The old lady of the Zhao family had every intention to keep them, but given the conduct of the second and third daughters-in-law, anyone with a bit of a backbone would choose not to stay.
"Ruyi, come again another day. Wait for your aunt to send you an invitation. The peonies in the mansion will soon bloom, do come with them to appreciate the flowers," the old lady began arranging their next meeting.
"Aunt, even though I am thick-skinned and see no need to hide from others, that doesn’t mean I am a dough to be kneaded by anyone. With the third lady’s words reaching this extent, coming again would simply be asking for dislike," Du Ruyi glanced at the second and third ladies, paused, and continued, "Moreover, I have to consider their feelings."
"Ruyi, rest assured, your aunt will handle this matter. In this mansion, standing is decided by this old one, not by them," the old lady said solemnly, "Your aunt promises these odd occurrences won’t happen again when you visit."
Du Ruyi smiled, "Dahe, Xiaohua, let’s go, it’s time we head back."
Zhao Dahe and Zhao Xiaohua saluted the old lady and then followed Du Ruyi out.
"Mother, I’ll go see off Miss Du," Yu shi hurriedly said.
The ones speaking just now were the sisters-in-law. Though she held similar thoughts, she had restrained herself from voicing them.
"Second lady, please stay, Miss Du cannot trouble you," Du Ruyi said airily.
"Huang Ying, you go see Miss Du and others off," the old lady instructed.
Huang Ying responded, bowed slightly, retreated, and quickly caught up to Du Ruyi and the others.
"Mother," the second lady said somewhat apprehensively. Although the mother-in-law was typically easy-going and never overly harsh on the daughters-in-law, it didn’t mean she had a pleasant temperament.
She had stated before that she had been a daughter-in-law herself and understood the difficulty of the position, so she was willing to tolerate them as much as possible.
But this time, it was clear to her that the mother-in-law was genuinely angry.
Even though she couldn’t quite grasp what there was to be angry about.
It was just one abandoned woman along with two servants.
The sister-in-law didn’t exactly disgrace her, just spoke the truth.
"Do you realize your mistakes?" the old lady questioned.
Yu shi promptly answered, "Mother, your daughter-in-law knows her mistakes."
Xie shi, however, was slightly indignant, "I don’t know what mistake I have made!"
"Second daughter-in-law, didn’t you admit your mistake? Tell the third daughter-in-law what your mistakes were," the old lady spoke sternly.
Yu shi: She just spoke casually.
But the mother-in-law called her out. If she didn’t give some kind of explanation, the mother-in-law would only be more infuriated.
"My first mistake was making arbitrary arrangements for that young man. The second was going against your orders to leave and coming here without your consent. The third mistake was failing to take into account Miss Du’s emotions. She’s, well, it’s not easy for her," Yu shi said with difficulty.
These could qualify as mistakes.
"No matter how Du Ruyi is, she is the legitimate daughter of the Du family. Even if she were abandoned, with the Du family behind her, how could you casually humiliate her? Du Fengran is the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, overseeing all official promotions. You may think your actions in the rear court have no connection to him, but what about the second and third?" the old lady said sternly, "Short-sighted, typical of women. If Ruyi were petty and went back crying, do you think your husbands would come off unscathed?"
How did she end up choosing such two daughters-in-law in the first place?
On ordinary days they seemed to understand propriety, yet today, they truly infuriated her.
Yu shi and Xie shi remained silent.
They thought simply that the Minister Du might not favor this returned sister.
After all, it wasn’t a matter of pride, it would tarnish the Du family’s reputation.
The Du family having one son and one daughter, neither married nor engaged.
Marriages among aristocratic families are always particular.
They usually consider if the other household has any returned women within three generations.
If so, it is deemed unlucky, a condition they prefer to avoid in marriage.
As parents, can a sister be closer than sons and daughters?
It was precisely this thought process that made Yu shi and Xie shi so confident.
So, even when silent, they considered the mother-in-law to be exaggerating.
The old lady had been with the two daughters-in-law for many years, so how could she not discern the discontent within them?
The grandchildren had said their identities would not be disclosed at the Zhao Mansion for the moment. She agreed, and thus couldn’t afford to break her promise.
Temporarily, she couldn’t take a stand for those siblings.
But, as a mother-in-law, if she wanted to straighten them out, wasn’t it easy to find an excuse?
Of course, she was a good mother-in-law, never playing the villain.
"Enough, I’m tired, off you go. When the second and third sons return, have them visit my courtyard," the old lady said.
She wouldn’t play the villain to the daughters-in-law.
But with sons, there was no need for reservation.
The faces of Yu shi and Xie shi both changed.
The first thing the two sons did upon returning from duty every day was pay their respects to her. By specifically mentioning this, she aimed to make Yu shi and Xie shi overthink.
This was in itself their punishment.
Upon exiting Songhe Hall, Xie shi cursed under her breath.
"Sister-in-law, mind your words," Yu shi cautiously surveyed their surroundings.
"Second sister, the way she acts, she clearly treats Du Ruyi like her precious treasure. Praises her endlessly, even those two servants she brought along are considered treasures," Xie shi said indignantly.
"I’m not too happy about it either, but what can we do? When it comes to the eldest brother, the mother-in-law always lacks a bit of sense," Yu shi sighed, "Let’s first think about how we will explain things once they return. Those brothers have always been dutiful."
Xie shi was deeply troubled. Everything was good about her own husband except one thing: he always took his mother’s words as decrees. Now, the two of them would surely argue over this.
"In any case, Du Ruyi mustn’t enter this household. If she does, can we still have our good days?" Xie shi stomped her foot, "This matter must be completely spoiled."
Yu shi thought the same but was wary this time and refrained from expressing it.
"A mother’s intentions are not ones we as daughters-in-law can defy," Yu shi said.
"Yes, we can’t defy her. But she also has those she can’t defy," Xie shi laughed sinisterly, "Second sister, I’ll head back first."
Yu shi was taken aback but soon understood.
She smiled, shook her head, and left in the opposite direction of Xie shi.
Huang Ying emerged from the shadows; she had heard the conversations between the second and third ladies.
Originally, escorting guests out wouldn’t bring her back so quickly, but halfway through, Miss Du insisted she return to serve the old lady.
Quite fortuitously, she stumbled upon this spectacle.
The second and third ladies who usually pretended to be respectful behind the scenes were actually speaking ill of the old lady; it was truly detestable. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
As a qualified maid, Huang Ying knew full well who her true master was.
Moreover, if anyone spoke ill of the master, it was her duty to report it promptly.
As for how the master would handle it, that was their concern—she just needed to do what was expected of her.