Not only were the servants of the main courtyard shivering in fear, even Tan Yue was dumbfounded and couldn't come back to her senses for a long time.
As the matriarch of the Jiang Family, Old Lady Jiang was decisive and competent, but she had always been reasonable in her dealings with others, granting favors at her discretion. Her relationships with her two daughters-in-law had always been quite courteous.
Due to her young age, Tan Yue didn't know about the past.
She had only heard from the old aunties that this matriarch of the Jiang Family had been extraordinary back then - she was able to accompany the old General into battlefields, and was also able to properly manage the home front; she was able to raise the brave and valorous General, and was also kind to the illegitimate child who was not related by blood.
Old Lady Jiang's competence played an indispensable role in enabling the Jiang Family to maintain its status.
Even when she received the news of the old General's death in battle, she remained calm and composed. She conducted the funeral solemnly without extravagance, earning acclaims across Fengjing.
In Tan Yue’s memory, Old Lady Jiang had only lost her temper once - when she found out her granddaughter was not of primary descent and the Jiang Family’s real young lady had gone missing. She swiftly revoked Mrs. Liao’s privileges, and did everything she could to find the legitimate granddaughter.
What happened today was the second time Old Lady Jiang took action.
It was unknown whether she had battled in wars in the past, or if she harbored some resentment, but Old Lady Jiang’s slap was exceptionally harsh. Mrs. Liao’s cheek instantly swelled and even bled from the corner of her mouth.
“Mother...” Mrs. Liao whimpered indistinctly, “You came and hit me as soon as you arrived. Did you ever consider that I am the General’s principal wife?”
The word “principal” carried supreme weight.
With General Jiang away on military campaigns, the inner residence was managed solely by his wife. She was also responsible for maintaining relationships and even overseeing the household’s income and expenditures.
The men on the battlefields focused only on fighting desperately and shedding blood to defend their homes and country.
Old Lady Jiang had hoped that one day Mrs. Liao would succeed her position, but now, she only felt disappointed. “Mrs. Liao, I thought we had an unspoken understanding. After going through great pains to find the child and bring her back after four years, even if you do not dote on her, shouldn’t you at least put on an act?”
“But how have you behaved? Do your actions resemble those of a principal wife's dignity and grace? Are you doing right by the trust placed in you by Jiang Jizu, and by Jiang Jizu who fights on the battlefields?”
Perhaps it was the mention of her husband Jiang Jizu, but Mrs. Liao seemed distracted for a moment.
“As a birth mother, your welcoming gift of fifty taels of silk was no better than an aunt’s or uncle’s, or even a cousin's. You even begrudged the gifts my son had brought for his sister. Mrs. Liao, what good can I say about you? Do you still resemble a mother at all?!” Old Lady Jiang raised her voice.
Mrs. Liao came to her senses as her eyes instantly turned red. She staggered to her feet, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.
“And how have you treated Chenghua? You raised her for eleven years. How was she any different from your own child? Yet you insisted on letting others know she was an adopted daughter, that she was fake. A perfectly fine girl was reduced to skin and bones and nearly died.
“The Jiang Family is so affluent. What’s wrong with having another daughter? How could an extra legitimate daughter pose an obstruction? Why did you have to hurt her, just because you didn’t share blood ties? What’s so remarkable about blood that you ignored eleven years of maternal love?!”
She became hysterical, distraught with agitation. By the time she spoke of heartfelt matters, she even shed tears.
It was evident Old Lady Jiang truly loved Jiang Sheng.
Just like how Mrs. Liao deeply cared for Jiang Chenghua.
“You hurt Chenghua for the sake of your legitimate granddaughter. Why can’t I turn a blind eye to her, especially since she refused to even recognize me as her mother first? Where exactly have I done wrong?! How have I gone wrong?!” Mrs. Liao gnashed through clenched teeth, demanding loudly.
On the surface, this seemed like a falling out between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law over the child they each favored.
But that wasn’t truly the case.
“Mrs. Liao,” Old Lady Jiang's voice sounded much older. “Have you ever considered that Jiang Sheng is the child you carried for ten months and gave birth to?”
Even Jiang Chengyuan understood the need to make amends and treat both as equal sisters.
Mrs. Liao, have you regarded both as your daughters?
Old Lady Jiang opened her eyes, as if having made some resolution. “You insist on standing up for Chenghua. I will always want to stand up for Sheng. I’ve long known you would play favorites. I didn’t even dare to hope that you would console and make up for her losses. I only wished that you would keep up appearances and be an impartial mother.”
“There are some matters I do not wish to speak of, not because I don’t know about them.”
“Mrs. Liao, do you want me to find Chenghua’s biological parents?”
That weightless sentence was enough to wipe the smile off Mrs. Liao’s face as her complexion paled.
“Mother... I didn’t... didn’t...” She squeezed out words from between clenched teeth. “It wasn’t...”
But she couldn’t form a complete sentence.
Old Lady Jiang looked down on her condescendingly, devoid of expression. “I shouldn’t have placed any hopes on you to begin with. You really are stupid, Mrs. Liao. I know perfectly well that no amount of pretense can get past you, so I won't bother keeping up appearances. I don’t like her and I simply can’t bring myself to. From now on, I won’t be polite with anyone who wrongs my Chenghua!”
Judging only by the surface, this seemed like a falling out between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law over the child they each favored.
But that was not truly the case.
“Mrs. Liao,” Old Lady Jiang said. “Would you like me to invite Chenghua’s biological father over, have her reunite with her blood kin? Or maybe call over Jiang Jizu’s sworn brother who spent his days indulged in brothels and neglected his family? It would be good to have Chenghua meet her father, reunite with blood relatives.”
Old Lady Jiang was expressionless, her tone indifferent. “Or we could discuss exactly how Sheng went missing back then, and whether it was one of your Liao family’s servants who took her away under someone’s orders.”
Liao family’s... servants...
All the servant girls and errand boys in the main courtyard knelt down in terror. Even Tan Yue had turned pale, frightened and anxious.
What secrets had they just overheard? Would they even live to tell about it?
Mrs. Liao was the most frantic. With no one to support her, she stumbled and fell backwards onto the ground after retreating several steps.
“Mother... I didn’t... didn’t...” She squeezed out words from between clenched teeth. “It wasn’t...”
But she simply could not form a complete sentence.
Old Lady Jiang looked down at her from her vantage point. “I should not have placed any hopes on you to begin with. You really are foolish, Mrs. Liao. I’ve always seen through any amount of pretense. Since you insist on favoring Chenghua, I will always stand up for Sheng. I had hoped early on that you would at least keep up the semblance of an impartial mother who means no harm.”
“Bear in mind that she is nevertheless the child you carried for ten months and gave birth to.”
As her words fell, Old Lady Jiang left with Tan Yue.
Leaving Mrs. Liao to clench her fists, trembling and struggling. “It wasn’t... none of it is true...”
Suddenly, cries of alarm came from outside the main courtyard.
It was Tan Yue, shocked yet cautious. “Eldest Young Master, what are you doing here?”
Jiang Chengyuan had come?
How much had he overheard?
Mrs. Liao scrambled in panic to the main gate, but only saw a falchion dropped on the ground.
There wasn’t a single shadow around.
