Chapter 7: Delivered to Xin An to be Scolded

Chapter 7: Sent to Xin An to be Scolded

The Tang family could not let Xin An leave. The late old master of the Weiyuan Marquis Mansion had been a military general, and after the country was at peace, he had voluntarily relinquished his military power.

It is no easy task to abandon the sword for the pen. The children and grandchildren of the household needed cultivation, the court officials needed to be managed, and the old soldiers who had followed the Tang family needed to be cared for. Who could say for certain that there wouldn't come a day when the Tang family would need to don armor once more?

Any one of these things required massive expenditures. The Xin family was the Tang family’s purse; many people were aware of this. The Tao family’s willingness to marry into the Tang family was not only due to the Tang family’s noble title but also because of the Xin family.

Seeing that Xin Kuan was about to burn bridges for the sake of Xin An, Master Tao spoke up first. "Master Xin, please calm your temper. I am also indignant that such a thing has happened, but since things have reached this point, we must all look at the long term, must we not? The rise and fall of a family and the future of one's descendants are of the utmost importance."

"It is indeed the Heir's fault in this matter. However, it is inevitable to drink a few too many cups during the three great joys of life. It was a twist of fate, and since the young ladies of our two families have already suffered, wouldn't the losses be even greater if this were to be dragged out into the open?"

Tang Gang took the opportunity to chime in, "In-law, our two families have had a friendship for many years. Over these years, we have supported each other, as close as lips and teeth. Everything can be sat down and discussed slowly."

"After this happened, I wanted nothing more than to beat this boy to death, but we can't actually kill him, can we?"

Xin Kuan gave a cold snort. "You’ve said all the logic, but in the end, you still want to force me to nod in agreement?"

He looked up at Master Tao. "Tang Rong is the legitimate eldest son of the Marquis Mansion, and he was granted the title of Heir long ago. He will be the next Weiyuan Marquis. The Tao family only needs to grit their teeth and accept this now, and endless benefits will follow. But what does the Xin family get?"

Tang Mo, who had been silent, looked incredibly desolate at this moment. Yet, he remained completely mute, his expression stubborn, while inside he felt quite satisfied. This "cheap" father-in-law was preparing to fight for benefits on his behalf.

In the past, it was always he and his mother working together to fight for things, and occasionally his mother had to play the role of the benevolent matriarch and couldn't easily get her hands dirty. He had always fought alone, while Tao Yiran only enjoyed the fruits of his labor and would even look down on him for being mercenary.

The Tao family had wanted to help, but unfortunately, they were no match for Xin An.

Xin Kuan’s meaning was direct. Master Tao stopped speaking, and Tang Gang’s brows were tightly furrowed. Lady Wang swept her gaze across the room and took the lead. "The first fault lies with me for poor arrangements; the second fault lies with the Heir for being too happy and forgetting his tolerance for alcohol."

"How about this: let the Heir apologize in front of An'er and the second son, return the tokens of the two families, and I will hand over the management of the household to An'er. I wonder what you think, In-law?"

In truth, it would have been best for Tang Rong and Tao Yiran to apologize together, but that would confirm that Tao Yiran had snatched her husband, and the Tao family would certainly not agree to that.

Xin Kuan was naturally unwilling to agree just like that, but having reached this point, his goal had been achieved. Although he was not a noble, he knew the importance of the power of household management to a woman. Madam Xin wiped the corners of her eyes. "It is all for the sake of our children. You have said all the logic; things have reached this point, so what good would it do to beat the Heir to death?"

"Let it be done according to the Marchioness's wishes."

With her agreement, Madam Tao, who had been clutching her handkerchief, let go with reluctance. Even if Tang Rong inherited the title in the future, a Marchioness without the power of household management would only be a figurehead, unable to bring any real benefits to the Tao family.

Tang Gang breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could even open his mouth, Xin Kuan spoke again. "From beginning to end, why haven't you asked what the second son thinks?"

"His own older brother snatched his wife, and an apology is the end of it?"

The eyes of everyone present finally fell on Tang Mo. Tang Mo looked cold and hard, with a hint of grievance. "I will listen to my father."

Tang Gang also felt a bit guilty toward him. After thinking it over, he felt there was nothing else to compensate him with. It was Lady Wang who spoke up. "Last year, for the Marquis's birthday, the Emperor bestowed a manor in the suburbs of the capital. It has sixty mu of good land. Why not give it to the second son?"

