Chapter 596: Chapter 563: Excess Brings Harm (3rd Update)
Thinking of Tang Yuanâs expression when he slammed the door and left last night, Xu Jia felt quite pleased.
After breakfast, she let Tang Yong play in the courtyard by himself and returned to her parental home.
Early in the morning, Mrs. Xu went to the market and heard about Tang Yuan planning to take a concubine. After returning, she told it to Xu Shu and his wife.
The family was discussing countermeasures when unexpectedly Xu Jia came back on her own.
Seeing her calm expression, Mrs. Xu was anxious and grabbed her hand, "My dear daughter, such a big issue has come up, why didnât you notify the family in advance?"
Xu Shuâs face was gloomy, "Is that bastard Tang Yuan really going to take his sister-in-lawâs sister as a concubine?"
Song Fang silently sighed. She had thought that having Third Brother stand up for her sister-in-law would give her a prominent face. The Tang family wouldnât dare to look down on her sister-in-law anymore. But unexpectedly, Tang Yuan, who normally wasnât shameless, had made such a grand gesture by sending such a big âgiftâ directly to the General Mansion.
Seeing her family worried about her, Xu Jia felt uncomfortable, but she couldnât yet expose the sordid relationship between Tang Yuan and Jiang Qingyu. She smiled and said, "Mother, brother, sister-in-law, donât worry, I can handle it."
After hearing this, Mrs. Xu felt even worse, "Mother knows youâre a good child, but isnât the Tang family blatantly bullying others with such actions?"
Xu Jia comfortingly patted Mrs. Xuâs hand, "Iâve grown up without suffering under anyoneâs hand. If he humiliates me today, I will pay him back a hundredfold in the future!"
Mrs. Xu understood her daughterâs strong-willed nature and her unwillingness to suffer losses. After marrying into the Tang family, she had collected her spikes to become a virtuous wife and mother, conforming to the Tang family rules. But her daughterâs retreat led to Tang Yuanâs outrageous demands, taking a concubine right after the new bride entered the door. It not only humiliated her daughter but also trampled on the General Mansionâs face.
This injustice was truly infuriating.
Seeing Xu Shu, furious, Xu Jia advised, "Brother, Sister-in-law, please stay calm. Give me a few more days, and Iâll surely regain my dignity without dragging down the General Mansion."
Xu Shu looked at his sisterâs determined eyes and didnât insist on seeking justice for her. He just sighed, "Be careful in your husbandâs house. Youâve always been straightforward and might suffer losses in the intricate back house. If you really canât manage, just let me know, and Iâll make Tang Yuan apologize to you personally."
Apologize?
Xu Jia sneered inwardly. What she wanted was far more than just an apology.
After finally reassuring her family, Xu Jia let out a long sigh, got on the carriage, and returned to the Tang Mansion. She didnât get off the carriage; instead, she sent Mo Xiang to bring out Tang Yong and headed straight to the Song Mansion.
Yun Shisan, indeed, didnât go out today and was waiting for her at the mansion.
Yesterday, they had agreed to spend the next few days in the garden detoxifying Tang Yong.
Upon entering the mansion, Xu Jia was led directly to the garden by the Song Mansionâs servant and found that Wen Wan was also there.
Wen Wan had heard the rumor about Tang Yuan taking a concubine and quickly pulled Xu Jia aside to ask, "Whatâs going on exactly?"
About to speak, Xu Jia looked up to see a glimpse of white approaching. She lowered her eyes, making her expression unreadable, "Itâs fine, after all, he and I never really had marital relations."
After speaking, she glanced toward the white figure who had just arrived behind Wen Wan. As Wen Wan looked at her in shock, she seemed to realize Yun Huai was nearby and quickly curtsied, "Master Yun."
The title "Master" instantly created distance between them, sounding like she was slightly annoyed that he didnât bend down to pick up the handkerchief for her yesterday.
Yun Huai gave a soft acknowledgment, his gaze lingering briefly on her lowered eyelashes before moving on. Then he walked towards Yun Shisan and whispered something.
Xu Jia couldnât clearly hear due to the distance.
Wen Wan felt embarrassed, "Do you think he heard what we were saying just now?"
"Huh? Did he?" Xu Jia blushed appropriately, "I didnât expect Master Yun to pass by."
Not wanting Xu Jia to feel bad, Wen Wan continued to smooth things over, "But donât worry, Yun Liulang has good character, even if he heard, he wouldnât spread rumors."
"Oh," Xu Jia responded, "thatâs good then."
The topic drifted again, and Wen Wan suddenly realized, "Wait, what do you mean? You two have been married for so long and still havenât..."
