manynovel Chapter 127 Calculation
Chapter 127 Calculation
Chapter 127 Calculation
"What news?" Madam Kang asked, frowning.
"I heard that my uncle is going to arrange a marriage between his family and the Sheng family," said Madam Qi.
"A marriage alliance with the Sheng family?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Kang was taken aback at first, then abruptly stood up, her face ashen, and said, "So, Mother told me that my brother wanted to find a family that would help You-ge'er's future, but it turns out he was just lying to me!"
Although Mother Qi only mentioned the marriage alliance, Mu Jie'er is still young, and Wang Min's other son, Wang Yong, is not even fifteen years old.
The only one who can be married into the Sheng family is Wang You.
"I overheard the servants of the Wang family saying that the young master is going to marry a girl from the Sheng family, but I didn't hear clearly who it was," said Mama Qi.
"Who else could it be!"
Madam Kang snorted coldly, "My sister really surprises me; she's incredibly patient!"
Based on her understanding of Madam Wang, she knew she was not someone who could keep secrets.
But when she went to the Sheng family yesterday, Madam Wang didn't reveal a word of it.
"The more they don't want me to know, the less I can let them have their way. Have a carriage prepared; I'm going to the Wang family," said Madam Kang.
The country is easy to change, but the nature is hard to change.
She didn't think that her younger sister, whom she looked down upon, would suddenly change her nature. The reason why Madam Wang kept it from her was obviously because the Wang family was on guard against her, and she had reminded Madam Wang.
Madam Kang was now filled with anger, feeling that the entire Wang family had no trust in her and had all been deceiving her.
"Madam, the things haven't been prepared yet, and it's not appropriate to come at this time," Ding's mother quickly reminded her.
"What should we prepare?"
Madam Kang gritted her teeth and said, "My marriage was arranged by my parents back then. Now that I'm living like this, the Wang family still treats me like an outsider. What right do I have to care about etiquette?"
Wang You lay in a rocking chair with a book covering his face.
Today, during the ten-day holiday, we had some rare good weather; the sun was out and there wasn't a breath of wind.
It feels so nice to bask in the sun.
Beside the rocking chair, the mountain tiger lay on a blanket, its belly exposed, lazily basking in the sun, occasionally purring.
-
"Second brother!"
Just then, Mu Jie'er trotted into the courtyard.
The mountain tiger suddenly flipped over; its fat body was incredibly agile, and in the blink of an eye, it had run into the house.
Wang You took the book off his face, and the glaring sunlight made him squint.
"You startle me all the time and disturb my peaceful sleep."
"What time is it and you're still sleeping?"
Mu Jie'er stamped her foot and said urgently, "My eldest aunt suddenly came to the door and had a big fight with my grandmother. My grandmother was so angry that she fainted."
"What?"
Wang You was startled upon hearing this. He sat up, gripping the armrest, and asked anxiously, "Is Grandmother alright?"
He hadn't expected that Madam Kang would act so quickly; she had only made the arrangements for less than half a day before they came knocking on his door.
This was part of his plan, so it's not surprising.
Hearing that his grandmother had fainted from anger, he became anxious.
Although the old lady made many foolish decisions in dealing with her children, Wang You could understand her to some extent.
Even if their children are not good, parents still find it hard to sever the bond of blood ties with their children.
There are many families like the Yuan family, where all the children are biological, yet the favoritism is extreme.
However, throughout history, there have been many examples of parents who, even when their children are unfilial, still cannot bring themselves to abandon them.
There's no logic to feelings.
Rationally speaking, the old lady has a lot of problems.
From an emotional perspective, the old lady was simply someone who valued family ties.
Although it is said that spoiling a child is like harming the child, how many parents can truly do that?
Besides this, the old lady was very good to her grandson.
"I don't know either. My parents are terrified and have already sent someone to fetch a doctor," said Mu Jie'er.
"Let's go take a look!"
As he spoke, Wang You got up and hurriedly walked out.
On the way, she asked Mu Jie'er what had happened, but unfortunately Mu Jie'er didn't know much about it either.
She was in her room at the time, being watched by Mrs. Feng as she did needlework.
When Madam Kang arrived, a servant came to announce her arrival, and only then did Madam Feng go to Jingxin Hall.
Before an incense stick could burn out, news came that Madam Kang had caused a scene at Jingxin Hall and left, and that the old lady had fainted from anger.
She knew immediately that it was related to Wang You's marriage, and hurriedly came to find him.
"Second brother, you didn't do this, did you?" Mu Jie'er asked.
She remembered that Wang You had said before that she had a way, and suspected that this matter was related to Wang You.
"It's not a good thing for a woman to be too smart," Wang You said.
"What the hell!"
