at the younger Mrs. Wen, who looked like a mouse seeing a cat. Then she said, "The second sister - in - law came to question us why we didn't accept the Emperor's bestowed marriage."
Xue Chucheng's sharp eyes shot towards the younger Mrs. Wen.
The aura of hostility exuded by Xue Chucheng, who had come back from the battlefield, was too much for a woman in a deep mansion to bear.
The younger Mrs. Wen's legs went weak with fear and she knelt on the ground.
"E... Elder brother, I just wanted to show my concern for my little niece..."
Xue Chucheng snorted and said indifferently, "Sister - in - law, watch your status!"
The younger Mrs. Wen tightly clenched her hands in her sleeves. Gritting her teeth, she said, "I understand..."
Song Zhaoyang gently patted Xue Chucheng and joked, "Look, you've scared the sister - in - law."
Hearing this, Xue Chucheng deliberately softened his tone and asked, "Do you have anything else to say, sister - in - law?"
"N... No..." The younger Mrs. Wen replied timidly.
Xue Chucheng snorted. "Then why don't you go back to your courtyard quickly!"
The younger Mrs. Wen trembled and left in a hurry as if her feet were greased.
"Look, you've really scared her." Song Zhaoyang gave Xue Chucheng a coquettish look.
Xue Chucheng put his arm around Song Zhaoyang's waist and said, "Once the Marquis Mansion is renovated, we'll move there."
Song Zhaoyang stopped in her tracks. Looking at Xue Chucheng, she asked, "Husband, I don't really want to move to the Marquis Mansion."
Xue Chucheng was puzzled. "Why?"
If they moved to the Marquis Mansion, how could she deal with the Mrs. Wen and the younger Mrs. Wen!
She deliberately concealed the fact that they had switched the daughters just to watch the two of them act like clowns in front of her. If they moved to the Marquis Mansion, there would be no more fun to watch.
There was another purpose, which was to search for the treasure.
She said seriously, "Husband, I'm just too angry!
"You're the legitimate eldest son. This Xue Mansion should have been yours. If we move out, we'll be just handing this mansion over to the second branch!
"I was made to give birth prematurely because of them. I'm not willing to just let them off like this!"
Hearing this, Xue Chucheng looked at Song Zhaoyang with heart - wrenching pain. He comforted her, "Madam, I'm back. I'll get justice for you!"
Song Zhaoyang looked seriously into Xue Chucheng's eyes and asked, "I got a piece of news. I don't know if I should believe it or not?"
Xue Chucheng was puzzled. "What news?"
Song Zhaoyang leaned close to his ear and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "It's said that there's a treasure in the Xue family."
"Treasure?" Xue Chucheng was stunned. "How is that possible? I've never heard of this!"
Looking at Xue Chucheng's shocked expression, Song Zhaoyang remembered being interrogated by Xue Yunning in her previous life. She nodded and said, "I suspect that mother took action against our eldest branch because of this. Husband, I think you'd better send someone to investigate!"
Xue Chucheng's expression became solemn. He patted Song Zhaoyang's hand reassuringly and said, "I'll send someone to find out about this."
"What about moving out of the mansion..." Song Zhaoyang asked hesitantly.