Real Empress from a noble family

That day Mi and her niece Mi Yinyin both went back to their maiden family. Jiang Yabi, the eldest grandson of Sir Jibei, had been in the army. His wife had taken their son back to Jing City with Sir Jibei and his wife. Jiang Yabi's wife, together with her son, was taking care of the patients at her maiden family. The branch of Sir Jibei was a small family, so the place seemed particularly quiet at the moment.

It was only near the main hall that the festive atmosphere was enhanced by the laughter of Jiang Tianhe, her daughter Xin Fubing, Sir Jibei, and his wife Madame Ou.

"What are you doing here today?" When those in the main hall heard that Jiang Yashuang came, they were a bit surprised and called him in. Sir Jibei chaffed him, "I've heard that because your wife is pregnant, you don't have the heart to deal with official business. And you are in a hurry to get someone to help you… How could you find time to visit us?"

Clinging to Madame Ou's arms, Xin Fubing playfully spitted of the tongue and said, "I guess that Cousin Yashuang has smelled good things to eat in grandmother's kitchen. So, he comes here to see whether it's Yelan's taste!"

The crowd laughed at this. Jiang Yashuang smiled as well and said, "Thanks for reminding me, Cousin Fubing. I will ask something new to eat from grandaunt and bring it home!"

"You naughty girl!" Madame Ou pretended to hit Xin Fubing, "I think you are joking at Yashuang. You are on his side and hint him in secret, aren't you?"

"No!" said Xin Fubing in a wronged tone, "Cousin Yashuang, how smart you are! I'm just teasing while you pay me back at once!"

"Well, in our family, everyone does know that Jiang Yashuang cares a lot about his wife! He is here for something!" Jiang Tianhe guessed why he visited here. She smiled broadly to herself and came to the rescue, "You can hardly come here just for my mother's kitchen, right?"

Jiang Yashuang exchanged looks with her and said, "You're right, Aunt Tianhe! There is something I want to ask granduncle and grandaunt for help."

"Oh?" Having realized that what he was going to say was likely to be a wet blanket, Sir Jibei frowned. But Jiang Yashuang was the best one among his counterparts in the Jiang Family. So, after thinking, Sir Jibei decided to listen as a courtesy to him, "I'm listening. What's wrong?"

Jiang Yashuang looked at people around here.

Madame Ou patted Xin Fubing as a signal. Without another word, she stood up immediately and left, followed by the servants.

Seeing this, Jiang Tianhe pretended to ask for leave. But Jiang Yashuang stopped her, "I also need to consult you, Aunt Tianhe."

"Shall we begin now?" Sir Jibei shot a suspicious look at his daughter.

"Su He is one of the maids of Ningyi's dowry, but she is different from other maids." The first word of Jiang Yashuang made Sir Jibei and his wife surprised and puzzled. In their position, it was nice of them to care about Qiu Yelan. But how could they pay attention to a maid of Qiu Yelan?

"When Qiu Mengmin and her biological mother Madame Lu were there before, they treated Ningyi and her mother badly. As my mother-in-law died, the servants and maids were all sent home. And even more, Ningyi was faced with being murdered many times. But throughout that time, Su He and her grandmother Mrs. Zhou had always been loyal to Ningyi. Thus, Ningyi promised them a good future."

As Jiang Yashuang spoke, Sir Jibei and his wife thought they understood it a little. They asked tentatively, "Did Su He get her eye on someone in our house? Just tell us."

The couple was in a very good mood and thought, "To help on a marriage in such a festival…"

They had not finished their words but found Jiang Yashuang shaking his head. He said, "Ningyi tried to find someone for Su Hu and other maids last year. But she is eagerly hoping they marry well so that she hasn't made decisions yet. Now she is pregnant. Mrs. Zhou and others suggest discussing it after the birth." Jiang Yashuang said, "So, Su He is definitely not for me. What the sixth aunt said to Empress Jiang makes Ningyi and me not feel well now."

"So, I am here to ask you to help explain to the sixth aunt…"

A wry smirk touched the corners of his lips, "The maid is after Ningyi's heart and I do not admire her at all. We plan to find her a great family when Ningyi gives birth. But now we do not know whether the gossip will arouse her suspicion of others."

He looked at Jiang Tianhe, "And Aunt Tianhe seems to know that. Right?"

Sir Jibei and his wife frowned and looked toward their daughter together, "What's the matter?"

