Real Empress from a noble family

While the first branch was crying and complaining, the fourth branch was not much better.

Because Qiu Yelan's pregnancy was influenced, she was personally sent back to the courtyard by Madame Zhuang to prevent miscarriage. No one knew if it was because of her status as an official daughter-in-law and the fact that she was pregnant that Madame Zhuang was very attentive to her and offered many words of comfort and understanding.

However, the people around Qiu Yelan didn't have a good ending, especially Mrs. Zhou, who was usually the most dignified, was publicly admonished by Madame Zhuang, "Since your madame is young, she doesn't know how to be perfunctory. But you have been serving in the backyard for ages. It is also said that you ever served Princess Ruan. How can you know nothing? Why was the Old Master so besotted? He certainly knew that your madame was pregnant but still sent her to the first branch. Why didn't you do anything to prevent him?"

Mrs. Zhou was so embarrassed that she only apologized with a red face.

In the end, it was only after Qiu Yelan repeatedly interceded for her that Madame Zhuang stopped talking. But she still instructed Mrs. Qu to stay and keep an eye on them, "Don't let any nonsense influence Yelan's pregnancy again! Just ignore whoever sends anyone else to nag, even the Old Master. If you come across any trouble, just send someone to call me. I'll go and communicate!"

Qiu Yelan didn't know how she felt when she thanked her mother-in-law for her concern and returned to the inner chamber to comfort Mrs. Zhou, desperately hoping that her husband would return soon!

However, she didn't know that she was already in a good situation. When Madame Zhuang returned to the main house of the fourth branch after taking care of the official daughter-in-law's chores, Sheng Shishui, who was finally allowed by her mother-in-law to pay her respects, personally held her nephew and daughter, kowtowing respectfully. However, Madame Zhuang didn't even raise her eyelids and only ordered, "Bring me my grandson to see!"

The baby boy, who had not yet been named, was picked up and carried to the hall by the nanny. Madame Zhuang smiled slightly after taking a look at him, "This child does not look much like his mother but rather like Yashuang when he was a child!"

"It is said that nephews are like their uncles." The kneeling Sheng Shishui was all smiles, trying to please her, "I also think that although my nephew is young, he has intelligent eyes. He will be just like Yashuang in the future, adept at both the pen and the sword and endowed with both beauty and talent." She lived with foster parents since she was a child because of her origin, which made her ability to read others' moods superior to others. Although these were ordinary words, she was actually complimenting her nephew along with Jiang Yashuang.

Generally speaking, now Madame Zhuang loved Jiang Yashuang and her grandson most, who was still in her hands. So, she should be very impressed by these words. Even though Sheng Shishui was the wife of Jiang Yazhu, she should be called up to speak, right?

However, Madame Zhuang only gave a faint "hm", taking off her bracelet to tease her grandson and discussing with people around about the appearances of Jiang Qizheng and Jiang Yashuang when they were babies, without any intention of calling Sheng Shishui to get up.

If she didn't say anything, Sheng Shishui could only kneel.

However, even she could bear it, her daughter Jiang Huihuan was too young to bear this. Despite her mother's frequent winking, Jiang Huihuan got up after a while and sat on the cushion where she kowtowed, pouting and looking at Madame Zhuang with a face of grievance. Jiang Huihuan always succeeded in asking for a hug even when her father, Jiang Yazhu, was busy. But now she wanted Madame Zhuang to put down her cousin and hug her.

But Madame Zhuang glanced at her and only let out a cold laugh, "I'm not sure if it is my absence in Jing City for more than ten years that makes the ritual change. Now the grandchildren sit to pay respects to their grandmothers."

Sheng Shishui hurriedly pressed Jiang Huihuan down, "How did your nanny teach you the rules? Kowtow to your grandmother and pay your respects!"

Jiang Huihuan, as the eldest official daughter, had no younger siblings to share love and affection, and thus had not felt any grievance yet. How could she stand such blatantly different treatment from Madame Zhuang? At once, she burst into tears, "No! I've been kneeling for such a long time! I want a hug from grandmother, too!"

"Shut up!" Seeing this, Madame Zhuang's eyes flashed with a stern look and she ordered indifferently, "Since you, as her mother, can't even teach her the kneeling rituals properly, you can't teach anything else either! Since she is my granddaughter, I have to teach her the rules! Mrs. Chang, from now on, teach her well!"

