novelaction Chapter 193 Entering the Inner Chamber?
Chapter 193 Entering the Inner Chamber?
For the next few days, Mu Changping used social engagements as an excuse to return home very late. Although the old master somewhat disapproved of this, he didn't say so directly. After all, he was a grown man and should be able to understand such matters.
Although Jin was unhappy, she held back because she thought that her husband was looking for a promotion opportunity for her.
Mu Changping's face grew more haggard each day. Jin Shi was unaware of this and only thought that he was worried because his official position was not being finalized.
However, Jin Shi can't help much now. The people in the Marquis's mansion are not close to her. In fact, by the time of Jin Yang's generation, they don't associate with her at all. They probably don't even know that she has such an aunt.
Jin also wanted to ask her brother for help, but after several visits, he was either not at the manor or too busy to see her. Poor Jin, the young lady of the Marquis's mansion, could only barely get into the front courtyard to have a cup of tea before having to leave.
Jin had considered making a scene at the Marquis's mansion, but the mansion was very different from the one she had married years ago. The servants had been replaced, especially in the front courtyard, where they were all young and strong young servants. Seeing this, she didn't dare to cause any trouble.
That day, the old master went out to visit a friend. Mu Xinnuan blinked slightly, gave Mu Hua a few instructions, and then waited to see the show.
Mu Qing asked, "Miss, do you think this will upset the old master?"
"No, Grandfather is in good health. I just took his pulse last night. Although I am scheming against the second branch of the family, I would never use Grandfather as a bargaining chip. If it weren't for the fact that I was worried that if the old lady found out, she wouldn't have said anything at all, I would definitely have chosen her!"
"Granny is so biased, even if she finds out, she certainly won't make a big deal out of it. Besides, this is a crucial time when the Second Master's official position is still uncertain. But do you think the Old Master will expose this matter?"
“He can’t hide it, because my dear second aunt will also be going to Yang’s place today. If Grandfather doesn’t go, I’m afraid Jin will just get rid of the child in Yang’s belly.”
As dusk approached, Mu Xin Nuan indeed heard a commotion in the front yard. At the time, she and her mother were discussing the embroidery workshop. Seeing that something was amiss, the two of them naturally went directly to the main hall.
The old man was cold and angry, quite imposing, while Jin was disheveled, her clothes were torn and wrinkled, and she was glaring angrily at another woman beside her.
Mu Xin Nuan looked closely and saw that the woman had willow-leaf eyebrows, cherry-like lips, and a small face no bigger than a palm. Her face was deathly pale, as if she was still in shock. Beside her stood a little girl who looked no more than five or six years old.
Seeing this, Li didn't understand what had happened, but since Jin was the second wife of the Mu family, she quickly had someone help her downstairs to wash up, and then sent someone to invite the old lady over.
"Grandfather, please don't be anxious. Have some tea to calm down," Mu Xin Nuan said, personally serving a cup of tea.
It seemed that Madam Yang had only just realized what was happening. She quickly had someone help the little girl beside her kneel down, and she herself knelt down very carefully as well, saying, "Greetings to the old master."
The old man glanced at her and, judging from her appearance, didn't seem like the kind of person who would bewitch a master. Then, seeing how cautious she was, he remembered hearing someone shouting in the alley earlier, "Don't hurt the lady's belly!" He knew that the woman was pregnant.
"Please stand up and speak first."
"Thank you, sir."
After getting up, Madam Yang gently wiped away her tears and calmly recounted the whole story. She concluded by saying, "My lord, I know you have a family, but I fell into hardship at the time. You and my father were old acquaintances, which is why you entrusted me to your care on your deathbed. However, you dared not bring me home, so you kept me outside. I was raised with proper etiquette; how could I not know my lowly status? But I am but a woman, without any support or help; what could I do?"
Her words were impeccable; she neither pleaded nor insisted on entering the mansion, which earned her some goodwill. Most importantly, throughout the entire ordeal, the woman never uttered a single bad word about Jin.
Even the old lady who arrived later couldn't find a single fault with what she said!
They all knew whether Mu Changping was afraid of his wife!
Since taking Song Shi as a concubine, Mu Chang'an had refused to take any more. This wasn't because he was afraid of his wife, but because the couple was deeply in love. Most importantly, Mu Chang'an always took matters of the heart very seriously. He felt that he had already wronged his wife by taking Song Shi as a concubine, so he absolutely couldn't make the same mistake again.
But Mu Changping's situation is quite different!
Mu Changping has had more than one concubine or maidservant over the years!
However, those who had died were either sick, driven mad by the ordeal, or committed some grave error and were punished by the Jin family. In short, he never had anyone he could truly confide in for long!
Jin was a formidable woman, and even if Mu Changping harbored resentment, he dared not voice it easily. Whenever he thought of Jin as the aunt of the Marquis's mansion, and how it was she who had helped him in the beginning, which led to the prosperity of his business and the rise of his official position, he would feel a surge of pride.
The more this happened, the more Jin Shi took advantage of him. Eventually, Mu Changping found himself at his wits' end. After all, she was his legal wife; what could he do?
It was precisely because of this that Yang Shi and their daughter, Mu Xinyi, came into being.
After listening to her story, Li felt a pang of sympathy for Yang. This woman was already of low social status, and being an orphan with no one to rely on, her situation was all the more pitiful!
Fortunately, she met Mu Changping. If she had met some other shady people, her fate would have been far more miserable than becoming someone's mistress!
After changing her clothes, Jin entered the room and overheard Yang instructing Mu Xinyi to address the old master and old lady in the hall as her grandparents.
"Don't shout! You shameless woman, who knows where your child came from? And this wretched girl, who can prove she's a member of the Mu family? Just a lowly woman, what, you actually think you can enter our house now?"
When the old man heard Jin calling her a "lowly woman" over and over again, his face turned ashen!