Auntie Ling expressed sympathy towards her mistress.
Her mistress had apparently put in a lot of effort for nothing.
"It's alright, Madame Qiao. There's still a lot more to come," Auntie Ling consoled her, asking the other maids to clean up the scattered items on the ground. "He's just a Recommended Man, not yet holding an official position. We don't know what he'll be like in the future. The Old Master is just pleased with him at the moment, and you can just comply with his orders for now.
There's no need to let it upset you."
Madame Qiao composed herself and let out a sarcastic laugh. "You're absolutely right. I was foolish to be upset. The Old Master is the real fool here. He treats a simpleton as a prized possession. How can someone so dull succeed in the future? He'll be overwhelmed by the distractions of the capital and fail his exams!"
"Madame Qiao, you are right," agreed Auntie Ling.
The exchange between the mistress and the maid helped calm Madame Qiao's nerves.
She then instructed Auntie Ling to tidy up a courtyard, arrange for some shopping, and send for Qiao Wei.
Madame Qiao was particularly concerned about Qiao Wei, who had a low tolerance for injustice. She knew that Qiao Wei would be outraged when she heard what had happened and needed to be pacified first.
As expected, Qiao Wei was furious upon hearing the news.
"That's impossible! How can a poor Cultivated Talent become a Provincial Champion? The examiners must have been blind or he cheated!" Qiao Wei exclaimed.
Madame Qiao became nervous and said, "Stop talking nonsense!"
Qiao Wei only dared to complain in front of Madame Qiao. She knew better than to mention such ridiculous things.
Qiao Wei snapped, "Dad wants us to treat them well and prepare good gifts and news for that woman. And we're supposed to teach her too? She doesn't deserve any of this!"
Madame Qiao had a headache and said, "That's your dad's order, and we can't let him down…
"I disagree! Why can't we let him down? My brother is working at Hanlin Academy! Dad won't do anything to us just because that man got lucky and became a Recommended Man!"
"Save your breath. Everything is temporary, and we will get through it eventually. When your dad knows what they are really like, he will just kick them out without us doing anything. You need to be patient and try to endure it, or things will become very difficult for us after your marriage. There will be many obstacles along the way."
"Try to behave well in front of your dad and give her some of your nice ornaments."
Qiao Wei was initially persuaded, but her anger resurfaced when she was told to give Qiao Xuan some of her ornaments. She adamantly refused.
"No! She doesn't deserve my things! I would rather throw them away than give them to her!"
"And I don't want to pretend to be her beloved sister!"
Madame Qiao attempted to calm Qiao Wei down and advised her to develop the ability to accept people she didn't like, especially for the sake of her father. She emphasized that this skill would come in handy when she eventually married her husband.
She explained that if Qiao Wei acted kindly towards Qiao Xuan in front of their dad, he would treat her better in the future.
After much persuasion, Qiao Wei reluctantly agreed, but she knew deep down that she couldn't force herself to genuinely like her sister. However, she promised to avoid causing any trouble and to behave civilly towards Qiao Xuan for the sake of their father's happiness.
Madame Qiao sympathized with her daughter's predicament and acknowledged that changing her attitude towards Qiao Xuan would not be easy. She also agreed with Qiao Wei's complaints.
To ease the situation, Madame Qiao instructed Auntie Ling to inform Concubine Du and Qiao Kou about the new developments, so they could all be on the same page and not worry about any further issues for the time being..