Chapter 63 Disdain for Her

she was frowning and her face was grave, thinking something big had happened, so she immediately sat up and asked anxiously, "Ning Dong, what's wrong"Qing Qiu also looked at Ning Dong nervously.Ning D...Zhang was completely stunned by this good news. She had been mentally prepared to be scolded by her mother-in-law, who would have thought there would be such a happy turn of events

She immediately put her daughter's troubles out of her mind and nodded vigorously: "Mother, my daughter-in-law, my daughter-in-law agrees." She hesitated a bit, then said, "But Xiuwen... could he possibly be chosen by the mountain elder"

Although she thought her child was the best and most intelligent, Ling Shan Academy had a big reputation and high requirements. It wasn't easy to get in, so she wasn't sure.

Grandmother Gu replied, "The third son is friends with the headmaster of Ling Shan Academy. If you agree to send Xiuwen to study there, I will mention it to the third son and ask him to take Xiuwen to visit the headmaster."

Zhang listened, feeling both surprised and delighted. Her daughter had caused trouble that morning, and now her mother-in-law wanted to send her youngest son to Ling Shan Academy in the afternoon. Could it be that her mother-in-law was still unaware of what had happened this morning

Luckily, luckily she punished Xiayi severely. Even if her mother-in-law finds out later, she can also report to her mother-in-law and then bring her daughter over to apologize. As long as the attitude of apology is good, even if the mother-in-law gets angry again, she will be lenient.

Seeing her overjoyed expression, Old Madam Gu said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, don't be too happy yet. This matter isn't certain to succeed. Whether you can finally enter the academy depends on Master Shan's opinion."

Zhang took a deep breath, calming her agitated emotions. She smiled and said, "Mother, your and Third Brother's help is Xiuwen's fortune. As for whether he can succeed, it depends on Xiuwen's performance. If he fails, then we can only blame Xiuwen for not being excellent enough to catch the Mountain Master's eye."

Although it seemed unlikely, Zhang believed that with a 90% chance of the third son taking action, failure was almost out of the question.

Mrs. Gu nodded lightly: “Since you agree, then it's settled. You should encourage Xiuwen to review his studies these days. This evening when the third one comes back, I'll have a talk with him.”

Zhang's mouth was almost stretched to her ears, nodding repeatedly: "Good, good, thank you, Mother."

Mrs. Gu gave her a glance and replied in a soft voice, "You don't have to be polite with me. Xiuwen is my grandson, and since the academy is recruiting students, I'm just helping my grandson."

As soon as Zhang said this, she immediately felt guilty. She had only recently said that her mother-in-law didn't truly care for them, but now her mother-in-law was going out of her way to help her son get into Ling Shan Academy. It felt like an invisible slap in the face, and her cheeks burned with shame.

She tried to maintain a smile on her face: "Mother is right, Xiuwen has always been filial. When he succeeds in the future, he won't forget how good his mother has been to him."

Grandmother Gu smiled and nodded, "That child is indeed filial. "

With the serious matters discussed, she didn't want to waste any more time talking with her eldest daughter-in-law. She said, "Alright, I have nothing else to say. You should go back and tell Xiuwen first, and when the eldest comes home, you should also tell him."

Zhang nodded in response: "Mother, my husband came back at noon. I'll go back and tell him now. To be able to attend Ling Shan Academy is such a good thing; my husband will definitely agree."

Then, Zhang bowed respectfully to her mother-in-law before leaving.

Feng Mama watched Zhang Shi pay her respects to the elder madam. Her bowing etiquette was standard, all for show, and truly heartfelt occasions were rare. This time, however, it seemed she genuinely bowed to the elder madam as a descendant should, her sincerity overflowing. At this moment, she almost treated the elder madam as her own mother.

After Zhang left, Feng Maama spoke up, “Old Madam, I thought you… ah, never mind. It was just me thinking too much.”

Madam Gu questioned, “What do you think it is”

Grandmother Feng replied, “I thought you wanted to change your heir apparent. You want to have the Fourth Master adopted by the Marquis and establish him as the new heir.” After she said it, she herself found it laughable that she would even come up with such an absurd idea.

Grandmother Gu was taken aback by his words and couldn't help but chuckle. She said helplessly, "You, you're so old now, how can your thoughts still be as rebellious as when you were young"

"Old Madam Feng hurriedly said, "I'm still not calm enough. I need to continue cultivating and practicing."

Mrs. Gu slowly said: "Xiu Ming is still fine. I don't think there's anything to worry about. Although he made a mistake, he can be given another chance. If Xiu Ming truly insists on his own way and shows no remorse, and makes trouble for that Miss Li again, then we might consider changing the Crown Prince. After all, a man who is willing to sacrifice everything for a woman cannot possibly carry an entire family on his shoulders."

She paused, sighed softly, and continued, "Now that Xiu Yuan and the others haven't entered official service, if it weren't for the third son holding everything together these past years, our family would have long since fallen into ruin. Whether the family thrives or not depends on the future generations. The children need to be well raised. Family feuds are the beginning of a family's downfall. Xiu Wen is a bright child. Without his mother's pampering, he might actually achieve something. I once considered separating them, but after today's events, I've made up my mind."

Fēng Māmā listened to these righteous words and her eyes immediately welled up. These years, the old matriarch had done so much for the family, and only as her own son, the Marquis, could understand her painstaking efforts.

Over the years, the old matriarch has been trying to maintain balance between the eldest and second branches of the family. However, the eldest and second wives are always squabbling over petty gains, causing conflict. If the two wives weren't constantly at each other's throats, the tension between the branches would be significantly reduced. The eldest son is a simpleton who follows his wife's lead. He tries to curry favor but lacks the intelligence to succeed; it's all in vain. If he married a wise woman, things would be much better.

Thinking of this, Granny Feng felt sorry for her mistress again: "Madam, you have worked tirelessly to take care of the family, all for the sake of your descendants. This time, you helped the Fourth Young Master. The First Madam is happy, but she doesn't understand your kind intentions."

Mrs. Gu fell silent for a moment, looking down upon Mrs. Zhang's petty and shallow heart with disdain: "Mrs. Zhang's mind is too superficial to understand me. Xiuwen is a good child at heart. After learning from renowned masters and cultivating his independence and broadening his horizons, he will naturally see through his mother's problems and won't be led astray by Mrs. Zhang's manipulations. He won't waste his life away aimlessly. As long as he is willing to put in the effort, he will surely become a talented person who brings honor to our family."

Upon hearing this, Madam Feng expressed her utmost admiration: "Madam Dowager understands the righteousness."

"If descendants don't live up to the legacy built by our ancestors, then we won't be able to keep it."

Lady Gu's eyes were clear and wise as she looked at the incense rising from the censer. Her voice grew heavy: "Our ancestor followed the first emperor to establish the dynasty, holding a title for over a hundred years. The family has experienced several rises and falls. Twenty years ago, we rose again after a period of decline. If we fall again, who knows when we will recover, or perhaps we will never recover at all. The future of the Gu family now rests on these four brothers: Xiu Yuan, Xiu Hong, Xiu Ming, and Xiu Wen. Looking at them, none of them stand out particularly. My heart is heavy with disappointment."

Mrs. Feng thought of several young masters and compared them to the old marquis. They were far inferior. If no one could rise up within the next ten years, the Gu family might decline once again.ce, which hadn't completely lost its childishness, she was two months younger than his son. Yet, in front of his son, she addressed him with a calm demeanor, calling him "Son," as if she were his biol...