The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 368 Impure motives
"You have a heart."

Tong Huaqiong composed herself and spoke calmly.

Nie Mingyuan was slightly disappointed; why wasn't his mother-in-law excited at all?

Such a high-quality cloak is something you can't buy even if you have the money. My mother-in-law always loves to take advantage of others, so there's no reason for her not to be happy.

Nie Mingyuan attributed this to his mother-in-law deliberately putting on airs now that she had been granted the title of Lady of the Township.

Fine, fine, let's just bear with it. After all, he needs something from his mother-in-law.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at Gu Baishuang sitting next to Nie Mingyuan.

Gu Baishuang looked uneasy, and Tong Huaqiong became increasingly suspicious that Nie Mingtian's motives for coming to wish her a Happy New Year were impure.

Nie Mingyuan then opened another box and gave Gu Dahan a jade pendant, Gu Dashu a snuff bottle, and Man'er, Xiaolong, and Yaozu each a silver necklace.

Holding the jade pendant, Gu Dahan muttered to himself, "What would a farmer like me need this for? And this brother-in-law of mine, he really doesn't give a practical gift."

"These are things that Xiaofeng's mother asked me to bring to my two younger brothers' wives and my aunt."

Nie Mingyuan pointed to the two packages and two exquisite wooden boxes on the ground.

Chen Sufen and Liu Yue'e were two bolts of satin.

The rest are all from Gu Taohua.

This was significantly more than the gifts given by the two sisters-in-law.

Nie Mingyuan said to Gu Taohua, "Auntie, these two bolts of Shu embroidery are specially brought for you. Such fabrics and patterns are rarely seen even in Pingchuan County. Also, in these two boxes, one contains balm and the other contains jewelry, both of which are for you."

Gu Taohua smiled faintly and said, "Thank you."

Nie Mingyuan was a little unhappy. This sister-in-law was so spoiled by her mother-in-law that she looked down on everything.

What an attitude.

No wonder it's been fifteen years and no one has come to propose marriage.

Despite his complaints, Nie Mingyuan had Nie Xiaofeng bring over another very large box.

"Third brother, this is for you."

Nie Mingyuan waved to Gu Jingzhe and then opened the box.

The box contained books, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Nie Mingyuan said with a smile, "This book was brought by a friend in Shengjing, this inkstone is top-quality Huizhou ink brought by a friend who does business in Huizhou, and this Xuan paper was brought by a relative in Xuanzhou. Third brother, do you like it?"

Gu Jingzhe smiled impeccably and said, "Thank you, brother-in-law."

Tong Huaqiong politely said, "These are for Xiaofeng."

Nie Mingyuan glanced at Nie Xiaofeng beside him and said, "Xiaofeng is not good at studying. He and his third brother took the imperial examination together, and I don't even want to talk about his grades. It would be a waste to give him the opportunity to use these writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones."

A cold smile appeared on Nie Xiaofeng's lips.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "Oh no! I was just being polite, but I didn't expect to have hit Nie Xiaofeng where it hurts."

She didn't even know how Nie Xiaofeng's grades were.

Just then, the sound of martial arts practice came from outside the window; it was Su Chengmin's daily routine for improving his physical fitness.

He was exercising in the cold wind wearing only a thin shirt.

Through the window, Tong Huaqiong saw Su Chengmin chopping wood with his bare hands.

Nie Xiaofeng was captivated and excitedly ran out. Tong Huaqiong breathed a sigh of relief; Su Chengmin had chopped that piece of wood at just the right time.

Gu Baishuang smiled and said with a doting expression, "You can't sit still when you see people practicing martial arts. If only you could put your mind to studying like your third brother."

Sun, Gu Baishuang's youngest daughter-in-law, hugged her son and said, "Mother, you don't need to worry. Third brother has loved wielding knives and sticks since he was little. I think he can wield a big knife just as well as the top performer in a circus troupe. Even if he doesn't do well in school, he won't have to worry about finding a way out with just a big knife."

