Real Empress from a Noble Family

“My second sister-in-law, you are too serious! There are few sons in our branch. It is good to have more children in this family as I have sent some people to Tiancan and Yalan.” Madame Ou replied.

But when she talked to Mrs. Luo in private, she told the real reason, “There was once a Marquess in Mi’s own family, but it declined when she was born! Mi’s vision is too narrow! It is part of being a person to favor her niece. But she gives the cold shoulder to Fubing. What a foolish thing to do so! I favor both my granddaughter and my daughter-in-law. She doesn’t even think that Fubing is certainly the future Empress and will have a son who is sure to be the crown prince! If there is no accident, Fubing will be the Empress Dowager. Fubing has only one uncle, Tiancan. But Mi, Tiancan’s wife, has had a grudge with her and made her feel closer to Yashuang rather than Yabi and Yalan. Mi has gone completely off her head!”

Madame Ou sneered and asked, “What were Mi and Mi Yinyin doing these days?”

“The sixth madame properly settled those people when she came back and she did not say anything. She behaved as usual these two days,” Mrs. Luo said lightly. “But the thirteenth madame… When she returned, the wet nurse was asked to help arrange those mistresses. Last night she said she didn’t feel good. So, the thirteenth young master went into the inner chamber and visited her. The servants seemed to hear them argue and the thirteenth young master stormed out of the door. He then went to… Jinpa Pavilion.”

Those mistresses were sent by the elders, while Mi Yinyin had her wet nurse help make arrangements, which seemed that she harbored a grudge against Madame Ou. Otherwise, that was what she, as a wife, should do. It was Mrs. Luo who gave her the message that Madame Ou wanted her to do that in person. Why did she still get her wet nurse to help?

Madame Ou frowned, “I should not have believed Mi and got Yalan to marry Mi Junior. Her health is so delicate that she is not the sort of person who is fruitful and multiply. Since she has married into this family for two or three years, she hasn’t had any child. If not for the last glimmering hope, the soup sent to Yabi’s mistress for preventing pregnancy should have been stopped earlier.”

“The thirteenth madame’s unhappiness is not just for the mistress. I guess that it has something to do with Lady Fubing.” Mrs. Luo had been with Madame Ou all the time and so she didn’t have relations with Mi and Mi Yinyin. But Jiang Tianhe, as Madame Ou’s only grown daughter, grew up right before her eyes.

And when Jiang Tianhe came back this time, she cared about her in considerable detail and even her offspring were included. So, Mrs. Luo wouldn’t mind standing on Madame Tianhe’s side, “The thirteenth madame herself is overthinking about that! If she cannot change her character, it will be hard for Lady Fubing to be close to Old Master Tiancan, the tenth young master Yabi, and the thirteenth young master Yalan.”

Madame Ou, looking bad, said, “Fubing has treated Yalan as her elder brother. Yalan liked her before, but at last, he married Mi Junior with happiness! Now Fubing is the future Empress and everybody knows that. What does Mi Junior mean? She won’t ever be happy unless Fubing never shows up before her, will she?”

Fubing was the only granddaughter of her! A granddaughter-in-law who couldn’t bear a child had no right to give Fubing that attitude!

And in particular, her granddaughter Fubing would be Empress in the future!

“Well, since that Mi is quite sensible, you go to her place and…” Madame Ou thought for a while and told Mrs. Luo with a sneer, “Ask her in private. That Jiang Yashuang is favored today is of course due to his outstanding talent and the fact that he is loved by my second brother. But don’t my second sister-in-law’s utmost care and Empress Dowager’s repeated praises work?”

“How can you know that if Fubing will live in Taishi Hall where Empress Dowager lives now!”

Marquess Qin was old while Xin Fubing was young.

With the current power of the Jiang Family, if there was no accident, there would be no problem making sure that Xin Fubing’s son would inherit the throne.

By the time when Xin Fubing became Empress Dowager, the generation of Marquess Qin would be too old.

At that time, even if Xin Fubing did not have the power of regency, her status as the Empress Dowager alone would be enough to help relatives of her maiden family rise to exalted positions. But as Mi and Mi Yinyin had turned against Xin Fubing and Jiang Tianhe, it would be good if Jiang Tianhe, as vengeful as she was, didn’t settle the score by then, not to mention that she would allow them to steal the glory!

When Mi heard what Mrs. Luo said, she suddenly got a shock!

