While the Lady of the Township's residence enjoyed peace, the Xue Mansion was far from tranquil.
The Marquis of Qiyang personally led the eldest branch of the family to congratulate the Lady Shen on her new residence. This greatly dissatisfied the second branch.
Xue Yuxuan, the master of the second branch, didn't initially feel particularly bothered. However, after his wife and daughter caused a ruckus at home several times, constantly telling him that the eldest brother's family deliberately supported Shen Yuning and clearly looked down on their second branch. Remembering the scene when he insisted on sending Yuning away and his elder brother argued and stalemated with him, he also thought they were right.
Lady Xiao cried heart - rendingly, "My lord, don't you think about why we were sent to that wretched Maohe County back then? Wasn't it for the future of the eldest branch? You haven't been promoted for so many years. Isn't it because those above are wary of the eldest branch's excessive power and you had to avoid their edge? If it weren't for him, our second branch wouldn't have ended up in such a situation!"
Actually, this was rather ungrateful. Back then, the old marquis originally planned to send the eldest son for field experience. But later, seeing that the second son still indulged in pleasure even after getting married, he replaced the eldest son with the second son.
Coincidentally, at that time, Lady Shao was pregnant while Lady Xiao wasn't. So Xue Yuxuan and Lady Xiao were convinced that it was because the eldest brother couldn't bear to part with his pregnant wife that he managed to switch the person going for field experience to his younger brother.
Shortly after Xue Yuxuan was sent away, Lady Xiao was also found to be pregnant. At that time, Maohe County was in a complete mess. Lady Xiao had a hard time during her pregnancy, suffering a great deal. Thinking back, she always felt that all these hardships were endured for Lady Shao of the eldest branch.
Moreover, if the emperor was wary of a clan with many high - ranking officials, there were plenty of brothers and fathers in the capital who served in the court simultaneously and held fairly high positions.
Xue Yuxuan had made no progress over the years. Firstly, he was a slippery character. Even for a simple task like organizing case files in the department, he would just clock in and refused to do any extra work. Relying on his status from the Marquis's Mansion, he always looked down on others and was rather arrogant in speech. His superiors and colleagues didn't like him at all. This was the real reason why he hadn't been promoted for many years.
As a man, although Xue Yuxuan had no great ambitions, he still dreamed of having a smooth career in the officialdom. After hearing his wife's words so many times, he deeply believed them and felt that his current situation was all due to his elder brother's fault.
He was extremely indignant. He lifted his feet and walked towards the courtyard of the eldest branch. As he walked, he thought to himself that as a younger brother, he had dedicated himself to his elder brother, but how did his elder brother treat him? His own daughter had suffered, but his elder brother didn't care at all. Instead, he doted on that fake daughter. His elder brother had wanted to separate the family early on. Wasn't it because he no longer needed him?
So Xue Yuxuan stormed over to the eldest branch's place and caused a ruckus. But the Marquis of Qiyang had entered the palace that day and hadn't returned yet. Lady Shao of the eldest branch always knew the nature of this younger uncle. With just a few words, she silenced Xue Yuxuan, who left dejectedly.
Xue Yuxin frowned and said, "Mother, your words today were a bit too much. I'm afraid Uncle and his family will cause more trouble later."
Lady Shao used to have a gentle temperament. But as she got older, she had become more assertive. Hearing her daughter's complaint, she just smiled and said, "Let them make a fuss. It's better if it gets bigger. We can get it over with once and for all, so that your father can live in peace. Isn't your grandmother's poor health over the years also because of these constant small disturbances?"
Xue Yuxin fell silent. Originally, she had planned to go to Yuning's place with her elder brother and didn't want to alert her grandparents, father, and mother. Later, when her grandmother got the news, she insisted that her father and mother go together.
At that time, she vaguely heard that her grandmother seemed to have said the same thing as her mother today, that it would be better to let the other side make a complete mess.
Unexpectedly, the second branch didn't cause any trouble that day.
