The 114th time

  Dressed properly, under the gaze of Xiaotao's melancholy eyes, Minglan supported Caihong's hand and slowly stepped out of the door. Caihong lowered her head and glanced at the pearl bracelet on Minglan's wrist, each one as big as a thumb, round and clean, shining brightly.

  She was shocked in her heart, thinking that the Gu family was indeed rich and noble. Such a large pearl, with good shape and color, even if it were Wang's family, they would only have a few embedded in their hairpins, earrings, and bangles. Unexpectedly, Minglan had a whole string of them, casually hanging from her wrist.

  Cai Hong had not yet finished thinking, when the master and servant arrived at the side hall of Jia Xi Ju. Next to the big red pillar were two dense sea buckthorn trees with emerald green leaves, which even in March or April brought a refreshing coolness. The windows here were made entirely of glass, a rare sight in ordinary households, and shone like crystal, making the entire hall very bright and clear.

  As she entered the hall, she saw that Old Mrs. Wang and her two daughters-in-law were already seated inside, while a maid was carrying in a tray of tea. Minglan smiled as she went forward to pay her respects: "Aunt Wang has arrived, I'm late, please don't blame me."

  The old lady sat upright at the top, wearing a purple-red embroidered auspicious cloud patterned jacket with three treasures, looking more luxurious and auspicious than when they last met. She heard this and said lightly: "You're very busy today, don't blame me for bothering you."

  Minglan smiled slightly and simply said, "How dare I?" She then turned her head to greet the other two women with a bow, warmly saying hello. The Grand Mistress Rong and Mistress Di both returned the courtesy with a bow.

  After the courtesy was over, the four of them sat down. Mrs. Di was quite young, only twenty-six or seven years old, with a fair and delicate complexion, looking dignified and wealthy, with a smile on her face. Seeing that the atmosphere in the hall was somewhat cold, she said: "To think about it, this is still my first time coming here! What a magnificent mansion! I originally thought that this house had been empty for so long, who knows how messy it would be! It seems that I haven't seen much of the world after all!"

  Minglan smiled humbly and said, "It's not just Second Sister-in-law who thinks so, I do too. Only later did we find out that this place was originally a imperial guard post with people watching over it. Although no one has lived here for many years, the repairs are quite tidy, which saved us a lot of trouble."

  The old lady's eyes flashed, and the corners of her mouth seemed to have a slight disdain. She said elegantly: "Since the imperial grace is vast, why are the decorations in this house still so simple? It looks empty and is not good."

  Minglan saw the summons and hesitated, slightly embarrassed as she lowered her head: "This is what your nephew means, he says that once the personnel in the mansion are settled, it's not too late to slowly open the warehouse, so as to avoid mistakes due to haste; I, I don't dare to refute him..."

  Mrs. Di smiled lightly and covered her mouth: "You two brothers are still the same! Not a bit changed, this can't be blamed on you."

  Minglan forced a smile and laughed along with them for a few moments, and the atmosphere in the hall became slightly more harmonious; Minglan glanced sideways at Empress Dowager Wei beside her, only to see that she still had a stiff expression, shrinking into a corner sipping tea, not daring to say much.

  Minglan found it strange, since Gu Tingye was clearly the eldest son of the fifth branch, why...

  After exchanging a few pleasantries, the old lady's face remained cold and distant. When Minglan mentioned the matters of the mansion, she put down her teacup, took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed at the corner of her mouth: "If this mansion still needs so many arrangements, why didn't you send someone to do it earlier? You only did some useless things."

  Minglan pretended to be stupid, continuing her gentle smile: "The niece-in-law is very foolish and afraid of making mistakes. Anyway, it's not urgent, so let's take our time and figure out the people first before talking about other things." She was curious how this self-proclaimed elegant old lady started a quarrelsome topic.

  The old lady's face sank, and one hand clenched into a fist on the table: "Do you know what I came to do today?"

  "I came to see my sister-in-law. What else could it be for?" Minglan smiled very cutely.

  The old lady snorted, speaking in a mysterious and eerie tone: "I don't dare! Brother Rong is now flying high and prosperous, how could he still consider this old woman? It's already good that I'm not being trampled underfoot!"

