tallest building

Chapter 17 Watching from the Sidelines

“Of course not, then we can divorce her, right?” Granny Yang asked hurriedly.

Madam Song slowly shook her head: "The Gong family is so concerned about their reputation, they won't divorce her right away, but they also can't let her stay here any longer."

"What will happen to her then?" Granny Yang asked, quite curious.

“I’m thinking of sending her to a temple, since she’s been practicing asceticism for so many years. We can just tell people that she couldn’t stand the secular life and has completely converted to Buddhism,” said Madam Song. “You know, our family is so concerned about our reputation, we need to find a plausible reason.”

"That's true, but it's still too good for her." Granny Yang said indignantly, "Even if she goes to the temple, won't she still be occupying the title of Madam? In my opinion, it would be better to divorce her cleanly."

"We can't be too hasty. Sending her out is just the first step," Madam Song said confidently. "Once she's at the temple, we can easily pin a charge of adultery on her, and the master will surely get rid of her!"

"Does the young mistress mean to frame her again?" Granny Yang asked with some concern. "But will she admit it?"

“There’s no need for her to admit it,” Madam Song said, tapping the table lightly with the handle of her fan. “She already has a long history of misdeeds, so who would give her a chance to defend herself? Naturally, we should get rid of her as soon as possible to avoid tarnishing the family’s reputation.”

"That's right, that's right." Granny Yang rubbed her hands together with joy. "Master already loathed her to the core, how could he bear her making mistakes again and again? It would be better to just kill her cleanly."

“Yes, when the time comes, we can just tell people that she died of illness, and who will investigate further?” Madam Song said with a smile. “After all, we’re not the only ones who want her to die.”

"With her dead, it'll be your turn to take over; it's only a matter of time." Granny Yang squinted, a sinister glint in her eyes. "Don't blame us; she brought it on herself."

Then the master and servant looked at each other and laughed, their laughter both smug and mysterious, startling the birds in the trees outside the window who let out a strange cry and fluttered away.

The news of Wen Mingqian's return caused a minor stir in the inner quarters of the capital.

Hearing that she was going to host a banquet, many people wanted to join in the fun, not for any other reason than to see what the second wife, who had not shown her face for many years, looked like now.

As soon as the date was set, Madam Song discussed with Gong Xu: "My sister-in-law is going to give birth in a few days. She has been sending people to ask me to go and accompany her. As you know, her family doesn't have many relatives."

Logically, since Madam was hosting a dinner party, I should have stayed home to help out, but I was afraid of upsetting her. Since I've been in charge of the household for years, Madam had already expressed her displeasure several times on the day she returned home.

If I stay home this time and do everything diligently, my wife will inevitably think that I have ill intentions.

If I don't put my heart into it, I'm afraid I'll be accused of being cunning and deceitful.

Therefore, I'd better step aside for now to avoid any trouble.

Gong Xu replied, "That's fine. Having a child is a big deal, and besides, they've been begging you several times. It wouldn't be good if you didn't go. As for the family banquet, let her handle it. It'll save you the trouble and trouble."

"Thank you for your understanding, sir. Then I will simply take Bao'er to stay at my brother's house for a few days, and return after my sister-in-law has given birth safely." Madam Song knew that Gong Xu would definitely agree as long as she asked.

"What's the big deal? You're already in a difficult situation. Do you think I should make things even more difficult for you?"

Gong Xu didn't approve of Wen Mingqian hosting the dinner party, thinking she was being nosy, but unfortunately, Wen Mingqian had already announced it publicly on the day he returned to the manor, so she couldn't break her promise.

The Gong family can't afford to lose face like this.

Two days later, Madam Song packed her things, told Wen Mingqian, and left the mansion with her son, Granny Yang, and a few other servants.

"That foxy Song is busy clearing herself of any wrongdoing!" Zhang Ma scoffed. "If something goes wrong when she hosts a dinner party, she'll be able to stand on the sidelines and not get her shoes wet."

“Then we’ll be more careful,” Wen Mingqian said, naturally unsurprised by Song’s actions. “She can’t possibly not try to trip us up in this area.” “Yes, even though she’s gone, which servant in this mansion hasn’t been brought down by her?” Zhang Ma twisted her thick old waist. “She’s already set up her defenses and deployed her troops.”

“Then we can practice our skills,” Wen Mingqian laughed lightly, “Let’s catch a few little devils first.”

The preparations for the banquet at the mansion were naturally more numerous than usual.

Since Madam Song wasn't home, Granny Yang went with her.

Steward Chen consulted Wen Mingqian on everything, ostensibly out of respect, but in reality, he was creating problems for Wen Mingqian to make fun of.

“Steward Chen, you’ve been steward in this mansion for six or seven years, and you’re quite experienced in handling things. This banquet is neither too big nor too small, so it must have been planned in advance,” Wen Mingqian said with a smile. “Just follow the usual practice. If I have other plans, I will naturally give instructions in advance. There’s no need to ask me about everything.”

“Madam is right, but this old servant was thinking that it was Madam’s first banquet since returning to the capital, and everything had to be done according to your wishes, so I asked for your permission more.” Steward Chen said with his head slightly lowered. “As servants, we must naturally obey our masters’ orders. Although I have been a steward for several years, I still do not fully understand Madam’s preferences, and I am afraid of doing something wrong.”

Steward Chen has always been on the same side as Madam Song, so of course he wouldn't do anything for Wen Mingqian, though he's very good at talking to people.

Wen Mingqian gave Zhang Ma a look, and Zhang Ma immediately said, "I know all of Madam's preferences. You just need to ask me."

Steward Chen agreed and went downstairs, but unexpectedly twisted his ankle in the afternoon and said that he could not walk and needed to rest. He took the opportunity to shirk his duties.

The other servants were gloating.

This person said, "Butler Chen is no longer handling things; let them fend for themselves!"

The man said, "Didn't you want some excitement, Madam? Well, this time you'll get yours."

Some even said, "Forget it, everyone be careful! Didn't you see what happened with the red apricot and the pendant?"

Someone immediately retorted, "Ha, don't try to scare people with that. The law doesn't punish everyone, unless she punishes all the servants in this mansion!"

In short, everyone had ill intentions and wanted to see Wen Mingqian make a fool of himself.

As they were discussing this, Zhang Ma arrived and said to everyone, "Steward Chen twisted his ankle, and Madam said that I will temporarily take care of him. You all know my temper, so if you don't want to lose face, you'd better be on your best behavior and do your job properly."

Hearing her say that, everyone exchanged glances and chuckled to themselves.

An old woman from the countryside, who had never even seen a proper banquet in a noble family, dared to presume to become a manager.

It seems I'm going to make a huge fool of myself by hosting this dinner.

It's no wonder these people think this way. Wen Mingqian has neither prestige nor manpower in this mansion, so naturally he cannot win people's hearts.

But what Zhang Ma said next made them all behave: "Let's be frank from the start. Although Steward Chen is injured and can't manage things, none of you are three-year-olds. You all know what you're supposed to do and what you shouldn't do."

Since I'm in charge, I'll naturally assign tasks clearly. If they're not clearly assigned, that's my fault.

But if the tasks have already been assigned, and you haven't done your part well, then you can't blame me.

(End of this chapter)