Though Madame Ou had explained to her what was at stake here, Mi found it extremely hard when she made apologies to Jiang Tianhe and her daughter Xin Fubing.

Xin Fubing was a junior young lady anyway. It was easier to coax her.

Mi, as Xin Fubing’s aunt, came to the door and made apologies in person. And she cried in pain, “I really didn’t mean to make you feel slighted with that thing before about Huizhi! It was because your tenth sister-in-law’s father was not well and she had to attend to him. And I needed to take care of Sir Jibei’s Mansion and had no time to make it out. The only one who could be sent there was your thirteenth sister-in-law. But I thought she was thoughtless and once offended you before. And it would be an upset for you if I sent her there. That was why I sent the butler to pay a visit!”

“Not at all, Aunt Mi. The thirteenth sister-in-law was… She was overthinking!” When Xin Fubing first returned to Jing City, Mi treated her well. But because of Mi Yinyin, Mi became gradually unfamiliar to her. When Xin Fubing saw Mi groveling like that, her heart was softened.

The problem was that settling the feud was… It was not up to Xin Fubing. Her mother Jiang Tianhe was the one who had the last say.

Jiang Tianhe was not as generous as her daughter! Having looked coldly at what Mi did, she suddenly asked, “In terms of who offended us, the blame actually lies with Yalan’s wife, Mi Yinyin. How come there is no sign of her and you come here alone today?”

Without waiting for an answer, Jiang Tianhe lectured her unmercifully, “I’m not judging you, my sister-in-law! You have spoiled your niece of your maiden family, haven’t you? You don’t even treat Yalan as well as you treat her. Even if you are close to your mother’s family, it is not the way to do so…”

“My fifth younger sister! I fear there has been some misunderstanding!” Mi would have controlled her anger if Jiang Tianhe said anything else. But now she was saying that Mi was taking the side of her mother’s family. Mi had to argue about that. At that time, when a woman got married, she was part of her husband’s family. It might happen to everybody that the married woman still chose her own family over her husband’s family. But she could never admit that on the table. As such, Mi interrupted at once, “I treat Yalan’s wife as well as I treat Yabi’s wife. It is because Yinyin has not been so well that I have to give her more attention.”

“My sister-in-law, that is where you are wrong!” Jiang Tianhe was waiting for that! She got more ammunition and said passionately, “Personally, such a woman in poor health should not have married Yalan. Look at her. She has been married into the family for two or three years while she still hasn’t been able to bear a son or daughter. And if Yalan goes to his mistress’s room or stays outside, she is said to be unhappy, isn’t she? That is fine that she fails to bear a child. But she dares to prevent others from having a son for her husband. Based on the seven grounds for divorce, a jealous wife like her can barely be kept!”

Mi went purple in the face. Her niece had been considered as a jealous wife and seven grounds for divorce were even mentioned here. How was that different from slapping the whole Mi Family’s face?

Even though she did not forget what Madame Ou reminded her, Mi could hardly keep her temper and almost quarreled with Jiang Tianhe!

Thankfully, her wet nurse pulled at her sleeve from behind. Mi gritted her teeth and put up with that. Mi said, in a shaky voice, “My fifth younger sister! This marriage was agreed by my mother-in-law and Yalan themselves!”

“My mother had been lived in Beijiang for years. How could she know about what ladies in Jing City are like? And Yalan is your son. How could he disobey you?” Jian Tianhe said lazily, “Don’t you know about how your niece is anyway? Despite that, you get her to marry Yalan. That is too bad for him!”

“Enough of that!” Mi could bear it no longer. She stood up and said sharply, “It is true that Yinyin and I have wronged you before. So, I am here today to apologize to you and your daughter with all sincerity! But our grudge has not reached the point of death! You have been saying aggressive words again and again. Must I kneel down and beg for your pardon?”

“Mother!” Xin Fubing was appalled as she heard that. At that moment she looked hard at Jiang Tianhe, hoping to stop her while feeling overwhelmed.

Jiang Tianhe seemed not to see Mi’s outbursts of anger. She took a placatory look at her daughter first and then gave Mi a half-laugh, “What? Can’t you pretend anymore? You pretended to be generous and virtuous to apologize to us, but you didn’t even bring the one responsible here. You were just coaxing my daughter since she is young and soft-hearted! All these years when we were away from Jing City, you had often been picking on her, hadn’t you?”