  Minglan smiled and used the tea lid to scoop off the tea leaves: "Auntie is joking again, what's this about 'eyes on the ground'? I don't understand." She glanced sideways at the other two, only to see that they were both lowering their heads in unison to drink their tea.

  The old lady was choked with anger, her face changed several times, and she slapped the table heavily: "Good! I'll ask you, Brother Yan insisted on living separately, we didn't dare to stop him. We thought that you two wouldn't have a suitable person to manage the household chores, so we kindly sent over a few servants! But you're good, you've been idle for several months without saying anything, and as soon as you entered the house, you started interrogating those old servants like they were criminals!" She hummed coldly while speaking.

  Minglan watched the actions of the Fifth Old Madam with a cold eye, but she didn't get angry. To be honest, since the last dispute over the issue of staying or leaving, she had discovered that these two old aunties from the Gu family were quite interesting in character.

  The fourth old lady looked lively and loved to talk, but was actually very cautious, not saying a word when she shouldn't. The fifth old lady looked elegant and refined, but had a hot temper, and would immediately lash out with words whenever something didn't go her way or someone provoked her.

  Indeed, you can't judge a person by appearance.

  "What was I saying? It turns out it's this." Minglan stopped fiddling with the tea bowl and looked quietly at Old Lady Five, then suddenly spoke loudly, "Have all the people been called?"

  "They've all arrived, madam." A respectful female voice sounded from outside.

  "Please come in."

  The apricot-yellow thin brocade curtain with carved bamboo pieces slowly opened, and Xia He came in. She bowed her head, propped up the curtain with her hand, and a line of middle-aged women entered from outside. They were exactly the four wives of Lai Hua Tian. As soon as they saw that Old Lady Wu was also there, their expressions changed, and each of the four women had different facial expressions, exchanging glances with one another. Xia He put down the curtain, took out a stack of paper from her sleeve, and respectfully handed it to Ming Lan.

  After taking it, she glanced at it slightly, hesitated for a moment, smiled secretly in her heart, and then put away the paper. She raised her head and looked at the four of them with a smile that was not quite a smile: "The Fifth Old Lady's ears are so quick to report to the gods. You asked this question just this morning, and now your aunt has arrived."

  Those four mothers' faces turned even more severe, the other three stared straight at Xiang Mama, their eyes seeming to hold blame, under the gaze of everyone, Xiang Mama's face turned purple, her head almost hanging down to her chest; seeing this, Old Lady Five was extremely displeased, she hadn't expected Minglan to be so quick-witted, speaking as she summoned someone over, and suddenly there was a confrontational atmosphere.

  "What? Can't I ask?" The old lady said loudly.

  Minglan seemed to find it amusing, her voice still sweet: "I only asked a few questions, why must Aunt be so worried? Just now Aunt said that these few houses were given to me, can't I even ask two sentences?"

  The old lady was furious, standing up: "If you only asked two questions, I wouldn't say anything; but you're digging deep, as if you want to dig out their ancestors eight generations ago! You say, don't you trust us?! If not, just say so, and I'll take the people away immediately, without staying to annoy your eyes!"

  "What's the big deal? Asking a few questions has nothing to do with whether you believe me or not."

  "What's good for you to ask about someone your elders gave to you?!" The old lady became utterly unreasonable.

  Minglan slowly put down the tea bowl, straightened her posture, and respectfully said to the old lady: "Auntie, do you know what the emperor's first act was after he ascended to the throne? Ah... it was to have the Ministry of Officials submit a list of officials' performance evaluations for nearly ten years."

  The old lady was stunned, looking at Minglan, not knowing what she meant. Minglan continued: "According to Aunt's words, the Emperor is like this, doesn't it mean that he doesn't trust the previous emperor?"

  "Nonsense! When did I ever say that?!" The old lady took a big jump, how did the topic run to there, she was anxious for a moment, and shouted loudly, "Don't you dare to frame me!" Minglan smiled very happily: "But the officials are also left by the previous emperor, the Emperor still wants to investigate, isn't that what Auntie means?"

