"Speak your mind, and don't stand there clearing your throat if you've got nothing to say," Old Madame Mu said, her patience already wearing thin.
Wan Niang stopped beating around the bush and laid out her scheme directly. "I was thinking that if you were to step in and have Jinxia adopted into the name of Xiao Shuning, then Xia'er would have the same status as Yuan'er. She could rightfully call the master 'Father.' Even if she isn't Xiao Shuning's biological daughter, she would be recognized as a daughter of the Xiao family. This way, Jinxia would no longer be burdened by a mother with a stained reputation, and she could secure a good marriage."
Old Madame Mu perked up; it certainly sounded like a sound strategy.
"Mother, I don't want to! I only acknowledge you as my mother. If I can't find a good match, I’d rather not marry at all and just spend my life being filial to Grandmother and you." Mu Jinxia clung tightly to Wan Niang, refusing to hear of it.
What a filial and good child, the Old Madame thought, moved by such words.
"Silly girl, you’re still young and don't understand. Mother is doing this for your own good."
"No, I refuse to be adopted into the name of Xiao Shuning. She won't agree to it, anyway."
"She would dare refuse?" the Old Madame barked, making the decision on the spot. "It is settled. Your mother is right; you are still young and don't grasp the stakes involved."
Mu Jinxia hung her head and nodded, pretending to agree with reluctance. But once the Old Madame’s gaze shifted, she flashed a sweet smile at her mother. It was finally done.
Mu Jinyuan's things would be hers sooner or later.
The only thing Mu Jinyuan had over her was better luck, having the Xiao family to back her up. Soon, she too would be Xiao Shuning’s daughter and would be able to leverage the Xiao family’s influence.
"Grandmother, your lunch is so sumptuous," Mu Jinyuan said, strolling in breezily.
Wan Niang and Mu Jinxia exchanged a glance and stood beside the Old Madame. They had heard that Mu Jinyuan had dismissed her servants and didn't even have a cook, and that Mother Xu had already instructed the main kitchen not to provide them with food. They assumed she had come to lodge a complaint.
"You’ve arrived at a bad time, Sister. We’ve already finished eating; otherwise, you could have joined us," Mu Jinxia said, happy to see Mu Jinyuan make a fool of herself and fanning the flames.
Mu Jinyuan couldn't be bothered with Mu Jinxia. She swept a glance over the dishes on the table—chicken, duck, fish, and meat—an incredibly lavish spread. No wonder the mother and daughter ate at Anqing Hall every day but never once invited her to join them. So, they were feasting on the best, while in her own courtyard, the number of times they could afford meat in a month could be counted on one hand.
In her previous life, her mother had told her that her father was an incorruptible official and that they had to be frugal and never live in excess. She had been foolish enough to believe it. It seemed that the only ones being "frugal" were her and her mother.
Furthermore, the Mu family had been farmers for generations. After her father became an official, the expenses for networking and etiquette were substantial. With dozens of servants in the estate, her father’s monthly salary likely wasn't even enough to cover their wages. How could he possibly afford to feed them such fine meals? It could only be coming from her mother’s dowry.
Back then, because her mother had been pregnant before marriage, her grandfather had brought a whole street’s worth of dowry to support her. Yet, looking back at her previous life, she had never enjoyed such treatment. Even her toes could tell her that her mother’s dowry had been swallowed whole by these hypocrites. This time, she would take it all back.
"What are you here for? Why didn't you greet your aunt and sister?" the Old Madame asked, displeased with Mu Jinyuan's attitude.
*Aunt?* Mu Jinyuan sneered inwardly. She was clearly nothing more than her father’s mistress. After playing the part for so many years, she really should be sent to a theater troupe.
Ignoring Wan Niang and the others, Mu Jinyuan addressed the Old Madame. "Grandmother, the Yongning Marquis Estate has sent word that they will be arriving within these two days to discuss the marriage between myself and the Heir. I have no usable servants in my courtyard, so I wish to borrow a few capable ones from the State Protector Estate, so as not to neglect the noble guests from the Marquis Estate."
After finishing, she turned her gaze toward Wan Niang. "Additionally, I must trouble Aunt Wan Niang and Sister Jinxia to move out of the Zhuqing Courtyard."
Wan Niang panicked immediately. "I don't understand what Yuan'er is saying. There are plenty of servants in the estate; why must you borrow them from the State Protector Estate? And as for Jinxia and me moving out of the Zhuqing Courtyard, is your mother blaming us? Are you trying to drive us out?"
They were so skilled at turning black into white.
"I’m not dead yet! It is not yet the turn of the Xiao family to call the shots in this house!" the Old Madame glared at Mu Jinyuan.
"Grandmother, you misunderstand," Mu Jinyuan said gently. "The Yongning Marquis Estate is of high status. This marriage is already a case of our Mu family aiming above our station. The side courtyard where my mother and I live is truly shabby. If people from the Marquis Estate saw that a legitimate daughter of the Mu family lived in such a wretched place, wouldn't they look down on us even more?"
"It doesn't matter if I am looked down upon; at worst, my life there will be difficult, and I can endure it. But I fear it will implicate Father. If the Marquis Estate thinks Father is also a man of low standing, and if word gets out that the legitimate daughter lives in such squalor, which daughter of a noble house would be willing to marry into the Mu family to live a life of hardship?"
"Mother Xu said today that it will take a few days to replace the servants in my courtyard, and the others are likely occupied with their own duties. Besides, the rules of the Yongning Marquis Estate are strict. If we use servants who haven't been meticulously trained, and they neglect or offend the guests through poor service, it is the Mu family that will be humiliated."
"Grandmother, don't you think I make sense?"
Mu Jinyuan hit the nail on the head with every sentence. The Old Madame was stunned. "Is it really as serious as you say?"
"I think Yuan'er is just fear-mongering. It's only a discussion of marriage; how could it affect the face of the Mu family or Brother Yunyuan's marriage?" Wan Niang interrupted. They were living comfortably in the Zhuqing Courtyard and had no intention of moving to the side courtyard. Mu Jinyuan had to be doing this just to spite her.
"Aunt is not a member of the Mu family, and Brother Yunyuan is not your son, so naturally, you don't think it's a big deal."
Wan Niang was choked speechless. How could she not be a member of the Mu family? Yunyuan was her own son, yet she had to swallow her bitterness and couldn't utter a word in defense.
"Sister Yuan, you are truly hurtful. Mother and I have always treated the Mu family as our own, even changing our surname to Mu. We consider everything for the sake of the Mu family. It seems it is you who treats us as outsiders," Mu Jinxia said, sniffing aggrievedly.
Mu Jinyuan felt a surge of contempt, though her expression remained neutral. "Since Sister Xia says you consider everything for the sake of the Mu family, then hurry and pack your things to move out of the Zhuqing Courtyard. Otherwise, those who don't know the truth might think you are merely greedy for comfort. After all, the Zhuqing Courtyard was meticulously furnished by my mother using her own dowry, which is something the side courtyard simply cannot compare to."
Mu Jinxia was so angry her face twisted. How could Mu Jinyuan be so aggressive and sharp-tongued? It seemed no matter what she said, she was in the wrong.
Old Madame Mu pondered for a moment. Regardless of whether Mu Jinyuan had a selfish motive, it was true that if this interfered with the marriage negotiations, it would do the Mu family no good. Her son had repeatedly reminded her that this marriage would be of great benefit to his promotion. If he could keep Xiao Shuning happy, the Xiao family would surely assist him. By marrying into the Yongning Marquis Estate as well, he would gain another ally in the imperial court, and by the end of the year, her son could steadily rise to the position of Minister of Revenue.