Chapter 4

“Then it's settled. A-Jiao will go into exile with Grandmother, while A-Si will come back to the Duke Weiguo's household with me.” Madam Zhao held her daughter's hand as the two slowly stood up. She looked at the Dowager Madam and said firmly, “There is no question of anyone yielding to anyone else, nor does anyone owe anyone anything. These are simply the choices the two children have made for themselves.” The Dowager Madam's expression became extremely unpleasant. She had originally thought she could take advantage of the situation to control Madam Zhao and make Wang Si acknowledge A-Jiao as her benefactor. But she hadn't expected this. The Dowager Madam did not want to blame her beloved granddaughter for being foolish, so she could only blame fate for causing the Wang family's downfall and putting them in such a difficult situation. And as for Madam Zhao and Wang Si, this mother and daughter really were ungrateful ingrates who could never be satisfied. They were vain and greedy for wealth and status. Fine, they didn't want to suffer alongside the Wang family. But they didn't even feel the slightest bit ashamed! The Dowager Madam was already displeased that her beloved eldest granddaughter refused to listen to her. Now, after hearing Madam Zhao and Wang Si's words, she became even more furious. However, she still retained some sense of reason. She knew that in the days ahead, she would need Madam Zhao and the support of the Duke Weiguo's household. Otherwise, she would certainly have given the mother and daughter a proper scolding. Taking a deep breath, the Dowager Madam suppressed her anger and forced a smile. “Wan Niang is right. Sixth Girl and Seventh Girl are twin biological sisters. Although the two girls have occasionally quarreled over the years, blood ties can never be severed.” “They have always been like thisan elder sister caring for her younger sister, and a younger sister yielding to her elder sister!” “After today, I'm afraid we won't see each other for several years. And our entire family is about to be separated!” “Alas, whenever I think about this, this old woman can't help but feel heartbroken. In my grief, I may have said some things that caused a misunderstanding between us!” As she spoke, the Dowager Madam's well-maintained old face showed sorrow and reluctance. Tears glimmered at the corners of her eyes, which were lined with fine wrinkles. “Wan Niang, you married into the Marquis's household eighteen years ago. In name, you and I are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but in my heart, we have always been as close as mother and daughter.” “The Wang family's downfall has forced us relatives to sever our ties.” “Wan Niang, although you are divorcing my son, in my heart, you will always be my good daughter-in-law and the good mother of my grandchildren!” “Regardless of what our relationship is called, we will always be family.” Unable to use threats, the Dowager Madam switched to an emotional appeal. She put on quite an emotional performance, filled with remorse and heartfelt words, as though she had suddenly realized her mistakes before their separation. Even Madam Zhao, who had just hardened her heart, hesitated for a moment. Yes. She was divorcing Wang Yong and cutting ties with the Wuchang Marquis's household. But after so many years of affection, especially when it came to her children... Ah, forget it. Madam Zhao wasn't naive enough to be easily moved by the Dowager Madam's performance. More than anything, she was thinking about her children. Her children all bore the surname Wang. “Mother, I understand what you mean.” From today onward, she was no longer a wife of the Wang family. Madam Zhao spoke softly, “Tomorrow, I will bring A-Si to see you all off.” …… “Wan Niang, let's go.” Zhao Chang had silently watched everything for quite some time. Now that Madam Zhao had regained her composure and was saying goodbye to the women of the Wang family, he finally reminded her. “Mm!” Madam Zhao answered and pulled Wang Si out of the prison. She walked slowly. Just before they were about to leave the prison, Madam Zhao suddenly stopped. But she didn't turn around. They could still meet again tomorrow, so tonight couldn't be considered their final farewell. Besides, Wang Jiao had truly hurt her just now. She still felt reluctant to leave her, but at the same time, she didn't want to see her. For now... She should just leave. “Wan Niang, you and A-Si get into the carriage first.” After leaving the women's prison, Zhao Chang pointed toward the carriage at the entrance. “I'll go see