Tianliangyuan

Chapter 434 Can it be taught like this?

Chaos erupted in the palace, while Xu Zhaozhao focused on her pregnancy.

Before we knew it, it was already the end of the year.

As was customary, a palace banquet was held to entertain the officials.

However, Xu Zhaozhao did not attend this time. After all, she was already quite pregnant, and such occasions were not very safe. Even though she had someone to rely on, she still felt it was better to be cautious.

Xu Zhaozhao will not enter the palace, but Madam Yu can accompany the old lady to the banquet. As for Madam Lin, she is not qualified to enter the palace for the banquet at the moment.

Wang Ruolan could be said to be incredibly prominent, but she knew she was just a lady-in-waiting, so she was extremely low-key in both her dress and her behavior.

Wang Ruolan is now the Duchess of the State, second only to the Princess Consort among all the noblewomen.

Some people used to say that Zhang Shi and Princess Anhe were both married down, since the Xu family was only a marquis's family at the time, and Xu Han himself did not have any important responsibilities.

In just a few years, they've transformed into a Duke's mansion.

Moreover, the Xu family's beloved daughter has already become a princess. Who would be so blind as to laugh at the two daughters of Zhang and Anhe County Princess for marrying down?

This is clearly a case of marrying into a blessed family.

Not long after Zhang entered the family, she helped her mother-in-law manage the household. After she became pregnant, her mother-in-law took extra care of her. Throughout the capital, everyone said that Wang Ruolan was a good mother-in-law.

The lowest-ranking member of the Xu family was Li Mingya, but her father was a general of the court, and she married the third son of the emperor. However, Xu Junting was ambitious and managed to get a title for himself before the wedding.

Therefore, families like the Xu family are now being watched by countless eyes.

Some people even considered sending their daughters to their homes as concubines.

After all, some illegitimate daughters from prominent families were specifically chosen for this purpose.

Unlike the Xu and Xie families, their daughters, even when married out of wedlock, preferred to be wives of commoners rather than concubines of noble families.

In fact, a concubine is a concubine, no matter how noble she is, she can never surpass the status of the principal wife!

Wang Ruolan was extremely cautious throughout, not daring to make the slightest mistake.

Besides her, the old lady of the Duke of Huguo's mansion was the most glamorous.

After all, it was her grandson who made meritorious contributions outside, and her granddaughter-in-law was also richly rewarded by His Majesty. In short, she was sitting at home and joy came from heaven!

Xu Zhaozhao ordered people to guard the gates tightly, and at the same time, she didn't forget to send someone to the Marquis's residence, no, now it should be said that she sent someone to check on the Duke of Xin's residence.

During the Lunar New Year, it's best if everyone can have some peace and quiet.

She didn't want to kill anyone, but since someone insisted on provoking her, she couldn't be blamed for being ruthless.

Xie Chan stayed with Xu Zhaozhao for about half an hour, and seeing that her sister-in-law was tired, she took the initiative to say goodbye.

With such keen insight, she will surely be a good mistress of the household in the future.

Xu Zhaozhao has also basically decided on the candidates to accompany Xie Chan in her dowry.

There were two maids accompanying the family, as well as two nannies, six head maids, and eight junior maids.

The two families had a total of six men from two generations, which was enough for her to do as she pleased.

In addition, Xu Zhaozhao specially added several more boxes of copper coins for her.

As a military general, Zheng Tuo naturally had to maintain good relationships with his subordinates, especially his wounded or disabled men, and he always had to show them some appreciation.

Therefore, money, food, and medicine were the most direct and practical options.

Zheng Tuo's family background was actually inferior to Li Shun's, after all, Li Shun had a great general as a cousin.

However, Zheng Tuo and his sister Zheng Bao'er were abandoned by their family. If Zheng Tuo hadn't had some courage and real skills, Zheng Bao'er might not have been able to marry into the Gu family.

Now that Zheng Tuo has a bright future ahead of him, he fears that the family that once abandoned him will come back to haunt him.

If that's the case, Zheng Tuo can't go too far, otherwise he'll be criticized.

This is tantamount to a lack of character, and even more so to him defying his clan. Once impeached, the emperor would not openly protect him.

Therefore, it's still best to make plans early.

That day, Xu Zhaozhao found the list of New Year's gifts she had prepared for her relatives, and then ordered someone to invite Xie Chan.

After Xie Chan finished reading the list, she still looked suspicious, not understanding why her sister-in-law had asked her to look at it.

"Among these relatives, there were two families who had a grudge against my grandfather. They even stopped visiting each other for several years until my grandfather obtained the title of Duke, and then the relatives started to visit each other again."

Xie Chan frowned: "Survivor of power and influence!"

Xu Zhaozhao smiled, realizing that this girl was genuine and straightforward.

“You’re right, but relationships with relatives and friends should still be maintained. And some relationships can’t be judged solely by external factors to see who benefits or loses.”

Xie Chan asked, puzzled, "Please enlighten me, sister-in-law."

"Leaving aside others, let's just talk about my dear aunt. I'm sure you've heard of her reputation."

"I have heard of it. The Sun family once tried to take a piece of Madam Sun's dowry, but it was thanks to the Marquis, uh, the Duke of Xin, that the matter was settled."

"Yes. There are no outsiders here, and I won't lie to you. My aunt is a brainless woman who is easily manipulated and thinks she has done a great service. For years, she has been taking advantage of her family without realizing it."

My father and mother knew she was taking advantage of them, but they never criticized her. Firstly, they considered the old lady's feelings; secondly, they valued family ties; and thirdly, they had to consider the reputation of the entire family.

Xu Zhaozhao emphasized the word "reputation" rather heavily.

Xie Chan seemed to be deep in thought. There are some things that you don't want to do, but you still have to do them, simply because they will affect your own interests.

Seeing her expression, Xu Zhaozhao knew that the girl must have figured it out.

"I've never hidden anything from you about the Zheng family. Zheng Tuo's triumphant return will surely bring him rewards, perhaps even a minor title and a promotion. Do you think his relatives in Yunyang County will send someone to mediate?"

Xie Chan bit her lip. Naturally, she disliked the Zheng family's biased elders.

But no matter how much you dislike them, they are still your elders.

"I understand, thank you for the advice, sister-in-law. At that time, no matter what, we must at least save face."

"That's right, at least we can't let outsiders find fault with us. If nothing unexpected happens, Zheng Tuo will immediately start preparing for your wedding after he returns to the capital. When the Zheng family relatives come looking for you, you will be a member of the Zheng family. It is only natural for you to fight alongside your husband. However, there are some things that men cannot say, but you can say; there are some things that men cannot do, but your wife can do, which is perfectly acceptable."

Xie Chan's eyes lit up. She had thought that she was just being taught to be generous and consider the big picture, but she never expected that her sister-in-law would teach her this way!

"As long as we can't find fault with anything on the surface, then we're in the right. People who wronged me in the past only want to take my benefits now, without wanting to bear any responsibility. There's no such thing as a free lunch!"