The situation did not end just because the second son married the two young ladies from the Du Family; the marital life of the three was quite discordant. The second son favored his concubine over his wife, consistently causing trouble for Miss Du, and he had never once entered the legitimate wife’s chambers.
The fact that his beloved became a concubine instead of a wife, he blamed all on Miss Du. The more outsiders looked down upon the second Miss Du, the more sarcastically they treated her, the more resentment he harbored against Miss Du.
That’s the way it was; after hearing this, Gu Youyou felt that the situation was indeed difficult to comment on.
If Mr. Jie’s second young master and the concubine from the Du Family were truly in love, then the creator of this tragedy was indeed Elder Mr. Jie, and no blame could be placed on the others.
It’s just pitiable for Miss Du.
A sheltered young lady without parents, she had no say in her own marriage matters.
Therefore, dealing with the domestic strife in the Jie Family’s backyard was indeed troublesome.
"I want to meet the second young matriarch."
Gu Youyou had met the concubine from the Du Family, and to tell the truth, this woman really wasn’t all that. She just didn’t know what Miss Du was like as a person.
"Cousin, why do you suddenly want to meet her?" Asked Lin Qianqing, who was very curious as she was speaking enthusiastically.
"Have you met the second young matriarch?" Gu Youyou countered.
Lin Qianqing thought for a moment and then nodded gently, "Yes, I have seen her from a distance once, but I haven’t spoken to her."
...What’s the difference between that and not having met her at all?
"Then don’t you want to meet her? She too is a protagonist of this love triangle," Gu Youyou said, slowly tempting Lin Qianqing.
There was no choice; Gu Youyou had to meet the Jie Family’s second young matriarch, and if she didn’t bring Lin Qianqing along, she would have had to think of a way to send her away. Weighing her options, Gu Youyou felt it was much easier to bring her along than to send her away.
And if they went together, should someone see them, it would be somewhat better to have her as cover.
After all, there was a difference between the cousin and her, the legitimate Miss of the Lin Residence.
Uh...forgive her for this way of ensnaring her cousin.
"A love triangle?" Lin Qianqing became somewhat excited by Gu Youyou’s words.
She was curious; her life had few pleasures to begin with. Ever since Gu Youyou arrived, she felt as though she had lived in vain for all her teenage years.
How did her cousin know so many strange things? The stories she told were ones Lin Qianqing had never heard before.
Her little ideas, each one felt novel to her.
"Would that be inappropriate? I’ve heard that the second sister-in-law is currently grounded."
Xie Qinyun’s elder brother she called brother, and his wife she called sister-in-law, so Lin Qianqing just followed suit and called her sister-in-law.
Gu Youyou said, "She is grounded, but we are not. If she can’t leave her yard, then we can just go to find her, right?"
"That’s true," Lin Qianqing considered and then said.
Seeing that she had agreed, Gu Youyou then smiled, "So you know how to meet the second young matriarch, right?"
Lin Qianqing pondered with her head down for a moment and said, "I have some idea; I’ve been there once with Qinyun years ago, but I’m not certain if I can find it. The Jie Residence is very large."
"Knowing a bit is good enough, lead the way. And if we get caught by someone, we can just say we got lost."
Lin Qianqing’s memory was rather astonishing; it’s rare for one to navigate so accurately through such an ancient garden after only one visit.
In front of them was an isolated courtyard, with a vermilion door that looked somewhat dilapidated.
The Madam of the Jie Residence had died early, as had the wife of the elder Mr. Jie; moreover, he had not remarried, making the wife of the second young master the only mistress of the estate. Yet unexpectedly, her courtyard was so neglected, a far cry from the courtyard of Miss Qinyun, not just a little but by a wide margin.