Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Qiao Wei and Qiao Kou felt a mix of disappointment and annoyance. They had expected First Madame to be generous and offer them presents as well. After all, she had showered Qiao Xuan with precious gifts. Why were they being treated so differently?
They couldn’t help but wonder why the Yuezheng Family didn’t even bother to offer any presents during their first meeting. It seemed unfair and left them feeling overlooked.
Unbeknownst to them, First Madame had indeed prepared some gifts. However, upon hearing Qiao Wei speak ill of Qiao Xuan and Qiao Kou constantly indicating their annoyance towards her, First Madame’s initial goodwill wavered. She was a perceptive person and understood that maintaining superficial connections was unnecessary.
Ultimately, she decided not to present them with any gifts. It was a subtle way of expressing her dissatisfaction and protecting Qiao Xuan from unfair treatment.
Madame Qiao, on the other hand, grew increasingly irritated by her encounter with First Madame. She couldn’t fathom what was wrong with the Yuezheng Family. She was about to return to the capital with her husband, and she had no intention of cultivating any further relationship with them. Perhaps their family’s business in the north wasn’t doing as well as she had presumed.
Madame Qiao couldn’t comprehend the arrogance displayed by the Yuezheng Family in treating an officer’s wife so poorly. In her eyes, they were nothing more than a group of uncivilized and narrow-minded individuals lacking basic manners.
While she acknowledged that there was little she could do about the Yuezheng Family directly, she was determined to make Qiao Xuan suffer. Madame Qiao refused to let Qiao Xuan believe that her husband’s newfound status made her invincible. As the girl’s biological mother, Madame Qiao believed she had the authority to teach her a lesson, despite her marriage.
As Madame Qiao and her daughters departed from First Madame’s residence, a realization struck her. First Madame had failed to provide them with the information regarding Qiao Xuan and her in-law’s whereabouts. However, it was not feasible for her to turn back and inquire at that moment. Madame Qiao reluctantly let go of the thought, feeling even more disgruntled.
Just as she was leaving the mansion with her biological daughter and the concubine’s daughter, they unexpectedly encountered Ms. Mi Junior.
Ms. Mi Junior initially didn’t recognize Madame Qiao and her daughters, resulting in a frown on her face. However, the maid intervened and introduced both parties to each other.
Upon learning that Ms. Mi Junior was the Second Madame Yuezheng, Madame Qiao felt a surge of motivation and greeted her, inadvertently revealing her status as Qiao Xuan’s biological mother. She wanted to make it clear that Qiao Xuan would never escape the influence of the Qiao Family.
Nis. Mi Junior’s eyes lit up, and she greeted Madame Qiao with a smile, “Oh,
Mrs. Shao’s lineal mother, greetings!’
“You are too kind, Second Mrs. Yuezheng.” Madame Qiao felt even more irritated seeing Ms.Mi Junior greet her for Qiao Xuan’s sake.
Madame Qiao couldn’t help but wonder if that wretched girl had managed to gather so many allies. She knew that First Madame didn’t wish to keep her around, and Ms. Mi Junior’s husband had sons of his own. It was a well-known fact that biological mothers and the children of concubines were rarely on good terms. Thus, Ms. Mi Junior saw an opportunity to cause trouble, leveraging her position as the Second Madame to spite Qiao Xuan’s lineal mother.
“My Elder Sister-in-law must be too busy to receive you well. I am free. If you want, what about having tea with me? We can have some nice chats with each other too.’
Faced with Ms.Mi Junior’s warm, open arms, Madame Qiao and the two daughters were so surprised and glad. They were never going to miss this open opportunity. Madame Qiao accepted the invitation directly.
Therefore, the three women walked away with Ms.Mi Junior.
But the maid who was supposed to lead them out could not do anything, but reported the situation to First Madame honestly.
First Madame was very surprised. But she did not mind. Instead, she smiled briefly, “My sister-in-law is very hospitable.”
She was never up to any good. But that did not bother her..