Seeing Wen Wanâs surprise, Xu Jia instead laughed, "Itâs pretty good."
"Pretty good?" Wen Wan truly couldnât understand what was going on in this girlâs head and flicked her forehead, "Do you know what this means?"
"I donât know." Xu Jia raised her voice slightly, "Anyway, I donât like him, so why should I..."
Before she could finish, Wen Wan covered her mouth and dragged her to the corridor, whispering, "Didnât you see Yun Liulang and Yun Shisan are both over there at the Waterside Pavilion? You careless girl, arenât you afraid others will overhear?"
The angrier Wen Wan got, the more amusement Xu Jia found, and she even chuckled out loud.
Wen Wan didnât know what to say to her, sulking for a moment before asking, "So what do you plan to do?"
Xu Jia raised an eyebrow slightly, "When the time comes, Iâll figure it out; when the road reaches its end at the mountain, naturally there will be a way. I just wonât lose out to myself."
"But continuing like this isnât a solution." Wen Wan said, puzzled again, "What happened? When Tang Yuan proposed to you, he seemed sincere. How could he start thinking of taking a concubine not even a month after getting married?"
Xu Jia spread her hands, "I can only blame my bad luck for meeting a scumbag."
"What do your parents and brother-in-law say?" Wen Wan asked.
"Just before I came to your house, I went back home for a bit and told them not to worry; I have plans," Xu Jia replied.
"Really?" Wen Wan was skeptical.
"Of course, itâs true." Xu Jia gave her a reassuring look, "Although Iâm not deep, I have some intelligence. I wonât let myself be manipulated. Some things just need the right timing. For now, the most important thing is to cure the little one."
Seeing her confident demeanor, Wen Wan slowly relaxed and remembered to ask someone to serve tea and snacks.
Xu Jia tilted her head, her gaze passing through the flowering trees, fixing on the tall white figure.
She had no intention of wandering over again.
She understood the principle of moderation.
...
After Xu Jia took Tang Yong away yesterday, Yun Shisan spent time researching remedies. Today, he first gave Tang Yong a few needles, then used the wind stove to brew some medicine for him to drink. After all this, it was already noon, and Xu Jia ended up having a meal at Wen Wanâs again.
Yun Shisan needed to observe the effects in the afternoon, so Xu Jia couldnât leave just yet. While sitting with Wen Wan, she casually asked, "How long do Yun Liulang and the others plan to stay in the capital this time?"
Wen Wan replied, "After the martial exam ends, itâll take half a month for the results to be released. They have to wait for the results, so they canât leave for a while."
"I see..." To prevent Wen Wan from being suspicious, Xu Jia added, "How come I havenât seen Miss Xue?"
"She didnât come," Wen Wan said. "Only her brother Ah Yin came to the capital this time."
The Miss Xue that Xu Jia mentioned, Wen Wan had learned about only in the past few days. Also, she unexpectedly discovered that Song Jiaoâs fiancĂ© had met Xue Yinhuan before being engaged to Song Jiao. It was said that both parties were quite satisfied at that time. However, Xue Yinhuanâs biological father died shielding Zhao Xi, and Xue became the Eldest Princeâs concubine. Thus, there was no further development between her and Liang Jun.
From the perspective of a senior, such matters made Wen Wan uncomfortable. But at the Shangsi Festival, Song Jiao said that Liang Jun had personally told her in the suburbs that heâd met someone before her without revealing the womanâs name.
Wen Wan also considered that Liang Jun was chosen by her husband as a nephew-in-law, so she didnât hold it against him.
...
After staying in Wen Wanâs room until the afternoon, Xu Jia estimated it was the right hour and went to the gardenâs Waterside Pavilion.
Yun Huai was no longer there, leaving Yun Shisan alone by the fire, talking to Tang Yong.
Even though the little boy couldnât respond, Yun Shisan still talked happily, appearing to really like children.
Hearing movement outside, Yun Shisan looked up and, seeing Xu Jia, smiled deeply with dimples, "Madam."
Xu Jia asked him, "How is the situation today?"
Yun Shisan replied, "Recovering well. As long as the medication continues and dietary restrictions are maintained, he should be able to speak in five to six days."
Five to six days. Hopefully, it would coincide with Jiang Qingyuâs entry into the house. Xu Jia thought.
Tang Yong liked this elder brother very much and held onto his arm, unwilling to let go when leaving.
Xu Jia smiled helplessly, "If you really canât bear it, just come early tomorrow."
Tang Yong reluctantly said goodbye to Yun Shisan and followed Xu Jia onto the carriage back to the mansion.