Chapter Fifteen: Visiting Mother Without Worries

  Guar Jia's eyelids drooped, as if looking at the green bricks on the ground. The old lady's demeanor seemed to be thinking of her husband, but in fact she was using her identity as a stepmother to suppress him. If she really cared about him, why would she have been calculating and scheming against him from the moment they returned to the mansion? Guar Jia didn't believe that the old lady wasn't aware of Zhi Cheng's cunning intentions. She was the person at the top of the duke's mansion, after all. The old master had long since separated from the old lady under the pretext of illness and handed over all matters of the duke's mansion to her. Which major or minor event in the mansion could escape her notice?

  Although Zhiyuan is honest and straightforward, he's not a fool. His experiences since childhood have given him a clear understanding of the old lady. He glanced at his wife, Guwaljiashi, indicating that she should be more careful and take care of their children. Apart from his regular morning and evening visits, he wouldn't often appear in front of the old lady; his wife and daughter needed to be extra cautious.

  A hint of excitement flashed across Gualjia's eyes, and she followed Zhīyuǎn with a gentle smile. Zhīyuǎn knew that his wife was not someone to be trifled with or underestimated. Confronting the old lady would be a difficult task for others, but for Gualjia, it was like finding a worthy opponent in chess.

  Mrs. Liu went out to welcome Zhiyuan's family, acting as the old lady's eyes, first observing Guwalgiya. Although she respectfully lowered her eyes, she was always paying attention to Guwalgiya. Mrs. Liu, who was good at reading people, was relatively satisfied with the "honest" Guwalgiya and easily grasped her with the old lady's tactics. Her gaze swept over Shu Yao, delicate and lovely, with clear but lazy eyes, and a somewhat inferior appearance compared to her cousin. However, she seemed more naive than Shujing, the third house's legitimate daughter, and slightly less intelligent.

  Like father, like daughter. Can the Second Master and Mistress still raise a clever and capable child? Liu's aunt took a step to the side, her lips curled slightly, the master was indeed overthinking. Liu's aunt wasn't clear about outside matters, but she knew that the Second Master's promotion back to the capital was due to luck, and the newly risen Guwalgiya family had helped out. The Guwalgiya mistress didn't seem like a virtuous and wise wife who could assist her husband. Just looking at each of the Second Master's concubines and maidservants, one could tell that he feared his wife's family. The Guwalgiya mistress was a jealous and petty-minded woman.

  In the officialdom, especially in the picturesque Jiangnan officialdom, giving concubines and favored maids is very common. For the Qing officialdom that emphasizes mutual protection among officials, if the second master does not take a concubine, he will offend many colleagues. Can the hen-pecked second master turn things around? Liu's nanny looks down on Guwalgiya from the bottom of her heart. All crows in the world are black, why can you monopolize your husband?

  As she passed by Liu's side, Shu Yao furrowed her brow again, almost imperceptibly. Her ability to probe into people's minds seemed to have improved suddenly after returning to the capital. Had it leveled up? This cheating tool was indispensable for Shu Yao, who wasn't good at, or rather, too lazy to, understand human nature. To avoid being calculated by others in the future, Shu Yao decided to practice diligently, starting from tomorrow? No, not tomorrow. Nor the day after tomorrow. Shu Yao gritted her teeth and decided to start practicing from the first day of next month. The phrase "at the beginning of the month" was how it went, right? Shu Yao nodded firmly, yes, that's right, at the beginning.

  "According to the order of generations, you are Sixth Aunt." The old lady received Zhiyuan's bow and fully showed her love for her granddaughter, calling Shuyao over. The old lady lovingly stroked Shuyao's cheek, and Shuyao tilted her head, asking with her eyes: "Is that Mom?"

  The old lady's hand withdrew, this little girl and her mother were one in the same, always good at causing trouble. In front of everyone, the old lady could only smile lovingly, "Sixth Little Girl, Mother loves you."