It wasn't until the Princess Consort of the Prince of Jing'an came to propose marriage on behalf of the Zhu family that the second branch finally caused a ruckus.
It was said that Xue Yujiao hung a white silk in her room, threatening to kill herself. She cried so loudly that it could be heard throughout the mansion. Lady Xiao was heart - broken. She smashed a lot of things in her room and made such a commotion that everyone in the mansion knew about it. She even went to the Muhui Hall.
When this news reached the main hall of the East Courtyard, the Marquis of Qiyang, Xue Zexuan, and Lady Shao were chatting happily with the Princess Consort of the Prince of Jing'an, talking about the marriage of their two children.
The noise outside wasn't small. There was also a maid beside Lady Xiao kneeling outside the main hall, sobbing softly. However, the Marquis of Qiyang and his wife showed no change in their expressions. They just went on to praise the young master of the Prince of Jing'an's Mansion.
The Princess Consort of the Prince of Jing'an was well - traveled. But when she heard the faint noise outside the Marquis's Mansion, she was a bit distracted. She forced a smile and said, "The young masters and young ladies of your mansion are also outstanding people..."
The Marquis of Qiyang smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness is joking. I only have one legitimate son in the family, and my daughter has reached this age without getting married. Alas... It's really worrying. My niece outside, although she has been named the Lady of the Township by the emperor, also has a hard time finding a suitable marriage."
The Princess Consort of the Prince of Jing'an looked even more embarrassed. The marquis didn't care about the niece who was causing trouble in the house, but he remembered that fake niece outside.
She also remembered that her father - in - law had praised the Lady Shen many times at home. She couldn't help but sigh. Sometimes, fate played tricks on people. If the Lady Shen had stayed in the Xue family as a young lady peacefully, she probably wouldn't be in such a situation today.
Since the Princess Consort had already completed the task entrusted by the Crown Prince and his wife of the Zhu family, she didn't want to stay in this house to watch the joke. She found an excuse and left.
As soon as she left, the Marquis of Qiyang's face darkened. He lifted his feet and went to the Muhui Hall.
The old Lady Xue sat there expressionlessly. Lady Sun, the wife of Xue Yusong, was extremely anxious, trying to persuade both sides. But Lady Xiao, with her hair disheveled, stamping her feet and pounding the ground in the middle of the hall, and the nanny of Xue Yujiao, who was rolling on the ground, didn't listen to a single word from Lady Sun.
The Marquis of Qiyang coughed as he entered the door. Finally, the nanny stopped rolling on the ground, but her crying didn't stop.
The old Lady Xue looked up at her eldest son and asked, "How's it going?"
The Marquis of Qiyang nodded and said, "Mother, don't worry. It's settled. In a few days, the Zhu family will come to propose formally."
Hearing this, Lady Xiao cried even louder, "Poor my Yujiao. She has been implicated by her elder sister and can't get married at this age..."
Implicated by Yuxin? Lady Shao felt disgusted in her heart, but she just endured it and didn't say a word.
Seeing that no one paid attention to her, Lady Xiao was both angry and annoyed. She glanced at the nanny beside her. The nanny was clever. She immediately started to roll on the ground and make a scene again.
The Marquis of Qiyang snorted coldly and shouted, "Someone, drag this unruly nanny out and beat her to death."
The nanny was stunned. How dare she cry anymore? She immediately hid behind Lady Xiao, looking at the two escorts who came in in horror.
Lady Xiao stared round - eyed and said, "Brother, what do you mean? Nanny Yao was given to Yujiao by mother. How can you just dispose of her as you like?"
The Marquis of Qiyang lifted his eyelids slightly, bowed to the old Lady Xue, and said, "Mother, this Nanny Yao is really incompetent. My niece was raised in the countryside and has little education. This nanny was originally sent by you to help the second sister - in - law discipline Yujiao. But now she has taught Yujiao to cry, make trouble, and threaten to kill herself, which is something only low - class women do. I think it's really disgraceful. It's better to dismiss her and let your eldest daughter - in - law find a more suitable one."
