Chapter 143: The Truth Spoken by Shuang'er and Wang Wang Ruofu's Sense of Propriety [Many Thanks for Everyone's Support

Sheng Hong stepped into the bedroom of Lin Qin's Pavilion.

Lin Lin Qinshuang, dressed in her nightclothes and wearing a forehead ribbon, was quietly shedding tears by the bedside.

Seeing Sheng Hong enter the bedroom, she hastily closed her eyes; Sheng Hong turned to glance at Zhou Zhou Xueniang and said, "You may leave first."

After Zhou Zhou Xueniang had exited the bedroom, Sheng Hong approached the bed and looked at Lin Lin Qinshuang, whose face was pale and still bore tear tracks, and he asked gently, "Shuang'er, what is wrong with you? Why are you not drinking your medicine?"

Tears flowed again from the corners of Lin Lin Qinshuang's eyes; her voice trembling and her tone soft and weak, she said, "Hong-lang, you are the master of the Sheng family, trusting and cherishing Shuang'er so much that you let me manage the household, yet... yet I mistakenly trusted that black-hearted Guan Guan Pozi. I have betrayed Hong-lang's trust and brought shame upon the Sheng family. Shuang'er... sob... sob... sob..."

In truth, Lin Lin Qinshuang's current state was not entirely acted.

After all, early that morning her calculations had gone awry; she had thought Wei Wei Shuyi from the side courtyard had fallen into her trap by lodging complaints and seeking pity, but instead, it was Seeing Qingcao, the personal maid of the Hou Fu's legitimate son, who had been splashed with cold water.

Furthermore, the mistreatment of the side courtyard by the main kitchen had been done at her instruction; had she not promptly sorted out the connections and cut through the chaos like a swift blade, throwing all blame onto Guan Da Niangzi, her schemes would surely have been exposed by Guan Da Niangzi, which was her first shock.

At that time, Lin Lin Qinshuang also feared that Zhou Xueniang had not understood her instructions or that Dongrong had not steeled his heart enough, which was her fear.

Moreover, since Guan Da Niangzi had splashed a maid from the Hou Fu, Lin Lin Qinshuang feared that if Xu Xu Zaijing made a scene, Sheng Hong, for the sake of face, would definitely strip her of her authority to manage the household, which was her terror.

Then there was the matter of a death occurring early in the morning, involving a Guan Guan Pozi who could barely be considered one of Lin Lin Qinshuang's own confidantes; she worried that her subordinates were becoming disunited and distrustful.

The shock, fear, worry, and terror of that entire morning were more than her spirit could bear; fortunately, Zhou Xueniang had tidied up the loose ends, settling her mind somewhat, though she still had to plan for what came next.

Thus arose her mixture of genuine and feigned weakness and weeping.

Hearing Lin Lin Qinshuang's words, Sheng Hong took her hand and said:

"Shuang'er, the Guan Pozi in this mansion love to fawn on the high and trample on the low; back when I was in this Sheng family courtyard, aside from my father's beatings and scoldings, what I endured most were the cold glances from these Guan Pozi..."

"Hong-lang, Shuang'er knows this, but Shuang'er cannot forgive herself, Master..." As she spoke, Lin Lin Qinshuang actually forced herself to rise from the bed, intending to get down and kneel before Sheng Hong.

Sheng Hong hastily supported her, saying, "Shuang'er, what are you doing!"

"Master, it was Shuang'er who was blind and trusted the wrong person; while you were away attending to official duties, Zhou Xueniang went to Guan Da Niangzi's room and actually... actually found silver that should not have belonged to her... Shuang'er implores the Master to punish me!"

Sheng Hong was stunned: "What?!" he exclaimed, then hastily steadied the already 'powerless' Lin Lin Qinshuang.

"Shuang'er failed in her oversight! I beg the Master to punish me!" Lin Lin Qinshuang continued to weep weakly.

"Shuang'er, do not be like this; lie down properly first! Someone come! Come quickly!" Sheng Hong shouted.

Zhou Zhou Xueniang hurried into the room from outside the door; Sheng Hong helped Lin Lin Qinshuang lie down properly while holding her hand, then turned to Zhou Zhou Xueniang and said, "Speak, what exactly happened!"

Zhou Zhou Xueniang immediately knelt on the ground, bowing her head as she said, "Replying to the Master, this slave carefully examined the account books and discovered that Guan Da Niangzi, taking advantage of Sister Xiaodie in Wei Wei Xiaoniang's courtyard being honest and simple, actually forced the maid Sister Xiaodie to sign and seal documents under duress; yet Guan Da Niangzi engaged in favoritism and fraud, embezzling and withholding the allowances for the side courtyard and secretly reselling them. When Wei Xiaoniang learned of this matter, she was so enraged she fainted and has only just awakened before your arrival."

"Master, it was Shuang'er who failed in her oversight! I did not know how much suffering Sister Wei has endured these past days! I beg the Master to permit Shuang'er to go and apologize to Sister Wei! Being beaten or punished is what Shuang'er deserves." Lin Lin Qinshuang continued to weakly attempt to rise.

Sheng Hong frowned and said somewhat angrily, "Nonsense! You are in such a state; what apology are you going to make! If she herself lost her allowance and did not report the truth to either me or you, allowing herself to be embezzled and withheld from, should she still blame you?"

"It must be that Sister Wei thought Guan Da Niangzi had acted with my approval, leading to this; it is I! It is Shuang'er who harmed her; she is carrying the Master's child yet suffered so much; Shuang'er is guilty! Hong-lang, let Shuang'er go and apologize to Sister Wei!"