  The old lady bit her lip, her chest heaving up and down, while Minglan's smile grew even brighter: "Oh, right, I heard Mr. Zhuang mention that the year the previous emperor ascended to the throne, a similar document evaluating the performance of all officials was also submitted by the Ministry of Justice? Ah, could it be... Aunt thought that the previous emperor didn't trust Emperor Wu either? Oh, maybe Aunt didn't mean that, perhaps it was Fourth Uncle's idea?"

  The old lady's scalp was numb with fear, and she dared not pretend to be angry anymore. She hastily waved her hand and said: "Don't talk nonsense! I didn't mean that at all... Just ask whatever you want to ask, it's nothing special. I didn't say anything either! Go ahead and ask!"

  Minglan knew that it was not good to be too excessive, so she immediately put on a proper demeanor and said seriously: "Although I am just a woman, I deeply feel that the previous emperor and the current emperor are both wise. What is meant by supervision is for the sake of maintaining the clarity of governance and protecting the well-being of the people. Therefore, the Ministry of Officials' three-year evaluation and five-year performance review are all for the sake of upholding the principles of heaven! Auntie, don't you think so?"

  You've even dragged in the emperor's wisdom, what can the old lady say, naturally she kept nodding in agreement, sweating profusely, while Mrs. Di on the side also helped her mother-in-law speak, Minglan of course smiled and accepted.

  The four women standing beside looked at each other in dismay, their eyes revealing vigilance as they lowered their heads.

  Smiling, Minglan thought that if she didn't tease this old aunt again, she might come to disturb her afternoon nap next time. So she took out the stack of paper and smiled: "Since Auntie has come today, I have a question that I don't understand, and I hope Auntie will enlighten me."

  The old lady saw Minglan change the subject and let out a sigh of relief: "Alright, dear niece."

  Ming Lan's tone remained gentle and warm, she pointed to the side and smiled: "This Shu mama has been following Aunt into Ningyuan Marquis' manor, and has taken charge of five tasks in total. They were three months of kitchen procurement, two months of cosmetics and hair oil procurement, half a year of managing the backyard garden, four months of night duty in the inner courtyard, and finally five months of teaching new young maids. Niece-in-law found it strange, why Shu mama didn't complete any task for a full year?"

  According to the degree of greasiness, Xiaomama has slid all the way from Heavy Oil Base to Clear Water Alley.

  When these words came out, the mother-in-law next to her almost knelt down! The face of Old Lady Wu was also dark and embarrassed, she coughed lightly a few times, but didn't know how to explain it well, so she turned her head to look at her two daughters-in-law.

  Mrs. Di Er saw the situation was not in her favor, so she hastily said: "Younger brother and sister don't know, Xie Mama served her mother-in-law in the early years and suffered a bit, her body... isn't very good, that's why Mother-in-law is being considerate of her..." She herself couldn't continue speaking, recommending a helper to Mr. and Mrs. Gu Tingyan, but recommending someone who was sickly? Was it to help or to add trouble?

  Who would have thought that Minglan nodded, looking very convinced: "So that's it! Fortunately, my niece asked a question. If not, asking Mother Xiang to do that hard job would be making her illness worse!"

  The mother immediately became anxious and hastily said: "Second Madam, let the old slave interject a sentence! The old slave was indeed in poor health some years ago, but has been well-nourished these past few years!"

  Miss Lin waved her hand generously, pointing to the words on the paper, and smiled: "Mother doesn't have to worry, I know your loyalty and good intentions. But looking at these trivial matters over the years, Mother, you've been 'unwell' for over a decade now, and it wasn't until two years ago that there was some improvement. It's better to take care of yourself more, lest outsiders say we're not considerate of our servants!"

  The mother-in-law's mouth was as if she had a bitter melon, her forehead sweating, and the other three wives couldn't help but steal glances at Minglan, thinking that although she was young, she really had skills, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of fear in their hearts. They didn't expect this new wife to be so tough.

  Minglan still had that gentle and modest expression, with a very kind tone: "Auntie, you see, shouldn't we ask more questions?"

  The old lady had a belly full of grievances but couldn't utter a single word, and could only nod in distress.

  Ming Lan smiled and turned her head, her gaze falling steadily on Lai Mama. Lai Mama was startled by the look in her eyes and trembled as she said, "Second Mistress, what orders do you have?"

