Princess Rong's birthday banquet ended hastily.
However, most of the guests were not dissatisfied. After all, they ate several large melons today, which added a lot to talk about, and they returned home with a full load.
In the main hall of the back house, the whole family of Prince Rong's Mansion gathered here.
Mrs. Quan was sitting in the main seat, her eyes half-closed, muttering scriptures, and there was no emotion or anger on her face.
After King Rong saw off some important guests, he hurried back and sat with him on the left side. His expression was complicated, including heaviness, hesitation, and a hint of joy.
Concubine Qian sat next to him a few cases away, her face ashen as if she was trying to hold back her anger.
The next one was Zhao Ying. Since the Wei family father and son were sleeping, she didn't have to worry for the time being, so she came to attend this 'family meeting'. She was full of resentment at the moment and seemed to be very dissatisfied with everyone else.
Then surprisingly, the Qian family siblings were also present. Presumably it was Concubine Qian's intention, so King Rong only glanced at them and didn't say much.
The right side is usually the guest seat. Sitting here implies that you are a guest or an outsider!
According to the rules, Prince Zhong should sit in the first place, but Zhao Mengqi asked Huang to sit there.
Huang was embarrassed, helpless, and lowered his head deeply, like a quail, with fear all over his body.
"Mother, my son is here, please relax." Zhao Mengqi comforted softly.
Zhao Han simply stopped sitting and stood next to Huang, letting her hug him. This was better.
All the servants and maids were cleared out, and the main hall was silent for a long time.
Mrs. Quan finally finished reciting a section of the Avatamsaka Sutra, opened her eyes and glanced at everyone in the hall, "Qian, Desun said, the expenses in Huang's courtyard are meager, and her mother and daughter are struggling to eat. How do you explain this?"
Although Mrs. Quan could not become the Queen Mother due to legal reasons, her status as the biological mother of an official family could not be changed, not to mention that she was the mother-in-law of Concubine Qian. She could do nothing on weekdays, but Concubine Qian would never dare to disobey her.
Hearing the accusation, Concubine Qian calmed down her anger and explained, "Your Majesty, the expenses of the Huang family's courtyard have always been paid in full and on time. Every payment is recorded truthfully in the account, and there is also Huang's monogram on it. No matter what I do, I can’t figure out why King Zhong would accuse me like this.”
You are so confident that you can push it all away with just one sentence.
Mrs. Quan sighed in her heart. She had already guessed that this daughter-in-law from a well-born family must not be that simple. How could she easily fall into the trap of doing things? After thinking about it, the Qian family had a transcendent status in the Song Dynasty, and the relationship was not easy to get too tense. , then deliberately reduce big things to small things.
"Huang, did you leave that monogram yourself?"
As soon as he heard the old lady calling him, Huang subconsciously stood up and bowed to answer, "Back to the old lady, yes, I am from the slave family..."
"Mother!" Zhao Mengqi stood up proudly and stepped forward to support Huang, "Why are you so humble? Forget it, sit down and my son will answer for you."
Insisting on sending Mr. Huang back to the chair, Zhao Mengqi stood with his hands behind his hands, "How is it in my mother's house? You can tell by just going and taking a look. As for the tricks like monogramming the ledger, there is no need to bring it out. It will not change the facts, nor can it be deceived. A discerning person.”
"His Royal Highness!" Concubine Qian stared at Zhao Mengqi bitterly and said in a sharp tone, "If Huang's autographs can't be counted, then your accusation will be even more baseless!"
King Rong frowned and said, "Why do you need to be so tit-for-tat when talking to your own family?"
"Du, Du." Mrs. Quan knocked on the tea table, "Desun, don't be impatient, Qian, please be calm!... What Desun said is reasonable, and the things should be true. Now it seems that there is something wrong with it. What's the misunderstanding? Maybe there's something wrong with the servants. Mr. Qian, you are in charge of the affairs of the house and you are responsible no matter what. This is all a family matter. Just talk it over in a friendly manner. Mr. Huang is missing money. , just make up for it in full, everything will be fine for your family and there will be no need to make a fuss."
Zhao Mengqi's eyelids jumped, and he felt that this routine was very familiar. Isn't this the same trick that Zhao Guanjia and Xini used? The emotional old Zhao also learned it from his mother.
Feeling his sleeves being pulled, Zhao Mengqi turned around and saw his mother looking at him with pleading eyes.
Alas, this mother is really used to swallowing her anger. Even though she has suffered so many grievances, she has been holding on. Now she does not want her son to intensify the conflict between herself and the adults in the house.
Zhao Mengqi thought for a while and said, "Mother-in-law, my grandson can listen to you, but the premise is that Princess Qian must apologize to my mother and admit her mistake. Then the matter will be forgotten."
"Dream!" Concubine Qian jumped up, extremely embarrassed and angry, "She is just a concubine, who has the right to ask me to apologize!"
In China, there has always been monogamy. A man can only have one main wife. For a long time, the status of other concubines was equivalent to that of slaves. Even in the Song Dynasty, the legal status of concubines was improved, and their personal rights and property rights were There is a certain protection, but fundamentally speaking, it is more of a property of the main family. Even if a child is born, the first wife can only be recognized as the legitimate mother.
