Huangfu Yue gently comforted Zhu Jiayi a few times until Zhu Jiayi’s emotions calmed down and a smile returned to her face.
“Yue’er, thank you. You’re truly wonderful and so good at comforting people!” Zhu Jiayi expressed her gratitude to her sister-in-law once more.
“Oh, right, I have something to tell you. Don’t be angry when you hear it!” Zhu Jiayi’s expression suddenly changed as she shifted the topic.
“What is it?” Huangfu Yue asked with curiosity.
“It’s something related to you and Xiao Hei. Earlier, when Grandmother called you upstairs for dinner, she wasn’t trying to rush you away but to help you. She wanted to prevent your second sister-in-law from fixating on Xiao Hei and forcing you to get rid of it. After you went upstairs, your second sister-in-law didn’t give up. She went to Grandmother, intending to force her to make you send Xiao Hei away. Grandmother, perhaps tired of her pestering and wanting to help you, said she would give her a golden inlaid jade with precious gems depicting immortals celebrating a birthday (jīn xiāng yù qiàn bǎo qún xiān qìng shòu diàn’ér), and in return, she should stop talking about Xiao Hei. The Jin xiang yu qian bao qun xian qing shou dian’er was a treasure our grandfather gave to Grandmother. Your second sister-in-law had always wanted it, but Grandmother hadn’t agreed to give it to her. Now that Grandmother had willingly promised it to her, she was naturally very happy and didn’t mention forcing you to get rid of Xiao Hei anymore. Please don’t be angry when you know this, and don’t blame Grandmother for giving your second sister-in-law the Jin xiang yu qian bao qun xian qing shou dian’er after she had caused such a scene earlier. Grandmother had no choice; she was afraid that if your second sister-in-law continued to pester you and force you to get rid of Xiao Hei, and everyone could see how much you wanted to keep Xiao Hei. You also shouldn’t try to stop Grandmother from giving your second sister-in-law the Jin xiang yu qian bao qun xian qing shou dian’er. If you want Xiao Hei to stay, the only way is for Grandmother to give it to your second sister-in-law.”
Although she had been quite unhappy with Xu Yuqing’s commotion earlier, and that Grandmother had given her the Jin xiang yu qian bao qun xian qing shou dian’er, after thinking it over, she realized that to stop Xu Yuqing from forcing her sister-in-law to get rid of her pet, this was probably the only way. She then came to terms with it and no longer felt depressed.
“Eldest sister-in-law, thank you for telling me this,” Huangfu Yue said with a smile. This was likely another reason her eldest sister-in-law had come to see her. She hadn’t expected her eldest sister-in-law not to want her to stop Grandmother from giving Xu Yuqing the Jin xiang yu qian bao qun xian qing shou dian’er, and instead, to tell her not to interfere.
“Eldest sister-in-law, weren’t you very afraid and apprehensive of Xiao Hei, and hoping I would get rid of it? Why didn’t you side with your second sister-in-law and help her pressure me to get rid of Xiao Hei?” Huangfu Yue asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
“I am indeed very afraid and apprehensive of Xiao Hei. But since you’ve said so, if I were to follow your second sister-in-law and pressure you to get rid of Xiao Hei, it would be too heartless,” Zhu Jiayi replied.
“Moreover, I believe you would never disregard our collective safety! In your eyes, we, your family, are definitely more important than Xiao Hei, your pet. If Xiao Hei truly posed a danger to us, you would get rid of it without us having to pressure you. We should trust you, believe in you.” This was what she had figured out during dinner.
“Yue’er, I’m sorry. I didn’t believe or trust you earlier, and followed your second sister-in-law in pressuring you to get rid of Xiao Hei. Please don’t blame me!” Zhu Jiayi showed a remorseful expression and apologized sincerely.
“I can understand. After all, crows have always been regarded as harbingers of death and are considered very inauspicious,” Huangfu Yue shook her head, showing understanding.
