Tianliangyuan

Chapter 55 Is the Marquis's Mansion a Poverty Alleviation Project?

Xu Zhaozhao's intuition told her that she couldn't go to the Sun family.

“Aunt, please forgive Zhao Zhao for not agreeing with you. In any case, it is Jiang’s own fault for not disciplining her properly. If she wants to apologize or ask for my forgiveness, she should come to my door and beg me on her knees, or write a letter of apology, etc., instead of making me, the aggrieved party, have to condescend to see her.”

There is something right in what you said.

Although there was a hint of arrogance in it.

But who can blame Xu Zhaozhao when she is the daughter of the Marquis of Anxin?

How could the daughter of an official easily visit the wife of a mere wealthy merchant?

If this gets out, it will be seen as Xu Zhaozhao devaluing herself.

Xu Lin's breath hitched; she had never expected her niece to be so difficult.

The old lady, who originally thought it wouldn't hurt to go, also felt it was inappropriate after hearing these words.

No matter what, Xu Zhaozhao was an unmarried girl from the Marquis's mansion. It was rather awkward for her to visit the mastermind who intended to harm her.

Although the authorities have not ruled that Jiang was the mastermind, it is obvious to anyone with eyes to see, and she does not believe that Xu Lin could not see it.

“Lin’er, I think Zhao Zhao is right. If Jiang Shi really wants to atone for her sins, she should come and kneel down to kowtow in person. How can she let Zhao Zhao go to see her? This is really a lack of respect for hierarchy.”

Wang Ruolan smiled slightly. She had wanted to speak earlier, but Xu Lin was so eloquent that she could make the wicked seem like a pitiful person. She couldn't get a word in edgewise. The old lady was also confused by her words. Now, after hearing her daughter's words, she was indeed clear-headed.

Wang Ruolan knew that although her mother-in-law favored her sister-in-law, she still knew what was important.

Since this concerns the reputation of the Marquis's mansion, the old lady can no longer speak up for Xu Lin.

Seeing that her grandmother was on her side, Xu Zhaozhao knew that there should be no problem with the matter.

She dared not gamble on whether Jiang would go crazy again.

What if she leaves and then Jiang dies shortly after? How can she explain herself?

Public opinion can be devastating. If she didn't force Jiang Shi, she would be seen as the villain who forced Jiang Shi to her death. Once her reputation is ruined, who will remember that she was the victim?

Xu Lin didn't dare to argue with the old lady, but her cold gaze went straight for Xu Zhaozhao.

"Zhaozhao, I was just praising you for being sensible. How can you be so inconsiderate? Jiang is your elder, and she is not in good health. It is perfectly reasonable for you to visit her. They are all family. Why do you act like you are especially special?"

Wang Ruolan couldn't stand hearing this anymore.

boom!

The teacup landed heavily on the high table, and Wang Ruolan's face was frighteningly cold.

Xu Lin was drawn over by the sound, and when she met her sister-in-law's eyes, she felt a chill run down her spine.

"That's utter nonsense! That Jiang family member is merely a collateral branch of the Sun family. Xu Lin, our Marquis's Mansion only has a kinship with the Sun family because of your marriage to Sun Qingyang, but what kind of person is that Jiang family member? Does she even deserve to address our Zhaozhao as an elder? She's simply absurd!"

When Wang Ruolan got angry, even the old lady trembled a little.

The main reason is that Wang Ruolan usually has a good temper and rarely gets angry. In addition, what she said now makes perfect sense, which makes Xu Lin seem guilty.

"Sister-in-law, how can you say that? Jiang is Qian'er's aunt, and Zhao Zhao and Qian'er are cousins. How can they not be considered relatives? Or do you think that my marriage into the Sun family is a disgrace to the Marquis's mansion, so you look down on the Sun family at all?"

"Xu Lin, I hope you can understand this clearly: the Sun family is the Sun family, and the Sun family is the Sun family. These are two different things! Now that your brother-in-law is an official and also your husband, we naturally acknowledge this relationship. But we can't make all the relatives of the Sun family relatives of the Marquis's family. What would that be? If we follow your logic, how many relatives would our Marquis's family have?"

"Leaving aside our Wang family, just consider my mother's family, and my eldest daughter-in-law's family, and so on. Which family doesn't have a few poor relatives? If we include all of them as relatives of the Marquis's household, wouldn't our household's money be scattered everywhere? Wouldn't that be 'poverty alleviation'?"

Xu Zhao pursed her lips tightly, afraid that she would laugh out loud again.

My mother's fighting power is too strong!

Especially their skill at changing the subject, that's truly unmatched.

She was absolutely in awe of him!

Xu Lin was stunned by these words.

How come they're spending so much money?

Before Xu Lin could react, Wang Ruolan continued, "Mother, there are some things a daughter-in-law shouldn't say too clearly, but Zhaozhao is all grown up now. After she marries into the Xie family, she will have to manage affairs, so she should understand."

Putting everything else aside, I, Wang Ruolan, also have several poor relatives, and some of them do indeed come to my door every year to beg for money. Just as my sister said before, they are all my relatives, how can I ignore them?

But I'll just give them some New Year's goods or money. It's not like I should let the Marquis personally entertain them, is it? Wouldn't that be demeaning to the Marquis and elevating those greedy relatives?

If someone is truly in trouble, we will naturally lend a helping hand so that they don't go hungry. But if one of my distant relatives is critically ill and insists on seeing the Marquis, am I supposed to force the Marquis to see him?

Wouldn't that break the rules and make us a laughingstock?

That makes perfect sense.

Wang Ruolan has now managed to justify what she said earlier.

It's okay to have poor relatives; you can help those who need it, but you can't do it without principles or limits!

They were using his poor relatives as an example and the Marquis as a metaphor. Even if Xu Lin was slow to react, she understood by now.

The Jiang family had no connection with the Marquis's family to begin with; they were relatives of Sun Qingyang. What business was it of the Marquis's family?

Moreover, sending Xu Zhaozhao to visit the Jiang family is tantamount to sending the Marquis to visit Wang Ruolan's distant relatives.

Xu Lin was completely bewildered, and then she couldn't open her mouth anymore.

Xu Zhaozhao actually knew from the beginning what her mother really meant by those words, and she also understood that there were quite a few loopholes in her mother's words.

For example, the poor relatives who came every year to beg for alms were all women. Xu Zhaozhao was also called over to meet them. Since she was a woman, she naturally did not need the Marquis to accompany her.

For example, if a distant relative is seriously ill, the Marquis naturally doesn't need to visit them in person. However, whoever asks her for help will be sent to fetch a doctor and money. Whenever an elder passes away, Wang Ruolan will send someone to deliver the funeral arrangements in the Marquis's name.

However, Xu Lin was unaware of some of the intricacies involved, so naturally she couldn't think of anything to refute Wang Ruolan.

That's it, Xu Lin's mouth is completely shut now!

After Xu Lin left, Xu Zhaozhao arranged for someone to inquire about Jiang's situation. At the same time, she did not forget to create another ominous situation for Xu Lin in the old lady's room.

As soon as Xu Lin left, people noticed that all the potted plants in the old lady's room had wilted and drooped again.