Tianliangyuan

Chapter 328 She's not someone to be trifled with.

"What? Are you questioning me?"

Madam Song was so frightened that she immediately knelt down and said, "This humble servant dares not."

"Hmph! Good that you don't dare. Remember your place. The Sixth and Seventh Misses are the rightful mistresses of the Duke of Huguo's mansion. If you truly care about them, you should understand that if a concubine raises or disciplines a daughter of a concubine, she will never find a good marriage in the future."

Jia, standing to the side, curtsied respectfully and said, "Yes, this servant understands. The young lady is kind-hearted and exceptionally capable. It is a blessing for the sixth young lady to be under her guidance. This servant is incompetent and has never seen the world. If there is anything this servant can do, please feel free to ask the young lady."

This is the attitude a concubine should have.

The old lady was very satisfied with this.

Meanwhile, Madam Song remained kneeling on the ground, wishing she could grind her teeth to dust.

She had served the Duke for many years, and had been serving him in Jizhou for the past few years. She had thought she would gain some respect, but she never expected that as soon as she returned to the mansion, the old lady would expose her true colors. Naturally, she was furious.

Since the old lady has given the formal order, from today onwards, Xie Chan and Xie Juan will come to Jinxiu Garden every day to pay their respects, and they will also have to learn some things here that they have never been exposed to before.

For example: Account Management!

When I was with the old lady, I learned etiquette and needlework the most. My own mother always emphasized that women should be gentle and weak, and that when they got married, they should be the wives and husbands.

But no one really taught them what it meant to be a housewife.

The old lady didn't teach them before because she felt they were too young, and at that time they mainly learned etiquette and needlework, or some music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

Women from noble families cultivate an elegant demeanor in this way.

Now, Xu Zhaozhao is teaching them how to manage accounts and run a household, which is actually an implication that they will be married as wives in the future, not concubines.

Jia understood this immediately.

“My son is so lucky. The fact that the Crown Prince’s wife is willing to teach you these things proves that she will find you a suitable marriage. Moreover, you will be married into the family as the principal wife, so you will not have to be subservient in your husband’s family. This is the real way out.”

Xie Chan didn't quite understand, and thinking about some of the things Xie Juan had said before, she had some doubts.

"Aunt, what kind of marriage do you think my sister-in-law will find for me? If it's a noble family, they certainly won't marry me as their principal wife. Even if they do, I'll probably be the principal wife of a concubine's son. Or maybe I'll marry a poor scholar from a less prestigious family."

"So what if they are students from poor families?"

Jia Shi saw things very clearly.

"Chan'er, you've never suffered much injustice since you were little, because our Duke's mansion has a good family tradition and upright conduct! Moreover, when the mistress was alive, she never made things difficult for us. But not all families are like that. Just look at those mansions in the capital that are causing trouble; they're all a laughing stock!"

Even if the Crown Prince's wife finds you a poor scholar as your husband, I would be satisfied. No matter how poor, at least you'll be a legitimate wife, your status will be different, and your children will be born of the principal wife—who can surpass that? Besides, our Duke's mansion has no precedent for mistreating illegitimate daughters. When you marry, your dowry alone will be enough to support you until you die. What is there to worry about?"

After Jia's analysis, Xie Chan immediately realized that it made sense.

Besides, she always thought her sister-in-law was a smart woman, so even for the sake of the Duke's mansion's reputation, she would never actually find herself a poor man to marry.

In contrast, there is a conversation between Ms. Song and her daughter Xie Juan.

"You are the seventh young lady of the Duke's mansion. So what if you are born out of wedlock? Compared with the daughters of the second and fourth branches, they are far less noble than you. Even if you are born out of wedlock, you are still the legitimate daughter of the Duke. What are the others? They are just benefiting from the old Duke's fame."

Now that His Majesty values ​​the Crown Prince, and you are his own sister, your marriage cannot be inferior to the marriages of the other two daughters. As for that Xu Zhaozhao, I don't think she's easy to deal with. You should be more careful in the future and not be deceived.

Xie Juan always felt that her sister-in-law and aunt were saying different things.

It seems they're not talking about the same person.

“Aunt, I think my sister-in-law is very good. She even taught us how to read accounts, manage the household, and control our subordinates. You never taught me these skills.”

Ms. Song choked. She wanted to teach, but what could she use to teach?

She was a concubine, and of humble origin, merely a distant relative of the Song family. She entered the mansion in a small sedan chair, so she had no proper dowry.

Besides, so many years have passed, and even if there were any, they would have been ruined by Jia herself in the struggle for favor.

As for the housekeeper, she was just a concubine; how could she be qualified to manage a household?

Even though she could help manage the general's mansion when she was in Jizhou, there were stewards there, and since she was basically the only female member of the household, there wasn't much for her to manage.

As for the businesses outside, those are the responsibility of the managers outside, and they only need to report their expenses to the master or the young master; they have no say in her.

At this moment, Madam Song realized how great the difference was between herself and the legal wife!

"Alright, she's only willing to teach you because the old lady gave the order, and she can't refuse. Besides, she's just a new bride, having just entered the Duke's mansion, so naturally she has to learn how to perform in front of her elders. If she teaches you well, she can also ask the old lady for credit."

Xie Juan curled her lips, feeling that her aunt was wrong, but she couldn't think of a way to refute her.

"Alright, whatever she teaches, just learn it well, but you also need to be careful. Don't think that just because someone is teaching you, you're really their caring little sister. This Xu Zhaozhao is ruthless! Think about her cousin, if it weren't for her, how could she have ended up in such a miserable state?"

"Huh?" Xie Juan was stunned.

No reaction at all.

Xu Zhaozhao was teaching these two sisters-in-law because she wanted to prevent them from causing trouble for the Duke's mansion in the future. She hoped that after they got married, they could live their own lives in peace. If they had no skills and were bullied every day, would the Duke's mansion have to come to their door to put pressure on them every day?

That's not how it works.

Therefore, Xu Zhaozhao is now teaching them to stand up for themselves first. As for the maids and servants around them, Xu Zhaozhao will naturally go through them all as well.

Anyone who dares to incite their master to become estranged from the Duke's mansion is unacceptable.

As a result of this investigation, several such women were indeed found, including both Xie Chan and Xie Juan, and they were even head maids.

Xu Zhaozhao looked annoyed: "I knew there would be trouble! Oh well, we still have to ask the old lady to make the decision."