  She lifted the teacup, slowly and deliberately moving the tea lid: "A good day, yet Auntie got angry for no reason; it's also unfair to say. You several, I didn't hit or scold, just asked a few questions, and Auntie came knocking on the door, pulling what I don't believe in the Hou Mansion. Ah... you are all dignified and respectable, I really can't use them up. In the future, if there's another gust of wind, and someone comes to take charge for you, I won't have to manage the household affairs anymore." Her gaze remained fixed on Lai Mama, her eyes piercing like needles.

  Lai Mama only felt her heart beating rapidly, but Minglan said: "However, it's also true that after serving for many years, I do have some affection for you; Lai Mama..." Lai Mama suddenly came to attention and stood up respectfully, listening to Minglan say: "Today, I've called out to you twice, are you not obedient?"

  Lai's mother hastily said: "The second lady taught me, how dare I be disobedient?"

  "You're so experienced and mature, how could you possibly be unsure?" Minglan's eyes shone brightly, her meaning crystal clear.

  Lai's mother gritted her teeth: "It's all the old slave's fault, relying on his age to dare scold the lady, it's really a case of a subordinate offending a superior!"

  Minglan nodded in satisfaction: "Then tell me, was I wrong?"

  "Of course, madam is not wrong, it's this old slave who was at fault!"

  "No." Minglan shook her head, "Even if Master was wrong, you shouldn't have rebuked him in public." The crowd was shocked.

  "Especially in the second episode, you clearly knew that I had just entered the door and my prestige was not enough at this time. It was exactly when I needed to establish a reputation. Not to mention that what I said were just some harmless trivial matters, even if I really made a mistake, you shouldn't have rebuked me in front of many people. You should have advised me gently afterwards! Sister, don't you think so?"

  Madam Di looked at Minglan with a profound gaze and smiled: "Sister-in-law, you're absolutely right."

  Minglan smiled and patted her palm: "With sister-in-law saying this, I can rest assured that the old lady won't come to scold me."

  The old lady's face sank, knowing that the words just now were actually said to her. First, she shouldn't have come to find fault with her on her first day of taking charge, and secondly, she wasn't even her mother-in-law, what was she teaching her for no reason!

  At this time, a sudden noise of women's voices came from outside. Minglan frowned and Caihe, who was very perceptive, saw the situation earlier and knew that Minglan was not easy to mess with. She immediately went out on her own initiative and returned to report: "Madam, it's...it's Feng Xiangniang's maid, she wants to see you."

  Everyone in the house had different expressions, Empress Wang looked at Minglan with a worried face, Di Second Mistress was calm and collected, while Old Madam Wu showed obvious expectation, as if she wanted to turn things around, her face full of anticipation.

  Minglan smiled and looked at her, thinking that if she didn't call the maid in, this old lady would certainly have more to say, so she said: "Call her in."

  A seventeen or eighteen-year-old maid came in, with a delicate and pretty face, wearing a red jacket with a water snake waist, very slender. She raised her head and knelt down to Minglan, saying: "Greetings to the mistress."

  "Get up, say what you have to say quickly, there are guests here."

  That girl wanted to speak but stopped, seeing Minglan had no intention of compromising, so she said: "Our young lady knows that the madam is busy and doesn't dare disturb her. Originally thought that since the madam has seen everyone in the mansion, it's also our young lady's turn, so the young lady asked me to come and request an audience with the madam, and at least offer a cup of tea."

  Minglan smiled and didn't respond, instead turning her head towards the four women: "Ladies, what do you think should be done about this?"

  Lai's mother jumped at the mention of her daughter's name, and she didn't quite understand Minglan's meaning. Before she could think it through, Hua's mother stepped forward, scolding loudly: "You little girl are too impudent! Can you casually offer tea to the mistress? You need to get the elder's consent, the master's nod, and the mistress's satisfaction, but you just touch your lips together and that's it?"

  Minglan's face was filled with joy, smiling as she looked at Hua Mama. As soon as Hua Mama caught her eye, she puffed out her chest, looking rather proud of herself.

  Look at that maid, what else does she want to say? Tian's mother also understood and immediately went over, grabbing her arm and shouting: "What status is your daughter now? She's not a concubine, nor is she a wife. How can you call her madam? What etiquette should be used to see her? Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and get out of here! Wait for the master to speak before saying anything!"

