Chapter 229 The First Wife Falls Out of Favor
When the first wife heard that the eldest master wanted the third master to take over as the head of the family, she screamed and said that if the third master became the head of the family, sooner or later he would squander the ancestral fortune.
After hearing what the eldest wife said, the eldest master felt a pain in his heart, but he couldn't force Jun'er to death. Not to mention that the old lady had made a promise, Mengxi had saved Jun'er several times and had done a favor to his Xiao family. He really couldn't do something that would betray his wife and make people point fingers at him.
The second master was not up to the task and insisted on protecting the prince, forcing the Xiao family into the whirlpool of politics. Seeing that the power of Prince Yan was growing day by day, the news from the palace that the Queen Mother's condition was getting worse, Prince Yan was ready to fight a desperate battle, and the battle for the throne was about to break out. At this time, the backyard of the Xiao family was on fire again. Mengxi's birth as a concubine's daughter was like a mountain that made him feel suffocated . He came to the eldest wife and wanted to rest quietly for a while. He never thought that the eldest wife not only did not comfort him but also added fuel to the fire. Listening to the eldest wife chattering on and on, he felt annoyed and waved his hand impatiently, saying angrily:
"Even if Yun'er ruins this family, it's better than being ungrateful and having people point fingers at you. Women, don't interfere in men's affairs. Just take care of the backyard quietly!"
After hearing what the master said, the first wife was furious. If Jun'er really didn't want to be the head of the family, then what status would she have in this family? She couldn't help but raise her voice by eight octaves and said:
"It was the Li family who betrayed their loyalty and sent their concubine's daughter to marry in her place. Only a lowly family like them could do such a thing. How could they accuse my Xiao family of being ungrateful?"
After the first wife finished speaking, she saw that the first master did not speak, so she continued:
"Because the ancestors of the Li family have been kind to us, we also accepted that the second grandmother was born into a merchant family. Although we were extremely reluctant, we finally married her. In the past two years, she has been arrogant and willful. Relying on the old lady's favor, she has always opposed me and instigated Jun'er to send Xiao An to the government. I have gritted my teeth and swallowed my anger. I didn't expect that she was actually a concubine's daughter. The master also said that she saved Jun'er. If it weren't for her this time, would Jun'er have been so desperate that he would make the whole family uneasy!"
"It's not all Xi'er's fault, so just say less."
"She did everything! I don't know what kind of drug this vixen gave you. Jun'er is obsessed with her, and the old lady protects her everywhere. Now even you are obsessed with her. Not only do you make excuses for her everywhere, but you even let her make Jun'er resign as the head of the family. As long as this vixen is not dead, our Xiao family will not be at peace!"
After hearing what the eldest wife said, the eldest master's face suddenly turned pale, veins popped out on his forehead, and the muscles on his cheeks trembled. He shouted:
"Shut up, this is what you, a mistress of a house, would say!"
The eldest master shouted, and the eldest wife shuddered and quickly shut up. She looked at the eldest master with a pale face. After a long while, the eldest master calmed down and said in a calm voice:
"Think carefully, who is causing this trouble? For example, Manager An embezzled the money from the mansion. How could he have such a guts? You know better than anyone where the embezzled money went. You didn't even discuss with me the fact that Xi'er is a concubine's daughter. You conspired with Xiu'er to bring Mengfei in and exposed the matter in front of all the servants in the mansion. There was no room for maneuver and it embarrassed me and the old lady. That's fine. Jun'er just woke up from a coma, and you, as a mother, didn't know how to comfort him. Instead, you forced him to divorce his wife and almost killed him. That's not enough. What else do you want to do?"
When the eldest wife heard this, she was startled at first, then she started to cry, crying and saying:
"Oh my God, what sin have I committed? Ever since I married into your Xiao family, I have worked hard from dawn to dusk, doing the best for this family. What did I want? Now, all because of a lowly vixen, my son has become my enemy, my mother-in-law finds fault with me every day, and even my husband blames me! No wonder Grandpa left behind ancestral precepts to warn future generations. Since ancient times, concubines of low status have never been good people!"
When the eldest wife said this, she stole a glance at the eldest master and saw that he was still sitting there with a sullen face and didn't say anything. She gritted her teeth and said fiercely:
"For the Xiao family's foundation and Jun'er's future, from now on, it's either me or her in this mansion. Master, you decide!"
Seeing that the eldest mistress was stubborn and refused to listen to advice, and even wanted to threaten him, the eldest master's face turned pale, the muscles on his cheeks twitched constantly, and he suddenly got up from the bed and put on his shoes.
"master……"
Ignoring the mistress, the master put on his shoes, stood up and walked out the door.
"Master, it's so late, everyone has gone to bed, where are you going?"
The master who had reached the door stopped, turned around and said coldly:
"If you really want this family to be better, and if you really want to do good for Jun'er, then listen to your mother and stop making things difficult for Second Madam!"
"Sir, you are only wearing your undershirt..."
Seeing the master walked out without looking back, the first wife suddenly smashed the cup that the master had just used on the coffee table beside the bed into pieces.
Baozhu and Ziyue heard the voice and saw that the master had left. They both ran in and saw the wife trembling all over and sitting on the bed with a pale face. They hurried forward to persuade her:
"Madam, calm down. You have just recovered and you can't stand this. If others don't love you, you have to love yourself."
As Baozhu spoke, she poured a cup of tea for the eldest lady and handed it to her. Ziyue had already carefully cleaned up the floor.
The eldest wife took the tea and took a sip. After a long while, she came to her senses and started crying again. She wiped her eyes and said:
"Tell me, what am I doing this for? It's all for the good of this family. I have a good family and a good son, but I let this vixen torment them like this. When I think of Jun'er not being the head of the family, my heart aches."
