frightfiction Chapter 171: The Aftermath of the Palace Banquet
Chapter 171: The Aftermath of the Palace Banquet
This story actually started with the palace banquet on New Year’s Eve.
Old Madam Xie hit a snag with Old Madam Mu and Yun Xi. She was very angry at the time. She couldn't get angry at the palace banquet, so she started to lose her temper when she got home.
Scolding the daughter-in-law for not speaking up for her and allowing outsiders to humiliate her!
She scolded Madam Mu for being heartless and ungrateful. Xie Qing had only been gone for a few years, and she treated her like this!
She scolded Yun Xi for being ignorant of etiquette and not knowing how to behave when meeting elders. It was true that she came from a humble family and became arrogant when she succeeded. She even dared to act like a first-rank lady and joined Madam Mu in ridiculing her!
She even scolded Dingyuan Hou and Xie Lang for being incompetent and not being able to earn her a first-rank imperial decree. If she were also given a first-rank imperial consort title, she wouldn't have to care about the faces of Old Lady Mu and Yun Xi!
She cried and made a fuss, which gave Marquis Dingyuan a headache.
"Come on, it's New Year's Day, why are you making such a fuss? You've ruined all my blessings by crying!"
"Am I the one making trouble? I was wronged outside and no one supported me. When I came home and talked about it, I was still blamed by you. At my age, what's the point of living like this?"
Marquis Dingyuan closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and swallowed back the words "If you can't live, then don't live" that were about to come out of his mouth.
He asked Xie Lang's wife Cui, "What's going on?"
Cui frowned slightly. She didn't think her mother-in-law was right about what happened at the palace banquet. She went to pay her respects to Old Madam Mu, who was very nice and took the initiative to introduce Yun to her. She greeted Yun according to the rules, and she was also very kind. She could feel that Princess Yongning had no prejudice against their Xie family.
If the mother-in-law hadn't deliberately ignored the other person and wanted to give him a warning, the subsequent events would not have happened.
She saw clearly from the side that her mother-in-law deliberately didn't look at Princess Yongning, which showed the words "arrogant" to the fullest. If it weren't for this, Madam Mu wouldn't have taken the initiative to stab her with a nail.
It's not like I have nothing better to do.
Cui said after careful consideration: "Mother said a few words to Madam Mu. Perhaps she didn't see Princess Yongning beside the old lady, so she ignored it. Madam Mu told Princess Yongning that mother was the elder and there was no need to greet her. I guess mother was angry that Princess Yongning didn't take the initiative to greet her."
Dingyuan Marquis and his son: "..."
You're too polite. She must have wanted to show off her power to Princess Yongning. She's such a grown-up, a new noble, and she's wearing the clothes of a first-rank imperial edict. It would be strange if she didn't see it.
But no one expected that Madam Mu would protect her new daughter-in-law and take the initiative to give her a tough challenge.
Dingyuan Hou really wanted to ask his wife: Don't you know the imperial robes of a first-rank lady? Even if she is a junior, she would not lower her status and take the initiative to greet you in such an occasion if she is wearing the imperial robes of a first-rank lady. That would make people laugh.
If you were someone's legitimate elder, then there would be no problem. The problem is that you are not. Strictly speaking, you two don't know each other!
When a superior person takes the initiative to greet a subordinate, he or she may be praised at times, but at other times, he or she may be looked down upon.
Given the inherently awkward atmosphere between the Xie family and Yun Xi, if Yun Xi took the initiative, then others would not pay much attention to her identity and status when they see her in the future. They would only regard her as Mu Sheng's second wife and rank her behind the original wife.
Why should people do this?
It doesn't make sense.
Only when she keeps her composure can she establish her authority.
What's more, Marquis Yimin is now a favorite of the emperor. Even if they don't take the initiative to make friends with him, they can't deliberately make enemies with him, right?
Xie Lang asked Cui: "Have you greeted Princess Yongning? What is her attitude?"
Cui smiled and said, "I greeted Madam Mu first. She was very kind and took the initiative to introduce me to Princess Yongning. I greeted her according to the rules, and the princess was also very kind and friendly."
Xie Lang: “…”
Madam Xie said angrily, “According to what you said, they are all kind and friendly, and it’s my fault!”
Cui: "My daughter-in-law doesn't dare!"
"You don't dare. What else can you not dare to do? You are clearly accusing me!"
"All right!"
Marquis Dingyuan put an end to the farce and asked his son and daughter-in-law to go back and rest first, while he reasoned with his wife.
