The people who followed Xiao saw that Wu Shi sat there without speaking or giving any hints, and they were unsure how to proceed. Xiao Xuexi’s aunt, guessing that Wu Shi was inexperienced in handling such situations, stepped forward and said, “This matter is easily resolved. It’s just servants gossiping. Since the lady has said she’ll punish those ignorant slaves, we’ll wait for that.”
With this prompt, Wu Shi understood. Refusing the marriage out of anger wasn’t an option, but neither could they ignore the issue and swallow their pride. If they were being treated this way before the wedding, how would the new bride be treated after entering the household? The most appropriate course of action now was to accept whether Jiang was a concubine’s son or a legitimate son, pretending not to know and treating him as legitimate for now. Since Du Furen had blamed it on the servants, they would cause trouble for the servants to win this round and create difficulties for the Duke’s mansion.
Wu Shi then said, “Today is supposed to be a joyous occasion, and we shouldn’t be stirring up unnecessary trouble. However, hearing such baseless rumors has truly angered us. In-laws should respect each other. If such idle gossip spreads once, it could happen again. We need to get to the root of the matter.” Her implication was clear: they wanted to make an example, establish authority before entering the household, and severely punish the gossiping servants.
Du Furen had anticipated this and smiled, saying, “Thank you, esteemed guests, for not taking offense. It was indeed our servants who were disrespectful. However, I’ve just returned home after a serious illness and haven’t sorted out everything yet. I must shamelessly ask our guests to help me identify which bold servant did this, so I can deal with them and appease you, cutting off the source of these rumors.” She then signaled to Jinzhu, who immediately went to inform the Old Madam and Jiang Zhong, saying that the Xiao family had heard rumors from somewhere claiming that Jiang Changyi wasn’t a legitimate son but born of a maid, and they were making a fuss about calling off the marriage.
Wu Shi felt very uncomfortable hearing Du Furen’s words. It was the Duke’s mansion’s servants who had overstepped their bounds. In any household, such behavior would be severely punished – at the least, they would be driven out, and in some cases, quietly killed. But from Du Furen’s words, it seemed she was only looking to punish the servants to appease them. Did this mean that if it weren’t for their sake, she wouldn’t severely punish these troublemaking servants? As for helping to identify the culprits, the old nurse had only heard voices from inside without seeing faces. How could they possibly identify specific servants among all those in the Duke’s mansion? If they offended everyone, how would Xiao Xuexi manage in the future?
Wu Shi now realized Du Furen’s ill intentions. She calmly replied, “I dare not accept your words, Madam. If you’re doing this to appease us, it’s unnecessary. You’re busy with many affairs in your household. We won’t trouble you further. Let’s go.” With that, she stood up, ready to leave without even touching the feast. Seeing this, the Xiao family members also began discarding their cups and chopsticks, noisily preparing to leave amidst jeers and mockery.
Du Furen remained seated calmly, but feigned a very alarmed expression, saying, “Why are you leaving so suddenly? Have we done something improper? I’m not an unreasonable person. Please, tell me what’s wrong so we can address it. Whatever needs to be done, we’ll do it without hesitation.” She then sent Baixiang to notify Jiang Changyi.
This was exactly the effect Wu Shi had hoped for. She was inwardly pleased but maintained an increasingly cold and haughty expression, saying, “There’s no need. We won’t trouble your household further.”
How could Du Furen let them leave when the show had just begun? She adopted a solemn expression and said coolly, “Everyone in both capitals knows our two households are now in-laws, with the auspicious day tomorrow. I won’t say there will be many guests, but there certainly won’t be few. If your household has any dissatisfaction, please speak openly. We’re not unreasonable people. I’ve already said we’ll do whatever is necessary. Young Madam refuses to partake in the feast and won’t say what’s unsatisfactory, insisting on leaving. Aren’t you afraid we might have our thoughts about this? Won’t people laugh at how childish our two households are? Being laughed at is a small matter, but affecting the children’s future is serious.”
Her words were righteous and difficult to refute. After all, she had initially adopted a humble stance and hadn’t openly confronted the Xiao family. It was hard for others to argue against her. Wu Shi began to reconsider. This matter concerned both households and wasn’t a small issue. She wasn’t Xiao Xuexi’s father or brother, just an elder sister-in-law, and couldn’t make such decisions. If things went well, she’d get no credit, but if they went poorly, she’d be blamed. All her previous good work would be for naught, and if Xiao Xuexi’s marriage was affected, who knew how she’d be reproached later? She hesitated, wanting to stay, but felt that Du Furen had finally shown her true colors by not speaking kindly at the end. Having lost face and with no graceful way to back down, she remained silent, neither leaving nor moving, her face stern.
Seeing this, Du Furen understood Wu Shi’s thoughts and pressed her further to speak: “Young Madam, please say something. Don’t keep me in suspense. We can discuss this reasonably. This is a joyous occasion, and everyone should be content.”
Once again, Xiao Xuexi’s aunt stepped forward, saying, “This is indeed a joyous occasion. Let’s all sit down and talk properly. Madam has already said we can discuss this reasonably. Let’s invite the Old Madam out, offer her a toast, and hear what she and everyone have to say.” Since it was the stepmother and not the birth mother, how could she be so kind-hearted? Perhaps she’d be happier if the marriage didn’t happen. It would be better to bypass Du Furen and speak directly with the Old Madam.
