Chapter 59: The Sudden Change in Old Lady Xu's Attitude

  Mrs. Xu arrived a bit late, but Xuming Jin wasn't in a hurry anyway, so he took out his things and prepared to spend the good afternoon light painting some pictures to pass the time.

  When Madam Xi arrived, she saw this scene: a beauty with shoulders as slender as if carved, her figure like a gentle breeze swaying willows, her eyes cast down, intently painting something. Madam Xi felt deeply moved, and before she knew it, the young lady had almost grown into a big girl, it was time to find a suitor for her. She hoped that Master would put in more effort, finding a suitable young talent with a matching social status for the young lady, and after a few years, when Young Master also got married, then she could leave without any regrets to reunite with Madame.

  Xu Mingjin heard the noise and knew that Mrs. Xu had arrived, she finished the stroke in her hand and stopped. She invited Mrs. Xu to sit down.

  Madam Xi dared not, repeatedly declining, Xu Mingjin pretended to be angry and said: "Auntie, there's no outsider here, sit down!"

  Madam Xu saw Xu Mingjin insisting, and had no choice but to sit down.

  Xu Mingjin then asked: "Nanny, during these two days when I wasn't in the mansion, was there anything unusual about Ming Xuan?"

  Madam Xi smiled and said, "You don't have to worry about him, he's doing fine. It's you who should be careful. Ye Niang and the young mistress are now hating you to death. A few days ago, a maid in the young mistress's courtyard spread rumors that she was cursing you every day. But these past two days, she suddenly became quiet, and when someone said you weren't, she even stood up to scold that person. Isn't it strange?

  Xu Mingjin heard this and not only re-examined Xu Mingxia in his heart. People say that after experiencing a setback, one becomes wiser. It seems that she has made significant progress since the incident of Mrs. Xu being demoted to concubine status. From now on, he must be doubly cautious and vigilant.

  "I heard that the young lady is quite favored by her grandmother now?" Xu Mingjin asked.

  "Isn't that right!" said Mrs. Xi: "In the past few days, Old Lady has given a lot of things to Big Miss, and she always asks Big Miss to go to Chunhui Yard for dinner. Even Ye Niang also benefited from it, as she is in charge of the household, and Old Lady gave her face just like when she was the mistress, many servants have started to curry favor with Ye Niang again. In my opinion, once the new Mrs. entered the house, she should have stopped."

  Xu Mingjin smiled and said: "The new madam has just entered the door, and there will be a good show to watch. We'll just sit back and enjoy the fire from across the river."

  Madam Xū nodded in agreement. But a moment later, her face filled with worry as she said: "Miss, you say that after the new madam enters the house, it won't be long before she becomes pregnant with a child. If she gives birth to a boy, wouldn't Young Master become a thorn in her side, a constant source of irritation?"

  "Your concerns are valid, Aunt Ye has been unable to bear a son, not just her own anxiety, but also Father's. It's possible that even the Ye family is anxious about it. The Ye family thinks that at Aunt Ye's current age, she will definitely not be able to bear a son, so they hastily married off another daughter. If this new wife gives birth to a son, she and Aunt Ye will join forces against me and Mingxuan, aiming for the power in the Permitted Mansion's backyard. And as for us two, we are without support or backing, how can we be their match? This is all because Mother didn't listen to my advice back then and insisted on returning to this place. Now seeing the hardships that Mingxuan and I face, does Mother regret it?"

  Xu Mingjin didn't wait for Nanny Xu to respond, and muttered to himself: "If we were still in Liu City, Mother wouldn't have died, our whole family would be happy and at peace."

  Madam Xu's eyes became moist after hearing this, what Xuming Jin said sounded right to her, but she didn't want to admit that Madam Fan was wrong, so she was in a dilemma.

  The two of them exchanged a few more words in a lukewarm tone, and then Xu Mingjin urged her to hurry back and take care of Songfengyuan.

  On the second day, Xu Mingjin hastily ate a few mouthfuls of breakfast and then rushed to Chunhui Yard to pay his respects to Old Lady Xu.

  Xu Mingjin was the first to arrive, and Old Lady Xu asked her a few gentle questions about whether her trip to Huguo Temple would be smooth. Xu Mingjin answered one by one, but although Old Lady Xu still had a warm and friendly demeanor when facing her, Xu Mingjin still keenly sensed the hidden impatience in her tone. This situation became even more apparent after Xu Mingxia arrived. When Old Lady Xu faced Xu Mingxia, that was truly genuine concern. Xu Mingjin sat aside, quietly watching the intimate interaction between Old Lady Xu and Xu Mingxia, as if they were the only two people present. She didn't speak out loud, but in her heart, she sighed: after all, it's been over a decade since she had pampered her own daughter, even if that wasn't the case now, the love wouldn't change. Unlike her, Old Lady Xu had only met her a few times, how could she possibly have feelings for her? The previous warmth was probably just put on.

  So Xuming Jin wasn't sad at all, and she also knew that if it weren't for her being friends with Xuan Yuan Jinglin, she wouldn't even have the qualifications to enter Chunhui Academy.

  Xu Mingjin thought to himself, I wonder if Old Lady Xu still wants to see Xu Mingxuan now? This is unknown, as Xu Mingxuan has been going to school early every day and only comes to pay his respects once every few days.

