Chapter 226 - Madam Lu Comes to Her Senses

Of course Madam Lu had a problem with that!

She truly loved her husband Song Yuan, for which she even held a humble attitude towards Song Yixiao, a legitimate daughter of the first wife. She even got her mother into trouble because of Song Yixiao!

Then she went into labor early because she was too sad about the loss of her mother. Finally, she and her twin babies survived in the end. Now her babies were just one month old when she heard that her husband had taken a concubine!

And the concubine was the very niece of his previous step-wife Madam Liu!

No matter how virtuous a woman was, she wouldn’t put up with this after suffering such a serious blow!

But Madam Pang approached her and started to weep, “It was so stupid of me to allow Yuan to marry Wei Mengying! She stopped our family from having any boy descendent and even gave birth to the evil, Song Yixiao! Otherwise, why would your mother be implicated? Even your babies almost died!”

Her words just gave Madam Lu a blow. She disclosed the news heard from her birth mother, Madam Huang to Song Yixiao for the purpose of not letting this stepdaughter suffer losses. To her astonishment, Song Yixiao didn’t suffer any loss indeed but her birth mother died in the end!

Although she knew that Madam Huang asked for the trouble herself, they were mother and daughter anyway. Moreover, it was for her own good that Madam Huang wanted to get rid of Song Yixiao. Now how could she not harbor a grudge against Song Yixiao?

Recognizing the regret and resentment in Madam Lu’s eyes, Madam Pang narrowed her eyes and continued crying, “That evil girl also left the Liu Family in a dreadful situation! Back then, when did Madam Liu mistreat that evil? She was simply misled by the people left by Wei Mengying to vent anger for her mother by all means and make the Song Family suffer! Now the Liu Family has declined. Zhiyin is protected by Director Qiu but he is forced to change his family name. Zhijin is a weak girl only. If she is sold to the filthy place, how can she live?”

“I didn’t comment any when you bought her and brought her back.” Madam Lu’s grudge against her stepdaughter was aroused by her mother-in-law, but she didn’t forget to pursue the matter of Liu Zhijin, “You claimed that she was here to keep you company!”

Speaking of that, in anguish, Madam Lu couldn’t help shedding tears and sobbed, “I’m not from a family in disregard of rules. Of course I am not a jealous woman! But Mother, by rule, this kind of thing should be arranged by me, shouldn’t it? Moreover, Liu Zhijin is a maid of yours. If you grant her to Yuan, it is still understandable. Yet, now you just make her Yuan’s concubine in secret. If it is spread around, won’t it ruin Yuan’s reputation?”

“My dear, you’ve just given birth to a son for the Song Family. Currently, I’ve got three granddaughters and one grandson. Apart from Song Yixiao, the rest of my grandchildren were born by you. How can I not show concern for you?” Madam Pang held the bedside and wept sorrowfully, “Surely I don’t want to disrespect you, but Song Yixiao… She came to the mansion two days ago. In the face of Bao, she beat and cursed Zhijin, and even declared that she would ask Lord Gu to give Zhijin to her if possible. Tell me, given the brutality of that evil, what consequence will Zhijin face if she is at the disposal of Song Yixiao?”

Considering Gu Shao’s identity or what he had done for the Song Family, if he asked for a maid who was the daughter of a sinful official, the Song Family could never refuse him!

Therefore, “I can only grant a reasonable identity to Zhijin so that that evil can’t fulfill her intent!”

In tears, Madam Pang said, “My dear, I know you are upset! But if this matter were not handled in secret and it were found by the evil, she would obstruct it and Zhijin might be killed then. You are always kind-hearted. I’m sure that you are loath to see that happen, right? Moreover, just rest assured. Zhijin will continue being with me and she won’t disturb you for sure!”

Then she said with concern, “Now Bao is still young. Jiao and Yao are just one month old. I’ve left the household affairs to you before. As you are out of confinement, I’m afraid you will be too busy. How about letting me raise Jiao temporarily for you?”

The twins of the Song Family had got their names. The elder sister was called Song Yijiao while the younger brother was called Song Yiyao.

