Chapter 239: Chapter 221, Shame_1
Songhe Courtyard.
Madam Yan of the Yan Family, with an unreadable expression, sat on an elevated platform, meticulously pruning a few pots of green chrysanthemums and red plum blossoms with a pair of small scissors in hand. After finishing with a pot, she had the nanny, Sun, move it away.
Below her, Yan Zhigao was visibly restless, glancing up at his elderly mother from time to time, unease heavy in his heart.
Even though he was now a man of mature years, and held the position of a Fifth-rank Prefectural Governor, facing his mother who was taciturn and rarely smiled, he still felt considerable pressure.
His mother had been widowed at a young age and had a difficult temper while raising their siblings; when her anger flared, he was utterly unable to withstand it.
Madam Yan didn’t put down her scissors until she had pruned all of the potted plants on the table. She then looked indifferently at her eldest son sitting below her and asked slowly, “Sending the child to my courtyard, was it your idea, or did it come from the Lin Family?”
Yan Zhigao, seeing that his mother had initiated conversation, felt a weight lifted off his chest. He eagerly replied, “It was Madam Lin’s suggestion, but after giving it some thought, I also felt it made sense. The children at home are usually caught up with their lessons and scarcely have the time to accompany you in laughs and talks. I was thinking, with mother by herself in the courtyard, it would be dreadfully dull if there weren’t…..”
Madam Yan interrupted, “So you thought to leave a child in my courtyard to help pass the time?”
Yan Zhigao sheepishly nodded in agreement.
Madam Yan humphed coldly, “They say a child is flesh torn from the mother’s body, yet your concubine seems quite generous. The child wasn’t born a few days ago, and she’s already in a rush to send her over to this old woman.”
Yan Zhigao, hearing the sarcasm in his mother’s words, felt the need to defend his beloved concubine, “She too wants to show respect to you, thinking about you being bored alone…”
Madam Yan grew impatient and waved her hand to interrupt her son once more, “Show respect? I have three proper daughters-in-law; do I need a mere concubine to show respect? There’s only the two of us here. If your wife and your brothers’ wives were to hear this, they would spit on you.”
“She shows respect by sending her child over. Then what about the wife of your youngest brother? She gave birth to Wen Cheng last year and never sent him to me; isn’t that disrespectful?”
Yan Zhigao was struck dumb; he truly hadn’t considered the third branch of the family.
Madam Yan glanced sideways at her eldest son, “And which of your eyes saw that I was bored?”
Yan Zhigao swept his gaze across the many potted plants in the room, each meticulously maintained, filled with an air of vibrant life.
Clearly, his mother had devoted much time to tending them.
Just then, an abrupt voice rang out.
“Not bored, not bored, the old madam is not bored!”
Yan Zhigao’s expression stiffened as he turned his head to look at the parrot hanging by the window ledge.
At this moment, Madam Yan, with a smile, stood and walked towards the parrot with a plate of peeled sunflower seeds, scooping a generous handful into the bird’s food dish.
Seeing the parrot immediately bend its head and start pecking vigorously, she chuckled and said, “Like master, like pet, Daohua that girl is a foodie, and you’re a little foodie too.”
Daohua also worried about the old madam being bored and had sent the parrot over early in the morning to keep her company and entertain her.
“The old madam is a foodie too! Being a foodie is good, it means robust health, everything tastes delicious.”
Seeing his mother instantly amused by the parrot, Yan Zhigao’s face grew increasingly awkward.
After playing with the parrot for a bit, Madam Yan resettled herself on the elevated platform, sipped her tea, and spoke indifferently, “I can guess a bit of your concubine’s ulterior motives. Tell me, do you really think she only wanted to show respect?”
Yan Zhigao’s lips moved as if to say something, but no words came out.
He was of course aware of the Lin Family’s intentions, but seeing her lying on the bed weakly after giving birth, looking at him with pleading eyes full of sorrow, he couldn’t refuse her.
Madam Yan scoffed, “How you treat your concubines is not something I wish to dwell on; however, Zhigao, the political arena is fraught with danger, but the inner courtyards are not necessarily any more peaceful. Don’t let your personal desires disturb the peace of our household.”
“If Mrs. Lin knew her place and was content, that would be one thing, but she’s not. She’s not only seeking your favor but also coveting Madam Li’s position, and don’t tell me you haven’t noticed this at all.”
Yan Zhigao furrowed his brows and fell silent for a long while before finally standing up and bowing deeply, “Mother, your son is at fault!”
Madam Yan fixed her gaze on her eldest son, “I hope you truly acknowledge your mistake. Everything the Yan Family has today is not just the result of your own efforts—do not let down the people who have helped us.”
“Furthermore, you should realize that the children in the household are growing day by day, and their thoughts are becoming more complex. If you go too far, it will only drive them further apart.”
“They are not born of the same mother; don’t expect the children to be truly close and loving to one another.”
“Social positions must be made clear; don’t allow Wenbin and Yishuang to harbor thoughts they should not entertain.”
“People should never covet things that do not belong to them. Once someone harbors such thoughts, it only leads to harming themselves and others.”
Yan Zhigao’s expression turned serious; he had indeed been too careless regarding the affairs of his inner court.
Madam Yan continued, “By the way, I heard that Mrs. Lin’s premature delivery was because she first pushed Madam Liao, who hadn’t even done anything, and then she herself fell to the ground.”
Yan Zhigao immediately wanted to defend Mrs. Lin, but Madam Yan didn’t care to listen and went on speaking on her own.
“From now on, let Madam Li handle the affairs of the inner courtyard. You, a man, are still too naive about the intricate ways of women, easily fooled by their fragile appearance, not realizing some women, when pushed, are capable of anything.”
“Madam Li is kind, respectful, modest, and frugal. Even though she cares more about her own children, she is not a cruel person. With her managing the inner courtyard, I am at ease, and you should trust her a bit more.”
Yan Zhigao fell silent for a moment, then bent over and said, “Your son will heed mother’s command with utmost care.”
After speaking at length, Madam Yan also felt tired, waving her hand, “You may go now.”
“Then, Mother, please rest well!”
Yan Zhigao turned and left the room. Just as he stepped outside the door, he heard the old lady’s voice carry through.
“In this life, I have poured my heart and soul into raising these four siblings. One could say I have lived for their sake. Now that each one of them has established their own family, I can say that I have lived up to the expectations of their deceased father and the ancestors of the Yan Family.”
“I am still living so robustly today, thanks to the blessings of that girl Daohua. With these extra days of life, I want to live a bit more as I please. Although the household is getting better, the worries have only increased.”
The voice of Nanny Sun.
“Madam, isn’t the big Madam in charge of the household? You should just relax and enjoy life.”
Old Madam: “Madam Li is good and filial. She never discusses troubling affairs in front of me and arranges everything regarding clothing, food, housing, and transport perfectly. But the irony is that it’s my own son who’s troubling me, as if I owed it to them in a past life.”
“It’s not enough that I raised the four of them; they want to thrust their children on me as well. Am I their nanny? Don’t they know how stressful and demanding it is to raise a child? They think all children are as endearing and easy to manage as Daohua, believing I’m too comfortable and need troubles to stir me up.”
Hearing these words, Yan Zhigao felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he left in shame as if fleeing the scene.
He had been truly unfilial, swayed by Mrs. Lin’s instigation to seek out his old mother, without properly considering whether she really needed his so-called filial piety.