novelaction Chapter 377 Old Lady Lu is restless
Chapter 377 Old Lady Lu is restless
After noon, Aunt Shen guessed that the old lady had woken up from her nap, so she hurriedly went to Rongshou Hall.
Aunt Shen, holding a cup of ginseng tea, stood smiling beside the old lady.
Ever since she gained the old lady's favor, she is now addressed respectfully as "Aunt Shen" by even the housekeepers when she walks around the mansion.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the gauze window, making her newly tailored mauve-colored blouse look exceptionally bright.
"Madam,"
She gently placed the teacup on the table, her voice as soft as honey, "In my opinion, you are too kind, which is why the First Madam dares to be so presumptuous."
Madam Lu, who was leaning against the couch, frowned upon hearing this.
After she fainted last time, she complained to her second son, but Lu Bai only stammered and advised her to calm down, which made the old lady Lu very dissatisfied.
But she didn't even consider what Lu Bai could do?
After all, Wang Min was the eldest sister-in-law, and it was indeed inappropriate to publicize the letters between her and her elder brother.
If something truly private were to be revealed to others, whose face would be lost?
Thinking of this, the old lady felt a surge of frustration again—having lived to this age, she couldn't even control a junior.
Seeing that the old lady's expression softened, Aunt Shen quickly leaned closer and whispered, "How about we hold a family banquet tonight? With the second master in charge, we can have the first and second mistresses serve you at the meal, and let everyone in the manor see who's really in charge here."
The old lady paused in her prayer beads, then finally shook her head: "Forget it, I can't be bothered to see the faces of Madam Wang and Madam Yuan."
After hearing the news of Liang Yusong's death, she felt even more choked up.
She had genuinely loved Liang Yusong, who had even saved her life, so she couldn't possibly be happy about what had happened.
Aunt Shen's eyes flickered, and she suddenly lowered her voice: "Does the old lady know? The other day when I went out, I happened to see Madam Wang with Princess Le'an picking out jewelry on the street."
She paused deliberately, "Princess Le'an really listened to Madam Wang. Even though she didn't like the hairpin, she bought it anyway because of Madam Wang's opinion."
She paused deliberately, then leaned closer: "Does the old lady still remember Princess Le'an's old ways?"
"How could I not remember!"
The old lady suddenly perked up, ceasing her fiddle with the prayer beads in her hands. "Back then, Princess Le'an chased after Jiang Hou, causing a huge uproar throughout the city. She blocked people in the streets countless times. I told her to have the eldest son quickly come up with a plan to prevent the royal family from making things too embarrassing."
"Tell me, Princess Le'an is of noble birth and so devoted to Jiang Nian, isn't this a perfect match, one in a million?"
"But he was blinded by greed and arranged for Jiang Nian to marry Yuan Wanru!"
Speaking of this, Old Madam Lu's anger flared up.
Aunt Shen covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "That's right."
"If the prince marries the princess, then we will become relatives of the emperor."
Old Madam Lu snorted heavily: "Troublemaker, jinx!"
It goes without saying who it refers to.
Aunt Shen continued, "Everyone knows the princess has a bad temper, but that day, guess what?"
"I saw it with my own eyes: when Lady Wang told her to go east, she would never dare to go west. The shopkeeper of the jewelry store said that the princess clearly thought that gold hairpin was tacky, but with just a glance from Lady Wang, she obediently took out her silver and bought it."
The old lady's eyes lit up as she listened, and her wrinkled fingers unconsciously stroked the rim of the teacup.
Aunt Shen glanced at her expression and said softly, "If you ask me, a wife should act like one. Our First Madam and the Heir Apparent's Wife..."
The light in the old lady's eyes dimmed again when Yuan Wanru was mentioned.
She recalled Yuan Wanru's sharp, piercing words in Wangchun Hall, and couldn't help but shrink back: "That Yuan family... is not someone to be trifled with..."
She didn't want to back down, but Old Madam Lu really couldn't stand Yuan Wanru's sharp tongue.
Every word she utters is sharp and hurtful; if you really get sick from angering her, wouldn't it be her who suffers the most?