Therefore, according to the law, a concubine does not even have the title of 'mother', and she even has to call her children young master. Of course, China is a society that pays attention to ethics, especially in the Song Dynasty. If a person is unfilial to his biological mother, , is also not tolerated by society, so there are many contradictions in it.
Closer to home, now Zhao Mengqi wants Concubine Qian, the head wife, to apologize to the humble Huang family. In her opinion, it is undoubtedly a huge humiliation. How can she bear it.
At this time, Zhao Ying also laughed secretly, "What a big joke. Our Zhao family actually has such a junior. It's just that he doesn't care about the ethics of family ties. He also tries to reverse the dignity of Gang Chang and let the head of the family It's the first time in history that my mother apologized to a concubine! If such a person is allowed to inherit the Zhao family, I'm afraid it won't be far from breaking up the family, let alone Jiangshan Sheji."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mengqi knew that reasoning was useless, not to mention that the ideas were different, not to mention that there was a lot of selfishness involved.
"Aunt, it sounds like you have a lot of resentment towards your nephew. Do you still think that I am the stupid boy who was at your mercy? Do you think I don't know what you are hiding in your heart? Be polite and I will call you. Auntie, if you are in a hurry, don’t forget that Taizu also said ‘the side of the bed’, and if I miss your son’s life, don’t blame me for being cruel!”
Zhao Mengqi was too lazy to play tricks with them, and said with a threat, "There is also Princess Qian, do you think that the head of a military attaché was handed over to block the door? Everyone involved is now lying in the palace. Well, if I directly order someone to take them all, do you think you can be alone? Can your Qian family be able to get it? "
Concubine Qian's hair stood on end. She never thought that Zhao Mengqi could not follow the routine at all. He was still a prince now and had the ability to directly overturn the table. She was frightened by the consequences of his words for a moment.
Zhao Mengqi's domineering words actually pointed his sword directly at the Qian family, leaving Qian Long dumbfounded. Qian Duo even gritted his teeth and wished he could stab him on the spot.
"How dare you!" Zhao Ying broke out in cold sweat and screamed with fierce expression.
Zhao Mengqi chuckled, "Maybe you can go to Yingenmen, look at the head, and ask him if I dare."
King Rong had been immersed in Zhao Mengqi's previous words of 'Dad', so he had been secretly standing by his side. Now he felt that his words and deeds were too much, "Silang, why is this? How can a family shout about fighting and killing?"
Mrs. Quan was so stunned by her grandson that she forgot to speak. Now she came back to her senses, "Desun? Why are you so different?...Okay, let's talk about this later. Let's talk about the current matter first. I think... It’s better to value peace.”
"Mother-in-law, my grandson said that we can reconcile, but Princess Qian must apologize! This is my bottom line." Zhao Mengqi straightened his body and looked stubbornly.
"This..." The old lady looked into her grandson's eyes and felt the unshakability in them, so she could only sigh, "In that case, Mrs. Qian, please apologize."
Prince Rong looked around and decided to favor his son, "Ms. Qian, after all, you were at fault in this matter. It would be good for everyone to apologize."
Zhao Ying was frightened by Zhao Mengqi's murderous intent and did not dare to say anything at this time. The look she looked at Concubine Qian also implied that she should take a step back to calm the matter.
Qian Duo wanted to help his aunt, but Qian Long quickly grabbed him and covered his mouth.
Mrs. Huang hugged Zhao Han tightly, her palms were sweating, and she was extremely frightened. Her eyes kept filling with tears because of her son's protection.
Zhao Han only felt that her brother was getting taller and taller, making her feel more and more secure. If she hadn't been timid, she might have cheered for her brother.
Concubine Qian was isolated and helpless, her beautiful face was now flushed. From her heart, she wanted to slam the door and walk away, but the family education engraved in her bones forced her to weigh the pros and cons. In the end, Faced with the terrible consequences, she still chose to surrender temporarily.
Filling a cup of tea, he walked hard to Mrs. Huang and made a tea ceremony unwillingly, "Ms. Huang, it was my negligence and lax control that caused you to be wronged. I am here to express my gratitude to you." I offer you tea to apologize, and please forgive me."
Historically, only concubines served tea to their mistresses. How had the mistress ever offered tea to her concubines in turn? Although her son had earned it for her, Mrs. Huang was still panicked and did not dare to take the cup. , waving his hands in panic, "How does this make...how does this make..."
Knowing that his mother had such a personality, Zhao Mengqi was helpless, so he took the tea cup for her and handed it to her, "Mother, there is nothing that can't be done. In the future, your son will definitely make you the most noble woman in the world."
Like a puppet, Huang took the teacup from his son's hand and mechanically touched his lips. Huang felt as if he was in a dream.
"Now you are satisfied." Concubine Qian looked at Zhao Mengqi with resentment, and then glared at Mrs. Huang, "Haha, you really gave birth to a good son."
Immediately, she couldn't restrain her shame and anger and walked out angrily, "Duo Niang, Qian Long, let's go home!"
Without thinking, he knew that she was going back to her parents' home. King Rong was stunned, but he didn't stop her.
After Concubine Qian and the Qian siblings disappeared, King Rong looked at his sister Zhao Ying and said, "Fourth sister, the matter of the adoption of the grandson is over."
"Okay! Very good!" Zhao Ying stamped her feet and ran out of the main hall.
