Chapter 721 The Confrontation of the Old Madam and Her Daughter-in-Law of Fu General Manor
When it was daybreak, Madam Qu went to pay respects to the Old Madam with her servants. The Old Madam was currently in poor health and did not ask Madam Qu to pay her respects all the time. This was especially so after the incident caused by Yun Ya. The Old Madam had become colder towards Madam Qu. The latter had sensed it and thus usually would not come to her place when there was nothing needed to deal with.
It was rare for her to come over to pay her respects to the Old Madam. Before she walked into the room, she heard the Old Madam and Nanny Shen, the personal nanny, talking about something, along with a burst of laughter. Apparently, the Old Madam was in a good mood. Madam Qu heaved a sigh of relief and her eyes flashed slightly. Then, she put on a big smile on her face before entering.
A maidservant had already seen her coming and hurried in to report to the Old Madam. Then someone had come to lift the curtain for her.
When she entered the room, she noticed that the Old Madam was wearing a dark yellow robe with some characters “longevity” embroidered on the hem, and she looked well with a happy expression on her face. She and Nanny Shen were looking at a few paintings on the small table placed on the couch. They were chatting and laughing; the atmosphere was good. Hearing that Madam Qu had entered, the Old Madam looked up and cast a casual glance at her.
After coming forward and curtsying, Madam Qu smiled and asked, “Mother, how are you feeling today? It’s a nice day. Do you want to go out for a stroll?” It was indeed a nice day. It was a cool and dry autumn day—the wind was not strong and the sun was not blazing. It was the most comfortable season. Many people in the capital would go out to have fun or saunter at this time.
However, people of Fu General Manor did not have such a habit!
Ever since Luo Xia passed away, the Old Madam had been depressed and thus she was not healthy. Furthermore, she was not in the mood, so she would not go out for a stroll at this time. At most, she would bask in the sun and have a walk in the garden.
Madam Qu’s question was a little unusual. After the glance, the Old Madam replied, “I won’t go out. I used to be too tired to move. Even though I’ve been a little better recently, I’m unable to take a stroll.”
“Mother, since you are feeling better, you should go for a walk. Anyway, I’m free today, so you might as well go with me to go out and have a look so as not to stay indoors all the time. When Mingzhu comes back, she might blame me for not bringing you to go out for a walk.” Madam Qu was very attentive today. With a smile in her eyes, she tried to persuade her mother-in-law repeatedly.
The Old Madam had always been a smart person, and immediately understood what Madam Qu meant. She frowned and asked unhappily, “You’re going out?”
During this period of time, Madam Qu had gone out much often, which didn’t accord with the low profile the Old Madam had always advocated. The latter was already a little displeased with her.
“Mother, it’s not that I’m going out, but that we are going out to have a look together. It’s a good opportunity for us to relax. Last time when I went out, I heard that a pharmacy has ginseng of several hundred years old. But because I went out in a hurry last time, I didn’t have time to see it. This time, I can go with you to have a look. If it is really old enough, we can buy it and braise it to build up your health.”
Madam Qu panicked when she saw the Old Madam’s eyes that seemed to be clear about the matters of the world. However, her expression grew even sincere and much gentler as she smiled, as if she had come especially for the Old Madam’s sake. She acted like a good daughter-in-law who was doing this for her husband’s mother.
“A pharmacy?” A hint of coldness appeared in the Old Madam’s eyes as she stared at Madam Qu. The latter didn’t even dare to look straight her mother-in-law in the eye and wanted to turn her head in a panic. However, she felt that this would make her look a little guilty, and thus she could only put on a smile that was almost frozen as she tried her best not to appear afraid.
“There are not many good pieces of ginseng like this one in the manor. When I checked it last time, I… I thought that I would look for some when I had time to go out and then put them in the manor. In this way, when someone wants it, they could take it out so that there wouldn’t miss something and it wouldn’t be inconvenient for people who need it.”
The Old Madam leaned back and asked, “Don’t we have enough medicinal herbs in the manor? I heard from the servants who went to fetch the herbs a few days ago that there are still a lot of medicinal herbs in the storeroom and there’s no need to buy them for the time being. A few months ago, another batch of new medicinal herbs had been sent to our manor. Are we short of any medicinal herbs?”
A large aristocratic family like Fu General Manor would purchase a batch of medical herbs every year. They had their own official purchase channels. Furthermore, it was often their own business, which could make sure that the medical herbs were safer and that nothing would go wrong. After all, correct use of medicine could cure diseases, but improper use of medicine would be harmful.
The aristocratic families were all very cautious about it, and would not casually take or buy medical herbs from other channels!
At the Old Madam’s question, Madam Qu nervously swallowed and felt perturbed in the heart. She just suggested it casually, and had thought that even if the Old Madam wasn’t willing to go out, she would send her out. In this way, no matter what, she would attain her goal. She hadn’t expected that the Old Madam wouldn’t answer her and would instead ask her about the number of medical herbs kept in stock.
How could this not make Madam Qu who harbored evil designs nervous?
“Mother, there are medical herbs in the storeroom, but there are not many good ones. The ginseng that I saw the other day is really good. Why don’t you go and have a look with me? If it’s not good, we won’t buy it. I want to buy it because I think it’s good.”
Madam Qu subconsciously avoided the Old Madam’s gaze.