Mu Jie'er said discontentedly, "Second Brother, you wouldn't be like those pedantic scholars, thinking that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, would you?"
The saying "A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent" means that a woman's virtue lies in not deliberately displaying her talents.
However, some pedantic scholars believe that it should be interpreted literally: women only need to be good wives and mothers, and do not need to have high academic achievements.
Although this view has not yet been accepted by the general public, it is supported by many intellectuals.
Wang You shook his head. Having lived two lives, he naturally wouldn't have such thoughts.
I just feel that women who are too smart will have a very tiring life.
Upon arriving at Jingxin Hall, Wang You breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the old lady's voice coming from the inner room.
The brother and sister entered the bedroom and saw the old lady sitting on the headboard, with Wang Min and Madam Feng standing by the bed.
"Grandson (granddaughter) greets grandmother."
After Wang You and Mu Jie'er bowed, they looked at the pale-faced old lady and asked with concern, "Grandmother, are you alright?"
"It's alright."
Grandma Wang looked at Wang You and said, "You've come at the right time. There's something I want to tell you."
Wang You glanced at his father and mother, noticing that they both looked unwell. He sat down by the bed, pulled up the blanket for the old lady, and said, "Grandmother, since you're not feeling well, you should rest and recover first. We can talk about anything else when you're better."
"My old bones aren't going to die anytime soon."
Grandma Wang said, "I know you don't want to marry your cousin Chong'er, but your eldest aunt said that if you marry Rulan, she will expose all the things your father and your youngest aunt have covered up for her all these years!"
"She dares!"
Mu Jie'er pouted and said, "If this gets out, Father and Uncle won't fare well. She'll be exiled at the very least. I won't agree to it. Just look at her—"
"shut up!"
Wang Min glared and said, "Who gave you the right to speak here!"
"That's true," Mu Jie'er muttered softly, but dared not say anything more.
Wang You suddenly remembered a line Minglan had said when Kang Wangshi poisoned Old Madam Sheng in the original drama.
In this world, everything depends on who is willing to go all out.
The reason why Madam Kang dared to poison Old Madam Sheng was because she was certain that Madam Wang had colluded with Lady Wang, whose family had already entered the capital at that time.
Even if the truth comes out, the Wang and Sheng families will protect her to save face.
Needless to say, the Wang family was ruined when their two married daughters conspired to murder their mother-in-law. Once the news got out, the reputation of all the women in the Wang family was completely tarnished.
After all, the fact that the two daughters of the Wang family committed such an outrageous act shows just how poor the Wang family's upbringing is.
If someone were to marry a girl from the Wang family, regardless of whether she would actually do such a thing, the criticism and gossip from outsiders would be unbearable.
The news even reached the ears of the emperor, who then ordered that the memorial tablet of Grand Tutor Wang be moved out of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Although there is no "Three Character Classic" yet, some of its content was compiled from Confucian classics.
It is the fault of the father to raise or not to teach.
This idea has existed for a long time, and it didn't originate with the Three Character Classic.
With two daughters like these, how can Grand Tutor Wang have the face to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?
As for the Sheng family, needless to say, how could a matriarch who murdered her mother-in-law raise well-behaved young men and women?
Regardless of the internal situation of the Sheng family, in the eyes of outsiders, both the legitimate and illegitimate children were raised by her, the matriarch of the family.
Madam Kang was betting that neither family would go all out, and if Minglan hadn't married Gu Tingye, she would have actually won the gamble.
At this moment, Kang Wangshi's threat was similar to her poisoning of Old Madam Sheng.
Although Mu Jie'er is right, if this gets out, she herself will not have a good ending.
But would the Wang family dare to gamble?
Kang Wangshi acted like a madwoman.
As the saying goes, those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. The Wang family has reason, so how could they dare to gamble with a madman?
"Grandmother, do you realize you were wrong?" Wang Youping asked calmly.
Grandma Wang said regretfully, "It's all my fault. Over the years, I've indulged her because I felt guilty. But it's too late to regret now. I have no choice but to agree to her request."
"Now that Grandmother has realized her mistake, I hope she can learn from it and grow wiser in the future," Wang You said.
"So you've agreed to marry your cousin Yun'er?" Old Mrs. Wang asked happily.
Kang Wangshi was like a madwoman, but in the eyes of Old Mrs. Wang, Wang You was very stubborn.
After all, Wang You had even scolded her back then.
Given the current situation, she could only agree to Madam Kang's conditions, but she was afraid that Wang You would refuse no matter what.
Although marriage is a major life event that parents should decide, if Wang You becomes stubborn and things get out of control, the consequences won't be good either.
She had just instructed Wang Min and Madam Feng to persuade Wang You when he didn't come.
"I did agree, but I didn't agree to marry my cousin Yun'er," Wang You said, shaking his head.
