Chapter 191

Chapter 191

When Xiao Mu and Xiao Zhen took Xiao Yan to the palace, Xiao Shouyi had just brought the crying uncontrollably Madam He back to their Hall of Tranquility and Peace.

In the courtyard, Madam He still showed some restraint because of the servants, but once inside the room, her temper truly erupted. She grabbed a teacup from the table, intending to smash it to the ground.

Xiao Shouyi shouted, "Silver!"

Madam He's raised hands paused, and she turned to look at her husband.

Xiao Shouyi quickly pointed to the white porcelain teacup, saying, "These are high-quality porcelain wares allocated to our family from the confiscated properties of noble houses by the Emperor. This set of tea utensils is worth at least ten taels of silver!"

The previous day, when Madam He first arrived at the new house, she had meticulously examined every item in the room, especially the fine and smooth porcelain. She had even specifically instructed the maids to handle them with care to avoid breaking them. In her fury, she had forgotten this detail, but her husband's reminder made her reluctant to smash it.

"You're deliberately angering me, angering me!"

Putting the teacup back on the table, Madam He threw herself on the bed and cried, still complaining about the same things—how the old master didn't see her as a daughter-in-law, how even her husband wasn't on her side anymore, and how she would rather go back to farming than be a laughing stock for all the servants in the residence and the ladies of Luoyang.

Xiao Shouyi sat on the edge of the bed, patting his wife's quivering shoulder, saying, "You're raving. After almost thirty years of marriage, if I’m not on your side, whose side would I be on? As for dad, he asked us to live with him in the central courtyard because he intends to leave the Duke’s residence to us to inherit. As long as you're here, you're the rightful mistress of this house. Ningfang is just helping to manage the household."

Madam He spat, "Do you take me for a fool? Which mistress of the house can't even get the keys to the storeroom and has to receive monthly allowances from her daughter-in-law?"

Xiao Shouyi replied, "There's a household ledger. Even you and dad have to record any withdrawals. With the accounts in place, every single silver's expenditure can be traced. Who can embezzle funds? Managing the household is an ungrateful job. Why fight for it?"

Madam He spat again, "The accounts are dead, but people are alive. For example, when she buys silk for the family, she claims to have spent twenty taels, but in reality, only fifteen taels was spent. Where did the extra five taels go? Into her own pocket! Or are you saying you suspect me of skimming but trust your precious daughter-in-law wouldn't do such a thing?"

Xiao Shouyi said, "Even if Ningfang had the intention to skim, let me ask you this: if all your expenses go through the household ledger, and you have enough monthly allowances and private savings for personal purchases, even if she siphoned off from the storeroom, where could she use the money? Small expenses don't require it, and large ones can't be hidden."

Madam He said, "I'll save it for my children and grandchildren."

Xiao Shouyi replied, "And who would Ningfang save it for?"

Madam He moved her lips but couldn't make a sound.

Her daughter-in-law's family was wiped out, and she couldn't spend much. No matter how much she saved, including the large Lin family mansion, it would eventually go to her children.

And her children were her grandchildren.

Giving her husband a side-eye, Madam He argued unreasonably, "The fifth son should marry soon. When the fifth daughter-in-law comes in and finds that her sister-in-law manages the household, do you think she'll be happy? Only if I, as the mother-in-law, manage the household can I ensure fairness between the sisters-in-law, and neither will have to worry about being at a disadvantage."

Xiao Shouyi said, "Why wouldn't she be happy? The third son is the eldest son of this branch. When we're gone, he'll be the head of the family, and Ningfang will be the mistress. She's just managing the household early to help you. If any sister-in-law is unhappy, it just shows she's a troublemaker and shouldn't have been married into the family in the first place."

After finishing, he patted his wife's shoulder and sighed, "You're sometimes smart and sometimes really confused. Ningfang has shared trials with us. What kind of bond does the fifth son’s future wife share with us? Not only are you not partial to Ningfang, but you're also arguing with her over someone who isn't even in the picture yet?"