Wang Yong and my two nephews.” “...All right.” Madam Zhao was exhausted both physically and emotionally. She nodded without protest and walked toward the carriage with Wang Si. The mother and daughter climbed into the carriage. About fifteen minutes later, Zhao Chang came out. There was no obvious emotion in his eyes. He lifted the hem of his robe and climbed into the carriage. “Let's go.” The carriage started moving, its wheels rolling over the bluestone pavement. Half an hour later, the carriage stopped. Zhao Chang jumped down first. He stood beside the carriage and reached out to help Madam Zhao and Wang Si down. “Little Sister, you're back? And A-Si, you must have suffered these past few days!” As soon as Wang Si stepped onto the ground, she saw a woman in a brocade skirt walking toward them. She appeared to be in her forties, with delicate features and a dignified bearing. There were fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and lips, and her gentle voice carried a sense of familiarity. Wang Si knew that this was her eldest uncle Zhao Chang's wife, Madam Qian, the heir's wife of the Duke Weiguo's household. Madam Qian came from a prominent aristocratic family in Jiangnan and had already earned a reputation for being virtuous and well-mannered when she was still unmarried. She had married into the Duke Weiguo's household at sixteen and, over the course of more than twenty years, had given Zhao Chang three sons and one daughter. She truly lived up to the reputation of a refined young lady from a prestigious family, almost the perfect wife and mother. Even though her sister-in-law, who had been married away for more than a decade, was now returning home after divorcing her convicted husband and bringing along a daughter who was not her own, Madam Qian showed no displeasure. Instead, she had come out early to welcome them. There was even a hint of the tolerance and affection of an elder sister-in-law who treated her husband's younger sister like her own daughter. Madam Qian personally walked down the steps and reached out to welcome Madam Zhao and Wang Si. “You've lost weight!” She looked at Madam Zhao with sympathy and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. “It's all over now! Wan Niang, we're home. Everything will get better.” “Sister-in-law! It's my fault. I caused Brother to run around for my sake, and I've also made you worry about me.” “What are you talking about? Your brother is your eldest brother, and I'm your sister-in-law. Isn't taking care of you exactly what we should do?” As she said this, Madam Qian subtly glanced at Wang Si from the corner of her eye. She deliberately didn't mention Wang Si because she wanted to see whether this niece of hers was sensible and well-behaved. Madam Qian had a fairly good relationship with her sister-in-law. In all these years, the two women had never had any serious conflicts. But familiarity could breed contempt. As the lady managing the household, Madam Qian was extremely clear-headed. Her sister-in-law was returning home after divorcing her husband and was bringing a daughter with her. The Duke Weiguo's household was wealthy and could certainly afford to support them. Madam Qian wasn't stingy about spending a little extra money on food and other necessities. What she feared was raising an ungrateful person who would never appreciate their kindness. Her sister-in-law certainly wouldn't be like that. But what about the Wang family's daughter? Madam Qian had previously been worried that her sister-in-law might bring Wang Jiao back with her. That Sixth Miss Wang was not an easy person to deal with. Although she and Wang Si were twins born from the same pregnancy, their appearances and personalities were completely different. What Madam Qian disliked most was that Wang Jiao was very close to the Dowager Madam, her paternal grandmother, while her relationship with her own mother, Madam Zhao, was rather distant. The old woman of the Wang family must have spoiled Wang Jiao, which was why she became so willful and arrogant and grew distant from her own mother. If Wang Jiao had merely had a bad personality, Madam Qian wouldn't have been too opposed to her. What truly made Madam Qian dislike her was Wang Jiao's lack of intelligence. Being foolish was one thing. But she was foolish while constantly trying to act clever, treating everyone else as though they were fools. When her husband had said he was going to the Imperial Prison to bring back his younger sister and one of his nieces, Madam Qian had silently prayed in her heart: Please, let it not be Wang Jiao.