After I awakened my inner voice, I became the treasure of my family.

Chapter 85 The Zhou Family's cryptic exchange

Another day passed before Jiang Mianmian received a reply from the Zhou family agreeing to the arrangement. This relieved her greatly, and she asked Granny Li to prepare large and small bags of medicinal herbs and some tonics.

Fearing she might have overlooked something, she checked it again herself before feeling relieved. After all, she couldn't afford to cause any trouble after apologizing.

Then, she called her eldest daughter-in-law, Li Tingxue, and together they boarded the carriage to visit the patient. The wheels rolled forward, slowly heading towards the Zhou family's house.

As for Zhou Jingyao in the general's mansion, her body was actually fine long ago. There were just a few inconspicuous abrasions on her hands and arms.

However, her father and mother were still overly worried about her and kept her under house arrest in their courtyard, not even allowing her to step out of the general's mansion.

At this moment, poor Zhou Jingyao had no other choice but to sit idly in the room, staring blankly at the sky outside the window, wondering how she could get out of the house.

When Jiang Mianmian and Li Tingxue arrived at the Zhou residence, Madam Zhou rushed out to greet them upon hearing the news.

Although she was slightly surprised by the actions of the Marquis of Xuanhua's residence, she still maintained proper etiquette and politely welcomed the mother and daughter-in-law into the residence.

After the two sides met, they exchanged greetings and a few polite words.

Looking at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Madam Zhou recalled how she and the general had been quite surprised when they suddenly received a visiting card from the wife of the Marquis of Xuanhua's mansion a couple of days ago.

They never expected that Shen Xiujin would cause trouble, and that his nominal mother, Jiang Mianmian, the Lady of the Marquis, would personally send out an invitation.

He expressed his intention to apologize on behalf of his troublesome son and to visit the injured Jingyao.

This unexpected behavior made her and the general secretly wonder if there was something else going on!

Just now, Madam Zhou was quite surprised again. She didn't expect that not only would Jiang Mianmian come in person today, but her eldest daughter-in-law, who was born out of wedlock, would also come along.

The fact that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law both came to their general's mansion at the same time really puzzled her. Also, what exactly was going on between the two of them?

Look at the harmonious relationship between this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law; it doesn't seem to be like what other ladies have been saying—that they don't get along!

Although Madam Zhou was somewhat surprised, she still smiled and waited. After all, she was a worldly person who had seen many situations. No matter how surprised she was, she would not easily show any emotion on her face.

Furthermore, as the saying goes, "You can't hit someone who's smiling at you."

Moreover, there was no deep-seated hatred between the two families, so even if she had some doubts at the moment, she still treated them with courtesy on the surface.

Furthermore, although the Xuanhua Marquis's mansion is now deserted and the sons of the mansion have not shown any particular outstanding qualities, the hereditary title is still there and should not be underestimated.

And this Jiang Mianmian is even more remarkable; she is a genuine first-rank imperial lady! In the entire Dayuan Kingdom, only she and the old Princess Jingyang are two first-rank imperial ladies!

Even if you just met someone, you still have to greet them politely according to etiquette.

This brings us to the story of Jiang Mianmian's late father-in-law, the Marquis, who had already passed away when she first married into the Shen family.

He personally dragged his frail, ailing body to the emperor's court, tears streaming down his face, pleading with the late emperor not for his own wife, but for his newlywed daughter-in-law, Jiang Mianmian, to obtain the honor of being a first-class imperial consort.

I heard that it was to make up for the bad debts incurred by his good-for-nothing son, so that Jiang Mianmian, who had just entered the family, wouldn't suffer too much embarrassment and grievance.

The late emperor took pity on the old minister who had helped him conquer the country, who had raised an unfilial son, causing him to fall seriously ill and still have to worry about his fatherly love. So he agreed to the old marquis's request!

Otherwise, after Jiang Mianmian's marriage, facing a dissolute and unruly playboy like Shen Hanjiang, she probably would have been unable to bear the humiliation and ended her life with a white silk ribbon!

However, if you say that someone's life is hard, what then?

But looking at Jiang Mianmian now, radiant and full of energy, she is living a very comfortable and fulfilling life!

Otherwise, how could she have such a beautiful complexion?

Just as Madam Zhou was secretly sizing up Jiang Mianmian, little did she know that the other woman was also sitting upright, intently scrutinizing Madam Zhou in front of her. Jiang Mianmian was instantly stunned. She didn't know what she was seeing until she saw it, and what she saw was terrifying.

"Cough cough..."

Suddenly, Jiang Mianmian coughed. Good heavens! What was going on? She almost spat out the tea she had just drunk.

The reason was simple: above Madam Zhou's head, several large, golden characters were shining brightly, and the meaning behind these characters was quite profound!

"A tragic female supporting character whose brother escaped and took her place, yet could not obtain the love she desired."

At that moment, a voiceover suddenly appeared in my mind.

Wow, wow, what kind of explosive situation is this? Love, whose love is it?

[Oh dear! Who escaped, and who took their place? Could it be... that Madam Zhou... actually had an affair with her brother-in-law? Wait a minute, I don't recall ever hearing that Zhou Liang had a brother. What on earth is going on?]