  Xu Mingxia snuggled into Mrs. Xu's arms, chatting with her while casting provocative glances at Xu Mingjin.

  Xu Mingjin smiled slightly in response.

  Xu Mingxia looked at Xu Mingjin who was smiling, and for some reason, a layer of coldness rose from the bottom of her heart. She quickly turned her head away, not looking at Xu Mingjin.

  Xu Mingjin silently observed everyone in the room, discovering that each person had undergone changes recently. Xu Mingying had become much more subdued lately, possibly due to the fact that the authority of the housekeeper had only been in her hands for a few days before being snatched away by Yao Niang. She kept her head down, lost in thought, occasionally glancing up at Xu Mingxia with eyes as venomous as poison. Xu Mingfang was always Xu Mingxia's lackey, recalling the days when Xu Mingxia had just been demoted to concubine status, she was the most triumphant and arrogant person. Now, she had begun to fawn and curry favor once again, but this time Xu Mingxia no longer paid attention to her. Xu Mingyu and Xu Mingsi were still young, so it wasn't clear what changes they had undergone.

  "Go back all of you! It's enough for Mingxia to stay here."

  Xu Mingjin's goal had been achieved, so he happily followed a group of women out.

  "Grandma, we can't let her go on like this!" Xu Mingxia suddenly said.

  Mrs. Xu closed her eyes and didn't say anything.

  Xu Mingxia hastened to say, "If Xu Mingjin gains power in the future, he will definitely not let Father off! Think about it, she was raised by Madam Fan herself, how could she possibly side with Father? Father's plan led to her maternal family's downfall, she will definitely seek revenge!"

  "Enough!" Madam Xue opened her piercing eyes and said sternly, "No matter what, she is your father's own daughter! Have you ever seen a daughter harm her own father? She doesn't care if she's drowned in saliva! Now that she has power, outsiders will give face to your father because of her, even if she doesn't help him. That's enough. Taking a step back, if your father really gets into trouble, can she just ignore it? Then the reputation of being unfilial would be confirmed!"

  Xu Mingxia listened, and tears fell like broken pearls, one after another.

  Mrs. Xue saw this and couldn't bear it. She put away her stern expression, took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tears on Xu Mingxia's face, then comforted her saying: "You don't have to worry that she will bully you, I'm here."

  Xu Mingxia knows when to stop while she's ahead.

  Madam Xü saw her and pitied her even more, saying: "After a while, I'll go talk to your father about it. He will acknowledge you under the name of his new wife, and you will still be considered the legitimate daughter."

  Xu Mingxia heard this and felt a surge of excitement in her heart, but then she thought for a moment and asked pitifully: "What about my mother?"

  The old woman's eyes immediately turned cold.

  Xu Mingxia was so frightened that she forgot how to speak.

  "She is no longer the legitimate wife, this is her own fault! Don't call her 'mother' again, she doesn't deserve that title! From now on, the only one who can be called 'mother' by you is the new wife your father will marry next month!"

  Xu Mingxia responded with a perfunctory "yes", but in her heart, a surge of resentment welled up.

  Although most people in the Xu family were unwilling, the day of Xu Ruo Yu's marriage to a new wife still arrived.

  September 28, suitable for marriage. Xu Ruoyi's wedding day was set on this day. Now there are less than three days left. The previous betrothal gifts had been completed last month.

  Xu Mingjin now knew that Xu Ruoyi's new wife, Ye Shi, was only a 17-year-old concubine daughter from a side branch of the Ye family, half a year younger than Xu Mingxia.

  Xu Mingjin couldn't help but laugh when he heard this news: "It's really an old cow eating tender grass!"

  At the same time, everyone in the capital was also very concerned about this matter. From Madam Xu being demoted to a concubine due to her fake pregnancy, everyone applauded with joy, to the news of Minister Xu marrying a woman from a side branch of the Ye family spreading out, everyone's attention was drawn over there, and Lady Ye's matter was no longer noticed by anyone.

  In the entire Xu Manor, probably only Xu Ruo Yu and Old Lady Xu were delighted. Through Ye Shen's words, Xu Ruo Yu had already known that his new wife was as beautiful as a flower. He was naturally lustful, so this suited him just fine.

  In the Yu Ping courtyard, Ye Yiniang was arranging the wedding affairs for three days later. Now that she had the power of the housekeeper in her hands, she wanted to arrange a wedding for Xu Ruoyi, and according to her wishes, the more frugal the better. However, Old Lady Xu attached great importance to this matter. Ye Yiniang could only grit her teeth and follow Old Lady Xu's instructions, but she was secretly resentful.

  After Xu Ruoyi's gentle care for a while, Ye Niang was like a second youth, radiant and dazzling. She was in a good mood because her brother Ye Shentian had told her that the newly married daughter-in-law of the Ye family was just a collateral branch, with no one to rely on, and could only depend on her to make a living. Didn't that mean she could do whatever she wanted?

  The auntie's heart was relieved of its biggest worry, and the deep-seated resentment burst out. She gritted her teeth in anger, thinking: Xu Mingjin, I won't let you off! Just wait and see.

  Resentment made her beautiful face slightly twisted. At this moment, the little maid came to report: The master is back.

  Yè Yí Niáng's face immediately lit up with an extremely happy smile. She welcomed him out.