Volume 1 Chapter 141: Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back (5)

  Chapter 141: Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back (5)

  Qingyuan Garden has truly become a quiet garden.

  Those who listen to opera have become those who will sing opera.

  It fits perfectly with the saying: "Life is like a play, and a play is like life."

  "Ancestors, grandma, Yu Niang, I think Wei Mei has something to say to you all, it's better for me to withdraw." Jiang San Niang volunteered to leave. Just now, Mo Zi whispered in her ear, suggesting that she should hurry up and leave.

  The princess also meant to let Qiu San Niang leave, but thinking that her eldest daughter-in-law couldn't help her and didn't know if her third daughter-in-law had the ability to manage the household, she deliberately wanted to see how Qiu San Niang would behave. Moreover, Qiu San Niang took the initiative to resign, which was quite in line with her wishes, showing that she was indeed a clever and sensible person.

  "Alright, you stay. You and Liu Niang are both from Luozhou and have been together for over a month, and your ages are also close, so if there's anything, you can be like good sisters and give each other advice." The implication is that people from the same hometown and of similar age "don't have a generation gap".

  Wei Liu Niang did not express any objection, anyway Qiu San Niang had already watched enough from the sidelines and didn't care whether she stayed or left.

  Qiu Sanniang exchanged a glance with Mozi, nodded slightly and sat back down.

  Mozi thought to herself, I wonder what Wei Liu's daughter is going to do. Since she has the determination to refuse the marriage in front of her elders, it's likely that she will say something about liking Xiao Er Lang. However, if a woman takes the initiative to express her liking for someone else's son, she'll lose all her dignity. I'm really curious, what method can both preserve her dignity and achieve her goal? It's just as well that I can learn from this too - after all, learning is endless! Then, when Wei Liu's daughter finally spoke up, Mozi was impressed by the first two sentences alone. Wei Liu's daughter truly had a lot of ideas.

  "Sixth girl won't marry anyone, and asks the elders to allow Sixth girl to become a nun" had a bombshell effect. Without saying who has feelings for whom, first came self-abuse.

  The loophole that Mozi saw was that if she wanted to leave the family, she should just leave. Why did Wei Liu's mother and grandmother kneel down and say something to Xiao's mother and grandmother? Those two seemed to have no relationship with her. So, this is a heavy prelude, first making people's heads buzz.

  "My son, what are you talking about?" As expected, the princess buzzed with anger, "What's wrong with you? Why do you want to become a monk? Absolutely not. You're here as our guest at the palace. Your parents sent you here, and now you want to become a nun? How can we explain this to your family?"

  The queen's anxious expression did not seem fake, she was truly surprised.

  The old queen was gentle and calm in tone, "Sixth Lady, has someone bullied you?"

  The ink is dark and self-satisfied with a burst of color, but ginger is old and spicy after all, it's clear at first listen.

  Wei Liu's mother shook her head silently, tears streaming down her face.

  The princess heard the old lady say so, and suddenly understood seven or eight parts. Looking at Wei Qiong Yu beside her, it was rare to see a gloomy face on her usually gentle face, with an angry expression, and she understood nine out of ten.

  "When she spoke again, her voice was calm. 'Sixth Lady, if someone really bullied you, then speak up. A fine young lady like yourself, coming to our estate for less than a month and already crying about wanting to become a nun, this can't be without reason.'"

  "No... no one... bullies Liu Niang." Sobbing uncontrollably, "Liu Niang simply doesn't want to get married, willing to accompany the lamp for a lifetime, and pray for blessings on behalf of Old Madame, Niang Niang, and Aunt. Please help fulfill Liu Niang's wish, esteemed elders."

  If they really succeed in making you whole, you'll die of crying. Mozi can only watch the excitement and enrich her inner world.

  "Alright, alright!" Wei Qiong Yu suddenly lost her temper, "If you want to become a monk, then go ahead and become one. I'll have someone send you back to Luozhou today. Once you've told your parents, do as you please, but don't stay here and embarrass me."

  After finishing with this one, Wei Qiong Yu said to the other one, "Old lady, sister, you two don't need to worry about this matter, let me take charge and that's it."

  "Qiong Yu, what are you doing? Your own niece is being bullied and you're not speaking up for her, instead you're going against her?" The Queen

  Is the princess really good-tempered or is she deep and thoughtful? Mozi couldn't tell. She had said it before, don't think of ancient people as fools, there are many clever ones, and very few real fools.

  "Qiong Yu, this is not your fault. Although you are a member of our Xiao family, if someone from the Xiao family has given your niece such an idea, we cannot simply send her back home like this." Both Old Lady Wang and the Wang Consort wanted to get to the bottom of things.

  "Alas, old lady, sister," said Wei Qiong Yu with a sigh. "This matter has nothing to do with anyone in our household. It's just that this young girl is homesick and doesn't want to marry far away. She mentioned it to me some days ago, but I didn't agree with her. Her parents' intention was to find a good match for her in the capital, and they entrusted me with the task. Since ancient times, marriage has been a matter decided by one's parents. Now, she is listening to me, how can she be allowed to make a fuss on her own? She is making a scene in front of you all because she knows I won't agree to her wishes, so she has no choice but to ask for your help to persuade me. As for me, I'm really at my wit's end. If she refuses to marry, can I force her? However, since she has her own ideas, it's better for me to send her back home quickly."

  Wei Liu's mother heard this and sobbed even harder, hanging her head in silence.