The Old Madam stared at Madam Qu. When she saw that the latter couldn’t hold on any longer, she asked lightly, “Are you really free now? Is there nothing to be done at the manor?” There was a hint of displeasure in her words as she narrowed her eyes. Her eyes, which were dim-sighted from old age, landed on Madam Qu with a sharp glint in them.
Madam Qu panicked by the Old Madam’s stare. Without thinking about the Old Madam’s meaning, she thought that she was really asking if she had finished dealing with the matters of the manor. She immediately stood up and responded, “Mother, I’ve already dealt with all the matters of the manor. I’ve already assigned tasks to the heads of all departments. There will be no other business today.”
“There will be no other business in the back courtyard?” the Old Madam asked meaningfully.
“Yes, there is really no other business. Mother, don’t worry. The inner courtyard of our manor is the cleanest and there’s no big deal. It’ll be fine if I go out with you.”
Madam Qu promised again with a smile. Her posture was even lower. Not only did she look like a filial daughter-in-law, but she also looked like a capable daughter-in-law. It was impossible for an ordinary person to keep such a big manor organized.
“Oh, our manor is clean? After hearing what you said, I remember something. Don’t go out now. Come and have a look at this!”
The Old Madam said as she pushed the paintings on the table in front of her in the direction of Madam Qu. Then she added casually, “I’m afraid that things won’t be so easy in the future. The more people there are, the livelier it will be, but the more trouble there will be as well. It’s just that as an old woman, I like to be lively. You have to bother to deal with it.”
Her words seemed to contain some hidden meaning. After Madam Qu heard her words, her heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously looked at the paintings brought by Nanny Shen. She had a bad feeling in her heart. Her eyelids twitched, and then she calmed down and took over the paintings from Nanny Shen’s hands. She looked at them one by one, and found that all of them were beautiful young ladies who looked enchanting.
“Mother, this is…” Madam Qu’s eyes fell on the enchanting face of the woman in a painting. She swallowed nervously with alert in her eyes.
“There are too few people in our manor. There should be more people to liven things up, and there should also be more children. For aristocratic families like ours, if there were too few children, it means that the family is not prosperous and undeveloped.”
The Old Madam seemed to be explaining but also seemed to be talking to herself. She took the cup of tea from Nanny Shen, took a sip, and then spoke slowly, not even looking at Madam Qu.
Madam Qu became more confused and felt very uneasy. She rubbed the handkerchief in her hand uneasily and asked carefully, “Mother, are you picking a legal wife for His Excellency? I’m familiar with every family’s daughters, but I can’t tell which family they are from. Why haven’t I seen them before?”
“Of course you haven’t seen them before. They’re all daughters of small families. The one with the highest status is just the daughter of a fifth-grade official. They’re different from the people you are usually in contact with,” the Old Madam explained lightly.
A family like Fu General Manor was usually in contact with people who were either first-grade or second-grade officers or well-known families with a history of centenaries. It was impossible for them to have connections with the daughters of fifth-grade officials, let alone those with lower official positions.
“Then they and His Excellency…” Their status and position did not match Luo Wenyou at all.
“Second Madam, of course these ladies have nothing to do with His Excellency. Think about it. How could His Excellency’s wife be chosen from the girls of such ordinary families?” Nanny Shen answered while smiling.
“Then… who are… What’s going on?” Madam Qu almost choked her breath when she asked. The handkerchief in her hand had been crumpled into a ball and almost shapeless. A faint blood smell rushed to her throat.
“Of course they are for Bin’er. He is the son of an aristocratic family and holds an important position in the imperial court. He can’t be without a son. A few years ago, I thought that you and those concubines could give birth to a son, but now it seems that you are all a little older. I might as well pick a few more young ones and take them in so that they can bear Bin’er’s sons.”
The Old Madam answered.
Her words almost made Madam Qu spit out blood!
It was not that there were no concubines in Luo Bin’s back courtyard. However, the concubines were all rather old. Furthermore, there was a concubine who had been a maidservant and served him in bed before Madam Qu married into Fu General Manor. She was no match for Madam Qu. After being suppressed by the latter for so many years, she behaved better and did not dare to make the slightest mistake.
As such, the back courtyard of Fu General Manor was quite clean.
However, at the thought of that young women might come into the manor, Madam Qu was filled with hatred and anger. All the young women in the paintings had charming faces. At first glance, one could tell that they were foxy. If such women were sent to the manor, as the legal wife, she would grit her teeth with hatred every day.
However, she could not say that she would not allow Luo Bin to take concubines. As the legal wife, she had to be virtuous, generous, and gracious.
“Bin’er is old. If no one bears him a son, he will never have a son. I know that it will be hard for you if he takes in a few more concubines at this time. But for Bin’er to have sons, you have to bear this grievance. Maybe you will need to guide them for a period of time. Anyway, you will have much trouble.”
What the Old Madam said sounded pleasant and reasonable. When it came to Luo Bin’s sons, even if Madam Qu broke her handkerchief, she would not be able to say anything. Especially when she heard the Old Madam’s next words, her face turned pale and she almost vomited blood. She, Luo Bin’s legal wife, had to choose concubines for her husband today.
In three days, the chosen ladies would be taken into the manor. Later, she had to fix up the inner courtyard. In a word, Madam Qu would be so busy that she would not have time to leave the manor, which would ruin all her original plans!