After sharing a body with her husband

"Did Ati really say that?"

Old Madam Wei paused in her tea-drinking, her gaze turning to Old Granny Qiu and Mother Liang below the hall.

Granny Qiu's expression was solemn.

"Yes, this old servant thinks that the Seventh Madam is very meticulous and must have some suspicions, otherwise she wouldn't have said that suddenly."

Mother Liang nodded and said:

"At the time, in front of Princess Shuyue, the Seventh Madam also cried and questioned the Sixth Miss Song about why she had set traps to harm her, and what she had done to offend her. At the time, this old servant felt something was wrong and didn't say anything, but now that I think about it, the Seventh Madam must have guessed something."

Old Madam Wei snorted angrily and slammed the teacup down.

"I see!"

Granny Qiu and Mother Liang both knelt down and advised at the same time:

"Grandma, please calm down."

"Madam, please don't get angry."

Old Madam Wei's eyes were filled with a deep, cold light.

"Ati didn't know how vast Yan Ge'er's assets were, but his Earl's Mansion did. No wonder, it turns out they were eyeing my Yan Ge'er..."

Old Madam Wei sneered.

"How could I not know the state of his Earl's mansion? If I had taken a liking to Song Yunyi, I would have proposed marriage long ago! He has no chance of scheming to seize the Xie family's fortune!"

She waved her hand, "Go, call Ati here."

"Yes."

Just as Granny Qiu was about to send someone over, Old Madam Wei hesitated for a moment and then changed her mind:

"No, don't call Ati yet. Go and call the eldest son and his wife. The poisonous snake in the mountains could only be an accident. The Xie family and the Earl's Mansion have many entanglements, and the misunderstanding must be cleared up eventually. If things get ugly, outsiders will laugh at us."

But they need to be warned. Ati is right. Do they really think the Xie family is a pushover? This matter needs to be handled by the head of the family. Call them over, and I'll give them some pointers. They need to handle it more smoothly.”

Master Xie is the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and Madam Murong is the matriarch of the Xie family. It is most appropriate for them to handle this matter.

Old Madam Wei calmed down. Fortunately, Ati was alright. The venomous snake could only have been an accident, and it had to be an accident.

Since the Duke intends to find a husband for Song Yunyi, this plan couldn't have been his idea, so there's only one possibility...

Countess, Madam Zhang!

Old Madam Wei had already made up her mind that when the Earl's Mansion came to apologize, she would make Zhang give up on that idea!

……

The Earl of Wede's mansion came to apologize on the third day, bringing gifts of various sizes.

Countess Zhang came in person, and Song Yunyi and Xie Ruoqiu came with her.

When Shang Lingjun arrived, all the women of the Earl's mansion were present, including his eldest sister-in-law, Murong.

She thought to herself, "It seems I'm in for a good argument today."

Shang Lingjun forced a smile, walked in casually, and bowed in greeting, "Greetings, Mother-in-law. Greetings to Madam Zhang..."

Madam Zhang immediately got up to greet her, and took Shang Lingjun's hand with great apology.

"Oh! Why are you calling me Madam Zhang? It's too formal, isn't it? Given the relationship between our two families, you can just call me sister-in-law!"

Good sister, it's all my fault for being negligent. You were picking tea when you ran into the mountain pit viper. It's all because of those lazy, good-for-nothing scoundrels who did a bad job!

I've already punished them severely, but I still feel so guilty that I can't sleep at night. I heard you like pearls, so I brought a bushel of them, along with some other trinkets, hoping they might help soothe my younger sister's fright.

Madam Zhang wore a kind smile, but her eyes held a hint of doubt as she looked at Shang Lingjun.

How did she do it?

A perfectly good tea banquet was ruined just like that. So many guests, all from prominent families in the capital...

Everyone knows that there are poisonous snakes on the tea mountain of her Earl's mansion that almost bit people, and they all have a lot of complaints, saying that the Earl's mansion is incompetent.

I lost a lot of face.

The lord was furious and raged at home. He not only scolded her but also gave all the people who were on the mountain fifty lashes and personally supervised the execution.

She barely slept that night.

If you look closely, you can see that there is some bluish tinge under Zhang Da Niangzi's rouge, and there are also bloodshot eyes, which shows that she has been exhausted these past two days.

Fortunately, the lord was in a fit of anger and failed to discover any clues about the venomous snake.

Otherwise, she would find it even harder to bear the lord's wrath.

The lost face can't be recovered, but isn't this apology justified?

She was in charge of overseeing things on the mountain. The Duke instructed her to prepare a gift from her own dowry to apologize to the Xie family, and it had to be a grand affair to show sincerity.

This gift can't be anything less than a good one.

That bushel of pearls was her private stash.

Madam Zhang was truly heartbroken, but knowing that this matter was caused by her, she could only swallow her anger and accept it.

Therefore, no matter how Zhang Da Niangzi looked at Shang Lingjun, she felt that she was strange. No matter how much she planned, who could have predicted that she could catch snakes?

Shang Lingjun still wore a perfectly timed smile.

"Sister-in-law, you've really gone to great lengths. It's just a snake. You don't know, but when I was little, I used to catch snakes with my father and brothers. Back then, when we caught that mountain pit viper, I was even thinking of bringing it back to make soup."

Upon hearing this, the women in the room all laughed in unison, which eased the tense atmosphere considerably.

But Xie Ruoqiu's smile was somewhat stiff. She would have to find an opportunity to explain to the old lady and Shang Lingjun that she really did not release the poisonous snake!

Although Song Yunyi smiled in agreement, she couldn't help feeling a little awkward, and her eyes darted away when she saw Shang Lingjun again.

Madam Zhang naturally went along with it, looking at Old Madam Wei with surprise, and exclaimed:

"Grandma, you've chosen a wonderful daughter-in-law. She looks so petite, yet she's so incredibly brave. If it were any other girl, she would be scared out of her wits."

She's shameless.

Old Madam Wei showed no expression, taking it as a casual remark:

"Yes, Ati satisfies me in every way. When choosing a wife for Yan Ge'er, I was very selective. After looking around, only she and I felt a connection."

In the past, I could never find someone I liked. My eldest sister even advised me against it, saying that my criteria were too harsh. I said no, I had to choose someone I truly wanted; otherwise, I might as well not marry at all.

She looked at Madam Zhang and Song Yunyi with a joking tone but a meaningful gaze.

When Murong was mentioned, she echoed the sentiment.

"Yes, I never expected fate to be so wonderful."

Song Yunyi was already somewhat uneasy, and now she felt even more restless. Old Madam Wei... what does this mean?

So, even though Old Madam Wei was picky before, she never took a liking to her?

Song Yunyi clenched her fists to keep herself from losing her composure, feeling a tightness in her chest. She was, after all, the legitimate daughter of an earl's family, and had been a widow. She shouldn't be someone like Shang Lingjun, whose background she was, could compare to.

Madam Zhang's face also stiffened, but experience counts, and she quickly composed herself.

Her doubts deepened. Did Old Madam Wei really value Shang Lingjun that much? Was it just polite talk... or was she the only one who could be her daughter-in-law?

Madam Zhang glanced at Shang Lingjun again, wondering to herself what exactly Old Madam Wei saw in her.

In terms of family background, Shang Lingjun came from an ordinary background. Although she was a member of the Xiao family, she was only an adopted daughter.

Then there was that messy affair with Xie Zhaoqing again.

Isn't this a case of an uncle stealing his nephew's wife?

It would be better to marry a wife from a respectable family.

As for his looks...

It's alright.

So let Old Madam Wei make it sound like she's irreplaceable?