Du Furen didn’t stop them, smiling as she said, “I’ve already sent someone to invite her. She’ll be here shortly. Please wait a moment. Come, come, let’s eat and drink.” She then loudly ordered the kitchen to bring fresh hot dishes in front of everyone.
Meanwhile, when the Old Madam heard about this inside, she was so angry she smashed a cup on the spot. On one hand, she suspected Du Furen was causing trouble, and on the other, she was utterly disgusted with the Xiao family, which extended to her dislike of Xiao Xuexi. She had originally thought Xiao Xuexi wasn’t properly behaved, but since the marriage had progressed to this point and could bring some benefits to the family, she had accepted it. The Xiao family’s behavior now clearly showed they had no respect for them. The Jiang family was taking a daughter-in-law, not inviting a Buddha.
Seeing her fury, no one dared to approach and try to calm her. Only Jinzhu, with her clear, innocent eyes, urged, “Please, Old Madam, what should we do? The Xiao family is surrounding Madam, talking endlessly. Madam keeps apologizing, saying everything is negotiable, but they won’t let up. I’m afraid she can’t hold out much longer.”
The Old Madam glared at Jinzhu, panting when another report came from outside: “The Xiao family wants to leave and won’t even eat the feast. Madam is pleading with them, but Young Madam Xiao is giving her a hard time.”
Shortly after, another message arrived: “It’s alright now, Madam has stopped them. But the Xiao family insists on seeing you, Old Madam. They want you to give them an explanation.”
Give them an explanation. What explanation? For a mere little harlot, was it worth it? The Old Madam trembled with anger, adamantly refusing to go. Let the marriage be called off! But then she heard someone say, “The Duke has arrived.”
Then Jiang Changyi strode in, his face as dark as water. He suddenly knelt before her, sobbing, “It’s all because of your unfilial grandson. I’ve brought shame to the family and caused you distress, Grandmother.” He then prostrated himself, weeping bitterly.
Before Jiang Changyi’s sobs had subsided, Jiang Zhong entered with a stern face: “Mother, don’t worry. I’ll go.” He then let out a long sigh.
The Old Madam weighed the pros and cons of this marriage once more, then firmly struck her walking stick on the ground and said with hatred, “Fine! I’ll endure it!” She forbade Jiang Zhong from intervening, reasoning that as the man of the house, he shouldn’t handle such face-losing matters. She would deal with it herself. As for Jiang Changyi, she said bitterly, “Yi’er! Remember well today’s humiliation! They’re merely taking advantage of our family’s current misfortune and your low official rank! Think back to the days…”
In front of the servants, the Old Madam refrained from continuing, mindful of appearances. But everyone understood what she meant by “think back to the days” – it referred to the time when Jiang Zhong was still in his prime, and how the Xiao family had schemed for this marriage.
Jiang Changyi silently wiped away his tears and kowtowed heavily once more: “Your grandson is unfilial.” He was determined to go through with this marriage no matter what. What was a little endurance now?
The Old Madam then walked out, leaning on her cane, and hurried to the banquet area. She didn’t rush in immediately but listened to how Du Furen was dealing with the Xiao family. She heard mostly the Xiao family speaking, with Du Furen remaining silent, occasionally only urging the kitchen to serve dishes quickly. A servant who had been standing guard came forward to report everything that had happened to the Old Madam in detail. Although the Old Madam disliked Du Furen, she thought Du Furen had spoken well to the Xiao family. She then sent someone to announce her arrival.
Seeing the Old Madam arrive, the Xiao family members changed their cold expressions to smiling ones, coming forward to bow and greet her respectfully, then softly pressing her for answers. The Old Madam inwardly seethed but smiled with utmost kindness, saying, “Yi’er has always been raised under his stepmother’s name, and it has always been his stepmother and I who raised him personally. We have never intentionally concealed this fact. Didn’t your family know?”
This marriage was unlike others where investigations were done before making a decision. This one was settled first and then finalized, meaning they had to accept everything as it was. The Xiao family members’ expressions turned ugly. Du Furen felt immensely satisfied – it wasn’t she who had revealed this, but the Old Madam herself. The first objective was achieved.
The Old Madam then coldly smiled, “Although this is the truth, the person who spoke those words was indeed ill-mannered! Not only did they disrespect our guests, but they also brought shame to the Duke’s mansion. We cannot let this go lightly and must cut off the source of these rumors! Come, investigate this matter immediately!” She thought to herself, that it was Du shi’s mischief, and she would use this opportunity to deal with her severely.
When one truly wants to investigate, nothing remains hidden, especially when someone has already prepared for the Old Madam’s investigation. In less than half an hour, two old women were brought in bound and thrown before everyone. The Old Madam looked at these two and was slightly shocked – they were her people, not Du Furen’s as she had assumed!
The two women, of course, refused to admit guilt, saying they had only been outside and couldn’t possibly have said such ignorant and disrespectful things.
The Old Madam, however, had made up her mind and frowned as she ordered, “Forty military lashes for each of them, then drive them out!”
Du Furen quickly interjected, “That’s too harsh. It’s not good to do this on such an auspicious day.”