How could Jiang Tianhe let go the chance of kicking Mi when she was down? She curled her lips and said, "It was on the feast on New Year's Eve, wasn't it? The sixth sister-in-law got upset as I praised Yashuang's wife before the fourth sister Empress Jiang. She looked sulky and said angrily that if Qiu Yelan was virtuous, she would not keep a maid in her late teens. She added that the maid was just kept for Yashuang. She also said that the news of Yelan's pregnancy did not come out the day before New Year's Eve, but why did they still do nothing? The fourth sister Empress Jiang stopped her from making that up at once…"

"That is ridiculous!" Madame Ou originally had a problem with Mi because of her daughter's words these days. Now Jiang Yashuang came here and complained about her. And her daughter supported that. All these made her embarrassed and she was enraged, "That's a dowry of Qiu Yelan. How to arrange the maid is none of Mi's business! The loyal maid had been with Qiu Yelan through thick and thin. Even though she is a maidservant for cleaning, my second sister-in-law hasn't said anything. What rights does Mi have to tell them what to do?"

Sir Jibei cleared his throat, "Mi is not here. When she comes back, you can talk to her. Let's just talk about the maid of Qiu Yelan."

He asked, "How is the maid nowadays? What are you going to do?"

Jiang Yashuang sighed, "Su He's grandmother Mrs. Zhou suggested that she should get married immediately to avoid any misunderstanding! But Ningyi was not willing to do so. First, as we haven't chosen a family she can marry into, we are afraid of ruining her life in a hurry. Second, if Ningyi sends her away as soon as Mi has said that, there will be countless rumors."

After a pause, he said, "If it were on a normal day, I would not come to disappoint you during the Spring Festival. But Ningyi just gets pregnant and she has always liked Su He. When she heard about that, she was kind of…"

"You should comfort her! Do not let it affect the baby!" Jiang Tianhe added, looking somber. "It is her first baby. You can never be too careful!"

When she put it like that, Sir Jibei and his wife had no choice but to ask about Qiu Yelan's pregnancy. They had more complaints about Mi in their hearts. "It is fine that you fight against your sister-in-law. But why do you get Jiang Yashuang's pregnant wife involved? How dare you not prioritize the baby of Jiang Yashuang!"

Anyway, with Madame Zhuang's disposition, if she could take vengeance, she would have done so even after years or decades. Wasn't she making trouble for Sir Jibei's Mansion?

So, as Jiang Yashuang excused himself and left, he not only got a promise that Sir Jibei and his wife would give Qiu Yelan and him an explanation but also received a bunch of stuff for Qiu Yelan.

However, neither Jiang Yashuang nor Qiu Yelan was interested in all that stuff. They just looked at it casually.

"I'm wondering that the sixth sister-in-law is not a smart one, though, how come she can be so unwise this time? Was she just mad at Aunt Tianhe?" Qiu Yelan asked, looking unconcerned. At the same time, she took several pieces of her husband in plain sight to find a way for her own chess.

There was a great gap between the couple's power in chess. And Jiang Yashuang didn't want his wife to bother, so he just held out his arms to Qiu Yelan and pinched her face as a punishment. "Who cares? They should not get you involved… I have talked to Aunt Tianhe as well. She can turn against the sixth sister-in-law as she likes, but they should not mention you ever again!"

While the couple, Jiang Yashuang and Qiu Yelan, were playing chess in a relaxed way, something happened in Mi's Mansion.

Madame Mi said angrily, "You completely went off your head! I don't care if you turn against Jiang Tianhe. Why did you mention the fourth branch of the Jiang Family? Speaking of Jiang Yashuang, who does not know he is Marquess Qin's favorite son? And Commandery Princess Ningyi is his best love. Well, Commandery Princess Ningyi has been a close friend of Xin Fubing. Now you get Jiang Yashuang to Jiang Tianhe's side. Don't you think you are stupid?"

While Madame Ou was the first hostess of Sir Jibei's Mansion, Mi had been in charge of the Mansion for years. Even though she came to her maiden family, when Jiang Yashuang came to complain, she would have had no one to tip her off.

The trusted subordinate told the Mi family about Jiang Yashuang's visit and Jiang Tianhe's exaggeration. After hearing that, how could the Mi Family have the heart to celebrate the festival? They had a family meeting immediately to discuss how to deal with the matter.

Being scolded by Madame Mi, Mi felt aggrieved, "Since she has come back to Jing City, Jiang Tianhe always stands against me in everything, making Yinyin implicated time after time. Especially when Commandery Princess Ningyi gets pregnant, she drops by nearly every day. And she talks to my mother-in-law about procreation a dozen times a day. Why doesn't she think that people like us have a tacit agreement? Only when the wife has been childless for three years can the mistress be allowed to have children. Yinyin hasn't been in the family for three years. What has she got to urge? She has a daughter herself. I will see if her daughter can get pregnant as soon as she becomes the Empress!"