Everyone in the room knew that Sun's words were a veiled insult to Nie Xiaofeng.

Gu Baishuang's face looked terrible.

Tong Huaqiong said, "The saying goes that heroes come from all walks of life. Everyone has different strengths. In my opinion, Xiaofeng might be able to become a general."

Gu Baishuang gave her stepmother a grateful glance and said, "Mother, please don't praise him. I'm at ease as long as he doesn't cause trouble."

Gu Baishuang never imagined her son would become a general, but she loved hearing these words of help.

Sun pursed her lips.

Seeing this, Gu Jingzhe said to Gu Baishuang, "Elder sister, Mother is not just praising Xiaofeng casually. Even our Master Su praised him for being fearless in the face of danger and having the demeanor of a general. Once, when thieves broke into our school, Xiaofeng single-handedly repelled three thieves."

Gu Baishuang looked surprised; she had never known about this if Gu Jingzhe hadn't brought it up.

Nie Xiaofeng never told her about school.

Nie Mingyuan chuckled twice and changed the subject to Gu Jingzhe, saying, "How can Xiaofeng compare to our third brother? He passed the imperial examination on his first try last year and is sure to become a scholar this spring. Our third brother is the hope of our family. Once he passes the exam, our family will have an official."

Gu Jingzhe smiled but remained silent.

Nie Mingyuan then asked Tong Huaqiong, "Third brother, would you like to study at Wanliu Academy? It would be a pity if you didn't go. The dean of Wanliu Academy is a difficult person to talk to, but you don't need to worry. As long as third brother wants to go, I can ask someone I know to help him get in."

Tong Huaqiong wanted to roll her eyes when she heard this. If Gu Jingzhe wanted to go to Wanliu Academy, he could go after passing the imperial examination this spring. It wasn't like she, Tong Huaqiong, couldn't afford to support him.

As for acquaintances, Nie Mingyuan's network is comparable to Tong Huaqiong's.

Lu Zhaoyang is the most favored disciple of the Dean of Wanliu Academy, so his connections are stronger than anyone else's.

Gu Jingzhe said, "Brother-in-law, I plan to take the provincial examination. If I pass and become a Xiucai, I will apply to Wanliu Academy. Getting in through someone else is not as prestigious as getting in on my own."

Nie Mingyuan said, "There's no need for that. If you want to go now, you don't have to wait until the provincial examination is over."

Gu Jingzhe was still a young man, and he felt that Nie Mingyuan's attempt to use connections to get him into Wanliu Academy was an insult to his scholarship. His youthful temper flared up, and he said with a displeased look, "Brother-in-law, do you not believe I can get in?"

Nie Mingyuan said awkwardly, "Third brother, don't take it to heart. I was just thinking of you."

Tong Huaqiong watched everything coldly, wondering what Nie Mingyuan was planning.
He sent Gu Taohua a generous gift and also offered to send Gu Jingzhe to Wanliu Academy.

The reason he did this was because Tong Huaqiong doted on the twins the most, and what could please Tong Huaqiong more than pleasing the twins?

Tong Huaqiong picked up her teacup, took a sip, put it down, and quietly watched Nie Mingyuan perform.

Nie Mingyuan finally got to the point, smiling at Tong Huaqiong: "I went to the Huang family for a banquet a few days ago and learned that his daughter is engaged to the Lu family in the prefectural city. What an unexpected marriage! One is in the prefectural city, and the other is in our Yanguan Town. I only found out after the Huang family told me that it was you, my mother-in-law, who arranged this marriage."

coming!

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "So Nie Mingyuan's target was the Lu family."

This is easy to explain. Nie Mingyuan is a businessman. If he can get on the good side of the Lu family, the imperial merchant family, then his business will naturally be worry-free.

Tong Huaqiong is not opposed to the idea of ​​trying to expand her business by associating with the Lu family.

She herself had also climbed the social ladder by marrying into the Huang family and the Lu family.

The key issue is that even those close to her are scheming against Nie Mingyuan, so Tong Huaqiong dares not introduce him to the Lu family.