0p0 Chapter 184 The Jin Family Suffers a Setback!
Chapter 184 The Jin Family Suffers a Setback!
The eldest maternal uncle's wife from the Zhenguo General's mansion naturally came as well. She was originally sitting at the same table as Madam Li and the others, but upon hearing their gossip, her brows furrowed. Looking around, she realized that quite a few of the furnishings in the room were indeed those of her sister-in-law.
Before this, Liu had heard Mu Xin Nuan's message and was initially puzzled, but now it seems that the Mu family is really going too far!
“Sister, why do I see these curtains in the Shu region as shimmering brocade? And the pattern is exactly the same as the one the Emperor bestowed upon us a few days ago? How did this imperial gift end up in the second house?”
In her haste, Jin quickly came to her senses. "This was specially sent over by my sister-in-law because she saw that we had just returned to the capital."
In one sentence, she made it seem like the two sisters-in-law had gotten along well! Upon hearing this, the old lady nodded repeatedly, thinking that this second daughter-in-law was quick-witted.
Li gave Jin a strange look. "This was given to Anuan by the Emperor and has always been kept in Anuan's courtyard. Sister-in-law, are you mistaken? When did I send this over? Besides, it belongs to Anuan, and I have no right to make decisions about it."
Jin's expression froze. Just now, Madam Li only said that it was a gift from the emperor, but she didn't specify who it was given to. Naturally, she would have thought that it was given to the eldest son's family or the old lady. Who would have thought that it was given to that little girl?
"I knew it! You always said that whatever others gave or whatever was bestowed upon Anuan was hers to manage, so that it could be used as her dowry in the future. How could you suddenly take it upon yourself to give it away?"
Liu's words are brilliant!
The phrase "acting on her own initiative" was ostensibly directed at Li, but it was also a veiled criticism of the unreliable Jin.
"Ah Nuan is young, so perhaps she lent her things to her because her second aunt had just returned to the capital, right, second sister-in-law?"
As soon as Madam Li finished speaking, all the ladies present understood. So this second wife was short of money and had resorted to taking advantage of a young girl? She tricked a girl into taking her things to their second household?
As an elder, not only did she not give anything to the younger generation, but she also tried to take their things. This Madam Mu is really shameless.
Jin's face was pale and ashen, not looking very good, but what else could she do? She couldn't very well say that all of these were gifts from Mu Xin Nuan, could she? Putting aside why someone would give her so many nice things, even if A Nuan really did give them to her, who would believe her if she said it now?
Jin's expression was stiff as she chuckled awkwardly, "Yes, because the preparation period for this banquet was short, there was not enough time to put things away, so we borrowed some from Anuan."
Ms. Jin was extremely upset!
Since it was announced as a loan in public, it naturally had to be returned. When she first moved in, she assumed the furnishings in the house were provided by the public funds. Later she learned that the old lady had them directly selected from the storeroom.
Since the old lady had spoken, these items naturally belonged to the second branch of the family. After carefully appraising them, she was quite pleased with herself; they were worth over ten thousand taels of silver—and these were all valuable items!
Little did they know that today's banquet would make everyone recognize them.
Originally, Madam Jin had planned to take advantage of today's opportunity to network more with the ladies of high society in the capital. Firstly, she wanted to see if she could help her husband, and secondly, she was from the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion, which gave her a certain level of respectability.
Little did they know that today's banquet would completely ruin everything!
Instead of gaining any benefits, he left a bad impression on the ladies present. This time, he really shot himself in the foot!
However, Liu was not so easily fooled, and since Mu Xin Nuan had already discussed it with her, she naturally did not believe Jin's explanation.
Madam Liu picked up her teacup, smiled slightly, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "That's quite strange! It's understandable to have someone borrow some decorations from A-Nuan to make a show of things for this banquet. After all, the Second Madam has only been back in the capital for less than half a month, so it's understandable that these things haven't been organized yet. But this shimmering brocade? A-Nuan has always treasured it so much. She's usually reluctant to even open it for a quick look. It's quite novel that you've borrowed it to make a curtain."
Liu's words were tantamount to directly accusing Jin of lying!
It's been over ten days since we returned to Kyoto, and you're still saying your things aren't organized. How many things do you, a fourth-rank official's wife, need to organize?
Moreover, you actually borrowed Mu Xin Nuan's precious things, which she usually wouldn't even look at, to make curtains. Who would believe that? If you've already used those things to make curtains, how can you possibly make clothes from them?
Isn't this blatantly trying to fool the ladies present?
Sure enough, everyone's expressions changed!
How could Madam Jin possibly know anything about the Radiant Brocade? Although she came from a noble family, she was born out of wedlock, so how could she possibly compare to the proper young ladies and mistresses? Moreover, she truly had no idea that the Radiant Brocade was a tribute item.
"It's just a piece of fine Shu brocade. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was a bit stingy."
Jin said with a hint of smugness, but her expression was slightly disdainful at the end, thinking to herself, "It's just a piece of brocade, isn't it? Look at how you're making such a fuss! And you're from the Zhenguo General's Mansion, yet you're being looked down upon!"
To everyone's surprise, the ladies present all changed their expressions upon hearing Jin's words, and even the old lady glared at her angrily.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I think you've had a few too many drinks and you're starting to spout nonsense!"
Jin was taken aback, not understanding what she had done wrong. All she had done was make a sarcastic remark about Madam Li. Why was her mother so afraid?
Madam Li gave a cold laugh, "As expected of the Second Madam, she is indeed a lady of the Marquis's household. How can she say such things so casually?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun shook her head in disapproval, saying, "This shimmering brocade is a tribute item; even the wealthiest ordinary families cannot use it. Didn't you just say that it was originally bestowed upon the eldest daughter of the Mu family by the Emperor? Such a fine item has actually been used to make curtains; it's truly unbelievable."
Madam Sun didn't finish her sentence, but her tone was already quite regretful, as if Madam Jin had ruined something very valuable and made a huge mistake.