Chapter 1197 - Chapter 1197 Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law Falling Out
Chapter 1197 Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law Falling Out
Zhao Xiran didn’t go to Old Madam’s Chuntang Courtyard. She stayed in her own yard. Old Madam had told her not to come over, so she wouldn’t get involved in the matter. It was not a good thing to her anyway, so she’d better stay away from it.
Suddenly, she heard an old maid coming to report something, who was sent over by Shao Hua’an. Zhao Xiran instructed a servant girl to bring her in.
“First Young Madam, please go check on Madam Jiang. She… Madam Jiang is going crazy!” As soon as the old maid entered the door, she gasped for breath. She was exhausted after running back and forth from the courtyard to the outer study.
Zhao Xiran frowned and asked, “Take your time. What’s going on?”
The old maid calmed down and told the whole story, saying that Princess Chen seemed to have told Madam Jiang something about First Miss. Madam Jiang seemed to have gone crazy at this time.
Zhao Xiran suddenly stood up and asked, “Is Princess Chen still there?”
“She has left after standing there for a while!” the old maid said.
“Let’s go and see what’s happening” Although Zhao Xiran didn’t want to see Madam Jiang, she had to go check on her mother-in-law at this time.
When they arrived at Madam Jiang’s place, they saw that she was already sitting there. Her hair was in a mess and was scattered. She looked at the door with a cold gaze. Her eyes were clear, and she was not as crazy as the old maid said.
“Mother?” Zhao Xiran stepped forward carefully and called her mother tentatively.
Madam Jiang forced a smile on her face, which was even uglier than a crying face. “Is Ru’er dead?”
“Eldest Sister… is dead!” Since Shao Wanru had told her that, she couldn’t hide it anymore, so she could only tell Madam Jiang so.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Madam Jiang asked in a hoarse voice.
“We were afraid that you would be too sad, so father asked us not to tell you. He said that we would just have you stay in the yard peacefully.” Since they had started talking about it, Zhao Xiran did not hide the truth.
“What does Shao Jing mean?” Madam Jiang’s eyes were as vicious as a snake hidden in the dark. Although she looked calm, it was as if she would coil herself up and entangle others to death in the next moment.
“Father… was afraid that you would be sad.” Zhao Xiran said cautiously. Madam Jiang didn’t look normal. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were stained. If one didn’t look carefully, one would think that she was a lunatic.
“Is she really crazy?” That was Zhao Xiran’s first thought.
“Even if she’s crazy, it has nothing to do with me. It would be Shao Wanru’s business.” This was her second thought.
At present, she just needed to deal with Madam Jiang carefully.
“Go and get someone for me.” Madam Jiang smiled, revealing her teeth. In Zhao Xiran’s opinion, she was definitely not being gentle.
It was as if she was going to devour people.
“Mother… father doesn’t allow you to get in touch with others.” Zhao Xiran refused.
“Zhao Xiran… You married my son… with ulterior motives, didn’t you?” Madam Jiang’s eyes suddenly moved and fell on Zhao Xiran.
Zhao Xiran panicked and hurriedly shook her head. “Mother, how could I have ulterior motives? I marrying into your family was also the idea of the two families. Wasn’t it your idea at that time?”
“My idea? Was it my idea to delay it for three years? It took three whole years, and finally, you still married into our mansion. Did you do it because you’re up to something?” Madam Jiang seemed not to have heard Zhao Xiran’s words, still staring at her. Zhao Xiran felt scared and involuntarily turned her eyes away.
She had always thought that she was as smart as a man, was smarter than those traditional women. But now, she felt that Madam Jiang seemed to know something.
But how was this possible?
“Do you think that we don’t know anything? Hua’an doesn’t know anything either.” Madam Jiang continued to speak slowly, and it seemed that she had thought every word she spoke through. “If we really don’t know anything, have you gotten what you need, or have you achieved your goal?”
Zhao Xiran’s heart skipped a beat. She felt that her secret had been discovered by everyone. Her face turned red, and she was angry and annoyed at the moment.
She had thought that it would not be known by others, but she felt that in fact, everyone knew it. It was a feeling of grievance, annoyance, and anger at being betrayed.
“Is it that whatever I’ve done has been discovered but yet everyone is keeping that away from me? They just watch me act stupidly like a clown.
“I can deal with everyone else doing this but Shao Hua’an. Could it be that he’s only watching me do all of this from the side, yet he acts as if he doesn’t know anything?”
“Madam… I think you’ve made a mistake. I married into your mansion with sincerity. As for the reason why the wedding had been delayed for three years, it’s that my father had always opposed it, but I wanted to marry Hua’an. That’s why it was delayed for three years. Mother, if you think I married into the family with ulterior moves, you can tell Hua’an and ask him to divorce me!” Zhao Xiran said coldly.
“It doesn’t matter whether I made a mistake or not. But if you don’t want to help me, even if I’m fine, I’ll make trouble for you.” Of course, Madam Jiang was not sure if there was anything wrong with Zhao Xiran’s marriage. She was talking like this because of what Shao Jing had told her before, and she was now using it to deal with Zhao Xiran. “Go get someone to come over.”