At first, Li Tingxue looked completely bewildered. Then, her heart skipped a beat, and a thought involuntarily surfaced in her mind:

Could it be that her mother-in-law has discovered some unknown secrets of the General's Mansion? Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. If she knew something they shouldn't know, would they be unable to leave the General's Mansion today?

At this moment, Mrs. Zhou, sitting opposite, was lost in her own thoughts and completely unaware of the commotion around her.

However, just then, a voice reached her ears. She was slightly startled and, taking advantage of the moment when she picked up her teacup to drink tea, quickly turned her gaze to the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sitting opposite her.

Jiang Mianmian and her daughter-in-law sat there quietly, showing no sign of saying a word.

Madam Zhou couldn't help but feel very strange, muttering to herself, "Huh? That's odd. I clearly thought I heard someone talking just now, but neither of them made a sound. So where did that voice come from?"

Could it be that I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't even hear what the other person said?

Thinking of this, Madam Zhou gave an awkward smile. To hide her unease, she quickly nodded and then smiled at Madam Hou before her, saying:

"Madam, please try this tea. This is the newly harvested imperial tea—Longjing! I heard that only five small jars were harvested this year, and our Emperor, in his boundless grace, bestowed one jar upon our general."

Normally, the general treasures this tea and is reluctant to drink it! Today, upon learning of your arrival, Lady Hou, I specially instructed the servants to prepare it with great care.

This Longjing tea has an extremely mellow flavor; it's not only refreshing and delicious but also has a sweet aftertaste. I'm sure Lady Hou will enjoy it!

As she spoke, she gestured enthusiastically, indicating that the Lady Hou should quickly try it.

In fact, Madam Zhou only told half the story. The general said that the tea bestowed by the Emperor was tasteless and ridiculously expensive, and that it would be better to exchange the tea for an equivalent amount of silver! But she would never say this aloud!

Jiang Mianmian was just about to look up the plot summary of Madam Zhou when she heard Madam Zhou's words. She instantly came back to her senses and smiled, saying:

"Hmm, really? Then I'm in for a treat today. I'll take this opportunity to savor the aroma of this imperial tea."

After saying that, she took a sip of tea and said, "Yes, it is indeed a good tea. Longjing tea has a mellow, refreshing and smooth taste, a sweet flavor, and a clear green tea soup. It has a full and fresh taste, and a noticeable and subtle sweet aftertaste. It is indeed a good tea."

Madam Zhou's lips curled up slightly, and she let out a clear and melodious laugh. Then she said in a slow voice, "Madam Hou, judging from your knowledge of tea, you must be a person who loves tea very much."

"Oh dear! That's right. When I have nothing to do, I usually just enjoy tea to pass the time. But today, I'm fortunate enough to taste this incredibly precious imperial tea thanks to you."

As Jiang Mianmian spoke, she took a sip of fragrant tea, a look of satisfaction on her face.

After complimenting each other on their taste and style, the conversation naturally turned to what had happened that day.

Lady Hou looked apologetic and asked softly, "Madam Zhou, I wonder if your daughter's health has improved at all?"

I have come here today specifically to apologize to you and General Zhou on behalf of my good-for-nothing son. I am truly ashamed!

Madam Zhou waved her hand and said, "Madam, your politeness makes me feel uneasy! Besides, what happened that day was purely accidental, and upon closer examination, it was not the Second Young Master's fault at all!"

Jiang Mianmian said with a serious face, "Sigh! What a mess this is. If he hadn't invited Miss Zhou out for a trip, this situation wouldn't have happened."

When I got home that day and learned what had happened, I immediately gave my second son a severe scolding.

"Yes, yes! Madam Zhou, you don't know, when Mother heard about this, she was so frightened that she turned pale! Fortunately, she was relieved to learn that Miss Zhou was safe and sound!"

If my husband and I hadn't strongly intervened, Mother probably would have punished my second brother severely!

Li Tingxue blinked her bright and beautiful eyes, which were as captivating as those of a kaxilan orchid, and began to spout nonsense with an air of seriousness.

Upon hearing her daughter-in-law's words, Jiang Mianmian's expression froze for a moment. Then, for the sake of her second son's future, she quickly nodded in agreement.

"That's right, I was so angry back then, I even wanted to beat that brat to death with my own hands! You tell me, that kid clearly admired Miss Zhou, but he just didn't know how to pursue her."

He actually went so far as to foolishly tell Miss Zhou to go to the city gate and wait for him. He even went so far as to claim he was worried that if he took Miss Zhou away from the General's mansion, it would attract gossip about her. Isn't he incredibly stupid?

"Oh dear! You don't know, my second son had a really bad day! As soon as he stepped out of the house, his horse was bitten by a mad dog that had gone berserk."

Now, the horse, startled, began to buck and leap wildly. Right there in the bustling city, it rampaged through the streets, causing a great disaster…”

"As a result, he arrived at the city gate much later than expected. And Miss Zhou ran into that villain at this crucial moment. How could I not be so angry after hearing this that I wanted to give him a good beating?"