Madam He said, "Nonsense about sharing hardships! She might have a relationship with Liu'er and Aman, but she has no relationship with me. I'm worried she'll poison my meals!"

Xiao Shouyi said, "You’re being irrational. If she really had such malicious intentions, she wouldn't need to do it herself. She could have incited the third son to do it himself. Ningfang doesn’t vie or snatch, but that doesn't mean she lacks schemes. She just doesn't bother with us. Otherwise, consider how she handled Lin Shou—no scolding, no fuss, just two simple documents, and everything was settled neatly."

Ever since they moved into the large mansion, Xiao Shouyi had been thinking about how to pacify his wife, gently coaxing her, "Speaking of the Lin family, I think Lin Shou's official career is over."

Madam He asked, "Why? He's a third-rank official. Returning the mansion to us has nothing to do with his official position, right?"

Xiao Shouyi said, "Of course, it does. Sun Xinghai was just a village chief in our village, and he had to care about his reputation. Once his reputation is tarnished and more villagers don't respect him, his position as village chief would be given to someone with a better reputation. If a village chief is like that, how much more so for proper officials? The higher the rank, the more important the reputation because everyone is eyeing that plum position. If your family abuses power, accepts bribes, or causes scandals, I can impeach you in front of the Emperor."

"Tell me, would the Emperor dare to use an official with a tarnished reputation? If he does, the people's criticism will come. Because if the top beam is crooked, the lower ones will follow."

Madam He thought about Sun Xinghai in the village and then about the Lin family, and it began to make sense.

Xiao Shouyi said, "Lin Shou is just a third-rank civil official. Many people are eager to replace him. Now that the Xiao family has produced one duke and one marquis, do you think those military officials who have also earned distinctions will envy us? What about the prestigious families of Luoyang that have been prominent for generations?"

Madam He said anxiously, "Of course! If it were me, I'd be jealous too. Why should a farming family be doing better than us?"

Xiao Shouyi said, "Then tell me, when the ladies and madams come to our house as guests in the future, are they genuinely praising you or just pretending? Are they hiding malicious intentions, trying to pry some dirt out of you so they can spread it, maybe even report it to the Emperor, and push for our family's titles to be revoked, or worse, have our ranks demoted?"

Madam He's face turned pale.

She had seen too many things like this in the village. Some people, jealous of your good fortune, wouldn't dare show it openly but would instead incite you to do something foolish. And when you suffered greatly, they'd stand by and watch, gloating.

Xiao Shouyi continued, "Just the matter of Third Son forcing Ningfang to marry him under the pretext of his life-saving grace is enough to be used against us."

Madam He said nervously, "I won't say anything, and Yu Chan is currently trying to curry favor with Ningfang, so she won't say anything either."

Xiao Shouyi replied, "Even if our mouths are sealed, anyone with ill intentions could still find out some information by asking around the village."

Madam He said, "What could they find out? What we said was that Ningfang was willing to marry Third Son to repay his life-saving grace."

Xiao Shouyi asked, "What if someone asks Ningfang directly? And Ah Zhen, would she spill the beans out of anger from how you've been treating Ningfang? If that happens, Old Master would be fine, and Second and Fourth Sons wouldn't be implicated, but the three of us would likely lose our official positions."

Madam He fell silent.

She had only said she wanted to return to the village to farm out of anger; she had no intention of actually moving back with her husband and sons, only to be ridiculed by everyone.

"Ningfang... she... she wouldn't be that foolish, would she? She's already married to Third Son. What benefit would it be for her if he lost his position?"

Xiao Shouyi replied, "She could divorce him. Now that she has her ancestral home and is the only granddaughter of Minister Lin, with a wise emperor to support her, she could easily leave Third Son and marry a noble young master from a family of equal standing. Countless ladies and madams would love to have a daughter-in-law or granddaughter-in-law like her."

Madam He fell silent again.

