bayedsolid Chapter 240 Big White Bean
Chapter 240 Big White Bean
Chapter 240 Big White Bean
Wanyu paid the money, dressed in new clothes, and left gracefully with her maids. Before leaving, she glanced triumphantly at Qiao Shi, who was in tears, as if mocking Qiao Shi's overestimation of her abilities.
Looking at Wan Yu's retreating figure, Tang Nier said gently, "Qiao Shi, who in the capital doesn't know how willful Princess Wan Yu is? What were you thinking, arguing with her?"
Du Ying tugged at Tang Nier and whispered, "Don't meddle in other people's business. That dress will definitely look good on you. Go try it on." Tang Nier smiled and nodded, obediently taking the dress to the fitting room.
Back then, Lu Mubai said at Pingyuan Pass that he would treat Tang Nier and Du Ying equally from now on, and asked the two to get along peacefully in the mansion. Tang Nier and Du Ying really did become good friends.
Qiao Shi opened her mouth, but Du Ying interrupted her, telling Tang Nier not to meddle. She then shut her mouth and silently lowered her head.
To be honest, she regrets it now. It's just an outfit, and no one here had any objections. Why did she have to stick her neck out? She wanted to vent her frustrations by listening to Tang Nier's words, but Tang Nier was pulled away by Du Ying.
The little incident in Yishang Pavilion quickly reached the Princess's residence. Wen Yuxia was speechless. Had Qiao Shi been spoiled rotten by Zhang Hongbin? She actually dared to talk back to Wan Yu.
"Mother, Mother!" Nangong Youcheng and Nangong Youqi ran excitedly into Wen Yuxia's private study. Nangong Youqi was clutching a purse in his hand.
A smile appeared on Wen Yuxia's face. Her sons, who had gone on a trip, had returned. She said softly, "Cheng'er, Qi'er, did you gain anything from your trip?"
Nangong Youqi stuffed the purse into Wen Yuxia's hand. "Father said that my eldest uncle works at the Ministry of Agriculture. We found some soybeans in the deep mountains. I don't know if they are edible."
Having transmigrated to this place, Wen Yuxia had never seen large white beans before. Now, seeing a pocket full of large white beans, she was overjoyed:
"Yes, yes, these are white beans. They're delicious stewed with meat or ribs. Give these beans to your uncle to use as seed."
Nangong Youqi grinned and said, "If my uncle grows big white beans, does that mean he has completed the task that the Emperor gave him?"
The Nangong brothers, Youqi and Wenrui, were traveling when Wenjun visited them from time to time, mentioning that Wen Yunhai was serving as an "innovative official" in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Finding new grain varieties and increasing grain yields was Wen Yunhai's responsibility. He asked the two of them to bring back some of the plant seeds that the gentleman did not recognize when they traveled.
"Yes," Wen Yuxia nodded affirmatively. Then, the mother and her two children, along with Da Baidou, went to Baijia Village on the outskirts of Beijing to find Wen Yunhai.
Upon seeing the large white beans and hearing Wen Yuxia describe how delicious it is to stew white beans with meat, Wen Yunhai was overjoyed and sincerely thanked his two nephews.
Since white soybeans were a new crop, and fearing they would be ruined if planted elsewhere, Wen Yunhai planted them in his family's vegetable garden. He also told Wen Yuxia that once the planting was successful, he would report to the imperial court to request commendation for the Nangong Youcheng brothers.
As for Qiao Shi, because of the incident where Wan Yu mocked her at "Yi Chang Pavilion," the servants in the mansion were gossiping about her privately. She could feel the servants pointing and whispering about her as soon as she stepped out of the courtyard.
Feeling down, she stayed indoors all day. Zhang Hongbin felt sorry for her being wronged, so he went to "Jin Yu Man Tang" to buy Qiao Shi a set of jewelry and sent a "Jin Yu Man Tang" shop assistant to the Zhang residence to find the accountant to pay for it.