  "Sixth Sister, you don't have to listen to your aunt. Whatever you want to say, just tell us." Sixth Sister knelt down towards her, but the princess didn't think she was asking for help, rather, she was asking someone to take charge.

  "Aunt... Aunt wants to send Liu Niang back to Luozhou... Why not send Liu Niang to the nunnery to shave her head." Wei Liu Niang did not reveal anything, insisting on shaving her head.

  It was thought to be endless, but a new character suddenly appeared in the play.

  A maid rushed out from beside Wei Liu's mother, knelt heavily on the ground and knocked her head. "I pay my respects to the old lady and the young lady. I really can't bear to see our young mistress so heartbroken, may I dare to say a couple of words?"

  This girl, Mu Zi still remembers, is the big girl beside Wei Liu Niang, called Mo Er. On the boat, she always followed Wei Liu Niang in and out, seemingly very favored. It seems that she didn't misjudge. Whether Wei Liu Niang can succeed or not, it's estimated to depend on what Mo Er says. It's a clever move: Wei Liu Niang self-deprecates over there, while borrowing the girl's loyal and protective mouth to say what she really wants to say, without making the elders feel ashamed.

  The princess saw that there was someone who could speak up and naturally wouldn't let it go, "Hurry up and say something, what kind of grievance did your family's daughter suffer?"

  Mo Er bit her lip, gritted her teeth, and suddenly spoke out, "Princess Wang, this has something to do with Second Master."

  Ah ha, here comes Mo Zi with a sly smile and beautiful eyebrows. Xiao Er Lang is indeed a troublemaker. Let's count the number of women entangled with him: two mistresses, one future royal wife, and now even the daughter of a wealthy merchant wants to get involved with him. However, she thinks that Xiao Er is too typical of an ancient patriarchal man. As a modern woman, she should be able to avoid him if possible. Otherwise, discussing respect for women with this kind of man would be like talking to a brick wall. There are only two possible outcomes: either he gets angry to death or she does.

  "Mei'er, what nonsense are you talking about?" Wei Liu's mother trembled with rage, her face turned pale with a hint of red, then quickly turned greenish, almost as if she was about to faint.

  A rather heavy cup flew out and hit Meng's forehead, immediately swelling up a lump, and soon bleeding.

  "Jade Jade" princess exclaimed in surprise.

  The servant girls below were also startled. Who didn't know that the kindest one was Mrs. Yu, who never scolded or beat her servants in normal times? Even when someone did something wrong, she would speak softly and not show a red face. Now she actually hit someone, it can be seen that she was furious.

  "Mei'er, you have no shame, your sister-in-law still has some dignity, and I do too. Normally, we've really been indulgent with you girls, what kind of talk is this that you dare to speak so boldly in front of people?" Wei Qiong Yu was also trembling with rage.

  Moyu's tears fell like rain, it was unclear whether she was in pain or overcome with emotion. Yet she knelt there motionless, the blood flowing to her eyes but not wiping it away, her expression firm and resolute.

  Who else would suspect her of lying in such a situation?

  "What's the relationship between Wei Er and you? Speak quickly!" A good girl like her wouldn't marry, she'd rather be a nun. Almost without thinking, the princess could guess what it was. But if she didn't hear it from the other person herself, she still held onto a thread of luck.

  "My sister-in-law was alone with Second Master for half an hour," said Mei'er.

  The princess touched her forehead and groaned.

  The old queen remained calm and said something to the maid beside her. The maid then hastily left.

  The most crucial part of this sentence lies in a single word.

  Which character?

  Alone

  Alone in solitude

  According to the convention of this society, a man and an unmarried woman can certainly meet, but with one condition: there must be a third person present. No matter who the third person is, even if it's just a passerby or someone from their own family, in short, they cannot be alone together. Of course, this custom does not apply when there is a master-slave relationship, such as between a master and servant.

  Because they were alone, no one knew what the couple did; because they were alone, even if nothing happened, people would think that Wei Liu's reputation was damaged. So when Mo said this, everyone would think that Wei Liu was already tainted.

  Such an idea is quite absurd, yet it is taken for granted by the masses.

  Men don't lose out at all, it's just women who get taken advantage of.

  "You said Wei'er and Liu Niang are alone together, when and where?" The queen said, then found that this sentence seemed to be spoken in a tone of distrust towards Wei Liu Niang, so she hurriedly covered it up, "I'm not saying I don't believe you, just afraid that Wei'er will make trouble."

  "Just as we were about to welcome the Third Madam on board, I accompanied my sister-in-law to take a stroll on the second deck. That day was very windy, and I went back to our cabin to fetch her shawl. Who would have thought that when I returned to look for her, I saw her rushing out of Second Master's cabin with her face covered? I was naturally frightened and quickly asked her what had happened, but she refused to say anything. However, as I turned my head, I caught sight of Second Master emerging from the doorway, alone."

  "Sister, this girl is talking nonsense and can't be trusted. Not to mention Liu Niang, I don't believe Wei Er would be so unreasonable as to be alone with Liu Niang in the cabin without anyone else around."

  "It wasn't just me who saw it, San Nai's servant girl also saw it. Yes, that's her, the one called Mozi." Mo Er stretched out a hand and pointed, effortlessly identifying Mozi.

  Mei Zi muttered "Oh no" when she heard that the isolated location was on a boat.

  Is this suddenly being called out to sing an opera? With her absurd and clumsy tone?

  It's likely that we'll set up a new high-level group, everyone wait for notification.

  Chapter 141: Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back (5)

  Chapter 141: Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back (5)