Seeing this, Aunt Shen quickly began massaging the old lady's shoulders: "Oh, my dear old lady, you are a dignified lady of a marquis's mansion, how could you be afraid of a mere granddaughter-in-law? Besides..."
She lowered her voice, "With the Second Master around, would he really stand by and watch his own mother suffer?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Lu realized there was some truth to it.
Lu Bai was not present during those conflicts, so he probably didn't know how much his mother had suffered.
She stared at the swaying shadows of the trees on the ground for a long time, then suddenly slammed her hand heavily on the table: "Go! Pass on my message: everyone must dine at Rongshou Hall tonight! I want to see who dares not to come!"
-
When the news reached Yuan Wanru's ears, she guessed what Aunt Shen was planning.
But isn't the Second Prince worried about the poison in his body?
Through Liang Yusong's incident, Yuan Wanru finally saw through the Second Prince. He was selfish and ruthless, only caring about himself. What he feared most now was that something would happen to her, and that he would be unable to cure her poison.
Now they're actually trying to poison the Lu family?
There's a contradiction here.
However, regardless of the circumstances, she took this opportunity to eliminate all the spies in the mansion at once.
"Keep a close eye on her. Make a note of everyone who has been in contact with Aunt Shen, and interrogate them all together later."
Wang Min rushed over: "Wanru, the old lady suddenly wants to hold a family banquet. This is strange."
Yuan Wanru didn't hide anything from Wang Min and told her everything: "Mother, take this antidote pill, and just act according to the situation at dinner."
Wang Min asked worriedly, "What about the others?"
Yuan Wanru whispered, "Don't worry, nothing will happen. At most, you'll suffer a little. Now that Aunt Shen has taken the initiative, we must solidify her crime so that Second Uncle will be convinced."
Thinking of the series of troubles that had befallen the second wife, and how Aunt Pan had only recently dealt with them, and now they were going to target Aunt Shen... Wang Min ultimately said no more.
In the end, it's all Lu Bai's bad luck. Why are all these concubines so troublesome?
Wang Min sighed: "Alright, now that you've handled things properly, I won't interfere anymore."
Since we're going to catch them red-handed, we can't let the news leak out. Wanru said that suffering a little is nothing compared to the safety of the Marquis's mansion, and it's all worth it.
As for whether Old Madam Lu was willing to endure this hardship, neither Wang Min nor Yuan Wanru mentioned it.
-
Once Aunt Shen received confirmation, she busied herself with preparations.
She was so busy that her feet barely touched the ground, and the stray hairs on her forehead were soaked with sweat. She personally supervised the cooks' preparation of the dishes and even inquired about the plating.
"This steamed sea bass should be placed in front of the old lady."
She pointed to the food table and instructed, "Put the Eight Treasure Duck, which the First Madam likes, further away."
Granny Cao leaned against the corridor, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan.
In this sweltering heat, being able to stay indoors as much as possible is a kind of enjoyment.
She's happy to have someone else to take care of things, so she can relax.
-
Time passed slowly, night fell, and the people from both the first and second wives' families all arrived.
The Rongshou Hall was brightly lit. The old lady sat at the head of the table, watching her children and grandchildren arrive one after another, a rare smile appearing on her face.
Wang Min led the members of the first branch of the family, while Lu Bai led Zhou Fang and the rest of the second branch of the family, and they took their seats in turn.
Yuan Wanru glanced at the table, her gaze lingering briefly on a few dishes.
Everyone had arrived, but since Old Madam Lu didn't say anything, no one touched their chopsticks.
Lu Bai looked at Old Madam Lu with a puzzled expression: "Mother, is there anyone else coming?"
Madam Lu looked at him sadly and said, "No one wants to come. I've been dreaming about your father these past few days. I'm getting old, and everyone is tired of me. Maybe in a few days, I'll go and keep your father company."
"I haven't had any appetite for food these past few days."
Lu Bai quickly advised, "Mother, you're in good health. Don't talk about these things. Relax and enjoy your retirement."
Madam Lu looked at Wang Min and Zhou Fang: "I only have you two as my own daughters-in-law. Why don't you serve me my meal tonight? Perhaps seeing your filial piety will improve my appetite."
"What do you think?"