The Eldest Daughter-in-Law [Reborn] - Chapter 97

Seeing this scene, Liu Xun felt humiliated. If it weren’t for the Eldest Princess’s influence, he wouldn’t have even stepped into the Wang family’s door. He couldn’t bear the title of “taking a concubine” and kept a stiff face, his tone becoming rigid.

“Madam, you joke. That’s not the case.”

“Oh? Then what is a second wife supposed to be?”

Liu Xun patiently explained, “It was an accident. A month ago, I got drunk and mistakenly offended her. She was innocent. She’s an unmarried girl, and she endured humiliation. She initially wanted to go back to her family, but then she found out she was pregnant. That’s why I came to the door. I admit it was my mistake, and I can’t let her bear the consequences alone. Madam, this happened, and no one wanted it. Please have mercy on her for the sake of the child. Her status isn’t low; she’s qualified to be my secondary wife.”

Liu Xun almost said that Wang Shuying, being the daughter of a criminal, had no right to be his wife. If it weren’t for the Eldest Princess’s insistence, he wouldn’t have married her. Liu Xun shot a glance at Wang Shuqin, who rolled her eyes at him. He was left speechless and embarrassed.

The Third Madam listened to his twisted words, and instead of becoming angry, she laughed, “I don’t care whether it was an accident or some other affair. Our Wang family doesn’t accept concubines.”

“The time is late, and I have household matters to attend to. I don’t have time to entertain Master Liu. Let me make this clear, if the Liu family marries another, we’ll have no choice but to go to the censors and ask the officials to judge this matter.”

Liu Xun hurriedly said, “Madam, please don’t misunderstand. She is just a second wife, not the main one.”

“Then get a divorce first, marry whoever you want!” The Third Madam slammed her teacup on the table, her eyes filled with contempt and disgust. Coldly, she said, “Master Liu, you’re not qualified to speak to me. Someone, escort him out!”

Mama Hao deliberately raised her voice, “Our Madam still has to play cards with the ladies, Master Liu, please leave.”

Liu Xun’s face turned pale with rage as he stormed out.

Once he was gone, the Third Madam set her teacup down, her expression bad. She glanced at Xie Yunchu and Wang Shuqin, asking, “Do you know why I called you both here?”

Xie Yunchu understood; the Third Madam intended to help her see more of the world. Wang Shuqin just thought she was there for the show.

The Third Madam turned to her daughter and said, “I want you to see the true face of these men. No matter how good they seem, you must never fall for their sweet words. Always stay clear-headed, or one day, when they stab you in the back, you’ll be caught off guard and lose your composure.”

Wang Shuqin had no intention of marrying right now. She lazily replied, “I understand, Mother.”

When the First Madam and Wang Shuying entered the side hall through the back corridor, the Third Madam glanced at Wang Shuying’s tear-filled eyes and asked, “Did you hear what he said?”

Wang Shuying didn’t respond. She had already anticipated this outcome.

The First Madam was also angered by what she had heard.

“Third Sister-in-law, what are your plans now?”

“Wait for Lord Liu and Madam Liu to come to the door.”

As the Third Wife had expected, once the Wang family made their stance clear, the Liu family could no longer sit idle. The following morning, Madam Liu, Liu Xun’s mother, hurriedly arrived at the Wang household, bringing gifts and apologies for her son. The First Madam, having listened to the Third Wife, didn’t make an appearance and left everything to the Third Madam to handle.

Madam Liu entered and asked, “Where is the First Madam?”

The First Madam, Qian, was soft-hearted and easy to talk to, but the Third Wife wasn’t so easily dismissed.

The Third Madam, with a half-smile, replied, “My elder sister-in-law is ill from anger and can’t receive her in-laws, so it seems I must play the villain and bear the blame.”

Madam Liu quickly said, “No, no, Third Madam, you are such a busy person. I rarely even get to see you. I’ve just brought some small gifts for both of you.”

Still calm and unhurried, the Third Madam, with a hint of sarcasm, looked at Madam Liu. “Oh, I can’t accept such a gift. What if it was sent to the wrong door? Isn’t the Liu family planning to marry again? They should go to the right family to propose.”

The cousin of his, wasn’t she Madam Liu’s niece? Surely, she wouldn’t go against her own family. The Third Wife had already concluded that Madam Liu was no good, so she didn’t bother to show her any courtesy.

Madam Liu spoke in a soft and gentle tone, trying to persuade her, “Madam, don’t take things to heart. Children sometimes say things thoughtlessly. You know this is just a misunderstanding, and now the deed is done. We can only think about how to resolve it and make everyone happy.”

“A second wife is just a term, a mere formality. You’ve been in the capital for many years, surely you don’t take it seriously?”

The Third Madam also laughed, saying, “Madam, if it were just a normal concubine, it wouldn’t be a big deal. If it had gone through the proper channels with your elders’ approval, and Ying’er accepted it, then we’d all be happy. But your son, the heir, took it upon himself to secretly get a woman pregnant, and now you’re asking us to accept him marrying a concubine as if our Wang family doesn’t have any dignity? He’s trampling our face into the ground.”

“You let your son do whatever he pleases and have no regard for propriety, but we, the Wang family, still care about our reputation. I’m not one for talking in circles. Madam, just tell me directly, how do you plan to handle this?”

Madam Liu’s face showed difficulty, but with the matter of her niece being pregnant, no matter what, they had to accept the situation. 

She forced a smile and said, “If you insist, let’s each take a step back. We can consider this as just taking a concubine for Xun’er. The child is already in her womb, so let’s consider it a blessing…”

Before she finished speaking, the Third Madam interrupted her, “If you had communicated with us beforehand and let Ying’er decide whether to accept a concubine, that would have been fine. She’s not an unreasonable person. But since you think you can bully our girl because she’s too kind-hearted, let me make it clear: there’s no room for a concubine in this matter.”

Madam Liu was shocked, “What about the child?”

The Third Madam sipped her tea and replied nonchalantly, “You’re asking me? I didn’t encourage your niece to have an affair.”

Madam Liu’s face turned pale, unable to speak.