Chapter 322 Eldest Grandson and Youngest Grandson, Which One Is More Important?
“I did agree to cover the screen wall with paint, didn’t I?” Old Madam knew what the old maid was saying and said unhappily.
The courtyard was prepared for the generations of the heirs of Duke Xing’s Mansion to live in, but it had been unoccupied for so many years. Today, to request for the t.i.tle of the heir for her eldest grandson, letting him live in the courtyard was indispensable,
Thus, the characters on the screen wall must be cleaned.
If the current heir resided in the courtyard, the characters on the screen wall at the gate were still the former heir’s, and the two owners were not father and son, the latter would feel uncomfortable and this would also bring some bad luck.
Old Madam liked her eldest grandson very much, and so she was unwilling to see that he was gossiped about. Besides, Old Madam always cared more about the theory of “bad luck”. In the past, one of the important reasons why she didn’t appreciate Infanta Qinghua was that Infanta Qinghua’s father died early. So, Old Madam thought she was an inauspicious woman, unwilling to let her marry into Duke Xing’s Mansion.
Although her mother was Rui’an Great Elder Princess.
“Master Hao doesn’t allow the covering. Just now he also made serious trouble in the courtyard, and Madam doesn’t know how to deal with it, either!” the old maid said helplessly.
“What, Hao’er has come back, but where is he? Why not ask him to see me?” Old Madam never thought Great Elder Princess would allow Shao Yuanhao to return. Immediately, she was quite surprised and said, ignoring the great trouble Shao Yuanhao made. Previously, Shao Yuanhao also made lots of trouble in Duke Xing’s Mansion!
“Master Hao has left!” the old maid said anxiously.
“What, has left? What’s wrong? Why not tell me when Hao’er came back!” Old Madam went furious.
“It’s not that we didn’t come to tell you. A short while ago, Master Hao had been playing outside and didn’t enter the inner courtyard. Today we had so many guests, and Madam didn’t notice him. When she noticed him, she had found him making trouble in the inner courtyard. Later, he also turned over the ink buckets and then returned to Rui’an Great Elder Princess’ Mansion!”
The old maid was worried. As she found Old Madam was angry, she explained instantly.
“Why not ask him to stay?” Old Madam said angrily, looking terrifying. Shao Yuanhao had been living with her since he was very young. Besides, his parents had pa.s.sed away, and so Old Madam gave him special care. If Rui’an Great Elder Princess were not powerful and had also claimed that Shao Yuanhao was her only family member, Old Madam would not have given him up, no matter what the causes.
“Master Hao was very angry at that time, and no one dared to stop him. He also said that no one was allowed to cover the screen wall with paint. Otherwise, he would act rudely and would storm into our mansion with Rui’an Great Elder Princess. He said he would send people to demolish the wall and carry it to Great Elder Princess’s Mansion!”
The old maid gave a wry smile with very deep wrinkles.
“Naughty child, naughty words!” Old Madam heaved a sigh, and her anger was eased by Shao Yuanhao’s childish words. How could that wall be carried out of Duke Xing’s Mansion? If it was demolished, it would not be the original wall, let alone the style of the characters on it would not be reserved.
At this time, Old Madam only thought Shao Yuanhao said so only because he was an ignorant child.
Although she had given the permission, Old Madam felt a little hesitant now. She knitted her eyebrows tightly and leaned back. “If so, don’t demolish the wall because it is the only legacy he has!”
“Old Madam, if so, what about First Young Master? The position of the heir has not been approved for a long time, and the message leaked from the palace says that our First Young Master doesn’t have a righteous position in our mansion. That is the courtyard of the heir. Could we keep it unoccupied forever?” the old maid said with a flattery smile.
These words addressed the matter Old Madam cared about most. How could the position of the Heir of Duke Xing’s Mansion be postponed again and again because of the small legacy for her?!
She loved her youngest grandson, but she loved her eldest grandson even more.
Her eldest grandson who always behaved well and had manners was the pride of Duke Xing’s Mansion, and so Old Madam loved him as she loved her eldest granddaughter.
Compared with him, her youngest grandson had to be neglected, but if Shao Yuanhao didn’t return in the future, he would be the heir of Rui’an Great Elder Princess, and her son only married a wife but was not married into that family. Thinking of this, Old Madam became angry and irritated, feeling Rui’an Great Elder Princess had gone too far.
Surnamed Shao, Hao’er was the blood of Duke Xing’s Mansion, but with the reason that she didn’t have other family members, Rui’an Great Elder Princess cruelly separated her from Hao’er, the blood of her family.
She didn’t know what Rui’an Great Elder Princess had said to Hao’er so that he didn’t come to see her at first when he returned to Duke Xing’s Mansion, and so she was angry. Thinking about this, she more strongly felt that Shao Yuanhao living with Rui’an Great Elder Princess was not a good thing.
However, she could not get Hao’er back. Although the Empress didn’t say anything directly, what she meant was clear: now Rui’an Great Elder Princess only had this family member and let Shao Yuanhao stay with her; as for the future matters, they could negotiate in the future, let alone Hao’er himself was now also willing!