Mi Yinyin's mother Chu had a good relationship with her sister-in-law Mi — that's part of the reason why Mi showed great fondness for Mi Yinyin — so she covered for Mi and said, "Mother, don't you know about how Mi is? She is most sensible. That she said something that might leave others ammunition was because she got mad!"

"Well, enough of this!" Madame Mi realized that it made no sense to chide Mi for her careless remarks. The thing they had to do was how to deal with the matter. She waved her hand, "Just think about when you come back to Sir Jibei's Mansion, what you and Yinyin are going to tell them? If it were Jiang Tianhe alone, I believe that you would cover it up! But Jiang Yashuang came by himself. I'm afraid that your father-in-law will ask!"

Mi said irritably, "My parents-in-law favors their daughter more than me! Now Jiang Tianhe has Jiang Yashuang as an ally. I can't explain it clearly. What should I say? Whatever! I have two sons born to the Jiang Family. I don't think they will send me away for that!"

"Look at the time. Why are you saying the cross words?" Madame Mi said, annoyed. "Right. You are the daughter-in-law in Sir Jibei's Mansion and you have sons born to them. So, they won't make their son divorce you or take over from you! But do not forget that the toughest part of this thing is not your parents-in-law, but Jiang Yashuang!"

"Allow me to be honest: Yabi and Yalan are of mediocre ability. And your grandsons are too young to tell. Even though some of them are capable, is it easy for them to prosper greatly without fathers' support? The branch of Sir Jibei may have to count on the family of Marquess Qin in the future. Jiang Yashuang of the fourth branch, in particular, is going to run the Northern Army. If you disgust him, that he is not willing to groom your offspring can be an issue, not to mention he can give them a hard time!" Madame Mi said with a sigh, "So why do you get on their bad side for such a little thing? If we are not their in-laws, can we be such a good family today?"

She looked at her daughter-in-law Chu and thought in her heart, "Otherwise, how could a girl from the royal clan marry into the Mi Family? Especially she is the first sister of the old Princess of the Duke of Puyang!"

Mi said, choking in tears, "Mother, do you mean that you want me to apologize to Jiang Yashuang and his wife? Anyway, I am their aunt-in-law. That is…" That is too humbled, isn't that?

Jiang Tiancan was the only son of Sir Jibei. In the early years, Sir Jibei and Madame Ou didn't live in Jing City. When Mi married into the family, she did not have to be controlled by her mother-in-law nor fight against sisters-in-law. Her only sister-in-law Jiang Tianhe got married and left the family within days. Anyone could imagine how well Mi lived in Marquess Qin over these years, couldn't they?

However, Si Jibei and his wife returned to Jing City for a very restful retirement two years ago. Since then, Mi began to have her mother-in-law watch out for her. And not long ago her sister-in-law Jiang Tianhe came back to the capital as well and she had always been provocative… This difference sucked!

Madame Mi knew that her daughter had been living a comfortable life for a long time and it was hard for her to change her mentality and be a docile daughter-in-law from the very beginning. So, she toned down her language, "I am certainly not asking you to apologize personally. But it won't hurt to send someone to explain for you, right? That was brought up by Jiang Tianhe. How could it be completely on you?"

After a great deal of coaxing and persuading, Madame Mi and Chu finally got Mi's promise that she would send someone to Jiang Yashuang and his wife to explain and try to bury the hatchet after soothing her parents-in-law when she came back.

In the evening, Mi endured her grievances and returned to Sir Jibei's Mansion with Mi Yinyin. But when Mi and Mi Yinyin wanted to have their humble respects delivered to Madame Ou, her trusted maidservant Mrs. Luo held the gate, deadpan, "Madame Ou is tired. She said you and Mi Yinyin should go back and deal with your family stuff first."

"Family stuff?" Mi and her niece Mi Yinyin suddenly had the feeling that something was wrong, "What do you mean about 'family stuff'?"

"Madame Ou thinks that there are not enough children in Sir Jibei's family. So, she has sent several women to Old Master Tiancan and Young Master Yalan." Mrs. Luo's remark made them look thunder-struck. "These women have been sent there. How to arrange them is up to you. Madame Ou has been busy picking them today and is tired now. So, you can express your gratitude to Madame Ou tomorrow!"

Mi and Mi Yinyin were pale for a second. They looked at each other, stunned.