Chapter 420
After listening to Madam Yuan’s words, Prefect Yuan did not speak immediately. His brows furrowed slightly, his gaunt face appearing even more solemn and majestic.
His hands in his sleeves tightened slightly. Prefect Yuan’s silence made Madam Yuan feel a bit resentful, and then disappointed. Was it because his second brother and sister-in-law had died unexpectedly that their elder branch had to tolerate the unruly behavior of their second branch nephew and niece-in-law forever?
“My lord.” After careful consideration, Madam Yuan finally spoke. As the elder aunt, she could tolerate Yao Zhenyi, her niece-in-law, but why should her children, or even her grandchildren, suffer such grievances?
Prefect Yuan withdrew his thoughts and looked at his wife, whose temples were streaked with white hair. A sudden sense of guilt arose in his heart. “My dear, please speak freely.”
“Although I am a woman of the inner chambers, I am aware of the Jin family’s ill repute. My lord has always been stern with the Jin family all these years, but Zhenyi has been married into our Yuan family for two years and has accepted gifts from the Jin family. My lord’s lifelong reputation cannot be ruined here.” Madam Yuan spoke with a serious expression, her words conveying her disgust for the Jin family.
As Prefect Yuan’s confidante, Madam Yuan actually sensed his aversion to the Jin family. It was just that the Jin family were the local tyrants of Minhe Prefecture, and their power was so great that even the Prefect had to avoid their edge.
Yao Zhenyi, as the daughter-in-law of the Yuan family’s second branch, should have held the same attitude as Prefect Yuan. However, Yao Zhenyi had accepted all the generous gifts sent by the Jin family. When she encountered the female members of the Jin family at banquets, she calmly accepted their flattery and solicitations. This led the families in Minhe Prefecture to suspect that Prefect Yuan had private dealings with the Jin family, merely appearing “incorruptible” in public.
Madam Yuan, after all, was the mistress of the Yuan family. She had seen many people and experienced many things over the years, so she could see at a glance that Yao Zhenyi only accepted gifts without much interaction with the Jin family because she considered herself noble and looked down upon the Jin family, who were merchants.
“My lord often tells Kangwang and Kangping that they rise and fall together. If Zhenyi were truly in close contact with the Jin family, Kangwang and the others would inevitably be implicated in the future.” Madam Yuan glanced resentfully at Prefect Yuan as she spoke, unable to understand why the cautious Prefect Yuan had married Yao Zhenyi to Yuan Kangping. Marrying an unworthy wife ruins three generations; people might even think my lord wanted to ruin the second branch.
After speaking, Madam Yuan remained silent with a stern face. She thought Prefect Yuan would, as usual, give his old lecture, asking her, as an elder, to be more tolerant of Yao Zhenyi and to guide her more.
“Madam is absolutely right. We really cannot let Zhenyi continue to act so recklessly. Kangwang and the others will be participating in the provincial examinations the year after next, and their reputation cannot be tarnished.” Prefect Yuan agreed, stroking his beard. He continued, “In that case, I will trouble Madam to keep Zhenyi from going out during this period.”
What? Madam Yuan stared at Prefect Yuan, dumbfounded, almost thinking she had misheard. Was her husband grounding Zhenyi?
“It is a turbulent time, so please bear with the inconvenience, Madam. I entrust all household matters to you.” Prefect Yuan stood up and solemnly bowed to Madam Yuan. He also knew that he had caused Madam Yuan to suffer grievances over the past two years, but there were some things he could not disclose to Madam Yuan, as the more people who knew, the greater the danger.
After a moment of stunned silence, Madam Yuan felt her eyes sting with tears, but she quickly composed herself. She gave Prefect Yuan a rare, chiding glance. “We are an old couple, why are you being so formal?”
With Prefect Yuan’s approval, Madam Yuan returned to the inner courtyard and immediately summoned the housekeeper and the stewards of the inner courtyard. “Housekeeper, remember this: without my permission, no one in the inner courtyard is allowed to leave the mansion without authorization. Violators will be dealt with according to household rules!” As long as the main gate, side gate, and back gate of the mansion were secured, no matter how much Yao Zhenyi caused trouble, she would be confined within the mansion and her actions would not reach the outside.