Sheng Shishui was shocked. The nannies that Madame Zhuang brought back were so ruthless that their ruthlessness was known throughout the Marquess's Mansion. How could she not hear of that? Since Jiang Huihuan's nominal year of age didn't reach three, how could she withstand the torment of those nannies? These days, it was not strange for children to die young!

"Mother! It's all my fault, I beg you…"

Madame Zhuang interrupted her indifferently, "You don't need to beg! I will teach her well for you!"

She waved her hand after speaking, "I'm tired. Go away!"

Sheng Shishui was thrown out of the hall in a daze. Not even bothering to return to her own house, she hurriedly headed for the courtyard of Qiu Yelan and her husband, hoping to find her sister-in-law's help to beg for mercy. When she arrived at the door, she was stopped by Mrs. Qu, " Madame has ordered that no one is allowed to disturb madame Yelan as she is pregnant!"

With no response after begging, Sheng Shishui soon went to Madame Tao. But after waiting outside the courtyard for a long time, only Mom Hu came out and told her, "Madame is not well. I'm afraid she can't manage things now… Young lady Jiang Huihuan is your eldest daughter after all. I think Madame Zhuang only wants her to know the rules. You can relax…"

It was the same as not saying anything.

"It's my husband's origin that makes you so upset about it, but how innocent Huan is" Sheng Shishui didn't know how she went back. Sitting in the familiar inner chamber but not hearing her nephew's babbling and her daughter's innocent words, she felt cold and resentful as never before, "I never looked forward to any treatment from you as your official daughter-in-law, but didn't you realize that I was making myself humble in front of you? Do you have to let my family die out so that you can be satisfied?"

But she had wronged Madame Zhuang.

Because Madame Zhuang was now instructing Mrs. Chang, "You should teach some rules to that little one. But be careful and don't let her get into trouble!"

Mrs. Chang knew that Madame Zhuang had always regarded Jiang Yazhu as a sting in her eyes and so of course she had no love for Jiang Yazhu's daughter. She smiled and asked, "Do you still want her to be useful?"

"If Yashuang mentions her when he returns, send her back immediately! We have a lot of things to do after coming back. We don't have time to bring this little one around for long." Madame Zhuang said carelessly, "Keeping her here is just to show that evil b*st*rd a piece of my mind and make her owe Yashuang even more!"

"Yes!"

"I didn't expect that after more than ten years of separation, I even have no chance to see my daughter with my own eyes again!" She had a deep hatred for Jiang Yazhu and even the young Jiang Huihuan could not make her feel any compassion. However, thinking of her daughter, she felt so sad that drops of her tears fell onto her grandson's swaddling clothes. She was crying and could hardly speak, "If I had known this, I would absolutely not have sent the kids back! Although Beijiang is bitterly cold, aren't Xing's siblings still living there?".

Mrs. Chang and the others were busy comforting her, "You've been giving up eating and drinking since you heard the news. I'm afraid it may hurt your vitality on the journey! If you don't restrain your grief now, what should the Eighth Young Master and the Nineteenth Yong Master do in the future? Even your grandson, who is in your arms now, will have to count on you without Chunfu Princess! You cannot cry anymore! Take care of yourself!"

Madame Zhuang nodded while wiping her tears, and suddenly asked, "It is said that the child left by Yadan's wife is being raised by Yelan, right? I forgot to ask just now… Since Yelan's mother died early, she lacks caring elders in her family and even the proper dowry is lacking. She didn't have time to mention anything about her nephew because her pregnancy was influenced, but shouldn't there be someone mention this?"

As Qiu Yelan was the official daughter-in-law, she had no conflict with Mrs. Chang and the others. It was also said that she was loved by Jiang Yashuang very much. Thus Mrs. Chang and the others often spoke for her, "Perhaps since we have just arrived, madame Yelan was afraid that you are too tired!"

It seemed that what they said showed that Sheng Shishui was selfish. She brought her nephew over right away and only used him to change her mother-in-law's manner without any consideration for her mother-in-law's exhaustion. But she had no choice since she was the daughter-in-law of a concubine and her husband was hated by Madame Zhuang.

Madame Zhuang frowned and grunted, " Madame Tao found a good wife for that sinful son! She just looks like a calculating woman!"

