Marry another wife, the mistress of the marquisate will not serve you anymore

Song Wanyin had her hair tied up lightly, and was wearing an elegant plum blossom dress with a colorful tassel belt tied around her waist. She walked over slowly, bowed and said:

"I wish my mother-in-law good fortune as vast as the long-flowing waters of the East Sea, and a long life as long as the evergreen pines of the Southern Mountains."

The lady heard the whispers around her, and when she learned that she came empty-handed, she said unhappily:

"Wan Yin, this night-shining pearl is a token of filial piety from Lan Yue and Chen Ge'er.

It is convenient for me to use for lighting when I get up at night. I like it very much.

There is also the jade ruyi given by Zhijie and the agate bracelet given by Yege, both of which are of the best quality and the most valuable.

However, what I am most looking forward to is the birthday gift you will give me. What is it?"

At every birthday banquet, Song Wanyin would present the most precious treasures.

Last year, they gave me a horse stepping on a flying swallow, and the year before last, they gave me an agate cup inlaid with gold animal heads.

Any one of them is a priceless treasure with profound cultural heritage.

The lady-in-waiting was still thinking about making a fortune from her this year. The birthday gift she gave him alone, if sold for silver, would easily solve the urgent needs of the Marquis's Mansion.

Gu Zecheng and Gu Zeqian sat aside with sullen faces the whole time. After the economic crisis that had occurred in recent times, they gradually developed resentment towards the first wife.

Before the two brothers came here, they had a discussion and decided to find an opportunity to talk things over with their eldest sister-in-law and two nephews.

On the contrary, the Second and Third Madams stretched their necks, eagerly waiting to see what kind of rare treasures Song Wanyin would present so as to broaden their horizons.

When it is his turn to hold a birthday party, he will extract some more priceless treasures from Song Wanyin to enrich his family's wealth.

Gu Qingzhi couldn't help but said sarcastically:

"Hey, sister-in-law, you look like you have nothing in your hands. Did you not have time to prepare a birthday gift for mother?

This is your fault. As the eldest daughter-in-law, you can actually forget such an important thing.

Or do you not intend to give a birthday gift at all?"

Gu Qingye had the handle in Song Wanyin's hands, but he did not respond. He kept his head down and remained silent.

The agate bracelet he prepared for his mother this time was bought by pawning his most valuable item so that he could have the money to buy her a birthday gift.

At present, all his valuables have been pawned, but the truth will eventually come out.

Once his mother knew about this, she would be so angry that she would die.

Especially since the eldest brother has such a hot temper, I guess he will not even care about the feelings between brothers and will beat him to death.

When he thought of this, he scowled and couldn't help shivering.

Seeing that her fourth brother did not join in the fight and was hostile to Song Wanyin, Gu Qingzhi wanted to dig a hole for her and push her into it. She raised her elbow and gently poked her fourth brother, frowning and saying:

"Fourth brother, what are you in a daze about? Hurry up and say something."

Gu Qingye was upset. He looked up, glared at her, then turned and left.

He had no interest in this kind of verbal dispute and only wanted to save his life.

Gu Qingzhi looked at his back in confusion, the corners of her mouth twitching a few times:

"What medicine did this brat take today? What's wrong with him?"

Jiang Lanyue's eyes rolled around, and she chuckled softly:

"Sister, maybe you have been busy dealing with trivial matters in the mansion recently and forgot to prepare a birthday gift for the lady.

Although it is understandable, but as the eldest daughter-in-law, you probably don't take your mother-in-law seriously in such an important occasion.

All of you here are well-known dignitaries. How do you want them to view you?

Wouldn't that confirm the rumors out there that my sister is an unrighteous and unfilial person?"

Facing everyone's suspicion, Song Wanyin was neither angry nor annoyed, and spoke calmly:

“Who is your sister?

Don't call me so familiarly, I thought you were trying to get close to me.

You haven't even married into the Gu family yet, but you're already acting like the main wife?

Don't forget that a concubine is also a concubine.