"Madam, don't take it to heart. Second Master has been filial to you since he was young. He always obeys you in everything. He just made a mistake for a moment. Parents are kind-hearted. Second Master will understand your painstaking efforts one day."
"I'm afraid Jun'er won't turn back until that vixen dies."
After hearing what the eldest wife said, Baozhu's face turned pale, and her hands on the coffee table trembled. She hurriedly lowered her head to pick up the cups on the coffee table and put them away.
Seeing that Baozhu didn't say anything, the eldest wife sighed, stopped the busy Baozhu and Ziyue, and said:
"Just leave it all there. There's no rush to clean it up. You two come here."
After hearing what the eldest wife said, Baozhu Ziyue hurriedly put down the work in her hands, stood beside the bed, and looked at the eldest wife.
"Last time, Second Madam chased away Zhiqiu and Zhichun, leaving two older maids missing. I arranged for Butler De to fill in. How are they now? Can they serve Second Madam up close?"
Baozhu and Ziyue looked at each other after hearing this, and finally Baozhu said:
"Madam, I followed your instructions and recommended your newly trained Lu'er and Yun'er to Steward De. But Second Madam said she had enough people around her and arranged them to serve Second Master in the upper room. I heard from the people in Xiaoxiang Courtyard that once, Second Master and Second Madam had just had an argument, and these two girls somehow bumped into Second Master. Second Master wanted to slap them, but Second Madam couldn't bear it and said that you sent them and said a word of mercy for them. But it would have been better if she hadn't said it. Once she did, Second Master drove them out. Because you were ill at the time, I didn't dare to bother you with such a small matter and make you angry."
After Baozhu finished speaking, she looked at the eldest wife cautiously, and Ziyue said:
"The eldest lady wants to have sex with someone, so I will pick two more to send over in the next two days."
"Let's put this matter aside for now. This Second Mistress is very cunning. She may be trying to anger Jun'er by saying that she is kind-hearted and is trying to chase him away. Unfortunately, Jun'er has been blinded by her and can't tell right from wrong."
"You mean..."
"Second Master's concubines usually don't serve Second Madam closely. Do they give gifts to Second Madam's room?"
"To reply, Madam, among these concubines, only Madam serves Second Madam closely and often brings her food. During the few days Second Madam stayed at Qingxin Temple, it was Madam who brought her food every day. I have never heard of other concubines showing filial piety to Second Madam."
"The eldest aunt is loyal to the second wife, and I'm afraid we can't win her over. From now on, the two of you, choose one between Hongyu and Aunt Zhang, and secretly win her over. Don't be stingy with the money, and you can also use my name to give them some benefits, so that they can learn from the eldest aunt and serve the second wife closely. When you have nothing else to do, go to the upper room and the east wing often, and show more respect to the second wife."
"Madam, what are you doing..."
"I'll be useful in the future."
"Madam, if we want to win over the concubines, Cuiping is already there, so why should we bother? Besides, Hongyu is like a dead person from now on, not caring about anything, as if she is afraid of a leaf falling and hitting her head. Concubine Zhang has relied on the Second Master's favor in recent years, and her eyes are very high. She may not be useful to us."
"Relying on the Second Master's favor? Now Jun'er doesn't even go into her room anymore. Everyone has weaknesses, either they love money or they love power. We can give them both. You can try, but you must keep it secret. As for Cui Ping, the whole Xiao Mansion knows that she is mine. If something really happens to the Second Madam in her hands, the first person people think of is me."
"Yes, I know what to do."
Seeing the two maids busying themselves again, the eldest wife's eyes flashed with a strange look, and she gritted her teeth and said:
"Second Madam, you forced me to do this. In this Xiao Mansion, it's either you or me!"
…
Mengxi's identity as a concubine's daughter was revealed. What shocked the servants in the Xiao residence was that not only was the Second Wife not expelled from the Xiao residence, but her life in the Xiao residence could be said to be very prosperous.
Although the Second Madam's birth as a concubine violated the ancestral precepts, the Second Master was unwilling to let her go. It was said that the Second Madam was once sent to Qingxin Temple, but was personally invited back by the old lady. The two of them talked in the East Zen Hall for nearly an hour behind closed doors. No one knew what they talked about, but since then, the old lady issued a gag order that no one was allowed to mention the Second Madam's concubine's life experience again, otherwise anyone would be beaten to death. From then on, the Second Madam's identity became a taboo in the Xiao Mansion.
Now, all the servants in the Xiao Mansion know that the Second Mistress is the apple of the Second Master's eye and cannot be touched. Once, Steward An was sent to the government by the Second Master for embezzling the mansion's silver, which caused an uproar among the servants. Now, although people are still frightened, they all understand that the reason why Steward An was exiled was not because the Second Master was ruthless, but because Steward An had abused the Second Mistress in the past two years, and now he was getting his retribution.
The old butler for many years, the confidant of the eldest master and the eldest mistress, can be said to have deep roots in the Xiao Mansion, but was uprooted by the second master. If anyone thinks that his roots in the Xiao Mansion are stronger than those of Butler An, then go and abuse the second mistress and try! The answer is that no one dares.
The servants in a large mansion would all change their attitudes according to the situation. They had the lesson of Manager An. Therefore, even though the servants in the Xiao Mansion knew that the Second Madam was of humble origin and was not very popular in front of the First Madam, no one dared to look down on her. In the Xiao Mansion, the Second Madam was treated like a star wherever she went, and her treatment was second only to that of the Old Madam and the First Master.
Especially since the second master recovered from his illness, the first wife, who had always hated the second grandmother, made a 180-degree turn in her attitude. She no longer made things difficult for her, and she even smiled when facing the second grandmother. She even gave her gifts from . This made the second master feel gratified, and his mother finally began to give in.
