青春期撞上更年期第1部

Chapter 552 Shao Yanru, a Girl with Kindness and Tolerance

Shao Wanru did not stay in Old Madam’s courtyard for a long time until she left. Old Madam did not intend to ask her to stay longer, continued talking with Shao Yanru and ignored Shao Wanru as if she did not hear what Shao Wanru said.

Shao Wanru was calm as if she didn’t realize that Old Madam deliberately treated her coldly. After bowing to Old Madam politely, she left with her maid.

On the way, when she met Madam of Duke Xing, she gave way to Madam of Duke Xing and made her farewells after bowing in such a polite way that Madam of Duke Xing, whose face darkened, could not find fault with her. After saying a few sarcastic words, Madam of Duke Xing watched her leave and then went to Old Madam’s Chuntang Courtyard.

After Madam of Duke Xing told what had happened just now, Old Madam, who was lying in bed, trembled all over in anger. She picked up a book beside her, where she put her hand when the doctor felt her pulse, threw it at Madam of Duke Xing and said angrily, “You’re so useless that you gave away the Piaoyun Courtyard to Wanru. It’s prepared for An’er.”

Smashed by the book, Madam of Duke Xing didn’t feel pain, but she knelt down with a thud, called Old Madam and said with deep sadness, “Old Madam, I have no other choice... Nanny Gao said that you should be the one making the decision on it and the Empress Dowager will definitely find out the truth without letting go of what happened on Wanru.”

Madam of Duke Xing wiped her tears off and said tearfully.

Old Madam froze for a moment and felt increasingly grieved and indignant. If she had known that Taoist Priest Xiushui of the Baiyun Taoist Temple was an evil Taoist priest disguised in female attire, she would not have asked him for help. Now not only her plan failed, but also she got involved in it. Rui’an threatened her daughter-in-law with what she had done.

Thinking of what her daughter-in-law had suffered, Old Madam was involuntarily overcome by deep sadness. She took Madam of Duke Xing’s hand, patted it hard and comforted her. “Well, stop crying. Just give her the courtyard, but she may not be able to live there. If she asks to move to another courtyard in the future, Great Elder Princess couldn’t say anything about it no matter how tough she is!”

She was thinking of a way to make Shao Wanru unable to live in the Piaoyun Courtyard.

Shao Yanru was also shocked. She didn’t expect Great Elder Princess’s Mansion to react so quickly and take advantage of the situation. If it weren’t for the collapse of their plan this time, Great Elder Princess couldn’t have done anything if her grandma rejected it forcefully. But now they were obviously in the wrong and couldn’t expose that it was done by Duke Xing’s Mansion, so they could only be nice to Shao Wanru at this moment instead of suppressing her forcefully so that Great Elder Princess seized the opportunity to get Shao Wanru the best courtyard.

It was really detestable.

Shao Yanru rolled her eyes and immediately came up with a new idea. She took two steps forward and said to Old Madam, whose face turned livid because of anger, with a smile, “Grandma, don’t be angry. Since the Fifth Sister likes the courtyard, just give it to her. It’s okay for the Eldest Brother to live in another courtyard. Isn’t there an empty courtyard?”

“How could there be a courtyard as good as the one?” Old Madam said helplessly. She doted on her eldest grandson most, and he was so promising and obedient. Now they even had to give away his wedding courtyard. When they discussed his marriage before, they had taken the Miss’s family members to the courtyard, showed them around and suggested that it was going to be the wedding courtyard. The Miss’s family members were very satisfied at that time.

Now they gave away the courtyard before the wedding. How could they explain it to the Miss’s family members?

“Grandma, have you forgotten that the Eldest Uncle’s courtyard is more suitable for the Eldest Brother?” Shao Yanru reminded her with a smile.

On hearing her words, Madam of Duke Xing couldn’t help breathing rapidly, pinched her handkerchief with more strength and looked at Old Madam eagerly. She had been longing for the courtyard for a long time, but she didn’t dare to say it frankly. Now her daughter, who mentioned it in a way that she happened to think of it but didn’t know what it meant actually, did a much better job than her.

The qualification to live in the courtyard represented the identity of the heir. In this case, it would be easier to get the emperor’s approval of her son’s identity as the heir.

“That courtyard can’t be used for the time being!” Old Madam said. Although she wanted to give this courtyard to her eldest grandson immediately as compensation, she did not lose her mind after all.

“There are Infanta Qinghua’s stuff in the courtyard, so Rui’an Great Elder Princess will definitely intervene in it. Besides, the courtyard belongs to the main branch with Hao’er as the inheritor. We should give it further thought and discuss it later!”

She had got a hot head and intended to solve the problem by getting rid of the screen wall, where her son had practiced calligraphy, first. Unexpectedly, Hao’er discovered it and complained of it in front of Great Elder Princess. Great Elder Princess was so overbearing that she brought it to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Not only the Empress Dowager warned her, but also the Empress told her that she couldn’t be partial to the second branch, since the courtyard belonged to the main branch.

The three branches of Duke Xing’s Mansion lived in separated areas. The main branch lived in the middle, and Old Madam lived with them. The second branch and the third branch lived on each side of the main branch.

However, Shao Yuanhao became the only member of the main branch later, and Madam of Duke Xing was in charge of domestic affairs, so the boundary between the main branch and the second branch became blurred. As the branch inheriting the title of nobility, the main branch had a courtyard different from that of other branches. It was more majestic with better decorations. The several courtyards Madam of Duke Xing liked were all located in the area belonging to the main branch.

Technically speaking, Shao Yuanhao’s existence made it impossible for them to occupy the courtyard!