"Shuang'er, say no more; you have read many books, but your nature has always been delicate and weak! With such a disposition, you are ill-equipped to deal with these cunning, greedy, and slippery managing Guan Pozi! Moreover, Lady Wei is fine; you must focus on nurturing your body! Seeing you like this pains my heart greatly." Sheng Hong said to Lin Lin Qinshuang with eyes full of deep affection.

"Hong-lang, Shuang'er must definitely compensate Sister Wei."

"Very well, I will listen to Shuang'er." After speaking, Sheng Hong turned to Zhou Zhou Xueniang and said, "Go. Prepare the medicine."

Shou'an Hall.

The Old Lady Sheng looked at Xu Xu Pingmei, who was speaking eloquently in the room, her eyes full of smiles.

The current eldest daughter of Marquis Marquis Yongyi reminded the Old Lady vaguely of herself in her youth, though only vaguely.

After all, when Xu Pingmei was young, the Marquis Yongyi Marquis's household had not yet enjoyed the good days it has today; at gatherings of noble officials and their families in Bianjing, because their status was not prominent, she did not know how many times she had been mocked and squeezed by witty remarks, and after experiencing the Lantern Festival incident previously, her character had developed a steadiness and prudence that the Old Lady herself had not possessed at that age.

The reason Xu Pingmei could cultivate even a hint of the Old Lady's youthful demeanor was that during the years Xu Pingmei began to mature and grow up, the Marquis's household gradually began to improve; Xu Minghua achieved merit in the Western Army, her mother Sun Shi gradually established connections with the Liang family, the Gu family, and even the Duke Qi family, the Marquis's household became wealthy, and furthermore, Xu Xu Zaijing had gained favor in the presence of the current Emperor.

This caused a change in the environment in which Xu Pingmei lived, socialized, and interacted.

Added to this was her marriage some time ago to the Lady Ningyuan Marquis's household, where her mother-in-law was understanding, her husband was ambitious, and her sister-in-law and brother-in-law were harmonious, making Xu Pingmei's life smooth (except for the trouble caused by her father-in-law).

As residence changes one's qi and nourishment changes one's body, she gradually cultivated an entire aura of dignity.

Of course, this entire aura of dignity certainly could not compare to that of the Old Lady, who had been the sole daughter of the Marquis Yongyi Marquis's household at its peak; after all, in those days, the Old Lady alone had forty or fifty attendants serving her.

Although she possessed this dignity, Xu Pingmei's attitude was sincere, which made Wang Ruo Fu, who was speaking with Xu Pingmei, feel very comfortable.

The smiles on her face gradually increased.

They increased so much that the Old Lady Sheng would occasionally glance at her, reminding her to pay attention to her demeanor as a married woman.

Mama Fang checked the time, requested permission from the Old Lady, and then began arranging the dining tables in the main hall.

Seeing Mama Fang start working, Wei Wei Shuyi and Sheng Hualan reflexively went over to lend a hand, whereas Wang Shi merely glanced aside, not moving her buttocks in the slightest, and Mama Liu nearby also failed to react.

Seeing this scene, Xu Pingmei, under the pretext of taking out a handkerchief to wipe her temples, looked into the Old Lady's eyes, then rolled her eyes toward Wang Shi as a signal.

When such matters occur in a mother-in-law's room, a daughter-in-law ought to lend a hand; regardless of whether one does much or little, the main point is to show an attitude of respect by having work in one's eyes.

The Old Lady gave a somewhat self-mocking smile and whispered in Xu Pingmei's ear, "My family has always been one without rules."

"Wei Xiaoniang, please sit down quickly; these tasks are heavy, be careful of your condition," Mama Fang said, to which Wei Wei Shuyi smiled and replied, "I can help Mama lay out the tablecloth and such; it is no trouble."

After the dishes were arranged and everyone took their seats, the Old Lady said to Wang Shi, "Since she is pregnant, do not let her serve; she may return."

"Mother speaks rightly," Wang Shi replied, then waved her hand.

Wei Wei Shuyi understood the hint, performed a thorough bow, and then walked out of Shou'an Hall; just as she was approaching the courtyard gate, Mama Cui emerged carrying a food box.

"Wei Xiaoniang, the Old Lady instructed me to give this to you to take along."

"Please convey my thanks to the Old Lady."

Sister Xiaodie nearby hastily took it over, and Wei Wei Shuyi bowed once more in return.

A young maid from Lin Qin's Pavilion standing not far away saw the mistress and servant pair emerge and immediately darted off out of sight.

The mistress and servant pair returned to the side courtyard.

So many things had happened that morning that the mistress and servant had hardly eaten anything; now, opening the food box placed on the table, the aroma of the food made their stomachs rumble.

Taking out the food, the only difference between Wei Wei Shuyi and Sister Xiaodie was that one ate standing up while the other ate sitting down.

"Wei Xiaoniang, I heard that Mama Fang personally prepared these meals for the past two days; it is truly delicious."

"That goes without saying."

For the duration of a meal,

Although Wei Wei Shuyi strove to restrain herself, she still ate somewhat too much.

At this moment, a woman's voice came from outside the courtyard: "Wei Xiaoniang? Miss Sister Xiaodie?"

Sister Sister Xiaodie hurriedly lifted the curtain to go out, then immediately looked at the newcomer with an expression of surprise.

Isn't this chapter title a bit too long?

And also

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(End of Chapter)