Chapter 697 The Third Madam Once in Power
It was none other than the Third Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion that Shao Wanru was about to see. It was the first time that Third Madam had invited Shao Wanru after she had formally taken over the mansion. She said that she had something to discuss with Shao Wanru.
The houses for the first branch of Duke Xing’s family were located in the middle of Duke Xing’s Mansion, and the first branch had the most courtyards. Originally, everything in the mansion would have been inherited by the first branch, but later, Shao Yuanhao became the only offspring of the first branch. So naturally, no one cared about which houses belonged to the first branch. The second branch got some benefits from occupying courtyards, and so did the third branch.
There was only one naive child in the so-called first branch, so no one would care about this.
After Shao Wanru had come back, there was one more person in the courtyard of the first branch, but there were still only a few in total. The third branch originally had been located to the side, but after occupying several courtyards belonging to the first branch, the third branch naturally became close to the middle.
The courtyard of the Third Madam was not far from Shao Wanru’s Piaoyun Courtyard. When Shao Wanru came over, she even saw the arrogant Shao Jie’er in the room of the Third Madam. This was the first time that she had seen Shao Jie’er since she had come out of the palace. Compared with Shao Jie’er’s timid look in the past, Shao Jie’er in front of her now looked like a n.o.ble daughter of lineal descent.
“Fifth Sister, Third Aunt has been waiting for you for so long, but you did not come until now! Indeed, n.o.ble people are busier than us!” Seeing Shao Wanru coming in, Shao Jie’er looked her up and down. She didn’t find anything wrong with Shao Wanru’s clothes, so she immediately smiled and spoke with a handkerchief covering her mouth.
She had been used to being bullied by other sisters in the mansion, but now she stood up with great difficulty. She thought that she would soon become the wife of Commandery Prince Qing. Moreover, she heard that the Commandery Prince Qing also had some work to do now, so he would not be an idle member of the Imperial Clan in the future. Thus, she had to show her prestige to someone, so Shao Wanru, who was not favored, would naturally become the target of her trampling.
Shao Jie’er wanted to humiliate her so as to gain face!
Shao Wanru sneered in her heart and glanced at Shao Jie’er coldly, but she didn’t answer her. She only looked at the Third Madam, who was sitting there with a cold face, and asked, “What’s the matter, Third Aunt?”
“Can’t Third Aunt ask to see you even if there is nothing important? Fifth Sister, Third Aunt is now in charge of the internal affairs of Duke Xing’s Mansion. There are many things that may be related to you!” Shao Jie’er wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and said with a smile, but her eyes were full of anger. It was so hateful that Shao Wanru didn’t take her seriously.
The Third Madam picked up the teacup by her hand and took a sip. Then she put it down slowly and let Shao Jie’er scold Shao Wanru.
“Third Aunt is now in charge of the internal affairs of the mansion, so Second Sister comes to Third Aunt’s place all the time? I was wondering whether you often came here to visit Third Aunt before.”
Shao Wanru spoke calmly, as if she was not mocking Shao Jie’er for fawning over the rich and powerful people.
Shao Jie’er’s face turned red. She was so angry that she smacked the table and suddenly stood up. “Shao…”
“Second Sister, what do you want to do? Do you want to lose your temper in front of Third Aunt? Have you forgotten your ident.i.ty?” Shao Wanru looked up and interrupted Shao Jie’er rudely. She looked at Shao Jie’er with her bright watery eyes, which made Shao Jie’er feel guilty. For some reason, she did not dare to call Shao Wanru’s name directly.
Shao Wanru ignored Shao Jie’er, who was frightened for the moment, and turned to asked the Third Madam with a smile, “Third Aunt, did you ask me to come over here to let Second Sister scold me?”
Her words sounded like a joke, but the meaning in her words made it impossible for the Third Madam to ignore it.
The Third Madam really wanted to show her severity to Shao Wanru so that Shao Wanru would know who was in charge of the back yard of the mansion. However, she didn’t expect Shao Jie’er to be so useless that her words were all blocked by only a few words said by Shao Wanru.
“Rui’er, you are the elder sister. How can you be so rude? Well, both of you, sit down!” The Third Madam had to speak.
“Third Aunt, look at Fifth Sister…” Shao Jie’er said with disobedience.
“Don’t complain that Fifth Sister talks back to you. Even Third Aunt also wants to criticize you. A good relations.h.i.+p between sisters is the most important thing in our mansion. If sisters can’t get along well with each other, who else can they rely on in the future? Life is not easy for a female. Although it depends on the elders whether you can have a good marriage, it won’t be good if you have no support from your parent’s home after you get married. You can still support each other after getting married in the future!”
The Third Madam spoke calmly. Her face looked better than before and calmer than the last time that she had met Shao Wanru. She was neither happy nor gloomy. She was just like an ordinary and fair Madam.
“Yes, Third Aunt!” Shao Jie’er was dissatisfied, but she had to suppress her temper and grit her teeth. Her eldest sister had said that everything would go smoothly if she could bear this. When she really became the wife of Commandery Prince Qing in the future, she would have plenty of time to trample on Shao Wanru, so she was really not afraid of her.
“Wanru, you are now a member of our mansion, and your surname is Shao, too. Although you have not grown up in our mansion, you have to treat yourself as a member of this mansion. You can’t keep yourself aloof from your sisters in our mansion. This is not Qin’s Mansion, and your sisters are not First Miss Qin.”
