Chapter 80 – Son Or Daughter, Whom To Give Up?
“No son? Hahaha!” The Madam Dowager sneered again, hiding the panic in her eyes. “Are you sure that he will pass on the title to your son? You haven’t considered anything other than this.”
Reminded by the Madam Dowager, Lady Li suddenly thought of Wei Ziyi from the third branch, a son born to Lady Zhang. With no time to think through the Madam Dowager’s words, she said anxiously, “Mother, although Ziyi is also a direct descendant, the Third Master is not comparable to my lord.”
Her brain was now working at an amazing speed. She felt that the third branch did not have any advantages over her branch. Her husband was the Minister of Rites, and his position was even a little higher than that of Marquis Hua Yang.
“Lady Li, do you want to be kicked out of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang?” The Madam Dowager said coldly and bluntly. Her eyes turned cold and her expression became harsh.
“Mother… no … it can’t be. We have you, don’t we? My lord is extremely filial to you. Lord Marquis wouldn’t do such a thing, right?” To be kicked out of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang? Lady Li’s heart skipped a beat as she anxiously raised her head and asked the question in shock. The idea of being driven out of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang was something Lady Li had never thought before. She did not believe that she would be driven away.
‘”How do you know that’s impossible? Didn’t you see how much he had loved that woman? That is the daughter of that woman, but you actually dared to take her life in front of so many people. And the carriage incident is also credited to you, right? You left clues behind your dark business. You just wait for him to lose his temper and kick you out!”
The Madam Dowager leaned back with a strong sense of exhaustion. An ashen look crept over her face, depriving her of her previous energetic appearance. She looked like an old person in twilight years.
Lady Li had selectively forgotten about the past. When she heard the Madam Dowager’s words, she suddenly remembered something and immediately became anxious, “Mother, then… what should I do?”
If the second branch was really kicked out, it would lose the right to succeed the title of Marquis Hua Yang. Even when Marquis Hua Yang passed away, the title would not be inherited by her son if they were kicked out.
Now that Lady Li was more worried about her son than her daughter, she was really anxious.
She had witnessed with her own eyes how her eldest brother-in-law, the current Marquis Hua Yang, had refused to listen to the Madam Dowager and set his mind on marrying the woman of his own choice, who was generally despised. If he was determined to avenge for Wei Yuewu, she couldn’t be sure of the fate of the second branch.
“What should you do? You made a lot of plots against her, didn’t you?” The Madam Dowager opened her eyes and sighed.
“Mother…” Lady Li wanted to argue, but was bluntly interrupted by the Madam Dowager. “I don’t care if those things should be credited to you alone or you and Wei Yan. But now, Wei Yan was solely responsible for all of them.”
“Mother!” Lady Li was shocked. That meant Wei Yan was to blame for everything. Wei Yan was her only daughter. How could she bear to do that?
‘”What? Are you reluctant to give up on her? Are you still expecting Wei Yan to bring you honor in her current situation? Are you willing to let her be a concubine in the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan? Will the daughter of the Minister of Rites become a concubine in the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan? Even if you say yes, I won’t.” The Madam Dowager said coldly.
When the news of what had happened in the palace reached the Madam Dowager, she had almost fainted. She had lavished love and expectation on Wei Yan, so the bond between her and this granddaughter was great. However, Wei Yan was completely destroyed now. Besides, something caught the Madam Dowager and Lady Li even more unprepared.
Although Marquis Jing Yuan agreed to this marriage, he also said that Wei Yan had not only despicably had physical contact with a man in the palace, but had also maliciously framed Wei Yuewu. The Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Third Princess, and the Fourth Princess were all witnesses at the time.
Zhaoyi Tu also felt that Wei Yan was not eligible to be the wife of Marquis Jing Yuan, so she ordered that the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang would carry Wei Yan into the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan with a small sedan chair for her to be Mo Huating’s concubine.
In other words, Wei Yan, the first daughter of the Minister of Rites, could only become an ordinary concubine for Mo Huating.
The Madam Dowager definitely couldn’t accept such a humiliation. Therefore, Wei Yan was considered a dead piece in the Madam Dowager’s heart!
“Mo… Mother, what do we do with Wei Yan?” Lady Li asked trembling.
“There is a small temple at the corner of the mansion. Let her cultivate her mind there for the rest of her life. By doing that, she is also praying for herself.” The Madam Dowager’s eyes turned harsh as she said.
“Mother… you… how do you expect Wei Yan to live on?” Lady Li cried out in sorrow and collapsed to the ground.
“If she can’t live on, then let her die.” The Madam Dowager’s face was dark and unmoved. “Or you can tell her to bear with it first. Perhaps she will see light in the future. If she can’t even endure such a bit of hardship, what’s the point of living?”
Looking at the Madam Dowager’s cold and heartless face, Lady Li was speechless. She really couldn’t bear to give up on her daughter, whom she had reared with enormous care and loved with all her heart!
“If you don’t want to hamper your son’s future, push all the blame to Yan and go to apologize to Yuewu and ask for her forgiveness. Otherwise…” The Madam Dowager stood up. Nurse Hong hurriedly came over to help her out, ignoring Lady Li who was sitting on the ground.
