Both Ying Mei and Nanny Sun were utterly shocked.
“You…” Ying Mei pointed at Ruan Xingci, momentarily at a loss for words.
Nanny Sun was about to speak, but Ruan Xingci cut her off with a reminder: “Do you know why Mama Chen was beaten? On the wedding night, she claimed to be representing the Old Madam and my mother-in-law to give me a lecture. Why? Did she learn that habit from you?”
Intimidated by Ruan Xingci’s imposing aura, Nanny Sun finally shut her mouth.
Suddenly, Ruan Xingci’s tone softened. Almost coaxingly, she said to Ying Mei, “Oh, Mother-in-law, I’ve only just arrived, so there are surely some rules I’m not used to. It’s just that I can’t stand seeing people plot against my husband. Could it be that the way they targeted my husband and me this morning was actually discussed with you beforehand? Was it meant to test your daughter-in-law’s ability to adapt?”
The arguments Ying Mei had painstakingly prepared were choked back down. Looking at Ruan Xingci, who had changed her expression in an instant, she was once again left speechless.
Even the battle-hardened Nanny Sun was dazed; the Consort of the Heir Apparent switched emotions far too smoothly.
“Naturally not…” Ying Mei replied, unable to avoid the question as she met Ruan Xingci’s inquisitive gaze.
“I thought as much. What kind of mother-in-law would be so witless as to seek family peace by allowing her son and daughter-in-law to be humiliated? That means the people of the Second and Third Branches are purely malicious. They didn’t just want to make me look bad; they did it right in front of Mother-in-law. Now that I have married into Dazhou from Beiguo, I have no relatives here. The only person I can rely on in this manor is my husband. Perhaps my methods of defending him were a bit crude. Did Mother-in-law call me here to remind me to use more elegant vocabulary the next time I defend your son?”
After Ruan Xingci’s barrage of words, Ying Mei’s head was already throbbing.
If she said anything harsh now, she would seemingly prove herself to be “witless.”
Ruan Xingci’s innocent gaze only made her more frustrated.
“You haven’t stopped since last night. You beat and scolded the manor’s long-serving servants, and this morning you spoke back to your elders, nearly making the Old Madam ill from anger. And yet, you have the nerve to use defending Rang’er as an excuse?”
Ultimately, Ying Mei felt she had to make things clear.
Nanny Sun’s expression turned solemn again as she looked at Ruan Xingci gloomily.
Ruan Xingci maintained her aggrieved expression and said, “Then I ask for Mother-in-law’s guidance. How should I handle such situations in the future?”
After saying this, she sat down directly and spoke to Nanny Sun in the tone of a master, “And you, the one overstepping your bounds—don’t you pride yourself on knowing the rules? Mother-in-law invited me here, and you don’t even know to serve tea?”
Nanny Sun disliked this Consort of the Heir Apparent more and more by the second, but due to their difference in status, she couldn’t lash out.
Ying Mei suppressed her anger and finally ordered a maid to bring tea.
Ruan Xingci took a sip of tea and asked again, “Mother-in-law, if the long-serving servants of the manor mock me again under the guise of your or Grandmother’s authority, showing no respect for status, what should I do?”
Ying Mei said in a heavy voice, “How could the manor’s veterans have such intentions? It is merely that their way of speaking differs from Beiguo, which caused a misunderstanding on your part. As the saying goes, one must look at the master before hitting the dog. My people, I will handle them myself.”
“And how does Mother-in-law plan to handle them?” Ruan Xingci did not drop the subject, her face still full of curiosity.
To match her affected tone, she even blinked her eyes twice at Ying Mei.
Ying Mei felt goosebumps all over her body. Under Ruan Xingci’s gaze, she eventually replied, “If the claims are verified, they will naturally be sternly reprimanded…”
Ruan Xingci found it laughable. The rumors outside were not wrong at all—with a personality like this, how could the wife of the Marquis of Changchun possibly protect Nangong Rang?
“By treating people with more tolerance, they will be grateful from the bottom of their hearts and remain loyal…” Ying Mei explained, seeing that Ruan Xingci seemingly didn’t understand.
Ruan Xingci asked again, “Then what about what happened this morning?”
Ying Mei sighed and continued, “Family harmony leads to prosperity. Their words and actions might have been inappropriate, but we are all one family. With an attitude like yours, how will you get along in the future? If word gets out, people will say Rang’er indulges his new wife in disrespecting her elders. It will do nothing for his reputation.”
Ruan Xingci could barely maintain her smile. No matter how good her acting was, it was hard to control herself when she was angry.
This Ying Mei was truly soft-headed. She really wanted to pry open her mother-in-law’s skull to see if there were any folds in her brain at all.
“I heard that you had another conflict with Xing’er on your way here. Do you intend to offend all three generations of this family before you’re satisfied? How is Rang’er supposed to interact with them in the future? Siblings and cousins should always support one another. Our Main Branch has only Rang’er as our sole heir; in the future, he will need to rely on his cousins and Xing’er. You claim to protect your husband, yet you keep making enemies for him. Do you still claim you are not in the wrong?”
As Ying Mei spoke, she became agitated once again.
Ruan Xingci straightened her back, her expression becoming serious.
When she wasn’t smiling, her aura as a martial artist was undeniable. Both Ying Mei and Nanny Sun instinctively grew tense.
“I originally thought that Mother-in-law was acting out of painstaking care and had other ways to deal with the insolence of the Second and Third Branches. I thought you called me here because you were relieved to see me sincerely protecting my husband and wanted to offer some guidance. I didn’t expect to hear this nonsense from you. However, you are my husband’s mother after all. If I speak too harshly, it will make things difficult for him, so I will mind my manners.”
She paused, making Ying Mei even more nervous.
“Although the rules of Beiguo and Dazhou differ, the way people interact should be the same. If you respect me a foot, I will respect you a yard. I intend to stay in Dazhou for the rest of my life. I will naturally remember how Mother-in-law treats me today, as well as how these so-called family members treat me. I do not have the habit of repaying grievances with kindness; I didn’t undergo this reincarnation to become a saint. I’m afraid I cannot agree with Mother-in-law’s way of doing things.”
“I won’t stop Mother-in-law from following her own standards, but please do not force those standards on me.”
“Why didn’t I just go into the street and pull some random old woman to scold? Why didn’t I go to someone else’s manor to insult their elders? Respect is given by others, but dignity is lost by oneself. They threw away their own dignity, yet Mother-in-law expects your daughter-in-law to squat or even kneel to help them pick it up? That’s not happening!”
Ruan Xingci didn’t say much more to Ying Mei, turning instead to Nanny Sun. “Since you are permitted to be by Mother-in-law’s side and even have the audacity to order me to kneel, you must be her confidante. Do you really not know that Mother-in-law’s behavior only makes my husband’s situation more difficult and emboldens those people even further?”
Nanny Sun’s face flushed. Just now, she had only cared about maintaining the mistress’s dignity, completely forgetting these points…
“If you are a veteran by Mother-in-law’s side, you should have watched my husband grow up. You should know how difficult his years have been. Now that someone is finally standing up for him regardless of the cost, instead of being relieved, you’re trying to use a master’s authority to give me a warning. Do you think I’m too ugly and unworthy of my husband?”
Nanny Sun’s face paled, and she finally knelt on the ground, begging Ruan Xingci for forgiveness.
Ruan Xingci looked back at Ying Mei. “Mother-in-law, this marriage was not your wish. In that case, you should settle the score with the person who forced you to accept it, not me. Isn’t that right?”