A Good Country Wife
Chapter 508 - 502_1

Chapter 508: Chapter 502_1

If one were to say that both sons of the Marchioness of Zhenbei were duplicitous and malicious, then her only daughter, Feng Lingling, was rash and thoughtless—probably spoiled as the only girl of the Marquis. No sooner had she heard about a rural couple delivering a New Year’s gift to the Princely Heir at the gate than she dashed over, declaring she’d join her mother and brothers to mock them. What she thought, she blurted out directly without any filter, even in front of a room full of servants; truly, she held not the slightest reservation.

The Marchioness of Zhenbei felt a headache coming on at the sight of her pampered daughter. How could her daughter only grow in age and not in wisdom? Her sons were both so clever, yet only this daughter remained carefree and brainless. Thankfully, the servants in the house were her people; had her words spread further, the consequences would be dire. If the Marquis heard, at most he would scold or express some displeasure, but if word reached the ears of the Empress Dowager, that would be quite serious. The Empress Dowager disliked her already, only recognizing the former as her sister-in-law. If she learned of Lingling’s attitude towards that wretched son, she surely wouldn’t be lenient. It was also a relief that the Empress Dowager never meddled in the affairs of the previous dynasty, otherwise that wretch would have had even more support and arrogance.

"Lingling, what nonsense are you spouting? How did your mother teach you? You should be more thoughtful in daily life, not so careless. Should you speak like that? He’s your elder brother; no matter what you think inside, you must show him respect outwardly. Otherwise, not to mention the Empress Dowager, even your father would be displeased. You’re a grown woman now; if you keep this up, life in your husband’s house won’t be so easy."

"Alright, alright, Mother, I get it; stop harping on about it. Let’s hurry to Big Brother’s courtyard. I’m really curious to see what sort of valuables those peasants from the boondocks could possibly bring." Feng Lingling grew impatient with her mother’s scolding, pulling the Marchioness of Zhenbei forward, eager only to see the commotion.

"Princely Heir, the Lady and Young Master Erhu, along with Miss, are heading this way. They probably know about Zhao Erhu’s family bringing a New Year’s gift and have come over on purpose," reported someone to the Princely Heir. Even though the estate was under the control of the Marchioness of Zhenbei, the Princely Heir had still arranged quite a few eyes and ears around, and they were promptly informed of the arrival of the Marchioness and her children.

"What does that woman want, surely up to no good!"

The Princely Heir expressed scorn, "What else could it be but to ridicule and laugh at me for receiving a New Year’s gift at the gate, and to use the opportunity to smear me in front of my father. It’s her usual trick; nothing surprising."

"Princely Heir, why don’t we just refuse the gift? After all, the Zhao family is just from a farmer’s background; they surely don’t have anything of value. We can’t let that woman make fun of us," said Xiaojin, the young servant with the Princely Heir, hurriedly, his words not without resentment.

"Accept it, why shouldn’t we? It’s the Zhao family’s kind intention. How could I not accept something they’ve sent from so far away? Why let irrelevant people disturb my peace of mind? Moreover, if I really don’t accept the gift and return it, I’m afraid people might read too much into it. Zhao Erhu, I still have great use for him."

When the Marchioness of Zhenbei arrived with her children, the New Year’s gift Lin Yue had sent was just being brought into the Princely Heir’s courtyard by a servant. Originally, the Princely Heir was curious to see it, but coincidentally, the Marchioness didn’t even have to mention it before he could witness it for himself.

"Oh, what is all this laid out here on the ground?" the Marchioness of Zhenbei asked knowingly, her affected manner making her distasteful to all who saw her.

Little Jinzi saw her master standing there with a cold face, having no intention of engaging with the Marchioness of Zhenbei, so she had no choice but to answer for him. "Marchioness, these are the New Year gifts from the Zhao Family."

"The Zhao Family? Which Zhao Family? Do you mean the family of the Minister of Justice? But didn’t they already send over their New Year gifts? Why would they prepare a separate one just for the Princely Heir? I hadn’t realized the Princely Heir had such a good relationship with Minister Zhao that he’d prepare a gift just for him." The Marchioness of Zhenbei was deliberately misconstruing, clearly aiming to embarrass the Princely Heir.

Little Jinzi heard the Marchioness of Zhenbei feigning ignorance, doing it on purpose, and she felt a surge of resentment inside. Had she known, she would have clarified at first rather than substituting with a vague term like ’the Zhao Family’. She had only intended to be vague because Zhao Erhu’s status was somewhat unsuitable for public display. Little did she know, the Marchioness would seize on this to shame the young master.

"The Marchioness has misunderstood. The Zhao Family I referred to is not Minister Zhao’s family but another Zhao Family that has business dealings with the Princely Heir," said Little Jinzi through gritted teeth, forced to explain clearly.

"So, it’s someone under the Princely Heir’s command. I thought if it were indeed the family of Minister Zhao, how would they send such inappropriate gifts for New Year? It was all a misunderstanding. However, Princely Heir, it’s not my place as a mother to say this, but even though you have come of age and no longer want to be controlled by the family, you are still the heir to the Marquis of Zhenbei. You should consider the reputation of our house when acting publicly. Do not associate with lowly, unsuitable friends who might tarnish our family’s name. Your father will certainly be angry, and it could affect your younger brothers and sisters," she went on, her words laced with criticism, every sentence designed to accuse.

Although Little Jinzi didn’t know what New Year gifts Zhao Erhu’s family had sent over, with these boxes still unopened and everything laid here, the Marchioness of Zhenbei was already making assumptions without knowing what was inside. She kept on talking incessantly, and every word was an accusation. Listening to this made Little Jinzi’s anger boil, but the person before him was the Marchioness of Zhenbei; a servant like him could not afford to disrespect her, let alone the Princely Heir—doing so would only earn a reputation for disrespect and filial impiety.

On the contrary, the Princely Heir of Zhenbei was not as angry as his personal attendant, Little Jinzi. Ever since the death of his biological mother, he had experienced all kinds of darkness and grievances from childhood. He had survived through these years, and now that he had finally emerged from these tribulations, these verbal criticisms and attacks really meant nothing to him, especially when compared to previous assassination attempts—they were hardly worth his concern, at most a slight annoyance. He found his stepmother too noisy, and his ignoring of her was not out of fear of ruining his reputation, but simply because he couldn’t be bothered to make the effort.

"Open the boxes and see what’s inside," the Princely Heir of Zhenbei instructed, ignoring his stepmother’s criticisms and accusations. He commanded the servants to open several different wooden boxes. Rather than listen to his stepmother’s nagging, he preferred to satisfy his own curiosity. As for the New Year gifts that had been delivered, he had not even looked at the gift list presented by his servant; he chose instead to open them directly, wanting to see if there was any surprise. After all, a few of these large wooden boxes had such ’simple’ designs. Besides, considering the size of these big boxes, if they didn’t contain live animals, what could be inside?