“Mama Wang, select a few household servants from the inner courtyard. Give the second branch whatever they need, but on one condition: do not let anyone from the second branch leak any information.” Madam Yuan issued further orders. After a moment of contemplation, she continued, “Did Kangwang not say the other day that he was going to visit a classmate? Have him take Kangping with him.”
After the housekeeper and the others had retreated, Madam Miao finally came to her senses. “Mother, are you grounding sister-in-law? Won’t she go completely wild?” It was not unreasonable for Madam Miao to think so. Last year, Yao Zhenyi had caused a scene once. Her shrewish demeanor was nothing like that of a lady from a good family. Even a village woman was not as good at throwing tantrums as she was. She had truly lost all shame, shouting and screaming, smashing things, and hitting people. In the end, she threatened to kill herself, which angered the Old Madam to the point of illness.
And that time, Yao Zhenyi had turned the Yuan mansion upside down simply because of the fabric sent by the cloth shop. Madam Yuan had kept the piece of shimmering brocade that Madam Miao liked. Yao Zhenyi had thrown a tantrum in front of the shopkeeper and the embroiderers, shouting that the elder branch was bullying the second branch and leaving them no way to live. She had even declared that it would be better to set the Yuan mansion on fire, and they would all go to the underworld to seek justice from the ancestors of the Yuan family.
A piece of fabric could cause such a commotion, Madam Miao dared not imagine what Yao Zhenyi would be like if she were grounded. She would probably commit murder and arson.
Madam Yuan, who had been wronged for two years, finally felt a little relieved. She smiled at her worried daughter-in-law. “Do you think she would really kill herself? She’s just putting on a show for me and my husband.” If she truly intended to kill herself, she wouldn’t have caused such a scene. In the end, it was all about the squeaky wheel getting the grease. Madam Yuan, concerned about Prefect Yuan and the fact that the Yuan children were all scholars who would pursue official careers, could not afford to have their reputations ruined, which was why she had tolerated her time and time again.
However, Yao Zhenyi’s act of enlisting Jin Jiuye to harm innocent people crossed Madam Yuan’s bottom line. This time, even if Prefect Yuan disagreed, Madam Yuan would no longer indulge Yao Zhenyi’s recklessness.
“What about the Old Madam?” Madam Miao asked with concern. The Old Madam’s health had been declining for the past two years, and she doted on Kangping the most. If something happened to the second branch, Madam Miao was worried that the Old Madam would not be able to bear it.
Madam Yuan did not pay much attention to her mother-in-law’s favoritism towards the second branch. In fact, over the past two years, she had been more concerned about Prefect Yuan’s attitude. He treated his nephew better than his own sons and grandsons. Even if there were reasons for it, Madam Yuan ultimately felt a sense of lingering resentment.
“Don’t worry, the Old Madam also comes from a family of farmers and scholars. This time, the Mighty Escort Agency encountered a tough opponent and no lives were lost. Once that young girl dies, given the Jin family’s modus operandi, the blame for murder will certainly fall on Zhenyi, and the first to be implicated will be Kangping.” Madam Yuan was also waiting for this opportunity to completely suppress Yao Zhenyi, her niece-in-law. If she were allowed to cause trouble again, the Yuan mansion would truly have no peace.
Madam Miao nodded in understanding. Indeed, the Jin family had been tyrannical in Minhe Prefecture for many years. Madam Miao had also heard Yuan Kangwang mention it, but the Jin family acted cautiously and never left any evidence. Even if the victim sued in court, it would be the Jin family’s henchmen who took the blame, leaving the Jin family completely clean. This time, if that young girl died, although the murderer would be someone from the Mighty Escort Agency, the mastermind would definitely be her sister-in-law. With a murderer’s wife, it would be impossible for Kangping to succeed in the imperial examinations.
…
That night, Zhan Feiyu learned about the Yuan mansion from He Nuan. Her round eyes instantly widened a little more. Under the candlelight, her chubby face was filled with intense interest. “Did it kick off?”
“Yes, at first she took a few maids and servants and tried to break down the door to get out.” He Nuan poured the hot water from the wooden bucket into the bathtub, looking at Zhan Feiyu, who had coiled her hair into a small bun on top of her head, and continued with a smile, “Then she started yelling about setting the place on fire…” Crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide! Yao Zhenyi considered herself royalty, with royal blood flowing through her veins, but when she threw a tantrum, she was comparable to a shrew.