  While saying this, she pushed the maid out and told Xia He to drag her away.

  Minglan watched this and was very satisfied, with a smile all over her face: "This Feng Xian is sent from outside, I don't dare to say anything. Fortunately, you are the ones who have been mothers for many years, indeed understanding etiquette and knowing what's formidable!" Although she didn't explicitly mention who, her gaze was only on the two mothers of Huatian, and they immediately showed gratitude, repeatedly being humble.

  In ancient times, rules and regulations were strict. When going to Liangshan, one had to submit a letter of introduction. These four people belonged to the transferred unit, and before gaining the trust of the new master, they had to show something, such as ability, determination, loyalty, etc. They couldn't just be reused by the new boss for no reason; people like Xie Mama, who were in Cao's camp but had their hearts with Han, were especially not usable.

  Four mothers retreated, Minglan still smiled and called the maid to continue serving tea and snacks. However, the face of the fifth old lady was extremely unpleasant. Today, she could be said to have been defeated and humiliated, gaining nothing but being ridiculed, yet she couldn't get angry, or else it would be considered that the emperor was not wise; how could the emperor not be wise? So she just shut up.

  Minglan looked at her changing face and understood in her heart: among the three sisters-in-law, only Old Madam was the original wife, with sons and daughters, grandchildren all around, and a husband who had made a name for himself. The old lady was a second wife, and Fourth Old Madam not only was a second wife but also had only one daughter. In reality, her backbone was stronger than theirs.

  She often does things with less calculation.

  Her purpose in coming to provoke today is very simple, but it's just that she can't bear the sight of Gu Tingyan's high spirits, thinking of suppressing Minglan and seizing her mistakes, in order to confirm Ningyuan Houfu's advantage over Gu Tingyan, and have the right to make demands.

  At this point, she couldn't understand, but just now Hana's two mothers saw clearly.

  Minglan and Aunt Di exchanged a few more pleasantries, then the group of five elderly ladies was about to leave. Before departing, Minglan whispered one sentence: "Auntie, today I have wronged you greatly, don't take it to heart; just think about why among the entire Ningyuan Marquis's household, only you came?"

  Even if this sentence is not understood by old European aunties, I hope her two daughters-in-law can understand.

  On the way back, Wu Lao Tai Tai was in the same car as her beloved second daughter-in-law. She said angrily: "Hmph! She still wants to stir up trouble. Your fourth aunt is useless and has no son, so she doesn't dare come. But your eldest aunt is very good, and Er Ge is clearly not welcoming to her, how can she have the nerve to talk about his wife? Of course, only I came!"

  Mrs. Di Er did not echo, who provoked whom, this fact is not important, what's important is that now Gu Tingyan has more power and can help his own children more... it's better not to offend him.

  The big madam was alone in the small carriage at the back, and the personal maid beside her said softly: "This new wife is really fierce, she forced the old lady to be speechless with one sentence after another. I've never seen it before...it's really refreshing."

  "Don't talk nonsense!" The great lady changed her previous weakness, scolded with a stern face, and said, "You don't know how vicious this new wife is today!" Seeing the personal maid's puzzled face, she whispered, "In fact, mother-in-law looking for trouble is not worth making a fuss about, and there are few reasons that can be explained. What's really important is that parents are always right, even if they're wrong, it's not good for juniors to directly refute them. She's just a new daughter-in-law who has been in the house for a few days, and she dares to quarrel with her aunt as soon as she arrives. No matter who's right or wrong, once it gets out, it'll all be her fault!"

  That maid softly exclaimed: "Oh, I understand now. If the second wife tolerates this matter, then the old lady will take advantage of her mistake and use it to lecture her; if the second wife doesn't swallow her anger and argues with the old lady, then she's being disobedient and unfilial! What a pity, the new wife is also very clever, smiling all along, not getting angry at all."

  The big wife let out a long sigh, raised her eyes to gaze at the top of the car, and muttered to herself: "That person is really formidable, calculating everywhere..." Then she chuckled softly twice, "But that one isn't easy to handle either! When I first heard that he was going to marry a concubine's daughter, she was so happy... Hehe..."