Real Empress from a noble family

The Jiang family's long-established sister-in-law meeting went awry. Before Qiu Yelan and the two others arrived at the main room, Madame Tao got the news about it first and instead of being anxious. She was delighted, "It's really happening! I was afraid they'd be too calm to make a fuss after this!"

Mom Hu smiled and said, "When have they ever been calm?"

"Well, after being spoiled by the Chaohai for so many years, even if they used to be calm, it's hard not to get carried away!" Madame Tao sneered-the day after Qiu Yelan toasted the tea, she told Marquess Qin that the first branch had asked for the phoenix hairpin, "It happened to be at the time for the wedding of Zheng'er and we just discussed Jiang Yashuang's wedding date. I was too old and so busy that I forgot to tell you. But you gave it to Qiu Yelan today. It's very likely that the first branch thought we deliberately refused to give it to them. They must really hate us!"

After Marquess Qin was stunned, he helped the first branch as usual, "What are you talking about? Isn't it just a hairpin? Zhi's husband has not been decided yet. There is still some time. I'll just find a better one and send it there. The first branch is not so ungenerous. They wouldn't hate us because of this."

Madame Tao told him at once, "I think so, too. But I'm afraid that the first branch will blame Qiu Yelan for this. She doesn't know anything. If she is bullied by the first branch for this reason, it will be so unfair!"

"How can there be such a thing?" Marquess Qin said irritably at the time, "Our family chooses daughters-in-law based on their virtuousness. For so many years, among the younger daughters-in-law, only Madame Zhuang is not very sensible. The others all respect their elders and treat the younger generation well. I know that when you first got married here, your eldest nephew's wife was not so nice to you. But now, after so many years, she is not as disrespectful to you now as she used to, isn't she?"

Madame Tao just smiled, "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. But Jiang Yashuang was raised by me. Jiang Yadan and Jiang Yazhu are not up to the standard. The fourth branch's hope is on Jiang Yashuang. How old is he? He has to worry about so many things and still has a lot to learn. I don't want him to worry about his wife being bullied at home while he is busy outside. If the first branch really takes it out on Jiang Yashuang's wife, I will seek justice for Jiang Yashuang and his wife!"

At this time, Marquess Qin frowned and opened the document. It meant that he was impatient to talk to his wife again.

Recalling the scene of that day, Madame Tao couldn't help but say again, "I heard that Qiu Yelan wore the phoenix hairpin to go out in the morning. What a considerate girl. I really like her!" Even if the first branch didn't plan to make trouble soon, they wouldn't be able to control themselves after seeing that hairpin.

If it was not for fear that Marquess Qin would be able to find out what she was planning for the future, Madame Tao would like to send someone to tell Qiu Yelan to wear it to attend the party. However, before she did anything, Qiu Yelan wore it herself. How could Madame Tao not be happy?

When the three of them entered the door, they cried and bowed in front of her, "Grandma, please help us."

Madame Tao didn't rush to show her kindness immediately as usual, but squinted her eyes and asked, "Go and see if Madame Dou Junior and the others are coming."

"I have paid attention on the way. They haven't come." Sheng Shishui hurriedly said.

"Don't be busy crying for now. Mom Hu, lead someone to the doorway to guard, and stop whoever comes!" Madame Tao finished her instructions slowly, turned to her three grandchildren, and said straightforwardly, "Qianbin is my grandniece. Jiang Yazhu was raised by Qianbin, and Jiang Yashuang was raised by me. There are so many branches in the Jiang Family. But you're the closest to me. So, just skip the crying and wording, tell me directly what happened. So, I can teach you what to say to your grandfather later!"

Hearing it, everyone, including Madame Tao Junior, was stunned for a moment. Madame Tao was amused when she saw their reaction, "To be fair in the public is for others to see. But there are so many people in the family, of course, I'll distinguish between close and distant relatives. Tell me about it quickly. Perhaps they are discussing how to deal with you. Don't you want to win?"

"Here's the thing…" Since Madame said so, Qiu Yelan and others had to dry their tears, stand up, and explain the whole thing, "Please tell us what to do, grandma!"

After hearing it, Madame Tao asked Qiu Yelan with great interest, "How did you make Madame Dou Junior get injured instead of hurting you?"

"She was not left-handed before. When she pretended to be drunk and approached me, she held the cup with her left hand, with her right hand hidden in her sleeve. I felt that she must've been plotting something!" Qiu Yelan answered truthfully, "So when she fell towards me, I quickly grabbed her wrist and made the thing she had hidden in her right sleeve face her. And then I pressed her to stop her from moving. After that…"

She felt that it was obvious to see that there had been a problem with Madame Dou Junior, but Madame Tao Junior and Sheng Shishui both looked surprised, "There were so many people just now, and you drank so much alcohol. But you still…"

"I'm not that easy to get drunk." Qiu Yelan smiled modestly.

"I see!" Madame Tao said, "Do you have anything else to tell me?"

Qiu Yelan thought for a while, "When my sister-in-law saw the phoenix hairpin, she looked as if she wanted to eat me alive! But then they didn't mention this hairpin and talked about Wan instead. At that moment, Shuijin tried to help me by saying that she and Madame Tao Junior were just visiting you on the day. But the first branch may say that I caused the trouble. I don't know if it may implicate Yadan."

"Don't worry about this," Madame Tao said nonchalantly, "He always gets into trouble. We've long been used to it! We always punish him once. Otherwise, we won't have time to do anything else if we keep punishing him for one matter. Besides, the first branch will never specifically trouble him. You just got married, so you may not be very clear. You will know more about it if you ask Madame Tao Junior to tell you more."

