Chapter 331 - Duke Yong's Mansion Only Had a Choice

“Yong’er, tell me, why does Old Madam of Duke Xing value Yuru so much? I heard that this Old Madam hasn’t been in charge of the domestic affairs for years, and even didn’t show up when some relatives visited Duke Xing’s Mansion. Why does she suddenly like Yuru so much that she even showed more affection for Yuru at the banquet where Madam of Duke Xing adopted Miss Qi as her daughter?”

Madam Dowager did not answer Qin Huaiyong, but looked up at him instead.

Her gaze made Qin Huaiyong uneasy. He turned his head to cough in a low voice, and then turned around and said, “Mother, I don’t know why Yuru found favor with Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion. Maybe it’s a coincidence. I didn’t go to Duke Xing’s Mansion today and don’t know what happened exactly!”

“Yong’er, Yuru has changed her age. Is it really good for her reputation? Doesn’t the First Young Master of the Qi’s Mansion know it? Aren’t you afraid that he gets angry and gives away what happened in Jiangzhou at that time? If so, you will lose more than gain,” Madam Dowager said in an increasingly low voice, looking at Qin Huaiyong with no moods but only slight coldness in her eyes.

“Mother, Qi Tianyu won’t give it away. He has promised me. It’s our fault that Yuru broken the promise of marrying him, but there’s still room for remedy. In fact, Old Madam of Duke Yong suggested that Yuru can claim to be two years younger. Considering that Di Yan said nothing, I think Duke Yong’s Mansion indicated that they can get married two years later. Madam Di…”

Speaking of this, Qin Huaiyong held back his words.

“What do you want to say about Madam Di?” Madam Dowager’s attention was attracted by him.

“Madam Di has behaved terribly with such a bad reputation, but she’s still my legitimate wife. I’ve felt ashamed every time my colleagues mentioned her!”

Qin Huaiyong sighed, slightly low in spirits.

Madam Dowager’s hand trembled and knocked over the tea cup beside her hand, but at this moment she had no time to care about the pain and lowered her voice in shock, “Could it be possible that you want to…”

“Mother, you get me wrong. How would I think so? I just mean that I’m not going to release Madam Di considering her terrible situation. But I’m afraid that Duke Yong’s Mansion won’t agree to do that. Since they have requested us to claim that Yuru is two years younger, we can do as they requested. If so, at least they can’t interfere in what I do to Madam Di!”

Qin Huaiyong said.

Madam Dowager naturally understood his words. He meant to make Duke Yong’s Mansion compromise with Qin Yuru and Madam Di. Since they claimed that Qin Yuru was two years younger as Duke Yong’s Mansion requested, Duke Yong’s Mansion couldn’t interfere in how Qin Huaiyong dealt with Madam Di. What was more, Qin Huaiyong did not intend to divorce Madam Di, nor did he torture her. He just felt ashamed of her presence.

Madam Di had framed up Qin Wanru in Jingxin Monastery in Jiangzhou, which had basically been confirmed. Besides, the wife of the heir of Duke Yangqu had told the fact, coupled with the testimony of the coachman. If Qin Huaiyong released Madam Di, it would also disgrace Duke Yong’s Mansion. After all, this vicious woman came from their Duke Yong’s Mansion.

From this point of view, Qin Yuru was naturally much better, because at least her reputation hadn’t been completely ruined.

“But we can’t always lock her up in the backyard. If we continue doing that…” Madam Dowager said hesitantly.

“Naturally we can’t lock her up in the mansion all the time. Sometime after the affair subsides, I’ll send Madam Di to a monastery where she can cleanse her heart and pray for blessings.” Qin Huaiyong explained.

“Will Duke Yong’s Mansion agree?” Madam Dowager didn’t consider it feasible. Old Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion favored Madam Di a lot. How could she watch Madam Di fall to this point without doing anything?

Qin Huaiyong hesitated for a moment, seeming to be a little embarrassed, but still said after thinking, “Mother, I have an idea, but I’m wondering whether it’s feasible?”

“What?” Madam Dowager asked.

“Secretly send Madam Di back to Duke Yong’s Mansion. What do you think of it?” Qin Huaiyong said implicitly.

Madam Dowager didn’t understand it, looked at Qin Huaiyong with her dim eyes and motioned for him to continue talking.

“I mean to send Madam Di back to Duke Yong’s Mansion without claiming that I’ve divorced her. In this way, she can live in Duke Yong’s Mansion from now on, and Old Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion can stop making trouble!”

Qin Huaiyong explained!

Madam Dowager fell silent, frowned and looked down. She understood Qin Huaiyong’s words. On the surface, Madam Di was still the legitimate Madam of the Qin’s Mansion, and they claimed that they sent her to a monastery to rest in quietude and pray for two daughters because of her viciousness. But in fact, she was sent back to Duke Yong’s Mansion.

In this way, at least the Old Madam, who spoiled her daughter, could stop making trouble. As for Duke Yong’s Mansion, since Madam Di was secretly sent to their mansion, they wouldn’t let others know. Anyway Madam Di had a terrible reputation now. With such a reputation, if it weren’t for the support of Duke Yong’s Mansion, she would have been divorced.

Qin Huaiyong let her keep the position of legitimate wife for the sake of the reputation of Duke Yong’s Mansion.

“If you send Madam Di to Duke Yong’s Mansion, what about Yuru?” After a long while, Madam Dowager asked, looking up.