When Zhang Jinxuan learned of this, he was furious and went directly to his grandmother, Madam Zhang, to complain: "It's clear that my sister-in-law was in the wrong about Yishang Pavilion, so why did my brother get the money from the accounting office?"
Madam Zhang said with a displeased expression, "The private expenses of each household are not recorded in the public accounts. Bin'er, return the money to the accounting office."
Zhang Hongbin said coldly, "My sister-in-law disrespected my sister-in-law, making her the object of ridicule. Shouldn't she be given appropriate compensation?"
Zhang Hongbin's intention in sending someone to the mansion to collect the money wasn't to take advantage of the situation, but rather to escalate the matter. It was true that Wanyu had bullied Qiao Shi, and he hoped that Old Madam Zhang could step in and reprimand Wanyu.
"Compensation? What did Wanyu do wrong?" Zhang Jinxuan was growing increasingly disgusted with his elder brother, Zhang Hongbin, who couldn't distinguish right from wrong and unconditionally doted on Qiao Shi, that petty and narrow-minded illegitimate daughter.
Zhang Hongbin relayed what Qiao Shi had told him. Upon hearing this, Old Madam Zhang frowned, inwardly lamenting, "My eldest grandson is a waste!"
Zhang Jinxuan said with a cold smile, "Mu He, go to Yishang Pavilion and invite Madam Yu." He didn't want to waste any more words and planned to let Madam Yu reveal the truth.
Muhe, Zhang's head maid, looked at Zhang somewhat helplessly. Whether or not to invite Madam Yu depended on Zhang's instructions.
"Xuan'er, bringing outsiders to witness a family dispute? Are you stupid just like your brother?" Old Madam Zhang angrily smacked Zhang Jinxuan with her cane.
"Everyone in the capital knows that Wanyu and my sister-in-law were arguing at Yishang Pavilion. My brother is biased and only listens to one side. Madam Yu is the manager of Yishang Pavilion, so her account of what happened is the most convincing," Zhang Jinxuan shouted while dodging his cane.
He wasn't stupid; why would he actually invite Madam Yu to the mansion to testify? Doing so was merely to force Old Madam Zhang to give him and Wanyu an explanation.
Sure enough, Madam Zhang sighed deeply and slowly said, "Bin'er, Qiao Shi is in the wrong in this matter; Wan Yu is not at fault."
Madam Zhang recounted the conversation between Wanyu and Qiao Shi in the "Yishang Pavilion" as it was told. Finally, she said earnestly, "Bin'er, there is a distinction between superiors and inferiors, and between legitimate and illegitimate children. The rules must not be broken!"
It turned out that his own wife was the one who started the trouble. Zhang Hongbin looked embarrassed and said, "Grandmother, I will make up for the money in the accounting office. Qiao Shi offended Princess Wanyu, and I will make her apologize to Princess Wanyu. Second brother, this matter was my fault. I'm sorry!"
Zhang Jinxuan said indifferently, "Things shouldn't happen more than three times. If there's a next time, don't blame me for disregarding our brotherhood."
Madam Zhang chuckled and tried to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, it's nothing serious. It's good that we've talked it out. I'll personally take Qiao Shi to Wanyu's courtyard for a visit later."
Wanyu disliked prying into the affairs of the household and was unaware that Zhang Jinxuan had gone to Old Madam Zhang's courtyard to stand up for her. At this moment, she was lying on a chair, eating melon seeds and listening to her maid read a storybook.
Qiao Shi, on the contrary, instructed the servants in the courtyard to keep a close watch on the movements in the mansion. No matter what happened, it wouldn't escape her notice. She knew everything that was happening in Old Madam Zhang's courtyard.
In a fit of anger, Qiao Shi swept the teapot and teacups off the table, the sound of them clattering and crashing echoing throughout her room.
"Miss, Sister Muhe is coming this way," Du Juan, Qiao Shi's dowry maid, rushed in to report.
Qiao Shi was anxious: "Quickly, quickly, clean up the house. Lihua, help me do my hair."