Madame Tao Junior showed a bitter smile and nodded slightly at Qiu Yelan, saying that it was unlikely that Jiang Yadan would be implicated by this incident.

So, making troubles to completely disappoint the family did have a benefit. Before Jiang Yadan got afraid of being punished, the elders were afraid of punishing him!

"But you just mentioned Shuijin. I suddenly remembered that she is always the smartest. How did it happen while she was there today?" Madame Tao asked suddenly, "Could it be that she was not there in the first place and only came here later?"

Sure enough, she targeted at He Shuijin!

Qiu Yelan thought, "Just now, Madame said that she only regarded the fourth branch as her close family members. But she treated He Shuijin like her grandchild before Shuijin got married. And she was married to the third branch. I pretended to worry about Jiang Yadan to mention her and Madame immediately began to show her attitude. It seems that Madame really values the fourth branch very much."

This is good news, but with the good news came the bad news.

"Grandma, are you saying that He Shuijin…" Although Madame Tao Junior was weak, she understood the meaning of Madame's words immediately. After all, she had been a daughter-in-law of the family for so many years. She said surprisingly, "But she has been close to us since she was a child. How could she deliberately plot against us?"

"It is obvious that she deliberately lets the situation develop to where it is now. With her exquisite way of dealing with things, unless Madame Dou Junior was doing it the hard way from the beginning, she could manage to mediate a more troublesome matter. Why didn't it work today?" Madame Tao looked at her and asked faintly, "I'm afraid she has been driving a wedge between you. However, because she has an intimate relationship with us, you are unwilling to doubt her even if you are aware of it. Your kindness may hurt you."

Madame Tao Junior bit her lower lip, "She has her problems."

Sheng Shishui was confused when she heard these words, but Qiu Yelan knew what Madame Tao Junior meant. She referred to the words He Shuijin told them on the way back that day. She had already lost her innocent Wan by her side and things like this might happen again, so she wanted to try to prevent it from happening again. That was why He Shuijin hoped to get more helpers to fight against the first branch. Even if she used some means, Madame Tao Junior thought it was understandable.

But Madame Tao didn't think so, she said faintly, "Everybody has problems."

This was a thoughtful sentence, but the Madame said it coldly.

"Now Yelan hit Madame Miao in person. Shuijin felt good when she saw it! But no matter how we elders deal with this matter, Jiang Yashuang and Jiang Yayue would hate each other for it. You understand Shuijin. But when Shuijin plotted against your branch, did she think about how Yelan would get through this time? Yelan just got into our family and then hit her sister-in-law. If words get out in this way, people who know the matter will say she cares for her sister-in-law; but people who don't know about it will say she is so domineering and unruly. If this isn't handled well, how will she go out in the future? Even if she stays at her own home, will she have a good life?"

Madame Tao Junior was speechless and glanced at Qiu Yelan guiltily. Qiu Yelan was a bit helpless and thought to herself, "Sister-in-law, don't be coaxed so easily. Evaluations such as domineering and unruly are surely terrifying to other people's daughters-in-law, but not to the Jiang Family. Our mother-in-law Madame Zhuang's reputation for being domineering and unruly is well-known and I have heard about it before I got in the family, okay? Madame Zhuang is happily living in Beijiang, being the only wife of the Great General of North."

With her mother-in-law as a role model and her husband's promise to deal with these matters, Qiu Yelan was not worried about her future.

Sure enough, after making Madame Tao Junior worried, Madame Tao turned to Qiu Yelan and said, "To be fair, the responsibility lies with the first branch being unruly and the third branch doing nothing but making it worse and you being too reckless. You don't know how to cover things up! It's hard to say that you have nothing to do with it now!"

Qiu Yelan hurriedly promised, "I know that I was wrong. Next time I'll…"

"What? Do you still want to hit Madame Miao?" Madame Tao sneered. She interrupted her and said in a deep voice, "If you are in this kind of situation in the future, remember to use your servants! Don't just rely on yourself. It doesn't fit your identity and embarrasses us!"

"Thank you for your instructions, grandmother! I'll remember them." Qiu Yelan replied obediently.

"Well, by saying 'to use your servants', I mean that you can send someone to tell me in time so that I can give you a hand." Madame Tao narrowed her eyes and said, "Don't send someone foolishly to hit them! Our family has strict rules and it is not allowed. Maybe the servant will be beaten to death! When the time comes, you will inevitably be scolded. Don't say I didn't remind you!"

Qiu Yelan thought, "When you said this, didn't you just mean that I could try to let the servants do the job?"

If it was a servant who hit them, the servant would be destroyed. As for her, she just would be scolded! This was what the Madame really meant!

But even though she respectfully agreed this time, she didn't intend to listen to her. Just like He Shuijin felt sorry for Wan, Qiu Yelan also felt that it was not easy to cultivate a few confidants at her age, not to mention she actually felt for them. She wouldn't just sacrifice them.

"Fortunately, Madame Miao was the first to attack and it was Madame Tao Junior who suffered first. Otherwise your grandfather might regret rewarding you this phoenix hairpin!" Madame Tao narrowed her eyes and said, "Okay, now I will tell you one by one how to talk to others about the incident this time. And when your grandfather asks you about it later, remember to make sure the people you brought to Madame Zhang today know what to say. Don't get exposed accidentally!"

Madame Tao Junior, Sheng Shishui, and Qiu Yelan respectfully responded in a hurry, "Yes!"