Madam Lu knew that her mother-in-law was eager to have a grandson. Although Madam Pang was nice to Song Yibao before, it was her deliberate act out of extreme anger about Wei Mengying to adore the step-daughter-in-law and her daughter so as to make Wei Mengying and Song Yixiao unhappy. As a matter of fact, Song Yiyao was the one Madam Pang attached the most importance to!

Now she proposed helping raise Song Yijiao. She seemed to trust Madam Lu, but how could Madam Lu not get what she actually meant? Since she could take away Song Yibao under the guise of worrying that her daughter-in-law was too busy, couldn’t she take away Song Yiyao?

Madam Lu didn’t prefer boys to girls, but she also knew how important Song Yiyao was to the Song Family which had only one son for each of the three generations. Madam Lu had only one son. If he was taken away by Madam Pang and Liu Zhijin stayed with her, how could Madam Lu not worry?

“Mother, you’ve spoken too seriously. I’m still young and there are not many people in our family. Taking care of three children is still okay to me.” Madam Lu’s feelings were imaginable. She almost pinched her nails into her palms. Only by feeling the harsh pain could she remain calm, “If I am really busy, I can ask Zhijin to do me a favor. After all, she is from a big family. Since she is a concubine of Yuan, it is not good that she always stays with you. There are not a lot of children in the Song Family. Isn’t it nice to have a few concubines who will give birth to more children?”

Madam Pang looked over her restrained facial expression drily, saying amiably, “Good girl, just do as you advise then!”

After Madam Pang left, Zhang Cuiniang served the ginseng tea with worry. As no one else was in the room, she whispered, “Madam, is the Elder Lady muddle-headed? Liu Zhijin bullied the Second Young Lady in secret. Not only the Eldest Young Lady saw that and stopped her but also we’ve found that before. Yet, the Elder Lady just doesn’t believe it and keeps asserting that we are too narrow-minded. Now she even makes that girl a concubine. The Second Young Lady is the granddaughter of the Elder Lady!”

“Isn’t Yixiao the granddaughter of my mother-in-law?” Madam Lu was holding the ginseng tea and didn’t drink it. In tears, she said coldly, “Putting aside the past, my mother-in-law just kept addressing Yixiao as the evil just now. Does she really care about the blood relation with her granddaughter?”

She couldn’t help raising her sleeves to cover her face and sobbing, “How stupid I was! I should have thought about this. If Princess Consort of Wei were really a snob despising the poor and currying favor with the rich as my mother-in-law said, why would she waste ten years in the Song Family before remarrying? Clearly, she simply had no other choice but to leave!”

As the foster nurse still looked confused, Madam Lu laid her face on the quilt and burst out crying, “Madam Zhang, don’t you see it through? My mother-in-law bought Liu Zhijin not only to make trouble for Yixiao but also to set against me!”

“What?” Zhang Cuiniang was instantly dumbfounded. With her mouth wide open for a while, she finally asked in disbelief, “Madam, how is it possible? You are always filial to the Elder Lady and she is…was nice to you!”

“If she were not that nice to me before, how could I not take a tumble until now?” Madam Lu wiped her tears and said with grief and indignation, “My own mother has just passed away when she hastily asked my husband to take Liu Zhijin as his concubine. Do you know why?”

Before Zhang Cuiniang answered, she had continued, “For one thing, I need to observe one year’s mourning for my mother. She is afraid that I cannot continue having babies for my husband during this year, which can be attributed to her worry about the small number of the boy descendants of the Song Family. For another…”

She sobbed for a while and finally held back her emotions, “For another, it is because I gave birth to Yao!”

Zhang Cuiniang asked in surprise, “The Fourth Childe is a boy descendent. Isn’t that what the Elder Lady always longs for?”

“She does long for that. So does my husband. After all, there is only one boy descendent in the Song Family by now. Who doesn’t pay attention to him?” Madam Lu sneered and her tears just slowly permeated into the quilt, “Therefore, how can my mother-in-law not worry that I may not be as filial to her as before after I have the backing of Yao?”

“How is it possible?” If this were not uttered by Madam Lu, Zhang Cuiniang would never believe it, “Since you were married to this family, when have you taken the Elder Lady lightly? No offense. You are even more respectful and obedient to her than your own parents! How can she suspect your filial piety just because of the birth of the Fourth Childe?”

