Everyone was taken aback for a moment. Mrs. You showed a look of eager anticipation for a show.
Wen Hongxin felt that his mother's words were too harsh and looked a bit embarrassed. Last night in the palace, he had witnessed the grand scene of the emperor interrogating everyone, which also involved two princes and a noble lady. The origin of the incident was Xue'er.
Although he knew that the emperor had made such a big fuss mainly because of the dignity of the royal family, he supposed that Lan Miao and Xue'er must have been favored by the empress dowager, which was why the princesses had defended them so strongly.
He didn't want Lan Miao to be in the same difficult situation as before.
Wen Hongxin lowered his voice and said, "Mother, eldest sister-in-law has just returned from the palace. She must be tired. It's okay for her to have a meal with us."
He was a shrewd and smooth - talking man. Despite his young appearance, he had an air of maturity.
Mrs. Wen was displeased and frowned deeply.
"Mother is just stating the facts. Eldest sister-in-law shouldn't sit at the table," Mrs. You said.
Wen Hongxin glared at Mrs. You. "What are you butting in for? Can't you even manage your own daughter?"
Seeing them bickering, Lan Miao couldn't help but smile to herself. Did they think she was eager to sit at the table with them?
She had sat at the table before. It must be that the old lady had heard about last night's incident and was deliberately making things difficult for her to humiliate her.
Lan Miao bowed gracefully. "I'll take my leave, Mother."
"Stop right there." Unexpectedly, just as Lan Miao was about to leave as the old lady had wished, the old lady was still dissatisfied. Her tone was full of disdain, and her voice sounded as unpleasant as if there was something stuck in her throat.
"Did you give that little troublemaker a warning? Tell her not to cause any more trouble in the palace. She represents the honor of the marquis's mansion. If she causes any more problems, she can just come back from the palace."
Lan Miao's eyes widened suddenly.
Her eyes, as bright as autumn water, showed a look of disbelief.
It was like a sudden thunderbolt striking from the sky.
Over the past five years, she had heard similar remarks, but this was the first time they were so offensive. Last night when Xue'er was in danger, the old lady's attitude was truly chilling.
Lan Miao stood still.
Wen Hongxin frowned. His mother's words were really not what a decent mistress of a family should say.
Before he could say anything, Lan Miao, rarely showing a serious face, said, "Mother, aren't your words too harsh? How can you blame Xue'er for what happened? It was clearly others with evil intentions. Xue'er was completely innocent this time."
Then she looked at Wen Hongxin and said in a rather impolite tone, "Didn't the marquis explain the situation of last night to the old lady?"
Lan Miao was rarely so tough.
She looked cold and indifferent as if she didn't care about anything.
Wen Hongxin let out an "ah" and was a bit slow to react. The old lady's face turned extremely ugly. Without thinking, she threw the rhinoceros horn chopsticks in her hand and pointed at Lan Miao angrily.
"You're getting out of hand! How dare you question us? Do you think you can break away from the marquis's mansion just because you've been to the palace a few times?"
"Someone, hold her down and enforce the family law."
Nanny Li, who had been waiting on the side, was well - prepared. She walked towards Lan Miao menacingly. To everyone's surprise, Lan Miao didn't dodge. Instead, she took a step forward and stared directly at the old lady.
Her face was pale and gentle, and her voice remained calm.
"Old lady, before I returned to the mansion, I met the empress dowager and Princess Yujia. She asked me about the progress of my jade carving. And she invited me to attend the empress dowager's birthday banquet in the palace next month. If these servants really dare to lay a hand on me, I don't mind fighting to the bitter end."
Her voice was soft, but the implication of each word was extremely heavy.
The servants led by Nanny Li stood still on the spot, not daring to step forward. The old lady's face turned deathly pale. She couldn't believe that she had been outmaneuvered by Lan Miao.
Wen Hongxin's mind went blank when he heard this. He knew things were going to get bad.
He quickly stood up and shouted at the servants around, "All of you, get out."
He put on a friendly face and greeted Lan Miao with a smile. "Don't be like this. We're all family. Mother won't enforce the family law on you. If you show a more respectful attitude, Mother naturally won't make things difficult for you."
"Maybe I can tell the empress dowager about my situation in the marquis's mansion and let her decide whether my attitude is respectful or not?"
Lan Miao didn't even bother to respond to Wen Hongxin's attempt to smooth things over. She brought up the empress dowager again.
She thought that they wouldn't dare to go to the palace to verify these trivial matters. So she might as well exaggerate a bit to make them behave.
Wen Hongxin's expression froze.
He had witnessed the grand scene in the palace last night and was uncertain about his attitude towards Lan Miao. While he was hesitating, the old lady opened her mouth again, trying to scold Lan Miao.
But this time, Wen Hongxin stopped her immediately.
He didn't want the situation to escalate to an irreparable level.
"Eldest sister - in - law, you must be tired. Go back to your courtyard first. I'll talk to Mother."
"Thank you, marquis."
Since things had come to this point, Lan Miao didn't insist anymore. She took the opportunity to back down. She nodded and once again became the silent, gentle and quiet woman.
Under the old lady's cold gaze, she walked out of the door gracefully, which stunned Mrs. You, who had been watching the show.
Mrs. You was in turmoil.
Had Lan Miao really become assertive?
Lan Miao had actually dared to confront the old lady right in front of her! She turned around and saw the old lady's face turn green. The old lady pointed at Lan Miao's back as if she wanted to devour her, but was immediately stopped by Wen Hongxin.
"Mother, please watch your words."
"I was in the Changxin Palace last night. The two princes and the noble lady were also there. Princess Yujia was particularly determined to find the culprit for Xue'er, and the emperor supported her. If the words you just said reach the emperor's ears, the marquis's mansion will be charged with disrespect. Please don't say such things again."
Wen Hongxin knew his mother's temper well, so he quickly poured out all these words.
The old lady's angry voice suddenly died down.
"Is this true?"
"Absolutely true."
Wen Hongxin helped the old lady back to her seat and said calmly, "Since Lan Miao and Xue'er can be of help to the marquis's mansion, why do you still treat them harshly? You saw Lan Miao's attitude just now. If we both take a step back, she won't say anything more."
The old lady looked heart - broken in front of her son. Her eyes immediately turned red, as if it was Lan Miao who had bullied her. "I'm just worried that little troublemaker will cause trouble for the marquis's mansion outside. Who would have thought that this little slut would dare to disobey me now?"
"We're all family. There's no need to let things get out of control. If Lan Miao were to die in the marquis's mansion for no reason, do you think her father, the minister of the Supreme Court, would really turn a blind eye? Mother, let's both take a step back."
Wen Hongxin's voice became even softer. He squatted in front of the old lady. The old lady nodded, looking kind and on the verge of tears.
It looked like a heart - warming scene of a mother - son bond.
Mrs. You got goosebumps all over.
She rolled her eyes inwardly.
They were all hypocrites. What were they pretending for?
This was the first time Lan Miao had confronted Mrs. Wen. After returning, she thought a lot but felt no regret.
Especially the next morning when she went to pay respects to the old lady, the old lady's calm and cold attitude almost made her wonder if the old lady had been possessed.
She didn't have a masochistic tendency.
If the old lady was willing to take a step back, she wouldn't deliberately provoke her. After listening to a few sarcastic remarks from the old lady, she couldn't help but smile to herself. The old lady's words all implied that it was Lan Miao who had bullied her.
It seemed that bullying the weak and fearing the strong was really human nature, especially as one got older.