Xiao Shouyi continued, "Of course, considering our family's past circumstances, and given the two layers of gratitude our family has earned by saving her life and helping her reclaim her ancestral home, and considering Ningfang's noble background, she's unlikely to leave us lightly. But if you continue to defy her authority and speak disrespectfully, I can't predict what she might decide."

Madam He gritted her teeth, then suddenly punched her husband in the chest. "Are you trying to scare me on purpose?"

Xiao Shouyi said, "It's partly to scare you, but it's also partly true. Considering our family's past circumstances, having a daughter-in-law like Ningfang is truly a blessing from our ancestors. Why don't you let her handle all the troublesome matters and enjoy a life of leisure? As for reputation, outsiders will only envy you. Those who laugh are just jealous and hoping for a chance to see us fall out."

Madam He pursed her lips.

Xiao Shouyi continued, "Of course, you can keep opposing Ningfang if you want. If things really turn sour, I'll return to the village with you. Honestly, I prefer village life—farming, eating, sleeping, it's simple and good. In the officialdom, you have to work and constantly guard against others' schemes. It's exhausting. Father's hair turned white from stress."

Madam He shot him a fierce glance. "If you dare lose your official position, I'll be the first to fight you! There's nothing good about living in the village. If you're not tired of farming, I'm sick of scrubbing pots and pans!"

Xiao Shouyi turned her palm over, looked at it, and felt it curiously. "What happened to the calluses?"

Madam He smiled slightly. Ever since we moved to Wei County, she had been a leisurely madam for two years; her skin had whitened, and the calluses on her hands had disappeared.

After a moment of happiness, Madam He sighed again. "Those young women are so lucky. They get to enjoy life at such a young age. If our family had achieved this wealth twenty years earlier, I could have enjoyed some vanity too. Now I'm old and can only wear these old-fashioned silks."

Xiao Shouyi held his wife's hand and looked at her round, plump face seriously. "You're not old. You're still as beautiful as you were at sixteen or seventeen."

Madam He's face flushed. She punched her husband again, but this time it was light and landed without any pain.

——

After leaving the palace, Xiao Mu, Xiao Zhen, and Xiao Ye headed to the Southern Camp for duty, while Xiao Yan, nursing a bump on the back of his head, returned to the Duke's residence.

Tong Sui, Liu Chu, Xiao Yuchan, and Aunt Xiao were all accompanying Lin Ningfang, waiting for news. Upon hearing that Xiao Yan had returned, the ladies went to the front courtyard to welcome him and sent a young maid to inform Madam He and her husband.

Xiao Yan smiled when he saw everyone and said to Lin Ningfang, "I assaulted a court official. The Emperor sentenced me to forty lashes but told me to wait until the swelling on my head goes down before receiving the punishment."

Xiao Yuchan anxiously said, "You’ve been punished, how can you still laugh?"

Xiao Yan responded, "Lin Shou is in a worse situation than me. He was demoted from a high-ranking official to a county magistrate. He'll be reassigned within two days. His three sons have also been given magistrate positions. Whether they can return depends on their performance."

Tong Sui recalled the journey when the army marched south to Jinzhou. Many corrupt county magistrates were executed, and temporary replacements were appointed. In terms of ability, the Lin family should be more than capable of handling the magistrate position, but the more they resent the demotion, the harder they'll work to prove themselves and gradually earn their way back. This would benefit the local people.

She glanced at Lin Ningfang.

Lin Ningfang nodded almost imperceptibly.

She had harbored resentment towards the Lin family, but that resentment had faded over three years. Restoring her family’s honor was enough for her; she didn’t need the Lin family to be completely ruined.

Aunt Xiao remarked, "It’s enough that we’ve had our revenge. Third Younger Brother, go apply some medicine. Don’t get hit so hard that you become stupid."

Xiao Yan eagerly looked at Lin Ningfang.

Before Lin Ningfang could respond, Madam He and Xiao Shouyi arrived.