Under normal circumstances, Tang Gang would never have agreed. A manor in the suburbs of the capital was incredibly rare, and it was a gift from the Emperor; if it were to be given, it should have gone to Tang Rong.

But now, a manor was enough to compensate for the humiliation of his wife being snatched away, so Tang Gang had nothing to be reluctant about. He boasted about the manor for a moment, nodded, and even had Lady Wang hand the land deed to Tang Mo immediately.

Tang Mo’s heart was filled with mixed emotions. In his previous life, he had exhausted all his schemes for this manor and even lost his life in the end. In this life, he had obtained it so easily. The feeling of having someone backing him was simply too good.

The matter was temporarily settled, and it was time for lunch. Tang Gang invited Xin Kuan and Master Tao to stay for a meal. The three of them were now, in a sense, one family. No matter how much unhappiness there was, after three cups of wine at the dinner table, even the greatest anger would dissipate by a third. Now that the three families were one, they naturally had to plan for the future.

Tang Rong let out a heavy sigh of relief. Although the process had been difficult, the result had ultimately gone his way. He returned to his courtyard, picked out a few extremely valuable items, and personally delivered them to Xin An. Seeing him again, the anger in Xin An’s heart surged uncontrollably; she wanted nothing more than to stab him to death.

"Although it was a twist of fate, this matter is ultimately my fault toward you. Please set your heart at ease. My second brother is of noble character and excellent virtue, no less than me. If you live your life well with him, things will go smoothly in the future."

"Is the Heir threatening me?" Xin An sneered. "What if I don't live my life well with him and just want to make things difficult for you? What will you do then?"

Tang Rong bowed. "A wife is honored by her husband's success. My second sister-in-law is intelligent and will surely understand."

Xin An looked him up and down. She had hatred in her heart and needed to collect some interest on the spot. "A gentleman is open and honest, while a petty person is always worried. You were driven by selfishness to snatch your brother's wife, and you and Tao Yiran hit it off to commit such a sordid act. Now you want to cover up your filthy conduct with a single phrase about a 'twist of fate'."

"Thinking about it carefully, I have reasonable suspicion that this was planned and arranged by you from beginning to end. You didn't want to marry me, but you wanted the good reputation of being filial to your elders. You got the reputation but were unwilling to let go, wanting both the fish and the bear's paw. So you bribed the people below to deliberately send the wrong bride, and then made it a done deal as quickly as possible."

"You know in your heart that the excuse of being drunk won't fool anyone. You are just counting on the fact that everyone here wants to save face and will naturally cover up for a shameless person like you."

"There is no such thing."

Tang Rong felt guilty. Tao Yiran was dignified, virtuous, and known as a talented woman; she was naturally a better match for him. Xin An, however, was merely the daughter of a salt merchant, and his engagement to her had already been mocked. Now that he had made compensation, Xin An was speaking with the vulgarity of the marketplace and being aggressive; she was truly not a good match.

"I ask the second young mistress to watch her words. The Heir is upright and would never do such a thing. There must be a misunderstanding."

Hearing this voice, Xin An felt the urge to kill again.

The speaker was a woman in her forties, dressed in treasure-blue brocade. She wore two steady and solemn gold hairpins, treasure-gourd gold earrings, and a pair of shrimp-whisker gold bracelets on her wrists.

Nanny Cai, the personal maid of Tang Rong’s biological mother, who later became Tang Rong’s wet nurse. She was the most loyal dog by Tang Rong’s side. Lady Wang still had to consider her status as a step-wife and not be too harsh on her, but this dog before her treated herself as if she were the legitimate 'mother-in-law.' She dared to hold a memorial tablet and sit down to drink the tea offered by her daughter-in-law, could scold her at will, belittle her at every turn, and would punish her at the slightest provocation.

Just thinking about it made her want to dig out her thigh bone to use as a drumstick!

"Is this person before me the Marquis's concubine?"

This dog dreamed of being Tang Gang's concubine. When she was young, she had climbed into Tang Gang's bed, but even after she had taken off her clothes, Tang Gang couldn't accept her and kicked her off. "But I heard that the Marquis's two concubines are both extremely soft and beautiful. No one said there was one as broad as this."