"You are an elder. You just need to smile and look at the Yun family, and the in-laws will naturally introduce you. Once the Yun family officially knows your identity, it is naturally impossible for them to ask you to perform a formal ceremony. She will not even mention this matter. You just exchanged a few pleasantries and it was over. This is such a simple matter! How can it be like this?"
Just as Madam Xie was about to speak, she was interrupted by Marquis Dingyuan.
"I don't believe my in-laws are people who are looking for trouble."
This time, Madam Xie was completely furious.
"What do you mean, she's not, am I?"
Dingyuan Hou looked at her without saying anything, but his meaning was clear, [You are it! ]
Madam Xie was choked by his expression.
Yes, she was! She just wanted to ignore Yun to express her contempt for her. She thought the old woman of the Mu family would take the initiative to smooth things over and introduce Yun to her. She thought Yun would be humble and flattering to her. After all, she was the Marquis's wife, the mother of the original wife, and the mother-in-law that Mu Sheng respected. But she didn't expect that what she thought was just what she thought. None of these people acted according to her wishes.
She felt that she had suffered a great humiliation today!
Dingyuan Hou sighed and said, "Even if that's the case, there's still room for change. You just need to smile and make a few jokes, and it will be over. Why did you come back so angry? It's fine if you're angry with me, but you scolded your son and daughter-in-law too because they provoked you?"
"How old is Xie Lang? He has already been promoted to the third rank. Why are you so harsh on him? You blame your daughter-in-law for not speaking up for you. How can she help you? One is your elder, and the other is of a higher rank than her. If she really did something wrong, she would still be right. The problem is that she didn't do anything wrong. She has nothing to gain. How can she force herself to be the leader? If the matter gets out of hand, what do you think will happen to you?"
"I heard that several people in the palace think highly of Princess Yongning. Do you think they can speak to you?"
Madam Xie cried bitterly, "I'm just angry. Why? My daughter passed away so early, but she got married into the Mu family and is enjoying a good life. Ah Yan still has to call her mother. She has taken over my daughter's status and position, and her life is a hundred times smoother than my daughter's. As a mother, I just can't stand it!"
"So you just wanted to show off your power to others, but ended up losing face for yourself!"
Madam Xie: “…”
Dingyuan Hou sighed again and said, "Qing'er's death, what does it have to do with Yun's family? Do you still expect Mu Sheng to never marry again and remain faithful to Qing'er? This is impossible! I have analyzed it with you from the beginning. Mu Sheng will inevitably remarry! To put it bluntly, if Cui's family is gone, do you want Xie Lang to never marry again in his life?"
"How is that possible?"
"Of course! Then why do you have any objection to Mu Sheng remarrying? The only thing we can hope for is that his wife is of good character and can treat Qing'er's child well. Mu Sheng has been remarried for more than half a year. You have seen Yan many times in the past six months. Can't you see what the child is like? The stepmother has put in a lot of effort. Our expectations have been realized, what else are you dissatisfied with? Don't do anything unnecessary. It's not good for us to offend the Yun family, and it's even worse for Yan."
"What? She dares to abuse the child? Then I will go to her house and have a talk!"
Marquis Dingyuan felt his eyes go dark. He slapped his forehead hard before his mind cleared up.
"Don't you know the ins and outs of the backyard? It's easy for them to deal with a child, and you can't find any fault with them. Besides, if something goes wrong, what's the point of you going to their house to complain? By then, everything will be too late!"
Madam Xie knew she was in the wrong, so she started to give in. "...I didn't mean to do anything. I just wanted her to recognize her identity. She's just a stepmother. Who knew she wouldn't take any loss, and Madam Mu even helped her to beat me up."
"What's wrong with the second wife? The second wife is also the principal wife. Mu Sheng brought her into the family in a grand ceremony. They are now husband and wife. If you hit her in the face, you are hitting Mu Sheng in the face."
In this dynasty, there is no saying that the successor wife is inferior to the original wife. From the perspective of pure marriage relationship, the successor wife has the same status as the original wife, both are the principal wife, and both are the only mistress of the family. The children born to the successor wife are also legitimate. It’s just that in terms of inheritance, the children born to the original wife are the eldest and have an advantage in inheritance.
But in essence, this advantage is only due to the order of seniority and has nothing to do with the second wife or the original wife.
The reason why some people think that the status of the second wife is lower than that of the original wife is that in most cases, the original wife is usually of equal status. Even if she dies, the children left behind will have the support of a relatively strong in-laws, while the birth of the second wife is slightly lower, which makes the second wife feel weaker when facing the children of the original wife. But this is essentially a matter of birth, and has nothing to do with the second wife or the original wife.
Yun Xi's status was lower than Xie Qing's at the beginning, but she is a rising star!