Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 875 - 447: Giving Gifts

First round, seeking support.

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"No." Lady Wu Wang shook her head, "You see, you still think like a peasant. Yingzi is not becoming the principal wife; she’s becoming a concubine."

Lady Zhang was speechless for a long while. In the world of tenant farmers, monogamy was the norm, and even among the wealthy families, taking a concubine was extremely rare. In her view, accepting a concubine and marrying a secondary wife were things unrelated to her and her immediate world; such actions were distant, unattainable practices specific to the lives of affluent officials and the wealthy.

Noble families don’t marry concubines, do they? Isn’t that just asking for domestic unrest and ruination?

"What’s wrong with a peasant’s way of thinking?" Lady Zhang finally spoke after a long while, "Living a straightforward life without messing with all kinds of nonsense, who knows what they are thinking? Got money? Got power? Does that change who they are? Decent people don’t do such things!" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Lady Zhang was quite angry.

Lady Wu Wang was smart and immediately understood why Lady Zhang was angry. Being women and head mistresses of their families, Lady Wu Wang empathized with Lady Zhang. Moreover, Lady Zhang had two daughters, one of whom was promised to her son Jiaxing, and she also had a daughter who was betrothed to someone else.

"Exactly." Lady Wu Wang quickly echoed Lady Zhang’s sentiment with shared indignation, "That’s not something decent families do. Our kind of families just live straightforward lives; only families that have lost their senses engage in such behaviors. You’ve long separated from them, their actions should not concern you, nor do they affect you. Families like ours would never involve in such things."

"They also bear the Lian surname, in front of you, I really shouldn’t speak of such matters. The Lord County Magistrate’s actions are really unbecoming. It’s fortunate that you separated from them."

"There’s nothing we two can’t talk about." Lady Wu Wang’s words somewhat soothed Lady Zhang, "They still count as humans, eh? All the sage’s teachings they read must have gone to the dogs. Given the things they’ve done, any modest person would just drown in shame."

As she spoke, Lady Zhang glanced at an unopened letter sitting aside.

"If they dare to talk in that letter about marrying a concubine and ask us to send gifts, I wouldn’t give anything."

Lady Wu Wang just laughed.

"You, you still have a straightforward temperament, a good-hearted person." Lady Wu Wang spoke softly.

Lady Gu was involved in deceiving Lian Shouxin and selling Lady Zhang’s daughter, making the ties between Lady Gu and Lady Zhang purely hostile without affection. In the current situation, Lady Zhang saw Lian Shouren’s act of taking a concubine as ruinous and unbecoming, yet she felt no schadenfreude towards Lady Gu, nor did it even occur to her.

That’s why Lady Wu Wang said Lady Zhang was straightforward and kind-hearted.

"There’s another matter," Lady Wu Wang glanced outside the window, saw that Lian Shouxin had not returned, and huddled closer to Lady Zhang, lowering her voice even more, "Wasn’t that Yingzi sent away to Taicang by the Song Family? I heard the maid who escorted her left a message for someone in the Main House, possibly implying Huahua’s intention to have Yingzi marry Sanlang, saying the Song Family also sent a small dowry or something. But then, for some reason, the old lady decided, and Yingzi was made a concubine to the Lord County Magistrate."

"Ahem, I heard, you know, that Yingzi and the Lord County Magistrate had... some improper relations beforehand."

"That Yingzi is also a mischief-maker." Lady Zhang said.

Beyond this, Lady Zhang also discerned another meaning.

"Sister-in-law, where did you hear all these things from? Even the traders who come and go might not know such specific details," Lady Zhang asked.

"Well then, no need to hide it anymore, I’ll just tell you everything." Lady Wu Wang replied, "This information about Yingzi was spread by your Second Madam."

"That big mouth of hers..." Lady Zhang was immediately speechless. Lady He, known for never working and always wandering around, would sit on someone’s khan and wouldn’t move, but her mouth could go incessantly, babbling on. Moreover, Lady He was not very discreet, talking about everyone’s business as well as her own household matters without reserve. Even if you told her not to mention something outside, most of the time, she wouldn’t be able to hold back, and anyone with a bit of intent could easily pry everything out of her, leaving none unsaid.

Now that the Lian Family Main House in Taicang was well-established, Lady He could visit more households, additionally coupled with Old Uncle He and his friends, as well as Zhao Xiue and the Zhao Family behind her, also including Constable Zhou and his father-in-law.