The old Lady Xue nodded expressionlessly and said, "Alright. The affairs of the family have always been managed by A Zhao. I was just being over - involved before."
Lady Shao quickly stepped forward to massage her mother - in - law's legs and said, "Mother, what are you talking about? Back then, you were just loving your granddaughter, out of good intentions. It's all the fault of that nanny who didn't understand things and made you so upset."
Before Lady Xiao could react, she watched as the two escorts gagged Nanny Yao and dragged her out. She looked at her elder brother - in - law in horror, then at her mother - in - law and the others. They all seemed indifferent.
It wasn't like this before. Before, her elder brother - in - law was always afraid that she would trouble her mother - in - law. They would always agree to whatever she asked for.
The Marquis of Qiyang waited until the nanny was dragged out before asking impatiently, "Sister - in - law, why are you causing such a commotion?"
Lady Xiao lowered her head and didn't dare to say a word for a moment.
Lady Shao, who was usually kind - hearted, was also rarely tough and said, "What else could it be for? Every time I propose a marriage for Yuxin, they always make a fuss. After making a fuss for so many years, they even blame Yuxin for not getting married and delaying their daughter."
Lady Xiao forced out two tears and said, "Sister - in - law, your words don't make sense. It's really because Yuxin lost her reputation that..."
The Marquis of Qiyang slapped the table with one palm and roared, "Do you really think that just because we don't mention that incident, you can wipe it all clean? I'll tell you, for the sake of the Xue family, my Yuxin has suffered this grievance. But I'm not only the head of the Marquis's Mansion, but also Yuxin's father. I've said that I won't recognize Xue Yujiao as my niece, and I won't. I won't help with her marriage at all, and neither will A Zhao!"
Lady Xiao choked for a long time before finally finding her voice and crying out, "Yujiao didn't do it on purpose. How could she know... And now Yuxin has also turned a bad situation into a good one. The young master of the Zhu family will be the crown prince in the future. His family background is no worse than that of the Crown Prince of the Tang family."
The old Lady Xue finally spoke up and said, "Alright. I'm old and can't stand such noise."
Lady Xiao was still persistent, "Mother, mother, if you don't care, what will Yujiao do? Mother, I don't mean anything else. The young master of the Cheng family is still unmarried. He's a perfect match for Yujiao. Mother."
The old Lady Xue stood up and was about to go inside. Hearing this, she stopped and looked back at her, sighing deeply, "Don't think that I don't know what Jiao'er did. When the old ancestor of the Cheng family passed away, no one even informed me. Why didn't our Xue family pay condolences?"
Lady Xiao averted her eyes. Why? At that time, she just said that the Cheng family disliked Yujiao. But in fact, it was because Yujiao had gone in front of the wife of the Cheng family and said something about the lowly status of the Cheng family, which made the Cheng family refuse to have any more contact.
But she never expected that the Cheng family would be so heartless. By the time their Xue family got the news of the passing of the old Lady Cheng, several days had already passed.
The old Lady Xue shook her head and said, "My old friend has already passed away. There's no longer any relationship between the Xue family and the Cheng family. Do you want me to go and propose a marriage? I'm afraid I'll be beaten out with sticks by the Cheng family."
Lady Xiao stepped forward and grabbed the old Lady Xue, pleading, "Mother, if you leave, big brother and his family are so heartless. They'll definitely ignore us..."
Among the people present, except for Lady Sun, the young daughter - in - law of the eldest grandson, who showed dissatisfaction on her face when she heard Lady Xiao slander the eldest branch, the others were extremely calm, as if they hadn't heard a single word.
The old Lady Xue actually stopped in her tracks, seriously looked at everyone in front of her, and let out a long breath, "Zexuan, send someone to call your younger brother back. Gather everyone in the Muhui Hall. Since you're worried that they're heartless, then I'll make the decision. The family was separated long ago, and it's time for you to live in separate mansions."