“Mother, Yuru naturally should be raised by you. Despite your poor health, I still want to trouble you to educate her. She has been misguided by her mother. Now she can stay home for two more years. If she could be raised by you for two years and educated by the etiquette instructor for some time, she might not do something terrible like Madam Di in the future!”

Qin Huaiyong looked at Madam Dowager with anticipation, suddenly stood up, lifted his robes, knelt down in front of Madam Dowager and said, “Mother, please do me a favor!”

“Yong’er, get up. I would like to promise you, but I’m afraid that Madam Di will disagree and Yuru will make a scene!” Madam Dowager sighed and reached out to help Qin Huaiyong up.

Qin Huaiyong stood up with her help, sat back on the chair beside and said, “Mother, rest assured. I will handle it. I won’t do that instantly, because I still need to communicate with Duke Yong’s Mansion. I believe that they will consider it a good idea. Regarding Yuru, I have to trouble you to take care of her!”

“Yuru is my granddaughter. I naturally hope that she could be better. Without Madam Di around later, if I am in good health, I will raise Yuru by myself. If I am in poor health, I will ask Ruolan to raise her. What do you think of it?” said Madam Dowager.

She knew clearly about her health condition. She was energetic enough to take charge of domestic affairs a few years ago. Later, her increasingly poor health made her unable to do that, so she had to leave the charge to Madam Di. Besides, she was not energetic enough to educate her two granddaughters. Attacked by her old disease sometimes, she couldn’t get up all day. How could she educate her granddaughter?

“Mother, it’s up to you!” Qin Huaiyong nodded obediently.

“What should we do now? Yuru smashed the bracelets given by Old Madam of Duke Xing. We should tell the Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion about it, right?” Madam Dowager turned back to the subject.

Since Madam Di did those terrible things to Qin Wanru, Madam Dowager had thought about asking Qin Huaiyong to divorce Madam Di. Nevertheless, she knew that it wouldn’t work, because Duke Yong’s Mansion wouldn’t compromise and would even mention what had happened at that time.

At that time, Madam Di could be considered a noble lady who married a humble man. Qin Huaiyong came from a declined aristocratic family. Duke Yong’s Mansion had every reason to break the promise of the marriage between Madam Di and Qin Huaiyong, and afterwards it was heard that they had intended to do that. They delayed the marriage repeatedly, but at least didn’t break the promise of the marriage. Old Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion personally sent Madam Di to Madam Dowager.

Speaking of this, it could be considered a good deed of Duke Yong’s Mansion. Madam Di’s terrible reputation made it reasonable for Qin Huaiyong to divorce her. However, if Duke Yong’s Mansion mentioned it, Qin Huaiyong would probably be considered ungrateful or even his character would be questioned by others.

Madam Dowager clearly knew that she had no idea of the official affairs. Nevertheless, when her husband was still alive, he had told her that it was okay if a woman in the inner court could not help her husband in his official career, but she shouldn’t hold her husband back in other respects.

Now, Madam Dowager considered it also applicable to Qin Huaiyong’s situation.

This was also the reason why she wanted to ask Qin Huaiyong to divorce Madam Di but had never mentioned it to Qin Huaiyong. She knew about Qin Huaiyong’s situation. Now Qin Huaiyong made it clear to her, which satisfied her a lot.

This might be the best way to solve this problem!

“Mother, maybe I can claim that they accidentally smashed the bracelets when playing with each other?” Qin Huaiyong glanced at the door and said.

“We can’t patch it up, since numerous people have seen what happened!” Madam Dowager shook her head and didn’t agree. They had made such a scene and had been seen by numerous people, which really made it hard to explain. Besides, Qin Wanru was really innocent. Madam Dowager thought that Qin Huaiyong was biased towards Qin Yuru by saying that.

“Yong’er, Zhuozhuo’s biological father died for saving you. You won’t act like Madam Di who doesn’t treat Zhuozhuo as her biological daughter, right?”

“Mother, how could I do that? But in this case, we must have an explanation!” Qin Huaiyong stood up, walked around in the room with a little irritation and frowned.

Madam Dowager picked up the jade bracelets on the table and looked at them. “I’ll try to find a pair of good jade bracelets, and then we can claim that Yuru smashed her own jade bracelets on the street instead of those given by Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion!”

“They can’t tell the difference?” Qin Huaiyong knew little about women’s accessories. He sat down in surprise, also picked up a fragment and had a look.

“They may tell the difference. But since this pair of bracelets has been given to Yuru, they belong to Yuru. Even if they have been smashed, Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion couldn’t say anything about it. Nevertheless, they were smashed during a quarrel in public, so we should explain it to Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion, lest she would think that we don’t respect her!”

If they were smashed in the Qin’s Mansion, Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion wouldn’t know it as long as she wasn’t told. In this case, they didn’t have to tell her, lest she would get angry.

“So be it!” Qin Huaiyong nodded and agreed after thinking, “I’ll ask Ruolan to handle it. She can walk around on the street when she has time, and buy another pair of bracelets if she finds the appropriate pair.”

Madam Dowager basically didn’t go out, and Qin Wanru was too young. So Shui Ruolan was the suitable person to do that.

“It’s the only solution. But Yuru’s reputation may be worse this time. She beat and cursed her younger sister on the street, and numerous people have seen it. How… should we explain it?” Madam Dowager nodded, and then frowned again and looked at Qin Huaiyong, motioning for him to make a decision.