These words made Old Madam wordless, and she could not ask for justice from anyone else.
This was not only the idea of the Empress, but it should also be the idea of Empress Dowager, for Rui’an Great Elder Princess had a good relations.h.i.+p with Empress Dowager.
Angry and wronged, Old Madam even more strongly felt that her previous decision was correct. Infanta Qinghua had a short life, and Old Madam’s son had bad luck because of her. Now the two children even lived an extremely painful life.
In her heart, Old Madam already regarded Qin Yuru as her biological granddaughter.
“When we adopt the daughter of Qi’s Mansion with gentle words in a while, take a pair of jade bracelets to her in my name and tell Madam this is my idea; and also go to my storehouse and take the pair of blood jade bracelets to Yuru,” Old Madam instructed.
Giving a pair of jade bracelets to Qi Rongzhi and another pair to Qin Yuru sounded fair, but the meaning and the gifts were quite different.
When Qi Rongzhi became the adopted daughter of Madam of Duke Xing, she also became the adopted granddaughter of Old Madam. On such a day, Old Madam should give a gift.
Her adopted granddaughter Qi Rongzhi only got a pair of ordinary bracelets, but the guest Qin Yuru got a pair of much more expensive blood jade bracelets. This was the idea of Old Madam, or perhaps the idea of Duke Xing’s Mansion.
“Just say she and I have a predestined relations.h.i.+p, and I like her very much!” Old Madam closed her eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and said. She thought she could only do this now and believed Madam of Duke Xing would understand. As for her daughter-in-law who was also her niece, Old Madam was very satisfied. In the beginning, she wanted her niece to be engaged to his eldest son.
To make the lady and her eldest son engaged, she brought the lady to her mansion a long time ago, hoping they would live together and build a romantic relations.h.i.+p, but she never thought her eldest son had a crush on Infanta Qinghua. At last, to marry Infanta Qinghua, he ignored her opinion and went to the palace to implore the emperor to issue an edict to allow them to marry.
Every time she thought of this, she would feel quite unhappy and also sorry for her niece.
Fortunately, her second son and niece were obedient. When her niece heard of the emperor’s edict, she cried for several days in her room and then accepted everything she arranged for her.
Old Madam felt satisfied and guilty but didn’t want to let her go, and so she had to marry her to her second son. In the eyes of Old Madam, her second son was much incomparable to his eldest son in whatever means, including appearance and other aspects.
But the worldly affairs were always unexpected. Finally, Duke Xing’s position was inherited by her second son. Thinking of this, Old Madam felt sad but also thought this was no doubt a compensation for Madam of Duke Xing.
Anyway, she finally became Madam of Duke Xing. Perhaps, this was something arranged by Heaven, and her niece was the rightful Madam of Duke Xing. Since her eldest son disagreed with her and Heaven, he had such bad luck at last!
Thinking of this, Old Madam joined her palms before her and murmured the words of a sutra.
“OK, I will go in a while!” the old maid nodded and said. As she found Old Madam began murmuring the words of a Buddhist sutra, she winked at the servant girls on the side.
The servant girls began moving smartly.
The servant girls took out a sutra book, a string of beads, and a small wooden fish, put them in front of Old Madam, and then left respectfully.
Old Madam closed her eyes, wore the Buddhist beads on her neck, skillfully picked up the wooden fish beside her, knocked it gently, and murmured a few words. She merely opened her eyes to read the book before her when she forgot some words and then continued murmuring.
The old maid left silently and said to the girl servants at the door, “Old Madam is murmuring Buddhist sutras and doesn’t want to be disturbed. If Old Madam has any needs, go inside immediately to serve her, and I am going outside to send the bracelets to Madam!”
“Yes, Nanny Yu!” the servant girls bent their knees and said.
Nanny Yu looked at Old Madam behind her again. When she saw Old Madam murmuring solemnly in a sitting position on the low bed, she knew Old Madam wouldn’t stop in a short while and then turned and left.
After looking for Qin Yuru along the way but seeing no her trace, Qin Wanru turned and went back. On the way, she saw many Misses and madams flocking to one direction and heard that the adopting ceremony Madam of Duke Xing held had begun. It was being held inside the flower hall over there, and so she followed the crowd to the place.
More and more people appeared on the way. Everyone had learned the news and was heading for that direction!
Qin Wanru came with the crowd to a flower hall, which was very big but was not the previous one.
From a distance, she saw her grandmother and Shui Ruolan were there. Although they were not on the main seats, they were somewhat near them. Beside their seats were also seats, which were arranged in a fan shape. Behind the front seats were some smaller chairs, which were prepared for the madams and Misses from different mansions.
Coincidentally, Qin Yuru had already arrived, just behind Madam Dowager.
A small girl servant was standing at the door, watching. When she saw Qin Wanru appear at the door, she came out of the crowd immediately and said to her with a grin, “Second Miss Qin, you’ve finally come. Your mansion’s Madam Dowager wants you to go over quickly!”