"Even if she is calculating, what else can she do since you are here?" Mrs. Chang laughed, "Give the young master to me, Madame. You really don't look well. After all, we've rushed too much to get around this time!"

"How could we make it without a detour?" Madame Zhuang laughed coldly, "The Old Master is bent on favoring the first branch. Even with a letter from my husband, we never know if he will send someone to stop us on the way and force me to go back to Beijiang, not allowing me to personally conduct my daughter's funeral?"

She added, "You see, I have two daughters-in-law and a grandson on my knee, but where is my son Yashuang? He said that he was on an errand at the imperial court and could not get away for the time being and that he would not be back until the evening or tomorrow… Today, the chancellor, Jiang Tianao, is staying at home, not to mention my son. I'm sure that the Old Master has sent him out to interfere with me and so he can't come back soon!"

With these words, she handed her grandson to Mrs. Chang and felt a pang of sadness as she looked at the baby's fair face, "If I had known that Zheng'er was so unlucky, I would have come back when she was giving birth! I really owe the children so much!"

"Please take care of yourself!" Mrs. Chang hurriedly changed the subject, "I don't know how serious Madame Dou has been injured in the first branch and how to deal with the aftermath."

None of them who had served Madame Zhuang for so many years could expect that Madame Zhuang should hide a hammer and raid the first branch. Otherwise, they would have been able to stop her.

Now, although she had returned to the fourth branch by the help of Qiu Yelan's pregnancy, the matter would certainly not end like this. No one knew what Marquess Qin would do about it.

Madame Zhuang was calm, "Isn't she still alive? Even if she is dead, I have been with my husband for many years and our relationship is very close and profound, not to mention the fact that Yashuang is very respectable in front of the Old Master. If the Old Master asks me to pay for Madame Dou's death, how will my husband and Yashuang be able to let the first branch and the third branch go in the future? If the Old Master really loves the two branches, he must protect me at all costs! If he didn't care enough for the two branches, why would he force me to die?"

Mrs. Chang worried, "I'm afraid that even if the Old Master doesn't blame you harshly, he won't revenge for Chunfu Princess's grievance…"

From Marquess Qin's point of view, it was a good deal that the death of Madame Dou made the fourth branch have no reason to continue investigating Jiang Qizheng's death. Since Madame Dou wasn't his child anyway, he didn't feel any grief. With all the tragedies in the Dou Family, he didn't even need to give an account to his in-laws.

But for the fourth branch, it was a losing proposition. Madame Dou was only the lady of the house of the first branch and there was a third branch.

Furthermore, Madame Dou was Jiang Qizheng's elder, and technically speaking, the fourth branch was reasonably still in debt to the first branch!

"How can I wrong my son?" Madame Zhuang sneered, glancing around. Mrs. Chang hurriedly handed the baby in her arms to the others to carry to the back. Once the room was cleared and only her henchmen were left, Madame Zhuang lowered her voice and said, "The only sons who are capable of commanding an army among the first branch and the third branch are Jiang Yayue and Jiang Yaqing. Once these two are dead, the only way they can get their hands on the military power again is by supporting outsiders! At that time, we will continue to kill whoever they support and see who dares to collude with them!"

Seeing that Mrs. Chang and the others were stunned, Madame Zhuang narrowed her eyes and finally told them the reason why she was so impulsive as to conceal a murderous weapon and strike hard as soon as she entered the door, "When my husband saw the bloody letters from Zheng'er, he decided to send the army, which had been saved up over the years and was absolutely trustworthy, to Shazhou to kill those two b*st*rds! To avenge for Zheng'er's death!"

"It's just that although that army can cut through Beihu's territory and enter Xijiang, it will inevitably leave traces over the thousands of miles! So, we have to keep making trouble here so as to draw the Old Master's attention away and deplete his energy. So, he simply has no time to care about the news from other places… It can also let him think that our fourth branch's injustice towards Zheng'er is just making trouble by me…"

Madame Zhuang's eyes glittered with monstrous hatred, "Thinking that when Madame Dou's servant girl was not respectful enough to my Dan'er, even if she hid in front of Madame Dou, I dragged her out and beat her to death in front of Madame Dou! Not to mention my Zheng'er! How could she be killed? If I don't kill those two things, how can we be worthy of being a father and a mother?"