After saying that, she didn’t care about Mi’s pissed look. Instead, she taught her daughter on the spot, “You think your good aunt has had a change of her heart and felt sorry for you, don’t you? Let me tell you. The other day she messed with your nineteenth sister-in-law and was reported by Yashuang. Your grandmother has been infuriated by your aunt and so she sent someone to Mi and Mi Yinyin’s home! See! Here comes she today!”

Jiang Tianhe raised her eyes and looked at Mi. And she sneered, “You are not young. Plus, you haven’t got another son after giving birth to Yalan. As my sixth brother is a sweet-tempered man and a pushover, you have bossed him around and prevented him from taking some new mistresses. Now as soon as the young and beautiful mistresses are sent here, you get heated… You and your niece are not open-minded while you are more jealous than each other…”

“I… I will get you for that!” Mi would never have expected Jiang Tianhe to break openly with her and get them to this point!

It was not a problem of being petty. Her attitude showed that she was not planning to resolve the issue with her!

Mi had failed to seek settlements with Jiang Tianhe and Xin Fubing, which soured their relationship even more. No one seemed to know that. But Jiang Tianhe and Mi had talked past each other and quarreled bitterly before Madame Ou. Xin Fubing, unwilling to listen to that anymore, crept to Marquess Qin’s Mansion to speak to Qiu Yelan.

Having seen Qiu Yelan, she told her the whole story exactly and said in frustration, “I thought Mi was my aunt anyway and she visited us to make amends in person. Although she might be halfheartedly, we could play dumb and let it go. If we were always arguing, not only grandfather and grandmother would get upset, but my uncle and cousins would be caught in the middle. But my mother insisted that she would not let go of Aunt Mi and Mi Yinyin… I don’t know when they will stop arguing today. So, I am here to talk.”

Qiu Yelan asked, “Was only the sixth aunt-in-law there? Where was Mi Yinyin?”

“She is said to be ill and not be able to get up,” Xin Fubing sorted. “She has not been well. But who does know that if it is true or not? Of course, I will be glad that she is not going to show her face around me”

“No wonder that Aunt Tianhe got angry. While making amends, how come a senior comes while a junior doesn’t show up?” Qiu Yelan frowned. “Let alone sixth aunt-in-law neglected you for the sake of Mi Yinyin. How could Aunt Tianhe do not suspect that the sixth aunt-in-law was trying to fob you off?”

Xin Fubing picked a peach from the fruit bowl in front of her and muttered, looking depressed, “All that mess makes me feel bad!”

However, she happened to experience something even more upsetting. “Cousin Xin!”

Having heard a shout from outdoor, Xin Fubing was so shocked that she nearly dropped off the peach that she had just raised to her lips. “Cousin Yashuang! It’s like you have never seen me before. Why are you shouting so loud? You are freaking me out!”

In a big stride, Jiang Yashuang entered the room and walked over to her without saying one word. Having been watched by her and Qiu Yelan in amazement, Jiang Yashuang, without missing a beat, coolly pulled the carefully washed, sweet and tasty peach from her hand, and took a fistful of dried peaches from the dried fruit plate around him. He had acted so smoothly and naturally and said, “Your nineteenth cousin-in-law is with child now. These peaches were specially sent by your fourteenth cousin-in-law. With you eating it, there will be one less for Yelan! If you want peaches, just have these dried ones!”

With dried peaches in hand, Xin Fubing stared at him and longed to throw them at his head. “It’s in the Spring Festival. Why do you have to count such a peach? It was given to me by my nineteenth cousin-in-law!”

Qiu Yelan defended her, “Honestly! It’s just a peach! And there are several fruits sent by the fourteenth sister-in-law and I can’t eat them all…”

“If you can’t eat all those, just keep them. Maybe you want to taste them sometime?” At that moment, Jiang Yashuang seemed to forget to follow his conscience. He calmly put the peach in his sleeves and made it clear that he wouldn’t give it to Xin Fubing. “In case there are no fruits, how can I get some more for you?”

While Xin Fubing and Qiu Yelan were speechless, Chunran rushed in, “Something has gone wrong in Shazhou!”

“The group of the eighth young master has been attacked. The eighth young master has been desperately rescued by the bodyguards. Except for him, whether Chunfu Princess, Miss Ou, and Young Master Ling are still alive is unknown.”

“What?” The three in the room could no longer care about peaches or something else. They were all astonished, “Who did that?”