My Stepmother is Soft and Charming
Chapter 15: The young nephew
It was beyond any explanation , the countless disasters she had surely sidestepped to raise him safely to his current age with her widowed status . Although Du Jingyi herself felt Shang Zhiping's fear was a bit excessive, but a person's temper could be changed over time , while the unbreakable bond between mother and son could not.
With this thought, Du Jingyi spoke calmly to ShangJi . "General, please sit for a moment. I'll go make a bowl of pear water to calm your nerves . The autumn air is dry, and it's best to moisten the lungs in this weather ." With that, she took her maids , Yingying and Lizhu, and left the room, leaving Shang Ji standing with his hands behind his back alone , his anger emits a visible aura amidst the scattered porcelain in the room .
Once outside the door, the three of them—mistress and maids—exhaled in unison, patting their chests nervously . "The General is so terrifying right now !" Lizhu exclaimed, as if she had just escaped death. She knew how harmonious the atmosphere when she was with her own lady. [Read More Here]
But now, with the General's presence, the entire room felt either deadly cold or suffocatingly narrow . This kind of power and wealth, she thought, was truly not for ordinary people to enjoy.as shiver ran down her spine and goosebumps prickling her skin.
Compared to Lizhu, Yingying seemed much calmer in this aspect . Yet, she too frowned, looking at Du Jingyi with unease. "Young madam," she whispered, "the General has such a wild temper. What will he be like in the future?" She wasn't afraid of anything else, only that the General might have a twisted way of abusing his wife. Hadn't it been said that three wives had died before their young lady entered the family? Could it be that he had killed them all with his own hands ? This thought alone made Yingying swallow hard.
Having served Du Jingyi since she entered the Du family, Yingying knew her mistress like a back of her hand similarly Du Jingyi could also read her thoughts with a glance. So, she lightly tapped Yingying's forehead, a little exasperated. "Get rid of those silly notions in your head. The General isn't that kind of person."
Du Jingyi was very clear about the deaths of Shang Ji's previous three wives. When the Duke's household had come to propose marriage, Master Du had spent a fortune making discreet inquiries. After all, this young son-in-law had a fearsome reputation as a "wife-killer." Master Du loved his daughter dearly and didn't want her to fall into such a trap. So, after many efforts, he finally uncovered the truth.
It turned out that Shang Ji’s so-called fate of "suppressing his wife" was all baseless nonsense. The first young lady, from the Xu family, had been engaged to Shang Ji. But she was caught running away from her marriage and was forced to her death by her own clan after being brought back. To save face, her family even pretended she had died of illness. In the end, they brazenly went to the Duke's Mansion, forcing Shang Ji, who was not yet the young Duke, to marry her memorial tablet.
The second one was the young lady from the Jing family. On her wedding day, the young master left to fight alongside Marshal Gu before he even entered the marriage chamber. Three months later, she drowned while playing in the water at home. Such a tragedy could not be blamed on Shang Ji directly, but Lady Wei's hand in spreading rumors about the situation was undeniable.
As for the third lady, from the Wang family, her story was even more exaggerated. It was said she was so terrified by the "wife-killing" rumors that she fell ill and died within days! But Master Du didn't believe there was nothing suspicious. He spent a great deal of money to bribe servants from the Wang family. Only then did he discover that Miss Wang had been seriously ill for years, but her family had kept it secret for the sake of their reputation. Master Du didn't know the exact illness, but he was certain the "wife-killing" rumor was utterly false. Otherwise, how could he possibly send his beloved daughter into such a den of tigers and wolves?
Du Jingyi even remembered her father's expressions , when he came to deliver the news, standing tall and showing no fear at all. Thinking of this, she suddenly burst into laughter. Her sudden change in mood utterly confused Yingying and Lizhu.
"Alright, don't worry," Du Jingyi said, regaining her composure. "We still have things to do now."
"What is it?" Lizhu asked.
"Have you forgotten what I told my sister-in-law just now? That I have to prepare a gift list because we have to go back to my maternal family tomorrow?"
Yingying slapped her forehead, finally remembering. "I almost forgot! I'll send someone right away."
The gift list had actually been prepared three years ago, but it couldn't be sent then. Now that the General was back, the gift could not be overlooked. Otherwise, the outside world would surely spread ugly rumors about their young lady. The Du family, despite their daughter marrying into a higher status, were people of integrity. Before she left, her parents had repeatedly told their young lady to come home immediately if she ever felt wronged. If the very Heavens opposed it, the worst that could happen was a divorce. They were not afraid. The most important thing for them was their daughter's happiness.
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After seeing Yingying leave quickly, Du Jingyi smiled softly. "Let's go look in the small kitchen. Is there any pear water left?"
"Yes, young lady."
In Xitang Courtyard, everything was as calm as usual . But Sister-in-law Liu, who had just returned to Fuqiuyuan courtyard , felt a deep sadness within her . She glanced at Xue Niang and spoke softly. "You should go back to Hanyi Courtyard first. Today's needlework work must be finished. I'll check on it tomorrow."
Hearing this, Xue Niang pouted for a moment, but then quickly composed herself and accepted. "Okay, sister-in-law, I'll leave first."
"Be careful on the road."
"I know."
Such conversations had been ongoing between them for many years, the atmosphere on the surface was calm as the quiet days of the past. But after Xue Niang's departing figure faded from her view, Sister-in-law Liu sighed and waved her son, Shang Zhiping, closer. Looking at his face, so much like his deceased father's, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.
Before the words could even form, Sister-in-law Liu couldn't stop her tears. Once upon a time, everyone had envied her good fortune. Her family was harmonious, with nothing to cause distress. She had married into the Duke of Shang's Mansion, and her young husband was particularly devoted to her. In those few years, she had managed the inner house with a firm hand, and the entire Duke's residence obeyed her arrangements. She was a leader among women, even when attending banquets outside. She had a father-in-law who was a fair businessman, a mother-in-law who cared for the family, a progressive husband, and a clever son. Each day seemed better than the last, and she lived in comfort.
What she never expected was that the year Ping'er turned three would be her last happy year. Her husband passed away unexpectedly, and not long after, her mother-in-law also succumbed to illness. In an instant, the mother and son were left alone in the entire Duke's Mansion. At that time, the Old Lady of the Gu family had personally come to her house for a long talk, offering a way to ensure her son would become the legitimate shizi of the Duke's house . But Sister-in-law Liu knew this would mean throwing her and her son into the fire. She feared that before Ping'er could grow up and inherit the Duke's position, he would be reduced to bones by someone else. She did not want her only son to die in this deep compound, so she begged the Old Lady of the Gu family to make Shang Ji shizi instead.
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