Seeing Madam You’s anger, the corners of Su Qingxue’s lips curved upward. She thought to herself that this move had been the right one.
Given her stepmother’s temperament, she certainly wouldn’t call Third Sister over for questioning. Moreover, Su Qingxue hadn’t distorted the facts; Elder Brother had indeed taken Jiang Si to admire the flowers.
Su Qingxue’s assessment was correct. At this moment, Madam You was consumed by anger and didn’t doubt these words at all.
For all mothers in the world, their son is naturally the best, and it’s normal for a group of young beauties to throw themselves at him. Moreover, Madam You’s eldest son, Su Qingxun, the legitimate eldest grandson of the Marquis of Yining’s family, was indeed outstanding, even among the young men of the entire capital.
Madam You calmed her anger slightly and looked at Su Qingxue. “You did well today. Some people have ulterior motives to climb the social ladder, and your Elder Brother is kind-hearted and unguarded. We should keep an eye on him to prevent him from being taken advantage of.”
Su Qingxue lowered her eyes and agreed with her stepmother. “Daughter thinks the same. Elder Brother is like a dragon among men, admired by countless young ladies. If it were someone of equal status and beauty, that would be fine, but if he were to be schemed against by some unworthy person, I would feel so wronged for Elder Brother.”
“Even if they were of equal status, there’s no reason for private interactions,” Madam You said, though her tone towards Su Qingxue had softened considerably.
Her stepmother’s attitude undoubtedly delighted Su Qingxue, who lowered her gaze to hide her joy.
Madam You rested her hand on the stone table and closed her eyes in thought.
Su Qingxue didn’t dare to disturb her and waited quietly.
Her stepmother was no Bodhisattva; if Jiang Si hadn’t suffered some hidden loss, she wouldn’t have believed it.
Thinking of Jiang Si, Su Qingxue’s delicate face twisted.
She hated Jiang Si the most!
She was merely a cousin, yet instead of staying quietly at home, she often came to stay at the Marquis’s mansion. That would have been fine, but every time she came, she put on airs greater than the legitimate young ladies of the Marquis’s family. Even Elder Sister, who was usually indifferent towards her sister, was particularly close to Jiang Si.
Su Qingxue remembered when she was younger and couldn’t help but mock Jiang Si to her face. Jiang Si had retorted mercilessly, “My mother is Grandmother’s biological daughter. Even if I’m just a cousin, I’m still my Grandmother’s legitimate granddaughter. It’s not your place to slight me.”
Su Qingxue trembled with anger every time she recalled these words.
How dare she respond so righteously? This mansion’s surname is Su, not Jiang!
Children’s quarrels were usually insignificant, but Su Qingxue had held onto this grudge until now, her dislike for Jiang Si never fading.
Madam You opened her eyes and coughed lightly.
“Mother—” Su Qingxue immediately sat up straight.
“The maid attending to your Second Brother just reported that he was insisting on going to play in the garden. He’s already gone. Have you seen him?”
Su Qingxue didn’t understand why Madam You mentioned Second Brother Su Qingyi, so she shook her head. “Daughter hasn’t seen Second Brother.”
Madam You tapped the table lightly with her finger. “Go find him and take him to play at Chaoyang Pavilion…”
As Madam You gave detailed instructions, Su Qingxue’s eyes widened.
She understood her stepmother’s intention: she wanted to arrange for Jiang Si and Second Brother to be paired together!
Realizing this, Su Qingxue felt a sense of vindication.
Second Brother was, of course, her stepmother’s biological son, and there was no reason to benefit Jiang Si. However, Second Brother had fallen ill as a child and had become simple-minded ever since.
Thinking of Su Qingyi’s foolish expression with drool at the corners of his mouth, Su Qingxue pursed her lips.
She couldn’t wait to see what Jiang Si would look like as the Second Sister-in-law.
Their family wasn’t a poor household that couldn’t afford to raise daughters. Even if Second Brother was just the son of a Marquis, let alone a prince, no family would be willing to marry their daughter to a fool.
“Go now,” Madam You urged.
Su Qingxue immediately stood up. “Mother, rest assured. Daughter knows what to do.”
Madam You nodded with satisfaction. “Mm, Mother will remember this.”
After Su Qingxue left, Madam You gave a few instructions to her maid before returning to watch the opera.
By now, the performance of “The Fragrant Sachet” had reached the tenth act. While everyone else was engrossed in the show, Madam You’s thoughts were elsewhere.
She discreetly glanced at the Old Madam of the Marquis of Yining, who was surrounded by attention, a cold smile playing on her lips.
Even before Jiang Si’s engagement to the Duke of An’guo’s family was set, the Old Madam had subtly probed her intentions, hinting at a match between Qingxun and Jiang Si. It had angered her so much that her chest ached.
A girl who lost her mother at a young age, whose maternal family soon lost their title—what right did she have to marry her carefully raised son? The Old Madam’s heart was truly biased beyond measure.
Hmpf, if the Old Madam wanted to strengthen family ties, she might as well fulfill that wish. Letting Qingyi marry Jiang Si would serve the same purpose.
Thinking of her second son, Su Qingyi, Madam You felt a heaviness in her chest.
If Qingyi hadn’t fallen ill, he would have been as intelligent and outstanding as Qingxun. How could he end up benefiting Jiang Si?
As Madam You’s thoughts wandered, she noticed Second Madam Xu frowning and leaving from the corner of her eye. A flicker of doubt crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed these stray thoughts and focused on the opera.
Su Qingxue, having received Madam You’s instructions to find Second Brother Su Qingyi, felt quite nervous.
She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. If she disappointed her stepmother, her efforts to curry favor would be in vain, and she might even incur her stepmother’s displeasure.
“Xue’er—” a timid voice called out.
Su Qingxue stopped and, recognizing the person before her, her face darkened. “What are you doing here?”
The speaker was a woman in her early thirties. Her slightly downturned mouth and the faint vertical wrinkles on her forehead gave her otherwise delicate face a sorrowful appearance, instantly diminishing much of her beauty. However, a closer look would reveal some similarities between the woman and Su Qingxue.
Looking at her timid birth mother, Su Qingxue’s tone became irritated. “I’ve told you not to always appear before me with such a miserable face.”
The woman’s lips trembled as she stammered, “Xue’er, Concubine missed you…”
The woman was a concubine of the Marquis of Yining. She had no right to appear at occasions like the Old Madam’s birthday celebration, and even seeing her daughter on ordinary days was difficult. Now, seeing Su Qingxue, her heart was filled with joy, and even her sorrowful face gained some vitality.
She gazed at her daughter longingly, wishing she could engrave every detail into her heart.
Su Qingxue, however, was extremely impatient upon hearing the woman’s words. She coldly replied, “Concubine, mind your words. I am Mother’s daughter. Calling you ‘Concubine’ is already a courtesy for Father’s sake. As for anything else, you’d better not entertain any foolish hopes.”
With that, she ignored the woman’s suddenly pale face and walked away.
The woman couldn’t help but grab Su Qingxue’s sleeve.
Su Qingxue stomped her foot. “Let go quickly. I have things to do and no time to deal with you.”
“Xue’er, today is—”
Su Qingxue didn’t wait for the woman to finish. She forcefully pulled her sleeve free and said angrily, “If I fail Mother’s task, can you take responsibility for me? You have no skills and only know how to cause me trouble. I truly hate that I wasn’t born to Mother!”
The woman, her face ashen, watched Su Qingxue walk away without looking back. Two lines of tears silently rolled down her cheeks.