The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 574 - 541: Transferring Power, Taking Charge (Second Update)
Given Song Wei’s status in front of Emperor Guangxi, the invitation from the Song Mansion is one the Tang Family cannot refuse.
Looking at the bright red invitation on the table set down by Xu Jia, Tang Yuan remained silent for a while before saying they would go.
Xu Jia withdrew her gaze indifferently, and without lingering, lifted the curtain and walked out.
Tang Yong, who had been pretending to faint, suddenly opened his eyes and, crying, looked towards Tang Yuan, "Second Uncle, that vile woman made me faint. Why didn’t you drive her away?"
The mother and son beside him frowned upon hearing this.
Tang Yuan looked at his nephew and asked him, "Why did you run off to shout at her?"
Tang Yong probably did not expect his second uncle to question him, and sobbed, rubbing his eyes, "It’s her shamelessness, always clinging to you, not letting you come and accompany me. Boo hoo, she is a bad person, Second Uncle, chase her away for me, boo hoo hoo..."
Mrs. Qiao was greatly shocked.
She had not noticed before, but today she suddenly realized that her eldest grandson had been misled by someone, becoming so twisted at such a young age.
No wonder Xu Family had nearly pointed at their noses and called them ill-mannered.
Such terms as "vile woman" and "shameless", who taught him these?
Thinking about it, Mrs. Qiao frowned and looked at her son, "Second one, tell me honestly, did you let Yongyong meet with Mrs. Jiang at the outer residence?"
Ever since Xu Family entered the household, Tang Yuan had not once gone to meet Jiang Qingyu, though Tang Yong had been there twice midway.
When asked now, Tang Yuan had nothing to say but had to protect his little nephew, "Mother, I just got married, and it’s inevitable that I neglected caring for Yongyong. It must have been some gossiping servant who taught him those outrageous words. How could you link it to sister-in-law?"
Mrs. Qiao let out a heavy, cold snort.
That vile woman from the Jiang Family, it would be best if she spent her life in solitude at the outer residence and never returned.
The whole Tang Family knows that she was supposed to bring happiness to the second one, yet on the way to marriage, she had an affair with her brother-in-law. Mrs. Qiao did not believe that her virtuous and well-mannered eldest son would do such a thing. It must be that the Jiang Family woman feared for widowhood with the second one’s sudden death and sought an early backup plan.
Thinking of this matter made Mrs. Qiao gnash her teeth in hatred.
Although the Tang Family had publicly claimed that Jiang Family was initially promised to the eldest, Tang Xiao, they could not avoid being mocked by outsiders.
Jiang Family caused the Tang Family to lose face. How could Tang Family’s offspring fall into her hands?
Seeing his mother’s unsightly expression, Tang Yuan quickly said, "Mother, calm down, I will certainly discipline Yongyong well in the future and never let such a thing happen again."
Mrs. Qiao thought of Jiang Qingyu, then of Xu Jia, and comparing the two, her accumulated resentment against Xu Jia inexplicably dissipated somewhat. She rubbed her temples, "Yongyong is raised under your knee, so you must fulfill your responsibility. Your sister-in-law has been widowed in the outer estate for years, surely no longer familiar with Tang Family rules. I know you are a kind-hearted child and can’t bear to see mother and son separated, but you also need to consider the family, think of your elder brother. Yongyong is his only son, and if he is led astray, how will you answer to your prematurely deceased brother?"
Tang Yuan: "Mother, sister-in-law she..."
Mrs. Qiao waved her hand, her expression colder, "Don’t speak for her anymore. If it weren’t for her, how could the Tang Family have lost face? Have you forgotten the enormous shame she brought to you?"
Tang Yuan pursed his lips. Of course he hadn’t forgotten; the bride became the legitimate wife of the eldest room, and outsiders ridiculed him, saying his own brother had cuckolded him into a live tortoise. But he did not blame Qingyu, Qingyu was innocent. If blame was necessary, it was on his brother for giving in to desire.
The hatred of a wife taken by another, he would never forget!
——
After comforting Tang Yong, Tang Yuan took the invitation from the Song Mansion and headed toward the Zilan Courtyard.
Xu Jia was brewing tea, lightly lifting her sleeve with her left hand, holding a teapot with her right hand, pouring water into a cup, her wrist bone delicate, cast in a layer of warm color by the sunlight filtering through the window, making her appear all the more serene and gentle.
Tang Yuan caught sight of this scene, his eyelid twitched twice, and quickly moved his gaze away, asking, "Second Madam, are you available now?"
Xu Jia slowly lifted her gaze and saw the man standing at the screen door, seemingly intentionally avoiding her eyes.
"What brings Second Master here?" She raised her hand, poured another cup of tea, and invited him to sit down.
Tang Yuan went over, sat down across from her, and said, "Since Minister Song is a relative of your family, you surely know him better. The gift list for the full moon banquet will be decided by Second Madam."
Xu Jia paused her tea-drinking action briefly upon hearing this and gazed at him intently.