“Yes, Mother!” Zhao Xiran had to lower herself. She found that Madam Jiang in front of her was abnormal. She didn’t dare to really fight desperately.
“If you don’t send anyone over later, I’ll crash to death here and leave a note saying that you pressured me to kill myself!” Madam Jiang threatened Zhao Xiran, afraid that she would not come back after leaving.
“Don’t worry, Mother!” Zhao Xiran agreed and left. When she got out of the yard, she breathed a sigh of relief, gave an order to her personal servant girl, and then went back.
No matter what happened, she wouldn’t be involved. She was called by Shao Hua’an to comfort Madam Jiang. As for what would happen to Madam Jiang or what might happen next, it had nothing to do with her.
As long as she thought that Shao Hua’an might know that she had married into the mansion for another purpose, her heart burned with hatred.
Shao Wanru left Madam Jiang’s place and went to the outer court.
Chu Liuchen was waiting there. When he saw her coming, he asked gently, “How did it go?”
Shao Wanru shook her head and whispered, “Forget it. She is not in a good state!”
“Even if she’s not doing okay, you have to look for it. After all, it’s an heirloom of your Marquis Xing’s Mansion. It can’t be lost just like that!” Chu Liuchen raised his beautiful eyebrows and looked at Shao Jing. His words were also meant for Shao Jing.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’ll send someone to inquire about it later. But it’s possible… that she won’t give it back.” Shao Jing said with a wry smile, “Madam Jiang has always been rude and unreasonable.”
Shao Wanru didn’t seem to care much about the so-called family heirloom and stopped him in a gentle tone, “Second Uncle, if she does refuse to give it back, then forget it.”
“How can we let Madam Jiang lose it? Yuanhao needs to have it and pass it down.” Shao Jing shook his head, his face full of guilt. “This matter can’t be rushed. Princess Chen, I hope that you can wait for a few more days for me to slowly appease Madam Jiang, lest she does something extreme. Since Ru’er is gone, Madam Jiang…”
When Shao Jing spoke of this, his eyes turned red. He looked as if he was a loving father who really loved his daughter.
However, when Shao Wanru saw such a sad expression, she only felt that it was full of sarcasm, and Shao Jing was really good at acting.
“Sure enough, it’s like father, like daughter. Shao Yanru is just like Shao Jing.”
“Second Uncle, there’s no need to urge her. This matter can’t be rushed, and I don’t need it urgently!” Shao Wanru said calmly. It was as if she had gone to see an ordinary person just now instead of Madam Jiang, who had been framing her.
She was neither anxious nor angry. She was very calm.
Shao Jing was surprised and didn’t understand how Shao Wanru could be so calm.
He had always been very clear about the grievances between Madam Jiang and Shao Wanru. If it were he who had seen the enemy who had framed him before, he would have been mad and would not have been so calm.
He felt uneasy. Shao Wanru’s calm attitude was too different from what he had imagined.
“Shall we go back to the mansion?” Chu Liuchen suggested to Shao Wanru.
Shao Wanru said softly, “We won’t go back for the time being. Let’s talk with Second Uncle for a while. I think he’s not having a good mood since Madam Jiang is now like this.”
“Okay. I happen to have nothing to do today!” Chu Liuchen nodded and turned to look at a painting hanging on the wall. He leaned against the back of the chair and said, “Marquis Xing, is this painting authentic?”
The painting didn’t have the current style. It looked a little old, but the strokes and artistic conception were top-grade.
“I’m flattered, Your Highness. This… is not authentic. It’s just a fake. I’m sorry to embarrass myself in front of you,” Shao Jing said with a red face and felt ashamed.
“How could it not be an authentic work? Have you asked your men to check it out?” Chu Liuchen seemed to be interested and curious. “Since it’s not authentic, why is it hung here? Can’t the Marquis Xing’s Mansion afford to keep an authentic work?”
Shao Jing explained with a blushed face, “It’s not like that, Your Highness. Although this painting is not authentic, it’s still the best imitation, and I do appreciate it. Before I can get the authentic work, this is also a great option, so I asked someone to hang it up. Usually, I have no guests around, so I thought that I could keep this here for my own.”
The study was in Shao Jing’s yard. Shao Jing had brought Chu Liuchen all the way here just now. He had thought that Chu Liuchen would not stay for a long time, but he didn’t expect Shao Wanru to deliberately ask Chu Liuchen to stay. He had Chu Liuchen see this fake and looked awkward.
Seeing that he looked embarrassed, Chu Liuchen no longer asked about the painting. On the contrary, he was more concerned about the other things in the study. From time to time, he asked about some small arrangements in the study. Shao Jing answered all his questions.
Shao Wanru sat by the windows of the study and looked at the back window. With her eyes twitching slightly, she looked at an old maid in the courtyard.
The old maid attracted her attention. Although she just glanced at her casually, she could tell that the old maid was different from other servants in the courtyard.