  "Xie Ma Mu Li Ai." Shu Yao's face lit up with joy, and she actively leaned into the old lady's arms, putting more than half of her weight on the old lady's body. With a silly smile, she said: "E Niang, I've got another person who will pamper me, tell me stories to sleep, and make delicious snacks for me."

  The old lady's mouth was stiff, what theory is this? Is she a slave? She coaxed Shu Yao to sleep, the old lady wouldn't do this even if she liked her granddaughter. She still wanted to be gentle, yet she gave treatment that not even her own beloved granddaughter had received to Zhiyuan's daughter. The old lady's arm sank, and Shu Yao fell asleep comfortably.

  Guarjia smiled and knelt down softly, saying: "E Niang, the carriage is tired, Shu Yao hasn't suffered before, so...so...she was rude."

  The old lady smiled and patted Shu Yao's back, not too hard, but enough to startle her awake. However, the old lady apparently underestimated Shu Yao's ability to fall asleep anywhere. Shu Yao twisted her small body and continued to sleep, refusing to wake up. The old lady was completely stunned. What kind of situation is this? The old lady had been pampered all her life, when had she ever experienced such exhaustion? Even the grandchildren she raised were taken care of by nannies, and now the old lady's arms ached after just a short while.

  Guar Jia and Zhiyuan didn't seem to notice the old lady's displeasure, both husband and wife looked at her with a respectful face. Guar Jia said: "Your reputation for doting on your granddaughter is well-deserved, Mother, you spoil Shu Yao too much, just let the maids coax Shu Yao."

  The old lady had grievances that she couldn't express, the name of loving her granddaughter was a restraint, she couldn't let Shu Yao ruin it, all she could do was persevere, her arms were sore and painful, Shu Yao looked delicate but still quite heavy, maintaining a smile as usual, "It's okay, I like Liu Yaotou."

  "Mother is really kind-hearted." Guwalgiya took advantage of the situation and spoke flattering words, but the more she spoke, the angrier the old lady became. Her beloved granddaughter Shu Yao's words were like needles piercing her heart.

  The old lady looked at Shu Xuan, who was standing next to Zhiyuan. Zhiyuan's two sons were both talented and promising. The eldest son, Shu Xuan, had passed the imperial examination three times in a row, which made the old lady feel uncomfortable. She didn't quite understand the intricacies of the imperial examination system, but she still remembered how her second son-in-law had worked himself to death just to become a jinshi (a successful candidate in the imperial examination). The small three yuan was much more difficult than she had imagined. Among their relatives, everyone was asking about Shu Xuan and thought highly of him, expecting him to have a bright future in the imperial examination system. Some astute people told the old lady that if Shu Xuan could pass the examination again and become a huiyuan (a successful candidate in the metropolitan examination), Emperor Kangxi would definitely make him a zhuangyuan (the top scorer in the palace examination) to fulfill the auspicious sign of Liu Yuan's consecutive successes. After all, Shu Xuan was a genuine member of the Manchu Plain White Banner.

  Shu Xuan's success in the imperial examination would greatly enhance the status of the Eight Banners' sons in the literary world, proving that they were not inferior to Han people in terms of writing and literature. Even if Shu Xuan's articles were slightly inadequate, Emperor Kangxi would still award him the title of Zhuangyuan (the top scholar). At that time, Shu Xuan, who had already won six yuan, would be famous all over the world. The ladies were very clever and all wanted to recruit Shu Xuan as their son-in-law. However, the old lady was the only one who did not want Shu Xuan to succeed, and the more she heard, the more anxious she became.

  The title of the Duke's Mansion, it is decided that it cannot fall into Zhiyuan's hands, even if he has a promising son. The old lady had never had a good impression of Zhiyuan and his mother who was not mentioned in polite conversation. "All of you come out and meet Erge (second brother) Zhiyuan, our noble family is not as stubborn as the Han people."