Tang Yuan, under her stare, felt uneasy and used drinking tea to lift his wide sleeve and cover his face.
Xu Jia asked him, "Second Master, do you really not know, or are you just pretending not to know?"
Tang Yuan was taken aback, "What?"
Xu Jia: "Each mansion has a set quota for gifts. I don’t have the household authority in my hands. You tell me to decide, and I should just decide? I don’t even know what’s in your family’s storeroom; how am I supposed to decide?"
Tang Yuan’s face showed slight embarrassment, "What, hasn’t Mother given you the household authority?"
Xu Jia chuckled softly, "The eldest master is gone, and the second master is the future head of the Tang Family. You don’t even know if your newlywed wife has household authority. I’m really curious where your thoughts have been these days. If you say it’s for taking care of Young Master Yong, I heard him openly insult others with vulgar language, it doesn’t seem like your teaching style."
Tang Yuan recalled how Tang Yong would spew insults like "bastard" and felt deep embarrassment being criticized by Xu Jia.
He sat as if on pins and needles, stood up after a moment of silence, and left the Zilan Courtyard as if escaping.
It is unclear what he told Mrs. Qiao, but by the evening, the Housekeeper from Mrs. Qiao’s side personally delivered the token, storeroom key, and account book.
It’s obvious that Xu Jia was being entrusted with managing the household.
Seeing that the Housekeeper was about to leave, Xu Jia asked her to stay and had Mo Xiang serve tea.
She sat at the table, carefully reviewing the account book. After a while, she picked up the pen and marked a few places, then said to the Housekeeper, "Please do me the favor of taking the account book back to Mother for review. If there are no issues with these places, then I can comfortably take over the household duties."
The Housekeeper looked at her in surprise.
Who said that daughters from a military family were crude-minded and didn’t understand household management? These marked areas were clearly changes made by the madam to test the Second Madam, yet, in just a blink of an eye, she had precisely marked them out.
To avoid exposing herself, the Housekeeper didn’t dare linger, took the account book, and quickly returned to report back at the main house.
"What? She found all the changes I made?" Mrs. Qiao was utterly incredulous upon hearing this.
"I saw her mark them with my own eyes," the Housekeeper said honestly, offering up the account book.
Mrs. Qiao reviewed it, resting her head on her hand, "This Xu Family member, I’ve truly underestimated her."
The Housekeeper quietly said, "If I may speak bluntly, the Second Madam seems much more capable than the late First Madam ever was."
At the mention of Mrs. Jiang, Mrs. Qiao’s face darkened immediately, and she spat in disgust, "That wretched woman, aside from using her looks to seduce men, what real skills did she possess?"
The Housekeeper hesitated, "Then about the household authority..." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Mrs. Qiao sighed, "Give it to the Xu Family member. I’ve been managing it for so many years, I’m tired. While my body is still agile, I might as well enjoy some peaceful days."
"Exactly right." The Housekeeper agreed, "The Second Madam’s father is currently fighting at the border. Once victorious, he could be ennobled, and by then, Second Master’s career advancement would rely on his support. By entrusting household management to the Second Madam early on, we’re laying a good foundation for the relationship between the two families."
Although Mrs. Qiao didn’t particularly like Xu Jia, she had to admit, it was indeed the truth.
The patriarch of their family had a reputation, but he wasn’t part of the court and couldn’t assist much in his grandson’s career. On the other hand, should their in-laws be granted a marquis title, it would bring shared glory to the Tang Family.
Understanding this connection, Mrs. Qiao’s dislike for Xu Jia subsided a bit, and she found herself somewhat willing to give up the authority.
She wasn’t in the mood to hide it anymore, so she directly told the Housekeeper to inform Xu Jia that the mistakes in the account book were intentional to test if the daughter-in-law could read them and take on the household authority.
Upon hearing this, Xu Jia smiled, "For Mother to have the Housekeeper return the account book and say these things, it seems she acknowledges me. Please convey my gratitude to Mother on my behalf."
The Housekeeper, more skilled in etiquette than the regular maidservants, quickly responded, "Second Madam, you are too kind."
Seeing off the Housekeeper, Mo Xiang looked at Xu Jia sitting in the armchair, dumbfounded, "Miss, the madam used to be so harsh to you. Why all of a sudden has she let you manage the household?"
"The First Madam went to the outer estate, and there’s no telling when she’ll return. I’m the only legitimate daughter-in-law in the residence. If she doesn’t give it to me, should she let a concubine manage the household?" Xu Jia began to put away the account book.
Having lived another life, it feels like everything is different.
In the previous life, at this time, she was still despondent over Tang Yuan’s neglect and didn’t get the household authority so quickly.
Hearing this, Mo Xiang cheerfully said, "Doesn’t this mean the madam has fully accepted Miss?"
Xu Jia only smiled without speaking.
She never planned to spend a lifetime with Tang Yuan, so whether Mrs. Qiao accepted her or not, what difference did it make?
