Tianliangyuan

Chapter 362 Stupid beyond reach

Xie Juan and Xiao Song were invited to sit in a side hall, while Xu Zhaozhao would have to wait a while before she arrived.

Both Xie Juan and Madam Song were somewhat nervous; they hadn't felt this much pressure when facing the old lady.

Xu Zhaozhao arrived late, but showed no sign of apology.

"Seventh Sister, is there something important that brings you here today?"

Xie Juan quickly lowered her head slightly and leaned forward a little: "I'm sorry to bother you, sister-in-law. My sixth sister's marriage has been arranged, and I heard that she will be getting married this year. So I came here specifically to ask for your advice, third sister-in-law. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Xu Zhaozhao took a sip of tea, then quickly glanced at her.

Did he come here under the guise of inquiring about Xie Chan's marriage, just to remind her of his own?

"You're the younger sister, there's nothing for you to do. But as is customary, you'll also need to have your dowry done. You can arrange that yourself; you don't need to ask me."

"Yes, Third Sister-in-law."

Xie Juan didn't know what to say next, so she subconsciously looked at her aunt.

Xiao Song's smile was fake; it was obvious she was just going through the motions.

"Reporting to the Lady of the Heir Apparent, my nephew is about to get married. I mentioned it to the Duke earlier, and he promised that I could go back to visit. So I came here to ask you to give me your word. I plan to bring my seventh daughter with me. After all, he is her cousin, and we have to go back. After the wedding, we will meet her cousin-in-law and then return."

Xu Zhaozhao's face turned cold, and she slammed the teacup down on the table, the lid making a crisp sound.

Madam Song's expression changed slightly: "The Crown Prince's wife?"

"Aunt Song, do I need to remind you?"

Madam Song immediately realized what she meant, and her face turned pale.

The way the young lady called her "Aunt Song" was extremely loud, so even if she was dissatisfied, she didn't dare to say anything.

This action displeased Xie Juan.

"Why is Third Sister-in-law angry? My aunt is indeed only Father's concubine, and I am an illegitimate daughter. This cannot be denied. My aunt only wanted to take me back to attend the ceremony. What's wrong with that?"

Xu Zhaozhao never expected that Xie Juan, who was usually quite clever, would be so stupid today.

"You don't even think there's anything wrong with that? Xie Juan, I thought you were smart, but now it seems you're incredibly foolish!"

Xie Juan was both ashamed and angry, her face flushed red: "Why did you say such hurtful things, Third Sister-in-law?"

"Hmph! Fool! Your sixth sister's marriage has just been arranged. Who in the capital doesn't know that the Duke's mansion is making plans for your marriage? At this time, you should be staying in the mansion and waiting for your elders to make arrangements. But you actually want to go to your aunt's family home to attend the ceremony? Are you afraid that others won't know that you are a concubine's daughter, or do you think that outsiders won't think too much if you go to attend the ceremony? Besides, if you go, how will you address those people, and how will you conduct yourself?"

Ms. Song's heart skipped a beat, and she understood at that moment.

He intended to take Xie Juan back to attend the ceremony, but in reality, it was a disguised way to arrange a blind date for his daughter.

But she was only a concubine, and if her daughter went to the ceremony with her, it would be a demotion for Xie Juan.

She made a mistake!

Xie Juan was just an unmarried girl, and no one had taught her this in the previous few years, so she did not realize the seriousness of the matter.

"Why must you hurt me like this, Third Sister-in-law? I am a concubine's daughter, and I have never thought of anything else. But am I not even allowed to go back and visit my aunt's relatives?"

"No!"

Xu Zhaozhao left with these words and immediately ordered someone to invite Granny Lin in.

"Xie Juan, I'm just your sister-in-law, and we haven't known each other for very long. I understand that you don't know my temperament. But are you not going to listen to what Granny Lin said?"

Xie Juan was speechless for a moment and could only look to Xiao Song for help.

But by this time, Madam Song was already preoccupied with her own problems, so she had no mind to help her daughter.

Granny Lin had already learned the whole story from Haitang, and her eyes were filled with disdain when she looked at Madam Song.

“Aunt Song, your nephew is getting married, which is a joyous occasion. You have served the Duke for many years, and he is willing to give you this respect. You should be grateful to the Duke. Why do you have to drag our Seventh Miss along to be watched by others?”

After finishing her words, Granny Lin turned to Xie Juan and said, "Seventh Miss, you are the seventh young lady of the Duke's Mansion. Regardless of whether you are born of the legitimate or illegitimate child, you only have one maternal grandparent family. I'm sure your governesses taught you this back then, right?"

Xie Juan's face turned pale, as if she had forgotten about this incident.

"Yes, Granny Lin, I remember it all."

"Since you remember, that makes things easier. It's not impossible for you to go to the ceremony with Aunt Song, but there's one thing you have to remember. Once you go, you can forget about your future marriage. The young master's wife won't stand up for you, and even the Duke and the old lady probably won't be able to say anything."

Xie Juan was startled and jumped to her feet: "Why did it have to come to this?"

"How could it not be so serious? If it were just some private interactions, no one would say anything. But it's a wedding celebration over there. If you show your face in public like this, are you representing the Duke's mansion, or just yourself? Concubine Song is just a concubine, and she's from the same clan as the mistress. Do you think it's appropriate for you to go?"

Xie Juan was speechless when asked the question.

Xiao Songshi is also a member of the Song family, but because she is from a collateral branch and her family is of average means, even if they can invite the host family to a celebration, the most likely outcome is that the Song family will only send someone to deliver a congratulatory gift.

Alternatively, if the direct descendants of the Song family value their branch, they might send a junior to represent them at the ceremony, but that would be no more.

So, if Xie Juan really went, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the direct descendants of the Song family?

The Daxing dynasty placed great importance on legitimate and illegitimate children, as evidenced by the support shown in the court for the second prince, Prince An.

Even though Prince An was neither as old nor as intelligent as Prince Zhong, the majority of the calls were still for him to be the heir apparent.

this is the truth!

In large families, the distinction between嫡 (legitimate) and 庶 (illegitimate) children is even more important.

Xiao Songshi can go back once, since everyone knows she is the Duke's concubine, which is considered a favor from the Duke. However, Xie Juan absolutely cannot call Xiao Songshi's parents maternal grandparents.

Only the mistress's parents are the legitimate elders of the Xie family's in-laws.

So Xie Juan really went to the ceremony. There was a large circle of people surrounding her. How should they be addressed?

This is going to disrupt the rules.

No one will care how you address someone in private; who's going to keep an eye on you all the time?

But when it comes to such a major event, Xie Juan calls Song Shi's own mother "grandmother," just wait and see if the Song family's direct descendants will show any coldness.

That's just being immature!

Xie Juan seemed to understand at this moment, and couldn't help but lower her head guiltily.

At this moment, Madam Song was so rebuked that she didn't dare to raise her head, fearing that this Granny Lin would say something else unpleasant.

Seeing that it was about time, Xu Zhaozhao finally spoke.

"Xie Juan, if you feel close to the people over there, you can prepare a gift and have Aunt Song take it over. You should just stay at home and practice your needlework."