“You also shouldn’t blame your other sisters-in-law, including your second sister-in-law!” Zhu Jiayi spoke up for Xu Yuqing. “Although your second sister-in-law’s behavior was excessive and simply detestable, please forgive her for your deceased second brother’s sake… oγg She’s actually not a bad person; she just likes to make a fuss. Perhaps she was spoiled before she married, living in the marquis’s manor. Actually, thinking about it, she’s quite pitiful. At only twenty-three, she lost her husband and was exiled. She must be in great pain and feeling extremely wronged and distressed, which is why she’s acting out like this. Perhaps she’s looking for a place to vent!” Zhu Jiayi sighed, a hint of sympathy appearing on her face.
Huangfu Yue remained silent, inwardly snorting. No matter how much pain or distress she felt, it wasn’t an excuse to act out that way. Venting shouldn’t be done like this! However, hearing her eldest sister-in-law mention it, she remembered that Xu Yuqing hailed from the Marquis of Weining’s manor, a legitimate daughter of the marquis’s household. The Marquis of Weining’s manor was in Bazhou, and the road to Lingping passed through Bazhou. Huangfu Yue then recalled the backgrounds of her other sisters-in-law. Eldest sister-in-law Zhu Jiayi came from a scholarly family, being the daughter of a Grand Scholar. Third sister-in-law Zhong Liangshu was the illegitimate daughter of Prince Luoyang, a prince of a different surname. Fourth sister-in-law Yang Wanqian was the youngest daughter of the Tongpan of Hezong Prefecture. In comparison, Eldest sister-in-law had the most modest background, with the lowest official rank for her father. However, she had a good character and was virtuous, which is why Grandmother favored her at the time, and Eldest Brother also liked her very much. Thus, he married her into the prince’s manor with great fanfare. With the Dai Prince’s manor in trouble, Huangfu Yue wondered if it would affect the families of these sisters-in-law and implicate them. She hoped not. Although she didn’t like her sisters-in-law, other than Zhu Jiayi, she didn’t wish for their families to be implicated by the Dai Prince’s manor.
“Yue’er, what are you thinking about? Why aren’t you speaking?” Zhu Jiayi asked, noticing her sister-in-law seemed lost in thought.
Huangfu Yue shook her head gently. “Nothing. I was just thinking about your words, hoping my second sister-in-law won’t cause any more trouble in the future.” She decided it was best not to tell her about her worries regarding their families being implicated by the Dai Prince’s manor, lest she start worrying when she wasn’t concerned before.
Zhu Jiayi nodded. “She probably won’t cause trouble anymore since she’s getting the Jin xiang yu qian bao qun xian qing shou dian’er. Grandmother had said earlier that if she wanted the Jin xiang yu qian bao qun xian qing shou dian’er, she should behave. However…” Zhu Jiayi’s expression changed as if she remembered something.
“However, what?” Huangfu Yue immediately asked.
“However, your third sister-in-law and your fourth sister-in-law are both unwilling for Grandmother to give the Jin xiang yu qian bao qun xian qing shou dian’er to your second sister-in-law and want to prevent it. Your third sister-in-law approached me earlier, asking me to speak to Grandmother and tell her not to give it to your second sister-in-law. I didn’t agree. I saw your third sister-in-law then go to your fourth sister-in-law. She whispered a few words to your fourth sister-in-law, and your fourth sister-in-law went to speak to Grandmother. However, Grandmother didn’t agree. But I’m afraid your third and fourth sisters-in-law won’t give up and will find other ways to stop Grandmother. If your second sister-in-law finds out, she might go to your third and fourth sisters-in-law to cause trouble, and it will escalate into another commotion,” Zhu Jiayi said with a worried look on her face.
“Don’t worry. I will handle it then. Everything will be fine,” Huangfu Yue reassured her softly.
Seeing her sister-in-law’s confident and capable demeanor, Zhu Jiayi nodded and was no longer worried. After chatting with her sister-in-law for a few more moments, she got up to leave, concerned that the children might be looking for her.
After seeing Zhu Jiayi off, Huangfu Yue returned to her seat and began to drink the tea that Ying’er had brewed for her earlier but which she hadn’t touched much.
“Miss, I feel that Eldest Madam is a good person, very kind!” Ying’er said, coming over to Huangfu Yue after closing the door.
Huangfu Yue nodded. Among the four sisters-in-law, she felt that only her eldest sister-in-law was someone she could be close to and become friends with.