Chapter Eighteen: Carefree and Content

  "Second Aunt, just my mother and I lived in Wutong Garden, we didn't need a courtyard as big as Wutong Garden. My paternal grandmother was worried about my mother, so we moved to live with her to take care of her. Wouldn't it be perfect for Second Uncle's family to live in Wutong Garden?"

  Li Ziqing was sincere, with a humble and tearful gaze at Gua Erjia, "Being able to receive the pity of the outer maternal clan and be taken in by the Duke's Manor for upbringing, being able to receive the love of three uncles, and receiving the doting care of an aunt as if she were her own daughter, is a blessing for an outsider niece. The outsider niece dare not stay in Wutongyuan again, nor make unreasonable demands."

  The old lady was moved, and the second aunt sighed. The days of guarding her widowhood were difficult to endure. She looked at her daughter with tears in her eyes. Li Zhiqing was a beauty, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She could also gain favor from the nobles in the palace and had access to precious medicinal herbs. She could even cultivate fruit trees. In her mother's eyes, she could have been an imperial princess. But because of her own youthful impulsiveness, she had married such a husband without discernment, and their future prospects were uncertain. Shi Mu Jinse was filled with regret.

  "Alas, my niece, you mustn't belittle yourself," said Guarjia. "In the entire Manchu household, no one can slight you, and yet you behave like this? You're truly a legitimate granddaughter! What you've just said has chilled the heart of your grandmother who loves you so much. How are we to know how to treat you as an aunt, so that you may live comfortably in the Duke's mansion and alleviate your grief over your father's passing? Your uncle was good... why did he have to go..."

  No one has ever taken advantage of Madame Gualgiya, and Li Ziqing will be no exception. She wants to move into Rongshou Hall? How can Madame Gualgiya let Li Ziqing have her way? Her niece lives in Rongshou Hall, where would the legitimate descendants of Shu Mu Lu be placed? Even if one pities the niece, she is also an outsider. Although the old lady is willing to indulge her, others will not dare to say anything. But to live in Rongshou Hall without distinction between inner and outer quarters would ruin the rules of the dukedom, causing outsiders to look down on them, and ultimately implicating her son and Shu Yao. Madame Gualgiya absolutely cannot tolerate this.

  The newly renovated Wutong Garden is too luxurious, and Guwalgiya has never liked it. Now that she's moved in, she's bound to stir up trouble. The bigger the courtyard, the more servants and slaves there will be. Guwalgiya doesn't have many trusted servants, most of them were dismissed in Huizhou. The three and four houses will definitely take advantage of Wutong Garden to send people over, which is too troublesome to deal with. With unclear enemy situations, it's not possible to act rashly, especially when her husband, Zhiyuan, is a good-natured and honest man who doesn't care about his title. Her children have different personalities, and Guwalgiya really can't be bothered to deal with the old ladies' small actions. Of course, if they bully her too much, Guwalgiya won't be easy to handle. If others treat her unfairly by a single point, she will retaliate tenfold or hundredfold, making them not dare to scheme against her.

  Li Ziqing stared blankly at Guwalgiya, even when the old lady fondly pulled her into her arms, she didn't come back to herself. The old lady saw Li Ziqing's dazed expression and thought she was lamenting her own fate of being a wandering orphan, so she felt heartbroken and said to Guwalgiya with displeasure: "What's the point of bringing up the second uncle? It's causing Qinger to cry, she is my own granddaughter."

  "Mother is right, it's the daughter-in-law who has been foolish." Guwalgiya smiled and comforted the old lady, "The niece will live in Wutongyuan, the living habits of the niece, her spirit and body will be good, Mother sees that the healthy and robust niece is also comfortable, Mother, you say, isn't it?"

  Madame Gualeya approached with a flattering smile, and the old lady was taken aback for a moment. She felt that Madame Gualeya had an ulterior motive, but couldn't quite figure out what it was. Seeing a glimmer of expectation in Madame Gualeya's eyes, the old lady became suspicious again. "She must have set her sights on Wutongyuan," she thought to herself, "and is just pretending to be generous. No one wants to live in the remote Huigarden, and what's this nonsense about taking care of Ama? The old man has his concubine by his side, he's forgotten all about his son."

  The old lady was well aware that her husband couldn't stand Zhiyuan and would be delighted if he never showed up again. The renovation of Wutongyuan had cost a fortune, and the thought of Zhiyuan living there made her flesh ache. Before Zhiyuan left for Beijing, her third son Zhicheng mentioned giving Wutongyuan to Zhiyuan, which made the old lady fly into a rage. If Li Qinger hadn't intervened to calm her down, she would have scolded Zhicheng severely.

  At this time, Guanjia's 'pushing away' of blame would not satisfy Guanjia either. "Zhiqin, since your second aunt has said so, you should stay in Wutongyuan and don't waste her kindness. Wutongyuan is not far from Rongshoutang, I can come to see you anytime I want, and I'll leave the outer Bishazhao for you."

  Gua Lijia hooked the corner of her mouth, and her eyes were slightly disappointed. "Yes, my niece will listen to her mother. Her mother has eaten more salt than you have eaten rice, and her mother loves you the most, so she won't harm you."

  "You are right." Gu Jia turned to the old lady and called out: "Mother?"

  Seeing the old lady nodding, Li Ziqing looked at her second aunt with admiration and returned to the Duke's Mansion in two hours. All these calculations were avoided by them. The reason why Li Ziqing agreed to move out of Wutongyuan was that she had long set her sights on Rongshoutang, which represented the most noble place in the Duke's Mansion. As long as she lived in Rongshoutang, she would be one of the legitimate masters of the Duke's Mansion, rather than a guest living in the Duke's Mansion. She made a good calculation, Li Ziqing was very puzzled, how did the old lady hold on to the Duke's Mansion? This IQ, this level of house fighting is too low! Thinking that the old lady's surname was Aixinjueluo, she was the daughter of an idle Beile and married her grandfather, which was a low marriage. The concubine could not replace the status of the old lady.

  She still has some face in the palace, and her life has been quite smooth for half a lifetime. No wonder she was led by the nose by Madame Gualgiya. Li Ziqing saw that things were irreversible and resigned herself to her fate. Anyway, as long as she pleased Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, she would have hope in the future. The old lady also needs to be filial.

  Li Ziqing stood up and bent her knees: "Thank you, Second Aunt, for your kindness. I will obey."

  "This is right, you can rest assured in Wutongyuan." Gualjia's tone was light, and her cousin Li Ziqing was a clever and thoughtful person, much stronger than her foolish mother who could only recite a few sour poems. The second aunt, Shu Mulu, said she was a talented woman, but no matter how good her poetry was, could it surpass the poetry of the prosperous Tang Dynasty? The Tang Dynasty had the most poets, and Gualjia's eyes showed a hint of nostalgia for the era when the female emperor was the pride of women, and there was only one empress in a thousand years.

  Shu Yao savored the apple, which tasted even better than the top-grade Red Fuji of modern times. She vaguely sensed the tension between her mother and cousin, and realized that the old lady had fallen into her mother's trap. However, if Shu Yao were to describe the beginning and end of their confrontation, she wouldn't be able to make it clear, only knowing that they would live in Qiu Garden, which left some people disappointed, but her mother was very satisfied.

  E Niang won't be taken advantage of, others not being calculated by her is already a blessing. Xiu Yao thinks that with her IQ, it's good if she doesn't cause trouble for E Niang. She continues to gnaw on the apple, thinking about whether to go back to the space and see if the radish has matured yet.