By this time, more than half an hour had passed since Xiao Yan and the others entered the palace. Everyone noticed that Madam He had changed her hairstyle and looked quite flushed, while Xiao Shouyi had his eyes lowered, looking somewhat embarrassed. They all imagined a scene where Madam He had beaten and scolded Xiao Shouyi until her hairstyle was messy and she was sweating, while Xiao Shouyi took the beating and scolding, humbling himself to appease his wife.

Tong Sui and her sisters-in-law quickly turned away, while Aunt Xiao gave her brother a sympathetic glance.

Madam He coughed and first asked her son about the palace situation. Upon hearing that Lin Shou and his sons had been demoted, she felt a jolt and instinctively looked at her husband.

Xiao Shouyi secretly gave a nod towards his daughter-in-law.

Madam He was thoroughly convinced by her husband’s words. For the sake of their family’s future, how could she dare to compete with Lin Ningfang for household authority?

After some hesitation, Madam He walked up to Lin Ningfang, smiling obsequiously. "Ningfang, I was wrong earlier. After calming down and thinking it over, I realized I can't even read all the characters, let alone understand the local customs here. If I were to manage the household, I'd definitely cause chaos. It's better to leave it to you. Really, from now on, you'll have the final say on everything in the household. I'll listen to you for everything."

Everyone was nearly shocked speechless, except for Xiao Shouyi.

Xiao Yuchan even circled around Madam He. "Mother, are you really still my mother?"

Madam He glared at her. "Get out of the way. Can't I just have a change of heart?"

Xiao Yuchan abandoned her mother and went to interrogate her father about what method he had used to achieve such a miraculous effect.

Madam He's ears grew hot as she nervously looked at her daughter-in-law.

Lin Ningfang understood very well that Madam He was a person who valued profit. Therefore, her father-in-law must have used that as leverage, including the fact that the Duke had entrusted her with managing the household to protect the interests of the entire Duke's residence.

This was fine. She and Madam He were destined to be surface-level mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Being united by 'profit' was enough.

"Mother, rest assured. I'm only helping to manage the household. I'll still show you the utmost respect in all other matters."

---

In the evening, the whole family still had dinner at the Duke's residence and returned to their own homes afterward.

As soon as they entered the side room, Xiao Zhen began to undress from his official robes, asking Tong Sui how Second Aunt had changed so quickly.

Tong Sui replied, "I don't know. By the time Third Younger Brother returned, she had already changed. It was entirely Second Uncle's merit."

Xiao Zhen smiled.

Tong Sui asked, "Did you guess it again?"

Xiao Zhen said, "Is there even a need to guess? A leopard can't change its spots. If Second Uncle can change Second Aunt's nature at home, he must have found her Achilles' heel. Think about it, what is Second Aunt most afraid of right now?"

Tong Sui thought of two things: the fear of death and the fear of losing wealth and status, including for her husband and children.

How does treating Lin Ningfang well ensure these two things?

Because Madam He didn't understand the political machinations in official circles, nor how internal household affairs could impact one's career, whereas Lin Ningfang could provide timely reminders and warnings about these issues.

Tong Sui felt both vindicated and indignant for Lin Ningfang. "Such a good daughter-in-law, why can't Second Aunt genuinely like her? Even Aunt wishes she could treat Third Daughter-in-law as if she were her own daughter."

Xiao Zhen said, "If they had entrusted Yu Chan with managing the household from the start, Second Aunt would have still caused trouble. She's the type who wants to keep all the money in her own hands. Forget it, it's best that it's resolved now. Otherwise, with major disputes every three days and minor arguments every two, even the elder would be distressed."

Tong Sui snorted, "If it weren't for Grandfather, Third Daughter-in-law might not have accepted this responsibility."

Xiao Zhen casually draped his official robe over a chair, approached, and said, "Grandfather takes two parts, but you take eight."

Tong Sui was taken aback.

Xiao Zhen lifted her chin and gazed into her clear, bright eyes. "With you here, she regards the Xiao Family as her home."

What the elder master oversaw was the entire Xiao Family, but it was his family's Xiaoman who truly won over the noble daughter-in-law of the prime minister’s residence.