"What do you mean by this?" Old Mrs. Wang asked in astonishment.
Wang You said, "Didn't my aunt say that if I marry my cousin Rulan, she would expose the affair? If that's the case, then I won't marry my cousin Rulan."
"But that's just what your aunt said; her real purpose is still for you to—"
"grandmother!"
Wang You interrupted her, asking, "I heard that you and my parents previously intended for me to marry my cousin Rulan, and you even mentioned it to my aunt and uncle, right?"
"That's true, but as long as you explain the reason to them, your uncle is a reasonable person and won't say anything. Even if your aunt is angry, she won't cause any trouble," said Grandma Wang.
"Now I finally understand what it means for the squeaky wheel to turn."
Wang You said indifferently, "Just because my eldest aunt dares to make a scene, my youngest aunt won't make a scene even if she feels wronged. Grandmother, you don't consider her feelings."
You love them both, but for your aunt, she's always the one who suffers and is wronged. Don't you feel guilty?
"I—" Old Mrs. Wang opened her mouth, a trace of guilt flashing in her eyes.
"You'er, how dare you speak to your grandmother like that?"
Wang Min shouted, "Apologize to your grandmother right now!"
Wang You ignored his father and looked calmly at his grandmother, saying, "What I say may be a little unpleasant to hear, but it comes from the bottom of my heart."
"Has Grandmother ever considered that by agreeing to Aunt's conditions this time, this matter will become a bargaining chip for Aunt to use against the Wang Sheng family in the future?"
Wang You had just recalled the incident of Kang Wangshi poisoning Old Madam Sheng, and realized that Kang Wangshi had another purpose at the time.
That means the matter hasn't been exposed, so they're using it to threaten Madam Wang.
But if it really gets exposed and the Wang and Sheng families cover it up, won't this become a handle she can use against them?
Wang You felt that this was 100% likely.
Conversely, if we agree to Kang Wangshi's request now, she will see that the Wang family is susceptible to this and will use it to threaten us whenever anything happens in the future.
Human greed is limitless. When you have something on someone's hands and use it to get benefits from them.
Once greed takes hold, it can never be shaken off.
Kang Wangshi is the kind of person who has absolutely no bottom line, so it's not surprising that she would do such a thing.
"If she dares to do that, I won't let her get away with it!" Old Mrs. Wang said through gritted teeth.
Wang You shook his head and said, "There are only zero times or countless times when it comes to compromise. I am willing to believe what my grandmother says, but I am not willing to believe my aunt."
There is only one way to resolve this matter: I will not marry my cousin Rulan. In order to give the Sheng family an explanation and also to prevent my aunt from having a reason to lash out, my grandmother took my mother to the Sheng family to ask for my grandson's hand in marriage with the sixth daughter of the Sheng family.
Once the marriage is arranged, even if the eldest aunt is unhappy, there's nothing she can do.
"The sixth daughter of the Sheng family is merely a concubine's daughter, how can she—"
"Grandmother, given the Kang family's current situation, do you think marrying a legitimate daughter from the Kang family is better than marrying a concubine's daughter from the Sheng family?"
Old Mrs. Wang fell silent upon hearing this. The Kang family had a bad reputation, and their legitimate daughter was indeed inferior to the Sheng family's illegitimate daughter.
Wang Min glared fiercely at Wang You. If he still couldn't react by now, he would truly be a fool.
The thought that Wang You dared to scheme against the old lady made him want to beat this unfilial son to death.
You know, he heard that the old lady was so angry that she fainted, but then everything went black and he almost fainted too.
Wang You felt his father's gaze and shrank back.
But he quickly realized, so what if he guessed it?
Wang Min didn't dare to expose this matter. As long as he didn't expose it, they couldn't use it to punish him.
Wang You pretended not to notice his father's radiant smile and just stared at Old Madam Wang without urging her on.
Although this was his scheme, he didn't believe that Old Mrs. Wang was in such a state of confusion that she would be able to see through his scheme.
This matter cannot be delayed; his marriage to Minglan must be confirmed as soon as possible.
Only once the marriage is confirmed and the news spreads can Lady Kang give up on the idea.
The Wang family was unwilling to risk the threat from Madam Kang, but they also couldn't back out of the engagement after it was confirmed.
Once the marriage was arranged, the possibility of Kang Wangshi threatening the Wang family was eliminated.
Because of the repeated threats from the Kang Wang clan, the Wang family had no other choice.
Although Madam Kang was insane, Wang You was certain that she wouldn't risk everything.
"Ugh."
After a long silence, Old Mrs. Wang sighed and said, "Never mind, Min'er, have someone prepare some gifts. I will go to the Sheng family to propose marriage tomorrow."
>