Chapter 14: Old Madam's Thoughts_2

Nanny Zheng hesitated slightly, "Old Madam, the Third Young Lady is still quite naive. Having a falling out with the Eldest Madam would ultimately be adverse." Once she offended the lady of the household, life would certainly be difficult. It was better to endure when possible. Besides, the Eldest Madam had been behaving quite commendably these past years.

A cold light flashed in the Old Madam's eyes, "Lady is a person who would devour someone without spitting out their bones. Had it not been for an error that made me see her true nature, I would have been fooled by her facade. The things she has done are too disgrace for me even to speak of. These years, if it weren't for my suppression, who knows what the Lian family would have become."

Nanny Zheng bowed her head. She could listen, but she couldn't speak ill of her superiors.

Tiredness was evident in the Old Madam's eyes, "Having served as an official outside for many years, the Second Son has already accumulated a substantial family fortune. The Second Son's Wife also brought a significant dowry. The Third Girl used to be passive, so I had no choice but to resort to a less favorable strategy. But given Lady 's malicious nature, I can never rest assured. What you say is correct, but without her parents, she will have to rely on the main branch in the future. If she harbors resentment towards Lady , it is she who will suffer in the end." Previously, the Third Girl was ignorant of many things and was not the type to manage affairs. This matter was not to be praised, but neither was it so bad. However, now she had begun to worry...

After contemplating for a moment, Nanny Zheng spoke, "Old Madam, no matter what, the Third Young Lady is after all not a child of the main branch, and she has already been promised in marriage. She will not even need to prepare a dowry when she comes of age. The Eldest Madam won't do anything untoward to the Third Young Lady, how much worse could it get? With the Second Madam's dowry, the Third Young Lady will have more than enough to marry off splendidly."

The Old Madam shook her head. She feared that Lady 's greed would lead her to covet the Second Son's Wife's dowry. That was a significant amount of wealth. Previously, the Third Girl had not been concerned with such matters, but now she was, and she would not be easily fooled. They say that like mother, like daughter, and Madam Ma was not someone to be trifled with. The Third Young Lady might be young and naive, and inexperienced in worldly matters, not aware of the malevolence of the human heart, but she was intelligent, belonged to the younger generation, and had the Ma Family as her support. If she were truly to compete with Lady , regardless of who won or lost, the Lian family's reputation would undoubtedly suffer. Many noble families have been ruined by such domestic disputes.

Nanny Zheng hesitated to speak, "Old Madam, the Eldest Madam, shouldn't be capable of..." Mainly because, throughout the years, she had not noticed any misconduct from the Eldest Madam.

A mocking smile appeared on the Old Madam's face, "Even you have been deceived by her, which shows how well she conceals herself. A leopard can't change its spots. All these years, I've been watching coldly. If it hadn't been for me suppressing her, hm. I didn't agree with the marriage from the beginning. But Great Grandfather was insistent on it. It's regrettable that at my age, I still have to work so hard." Who wouldn't prefer to be the kind of old man who is ignorant of the world and only focuses on spoiling his grandchildren? It was because she did not trust Lady that she had to exhaust herself like this. Even with her grandsons, she had gone out of her way to entrust the Eldest Young Master to the Great Grandfather for teaching, and the Second Young Master to herself for personal guidance, fearing that Lady would lead them astray. Even so, she still worried that Lady 's actions could bring disaster upon the Lian family (You Great Grandfather have a reputation for foresight).

This left Nanny Zheng at a loss for words. She had always known that the Old Madam disapproved of the Eldest Madam, thinking it was an unavoidable struggle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. But the fact that the Old Madam was so wary of the Eldest Madam, she didn't know whether it was an unnecessary worry.

When the Old Madam saw Nanny Zheng's expression, she said, "Don't think I'm just frightening you. Lady has always focused on immediate gains, failing to look further ahead. Acting without depth and if an envied person gains power, the Lian family could face serious troubles. Keep in mind that the barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. The Lian family is from a scholarly background. If any scandal were to occur, the family's century-old reputation would be destroyed, and there would be no footing left for the Lian's descendants. And when I descend into the netherworld, it would be difficult to face the ancestors of the Lian family."

At that moment, the sound of footsteps approached. The medicine had arrived. Nanny Zheng went to receive the tray and brought it in, "Old Madam, please drink your medicine first."

After the Old Madam finished her medicine, Nanny Zheng comforted her, "Old Madam, don't worry, the Eldest Madam, for the sake of the Eldest Young Master, the Second Young Master, and the Second Young Lady, will surely treat the Third Young Lady well."

The Old Madam squinted her eyes and remained silent. She had never been fond of the Eldest Madam, but upon seeing that Lady was respectful and obedient, she had softened. However, it was at that time she learned a true fact: Lady had, in order to gain a substantial dowry and marry into the Lian family with splendor, encouraged her birth mother to sell her illegitimate sister into a merchant's family. Had she been sold as a legal wife to a merchant, it might have been alright, but that merchant had a legal wife back in his hometown. What was later described as an equal wife was in the families of officials unheard of, nothing more than a noble concubine, in actuality. Someone who for their own benefit could commit such lowly deeds, truly made the Old Madam look upon Lady with even greater disdain.