Should she choose her son or her daughter? The latter was basically a dead piece now, while the former had a bright future before him…
If she gave up on her son, she would have nothing left. If she gave up on her daughter, there might be a silver lining…
Wei Yuewu actually hadn’t fainted at all, but she was tired back then. When she saw the Madam Dowager coming, she thought she might as well “faint” to have a rest. When she was carried to the Lotus Courtyard in a soft-cushioned sedan chair, her maids briskly helped her wash and change her clothes. However, they didn’t dare to touch the wound on her wrist.
Not long after, Doctor Ming came.
He reapplied medicine to Wei Yuewu and bandaged her wound. He prescribed some restoratives in the wing room and packed up the medical kit to leave.
Ever since his nephew, Doctor Ming Junior, was said to have an affair with the Second Young Lady, Doctor Ming had never taken him to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang.
Jin Ling came in and stopped him, “Doctor Ming, is our young lady’s wound alright?”
Jin Ling had a worried expression on her face.
“It’s fine. She just needs a good rest for some days. Sixth Young Lady’s body is weak. She must take good care of herself.” Doctor Ming said after a moment of hesitation.
“Doctor Ming, can you do me a favor to see another patient?” After asking about Wei Yuewu’s illness, Jin Ling asked again with some awkwardness.
“A servant in the mansion?” Doctor Ming thought for a moment before asking. If the patient was a family member of the mansion, there was no need for Jin Ling to be so polite.
“Yes, she’s my close friend. She feels a little dizzy. Doctor Ming, could you please….” Jin Ling’s face was filled with embarrassment.
“Jin Ling, it’s not that I don’t help you. The servants here are all treated by someone in the mansion when they are sick. They won’t seek a doctor from outside unless they are seriously ill and have to be sent out.” As Jin Ling had followed Wei Yuewu into the manor for only a short time, Doctor Ming thought that she might not know this rule and thus reminded her.
“There’s someone else in this mansion seeing patients?” Jin Ling’s eyes widened as she expressed her ignorance of this information.
“Yes, there is a doctor in the mansion, who will normally treat some minor illnesses for the maids and lad servants in the mansion.” Doctor Ming nodded.
“Thank you, Doctor Ming.” Jin Ling said with a smile.
Seeing that there was nothing else for him to do, Doctor Ming carried his medical kit and left the Lotus Courtyard.
Jin Ling hurriedly entered the inner chamber and said to Wei Yuewu, who was feigning sleep in bed, “Miss, there is a doctor in this mansion who treats the servants. Doctor Ming only treats the masters and mistresses.”
Wei Yuewu was resting her mind with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes a while after she heard Jin Ling’s words. A smile appeared on her face. “Jin Ling, a maid like you would be scared after so many things had happened.”
“So….” Jin Ling didn’t understand Wei Yuewu for a moment. She blinked her eyes twice and asked blankly.
“So, you can also be sick. Ask Nurse Mei to come over later.” Wei Yuewu smiled faintly, her eyes flashing with a deep thought.
She had too many doubts about the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. She had to investigate some matters as soon as possible…
Wei Yuewu was injured and her maid Jin Ling was also frightened sick. It was said that the maid was shocked when the carriage overturned. Anyone who found out that she and her miss almost lost their lives would be frightened out of their wits. Even though this little girl was slightly stronger than others, she was still very young.
She was so frightened that she talked nonsense and kept that on and on, begging the Second Lady and Second Young Lady to spare them.
Wei Yuewu sent for the doctor to see Jin Ling, but unfortunately, the doctor was absent.
The Madam Dowager rejected the marriage between Wei Yan and Mo Huating on the very day. She went to the palace to see Empress Tu and made the rejection with Empress Tu.
The mansion of Marquis Hua Yang would rather dismiss the marriage with the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan than let Wei Yan enter the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan as a concubine. She would rather let Wei Yan lead an austere life as a Buddhist in the family temple for the rest of her life.
Moreover, she said that this arrangement was also to bless her and the entire mansion of Marquis Hua Yang.
Since the Madam Dowager made the request, Empress Tu naturally wouldn’t force Wei Yan to be a concubine in the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan. Thus, it was basically settled that Wei Yan would go to the family temple.
However, it was said that Wei Yan made quite a scene when this news came to her. She howled and cried loudly for more than an hour. Lady Li went to her courtyard with only a few trusted servants. She said something to Wei Yan and finally Wei Yan quieted down.
In the end, Wei Yan sorted out a few clothes and was taken away from the courtyard where she had lived for more than ten years. However, the first place she went to was not the dilapidated “family temple” that had been recently repaired, but Wei Yuewu’s Lotus Courtyard.
The Lotus Courtyard was very quiet. The servants knew that their mistress liked quietness, so they avoided making noises in talking and working.
However, some voices suddenly broke out at the entrance of the courtyard, and there seemed to be someone crying.
Wei Yuewu was reading a book in her room, and she frowned when she heard the noise outside.
Shufei hurriedly lifted the curtain and walked out. When she saw the situation at the entrance of the courtyard, her expression changed drastically. She directly turned around and returned to the inner chamber.
“Sixth Young Lady, bad news. Second Young Lady came at the door.”
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