Madam Lu wiped her face with her sleeves randomly and said with a bitter smile, “After all, that my husband has a concubine and possibly a few more children with her won’t hurt my mother-in-law’s feelings. It is an act that can not only prevent me from being haughty for my son but also make her pleased by more people. Why not?”

Zhang Cuiniang’s mind was a mess. She had no idea what to say then. After being dazed for a moment, she finally said, “She still shouldn’t choose Madam Liu. This woman bullied the Second Young Lady when she was still a maid…”

“That’s why my mother-in-law makes her my husband’s concubine!” Madam Lu became strangely calm out of extreme sadness, “My husband is not that type of man who will do away with his wife out of the favor for his concubines, and I am not a jealous woman. If my husband is to take a concubine according to a general flow, I must learn about the disposition of the candidates and leave out those who are fractious. By then, even if he takes a few concubines, there won’t be big trouble in the backyard. However, since my mother-in-law doesn’t want me to live well, how can she allow the legitimate wife and the concubines to get along well?”

She smiled bitterly, “Liu Zhijin is the daughter of a sinful official. Without my mother-in-law, she would have been driven to prostitution! Now that her servitude contract is in my mother-in-law’s hands, how dare she oppose to the arrangement?”

Predictably, from now on, the family wouldn’t remain tranquil unless Madam Pang changed her mind!

Madam Lu had been in love with her husband since she got married. Regardless, she wouldn’t follow Wei Mengying’s example to remarry. Moreover, she couldn’t leave behind the three kids, among whom the eldest one was only four years old. However, at the thought of Madam Pang, and Liu Zhijin, a talented and beautiful girl from an official family, who was secretly backed by Madam Pang, in this room exposed to the sun in the third lunar month, Madam Lu only felt a chill deep in her heart and wished to ask her maid to bring two braziers inside.

Of course, Madam Lu’s enlightenment and bitter disappointment were not known by Song Yixiao. She didn’t expect that the whole thing of Liu Zhijin turning from a maid to a concubine was actually a move of Madam Pang to harness her daughter-in-law. Instead, she only thought that it was an act deliberately taken for her. Now she was sneering, “What a good maiden family I have! It is probably what a sworn enemy will do to one!”

Qiaoqin said discreetly, “While I was kept there to attend the feast, a servant of Lord Gu once asked me about your recent situation. As far as I can learn, Lord Gu seems to be quite concerned about you!”

“What kind of man is Lord Gu?” Song Yixiao understood that Qiaoqin was suggesting that she could seek revenge through Gu Shao, but Song Yixiao was not muddle-headed despite her depression, “Is it so simple to owe him a favor? She is a concubine only. Since my father doesn’t mind that he has married the girl’s aunt before, and I’m already married to the Jian Family now, why do I worry about that?”

She slightly sneered, “Moreover, if Lord Gu really wants to keep in with me, is it difficult to stop this matter from happening since he is living in the Song Family’s mansion right now?”

Qiaoqin was taken aback and hurriedly apologized, “I’m too stupid to think of that!”

Song Yixiao waved at her, gesturing for her to leave. Yet, in her mind, she was thinking, “Something… is wrong with this matter!”

Even if Gu Shao didn’t have to send away Liu Zhijin for the previous meeting, Liu Zhijin’s father, Liu Zhenxi was a firm supporter of Prince of Zhao!

By now, Song Yuan hadn’t shown his attitude yet. However, his current wife was the daughter of Lu Yicheng, Advisor to the Crown Prince; his son-in-law was Jian Xubai, the cousin of the Crown Prince; Gu Shao, the teacher of Commandery Prince Zhongling was even living in his mansion. Under this circumstance, no one would believe it if he claimed that he was not on the side of the Crown Prince.

Therefore, Madam Pang’s buying Liu Zhijin could be attributed to the reason that the old lady was too soft-hearted to see a girl drift into prostitution in consideration of the friendship between the Song Family and the Liu Family.

But how could Song Yuan take Liu Zhijin as his concubine?

It was not about disgracing his eldest daughter but running counter to the Eastern Palace!

At the first court meeting after the office was opened this year, didn’t Liu Zhenxi’s confession bring enough trouble to the Crown Prince?