Whether I give a birthday gift or not is my business. When is it your turn to tell me what to do?

Also, when I look at this night-shining pearl, I don’t think it’s something that Nan Jingguo can find?”

Jiang Lanyue was so angry that she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. Her face turned pale instantly and she staggered back a step, protecting her stomach.

Especially when I heard Song Wanyin's last words, it was like a hammer hitting my heart heavily, and my body and mind began to tremble.

No one present had ever seen such a large night-shining pearl, so they just made up a story and got away with it.

But Song Wanyin is different. She has been knowledgeable since childhood. When her father was alive, she often accompanied His Majesty on travels around the country. She has a broad vision and knowledge, and has been influenced to some extent.

It may not be easy to deceive her.

Gu Qingchen immediately stepped forward and held her slender waist, stretched out his hand to gently protect her belly, and said with concern:

"Lanyue, what's wrong with you? Is your stomach starting to hurt again?"

Jiang Lanyue frowned slightly, blinked her big watery eyes, looked at him pitifully, and said aggrievedly:

"Brother Qingchen, the doctor said that I can't get too excited because it will affect the development of the fetus.

My sister's words hurt me so deeply.

No matter what I do, I still can't get my sister's acceptance. I'm really sad. "

When Gu Qingchen saw her crying, his heart ached. He turned around and glared at Song Wanyin angrily, scolding:

"Song Wanyin, don't you see what kind of occasion this is?

If anything happens to Lan Yue and the baby in her belly, I will never forgive you."

Song Wanyin simply ignored his incompetent roar and clapped her hands. Soon Tiancheng and Nanny Wei presented a painting and displayed it in front of everyone.

"This is the painting of 'Auspiciousness and Longevity' that I drew for my mother-in-law. I wish her a long and healthy life."

The background of the painting is elegant peony flowers, blooming in all their glory at the most beautiful moment. On the branches stand pairs of ribbon birds, which are auspicious birds that symbolize longevity.

The lines on each petal are clearly visible, and there are a few crystal clear dew drops on them.

The ribbon bird is lifelike, with its bright black eyes sparkling with spirit, as if it is about to flap its wings and fly out of the paper.

Everyone was amazed by the painting and praised it highly.

"This painting should only exist in heaven, how many times can we see it in the world?"

"I have heard that the mistress of the Marquis's family has excellent painting skills since she was young. Seeing her today, it is indeed extraordinary."

"This painting skill is comparable to the magic brush of Ma Liang. It is the reincarnation of painters from ancient times to the present. It can be called a masterpiece."

"Wonderful, wonderful! I never thought that the mistress of the Marquis's family actually has such profound attainments. It's simply amazing."

Compared with the flattery of the distinguished guests, only the Gu family and the Jiang family disagreed.

The second and third ladies were originally looking forward to seeing some rare treasures, but they were greatly disappointed to find that it was just an ordinary painting.

Mrs. Jiang just chuckled. It seemed that the night pearl presented by her daughter was far superior to the painting.

The lady's face immediately fell. She had thought that Song Wanyin would give her a priceless treasure, but she didn't expect it to be such a worthless painting.

"Wan Yin, I was just praising you for being sensible and filial. Every time it's my birthday, you always prepare a surprise for me.

I was expecting some precious treasure you could give me this time, but it turned out to be the paintings you practiced every day.

In this kind of situation, I'm afraid it's a bit embarrassing, right? "

Jiang Lanyue almost laughed out loud, and said sarcastically:

"Sister, is this the birthday gift you prepared?

Could it be that the servants took it by mistake?

This is a complete blunder.”

Gu Qingchen was dissatisfied and frowned:

"Song Wanyin, what are you planning to do?

This kind of situation is nothing but a joke."

Seeing that they didn't know what was good, Song Wanyin smiled calmly and said:

“My painting ‘Auspicious Picture of Fortune and Longevity’ may seem ordinary, but it is actually extraordinary.

If it were put up for auction, many dignitaries would scramble to get it.

At least one thousand taels is enough to start with."