The Third Madam warned Shao Wanru.
Her words were unpleasant to hear. The grievances between Qin Yuru and Shao Wanru had spread all over the capital city three years ago. What the Third Madam said seemed to let Shao Wanru know that Duke Xing’s mansion was her home, but she implied that Shao Wanru had always kept herself from her sisters and fought for supremacy. She was not a good sister.
Yujie was so angry that she wanted to raise her head to defend her. However, she was stopped by the expression in Shao Wanru’s eyes, and she could only lower her head.
The Third Madam didn’t seem to an easy-going person, and she wanted to step on her Miss as soon as she took charge of the mansion.
“I naturally understand what you mean. This is Duke Xing’s Mansion, and I am also a child of Duke Xing’s Mansion. Naturally, I am different from others. If you think it’s right for Second Sister to scold me as soon as she came in, I can argue for myself in front of Old Madam!”
Shao Wanru was as calm as water.
The Third Madam’s expression darkened. She didn’t expect Shao Wanru to be so difficult to deal with. Since Shao Wanru became the daughter of the former Heir of Duke Xing, the Third Madam almost had no contact with her. This was their first meeting. The Third Madam didn’t want to suffer a loss. “Why bother Old Madam with such a small thing?”
Unlike Madam of Duke Xing, the Third Madam had never been favored in front of Old Madam.
“It’s best not to bother Grandma. If you want to bother her, you may trouble my other grandma. It will be more trouble!” Shao Wanru took a deep breath, as if she was finally relieved.
The Third Madam was very upset. She looked at Shao Wanru and said slowly, “There are many things in your room that should be changed. We may not be able to change them in a short time. Old Madam wants you to change some things appropriately. In fact, there are not many good things in our mansion. Three years ago, there was a big fire, and all the good things in the courtyard burned up.”
Three years ago, the fire had burned the most gorgeous courtyard and the things inside in the mansion. Three years later, the newly rebuilt courtyard was still the most beautiful one in the mansion, but it was still occupied by Shao Wanru. Thinking of the dissatisfaction of her two daughters in private, the Third Madam was not very happy.
“Three years ago, when I lived in this courtyard, it was arranged by my second aunt. I don’t know why this courtyard was so gorgeous at that time,” Shao Wanru said with a blank expression. Since the Third Madam mentioned it, it was quite a coincidence.
“The courtyard three years ago was not arranged for you. It was originally for Big Brother…” Shao Jie’er curled her lips and said disdainfully. She just couldn’t stand that Shao Wanru, as an orphan with no parents who was no better than her, had the confidence to occupy the best courtyard in the mansion.
“Why?”
She could only be placed in the corner. How could an orphan without a father and mother, who did not win the favor of the elders in the mansion, occupy such a good resource?
The Third Madam frowned and said angrily, “Jie’er, don’t talk nonsense!”
“Yes, Third Aunt!” Seeing that the Third Madam was angry, Shao Jie’er had to shut up.
After scolding Shao Jie’er, the Third Madam turned to Shao Wanru and said, “Three years ago, your Second Aunt arranged it for important issues, so the things inside were extremely gorgeous. At that time, you happened to return to the mansion. Your Second Aunt thought that you were the most important, so she gave the courtyard to you. But she didn’t expect that it would be set on fire. If she wanted to set it up now, it would not be as good as it was at that time!”
So she was here today to tell Shao Wanru that the things sent over would not be good?
Shao Wanru sneered in her heart. It must be really bad for the Third Madam to take the initiative to come and say that the furniture was bad. At most, it was not damaged, but all of the furniture inside must be most ordinary. It was even possible that they would buy some ordinary things on the market to arrange for her.
At that time, even if some people said that the furniture was not delicate, because she had agreed in advance, she could only suffer in silence!
The Third Madam was good at scheming. Once she gained power, she would not be soft-hearted when she repressed people.
She bullied her since she was just a weak girl. She thought that even if Shao Wanru knew that she had suffered losses, she couldn’t say anything!
Shao Wanru rolled her watery eyes, looked at the decoration in the room, and said with a smile, “You say that the furniture is ordinary. Is it as good as is what’s in this room?”
Compared with Madam of Duke Xing, this Third Madam had never been favored. She was even ignored by Old Madam. In addition, she did not have any children. She only had two daughters, so she did not have enough power in the mansion. But even so, as the Third Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion, she still had the dignity.
Each piece of furniture in the house was of high quality. Even if it was not made of good wood that had been pa.s.sed down for generations, it was carefully selected and valuable, which showed the dignity and honor of the Madam of Duke’s Mansion.
“You are a junior, how can you compare with Third Aunt? Do you want to have a similar arrangement with that of Third Aunt?” Shao Jie’er curled her lips and said for the Third Madam aside.
The Third Madam picked up the teacup and took another sip. Then she took the teacup and turned it around. The teacup in her hand was a delicate one given by Old Madam, and it was also very gorgeous. Compared with the simple furniture in her home, it should not belong to her.
The reason why she took it here was to repress Shao Wanru. She thought that she had no good stuff in Qin’s Mansion!
“Third Madam’s teacup is so beautiful. Can you show it to me?” Shao Wanru turned her eyes and didn’t care about Shao Jie’er’s sarcasm. She smiled. Her sweet smile immediately made the whole room lively.
However, the Third Madam’s expression darkened…