“But my An’er, how, how can I get him another courtyard? I took the Miss’s family members there and showed them around... How, how should I explain it?” Madam of Duke Xing wiped her tears off and said.

“Mother, you took the Miss’s family members there and showed them the courtyard and the furniture before?” Shao Yanru asked in astonishment.

“Yes, I did. At that time, both your father and I considered it a good marriage, and your eldest brother was pleased with it. But if it’s ruined because of this, what should we do? This is the best wife your father and I pick for your eldest brother!”

The Miss was the eldest lineal daughter of the minister of the Ministry of Works with a good look and a good reputation, and she was favored by everyone in her mansion.

The minister of the Ministry of Works had real power. Although he couldn’t compare with the minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs, it was of great advantage to have political connections with him through marriage. He could probably play a greater role than the minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs in some respects.

As the eldest lineal daughter of an aristocratic family, she must have been meticulously cultivated. When she became the daughter-in-law of Duke Xing’s Mansion in the future, she would be able to handle domestic affairs with ease. In any case, it would be a good marriage.

The Minister of the Ministry of Works had expressed his satisfaction with Shao Hua’an, but he said that he had to think about it for a few days. In case of accidents, Madam of Duke Xing specially invited the wife of the Minister of the Ministry of Works and her daughter to Duke Xing’s Mansion to admire the flowers and showed them around. She led them to the courtyard and advised them to have a look.

In their conversation, she suggested that the courtyard was prepared for her son. She remembered that the wife of the Minister kept nodding and praising it at that time. But now she had to give away the courtyard. How could she be willing to do that?

“Mother, can you enter the imperial palace and talk it over with the Empress Dowager? I... I am willing to give the other two courtyards to Wanru as a compensation.” Madam of Duke Xing held Old Madam’s hand and pleaded.

Old Madam shook her head and said, “I can’t enter the imperial palace at this time.”

What she had done to Shao Wanru was still being investigated. She left with the excuse of feeling sick because she was in poor health indeed and the excuse was not entirely untrue. But if she turned to the Empress Dowager at this time, she wouldn’t get any good result.

“Grandma, the yard and the furniture in it are all prepared by mother, and some of them are even mother’s dowry. Are we really unable to take the courtyard back?” Shao Yanru said sadly.

“Uh... we are unable to do that for the time being. Record it as her courtyard now. We’ll think of some way to make her give away the courtyard after she comes back!” Old Madam clenched her teeth and said with hatred, thinking that it was a fault to allow Shao Wanru to be recognized as the Fifth Miss of their mansion. Why didn’t she strongly oppose it at that time?

Madam of Duke Xing cried sadly. Old Madam’s words were actually not helping. Even if Shao Wanru was really forced to give away the courtyard, others would only think that Shao Wanru gave away a courtyard she disliked to Shao Hua’an as his wedding courtyard. At the thought that her son sounded like a scavenger, Madam of Duke Xing involuntarily felt sad!

Madam of Duke Xing involuntarily complained that Old Madam was so useless that she could not even keep the courtyard for her son. She thought that Old Madam was just talking nonsense when claiming that the entire mansion would belong to her son in the future. She was really reluctant to give away the courtyard and the furniture, which all belonged to her!

Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered what Shao Yanru had said just now, immediately raised her head and said, “Mother, I can give away the courtyard as you said, but I can’t give away the furniture. I’ve prepared them for An’er and can’t leave them to someone else!”

In fact, the courtyard had been completely prepared. Shao Hua’an could move in whenever he got married. This was the reason why Madam of Duke Xing took the wife of the Minister of the Ministry of Works there and showed her around.

“You want to take the furniture inside away?” Old Madam asked with a frown, inexplicably thinking that it was not a good idea.

“Yes, the furniture inside belongs to An’er. Since the craftsmen sent by Great Elder Princess’s Mansion will make a set of furniture according to the size of the courtyard, we should take away this set of furniture belonging to us!”

Madam of Duke Xing said in a bold and straightforward way.

Old Madam fell silent for a while, but she did not object it this time. What Madam of Duke Xing said actually made sense. Since Rui’an Great Elder Princess had intervened in it, they should allow her to send furniture to the courtyard!

Nevertheless, beside the furniture, a courtyard should be equipped with some other things. Old Madam selectively forgot that they still needed to prepare some other things in the Piaoyun Courtyard.

“Grandma, I have to go up the mountain to accompany the Fifth Sister.” Since they had reached an agreement, Shao Yanru stepped forward and said. Old Madam was not as seriously sick as she thought. Her illness, which was partly true, should be nothing serious if she nursed her body well.

“You are going up the mountain? Why do you do that? Let her observe mourning for her parents alone. You don’t have to suffer a bitter life with her on the mountain!” Old Madam said in displeasure.

“Grandma, the officials of the Ministry of Justice are still on the mountain, and there are still a lot of things to handle. If I leave the Fifth Sister alone at this time, what will others think of our mansion? I’ll stay with her for a period of time so that others won’t criticize our mansion,” Shao Yanru said softly.

Shao Yanru obviously meant that she did that to protect the reputation of Duke Xing’s Mansion. On hearing her words, Old Madam took her hand, felt increasingly sorry for her and said, “You are still such a kind child who always thinks of others! It’s my fault for being useless! Since you think so, I won’t stop you. Ask your mother to prepare more food, daily necessities and clothes for you so that you don’t have to live a bitter life after going up the mountain.”

Old Madam told her.

“Thank you, grandma. I’ll ask mother to prepare two sets of them for me and the Fifth Sister!” Shao Yanru said, as if she were thinking about Shao Wanru.

At the sight of this, Old Madam was angry and distressed. The granddaughter she raised was really a good girl with kindness and tolerance!